Movie Night! 'Damn, that was a week...' Edition

Don't get me wrong, I love my job (and it still surprises me that I'd say that about any job...) but when things kick off, it can all get intense very, very quickly... So it was then that I got to the end of the day (yesterday) and realised that I was too wiped out to even pick a book up, let alone read anything. Luckily for me, I've got a Prime Video watch list that is just brimming over with a whole bunch of stuff, that I keep meaning to watch, and... Here I am :o)

Let me tell you about what I watched and how at least one movie was verging on awful but that was ok...


'Battle: Los Angeles' (2011)

A squad of U.S. Marines becomes the last line of defense against a global invasion...

Is that enough blurb to carry an entire film for an hour and fifty six minutes? The answer is a resounding 'Nope' but 'Battle: Los Angeles' goes ahead and does it anyway and the result is pretty much what you'd expect; about fifteen minutes worth of plot that gets swamped under a never ending battle against CGI aliens who are after our water. You can see how this approach should work but it doesn't quite happen here, purely because you can't see the plot for all the shooting and big explosions...

Having said that though, if you put your brain in neutral and let the movie just do it's thing, 'Battle: Los Angeles' isn't a bad movie to have on while you unwind after work so it wasn't a total loss, lets put it that way ;o)


'[Rec] 4; Apocalypse' (2014)

An ill-fated television reporter is rescued and sent on a voyage across the ocean, but she is followed by the deadly virus that has plagued her and numerous others.

Every time I start to wonder whether it's worth keeping my 'Shudder' subscription going, films like this pop up and all of a sudden I'm all subscribed for another month ;o) I wish the '[Rec]' franchise would make it's mind up, whether it's just zombies or demonic possession, but in the meantime, they're always fun to watch and '[Rec] 4' was no different. Loads of chases through claustrophobic spaces and fights with zombie/demonic monkeys amongst other things. There's a nice little twist that keeps things fresh as well. Slightly forgettable in the long term (seriously, I'd forgotten I'd watched it a few years ago) but fun while you're watching it.


'The Cellar' (2022)

Keira Woods' daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house. She soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family's souls forever.

Don't go in the cellar, there's MATHS down there and it's scary... ;o) Ignore me, maths and I have never got on and that just added another unsettling layer to what was already a very unsettling film. 'The Cellar' is creepy enough as it is but also insists on leading you down all sorts of blind alleys, adding to that fear while you and Keira try to work out exactly what is happening. By the time you do, 'The Cellar' springs the best ending on you. You'll look back and think that of course that was going to happen but when you're in the moment, you won't see it coming at all. And that is pretty much 'The Cellar' in a nutshell. If you have a 'Shudder' subscription, definitely give this one a look.

And that's that for me and movies, this week anyway ;o) You know what I'm into by now, do you have any recommendations...?

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