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Flash Movie Review: The Nun II
I HAVE ALWAYS SAID, IF THE sinister character is not scary then the story will not succeed. There have been many films I sat through where the “bad” character does not exude evilness. I remember one superhero movie where the evil character was milquetoast; there was nothing about him that would make someone quack in their boots, or in this case movie seat. I sat in the theater and wondered why his followers were attracted to him and even sacrificed their lives for him. Thinking back at some of the horror films I sat through, I can only remember the ones where the evil character was this sinister, manipulating being that thrived on victims’ suffering. Not that I enjoy watching people get tortured, maimed or killed; but the “bad” being should be something that triggers a response in the viewer that sends a shudder through them or at least takes their breath away for a moment. I have wondered why writers wind up with a so-so evil character in their stories. Was it because the writer could not allow themselves to tap into their dark side, or was it possible their upbringing would not let them cross the line between decency and decadency? Sometimes, I wish I knew the answer. I THINK IF I EVER HAD to write a screenplay for a horror movie, I could create an evil character just based on some of the mean people I encountered throughout my life. If memory serves me, I believe I talked about this classmate who set a cat’s tail on fire and watched the cat burn to death. He would be a good one to base a “bad” character on. Though weirdly, he was not a troublemaker or bully in class; in fact, I do not recall him ever getting in trouble with the teacher. But isn’t that the best kind of evil? Later there was another classmate who I was actually afraid to be around. He would shove students who were in his way in the school’s hallways. I found it especially creepy if he used his hand that had the tip of a finger blown off by a firecracker or for all I know, a bullet. This one finger ended in a ball shape with scars and little hairs growing out of it; he loved shoving it into students’ faces while uttering vile words at them. I did my best to never cross paths with him. And I must tell you, I would equally not want to encounter the evil being in this horror, mystery suspense sequel. WHEN A MURDERED PRIEST IS DISCOVERED, Sister Irene, played by Taissa Farmiga (Rules Don’t Apply, The Bling Ring), is sent to investigate. What she finds is something she had encountered before. With Jonas Bloquet (3 Days to Kill, Alone at My Wedding) as Maurice, Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time, Missing) as Debra, Anna Popplewell (The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, Reign-TV) as Kate and Bonnie Aarons (I Live Alone, Frank) as The Demon Nun; this horror, mystery thriller surprised me; I thought it was better than the original. The filming and atmosphere created were perfect as the suspense kept building up in snippets. I thought the cast did an excellent job with their characters, especially Taissa and Jonas, and the director put them in the best of circumstances, creating a sense of dread as the movie progressed. The script was the weak spot for me; it could have been more creative to move the story away from the usual story lines for this genre. However, I enjoyed the little details that made the whole look of this film gothic and creepy. If the studio can keep up improving on this franchise, then I will certainly make a point of seeing future sequels in the movie theater. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Nun
THERE ARE SOME SITUATIONS AND PLACES that cause us to be fearful or simply creep us out. I get uncomfortable when, sitting in a movie theater with only a handful of patrons, someone enters and sits directly behind me. Most of the seats are empty, yet they choose the seat right in back of me; my mind immediately flashes images of what they could do to me. Have a wire loop to choke me; cut my throat with a knife; you get the picture. Yes, I see a lot of movies; I get these types of visuals immediately. It isn’t pretty. I feel the same way when I am on public transportation and the person sits close to me, though there are vacant seats all over the bus or train car. Oh, I almost forgot; standing in line and you can feel the person’s breath on your neck because they are standing in your personal space. On the other hand, there are people who do not like clowns; everyone has their own personal list of things that scare or make them feel uncomfortable. MY FEARS AND THINGS I FIND creepy predominately come from people; however, there are many individuals who get scared by places. I had no idea my garage was a scary place for example. For me, a garage is just a place to park my car; I do not devote a bit of time in the maintenance of it. Yet a friend of mine, I recently discovered, does not like walking into my garage because there are visible cobwebs in it. Nothing that one would accidently walk into, but they can be seen on the windows and rafters. Honestly, I never gave them a second thought, but my friend took one look at the cobwebs and decided to wait in the alley until I could pull my car out. I never knew I had a fear of this but on a trip I took a few years ago, I started getting scared driving on a deserted remote road. I wondered what would happen if the car broke down because there was no sign of life anywhere. Stranded with no cellular service, no gas station, no road lights, all by myself; I ask you, how would you feel in such a situation? You must admit it certainly looks like the start to a horror movie. I had the same feeling and thoughts as I started to watch this mystery, horror thriller. WHEN A NUN WAS FOUND DEAD hanging from a window of her monastery, the Vatican dispatched Father Burke, played by Demian Bichir (The Hateful Eight, A Better Life), who had some experiences in such types of situations. With Taissa Farmiga (The Bling Ring, American Horror Story-TV) as Sister Irene, Jonas Bloquet (3 Days to Kill, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) as Frenchie, Bonnie Aarons (The Princess Diaries franchise, The Fighter) as The Nun and Ingrid Bisu (The Zero Theorem, Outbound) as Sister Oana; this movie had all the earmarks of being a real scary story. The set pieces, the music, being part of The Conjuring franchise; everything was in place, including the excellent acting from Taissa, for me to get into this picture. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. There were a few scenes with potential, but the writers never took it any further out of being a predictable setup. There was nothing real “jump in your seat” worthy; though there were a few creepy scenarios. By the end of the film I was left with a “meh” feeling. I must tell you, in my opinion I feel as if the whole Conjuring story line has reached the end of the line. It was a well-done horror movie in the beginning, but now with this installment there doesn’t seem to be anything creepy left to tell us.
1 ¾ stars
moviejoltz 