Movie of the Week – It Follows
Few genres are as divisive as horror. Let’s face it, 99% of horror movies are garbage, but that remaining 1% includes many of the finest movies ever made. When a horror movie gets it right, it’s a joy no other genre can rival. It Follows is one horror movie that gets everything right; it’s atmospheric, creepy without relying on gore, and gives your brain something to mull over without getting in the way of the scares. Maika Monroe, star of NewsFour’s movie of 2014 The Guest, plays a teenager who finds herself stalked by a demon following a sexual encounter. The movie is a brilliant analogy for the horrors of personal responsibility that we must face upon entering the adult world.
Catch Me Daddy
Catch Me Daddy is an impressive debut from director Daniel Wolfe. It’s a gritty chase thriller in which a muslim goes on the run from her fundamentalist family when they attempt to enact an honour killing on her. The movie is tense and terrifying, playing out like The Terminator given a British kitchen sink twist.
White God
White God is a Hungarian oddity about a dog called Hagen who leads his fellow strays in a revolt against humans after being separated from his owner and experiencing mistreatment at the hands of a variety of humans. Hagen is played by two different dogs, and the transformation from lovable mutt to violent revolutionary is incredibly convincing. Despite how ludicrous the film sounds on paper, it manages to pull off its crazy plot. Think Planet of the Apes with canines.
The Boy Next Door
A movie that fails completely however is The Boy Next Door. Jennifer Lopez plays an English teacher who has a sexual encounter with one of her pupils, who then begins to harass her into continuing the relationship. The biggest problem, of which there are many, with the movie is the casting: J-Lo looks roughly the same age as the 26-year-old actor playing her ‘teen’ lover. Garbage of the highest order.
Focus
Not much better is con artist drama Focus, but it does at least feature a charismatic performance from Will Smith, who fools us into believing we’re watching a far better movie than we actually are. This illusion is shattered early on though when the movie’s ridiculous plot begins to unravel in a series of hilariously poorly conceived plot twists.
By Eric Hillis
