Displaying items by tag: Dan Stevens

ABIGAIL

US, 2024, 109 minutes, Colour.

Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, William Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillette.

Abigail was a successful horror-thriller of 2024 directed by the duo who were responsible for Ready or Not, the remake of Scream and Scream VI. It has a strong cast of character actors – invited to act and overreact!

The film begins with the young Abigail, Irish actor Alisha Weir, a ballet dancer, Swan Lake. And she is observed by a number of people at the theatre and in waiting vehicles. What follows is a kidnapping. They are  not known to each other, not knowing anything about the girl or her family, are trapped in a house for 24 hours by the intermediary, Giancarlo Esposito.

There is a lot of complaint on the IMDb that the trailers gave away the major twist of the film. It is certainly better for the audience not to know anything about the film before they start to watch it.

So, very strong spoiler alert.

The switch in the screenplay is that it becomes a vampire film, the little girl an age-old vampire, her father a master criminal. When the revelation is made, the main part of the plot is her attacking the various members of the kidnapping group. They have codenames, the central character, Joey (Melissa Barrera) has a skill of explaining some of the background of each of them so the audience knows their personalities, skills, dark secrets.

There are very few holds barred in the presentation of the vampire attacks, especially the bloodsucking and the destruction scenes, massive blood explosions as each character passes into eternity. There are various betrayals, revelation of secrets, the role of the young girl, the final appearance of her father (a surprise in Matthew Goode).

Dan Stevens is the leader of the group, it is a pity that the most sympathetic of the group played by Will Catlett is killed early. Angus Cloud is the young sociopath. Kevin Durand is the heavy. The other female participant is the tech expert, played by Kathryn Newton.

A lot of the action and performance is very much tongue in cheek, touches of comedy and parody, and a huge overload of coarse wearing language.

For the fans of horror films with twists.

GODZILLA x KONG, THE NEW EMPIRE

US, 2024, 115 minutes, Colour.

Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Fala Chen, Rachel House.

Directed by Adam Wingard.

We need to check the title. In 2021, there was Godzilla vs Kong. Now, with a small letter change, we see that Godzilla and Kong art together, the “X” signifying that, if they do not necessarily love each other, they are now working together.

This is the continuation of a series of Godzilla and Kong films, a continuity in the plots. The first was: Kong: Skull Island, Kong re-emerging into our consciousness, and the discovery of the subterranean universe, Hollow Earth, and the young girl, the last of her tribe. The next step in the series was to focus on Godzilla – and Godzilla’s propensity for giant destruction. And then she’s too, the bringing together of the 2 giants in conflict. Now, peace between them in their coming to the aid of ordinary humans as well as the lost tribe.

The opening does not waste much time. We seem to return to the prehistoric world, monstrous creatures pursuing, Kong, literal cliff edge drama, and Kong’s infected tooth! Meanwhile Godzilla is running rampant in Rome, finally settling down to sleep and occupying the Colosseum!

Then back to the humans, Dr Ilene Andrews, Rebecca Hall, participant in the previous adventures, tTia, Kaylee Hottle, the little girl, who feels alienated at school. In the meantime, Trapper, Dan Stevens, is called with his multi-purpose plane, to hover over Kong in pain and extract his tooth and supply.a false tooth.

But, there are ominous signs. An expedition to Hollow Earth, including recruiting Bernie, Brian Tyree Henry, running his own pod cast, part of the previous expeditions.

Which actually means there is quite a lot of plot, the audience spending time with one, a lot of time with the next, and the next. There is Kong’s story, his discovering some rebel apes, including a little one who joins in the action, a variation on the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Then there is the story of the tribe in Hollow Earth, quite an advanced civilisation, young Tia able to communicate, their being under threat by the apes, the veneration of the giant Mothra and bringing it alive again. Meanwhile, Godzilla has woken up in the Colosseum, submerged and travelling to the Arctic to replenish strength.

Whatever the communication, the next stop is Cairo, Godzilla doing some more trampling, especially on the pyramids, but Kong emerging, then making peace, Tia intervening, standing on the head of the Sphinx, and pact to join forces against the rebel apes.

It is a changed destruction in Rome and Cairo rather than in New York City, but the imagination stretches when, suddenly, they both turn up in Rio de Janeiro – more confrontations.

Bringing the 3 stories together means more action than we might have been anticipating, all in confrontation, a lot of bellowing from Kong, firebreathing from Godzilla, dangers for the humans, and Mothra joining in the attack.

It seems that this is a recipe for popular entertainment, fantasy and action, imagination, dangers and rescues, and considerable success at the box office. (A statistic: It is also the 38th film of the Godzilla franchise and the 13th film in the King Kong franchise.)

When and where will, in Godzilla combine again?

1. The fifth film in the Godzilla-Kong series? Each film following the other? The establishing of the mythology of Kong and Skull Island? The mythology of Godzilla, size, power, destruction? The conflict between the two? This film bringing them together against common enemies?
2. Audience response to the presence of Kong over the decades?
3. The opening, Kong, the pursuit by the creatures, the prehistoric atmosphere, the creatures flying? The fight, the cliffs, the injury, the infected tooth? The tracker, called on by Ilene, the episode of extracting the tooth, the false tooth? Kong as friendly?
4. Godzilla, the rampage through Rome, destruction, people, his settling in the Colosseum?
5. Audience response to Godzilla? The Japanese background? Two giant creatures, relationship with humans, threats, connections, collaboration?
6. The opening, Ilene Andrews had her work, her daughter and the background of her being mute, from the destroyed race? Hollow Earth? The research, financial difficulties? The sightings, the graphs, Tia, at school, the fantasies, drawings, Ilene’s concern? The linking of her drawings with the graphs?
7. Trapper, adventurer, personality, skills, extracting the tooth, pilot and plane, the journey, his contribution to the action?
8. Bernie, presence from the other films, technical knowledge, his podcast, his manner? Contact by Ilene? His wanting to go on the expedition? The pilot and his rough manner? The voyage to Hollow Earth? The post-deserted, the pilot swallowed by the tree? Atmosphere of fear?
9. The time given to the story of the tribe, the sinkhole, being discovered, empty feeling at home, communication, the civilisation of the tribe, the buildings, the hieroglyphs? The role of Mothra? The threat by the rogue apes?
10. Kong and discovering the rogue apes, the small ape, the conflict and fights, conquering, the invasion into the territory of the tribe?
11. Godzilla, leaving Rome, going to the Arctic, replenishing powers? Being tracked? The Egyptian sequence, rampant through Cairo, the destruction of the pyramids, Kong emerging, conflict, teaming together, Tia appearing? On the head of the Sphinx? Control? The arrival of Mothra?
12. Mothra, the mythology, in the underworld, being revived, coming to the rescue, saviour?
13. The final confrontation and battle, the apes, the little lake helping,, the Titan and collaboration, Kong versus the Skar King, Godzilla and the destruction?
14. Peace restored, the tribe safe, tear and her wanting to stay with Ilene? On and his leading the kingdom? Godzilla returning to the Colosseum?