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CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW: Dead Awake (2010)

The movie reviewed here is definately NOT for children, and probably not for most other people either.

  • GENRE: Horror / Supernatural Thriller
  • ACTORS: Nick Stahl, Rose McGowan, Amy Smart, Ben Marten, Kim Grimaldi, Brian Lynner, Justin Marxen, James Serpento, Jack Mishler, Shane Simmons
  • RATING: R
  • PARENTAL NOTE: Not intended for children. Bad language, questionable situations, and violence–none of which are extreme or pervasive. A view of death is presented which most Christians will view as contrary to Christian beliefs.
  • INTENDED AUDIENCE: This movie is intended for fans of the genre, and may not be appreciated by others.
  • GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) This is another movie in which you are not sure who is dead and who is alive.1 The main character in the movie works in a funeral home. He fakes his death as part of a bet to see if anyone comes to his funeral. Or is he really just “faking” his death?? He meets up with his old girlfriend from 10 years ago, when they were seniors in High School. They have issues.

  • REVIEW: My chief grievance against this movie, is that it has some of the elements of a sappy love story. Some might call it a horror chick flick. But if you can get past this obstacle, Dead Awake isn’t a bad film. There are some “dark themes.” In fact, a good deal of the film is shot so that only a few colors are discernible, with of the rest of the screen mostly a washed out gray. Both characters and their surroundings are creepy. One dark scene tumbles after the next, as we try to sort out who is alive, who’s dead, and who is just plain stark raving mad. The action builds slowly–too slowly for the taste of some, I’m sure. But the story is laid out very methodically, so that the conclusion generally makes sense.
    .
    As mentioned above, a view of death is presented which most Christians will view as contrary to Christian beliefs. Not good. But this is fiction, after all. We don’t know much about the role faith plays in the lives of any of the characters. But for the most part they are shown as good people with good values. One of the main characters quotes from the Bible, and accurately describes a Bible story. I can’t say this reference really boosts the value of the film from a Christian point of view. But these days, it’s nice to see ANY Biblical reference in popular culture which is presented in anything other than a negative context.
  • RECOMMENDATION:2 This is a horror movie. Many people will be highly offended by every movie in this genre because of the questionable elements mentioned above. However, if you are a fan of this genre–I recommend watching this film.
  • RATING (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★

MOVIE RATING SYSTEM:

Start with zero (0) out of five (5) possible STARS

  • Add one STAR if it looks like the movie was made by professional film makers–not 4 or 5 guys with a camcorder.
  • Add one STAR if the film has a story, theme or plot (optional for horror and/or zombie movies); or if the movie makes any sense.
  • Add additional STARS for special effects, acting, good moral message(s), realistic zombies, scariness,
    interesting theme or plot and the like.
  • Subtract STARS for extreme bad acting, COMPLETELY awful themes/messages, overall INCREDIBLE trashiness, graphic and persistent lewdness, and the like.

FOOTNOTES:

  1. See After.Life for another movie film in which the central question is similar ↩
  2. If you wonder why horror films have space on a Christian website like K_Line Christian Online, please see my blog post on point ↩

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CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW: Monsters (2010)

The movie reviewed here is definitely NOT for children, and probably not for many other people either. Please see my previous post on why horror films are reviewed on a Christian website like K_Line Christian Online.

  • GENRE: Sci-Fi Horror
  • ACTORS: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy
  • RATING: R
  • PARENTAL NOTE: Not intended for children. Some bad language. Big bad monsters, of the type that might scare small children and timid adults. Moderate violence.
  • INTENDED AUDIENCE: This movie is intended for fans of the genre, and may not be appreciated by others.
  • GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) Simple plot. A Man and a woman must traverse a monster infested “infected zone” in northern Mexico to reach the presumably “uninfected” USA.
  • REVIEW: First of all, make sure you are watching the right movie. There are several movies with the same or similar title. When I started watching this film, I was looking forward to a cheesy fake monster movie on the order of vintage 1960’s Japanese cinema. I wasn’t disappointed in that regard. But this movie turned out to be a lot more. For example, the monsters. Generally, the less seen of monsters in a movie like this, the better. But we are shown a full view of the monster prototype in the opening scene. Does it look ridiculous? In a way, yes, it does look silly. Or maybe not. It is presented in a manner (often mostly off screen) that seems plausible. Then there is the monster graffiti on the walls in Mexico. If the monsters are depicted in graffiti, there must be something to them.

    Surprisingly perhaps, there are some real redeeming points worth mentioning in MONSTERS. In many movies of this ilk, the characters are shown revelling in debauchery; and sex is shown as casual, expectable and without consequence. Not so in MONSTERS. In this movie we see very little of the actual debauchery. An arm and pair of feet projecting from under the sheets show us that a prostitue is in a bed–suggestive, but not explicit. And we are shown that sin has it’s consequences–a missed relationship with a son, and a missed opportunity to escape the monsters.

  • RECOMMENDATION:1 This is a horror movie. Many people will be highly offended by every movie in this genre because of the violence, language and other questionable elements. However, if you are a fan of this genre–I highly recommend MONSTERS. It has a simple, but compelling story to tell. The characters, though imperfect, are mostly likable and interesting. Good and evil are shown. We are shown the benefit of virtue and the consequences of sin.
  • RATING (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★

MOVIE RATING SYSTEM:

Start with zero (0) out of five (5) possible STARS

  • Add one STAR if it looks like the movie was made by professional film makers–not 4 or 5 guys with a camcorder.
  • Add one STAR if the film has a story, theme or plot (optional for horror and/or zombie movies); or if the movie makes any sense.
  • Add additional STARS for special effects, acting, good moral message(s), realistic zombies, scariness,
    interesting theme or plot and the like.
  • Subtract STARS for extreme bad acting, COMPLETELY awful themes/messages, overall INCREDIBLE trashiness, graphic and persistent lewdness, and the like.
  1. If you wonder why horror films have space on a Christian website like K_Line Christian Online, please see my blog post on point ↩

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CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW: After.Life (2009)

The movie reviewed here is definately NOT for children. Also probably not for people who are not fans of horror.

after.life

  • GENRE: Thriller, Mystery, Horror
  • ACTORS: Liam Neeson, Christina Ricci, Justin Long, Josh Charles, Chandler Canterbury, Celia Weston, Shuler Hensley, Anna Kuchma, Rosemary Murphy, Malachy McCourt, Laurel Bryce, Luz Alexandra Ramos
  • RATING: R
  • PARENTAL NOTE: Not intended for children. Nudity. Presentation of Death is contrary to Christian beliefs. Bad language and questionable situations. Some violence, but there is little gore or excessive blood. If a behind the scenes look at a funeral parlor (heavily fictionalized) makes you queasy, I don’t think you’ll enjoy the subject matter here.
  • INTENDED AUDIENCE: This movie is intended for fans of the genre, and may not be appreciated by others.
  • GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) A young woman has a fight with her boyfriend, and storms off in her car. She’s killed in a car wreck. Wait. Oh, yes–she’s killed in a car wreck. (?)

    • Continue reading “CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW: After.Life (2009)”

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