The 18 Best Villains of the 21st Century
I have a weird taste in villains. They aren’t always the evilest or most celebrated and many of the jerks featured here won’t come anywhere near a normal list that supposedly features iconic bad people. The following 18 villains range from full-on evil to slightly maniacal and they encompass everything that villainy is. What I love about these characters is that there is so much more to them than an evil laugh or black hat. If you are looking for a mustache-twirling jerk you won’t find any on this list. What will you find? A cornucopia of three-dimensional people who harass innocent people for believable reasons.
Scarecrow is my favorite villain in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Mason – Snowpiercer
Tilda Swinton was awesome in Snowpiercer. Her performance was wildly over-the-top but it created a memorable character who felt relatable and very unlikable. Mason was a shoe loving maniac who did the dirty work on a dirty train and you kinda understood her. I’ve always been a fan of bureaucratic villains who are doing their job because they have a boss who is much crazier than they are. She kept the train on its tracks and it couldn’t have been easy appeasing everyone on board. Mason made the list because she represents the middle-manager of villains who somehow makes a mastermind’s vision work.
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Violet / Colin – Cheap Thrills
Violet and Colin make for fantastic villains because they are smarter than they seem and expertly bring the pain to unexpected schmoes. Who are they? Are they really together? The mystery behind their characters is handled perfectly because I never cared about their end game and wasn’t worried about their backstories. It’s obvious they had participated in the sick game before and everything they do leads to a heartbreaking conclusion. Thus, they are straight up psychopaths who have become good at manipulation over the course of manipulating many other people. Koechner and Paxton’s performances are spot-on and it was a fantastic surprise watching Koechner channel something relatable and very scary.
Sidenote: Technically Colin and Violet are two people which makes it 19 villains on the list. However, look at them as one team.
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Kyung-chul – I Saw the Devil
I can’t recommend I Saw the Devil because it is way too insane for mass consumption. It is a draining experience that is anchored by an incredible performance by Min-sik Choi. His performance embodies evil and the character is so layered it’s terrifying because people this cinematically evil shouldn’t have layers. Choi is one of my favorite actors and I don’t think anybody else could pull off this performance because he is one of the few people who can blend sanity, insanity, melancholy and intelligence believably. If you are looking for something that will hurt your soul (in a good way) I totally recommend I Saw the Devil.
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Artemisia – 300: Rise of an Empire
Eva Green owned every second of 300: Rise of an Empire. She straight up went for it and seemed to be having a blast playing Artemesia. I love when actors own their roles and dive into absurdity with zero self-consciousness. Green gave us a fantastic villain who is way more textured than she had any right to be. Artemisia had something to fight for and earned her right to lead a massive army. While watching 300: Rise of an Empire I wanted her to win and eventually turn on Xerxes and conquer the world. Also, Eva Green is the best and her presence in a movie like this automatically lifts its quality and makes it much more enjoyable.
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Joe Cooper – Killer Joe
Before McC was winning Oscars he was staring in this batsh*t crazy film. Directed by William Friedkin (French Connection, Sorcerer, Exorcist) the movie allows McC to unleash his good looks and charm on the dumbest family alive. He oozes menace and should have won the Oscar for this instead of Dallas Buyers Club. I’d put Joe right next to Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) because they both manage to trick the world into thinking they are somewhat normal while being crazy beyond belief. If you are up for the insanity I guarantee the final shot will punch you in the gut and will renew your faith in the McConaissance.
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Amy Dunne – Gone Girl
Shea Serrano of The Ringer is one of my favorite writers, and I loved an article he wrote about Rosamund Pike crushing it in Gone Girl. Here is my favorite excerpt:
Pike, a British actress who is becoming an indispensable modern talent, was in 2014’s Gone Girl with Affleck, and she absolutely obliterated him (and everyone else) in it. She was a true force; she put together this very charged, very unnerving, expertly paced character that nobody had ever seen before. (It’s her eyes that pull the trick off. She made them look a million miles deep and also totally and entirely empty, which had an oddly unsettling effect. More on this in a moment.) It was, no arguing, one of the finest acting performances of the year, and it rightly earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. (The award went to Julianne Moore for her role in Still Alice. Moore is an unmistakable master, always, and even when she’s being silly she’s still remarkable, and I’m of course talking about her turn as a villain in the Kingsman universe. But Pike’s performance was an all-timer. That trophy belongs on her mantle.)
I agree that Pike’s performances is an all-timer and she did Amy Dunne proud.
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Rayna Boyanov – Spy
Rayna might be the biggest jerk on the planet. She is profane, deadly and has so much hair that it protects her when she falls to the ground. Rose Byrne is hilarious and I loved her caustic reactions and constant bickering with the equally funny Melissa McCarthy. I love how a woman who is planning on selling a nuclear bomb can come across as likable and redeemable while still being unlikeable. If you haven’t watched Spy do it now. You will love this loud kissing bad guy who dresses like a slutty dolphin trainer.
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Phantom – You Don’t Mess With the Zohan
John Turturo is amazing in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. The reason The Phantom made the list is that of the sheer insanity of the performance. Turturo is one of my favorite actors and he dove into his performance of a Palestinian hitman with absolute aplomb. His performance is so good that whenever I think about the movie I smile and wonder why he didn’t win an Oscar for his reaction to punching a live cow during a training montage. You Don’t Mess With the Zohan is 100% bonkers, but it is original, funny and not self-conscious about its antics. Watch the clip below and tell me he isn’t the most likable “bad guy” ever.
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The Entity – It Follows
The reason the It Follows creature made the list is because it is absolutely terrifying. It never stops and has a one-track mind to kill and hunt. It will keep following you until you are dead and even if you pass along the curse it will always be coming for you. The thing is always walking and changing its rules which I like because it leaves room to explore and analyze what the heck it could be. The fact that it has the right amount of mystery surrounding it makes it more intriguing because you never know what it is doing or thinking. I just know that you never want this thing following you because it will travel very far distances (make sure to read my post about its travels).
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Goro Inagaki – 13 Assassins
I’m going to quote the great Roger Ebert when breaking down the Inagaki character:
13 Assassins has what many action pictures need, a villain who transcends evil and ascends to a realm of barbaric madness.
I agree with Ebert. The dude is the definition of a badass evil monster and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted the film’s hero to defeat a bad guy more. Inagaki represents evil unchecked and he is the perfect villain for an action film because you want to see him stopped. He is a guy who has been able to flourish and murder for years because his brother is the Shogun of Japan. He is nothing special and uses his protection to murder, rape and destroy people who can’t do anything about it. He is an evil creature that can only be stopped by people who will die in the process. This means the heroes must accept their fate and do what they have to do to stop an evil man. 13 Assassins is a great action film because you buy into the mission of the heroes.
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Anton Chigurh – No Country for Old Men
How dangerous is Anton Chigurh? That is really hard to quantify because he is the epitome of unstoppable and his brand of evil can only be compared to the bubonic plague. Whenever Chigurh is onscreen you are on-edge of your seat and when people call him “the ultimate badass” you don’t disagree. I love how Javier Bardem didn’t play Chigurh too broad and instead focused on exuding a quiet menace that you believed. When was the last time you looked at a bad guy and immediately knew they were legit? I love No Country for Old Men and a big reason for that is because it has an all-time badass bad guy.
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Dr. Jonathan Crane (AKA The Scarecrow) – The Dark Knight Trilogy
Cillian Murphy and his creepy intelligence provide a backbone to the series and a perfect representation of the Gotham villain. He is a survivor that will always be a thorn in the side of Batman and when you think he is done-and-dusted he comes back with more power. I love this type of villain because he is not all-powerful or consumed with revenge or anarchy. He is simply good enough to stay alive and prosper in the craziest city in the world without the usage of fighting skills, superpowers or face paint. Also, Cillian Murphy is awesome and seeing him reappear in each film was a big surprise and delight.
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The Joker – The Dark Knight
The reason The Joker made this list is that of one scene that features him throwing punches and kicks at Batman. I know he had a master plan and was able to rally an army of thugs who put Gotham in a headlock. However, none of that mattered to me and actually proved to be his demise because of the sheer insanity and scale of the plan. What matters most is how he got his hands dirty and lead by example via throwing punches (and using his henchmen as shields). I appreciate any human villain who tries to fistfight a superhero because it proves they aren’t scared to lead their troops.
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Baron Zemo – Captain America: Civil War
I knew I couldn’t kill them, more powerful people have tried. But, if I could get them to kill each other….
It was heartbreaking watching Zemo listen to voicemails that his deceased wife left him while superheroes tried to kill each other (which he caused) in the background during Captain America: Civil War. I love that one dude was able to create a civil war via intelligence, hate, and brutality. What Zemo did was terrible, but when he listens to those voicemails you begin to understand him and appreciate that Black Panther takes mercy upon him. I will never say what villains do is justifiable, however, I understand why Zemo went on his rampage and I’m impressed that he was able to accomplish carnage in a world full of superheroes.
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Danica Talos – Blade: Trinity
Parker Posey is transcendent (hair included) in Blade Trinity. She owns the role of a yuppy vampire who awakens a male model Dracula to battle Blade. Roger Ebert summed up her performance perfectly:
“Parker Posey is an actress I have always had affection for, and now it is mixed with increased admiration, for the way she soldiers through an impossible role, sneering like the good sport she is.”
Lake trout loving Posey soldiers on through a soul-crushing script and copious amounts of slow-motion walking. Without her, we never would have seen this kick (10-second mark) or heard the insult “c*ck juggling thunder c**t.” While watching I felt she was on another level of performance. She realized the production had its troubles (read this article) and she went full vamp. Her committed performance is one of the reasons Blade: Trinity has become a watchable bad movie staple
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Doc Ock – Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is one of my top three favorite superhero films (Unbreakable, X2) because of Alfred Molina’s performance. There is something very human about Doc Ock and that is why I was always engaged during his battles with Spider-Man. When Doc Ock met his inevitable fate it hurt my soul because he is a guy who suffered a terrible tragedy and continuously tries to do good despite the insane arms attached to him. A great hero needs a great villain and that is why Spider-Man 2 is one of the best comic adaptations ever made.
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Hans Landa – Inglorious Basterds
Christoph Waltz is one of the best actors on the planet and his portrayal of Hans Landa was perfect. He deserved to win the Academy Award and I guarantee you won’t find a better-acted villain this decade. I love how he is simultaneously smart, conniving, kind, brutal and ultimately weak. He is a man who has been given a lot of power and his downfall occurs because he never considered that other people might be smarter than him. His downfall is what makes him three-dimensional and so much more than his insanely large smoking pipe and interrogation methods. Christoph Waltz is the best.
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Stephen – Django Unchained
Stephen is a bad guy you need to watch because he is so much more than what he pretends to be. At first glance, you’d think he is the loyal right-hand man to Leonardo Dicaprio’s Calvin Candie character. However, as the movie progresses you begin to realize he is the one pulling the strings and might or might not be as fragile as he acts. My favorite moment of Django Unchained features Stephen calmly standing up without his cane and it proves he is a diabolical snake in the grass. The dude doesn’t need that cane and his entire act is a ruse to make people think he is a fragile man who is content playing second-fiddle to a powerful southern gentleman like Candie. Also, between Jumper, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kong: Skull Island as has a fantastic 21st-century villain resume.
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Honorable Mention
Red Lipstick Demon – Insidious
Insidious is a tour de force of beautiful low budget horror. The red lipstick demon is a massive jerk and the moment when he appears behind Patrick Wilson you are scarred for life. I love the Insidious trilogy and no other film series has stressed me out more. The Red Lipstick Demon represents true horror and evil because all it wants is to hunt and hurt people. When you look at the best horror films ever made they all have something in common. The best horror films feature memorable villains who pose a real threat and scare the shit out of you. Director James Wan created a villain that sticks with you and makes you think twice about the shadows in your home.
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Who are your favorite villains? We’d love to know.
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Accident Man is a very fun action-comedy that features legit brawls and Scott Adkins best performance yet. It helps that he adapted the screenplay from a popular comic book and brought in other big names like Ray Stevenson, Michael Jai White, Ray Park and David Paymer to act alongside. Adkins is best known for his amazing fight choreography in independent action movies and you might’ve seen him in supporting roles in larger films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Dr. Strange, and American Assassin. It makes me happy that he is fine-tuning his acting skills while perfecting his face kicking craft.
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Accident Man revolves around a hitman named Mike Fallon (Adkins) who earns his money by making his hits look like accidents. The dude is highly effective and only sees his victims as ways to buy himself more motorcycles and sweet leather jackets. He is part of a hitman collective that is run by Big Ray (Ray Stevenson – always good) and features various murderers like Mick & Mac (Michael Jai White, Ray Park), Jane the Ripper (Amy Johnston), Carnage Cliff (Ross O’Hennessy), Poison Pete (Stephen Donald) and Finicky Fred (Perry Benson). They all convene at a private watering hole called The Oasis where they drink, talk smack and learn about their next kills.
Things start going south when Mike is tasked by accountant Milton (David Paymer) to pick up the money from his latest hit. During the pickup, he is almost killed and things start to unravel from there as he also learns his ex-girlfriend was murdered by one of his hitmen buddies. This leads to a lot of drama because if Mike pursues the killers it means he will be out of The Oasis and have a hit order placed on his head. Things go predictably bad and we treated to showstopping brawls and a fun flashback that makes me wish that Ray Stevenson was in more movies. Check out the trailer to get a feel for the tone.
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I like that Scott Adkins went out of his comfort zone and took on a dialogue-heavy role that is reminiscent of Jason Statham in movies like Snatch or The Bank Job. He has already proved his physical prowess in movies like Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Boyka: Undisputed, Get the Gringo, and Hard Target 2, so it’s cool watching Adkins switch spin kicks for monologues. His hands are all over The Accident Man and I appreciate that he wrote, produced and brought in actors that could push him physically and help him be more comfortable when delivering dialogue. Accident Man proves that Scott Adkins is always looking to improve and I hope his brand of action becomes popular with the mainstream and we are able to get some huge Adkins action spectaculars in the future.
If you are a fan of Scott Adkins you need to check out Accident Man.
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MFF Special: How Far Does the Creature From It Follows Travel?
The creature from It Follows could become a Detroit tour guide when it gets tired of hunting down teenagers. It has probably covered every inch of the city and surrounding suburbs in its quest to murder its victims. In fact, not only does it know Detroit but it is familiar with the northern area of Michigan and has enjoyed a lot of the coastal areas as well.
Here it is admiring the University of Detroit
In an effort to track the movements of the monster I searched for all the filming locations and have come up with an estimated travel total that I’m quite pleased with. Director David Robert Mitchell didn’t make it easy because there are moments during the film in which you have no idea where Jay was going or why it took about 14-hours to make a five-hour drive up North (I’m guessing sleep). However, after getting a feel for the locations and timeframe I know how far the creature traveled because the layout of the locations fit its movements.
Here it is at the very nice private beach in northern Michigan
Here are some assumptions and timeframes I’ve come up with.
- The creature moves at a 20-minutes per mile pace and is always moving. Thus, the total for any 24 hour period is 72 miles.
- Jay first becomes cursed around 9:00PM at night while at the abandoned Northville Psychiatric Hospital. This is when I’ve started clocking the miles of the monster
- The film takes place over the course of 15 days. This may seem like a long time frame but the trip that our heroes take to a northern beach house in Whitefish Point in northern Michigan covers 10 of those days. I chose Whitefish Point because it is on the furthest tip of Michigan and the mileage works out almost perfectly when taking the speed of the monster into account. Also, the gang started their trip around 9:00PM and drove through the night and arrived at the beach house around 12:00PM. The total trip was around 15 hours so I’m assuming they slept, got supplies and had a long breakfast to cover the 15 hours. The total mileage is 702 miles (9.75 days walking).
- I’m assuming that the creature always reroutes itself and follows the quickest route when its prey changes locations. Since it can’t just walk through homes I think it uses surface roads, alleys, and areas that aren’t fenced off to get to its prey.
- The director David Robert Mitchell uses Detroit as a character so I’m going to use the filming locations as the actual locations in the story. The neat thing is they actually work really well in regards to the creature’s movements.
Below is a breakdown of the days and locations I know Jay visited. I could’ve easily just added up the hours and miles walked and called it a day, but I wanted to give you a feel for the creatures travels and show you the above assumptions make sense.
Sidenote: There is a 0% chance of actually knowing how far the creature followed Jay. However, since you won’t get an exact answer I wanted to make sure the timeline and math were correct to give you the best representation of the following.
Here is the creature traveling back to Detroit.
- Day One 9:00PM – 12:00AM – Jay becomes infected with the horrible curse at the abandoned Northville Psychiatric Hospital and is driven back to her house and eventually to the local hospital.
- Day Two – Jay leaves the Hospital and goes home to get ready for school. She heads to the University of Detroit around 9:30AM where she first sees the creature. The timeframe works because it had about 12 hours to pinball around and make it to the school. During this time Jay covered 63 miles. However, since the creature didn’t have to walk those 63 miles due to its course correction, it makes sense that 12 hours would only be needed because the creature started towards the house/hospital and was able to course correct to the university which is only 17 miles away from the abandoned building. After Jay runs away from the creature she goes to Clark’s Ice Cream and Yogurt then drives around for a while and goes home.
- Day Three – Jay is still awake late at night (for good reason) when a window is smashed in and the creature comes after her. She runs to a park and meets up with the rest of the gang. From there they drive to an abandoned house, Clawson High School, Jeff’s home in Troy and eventually head to Jay’s house to pick up supplies and clothes. The gang then starts driving overnight to Whitefish Point. The creature is pinballing all day over Detroit and surrounding areas and because of this it never catches up to Jay (must be annoying).
- Day Four – The crew posts up at a sweet Beach house.
- Day Five – Beach
- Day Six – Beach
- Day Seven – Beach
- Day Eight – Beach
- Day Nine – Beach – The creature finally gets to the beach after a 352-mile walk and it gets its hands on Jay. However, Jay escapes and the creature has to walk all the way back to Detroit.
- Day Ten – Hospital – She passes the curse over to Greg
- Day Eleven – Hospital
- Day Twelve– Hospital
- Day Thirteen – Hospital – We know she has been in the hospital for three days because Greg mentions that “it’s been three days and there is nothing following me.”
- Day Fourteen – Jay finally goes home and watches Greg get killed by the creature. She drives away and spends the night in some woods.
- Day Fifteen – Jay wakes up and walks toward a boat with some dudes in it. She then drives home and concocts a plan with her friends to kill the creature at a swimming pool that night around 11:45PM (the exterior for the pool is a different location than the interior. I’m sticking with the exterior location). I don’t want to spoil the rest because I’m not a jerk and there is some ambiguity.
The creature walked 1,017 miles while hunting Jay. I think this is a solid guess and the timeframe works if the following monster moves at the assumed pace. I think this total makes it more frightening because the dang thing never stops and is always moving towards you at a leisurely pace in hopes of bending you up like a pretzel.
72 x 14 = 1,008 (14 full days). 3 x 3 = 9 (first day 9:00PM – 12:00AM). 1,008 + 9 = 1,017.
If you liked this random data make sure to check out the rest of my random posts! Also, a big thanks to Brian Raftery at Wired for interviewing me about this dumb data.
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John’s Horror Corner: The Ritual (2017), a great Netflix Original creature feature.
MY CALL: This film really kept me on my toes. It never leads where you’d expect, but always tends to satisfy with its dark atmosphere and the mysterious evil force in the woods. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Ritual: For more Netflix Original horror, try Gerald’s Game (2017) or The Babysitter (2017). Some other great creature features that don’t play out to predictable expectations include Willow Creek (2013), The Hallow (2015), Grabbers (2012), Thale (2012) and Trollhunter (2010). And if you really dig horror movies that remove the secluded cabin and focus more on the horrors of the forest, check out podcast Episode 57: Podcast in the Woods.
After the tragic death of a close friend, a group of old college friends reunite for hiking expedition in northern Sweden approaching Norway—a venue chosen by their lost comrade.
Cast: Rafe Spall (Prometheus, Shaun of the Dead), Paul Reid (Vikings), Sam Troughton (Slumber, AVP: Alien vs Predator), Robert James-Collier and Arsher Ali. They all did a great, credible job as characters doing their best in a horrible situation, lost in the woods.
The consequence of a twisted knee, they are forced to take a shortcut home—bisecting the forest and cutting their trip in half in order to get their hurt friend to medical aid. Of course, this is the worst idea in horror movie history! LOL. Short cuts all too often result in death. In fact, there’s an entire horror franchise named for such time-saving strategies… Wrong Turn (2003-2014; 6 films and counting, and they never turn out well).
All the typical clichés befall this film. But I appreciate their execution. They never feel tired or stale because everything is delivered naturally. Their compass stops working, but no one makes a fuss—things break, after all, so no need for commotion. The woods get eerily quiet—but four chatty blokes in the woods might quiet the few active late-Fall birds and miles of trees could absorb some sound. They take selfies—but acknowledge their own silliness. We all know they’re in for something bad, but nothing is overly staged for forced upon us. Things creep up, they build, and we are never really sure where this ride is taking us.
Of course, things get a little weird after they stumble across a ritualistically gutted and suspended elk carcass (think Event Horizon or Predator) and then take shelter in a creepy witch house surrounded by wood-etched glyphs. Between the opening and end of the first act, this feels a lot like Blair Witch (both the new Blair Witch and Book of Shadows) meets The Descent… but it won’t lead where you expect. Loving the pacing, characters, execution and atmosphere all the way, you’re embarking on a delightfully weird path with this film.
The creature effects are solid! You never see much of the monster, but what you do see looks awesome and effective. It’s not something we’ve seen before in horror (at least, not that I’m aware), and it looks pretty cool!
Director David Bruckner (The Signal, V/H/S segment “Amateur Night”, Southbound) has a good filmography and I’ve enjoyed everything he’s done… but he was really hitting above his weight on this one! Likable characters, creepy atmosphere, unique monster… to be fair, things get REALLY weird, but only in ways I enjoyed.
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John’s Horror Corner: The Dunwich Horror (1970), an early Lovecraftian adaptation about a dark family secret and a tentacle monster.
MY CALL: An early Lovecraftian adaptation that packs less punch, but rather nostalgia as I recount the subsequent films it clearly influenced. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Dunwich Horror: For more movie adaptations from Lovecraft’s writings, try The Resurrected (1991), The Reanimator (1985) and Dagon (2001). Although not specifically of Lovecraftian origins, his influence is most palpable in In the Mouth of Madness (1994), The Void (2016), The Shrine (2010) and Baskin (2015)—all of which are more gruesome to varying degrees.
Based on H. P. Lovecraft’s original story, Director Daniel Haller (Monster of Terror) tells the tale of the peculiar Wilbur Whateley (Dean Stockwell; Quantum Leap, Dune), a young academic who visits Arkham Miskatonic University to study Necronomicon. Wilbur is a student of the occult with a fascination for Yog-Sothoth, the Old Ones, and opening a gateway to another dimension.
Wilbur’s interests lead him to Nancy (Sandra Dee), whom he bewitches with his charm and lures her to his home in Dunwich, where he has a unique family history.
To call this “horror” feels a bit incomplete. Dwelling more in the grey realm of horror fantasy it employs surrealistic dream-like horror elements, some entranced Woodstock-style nudity, a more historical exposition delivery and sexuality in lieu of monstrous make-up, scares, dread and blood. Moreover, all the violence—including a tentacle monster attack—are reduced to implied acts which, by today’s standards, pack zero intensity. Likewise, a drawn-out scene with a sacrificial virgin at the altar should have induced tension, but I never felt any.
Sure, I’m less impressed by many older horror films in terms of their execution. They were made in an era when it was easier to scare, spook, impress, wow or simply show someone something they hadn’t yet seen on the screen. Not just that, but at the time fewer stories had been told on screen. Quite to the contrary, my enjoyment of visiting this classic is noticing how it may have been the first (or one of the early films) to utilize certain techniques and motifs that would later be borrowed by Evil Dead (1981; the Necronomicon, the elemental evil POV ravaging through the woods after victims), The Kindred (1987; the tentacle monster brother), and many more.
So, yes, I enjoyed it. Would I recommend it? Not sure. I’d say no if you enjoy gore, effects, scares or tones of dread; yes, if you want to recount Lovecraftian mythology on screen. This certainly makes me want to explore more Lovecraft adaptations.
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MY CALL: This lower budget short opens splendidly, but then middles and closes with blaring financial weaknesses. However, the good that I saw has piqued my interest.
MORE Indie Reviews: Here at MFF we occasionally do horror short film and pre-release indie film reviews on request. Among recent solicited promotions are Love in the Time of Monsters (2014; feature length), Interior (2014; feature length), Smothered (2014; feature length), In the Dark (2015; feature length), Brother (2016; short), Other Halves (2016; feature length), Scythe (2016; short). The Belko Experiment (2016; feature film, mainstream theatrical release), The Barn (2016; feature length), Shallow Waters (2017; short), Burn (2017; short), Tethered (2017; short), We Love Selfies (2017; short), Cool (2017; short), Girls Night (2017; short) and Remnants (2017; short).
Disclaimer: This review was solicited by the filmmakers and/or producers who provided privileged access, directed us to a viewing medium, and/or offered permission to use image stills of the film. However, my opinion remains unbiased as I was neither hired nor paid to produce this critical review, nor do I have an investment stake in the film.
Director Roger Glass (We Love Selfies) and writers Joseph Sorrentino (We Love Selfies) and Isaac Thorne (Diggum) are all in their second or third year of filmmaking (based on IMDB entries) as they wrapped up Because Reasons on a shoestring budget of $1800. And by my experience, it’s hard to do much with such a small budget. I feel that such early films are best judged as experiments; they demonstrate one’s proficiency in camera management, editing, setting up good shots and pacing scenes for flow. All of those elements were fine, and I’d lend my compliments particularly to the opening shots (during Tiffany’s narration) introducing us to our somewhat rural setting. Moreover, Tiffany’s narration (the first 30-38 sec) sets the stage well to such effect that this felt a lot like the opening of a feature length film.
IMDB summary: “Tiffany’s not bad. She’s just bored. Tiffany (Krista West) is an all-American dream. Her mother is a successful lawyer. Her father is a CEO. She has perfect social skills. Her mind is sharp. Her instincts Killer. Unfortunately, Tiffany has a problem. She’s so very bored. She has no idea what she’s going to do with her life. That is, until the night her mother dies right before her eyes. That night Tiffany decides she’s going to go out and have some real fun. Some blood-soaked fun. Fun is powerful and power is legit. Because being bored is worse than being dead. Because reasons.” Here’s the IMDB page.
So, Tiffany has discovered a murderous pastime. That’s the idea we’re selling here with the plot, and it’s okay. It’s hard to flesh out such a notion in such a short film. The execution of on-screen murder and some basic gore effects were honestly quite poor—but, understandably, the budget offered little more effects utility than would could get from a trip your the local butcher. But rather than pick at it, I want to focus on the true glimmer and return to those opening shots with Tiffany’s narration. THAT is the scene that got me. The combination of those beautiful tranquil shots, the music, and her contemporized introduction were splendid and I’d love to see that opening expanded to several minutes before introducing us to a feature length Tiffany (who stabs people with a stronger budget).
Much as I was impressed by Tethered’s (2017) opening, Because Reasons seems to open with the vision behind the film—or, at least, this is the selling point for me that turns my attention away from the faults of a film realized for under $2000.
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SUMMARY: This week we discuss Paul W. S. Anderson’s sci-horror Event Horizon (1997), the behind-the-scenes components that made it such a visually tantalizing spectacle, and muse the origins of the evil possessing the vessel. During our journey we take time to assess Sam Neill’s physique, obsessions with haunted ships, a man’s ability to out-grapple a Tremors (1990) graboid, and how this film did “Hellraiser in Space” better than Hellraiser did “Hellraiser in Space” (i.e., Bloodline).
If you enjoy discussions about deep space voyages-gone-wrong, check out Episode 96: The Perils of Space Travel.
For more horror podcast discussions, check out…
Episode 116: Happy Death Day
Episode 115: Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Episode 114: Office Horror, Mayhem & The Belko Experiment
Episode 113: Elise, her Demons and the Insidious Franchise
Episode 108: The Best Horror Films of 2017
Episode 78: Carpenter vs Zombie Halloween Rematch (1981 vs 2009)
Episode 76: The Blair Witch Pod (1999-2016)
Download the pod on iTunes, PodBean, Stitcher or
LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
Please SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW, RATE and SHARE.
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Beyond Skyline is the rare B-movie sequel that is better than its predecessor on every level. The 2010 film Skyline was a subpar Sci-Fi cheapy that featured a bunch of people watching an alien invasion from their loft. I admired what it was able to do on a tiny budget but I never felt anything for the characters or the insanity unfolding around them. However, while watching the second half of Beyond Skyline I was in awe of Iko Uwais, Frank Grillo and Yayn Ruhian and their ability to destroy aliens in hand-to-hand combat. If you are a fan of Iko Uwais murdering aliens with his knees, elbows, fists and various weapons you will love Beyond Skyline.
Beyond Skyline starts off in Los Angeles and features a dour cop named Mark (Frank Grillo) collecting his troubled twenty-something son Trent (Jonny Weston) from a local police precinct. They are forced to take the subway when Mark’s truck won’t start which saves them from the initial alien attack (the blue lights from the original are back). However, the aliens eventually make their way down into the subway and after some slick battles, Mark, Trent, Audrey (Bojana Novakovic) and blind Vietnam vet Sarge (Antonio Fargas) are brought to the alien ship where the jerky creatures are sucking out human brains and implanting them into robot bodies. The foursome eventually manages to bring the ship down in Laos (yep!) where they team up with Sua (Iko Uwais), Chief (Yayan Ruhian), Kanya (Pamelyn Chee) and Harper (Callan Mulvey).
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Beyond Skyline really kicks off in Laos because once there the characters engage in an all-out war with the jerky aliens. There are multiple setpieces that hit above their B-movie weight and allow the main characters to murder their attackers in various ways (flamethrower, grenades, knives, guns, elbows). My favorite moment is a one-on-one fight between Uwais and 10-foot tall alien. The battle pits Iko’s brand of awesome butt-kicking against an alien who fights like a giant rugby player who can throw insane spin kicks in tight corridors.
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Beyond Skyline is a very fun B-movie that proves action films with low budgets can be pretty great when done right. Director/writer Liam O’Donnell works wonders with his cast/budget and the final product is a lot of fun. If you are a fan of Frank Grillo, Iko Uwais, and spin kicking aliens you need to watch this movie.
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Skin Trade (2014), Tony Jaa and Dolph Lundgren aaaand Michael Jai White deliver a mash-up of gritty hard-R police action and martial arts.
MY CALL: Three great actions stars in a decent gritty action movie. Not their best, but still more than worth the price of admission! MOVIES LIKE Skin Trade: Well, some other vengeful police action movies include Kill Zone 2 (2015; aka Sha Po Lang 2) and the far more brutal The Raid: Redemption (2011).
Okay, let’s just set the tone right here. Listen to the IMDB plot summary—it sounds like something from a gritty 1989 action movie:
“After his family is killed by a Serbian gangster (Ron Perlman; Hellboy 1-2, Pacific Rim) with international interests, NYC detective Nick (Dolph Lundgren; Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, The Expendables 1-3) goes to SE Asia and teams up with a Thai detective (Tony Jaa; Ong-Bak, Kill Zone 2, Furious 7) to get revenge and destroy the syndicate’s human trafficking network.”
It’s an interesting cast with many familiar faces. Nick’s colleague’s include Reed (Michael Jai White; Blood and Bone, Undisputed 2) and Costello (Peter Weller; Dragon Eyes, Of Unknown Origin, RoboCop). Viktor’s lackies include Kong (Sahajak Boonthanakit; Hard Target 2, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li).
To call the dialogue extremely expository would be kind, it has all the dry over-explanation of a typical 80s or 90s action movie. And in that vein, we have nudity, eastern European criminals with penchants for leather jackets and cocaine, sex slaves, and the classic “one tough cop” trope. Our tough cop is Nick, and after he crosses paths with Viktor things spiral into an old Steven Seagal movie plot. Much as in Hard to Kill (1990), Nick’s home is invaded on the evening of his wedding anniversary, his wife is executed before his eyes, and then he’s shot and left for dead as the house explodes. But Nick is… wait for it… Hard to Kill. He somehow survives, wholesale murders every Serbian he can find, and sets out to turn this flick into a vigilante police revenge movie.
The action scenes range in quality from okay to pretty good, but nothing wowing—not considering the action star power behind it. Tony Jaa’s first fight scene features some serviceable belt-fu, and Michael Jai White’s skills seemed sorely underutilized early in the film. I’m reminded of Kill Zone (2005), which outweighed its martial arts with police drama. But, like any martial arts movie, the more significant fights come later. And that they do in spades!
The Jaa-Lundgren fight was entertaining and definitely stepped things up with some Jaa stunts in a fight that merges the close-quarter stylings of Li-Lundgren (The Expendables) and Diesel-Johnson (Fast Five). However, the overall execution of these scenes was technically lacking. The action photography was just okay, often with the camera distractingly moving (mid-shot) amid fight choreography—the kind of camerawork better suited for chaotic wide-angle warscapes filled with tanks and explosions, but that obscures the finer fast-paced combat techniques from even a careful eye. The subsequent editing was so choppy that, at times, it felt like six consecutive techniques might each have their own six cuts from six different camera angles—which is fine for a Die Hard (1988) brawl, but a major flaw when hindering viewers’ ability to be wowed by Tony Jaa’s dexterous flair. I can’t help but to wonder if this wasn’t to mask the agility-skill gap between Lundgren and Jaa. That said, Jaa has his moments (however less than he deserves) and the occasional several-second shot for an impressive combination of techniques flurrying his over-sized Swedish foe.
Though not as brutal or drawn out as the Jaa-Lundgren face-off, the White-Jaa fight offered richer exchanges of techniques. Of course, this should come as no surprise. Michael Jai White is outstanding as both a fighter and choreographer and delivers a sort of “tough guy” grace in his maneuvers. I wish he had more screen time.
Director Ekachai Uekrongtham (Halfworlds, Beautiful Boxer) has achieved a very entertaining action film that strikes me as equal parts 90s-esque hard-R gritty mainstream crime movie and Asian martial arts flick. The gunfights and chase scenes were passable (if we’re being nice), and the fight scenes seemed more limited by the experience of those behind the camera than before it. But while this falls below our stars’ heydays of Rocky IV (1985), Ong-Bak (2003) or Blood and Bone (2009), it remains kindly recommended for fans of its three action stars.
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Mindhorn: A Very Funny Film That Features Some Mind-Blowing Capoeira
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I’ve watched Mindhorn two times and I kinda want to watch it again right now. There is something about cringe-worthy British fictional comedic characters like David Brent (The Office) and Alan Partridge that I love and now the world has a new idiot named Richard Thorncroft who is perfectly self-absorbed. Director Sean Foley and writers Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) and Simon Farnaby (the dude who wrote Paddington 2) have given the world a comedic gem that features fun characters, hilarious gags, and some beautiful capoeira.
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Mindhorn centers around a washed-up British actor named Richard Thorncroft (Julian Barratt) who blew his chance at massive stardom when he left his hit television show in an attempt to make it in Hollywood. His westward trip didn’t work out so he moved back to Walthamstow and pays his rent via girdle (man-spanx) commercials. After a sick twist of fate, he is asked to bring back his Mindhorn character because a madman on the Isle of Man will only deal with the fictional character. Thus, the massive blowhard has to return to a place he slagged off in order to aid in an investigation and eventually learn that he’s “an arsehole who realizes that he’s an arsehole.”
Being that Thorncraft is an absolute shit the investigation takes a wrong turn and things get much messier than they need to be. The main suspect might not even be a suspect and instead of closing the case everything gets more complicated as more deaths accrue and people get comically shot. Since he is back in the Isle of Man Thorncroft is reunited with his ex-girlfriend Patricia (Essie Davis) who is living with his former stuntman Clive (Simon Farnaby) who holds a pretty great grudge against him. Also, Thorncroft is broke so he gets back in touch with a former costar named Peter Easterman (Steve Coogan) whose spinoff Windjammer has become a massive success in order to get Mindhorn DVDs on the market.
After all the chess pieces are in place we are blessed with a silly mystery that builds to one of my favorite comedic moments in recent years. I don’t want to spoil anything but it involves a man who has been taped into a silly costume doing slow motion capoeira to avoid being shot by an A-list actress. When you watch the scene I guarantee you will have a smile on your face.
Mindhorn is a very funny movie that juggles multiple plotlines successfully and proves itself to be very silly. If you are looking for a good laugh I definitely recommend that you check this out on Netflix and listen to this classic pop song.
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