DAMIEN RILEY, world musician and performer

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  • A Cure for Wellness (2016)

    I’ve shared before how much I am drawn in to asylum films. There is just something patently creepy about them. I think we all wonder what’s going on with the patients in strait-jackets and more importantly, do they know something we don’t? This film deals in those questions and fears.

    A Cure for Wellness (2016)
    R | 2h 26min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror | 17 February 2017 (USA)

    An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from an idyllic but mysterious “wellness center” at a remote location in the Swiss Alps, but soon suspects that the spa’s treatments are not what they seem.
    Director: Gore Verbinski
    Writers: Justin Haythe (screenplay), Justin Haythe (story by) | 1 more credit »
    Stars: Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth

    If there was a place where all the great people of the world went when they reached their mental end, it would be in this film. Einstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and the like would all be living out their long final chapters in this asylum. But it isn’t a bad deal really. There are baths, exercising, healthy food deliveries, and serpents. Well okay, I know the serpents are non-sequitirs. I will say there is some excellent acting in this film and the writing up until the last act is pretty good too. I have some issues with the end that make me question how much I should recommend it to you. Because the majority of it is so great. I will go with 7/10 and leave it at that. The way it was all wrapped up sort of weakened it’s ability to captivate me.

    Watch Now From $4.99 on Amazon Video

  • The Path (TV Series)

    Aaron Paul shines as actor but also producer in this tv series on HULU. His character is more mature soulful than Jesse on Breaking Bad. Still, he portrays the role with grit and wiliness as a questioning member of a cult.

    The Path
    1h | Drama | TV Series (2016– )

    A man who converts to a controversial following suffers from a crisis of faith.
    Creator: Jessica Goldberg
    Stars: Aaron Paul, Michelle Monaghan, Emma Greenwell

    I’ve seen the first two series of this and I can tell you it is a must-see binge-watch. We all have shadows of cults in our subconscious we learn from the news and some even first hand experience. This is a weird one but it has some of the trappings we hear about and even experience in fundamental Christianity. Even more so is the similarity to Scientology. It’s like a mix of both the way its people behave. It pits members against their families who refuse to believe, it sucks people in who are poor, “damaged,” or needy offering them the answers to all their questions.

    This series is a winner because of the actors and their performances. You are left hanging on every episode as you identify ad feel for these people. Some of the material is truly dark and takes your breath away what humans can do to each other mentally. At times it didn’t seem like a real cult but these moments were rare. I would have liked to have seen more parallels to Christian cults because that’s where the damage occurs every day in my opinion. Scientology is just a small piece of the pie.

    8/10

    Check it out on Hulu, it’s streaming on HULU and you can see episodes now on Amazon Video for $2.99 apiece.

  • Hounds of Love (2016)

    “Brave audiences will be rewarded.” That was what Variety said on the film’s poster. I couldn’t help but be curious about that. It’s well written! I hope I can come up with a few like that in my review! The abduction of a 16 year old girl by a twisted sex-obsessed couple makes for a grisly, suspenseful plot.

    Hounds of Love (2016)
    1h 48min | Crime, Drama, Horror | 12 May 2017 (USA)

    Vicki Maloney is randomly abducted from a suburban street by a disturbed couple. As she observes the dynamic between her captors she quickly realises she must drive a wedge between them if she is to survive.
    Director: Ben Young
    Writer: Ben Young
    Stars: Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings, Stephen Curry

    Ben Young did a great job directing this Australian based film. He is known for Something Fishy and Bush Basher. I found his vision astounding. It’s likely he met with some opposition making this film. It is indeed twisted as it takes you into the lair of this criminal sex ring where abduction, rape, and murder are commonplace. When the girl is chained, we are chained. It also a very personal movie the way it is filmed at such close range.

    I like how it’s realistic. The acting on the part of the young girl’s mother is top class. You want so badly for her to discover where her daughter is, she’s a really great actor. If you can get through the horrors inside the house, you will indeed be rewarded. Te details aren’t necessary here, it’s a typical psycho-sex thing going on here but there is indeed something that makes this film special in that genre. Ashleigh Cummings’ character has to use psychology to drive a wedge between the couple if she is to survive. That process makes this film highly entertaining and definitely worth your time. I can’t think of anything they could improve upon. While the subject matter is highly graphic, and that may put off a handful of viewers, I still say they hit the bullseye with this as thriller, crime, drama. I give it my highest recommendation.

    10/10

    Watch Now From $3.99 (SD) on Amazon Video

  • Queen of the Damned (2002)

    Vampires! Back to the time of the mummies, the Egyptians. That’s what this film presents. I had started watching it a few times before actually waiting and watching all the way through. The reason for this was that it was like a silly band bio pic. Things quickly change from that and it becomes a contender with the likes of Interview With a Vampire and other hit films.

    Queen of the Damned (2002)
    R | 1h 41min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror | 22 February 2002 (USA)

    The vampire Lestat becomes a rock star whose music wakes up the queen of all vampires.
    Director: Michael Rymer
    Writers: Anne Rice (novels), Scott Abbott (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
    Stars: Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau

    It’s ironic they named this film “Queen …” because her role really doesn’t come for some time. Mostly we see the plight of LeStat, his rise to fame as a rocker, and his mysterious nature of feeding on his fans.

    The director, Michael Rymer, did the remake of Battlestar Galactica in 2004 but otherwise he hasn’t done much more. He does a good job here, the message intertwined throughout is coherent and the film works. There is one scene I love where the fans of the band are watching vampires fighting on stage doing supernatural things and they cheer because they think it’s part of LeStat’s show. The first half lags a bit, they could have sped all that up in my opinion. For that it loses a couple points. The music is amazing. Fans of Anne Rice novels and vampire movies will enjoy this film. I recommend it.

    8/10

    At time of writing this, it is streaming on Netflix.

  • The Rezort (2015)

    Another take on the zombies! This one is unique and interesting as well. It’s sort of a Jurassic Park meet’s Zombies. In like fashion, a trip to this park is not cheap, it’s an experimental resort for the wealthy.

    The Rezort (2015)
    1h 33min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller | 15 June 2016 (Philippines)

    The ReZort, a safari park, offers paying guests the opportunity to kill as many zombies as they please following an outbreak.
    Director: Steve Barker
    Writer: Paul Gerstenberger
    Stars: Dougray Scott, Jessica De Gouw, Martin McCann

    Steve Barker is the director. He isn’t well known for much apart from another film he made called The Outpost. There is much excitement here and the cast does well in its interpretation of the script. Some people may not be impressed because I found this film on Netflix but it was very entertaining and interesting to see a new take on the genre.

    The premise is that rich people pay large amounts to shoot zombies. s you might imagine, the zombies come undone and start killing people and turning them into zombies. The visuals of the vacation scenes at the beginning are elaborate and the graphics of the zombies stand up against a Hollywood blockbuster. These zombies are more pensive and it seems they can do more than just blindly saunter. They can track a person.

    The zombies turn almost immediately so that presents different challenges than the slower turn time in The Walking Dead. Then there are the issues of it being a business and whether the loss of life should be covered up or not. The actors are not well known but they deliver excellent performances. The writing is not a 10 but it serves the film enough. Writing something unique in this genre is bound to be a real challenge. The writers here pulled it off.

    As a film to pass the time, this one delivers. For fans of the zombie genre, I definitely recommend it to you.

    6/10

    At time of writing this, it was streaming on Netflix

  • Terminator Genisys (2015)

    Upon hearing the mention of this film on a podcast with Movierob, I was prompted to watch it for the first time. The special effects were as good as any other film and the Terminators were just as cool as II. I don’t know why the critics didn’t care for it because this critic enjoyed it immensely.

    Terminator Genisys (2015)
    PG-13 | 2h 6min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | 1 July 2015 (USA)

    When John Connor, leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline.
    Director: Alan Taylor
    Writers: Laeta Kalogridis, Patrick Lussier | 2 more credits »
    Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke

    The director is Alan Taylor, known for Game of Thrones and Thor. The direction is good here, the lines are heard and the characters seem to be working in unison. Other than that, it looks like any other Terminator film, maybe a shade darker.

    If you can get the timeline in semi-focus, you’ll understand what’s going on. I’ll leave that up to you because I really didn’t mind the hodgepodge of events and people coming and going younger and older, most notably Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s cgi at its best. Emilia Clarke plays Sarah Connor and you may have seen her in Game of Thrones and Me Before You.

    This is a great action film. It’s not perfect but I still recommend it as a fun, worthy part of the franchise.

    9/10

    At time of writing this it’s available streaming on Amazon Prime.