Final Prayer (2013)

This has been one frustratingly long week. Between car issues, flooding streams, a blizzard, working late, and subzero temperatures; this one had everything to keep me overwhelmed. With the weekend finally here, it is time to take a step back and get on track with the blog. Next up for review is the 2013 found footage flick, Final Prayer (AKA The Borderlands).

Plot/ A team of Vatican investigators descends upon a church in a remote area to demystify the unusual happenings, but what they discover is more disturbing than they had first imagined.

The found footage subgenre has become almost as saturated as the apocalyptic world of the zombie. Still, occasionally, you can find one that comes from nowhere to be a great surprise. That was the case with this one. While there was really nothing special or new, it was also one of the better entries to come along, with solid acting, a decent plot, some actual character development, and a tense atmosphere that makes it and interesting watch. Yes, there are the typical flaws that come along with the genre, but those do nothing to truly harm this flick. In the end, this one is an entertaining watch, and a movie that was actually a surprise. Give it a shot!

The Midnight Game (2013)

For the past few weeks, I have been waiting on this movie to be returned at Family Video. Evidently, the powers that be decided to keep it out of sight. Fortunately, when I went in last night it was sitting there on the shelf waiting on me to pick it up. That movie (and my next review) is on the 2013 independent flick, The Midnight Game.

Plot/ After playing a pagan ritual on a dare, a group of high school students find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of their worst fears.

When I sat down to watch this, I figured that there would be some cliché moments considering that the premise involved a pagan ritual and teenagers. Unfortunately, I was right. While this one does feature some solid performances with a rather unknown cast, a decent storyline, and some atmosphere, the ending definitely let this one down. In fact, it is the disjointed, almost anti-climactic ending that dropped this flick a few notches (as did the underdeveloped scripting). In the end, this was a somewhat entertaining low budget indie flick that is much better than many entries in this genre. With Halloween right around the corner, this one may provide some late night entertainment. Give it a shot.

The Wicker Tree (2010)



After watching 11-11-11, I decided to venture back to the Family Video Store to see if I could find something of a religious nature to continue my unplanned religion week here on the site. While there was a ton of selections, one film caught my eye, The Wicker Tree. This sequel (30 some years later) is one I had hoped would someday be made, as the original flick The Wicker Man, is one of the greatest flicks I have seen. How did it stack up? Well…

Plot/ Charmed by the residents of Tressock, Scotland, two young missionaries accept the invitation to participate in a local festival, fully unaware of the consequences of their decision.

I probably should not review this one. As a huge fan of the original classic The Wicker Man, I knew that there was no way a sequel (or remake) could ever duplicate the intricacies and depth of the original. This film is very different from that great work. Full of cliché, dark humor, and stereotype, it seemed forced and failed to create the atmosphere or curiosity of the first one. The script was flat, acting uneven, and some of it made absolutely no sense. There were some positives in it (like seeing Christopher Lee in a cameo) and there was definitely some potential there, but much of the film left me blah. Maybe in a few years I would rewatch it without thinking of the classic, but until then, I guess it is time to dust off my copy of the Lee classic and watch a true journey into the depths of paganism, religion and sacrifice.