Morgan!

 

 (imdb)

MORGAN-2016-A corporate investigator Lee (Kate Mara) goes to a secret facility to check up on their experiments with a bio-genetically created girl named Morgan (Anya Taylor Joy). The head scientist (Toby Jones) says they have things under control but Morgan is obviously a loose cannon who beats up another scientist (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and some of the staff and rips open the throat of a obnoxious visiting psychiatrist (Paul Giamatti). The only one with a level head is Chen (the actress who used to be Michelle Yeoh). When Lee wants to destroy Morgan, the idiotic staff make Lee and Morgan prisoners and Morgan starts killing everyone. Then Lee has to fight Morgan in the woods. Obviously, the wooden, emotionless Lee is not what she seems. Brian Cox has a brief cameo at the end. 

Director Luke Scott has worked mostly in TV.

Hammer House

 

HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR: S1 E7: THE SILENT SCREAM-1980-In this episode  Chuck, an ex-con (Brian Cox) gets a job helping a seemingly innocent pet shop owner Mr. Martin Blueck (Peter Cushing), tend to his animals, believing him to be a concentration camp survivor. However behind his stock of birds and dogs and cats the man is harboring a menagerie of wild animals like panthers, lions and leopards. It's all part of his behavior experiments. He hires Martin to feed the beasts. When Chuck decides to break into his safe the trouble starts. Martin is not what he seems and tragedy strikes. It was directed by Alan Gibson who made the feature films DRACULA AD 1972 and CRESCENDO for Hammer.

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Exit Action

EXIT HUMANITY-2011-This stupid movie (from writer/director John Geddes) starts off during the Civil War where hillbilly Edward Young (Mark Gibson) learns about zombies and how to kill them. After his wife and child are infected, he cries a lot and has weird dreams and flash-backs. Some scenes are animated. Later he helps rescue Emma (Jordan Hayes)  the sister of a guy named Isaac (Adam Seybold) but they meet up with some asshole "rebels" experi-menting with the living dead. Dee Wallace plays a medicine woman who helps the trio and it's discover the sister may have immunity to the zombie plague. When the bad guys kidnap the sister somehow Young leads all the zombies to their hideout for an attack. 

This drawn out talky WALKING DEAD inspired horror story is based on a novel and wastes Bill Moseley and Stephan McHattie in minor roles. Somehow they got Brian Cox to narrate it.

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Rise of The Remake of The Panet Of...

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES-2011-Will Rodman (James Franco) a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease is using apes as his subjects. One chimpanzee seems to be the key to success but she goes crazy (during a meeting for funding) and is shot dead. However her baby Caesar has inherited intelligence from the drug and after the research is shut down Rodman takes him home as a pet for his Alzheimer's stricken father (John Lithgow). Rodman decides to use the formula he concocted on his dad. It works but only for a short time.

When Caesar (Andy Serkis doing the movements much as he did with Gollum in LORD OF THE RINGS) bites the finger off a bullying idiotic neighbor he's placed in a scientific facility with normal apes where he's mistreated by a sadistic guard. Later he talks and leads his fellow apes in a human attack.

I found the battle scenes kind of hilarious! Brian Cox is wasted as the head of the ape facility but it was nice to see David Hewett (from PIN and CUBE) in a major release. Freida Pinto (from SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE) is Rodman's love interest.

Director Rupert Wyatt also made THE ESCAPIST. I thought they could have at least used one of the stars of the original until I realized (except for Linda Harrison who had a cameo in Tim Burton's version) they are all dead!

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Ring Around The Ring

THE RING (2002) is based on a wildly popular 1998 Japanese film entitled RINGU. Ideally it would be better to view the original first then watch the American version, which as US remakes go (especially concerning horror films) isn't too bad. The basic plot of a video that kills people after they watch it is still left intact but some parts are a little over done. The "killer video" itself is quite different from the original but all in all I'd recommend it to viewers who aren't expecting all that much. They may be surprised.

It's good to see English actor Brian Cox (the original Hannibal Lechter) essaying another odd ball (but awesome) role.

Director Gore Verbinski went on to do the Disney theme park based blockbuster PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN. THE RING 2 (see below)) by another director also starred Naomi Watts. The Japanese version spawned several off shoots and a TV series!



THE RING-2-2005-This disapointing sequel has it's moments but overall is drawn out and pointless. The dead girl on film from the original returns to possess Naomi Watts' son. LAND OF THE DEAD's Simon Baker tries to help but winds up with a distorted face. Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole and Sissy Spacek all have small roles. Considering Hideo Nakata who directed the original RINGU and RINGU 2 made this it should have been better.

For more bizarre Japanese horror check out AUDITION, GHOST ACTRESS and ANOTHER HEAVEN.

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