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The Wife (2017)

7.7 (7 Ratings) Rate It

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Joan and Joe remain complements after nearly 40 years of marriage. Where Joe is casual, Joan is...

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Unrest (2006) in Movies

Aug 14, 2019

Unrest (2006)

2006 | Horror

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

For many medical school students the most daunting class they face early in their studies is that of Gross Anatomy. The class which introduces aspiring doctors to their first bodies, as well as the reality and complexity of the human anatomy is often seen as a make or break moment for the challenging studies that lay ahead.

In the film Unrest Writer/Director/Producer Jason Todd Ipson follows a group of new students in a Gross Anatomy class. At first the students are shocked by the disfigured cadaver in front of them, but soon begin the dissection they are required to do.

The appearance of the corpse they are working on becomes a source of fixation for one of the students named Allison (Corri English), who becomes convinced that something is not right with the body they are working on, as something tells her that things are not as they seem.

Allison’s concerns are dismissed as her being overwhelmed by her first encounter with a body, and she is told that her concerns will soon pass. Soon after, one of the dissection group is affected by a freak accident, and Allison becomes convinced that there are evil forces at work, and that nobody will be safe until the mystery behind the corpse is settled.

As the body count rises, Allison and her friend Brian (Scot Davis), face a race against the clock and the supernatural to find the cause of the unrest and make things right, before they end up the next victims of a vengeful specter.

Unrest is a very impressive debut for Ipson, who himself was a promising surgeon before turning his talents to directing. The film is well paced and has plenty of tension and suspense without resorting to the clichéd horror staples that have become all too common.

The plot is refreshingly original and deeper than most films in this genre attempt to achieve, as its complexity is deceiving simply. The film can be taken as a simple scare fest, but for those willing to look beneath the surface, there are deeper layers to the film that tackle areas such as the afterlife, intuition, possession, second sight, and the supernatural. While all of those have been covered before in various films, few have ever combined them in such an intelligent fashion that allows the audience to reach their own conclusions on the topics the film introduces.

The cast is solid especially Davis and English who take what could easily be stock characters and infuse a sense of purpose which helps the audience relate to them and their situation.

While the film might have what appears to some to be plot holes, the film is actually a clever examination of the spirit and afterlife, and delivers the goods. While much has been made about the alleged use of real body parts in the film, Ipson is careful not to let his film become a gratuitous gore fest and uses blood and carnage only in the amounts necessary to propel the story.

Unrest is a very solid effort that marks the emergence of a talent to be watched and will delight fans of the genre who want some intelligence with their horror.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2440 KP) rated Mama Does Time (A Mace Bauer Mystery, #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Mace Bauer's quiet evening at home is interrupted when her mama calls from jail. It seems that Mama found a dead body in her trunk, and naturally the police think that makes her the prime suspect. Can Mace prove otherwise? This is a fun debut filled with wonderful characters. I did feel the pacing was a bit slow, but overall, I enjoyed it.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-mama-does-time-by-deborah.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Kudos

Cori June (3033 KP) created a post in Theories of the World

Dec 15, 2018

I'm going to start on a "blanket theory".
My theory is for the fantasy/fiction genre:
I don't think anyone is legitimately dead unless one of two things happen
1. You see the dead body.
2. Two or more credible characters say that a person is actually dead.
although, there are some (like the futuristic & a few magic sub-genres) that rules 1 & 2 have to be present.
Has anyone else noticed this?
(Horror doesn't apply because they have their own set of crazy rules.)

Kudos

Jessica Erdas (463 KP) rated Dumplin' (2018) in Movies

Nov 20, 2019 (Updated Nov 20, 2019)

Dumplin' (2018)

2018 | Comedy, Drama

8.2

(21 Ratings)

Movie Rating

A story about loving yourself even when society tells you not to. Willowdean is a plus size girl and the daughter of a pageant queen. She lives in contrast to her mother who lives based on appearances. Will decides to enter a beauty pageant as a form of protest to the perceived perfection they target and learns a lot about herself, friendship, and family. The message of body positivity and loving yourself/embracing yourself for who you are is very heartwarming. One worth rewatching.