Review: Assimilate (2019)

Stars: Joel Courtney, Andi Matichak

Budget: Unknown

Directed By: John Murlowski

Well this is the most recent entry into the bodysnatchers saga. It's full of relatively unknowns actor wise. I was unable to find a budget for this movie but I don't expect it would be massive. The film isn't massively effects heavy and I give it kudos for that, even relying on practical effects a lot.

So this version is our most recent as i said and it shows it's about as modern as you can get. brought right up inline with the youth of today and cataloging every on the internet and trying to be the next viral star.
This is another version like the 1993 one to stray far away from the source material. It does however have the pod person scream back in it, except greatly over acted (and CGI'd).
Also again, as from The Invasion, I wouldn't exactly call these pod people as they don't really grow from plant like pods. There is once again no Bennells, Bellicecs or Kaufmans in this version either. There is however a small town setting like the 1956 version. I'll tell you more details on the film as i review it.

So lets get on with the review, like the earlier films we see this organism make it's way through space to our planet. It's like tiny black spores to begin with, these cover quite a few thing around the village like apples etc and people dismiss it as green/black fly.
It's later when they seem to join together and create larger organisms that the real game changer begins. Once bitten by one of these tiny creatures the creature will then 'pod up' and grow a blank new you. The then newly birthed you will be a blank that ruthlessly hunts down the original you, once caught they just some physical contact for a small amount of time.
Once you have been touched for the allotted amount of time your brain is then downloaded into the new you, sans emotions.

Randy and Zach are two teenage boys who have a 'YouTube' channel, they stumble upon a great idea to attach small cameras to themselves and film their time around town. They initially want to show how boring it is in the quiet place but things seem to slowly ramp up for them.
One by one the towns people are slowly turned into these clone copies like most of the other films. The two lads try too persuade people before it's to late, due to this day and age of pranks and photo shopping people don't believe them. This is strengthened due to the fact they have a YouTube channel too, though throughout the movie they do garner help from a few people.
Unfortunately by near the end most of them are either dead or assimilated, the fact with this film is you don't even need to be asleep. Once the monster, creature or amalgamation thing has taken your DNA it WILL make a copy of you. All it takes is a simple prolonged touch to drain your memories then the original you drops dead. These clones do the screech/scream like the 78 and 93 versions and where I did give this film points for low CGI usage, this part uses unneeded CGI elongating their jaw and mouth so they can do this screech.

It does end rather bleakly but with a small message of hope that does seem a little redundant by the end of the movie as what do 3 people here or 4 people somewhere else hope to do vs millions?
It's not a brilliant film but does things better than The Invasion, but then also a few things worse too. The one thing I do take from all of these films is that they certainly show and use tropes and story ideas directly from their time, thus are a great watch if you want insight into that era's hopes and fears. So THN awards Assimilate with a standard 2 out of 5 stars.

Review: The Invasion (2007)

Stars: Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman


Budget: $65-80 Million

Directed By: Oliver Hirschbiegel

The fourth film based on the novel and now third
remake of the 1956 version. Now is the 2000s
it's time to be edgier and sharper than ever before
cut out body-snatchers completely!
lets just go The Invasion, that's enough, we are
on borrowed time here, a sense of urgency that
all 2000's films now need to have.
How much can we pack in in our allotted time?

Action, story, horror we need to get it all in there,
along with a budding bleaker than ever outlook
that seems to take another ten years to fully take
over movie land.
This film however had A LOT of problems which hiked up its production cost. Number one was Kidman's massive $17 million paycheck. Second was extensive re-shoots after initial screening running into $10 million more on the already inflated budget. These re-shoots were done by a completely different director too. Not only that the re-writes were also done by the Wachowskis, these were done to increase action scenes and ad a new ending. Not only that 13 month delays also harmed this films release too. It's not all doom and gloom though this film did use amazing camera angles, also enclosed spaces to make scenes feel surreal and claustrophobic. This was instead of CGI as  was Hirschbiegel's vision, despite the re-shoots still were kept in.
                                                                                                                                                                 
Also despite all this it does unlike the last film go back to using more of the earlier films ideas, but changing the main thing which we'll touch on soon, so lets get into how this version plays out.

The main change is at the beginning of the film. A space craft breaks up and crashes back to earth after a mission. Each of these pieces may or may not have a fungus on board the part that infects differently to how the pods infect. Now its always inside you if your infected but if you reach REM sleep the fungus is then able to take over your body.
This is of course a big step away from cloning a new emotionless you from a plant based pod, so you can't even call these pod people!
We do also get a lot a of familiar names such as Kaufman, Bennell and bellicec except none of roles are who they are in any of the previous movies. The closest is Kidman as Doctor Carol Bennell.

Shes a still a doctor and gets word of mouthed by a patient Wendy Lenk (played by Veronica Cartwright from the 782 version, a nice nod like having McCarthy guest appear was in the 78" version), that some people she knows aren't acting like they used too. She also notices one of her sons friends acting detached also.
She finds other evidence such as strange patches of skin on some people too, though she believes it's linked to a new strain of flu. As one of the first people infected and also Carols Ex-husband Tucker Kaufman uses the CDC to spread the virus even further saying it's a flu vaccine.
I feel like this is perhaps a stab at no vaccination people or maybe vice versa, whether it is or not it certain is a fear tool in the film. As loads of people take the vaccine in fear against the new flu.

Ben Driscoll (Craig) who was working on the patch of skin finds the spores, he and a colleague discover that the spores are taking over people who enter REM sleep. They also discover that some brain diseases such as ADEM or encephalitis prevent the virus from maturing in the brain.
Carol's son Oliver suffered from ADEM as a young child, which makes him immune, due to this Carol thinks that her son may hold a chance at a cure.
They see a few of Ben's friends turn in front of them, then Carol goes to get her son from Tuckers house. She's caught by him and a few other infected people where they (do the old trope of) try to persuade her that their way is better. When she refuses to accept it willingly he forcefully infects her anyway, she escapes heading back to Ben without Oliver.

They both escape after being chased, then make their way to a fort in Baltimore where other scientists are working to make a cure too. Carol gets a text off Oliver with his location, Ben and her separate to get him. They find him in Tuckers Mothers apartment, Carol manages to rescue him but has to kill Tucker in the process.
She asks Ben to meet her but almost falls asleep until Oliver keeps her awake, unfortunately when Ben arrives Carol realises he's succumbed to the virus too. He tries to persuade Carol to convert but he says they will have to eradicate all people like Oliver she shoots him in the leg and then escapes.

I'll leave it there but I will say this version too has a happy ending as it was still kind of popular at the time to have a hopeful ending in things. It's okay these days to have a bleak ending if you want just like back in the 70's and 80's it may go out of fashion again, who knows.

The Invasion is not a bad film, it's also not good but if you like the snatchers type films it might be worth your time. if not give it a miss, THN awards The Invasion 2007 2 strong stars out of 5.

Review: Body Snatchers (1993)

Stars: Gabrielle Anwar, Forest Whitaker

Budget: $13 million

Directed By: Abel Ferrara

The Third iteration of the novel and second remake of the 1956 classic Invasion of the body snatchers. born in a time called the 90's where film was ever evolving into the shit storm its become today.
It suffered from THE SHORTENING where it's title was cut down to make the film sound more edgy and appeal to the new age where everything word wise was becoming shorter or abbreviated thanks to the internet. With the likes of LOL's and ROFL's quickly becoming the new way to communicate with people in online chat-rooms.

The resurgence of happy ending films rife in the box office also may have some effect on this movie. Still with a serious tone but with a message thrown in that USA wasn't going to this conformity shit sitting down!
What do i mean?
You'll see as I get to end of this review how the 70's version bleak outlook and ending just wouldn't do in this day and age!
This iteration is serious, sexy and hopeful everything that 90's movies embodied. Staring some of the newest up and comers who were willing to do their best no matter the movie damn it!
Gabrielle Anwar is our titular heroine just like the first remake a reasonably strong female character but also as a nineties piece of eye candy too as was the formula of those films. This version is considerably shorter than most others too clocking in at only 86 mins.
The 90's version also takes a large step away from the source material with it's characters too, no Bennell's or Belicec's. The setting is also slightly altered to a military base too. The main storyline of alien pods copying their subjects into emotionless clones and how we deal with it is still forefront though. This film also features early appearances by Forest Whitaker and Jen Tilly's sister Meg too.

So this adaptation we join a scientist sent to a military base with his family the Malones, Steve the father, a daughter from a previous marriage (Anwar) Marti, his wife and young son Andy. Steve has been sent to research adverse effects on the base. While travelling there Marti is attacked in a gas station and we are introduced very early on to the fact there's something wrong. The soldier is paranoid but he see's that Marti is scared he calms down and warns her about going to sleep.

Marti makes friends with another girl called Jenn on the base, Andy seems to have a harder time as he's made to feel an outsider by the bases daycare. He runs away but is picked by Tim a helicopter pilot, of course Tim and Marti hit off it's a 90's film!
Steve is approached by another medical officer Major Collins asking if the base could be having any effects like Narcophobia (fear of sleep). He believes if there's toxic links in the soil the effects would be more physiological than psychological.

Later in the night Marti and Jenn go to a bar where she meets Tim, She also see's the soldier from the gas station but he is acting strange and says he's never met her. That night while we see soldiers picking up pods out of a nearby river Andy goes into his mothers room only to see her crumble to dust. Her naked clone steps from the shadows making Andy run but when he tries to tell people no one believes him. The next night Marti and Steve are almost taken over too, Carol attempts to reason with Steve and his scientist side.
Explaining that all is clarity with an end to confusion and all other emotions it's a better way of living. He seems to be accept this somewhat but is dragged away by Marti and Andy, we then get this versions 'shriek'. It's not as soul destroying as the 78 version to me but i'm glad they kept in at least.

The rest of the infected people on the base come screaming out to try and capture Andy, Marti and their father. Marti and Andy hide in a warehouse while Steve goes to try and contact for help. Unfortunately in Collins office he meets a distraught Collins who exclaims its already to late, backed up by the fact that the phone-lines are blocked. Pod people show up and Steve hides, he listens in as they try to convert Collins over to their side with the same lines. Collins shoots himself in the head.

Steve comes back to his kids claiming to lead them to a way to escape in a vehicle but Marti believes her father has been turned into one of the clones. She swerves the car off the road attempting to escape with her brother Andy. She bumps into Tim as their father chases them, she grabs his gun shooting her former father multiple times.
Heading back into the heart of the base Tim attempts to steal a helicopter, unfortunately Marti and Andy are taken while he does. They are taken to where the remaining humans are being processed where they are sedated. When Tim goes to rescue Marti her almost complete doppelganger tries to persuade him to join her. Quickly ripping off the tendrils that connect the two of them her copy dies waking up the real Marti, they escape to try and Andy.

They bump into Jenn on the way out while both of them are trying the old trick of acting emotionless. except Marti betrays herself when Jenn mentions Andy, Jenn does the typical scream to alert the other duplicates to where they are. They both run towards the helicopter and Andy magically run out of nowhere to join them in escaping. Unfortunately while they are lifting off Andy goes mad trying to make them crash the vehicle. upset and distraught Marti fights her brother off ending up kicking him out of the helicopter, sending him falling screaming in the clones scream as he does.

I won't spoil any further but this one does end on a lighter note and hope that the invasion is stopped (despite a few pick up lines Carol mentions earlier on in the film) which i find is very reminiscent of films of the time, like independence day, the day after tomorrow etc. despite the bleak there's always hope that humans can fight back.
Invasion 93 might not be the best remake out of them all but it's a good midway point and unfortunately possibly one the last 'okay' entries in the series. In saying that THN awards Body Snatchers (1993) a strong 3 out of 5.

Review: In the Tall Grass (2019)

Stars: Patrick Wilson, Rachel Wilson

Budget: 5m+

Directed By: Vincenzo Natali

Based on a book/novella written by Stephen King and Joe Hill. Was shown at Fantastic Fest earlier in the year then recently put on Netflix.
Probably one of the many films bought up by Netflix around a number of film festivals at that time.
Possibly also due to the rumor that it went a little over $5m budget then Netflix stepped in to help it into festivals. But that's just things I've heard on the grapevine, which may or may not be true.
James Marsden was also toted for the role of Patrick Wilsons, Ross Humbolt.

When 6 month pregnant Becky DeMuth (Laysla De Oliveira) and her brother Cal (Avery Whitted) pull over near a tall grass field when she feels a little ill, they hear a young boy shouting for help from within.
Cal and Becky go in to try help the boy (Tobin) find his way out. They quickly become aware that the field is not all what it seems to be. They realise this when their voice seem to be coming from different directions despite them standing still to call out to each other. Each one finds another member of a family who appears to have gone in before them, Becky finds Tobins father Ross, Cal finds Tobin himself.
Things quickly go wrong for both of them and it appears that Becky dies, then Cal vanishes. What seems like ages outside of the grass, we see Travis (Becky's Ex) played by Harrison Gilbertson who is now searching for Becky. He asks a gas station attendee but she seems to not know.
He drives near the area Cal and Becky stopped seeing their vehicle by a dilapidated church (where Cal Parked up so the could go into the field). He also hears people shouting for help from within the field too then goes in to look for them.
It seems things keep repeating in and out of linear time within the field, we also find out if you die in the field your body stays in the same place and doesn't move anymore. Later we see Ross has been possessed by some weird stone that resides in the middle of the field which he says has shown him the true meaning of the field. In horror movie speak turned him into a nutty killer. In and out of sequence the people meet then team up to try to survive the killer grass maze, they even come across a weird bowling arena at one point to take refuge.

Okay so Travis has come looking for Becky because outside the field they've been missing for about 2 months. He is the father and Cal hates him, no one is good enough for his little sister (almost to a sexual degree too). This movie has a great idea but it spoiled by numerous things throughout its run time, the run time being one its a little long and inflated to me.
The rock plot-line is a tad weird too it might have been a good idea to just keep it to the grass sending someone mad perhaps. The main thing for me though I really try to stop it clouding my judgement of films with it included. Peril to babies, this film goes one step beyond for me in that respect with the death of a NEW BORN baby.
It's ultimately a story-line of redemption and doing the right thing that ultimately gets them out of their pickle in the end. It's okay I suppose and if you have the 1hr 41mins to spare i'm sure most people won't get hung up on the baby stuff like i did.

THN awards In the Tall Grass 2 out of 5 that's me being trying to ignore the baby stuff as much as possible.

Review: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Stars: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter

Budget: $416k

Directed By: Don Siegel

Originally a novel and possibly one of the most done story lines of all time. Just this alone is probably one of the most remade films of all time. But then who can blame it?
The thought of everyone being a hive mind of sorts and no individuality is a terrifying aspect to most people.

Every version has aspects of the times paranoia, such as cold war, conformity and being taken over. Almost versions show people being taken over by a plant like organism, a pod, tendrils or tiny plant copying it's subject with all memories looks etc but devoid of emotion.  It's interesting to see how each take on the movie is dealt with, especially of its time period. Some bleak others hopeful.
I've done reviews for similar films in the past like puppet masters, also originally a novel too, you'll find it in my history to the right.

Directed by Don, or Donald Siegel who most people these days might only recall from such films as Dirty Harry and/or Escape from Alcatraz.

It stars Kevin McCarthy who most people should still know these days he's been in a lot of films and TV series's throughout his lifetime. What a lifetime too born 1914 and died 2010 he acted right up until his death (beyond even, as the grand inquisitor in the ghastly love of Johnny X in 2012). McCarthy also pops up in the 70's version of the film too as a cameo, as a 'running man'.
His female co-star Dana Wynter was not well known and didn't go on to do anything notable other than TV roles, some quite prominent in later years such as Magnum PI and Hawaii 5-0.

Lets get on with the movie itself now, this particular iteration starts somewhat near the end of the movie. With our hero Dr Miles Bennell (McCarthy) recounts his story to a doctor, Dr Hill willing to listen to his story.
He begins by telling him that there was a strangely high number of cases of Capgras delusion happening in his town. (this is a delusion where you think someone close to you has become 'different' or isn't the same person, there's more to it than that but that's the gist of it).
Miles later bumps into Becky Driscoll (Wynter) an old flame, typically she's been divorced, a cousin of hers believes her uncle Ira has also been replaced.
His friend & psychiatrist (Kauffman) butts in, to suggest it could have just been the start of mass hysteria. Such as one person hearing something then believing it's happening to them spreads like wildfire.

Placated Miles returns home, that night a friend of his Jack finds a body which is almost an exact replica of him, yet its not quite fully formed. They find another one later on an exact copy of Becky, Miles gets Kauffman to come and take a look but when they do the bodies have mysteriously vanished, he accuses Miles of believing in the same hysteria.
The next night Miles, Jack, Becky along with Jacks wife stay together at Bennells. They once more find copies of themselves emerging from giant seed pods in Miles greenhouse (an amusing note here, these pod are used in many films and TV series's as props or background decoration such as Gremlins 2 and Eerie Indiana). They finally come to the conclusion that these pods are copying people when they sleep, when Miles attempts to contact further higher authorities he is told all lines are busy.
They send Jack and Teddy to a neighboring town to seek help with their predicament. Moving around town Miles and Becky soon come to realise most if not all of the town has been replaced. They go and hide out at Miles office where they try to spend night staying awake.

They are alerted by loud vehicle noises which when they look outside they see large trucks delivering loads of the pods. They overhear that these are to be distributed to nearby towns in an effort to take them over too. Both Kauffman and Jack have been turned into pod people now, they attempt to deliver new pods to Bennells office to take them over.
They both try to convince Miles and Becky that the pods are for the best, they come from outer space and take over any planets by copying their inhabitants. Once all copied the now emotionless people exist in harmony free from war and conflict. Miles see's this as an affront to humanity getting into a fight with Kauffman and the others him and Becky escape his office. They pretend to be copied by appearing emotionless, however Becky exposes them as she accidentally calls out when a dog is almost run over, they are once again chased.

Tired and exhausted both of them manage to get to and hide inside a mine on the outskirts of town. Delirious from tiredness Miles hears some noise fearing he goes to check what it is. He see's another farm where people are loading trucks with the giant green seed pods. He runs back to Becky who's acting a little strange, when he receives an emotionless kiss from her he realizes that she has been taken over while he was gone.
She quickly reveals him to the others and he runs off from her, again he's chased by a giant mob again. He makes his way to a highway seeing a truck of pods on its way out of town. He does the line most famous in this film to all the people around.
"They're here already!, you're next, you're next!"

I don't usually spoil things here unless films are seriously bad and not worth watching but this film is so old and still worth watching even if you know the ending.
So the flashback ends with Miles back in the office with Dr Hill, despite all the describing Dr Hill still does not believe Miles. Dismissing his story as nightmarish ramblings.
That is until the truck driver is brought in after being in a crash with people saying the man had to be dug out of loads of plant like pods. Believing Miles now they call the authorities and have the town sectioned off with barricades.
This version tells a somewhat hopeful story that they managed to stop the invasion before it got to far, it keeps some of the paranoia that we could lose our individualism but ties it up in a bow that if we keep fighting we'll be okay.
50's films were rarely bleak this is still an era in filming where a lot of stories were still hopeful even in the face of adversity, no truer than in early american films too, I feel this ages the film and it does show (though the original cut did not have the truck crash just loads of pod bearing trucks driving past Miles). We will see in the future remakes if this stance holds up!
THN gives Invasion of the body snatchers 1956, a strong 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Stars: Leonard Nimoy, Donald Sutherland

Budget: $3.5 million

Directed By: Philip Kaufman

The first remake of the first film over twenty years later, still based on the novel of the same name too. Making this is the second attempt at telling the story in what has very recently become the the fifth time.

This film was heavy in it's cast too, with the likes of Leonard Nimoy of star trek/Spock fame. Donald Sutherland with a massive acting career under his belt, a young up and coming Jeff Goldblum as well as Angela Cartwright.
Both Siegel and McCarthy have brief cameo's in this movie too, i like that as it shows respect for what came before.

The direction of this movie is directly bleak compared to the first right from the start also much much more serious in tone that the 1956 counterpart. It's not told in flashback this time, We are told right from the beginning that the gelatinous stuff that falls from the atmosphere is the alien organism and that it has fled a dying planet. It lands on plants and takes the form of a small pod with a pink flower. The roles of people in this film are much more of their time as well. with the women in good jobs or just not screaming to be saved every five minutes.
For a start Becky Driscoll is now Elizabeth and she's a lab technician at San Francisco health department, Bennell now Matthew instead of Miles is her co-worker. Instead of Kauffman, we have David Kibner (played by Nimoy) who has a bigger role of having the both the doctor side of Miles character and psychiatrist character now rolled into one.
The Belicec's are basically the same husband and wife friends with also slightly enhanced roles, played by Cartwright and Goldblum. One of the major changes in this film and something that still freaks me out even watching it to this day is the screams of the cloned pod people. It's so freaky and scary, it's also something i'm sure has moved to all of the other remakes from this point too.

As stated this film starts as it means to go on with a bleak story of the Alien gel coming to earth. If possible even with the last film being in black and white, the washed out monochrome of this film lends to the darker tone of this remake. The gel settles on plants and begins to imitate it by taking on a small pod like form with a pink flower.
Driscoll finds one of these plants and takes it home, where she and her boyfriend (Geoffrey) find it an odd little specimen. The two are obviously in love too. Later that night they both go to bed.
In the Morning its clearly obvious that something has happened to Geoffrey in the night too as he seems very cold and distant towards Liz. She does dismiss it it and goes about her daily business.
She talks to her Co-worker Bennell about it that day, a little concerned he gives her the address of where David Kibner is giving a talk on his new book. She explains to him the situation, he puts it down to her wanting to take her relationship slower.

Jack Belicec calls Bennell to come to his wife's (Nancy) mud parlour where they have found a half deformed/malformed version of himself. piecing the information together with what Elizabeth said earlier he rushes to her place.
Just in the nick of time too, as he finds a semi formed duplicate of her there too. Rushing to the police to warn them, they actually get them to come and check both Jack and Liz's duplicates. Unfortunately they have vanished.
Elizabeth find evidence that it may be the flower she found, checking the databases she finds no traces of the flowers genus at all. The movie very quickly escalates from here, as Matt tries unsuccessfully to warn other places. When they are nearly all copied again in the night they find out the local police are also duplicated.

They all go on the run but slowly and surely are all assimilated one by one until only Bennell and Elizabeth remain. They meet back up with Nancy who they originally think is taken, she's not she's just been acting without emotions to blend in. They all do as she does but Elizabeth gets freaked out when she see's a dog with a mans face alerting others to their status.
they get separated from Nancy but manage to escape on a truck, where turning bad to worse is stocked full of pods. Intending them to be shipped worldwide now, while Matt goes to look for a boat the can escape on Liz can no longer hold out and falls asleep. Matt arrives just in time or perhaps to late and see's Liz's copy arise, distraught he burns the warehouse down.
He's chased by some pod people but manages to hide under the docks, though they taunt him by saying he can't hold out forever and will fall asleep.

I won't spoil the end of this one but it's bleak and has an amazing little twist just to show it too, I love it and hate it at the same time. It's one of them rare occasions that a remake is better than the original.
THN awards the 1978 IotBS's a great 5 out of 5 political stuff aside it is still tense, paranoid and just as scary as it's ever been.

Review: The Faculty (1998)

Stars: Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood

Budget: $15 million

Directed By: Robert Rodriguez

Back to the 90s and a teen horror film
that exists thanks to power of scream.
The resurgence of teen slasher allowed
a number of high school based horror
films rode high into the box office.
Featuring a cast of actors fresh from other roles, or on their way to big time.
(Elijah Wood auditioned for LotR while
filming this!). Famke Jansen fresh from
James Bonds big comeback Goldeneye,
Jason Patrick as the T1000 in T2.
Old Robert Rodriguez was still pretty fresh faced here too. His subtle comedic tones still visible.

The film in my eyes also takes a LOT
of things from other films. Mismatched
kids like breakfast club, invasion of the
Body Snatchers and in particular
the amazing scene from The Thing. Where they are testing to see which one is an alien with the drugs is such a homage to the testing scene with the hot wire in the blood.

So what's the premise here?
It's a sci-fi horror not a slasher, some weird alien brain controlling prawns take over a small town.
Our band of disjointed youths come together over with common cause to defeat said menace.
It features all the usual tropes such as disbelieving parents/authority figures. People you think you can trust who you can't and a big twist at the end.
Don't take faculty seriously like some of the other teen films out at the time. This movie firmly has its tongue planted in cheek the whole way. Yes there's some scares and twists and turns but this film has comedy at its heart too.

I think some missed this point back in the day though. I say give it a second chance now and watch it from a new perspective.
THN awards the faculty 4 out of 5 stars.