Film Reviews by JL

Reasons not to bother with this film.

1. With a contrived story line.

2. Trying to make a point by being shocking

3. Hanging very tenuously on the Back of The Shining.

4. Too magical, in naff way

5. Mary Poppins, the vampire gypsy gang leader

Reasons to watch it.

1. I'll get back to you.

First of all. This is NOT a Kubrick... if you like or even love The Shining, you can live your life perfectly happy without seeing this film.

It is very contrived. The film could have been released without having a tenuous link to the wonderful 'The Shining'. That link felt like it would have worked but then in came a flying mary poppins gypsy vampire gang leader wearing a top hat. I thought she was going to break out in to song. It was all a bit too naff and ridiculous to allow you to think that it had anything to do with the Kubrick masterpeice.

The film was too graphic too. Apart from the hammer style vampire dehydration deaths, the idea of trying to shock an audience with a graphic murder of a young boy was basically a step too far. It just didn't need any of that. It didn't make it any better.

So, the only redeeming feature is I suppose the Overlook hotel scenes. Oh, hold on... the elevator blood scene was a lift from the original so no... that doesn't really count. (cheap trick... naughty, naughty director, bad director)

The bar scene was well made/shot. And the other parts of the set from the aftermath of the original.

Oh and the Nicolson character wasn't great, he was okay but I've seen better Nicholson impersonators/actors out there. Saying that, the impersonator didn't really have enough of a character to be considered as the original character. Maybe some of his part was chopped?

Predictably, the Overlook hotel went up in flames at the end (it had to I suppose, yawn)... The budget showed it's face at that point as you could really tell it was just a facade. No eye for detail.

In all. It was a low budget script which needed a hook, a buy-in.

I wasn't expecting it to be another Shining. But something a twist, an echo back to the original? Well, yes, maybe. It could have worked better as a comedy I suppose?

So, reasons to watch it:

1. I'll get back to you.

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, STAB, STAB, STAB, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG.

Uhgh... it's a bit bangystabby this movie.

Pretty brain dead, nothing to think about... although that might be what your after but it just doesn't do much else.

Part 2

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, STAB, STAB, STAB, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, STAB, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG.

Uhgh... it's a bit bangystabby this movie, again...

Pretty brain dead, nothing to think about... Nothing much different from the first John Wick....

It really does get on my wick.

Boring... no storyline and more effects (which already look dated) than you want.

It started slow and ended slower than it started.

Awful film.

Slow.... very slow.

Also, Sean Bean plays an Amerisheffieldcan.

Great actor but his american accent wasn't the best.

Gosh... it was really slow though.