Timur Bekmambetov

Timur Bekmambetov

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Ben-Hur Trailer


Ben-Hur may be adopted but he's been loved by his parents - just as much as they love their biological son. Both boys live a privileged life in Jerusalem but as the boys grow up, Messala develops a secret rivalry to his brother which eventually leads to Messala betraying his family in the most brutal way.

Continue: Ben-Hur Trailer

Unfriended Review


Good

The main achievement of this gimmicky horror is that it manages to hit all of the essential scary movie beats as the story unfolds in real time on a computer screen. Essentially a combination of the found footage and teen slasher genres, the movie relies a bit too much on loud noises for its most frightening moments, but director Leval Gabriadze also builds a terrific sense of suspense as the plot escalates. And by presenting it on a normal laptop screen, the film both looks fresh and has an eerie timeliness.

That laptop belongs to Blaire (Shelley Hennig), a teen who's having a lusty chat on Skype with her boyfriend Mitch (Moses Storm) when they're joined by their lively friends Adam, Jess and Ken (Will Peltz, Renee Olstead and Jacob Wysocki), and later by Val (Courtney Halverson). But there's also a mysterious unknown caller online who begins to taunt them about the death of fellow student Laura (Heather Sossaman) exactly one year ago. Is Laura's ghost using social media to get even with the teens who used a viral YouTube clip to drive her to take her own life? Or is someone else hacking into their system, controlling their screens and playing a game that threatens to kill them off one by one?

All of this plays out on Blaire's computer screen as she clicks from window to window using iMessage, Google, Instagram and Facebook to fill in the story with video, news stories and images, plus a panicky visit to Chat Roulette to get some help (as if!). The screen flicks around, showing conversations within chats as Blaire's mouse-control gets increasing shaky. So even if the plot itself is essentially a rehash of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Paranormal Activity, it generates plenty of overwrought emotion and scary jolts along the way.

Continue reading: Unfriended Review

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Review


Very Good
A riotous combination of rah-rah American patriotism and overwrought special effects nonsense, this cheeky bit of fantasy history is rather good fun. Yes, it's also completely ridiculous, but the visual flair and fast pace keep us happily entertained.

Young Abe Lincoln (Walker) is determined to get revenge against the sinister Barts (Czokas), who had something to do with his mother's death. But it turns out that Barts is immortal, so Abe's new friend Henry (Cooper) trains him in how to fight vampires. Meanwhile, Abe pursues a career in politics, marries Mary (Winstead) and discovers that the alpha vampire (Sewell) is using the Civil War as a cover for bloodsuckers to take over America. Along with his intrepid friends (Mackie and Simpson), Abe sets out to turn the tide at Gettysburg.

Continue reading: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Review

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Trailer


As a boy, Abraham Lincoln learns from his father, Thomas, that vampires are real. Worse still, it was vampires that took the life of Abe's mother, Nancy, rather than 'milk sickness' as he previously believed. The news, understandably, shocks Abraham, who vows to avenge his mother and hunt down and kill vampires.

Continue: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Trailer

The Darkest Hour Review


Weak
An intriguing idea and inventive visual approach is let down by a script that runs out out of steam before it ever reaches full speed. There simply isn't enough to the characters or plot to hold our interest.

Sean (Hirsch) has accompanied his pal Ben (Minghella) to Moscow for a work pitch that immediately goes awry. Drowning their sorrows in a hip bar, they meet hot tourists Natalie and Anne (Thirlby and Taylor). But a citywide blackout signals the arrival of alien creatures that aren't much more than pulses of light and energy. And they're intent on obliterating humans. So these four young people start an odyssey of survival, meeting a variety of colourful characters along the way.

Continue reading: The Darkest Hour Review

9 Review


Very Good
Inventively animated with a striking attention to detail, this offbeat thriller might have trouble finding an audience, as the sweet and scary elements sit rather awkwardly alongside each other. But it's still ambitious and engaging.

Number 9 (Wood) is a brave little creature who wakes up into a decimated city where meets the inventive 2 (Landau), who's promptly captured by a scary monster. Soon 9 finds a community led by conservative leader 1 (Plummer) with his muscly/dim bodyguard 8 (Tatasciore) and obsessive sketch artist 6 (Glover).

It's the friendly 5 (Reilly) who accompanies 9 to rescue 2, and along the way they meet swashbuckling 7 (Connolly) and bookish twins 3 and 4. Together they need to figure out how to stop a voracious soul-sucking machine.

Continue reading: 9 Review

Timur Bekmambetov

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Timur Bekmambetov Movies

Ben-Hur Trailer

Ben-Hur Trailer

Ben-Hur may be adopted but he's been loved by his parents - just as much...

Unfriended Movie Review

Unfriended Movie Review

The main achievement of this gimmicky horror is that it manages to hit all of...

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Movie Review

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Movie Review

A riotous combination of rah-rah American patriotism and overwrought special effects nonsense, this cheeky bit...

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Trailer

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Trailer

As a boy, Abraham Lincoln learns from his father, Thomas, that vampires are real. Worse...

The Darkest Hour Movie Review

The Darkest Hour Movie Review

An intriguing idea and inventive visual approach is let down by a script that runs...

9 Movie Review

9 Movie Review

Inventively animated with a striking attention to detail, this offbeat thriller might have trouble finding...

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