Film Review: LEATHERFACE (2017)

The latest prequel/remake/reboot to the Texas Chain Saw Massacre arrives with the origins of our favorite killer Leatherface (2017) which strives to tell the story on how Leatherfae became the infamous killer we now know and loathe.  Verna (Lilli Taylor) has been taking care of her boys for a long time until one day they end up killing Sheriff Hal Hartman’s (Stephen Dorff) daughter.  As punishment, he takes Verna’s youngest boy away from her and places him in a halfway house. 

Years later, Verna is still trying to get custody of her boy when a break out at the halfway house leaves several people dead and nurse Lizzy (Vanessa Grasse) prisoner to three of the children from the halfway house.  Now Lizzy must find a way to stay calm as she finds herself in the middle of a murder spree and a deranged Sheriff will stop at nothing to recapture the children at any costs.

Written by Seth M. Sherwood and directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julian Maury this is a violent and unforgiving film in the same vein as the latter Chainsaw films.  The film pays homage to the legacy of the original film (while ignoring most of the previous film Texas Chainsaw 3-D) which is to be expected from Bustillo and Maury who crafter the film Inside (2007).

Keeping the true identity of who ultimately becomes Leatherface among the four hospital escapees is a new added level to the franchise but I’m not convinced it was needed but that is a small gripe for a film that does a good job of trying to appease fans of the franchise.  The film may not succeed on all levels but it does do a good job of keeping the legacy alive and relevant at a time when most horror “old school” horror franchises have already seen their final days.

Film Review: ROBOSHARK (2015)

Something from an alien craft crash lands in the Pacific and comes into contact with a great white shark only to take its form as a Roboshark (2015).  Now that the alien has a form it attacks a submarine getting onto the bad side of the United States military that sees the Roboshark as Enemy #1 and they will stop at nothing to the kill the alien being. 

Trish (Alexis Peterman) is a former weather girl just trying to catch a break as a real news journalist when the Roboshark story breaks and with the help of her daughter Melody (Vanessa Grasse) and husband Rick (Matt Rippy), who works for the sewage service they track Roboshark as it makes its way to an unknown destination.  It is Melody that first realizes that Roboshark’s intensions may not be as nefarious as everyone first thought and soon she and Trish are trying to save Roboshark before the military kills him.

Written by Phillip J. Roth and Jeffery Scott Lando (who also directs) the film is your typical alien-Roboshark movie except more fun.  The entire cast is in on the joke of just how ridiculous an alien-Roboshark is so they have as much fun as they can especially Nigel Barber as Admiral Black who will stop at nothing to kill the Roboshark.  The CGI is pretty god awful but everyone seems to be having more fun than they should and with a couple of drinks in hand so will you.