stepperwalsh

Katie has been estranged from her father for years, so she's not overly upset when she gets the unfortunate news that he's been found dead in Berlin. However, she is surprised to learn he has been running a dilapidated bar in an industrial estate, and since she is next of kin, she looks set to inherit the place. Both jobless and single, Katie decides to take a gamble on becoming the pub's new landlord, signing the dotted line of the unusually tattered old deed. Unfortunately, she soon realizes that she hasn't just inherited a piece of property, she has also claimed responsibility for the witch named Baghead who lives in the basement. (This is what you get when you don't read the small print in contracts).

But the situation is not all doom and gloom. The inherited witch has a unique set of skills: she can converse with the dead once she has consumed a personal item that belongs to that individual. While some might run a mile from this predicament, Katie decides to cash in, allowing a mourning husband to speak to his wife in exchange for a fat envelope stuffed with euro notes. Sadly, not everything goes according to plan, and everyone involved gets a little more than they bargained for.

Baghead is a horror that likes to play with the old school tropes. We've seen it all before. Introduce the supernatural elements, then introduce the hapless characters. Once done, explain to the characters in simple terms what the rules are for dealing with said supernatural elements. In Baghead we are given one simple instruction: do not talk to the witch for more than two minutes. In fairness, that does sound stupid and arbitrary, but personally I wouldn't take the chance. Our characters, however, are millennials, so they don't think rules apply to them and then they're upset when all hell breaks loose.

So is it any good? Not really? There is lots of potential here, for sure, but the story begins to fall apart towards the end. And even early on it's not difficult to detect some strange choices made by the director. I have no idea why a Scottish man is running an English pub called The King's Head in Berlin. Why Berlin?? It's a fine city but all of the action takes place inside the dark pub. Anyway, in this franchise hungry genre of horror I wouldn't be surprised to see Baghead come back for another couple of movies.

A serial killer is on a rampage across America. Weidling a machete he's a-slashing and a-gashing, and also using people as target practice with a trusty crossbow. In more creative turns, he's locking victims in Grape Crushing machines and hydraulically squeezing them into a very drinkable Cabernet Sauvignon (yeah, that actually happens). With such a palpable thirst for blood you'd expect this serial killer to have an appropriate scary name: The Mincer or The Slicer Dicer. But no, instead he goes by the name Heart Eyes, as a result of his fondness for wearing a mask depicting the emoji of the same name.

But this killer is no maniac hunting people at random, there's a certain method to his madness. Heart Eyes is very selective. For one, he only strikes on Valentine's Day. And two, he only picks off couples who like displaying affection for each other in public. We all know the type! While I don't condone his actions, of course, I can sort of understand where this fanatic killer coming from. Another big plus to this premise: I liked the fact that being pathetic and single was an advantage, an idea that is never talked about enough in movies.

Let's cut to the action: we're in Seattle on Valentine's Day and the city crawling with potential victims. The bars and restaurants are packed with couples flaunting their feelings and parading their passions all while Heart Eyes is on the prowl. Into the mix is Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt), a young down-on-her-luck advertising agent who has been recently dumped. Then we have Jay Simmonds (Mason Gooding), a handsome hot shot who works with Ally and may or may not be trying to take her job. The two are definitely not a couple but after an ill-timed work meeting, they end up sharing an unfortunate kiss outside a restaurant. Little do they know that this kiss unwittingly makes them the latest target of the Heart Eyes.

Slasher movies are a dime a dozen these days, copy and paste experiments that rarely deliver anything of substance. For my money, a slasher movie can only make an impact if they have a decent twist or are loud out loud funny. Heart Eyes fails on both counts. Which is a shame because I wanted to like it, I really did. The opening gambit had a promising set up, chock full of blood and guts, and sprinkled with some chuckles long the way. Unfortunately, the next thirty minutes were spent presenting the two main characters in a will-they won't-they rom-com type of way. This went on for so long that I forgot I was watching a horror movie. Surely, they could have easily squeezed in another killing or two during all this exposition and kept the momentum going. Instead, the film drags its feet, putting all its energy into a romance and sidelining the horror.

Overall, I didn't expect much so wasn't disappointed. If you're the type of person who likes Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, you might appreciate the effort, but you'll ultimately be let down, like if you ordered steak and got a soggy slice of tofu instead.

After stepping off a gruelling eleven-hour flight from Beijing, Doctor Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) is unexpectedly stopped by airport police in London. He is interrogated and searched, and then told, in no uncertain terms, that he needs to return to Beijing - only this time, he will be handcuffed and accompanied by a Detective Hana Li (Jing Lusi). The reason? He's being accused of murdering a Chinese citizen and needs to face the consequences. Dr Nolan of course protests his innocence, but nobody is interested in listening. In fact, the British government seems more than happy to sacrifice one of their own citizens in order to keep negotiations on track with the Chinese regarding an upcoming nuclear power plant deal. But it's not all bad news for the doctor! At least he gets to travel first class, and the detective kindly allows him to pound gin and tonics along the way. (Taxpayer money well spent!).

Red Eye is a ten-episode series where most of the action takes place at 32,000 feet. Almost immediately passengers begin to drop dead im mysterious circumstances. For our doctor these strange deaths are confirmation that there are sinister forces at play trying to frame him for murder. Detective Li, on the other hand, is not so easily convinced. She seems to believe people dropping dead on flights is perfectly normal. It will take a couple more passengers dying (and a dog) before she finally changes her mind. From then on the accused killer and detective team up to find out what's going on before it's too late.

Having been on many an international flight I found a few things disconcerting about how this mode of travel was portrayed in the show. For a start, dogs were allowed in the passenger cabin. And I don't mean in a dog box, I mean sitting comfortably on their owner's lap, free to roam around should the urge present itself. I've never seen anything like that. Next, why is everyone constantly using their phones? Literally every five minutes someone is making a phone call or is being FaceTimed. Is this what first class is like? Packed full of freely wandering pets and people making phone calls? Lastly, and probably most important, how many dead bodies does it take for the pilot to declare an emergency and land the plane at the nearest airport? I thought one would be sufficient. But apparently not. The body bags kept stacking up and yet that plane continues without the slightest worry.

But maybe I'm just nitpicking. Yes, Red Eye is silly and sometimes ridiculous but it's a show that doesn't take itself too seriously. That's what I liked most about watching it. I could breeze through two or three episodes a night without having to think too much. The perfect type of bubble-gum TV: put it on, turn your brain off and let the shenanigans unfold. And if you're the kind of person who loves to find plot-holes you'll have a blast watching this.