Brooklyn 45

Its not going to be everyones cup of tea. Its going to annoy a lot of people. Some things might not make sense. But I was gripped.

Veterans of WW2 and best buddies get together for some drinks and reminiscing. Sadly they all have there ghosts which all come out over the course of film.

I think it could be summed up with in War there ar eno heroes, just survivors. I just checked thats a line from a movie I havent seen called 'March or Die'.

Anyways. Spooky stuff going on for the friends, and then the arrival of a special someone makes tensions rise, added onto the fact they might be trapped. Either in the room or somewhere else entirely. I dont want to give you too many spoilers.

You might avoid this from the other bad reviews, but I liked the imagination, plot threads, characters, mystery, spooky goings on and gore. I was captivated as what was going on and what was going to happen.

The ending might leave you annoyed, but like war, its always horrible when its over and peopel are faced with there own actions.

I had not heard about this 2023 movie titled "Brooklyn 45" prior to sitting down to watch it. I was initially intrigued by the movie's synopsis and also by its cover/poster. And with it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I had to give the movie a chance.

Writer and director Ted Geoghegan delivered a script and storyline that proved somewhat slow paced and rather uneventful actually. Throughout the 92 minutes that the movie ran for, I was expecting a tad more than what he delivered, so I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed with this movie in general.

It should be noted that the acting performances in "Brooklyn 45" were good, and there was some very talented actors and actresses on the cast list. I actually think I was only familiar with Larry Fessenden here, but I have to say that the entire cast put on good performances, despite of a subpar script.

I was expecting more in terms of horror, whereas writer and director Ted Geoghegan delivered somewhat more in the likes of a drama thriller laced with supernatural elements. I am sure that there is an audience out there for a movie such as "Brooklyn 45", I just wasn't particularly impressed or overly entertained.

While I managed to sit through all 92 minutes, I can honestly say that this is not a movie that I will ever sit down to watch a second time.

My rating of "Brooklyn 45" lands on a four out of ten stars.

I appreciated this for its originality most of all. This felt creative and fresh which is few and far between these days. This was primarily character driven and had almost a stage play adaption vibe to it. The acting was a bit spotty and stilted at times but the woman who played the interrogator did an excellent job. I wish there was more to the spooky elements but what was there was enjoyable.

As a whole I think it squandered some of its potential by not spicing it up a bit. The action became a bit belabored and repetitive along with the slow pacing effected my engagement at times. Despite this it was still entertaining and felt like a unique experience. Would recommend.

Brooklyn 45 (2023) is a recent addition to Shudder that I watched yesterday. The storyline follows a group of friends who were in the military and partook in various sins during their time in the World War. Now that they are together and initiate a seance, the sins from their past will be brought to the light for either judgement or their demise. Will any of the friends survive?

This movie is written and directed by Ted Geoghegan (We are Still Here) and stars Anne Ramsay (A League of their Own), Ron E. Rains (Teachers), Jeremy Holm (The Ranger), Larry Fessenden (The House of the Devil) and Kristina Klebe (Halloween).

This had a unique storyline and premise and somehow felt like the movie "Clue" in some ways to me. The characters were interesting as was the depiction of the era. The horror elements were hit or miss and relied more on CGI than I would have liked. The seance scene was just okay but the dead guy on the floor was fantastic. The last 13-15 minutes were great due to that character alone. Some of the monologue and conversations dragged and were boring. This film needed more scenes like the last 15 minutes and less back and forth/finger pointing between friends.

Overall, this had some unique concepts and worthwhile elements, but falls short of what it could have been. I would score this a 5-5.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

This movie works, but the experience can be lifted: first of all, the weather can help a great deal, a rainy night, or like in the set, snow outside, and a few glasses of whiskey.

Now, Brooklyn 45 is a slow paced production, that lures you in and keeps your interest, but you have to be used to such movies, because if this is your first, there is a good chance you'll wonder what are you watching and why are you continuing to do so.

Thus, I can only recommend it to people who know what to expect, who can see horror in different shapes and sizes, and are able to find it in this very small indie film and appreciate it for what it is and what it has to offer. As I said, it works late at night, with a glass full of hard liquor, and if you're lucky, a cigar.

All in all, I liked it, thus I will recommend it and hope you'll enjoy it.

Cheers! (J&B like in The Thing)