Dementia 13

MOVIE

  • 28 Oct - 03 Nov, 2017
  • Mag The Weekly
  • Time Out


The remake of Francis Ford Coppola’s feature film debut, Dementia 13, is one that will keep you on your toes. The movie is co-written by Dan DeFilippo and Justin Smith and is directed by Richard LeMay. Stars of the film include Channing Pickett, Marianne Noscheze, Christian Ryan, Julia Campanelli and Ana Isabelle.

The story revolves around a revengeful ghost, a strange killer, and a family where everyone has a secret converge in one night of terror. The original story was a classic yet a slow burn, while the remake takes it on a slightly different journey, which will be enjoyed by fans following its newer contemporary twists and turns, which are fun to watch. A few of the movie’s performances seemed slightly mediocre, but Channing Pickett’s character, Rose steals the spotlight in every scene, because of her character development and the mystery surrounding it. Julia Campanelli also plays the mother’s role quite amazingly, for her strong presence is quite impressive even when she isn’t speaking a word.

The film is not too terrifying, but one scene is really creepy, where an incredibly scary doll might leave you terrified and has the potential to give all scary dolls a run for their money.

VERDICT

On the whole, the movie is a fun story with twists and turns around every other corner to look forward to. If you liked the original film, then you’ll definitely enjoy this one too.


MUSIC

Beautiful Trauma

by Pink

American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress Pink’s seventh album, Beautiful Trauma, takes the confessional tone she has succeeded with in recent years and makes it her focus.

She does it her way though, throwing in a lot of twists to keep her listeners guessing.

The album surprises everyone with Eminem’s arrival on the track Revenge, which has a similar groove similar to My Name Is at the beginning that Pink herself raps and sings over, as the unlikely duo argue about the merits of revenge on exes, something they both are familiar with. On the number I Am Here, she creates something both wild and spiritual. The title track of the album shows Pink bouncing among extremes to try explaining her relationship and along with Jack Antonoff, she tends to form a catchy musical environment to match.

The first single, What About Us, best captures her mood for the album by infusing an emotional ballad with dance beats and adopts the lyrical position of flawed, but defiant, that she carries throughout the album. On the song For Now, Pink crafts a potent guitar ballad that is characteristically hers. Her twist on cherishing simpler times in Barbies shows the otherwise underrated song-writing skills of Pink. Overall, her exclusive viewpoint on pop makes the entire album an uplifting yet painful trip, which is indeed, worthwhile.



GAME

The Flame in the Flood

Survival games like The Flame in the Flood challenge you to gain control of treacherous worlds. You start slow and then have to scavenge for supplies and resources in order to survive. This game, however, does not allow you to achieve either of the goals and is a constantly gruelling experience.

It is set in a rural post-societal America and is a procedurally-generated survival game that focuses on continuous improvisation and movement. It consists of a large, overflowing river that has engulfed the countryside, destroyed man-made infrastructure, and isolated parts of the geography, turning them into islands. The game’s audiovisual appearance is integral to establishing its strong sense of place and the atmospheric sound design is ever-present, which altogether gives the game an aura of both despair and quiet beauty. The Flame in the Flood lets the players live in the moment and keeps their long-term goals aside, to make choices and conquer short-term obstacles with risky yet rewarding impulsiveness.


Book

The Stars Beneath Our Feet

by David Barclay Moore

Multicultural Harlem lives again in this bravely diverse tale of growing up against the odds and the creative, remedial possibilities that we can form through the choices we make. Moore turns his back on the newly whitewashed Harlem, taking readers to the St. Nick projects to meet brown-skinned West Indian Wallace, Lolly Rachpaul, full of contradiction and agency. Moore surrounds Lolly with a grand ensemble of characters that echo the ample cross sections and cultural milieus of the big city. There’s Lolly’s mother, who becomes a secondary caregiver after the tragic loss of his older brother, Jermaine to the drug-hustling underworld crew. Lolly hopes that he and his dark-skinned Dominican best friend, Vega, can resist its allure. Mr Ali is the veteran social worker with trivial resources and a big heart, refurbishing his little basement to unravel the traumas and difficult choices that could lead astray the black and brown youth he serves. Then there are Lolly’s Legos, which, block by block, help him imagine a healthy future. These characters are vividly alive, reconstituting the genuineness that is needed to bring diverse, complex stories to the forefront. It is a debut that serves as a powerful instructive for writing from and reading the intersections for all readers to enjoy.


First Person

KP: The Autobiography

Kevin Pietersen’s The Autobiography takes the grievances and the settling of scores to another level. Like it or not, it is a significant book, the aggrieved story of the most eccentric, thrilling and eventually tragic English cricket player of his generation.

Whether he recognises it or not, the book is also about his failed relationship. Virtually every breakdown in Pietersen's career can be traced back to an incapacitating character clash with Andy Flower, known to most as the former England coach.

His book does not push you into taking sides, it leads you into a contemplation of a flawed character. It is forthright, populist and written in such an agitated, self-justifying manner that even the brashest paragraphs cannot disguise the loneliness of the sporting rebel.

The autobiography has no humour, only brief references to friendship, no praise for the talents of his team-mates, and precious minute cricket analysis, but it is a genuine work of propaganda.


PICKS OF THE WEEK

A Legacy of Spies
by John le Carré

It is a thrilling spy novel that weaves past with present. If you’re new to le Carré’s work, it is a recommended read.

Light Years
by Emily Ziff Griffin

The author wrote Light Years after two devastating losses and the novel, which is a thrilling, thoughtful meditation on life and death, is inspired by her experiences living through grief.

Something Like Happy
by Eva Woods

The story follows Annie, a thirty-something woman who finally decides to open herself up to new experiences, takes risks, and finds new joy for 100 days straight.

RELATED POST

COMMENTS