Scream Bloody Entertainment

Fight Club
by Chuck Palahniuk

Few authors know how to breed chaos through words, but such matters are a cakewalk for Chuck Palahniuk, whose debut novel Fight Club is the epitome of modern disorder. Furthermore, even fewer authors incorporate a writing style as original and recognisable as Palahniuk’s, who clearly stands out from the crowd as early as with his very first published work.

Fight Club is a tale of modern anarchy and social detachment as experienced through the eyes of a man suffering from insomnia. In his struggle to achieve peace of mind, he starts attending support groups under false pretenses and befriends the mysterious Tyler Durden, together with whom he establishes an underground fighting club as a method of psychotherapy. Soon enough, though, things begin to spur out of control as Tyler’s plans become more and more zealous and destructive in nature.

The novel is relatively short in length, which aided by Palahniuk’s fast-paced writing style makes for a thoroughly engaging read that never ends up treading on dull territory. Narrated from a first-person point of view by the unnamed protagonist, the plot is smartly written and impressively put together, leading up to a truly outstanding twist that leaves absolutely no shortcomings in execution.

Even though Fight Club is quite a unique literary experience, it may turn a few readers off with its dark and at times potentially offensive subject matter. Chuck Palahniuk spares no expense as he spins a web of nihilism that is marked by an often harsh social commentary, which will undoubtedly not sit well with some of the audience. Nevertheless, Fight Club remains an untainted exercise in extremism, mystery and even some very impressive subtle humour.

The book is easy to burn through in one sitting, and even recommended, as the plot unfolds better and the twist is more efficient with all details kept close to mind. Palahniuk uses short paragraphs and intertwining topics, habitually going off-course when opportunity presents itself and when the moment feels right. With Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk creates a terrifying image of contemporary America, painting society in all its nihilistic delight and turning anarchy into one of the greatest weapons of our time.

It's not the house that's haunted.

A married couple seek help from a team of paranormal investigators after their son falls into an medically unexplainable coma.

- non-stop barrage of scares and thrills
- unconventional storyline
- very creative and experimental as a whole
- bone-chilling score
- brilliant directing
- impressive camera work
- solid performances from the cast
- powerful and effective jump scares
- genuinely frightening

- sloppy third act
- underwhelming conclusion
- the 'demon' looks rather ridiculous

- moderate violence and gore
- very high scares and frightening scenes
- low nudity and sexual themes
- low profanity

- alarms are definitely not designed for paranormal encounters
- ghosts and music go well together
- Jigsaw has already made his way into the education system
- finding bloody handprints on your son's bed sheets is no reason to panic
- gas masks are a must in every serious ghost hunter's arsenal
- apparently, Darth Maul is still alive and is doing quite well actually

Insidious starts off with a bang and never really lets go until the very end, delivering a non-stop barrage of scares and thrills that are only further intensified by its bone-chilling score. Made on a surprisingly low budget, the film summons effective jump scares at pure will, but it also knows how to build tension and make use of its surroundings. James Wan directs this movie with the same outstanding precision for horror filmmaking seen in his previous works, and Leigh Whannell's script is rock solid, something rarely seen in horror films these days. Insidious ultimately takes jump scares to a whole new level and delivers one of the most frightening cinematic experiences in recent years. Those looking to get spooked need not look further.

horror meter: 5 reddish stars (out of 5)

The light runs out.

A journalist and her crew head for Sydney's abandoned underground tunnels to investigate an apparent government cover-up.

- some genuinely creepy moments
- eerie surroundings
- good use of night vision
- effective sound design

- too much exposition
- fairly few noteworthy scenes
- weak acting
- the excessive amount of in-between interviews ruin the atmosphere
- underwhelming conclusion
- does not live up to its premise

- low violence and gore
- moderate scares and frightening scenes
- low nudity and sexual themes
- low profanity

- cameramen should really consider getting some spare batteries
- beer bottles are great for rituals
- security guars will appear out of nowhere in abandoned tunnels
- don't bother asking the people around you which train station you're at

The Tunnel is yet another entry in the found footage subgenre of horror, and while it does deliver some chilling moments, it's ultimately far too basic in execution for its own good. Amongst the film's most significant faults lie the excessive amount of exposition, which ends up plaguing half of the movie's running time, the relatively weak acting from its cast and, last but not least, the constant interviews that come up in-between ever scene and ruin the atmosphere to some degree. On the other hand, The Tunnel is quite effective in its use of sound design and leaving things to the imagination, ultimately making it a decent enough ride for those who enjoy these types of mockumentaries.

horror meter: 3 homeless stars (out of 5)

Not much to say this week. As a matter of fact, nothing at all.

Monday

Something Borrowed (2011) - 3/10
Let’s get something out of the way: I only went to see Something Borrowed because there was nothing else playing at the theatre and I was in the mood for a movie. I had heard people saying that the film was terribly mediocre, but I did not expect for it to turn out as bad as it did. Not only is the entire storyline deeply uninspired and dull, but the rest of the movie is also mediocre at best, making it a mostly boring ride. I have not read the book upon which Something Borrowed is based, so I do not know how faithful of an adaptation this is, but as far as the film itself goes, it mostly plays out like an average rom-com, but what brings it below average are the surprisingly dislikable main characters and the ‘situation’ they find themselves in, particularly because all of the problems present in their lives could quickly be solved from their part. The only good thing in the entire movie is John Krasinski, who brings his usual flair in his portrayal of the only truly likable character in the story, but not even he can save the film from the waste of time that it is. To sum it up, avoid Something Borrowed by all means, regardless of whether you read the book it’s based on or not.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - 5/10
I’m a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films, with the first entry in the series holding quite a special place in my moviegoer heart. Even though the third film left me a little disappointed and I felt that there was absolutely no need for a fourth movie, I was still looking forward to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, the movie turned out to be quite a letdown, ranking well below the rest of the films in the franchise. Most of the problems in the film arose from its muddled plot and the weak attempts at humour that often misfire. Its storyline tends to overcomplicate things for no apparent reason, spawning unnecessary side plot points and introducing characters that have little to no relation to the main story. Johnny Depp remains solid in the scene-stealing role of Captain Jack Sparrow, but his character is close to being a caricature of himself in this film, and as for Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane, their talents or wasted on a couple of underdeveloped and uninteresting chracters. It’s a shame the franchise has gotten to such a low point, but it is what it is. Fans could give this one a go, though, if only for old time’s sake.

Wednesday

Red Riding Hood (2011) - 3/10
Red Riding Hood starts strong, but ends up being a complete mess of a film, with a storyline that tends to be completely ridiculous at times, weak directing from Catherine Hardwicke’s part, and a too modernised look and appearance. The acting mostly ranges from mediocre to downright bad, with one exception being the always impressive Gary Oldman (who I have no idea how he ended up in this film in the first place). By the end, Red Riding Hood completely destroys all the promise that its intriguing premise set up and delivers a final product that is neither entertaining nor enjoyable, except maybe for the audience of hormonal teenage girls that it’s clearly targeted at. It also concludes with one of the worst possible twists: one that tries way too hard to be unpredictable and therefore loses any sort of logic or relation to the actual plot. The days of Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown are truly gone for director Catherine Hardwicke, but perhaps one day she will realise the myriad of faults present in her more recent works and go on to correct herself. Here’s to hoping that day comes sooner, rather than later.

Sunday

Priest (2011) - 6/10
When I first heard of Priest and saw its trailer, I was really looking forward to it because it looked quite solid and it definitely seemed to hint at solid popcorn entertainment. Once the overwhelmingly negative reviews came flooding it, though, I was a bit discouraged from giving the film a go, but decided to check it out anyway and see how it fares for myself. In the end, Priest turned out to be quite an enjoyable action slash horror slash sci-fi flick, and even though it definitely has its problems, I was entertained the whole time watching it. As a whole, the movie fails to evolve past the standard popcorn fare mostly due to its mediocre script, the large amount of cliches plaguing storyline and the lack of any real character development. However, Priest does boast some sleek visuals and quite an interesting post-apocalyptic look, which paired with a bunch of surprisingly well-done action scenes make for a very enjoyable ride. Despite a decent enough performance, Paul Bettany fails to stand out in the leading role, and Karl Urban's talent is also wasted on a one-dimensional villain with not enough screen time, but that matters little since most of the film is focused on bringing out its action and horror elements. It does incorporate a somewhat noteworthy blend of action, horror, sci-fi and western, ultimately delivering a fun hour and a half at the movies that is well worth the price of admission if you know what you're going in for.

Same as it always was, isn’t it?

The mind just keeps sending you back again.

It’s interesting how you can find comfort in any familiar situation.

Even in a familiar nightmare.

Wake up, it’s time for the real nightmare to begin.

When taking a look at the progress of modern gaming, it is quite astounding just how much Valve Corporation has contributed to the industry over the years. Not only have they developed several iconic franchises, but the flexibility offered by their Source engine has made way for countless modifications through which independent and aspiring game developers have gotten the chance to show their prowess.


In terms of horror, there’s one mod that really stands out from the crowd, and it’s called Nightmare House 2. Developed by We Create Stuff, this Source engine based modification requires Half Life 2: Episode 2 to run, but it also comes with really impressive graphics and immersive gameplay as a consequence. In a session of extreme tension and way too many out-of-the-seat jump scares to recount, I have gone through the entire game and made it back in one piece—albeit a little more paranoid and shaken than before—only to report my findings to the world.

The Prologue

Even before taking off, Nightmare House 2 offers plenty of bangs in form of a prologue, which you have the option of playing before getting into the actual game. This short chapter takes about thirty minutes to an hour to complete and it gives you a taste—if you will—of things to come.

Waking up in the middle of the night and in a creepy forest, with a car that is conveniently broken down, the prologue will have you explore the outskirts and the inside of what seems to look like an abandoned mansion. The appropriately forbidding score sets up the game’s atmosphere right from the get go and also lets you know that you’re in for a rough ride, to say the least. During the prologue, you’ll get the chance to familiarise yourself with the haunting ghost of a woman that seems to be bent on turning your life into living hell. Yes, you’ll be fighting bloody monsters and disfigured abominations here and there, but what’s really going to make your life miserable is the dead girl. There’s no actual story to be had within the prologue, though there are some hints at the ghastly woman’s past here and there. The chapter couldn’t have ended on a better note than it did, delivering a clever scare while perfectly setting up the mood for the rest of the game.


Considering its short length and the non-stop barrage of thrills present, I strongly recommend giving the prologue a go before moving on with the actual game.

A Single Player Mod for Half Life 2: Episode 2

Nightmare House 2 is divided into seven chapters (excluding the prologue), each taking about twenty or thirty minutes to complete. There’s a good balance in terms of what every chapter has to offer, and there’s a clear progress when it comes to difficulty and building tension. While the first few chapters focus more on scares and atmosphere, the latter ones are more action-oriented.

Taking place in the ironically named Never Lose Hope Hospital, Nightmare House 2 has you start off in padded cell that is mysteriously left open and from which you must make your way through the apparently abandoned hospital and gather clues as to what happened and how you ended up there in the first place.

The various scares are definitely the highlight of the mod. Nightmare House 2 is surprisingly inventive when it comes to thrills, always managing to catch you off-guard when you least expect it or when you think you’ve seen it all already. There’s a wide array of scare tactics implemented into Nightmare House 2, and everything from things jumping out of the corner, stalking you from behind, or otherwise making your life a living hell are there. In addition, there are a few truly memorable moments in form of hallucinations that appear from time to time through the game.


The dread infused atmosphere of Nightmare House 2 is incredibly effective and relentless, much of which is due to its outstanding sound elements. The dark corridors of Never Lose Hope Hospital are ten times more potent with ghastly whispers and sounds of footsteps coming out of nowhere. Nightmare House 2 excels when it comes to using the surroundings to create fear and tension, which are only further helped by the appropriately distressing environmental sounds to make your stay at Never Lose Hoppe Hospital a deeply frightening one.

You can’t leave. She won’t let you.

It is truly remarkable how Nightmare House 2 manages to keep you at the edge of your seat throughout its entire length. Not one second spent in the game is anywhere near boring, and at the same time things never become dull. Few scares are actually repetitive and you’ll rarely, if ever, find yourself in the same situation more than once. In addition, Nightmare House 2 is also innovative when it comes to level design and what each chapter has to offer. As such, the chapters in the game bear little resemblance to each other, with not only the surroundings seeing a change, but the gameplay as well.


To illustrate, there are a few moments in Nightmare House 2 that come to mind. There’s one part during the play-through where you’ll come across a bunch of lifeless mannequins that seem to follow you around, always ending up right behind you when you turn around. Also, during the more action-oriented parts of the game, you’ll team up with a group of SWAT officers that have just arrived in Never Lose Hope Hospital in order to investigate the mysterious happenings. Such variations in gameplay help Nightmare House 2 maintain a constantly refreshing influence on the player.

Scared to death. Standard story. Does it matter?

Nightmare House 2 comes close to the perfect gaming experience, but it does end up being a little underwhelming in one department. The writing, while understandably second-rate for a game mod, pales in comparison to the rest of the game’s qualities. The plot is nothing more than a typical horror adventure, and the storyline is simply too vague in the long run and it often makes no sense. This is especially obvious during the part where you meet up with the SWAT members. At one point, they send you, a mere civilian, through the ventilation system to open a locked door from the other side. Later one, when you encounter another locked door, one of them shoots it open with a shotgun, which is fine, but it really makes you wonder why he didn’t do that earlier on.


The ending, along with the final ‘boss fight,’ leaves a little to be desired. The final battle simply doesn’t fit into the rest of Nightmare House 2 and it’s obvious that it lent a few elements from other games. As for the game’s conclusion, suffice it to say that it doesn’t give a good enough explanation regarding the events that have happened at Never Lose Hope Hospital and a few plot points remain undisclosed. However, one must take into account that horror games rarely focus on story, which kind of make the faults present in Nightmare House 2 easily forgivable and ultimately understandable.

Horror in all its beauty

All writing flaws aside, Nightmare House 2 is not only an outstanding mod, but also a full-fledged horror adventure that succeeds where many video games have failed: it delivers thoroughly effective thrills and creates an atmosphere so prevailing that it allows players to fully immerse themselves into the game. Nightmare House 2 is without a doubt one of the most intense video game experiences one can come across, and is therefore a must for those in possession of the Half Life 2: Episode 2 and looking for some good scares. It will most definitely deliver.

I’d say I got this one out pretty quickly, wouldn’t you?

Wednesday

Fargo (1996) - 8/10
For many people, Fargo ranks among best films of the Coen brothers, and I have to say that it’s no different for me, either. This film, as unassuming as it is, represents the perfect mix of drama, crime, and dark humour one could ever hope to achieve. The plot is thoroughly engaging and remains interesting throughout the film’s running time, often making way to plenty of memorable scenes or lines of dialogue. Acting-wise, Fargo definitely stands out, with solid performances from Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, and, last but not least, William H. Macy, whose flawless portrayal as a bumbling, agitated car salesman is simply a delight to watch. In Fargo, every scene is meaningful to the whole picture, and the dialogue is well written all around, making the varying exchanges between characters interesting. The Coen brothers are obviously at their best here, beautifully putting together a film that is unlike any other of its genre and that undeniably stands and will stand out from the crowd. However, it needs to be said that, perhaps more so than most other Coen brothers directed movies, Fargo is somewhat of an acquired taste, which will undoubtedly leave some viewers indifferent or distant towards it. I can assure you, however, that if that’s the case, repeat viewings will most definitely shed light upon this masterpiece.

Saturday

Seconds Apart (2011) - 5/10
You’ve got to give it to After Dark Films, because even though most of their productions end up ranging from mediocre to mildly decent, almost each and every one of the movies deliver a highly intriguing premise. Such is also the case with Seconds Apart, which tells the story of two twin brothers who possess supernatural powers. I felt like this film got off to a pretty terrible start, with an introductory scene that is as confusing as it is weakly filmed. However, the movie definitely gets better after its initial debut, presenting an interesting storyline wrapped around a murder mystery and containing elements of both supernatural and slasher horror. The twin brothers, portrayed impressively and in an appropriately cold and distant manner by actors Edmund and Gary Entin, are quite puzzling characters and are therefore interesting to watch, and Detective Lampkin, played by Orlando Jones, also makes for somewhat of a curious character, even though he ends up having somewhat of an unpleasant demeanor in the big picture. Unfortunately, Seconds Apart becomes a tedious exercise in unengaging mystery during its second half, significantly reducing the overall experience. The film’s ending is both confused and confusing, failing to deliver a satisfying conclusion to its unconventional story by not knowing how to bring things to an end. Overall, Seconds Apart ends up being a relatively enjoyable experience, but not one that ranks much higher than the rest of the After Dark Films productions.

“All love shifts and changes. I don't know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.” – Julie Andrews

Perhaps most well-known for directing Twilight, the teenage hit movie that is now used in direct relation with her name, director Catherine Hardwicke takes her newest love story back to the Middle Ages and wraps it around a popular fairy tale involving a hooded young girl and a big bad wolf. Entitled Red Riding Hood, a title not nearly as appropriate as one may think, it stars Amanda Seyfried as the main attraction, and, by the looks of the trailer and the way the film is promoted, it seems to be trying to put a new spin on the genre of teenage romance, Hollywood’s most newfound gold mine.

Red Riding Hood starts off with a few gorgeous shots of forest landscape and scenery, an intro highly reminiscent of Catherine Hardwicke’s previous directorial effort Twilight, which opens in a very similar fashion. Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing Hardwicke borrows from the teen vampire love fest, eventually ending up irreversibly damaging this film with her constant rehashes and tiresome invocations used in the hope of injecting some of the ingredients from the Twilight series’ recipe for success into a modernized fairy tale.


Amanda Seyfried plays Valerie, a young girl living in a medieval village haunted by a wolf-like beast. Very much in love with one of the village’s woodcutters whom she’s been close to since childhood, but arranged by her family to marry the son of a wealthy blacksmith, Valerie struggles in the affairs of love while at the same time trying to cope with her sister’s demise at the hands of the dreaded werewolf that’s been plaguing her village. Things get even worse when a fanatic witch hunter (played by the magnificent Gary Oldman) arrives in the village and is resolute on slaying the murderous beast, no matter the cost.

The similarities between Red Riding Hood and Twilight are immediately noticeable, from the indecisive girl caught in a love triangle with two regular heartthrobs, the recurring theme of the forbidden fruit symbolised by the presence of a dangerous being, the girl’s fragile status among the society she belongs to, all the way to the stylised look of the film and the ‘enhanced’ appearance of its characters. While a few of these lent attributes could prove to be beneficial in some way or another, most just end up negatively influencing the movie and leading it down a drain hole.


Story-wise, Red Riding Hood starts off relatively well, introducing us to Valerie and the rest of the villagers and setting things up for a promising storyline. However, as the film progresses, it becomes more and more clear that things aren’t going to go nearly as well as expected. The constant bombardment of expository dialogue, deviations from the main plotline and all the characters supplied with far too much make-up and hair gel serve as a reminder of how hard Catherine Hardwicke is trying to make her film look at its best instead of focusing on more important things. To make matters worse, once the soundtrack composed of contemporary alternative rock songs kicks in, it becomes quite obvious that Red Riding Hood has lost all hope for redemption.

The cast of the film is comprised of a lot of talented actors such as Gary Oldman, Virginia Madsen or Julie Christie, whose involvement in this mess still puzzle me to no end, but there’s simply no decent material for them to work with, ultimately ending up just letting their talent go to waste (except maybe for Gary Oldman, who somehow manages to shine during certain scenes). Amanda Seyfried is decent enough in the leading role, displaying a good amount of potential, but the only thing that needs to be said about her is that she needs to start picking her roles more carefully, because she’s been ending up partaking in a lot of mediocre efforts lately.


The rest of the cast varies from half-decent to surprisingly bad, with a good example of the latter one being Shiloh Fernandez, who plays one of Valerie’s love interests. Everything from the way he delivers his lines to his inappropriate mannerisms and the failure to display emotions different from unintentional anger or pure apathy make him one of the film’s weakest links. Another weak point of the film is that not only does it barely hold true to the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood, but it also completely alters it to fit as a teenage love romp rather than as a fantastical piece.

By the end, Red Riding Hood completely destroys all the promise that its premise set up and delivers a final product that is neither entertaining nor enjoyable, except maybe for the audience of hormonal teenage girls that it’s clearly targeted at. It also concludes with one of the worst possible twists: one that tries way too hard to be unpredictable and therefore loses any sort of logic or relation to the actual plot. The days of Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown are truly gone for director Catherine Hardwicke, but perhaps one day she will realise the myriad of faults present in her more recent works and go on to correct herself. Here’s to hoping that day comes sooner, rather than later.

I have returned after a truly long absence from my blog and especially the Weekly Updates, which I have terribly neglected over the last month or so. I realise that I have more than a month of catching up to do, but I assure you that I’ll be as swift in recuperating as possible. I hereby mark the first step to recovery.

Wednesday

Bridesmaids (2011) - 7/10
Like many others, I did not think much of Bridesmaids when I first heard about the movie, especially since the posters, stills and even the trailers made it look like the average female-oriented comedy. However, ever since its release the film has received universally positive feedback and hailed as one of the best comedies of the year up to this point, so naturally I changed my mind and gave it a go as soon as possible. All in all, Bridesmaids really turned out to be an entertaining and above-average comedy that is enjoyable by both genders in equal amount, but I couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed by it all after the praise that it’s gotten. Certainly, there were a few highly memorable comedy setpieces and the humour (usually) works quite well, but I kind of expected more from the movie overall. There were scenes where the comedy was almost missing and others where some of the jokes simply did not work. On top of that, there’s the overly clichéd conclusion the film came to that left me on somewhat of a disappointed note. Nevertheless, the times when Bridesmaids does work are definitely noteworthy and thoroughly hilarious, more or less making up for some of its weaker points. And, of course, Kristen Wiig was great in the leading role and I was also impressed with Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne. To sum it up, go see Bridesmaids because it is a solid comedy film, but don’t let yourself get carried away by all the stellar reviews it’s been getting.

Thor (2011) - 6/10
Thor is definitely not the be-all, end-all of superhero movies, and it also doesn’t rank as high as the Iron Man film series, but for what it’s worth, it’s a solid summer popcorn ride. The plot shares plenty of similarities with every other superhero origin story, focusing mostly on the character development of the protagonist, but there are a few surprisingly well-done moments that ultimately keep the storyline from falling prey to mediocrity. Thanks to director Kenneth Branagh and his refined ways, there are a few noteworthy Shakespearean elements to be found among the storyline, such as the thoroughly interesting father-son relationship between Loki and his father Odin. Thor also boasts quite an unconventional look, depicting the main character’s homeland Asgard in quite an intriguing way, but the visuals don’t always work in favour of the movie. For example, some of the major action setpieces failed to entice my interest, leaving me very lukewarm towards them. Also, the film isn’t as big in scale as one would expect, with most of the movie taking place either in Asgard or in a small town in New Mexico. On the other hand, Thor impresses acting-wise, with the spotlight landing on main actor Chris Hemsworth, who brings Thor to life with help of his charm and charisma, the always outstanding Anthony Hopkins, and, last but definitely not least, Tom Hiddleston with a very notable performance in the role of the antagonist Loki. Like I mentioned earlier, Thor does not rank among the best superhero films, but if you’re looking for a fun popcorn flick to watch this summer, it’s certainly worth your time.

Saturday

Drive Angry (2011) - 4/10
I cannot say that I had any sort of expectations of Drive Angry going into it, but I certainly did not foresee it turning out to be as bad as it did. All I wanted was some good ol’ ‘Cagesploitation’ and some mild entertainment out of it, but unfortunately the film ended up fulfilling only the latter part of my hopes (to some degree). Right from the start, it’s quite obvious that the story has absolutely no aspirations whatsoever: it’s all over the place and rarely does it make sense to a satisfactory degree. As for Nicolas Cage, he’s clearly not at his best during this one, failing to provide anything notable in the leading role and ending up being completely overshadowed by fellow actor William Fichtner more and more as the film progresses. Speaking of William Fichtner, his performance is the only noteworthy thing in the entire movie, depicting a thoroughly intriguing and puzzling anti-hero possessing supernatural powers. As for Amber Heard, not even her remarkable looks managed to conceal her terrible attempt at a Southern accent and her lack of on-screen prominence. In addition to all the marks that Drive Angry misses, it also boasts incredibly cheap and awful visuals, which only furthers the film’s descent into pure incompetence. Did I mention how bad the script was? Suffice it to say, there’s unintentional laughter to be had among the muddled dialogue and braindead plot elements.