Mayhem

Derek Cho is slowly climbing up the corporate ladder at his work by finding loopholes to save his clients money. He’s not very happy, but he’s successful so he doesn’t think much about working constantly and not spending time with his family. It all comes crashing down one day when a toxic but influential coworker frames him for a huge mistake and he’s fired. At the same time, the whole building is under quarantine due to a dangerous contagion that reduces people to their base emotions. Can Derek get his job back? Will he even want it back when the disease runs its course?

Mayhem is so much fun. I expected it to be a carbon copy of The Belko Experiment, but it was so
much better. Steven Yeun as Derek Cho is so likable despite being a soulless corporate tool at the outset of the movie. He came into the job so fresh faced and hopeful only to become jaded so quickly when faced with reality I felt so angry for him that his coworker (the Siren) constantly disrespected him because of her position and then get him fired to save herself. The coffee cup theft was particularly infuriating because it symbolized her entitlement to all that is his and her disdain. Even when Derek is affected by the virus, he remains sympathetic because of his righteous fury and charming nature.

The disease rampant in this office unleashes the infected people's base desires and emotions. They have the urge to brawl, kill, cry, scream, eat, do drugs, or have sex depending on their mood, all without the usual filters that prevent us from doing so. One eye of the infected looks like a blood vessel burst and it eventually spreads to everyone in the building. A precedent has already been set legally that any crimes done in this state are not responsible for their actions even in cases of murder. As a result, the bosses hole up on the inaccessible top floor with their drugs, luxuries, and relative peace while chaos reigns everywhere else. It also puts a time limit on Derek's mission.

The violence has a cartoonish, over the top quality with humor and a video game formula that keeps the film from becoming too dark or serious. Derek has to go through mini-boss figures to get to his true target, John Towers AKA the Boss. At first, his goal is to make his case and get his job back. When it's clear they have no interest in hearing his side and he becomes infected, he wants to kill the Boss. The first mini-boss is the Reaper, a sardonic man who carries out firing employees. The next is the Siren who whispers life ruining lies into the Boss's ear. Derek is accompanied by Melanie, a woman caught in the building after he refused to help her get her house back from foreclosure.

Mayhem is a blast to watch with humor, over the top gore, and biting social commentary. It was seriously one of the most enjoyable films of the year and close to the movie I wanted The Belko Experiment to be. Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving are so fun to what and remain sympathetic no matter how many people they kill. Anyone who has worked in a corporate job will relate to him and cheer for them cutting down the corporate ladder to get to the boss.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

It Comes at Night

While a fatal contagious disease ravages the outside world, former teacher Paul, his wife Sarah, and their 17 year old son Travis live in a remote house. They have strict rules and procedures for how to interact with the outside world, when to gather supplies, how to do chores, how much food to eat, etc. Their home is invaded by a lone man and they take the necessary precautions to make sure he isn't infected. His name is Will and claims to have a healthy son and wife in a house miles away. Paul goes with him to pick them up along with their farm animals to bring them back, cautious and suspicious the whole way. Is Will as he seems? Can Paul truly trust anyone outside of his own family?

It Comes at Night has polarizing reactions from crowds that witnessed myself and heard from other people. At the end of the film, someone behind me shouted "Boooooooring" and others agreed. It has a deceptive title, advertising that don't match the tone, and a slow, quiet, deliberate pacing. It's definitely not for everyone and I can understand the hate. I loved it. The outside world is not seen, but it's clear based that this is an apocalypse situation where the family is rigid in their rules to protect each other and what's theirs. At the start, Bud, Sarah's father, has somehow contracted the illness, devastating the family. Paul and Travis handle him with care in gas masks, gloves, and other protective clothing. They take him outside, shoot him, burn his body, and finally bury him. Travis is the most affected by the harrowing incident and dreams of his grandfather as a monster and himself becoming infected. Very little is shown of the disease beyond large sores, but they wisely never let it get farther for their own protection. Paul has found a way for them to survive and it has worked when the world around them crumbled. They never go out after dark unless it's an emergency. Each person keeps busy and contributes to shared resources. Life goes on even after tragedy.

When Will shows up, it's the middle of the night and he breaks into their house for food and water. Paul takes every precaution and ties him up outside for a day to make sure he's not infected. When he proves to be compliant and uninfected, Will leads Paul to his house with one mishap. A group of men attack them in the road, forcing Paul to kill them all to keep what's his and his life. This shows how the world is now. Paul isn't wrong to treat Will so badly, constantly training a gun on him and making sure he isn't planning to strike when the moment is right. They return with Paul's family without further incident and they live together in harmony, working together, for a while after that until one fateful night. It's hard to blame either side for what happens. Both are looking to protect their families and no matter how nicely they act together, trust can never truly be given anymore. Either side suspects the other of wanting to take all they have or wanting to do harm no matter how well intentioned. Travis sits in the middle of all of this as the most innocent, the most willing to trust and keep his humanity. He sits on the cusp of adulthood with all the hope in the world. The tragic ending for both sides shows that his hope has no place anymore.

It Comes at Night has very little music and builds tension throughout the film until the heartbreaking resolution. Neither side comes away unscathed and the most innocent people suffer the most. The film is not action packed or fast paced, but the emotions and the dimensions of all the characters make it one of the most realistic apocalypse movies I've seen. Some accuse it of being more of a drama as it focuses on the characters and their relationships over the disease or its horror elements. I think this take makes it even more horrific because these people seem real due to the writing and the excellent performances on all sides plus the lack of clear answers. I can understand each person's motivation which makes the ending all the more tragic. The ending scene shows the same as earlier in the film, that life goes on even after loss.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

Masque of the Red Death

Araby Worth lives in a world run rampant with disease and misery. The Weeping Sickness is airborne, causing the inhabitants that can afford it to wear masks to keep from contracting it. She happens to be the daughter of the inventor of these life saving masks and is therefore very rich and privileged. Despite this, her favorite activity is to go the Debauchery District and its clubs to drink and shoot up drugs to forget her miserable existence. At these dubious club, she meets two very different young men with secrets: Elliot, the owner of the club and a rich dandy with revolution on his mind, and Will, the mysterious and tattooed young man who works at the club and has an unexpected home life. Together, they will give her something to truly live for and put her on a path to actually help people.

I didn't have too many expectation going in to Masque of the Red Death. Mostly I expected it to be a retelling of Poe's story of the same name and it's a very, very loose adaptation. The only things in common are disease, parties, large buildings, and the name of the prince (Prospero). Everything else was unique to her book. I really liked the world. It was a great mix turn of the century society with a dash of the black plague, steampunk, alternative history, and modernity. I liked that pre-disease, this society was pretty much Victorian with the same fashion and sensibilities. After the disease, it's more important for people to show that they are healthy and have no sores than it is for people to be modest and proper. Women's fashions are much more risque as a result and expectations of young people are much different. I loved the atmosphere of this world where death is an unremarkable, every day occurrence and people try to live as much as possible because death is so close. This setting made the main characters and the motivations behind their actions make sense. Who wouldn't want to enjoy oblivion once in a while to escape that horrible reality? or change the world you live in for the better? or do whatever it takes to keep your family safe?

Although there were many things I liked about this novel, it seemed to fall in some typical pitfalls of YA books. First is the love triangle. It's just overdone at this point and annoying. Choose one already and having two guys fight over you does not make you in any way special. Second, Elliot (one third of this love triangle) literally threatens Araby's life. This is not sexy or desirable at all. I don't understand this normalizing and sexualizing abuse especially in novels that are intended for a young audience. It would be nice for these heroines to have a normal reaction and separate themselves from this type of person.

Overall, I liked Masque of the Red Death, but it fell a little short of my expectations. I would read the next book and hope the issues I had with the first installment improved somewhat. I would recommend it to fans of dark romances and gothic literature.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Jenny Pox

Jenny Morton discovered early in life that she could never touch anyone. If she did, they would immediately develop horrible sores and eventually die if she held on for too long. Needless to say, Jenny is a lonely girl. At school, she's largely seen as a low class, shy freak because of the gloves she wears everyday and her dad being a drunk. She has pretty much faded into the background in her classmates' minds, except for Ashleigh, an ambitious and cruel cheerleader, who makes fun of her pretty consistently. Jenny is resigned to her lonely life, when something unexpected happens. Her dog is brutally run over by a dumb football player and Seth, Ashleigh's jock boyfriend, stops to help. With his healing powers, he saves her dog, even restoring the leg that was lost before Jenny got him. She is excited that there is someone else out there like her and she may even be able to touch him without harming him. However, he is still with the evil Ashleigh, who seems to be more than just an annoying, ambitious, popular cheerleader. How will she react when her equally popular boyfriend is taken away from her? Has Jenny finally found happiness?

Jenny Pox is one of the most unique fantasy books I've read all year. There aren't any typical supernatural creatures, like werewolves or vampires, but fairly normal teenagers with powers that I haven't really seen before (namely Jenny's and Ashleigh's). It's a breath of fresh air compared to the assembly line of novels that just seem to jump on the bandwagon of whatever's popular right now. Even though their powers are a big part of the story, it's the main characters that really make the novel interesting and hard to put down. Jenny is a relatable, good character. I really felt for her in her loneliness and her resignation to a life she really didn't want. She could have used her powers to kill the people she didn't like and even get away with it, but she decided that living quietly at the sacrifice of her happiness was a better decision. Her powers and the quirky romantic story kind of remind me of a reverse Ned from Pushing Daisies. The friendship and romance between her and Seth is so sweet. They both can be themselves around each other and don't have to hide who they are. As their relationship evolves, so does Jenny. She blossoms in to a strong, assertive girl who is in control of her own power.

Ashleigh, on the other hand, is one of the best villains I've ever encountered. On the outside, she's the perfect, pretty, popular girl who can do no wrong. On the inside, she's a sociopath who will take advantage of anyone if it benefited her. She has no real relationships, only people she can push around or step on to get her way. I loved to hate her. She sets up these crazy plans that end up working and making everyone else look horrible in comparison to her. Her ability is pretty insane and she uses it pretty much whenever she can, unlike Jenny. The despicable things she does get worse as the novel goes along and it was shocking to me how far she would go to get what she wanted.

Jenny Pox is now one of my favorite books. I literally could not put it down until I was finished. JL Bryan mixes supernatural elements with a realistic portrayal of what it's like to be a teenager. I think everyone could find something they like in this novel: horror, romance, fantasy, and even politics. I highly recommend it. I hope that it will eventually be reprinted in a smaller, more manageable format (the paperback I bought is enormous) and made more widely available.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins