Blood

Blood is a 2023 American horror film directed by Brad Anderson and written by Will Honley. The film stars Michelle Monaghan and Skeet Ulrich. Blood was released in theaters on January 27, 2023 by Vertical Entertainment. Although I love Michelle Monaghan, the movie is so clichéd that after a while you get into the "what am I watching" mode. I think the biggest mistake of the movie is the path it follows, I'm not sure if the director or producer has decided this now, but the scenario Monaghan said okay and the scenario we are watching now is not the same, I am sure of that. Sometimes it's obvious that even Monagan is so bored.

The characters do not behave like morons. The behavior of people quite sensible for the situation. There is nothing explicitly expressed here, there is a strange problem with the child and the mother who, according to her, does everything to keep her son alive without considering the consequences. For a B-grade cinema, this is quite an interestingly developed plot of supporting characters. The biggest drawback is probably that it's not very scary. On the plus side, there is a slight suggestion at the end of the film that maybe we didn't quite see the same thing as the main character, but I think it's more of an attempt by the medical services to justify the phenomenon in general. As for me 6/10, not great not terrible, I do not regret that I watched it but do i recommend it? I don't know.

I went in not expecting much but the trailer had me intrigued so I gave it a shot. What I got was maybe one of the all time great thriller/horror films. Hands down one of the best flicks I've seen in some time. Superb acting, along with a great plot with good pacing. This film never lets down and keeps you on your toes. Rarely can a film have you feeling sympathy for a someone who kidnaps and tortures her. But Brad Anderson is a masterful director. I hope there's a sequel because I'm very much interested in seeing the origin of the tree. I can say enough how blown away I am at this film. I really don't know what other people are seeing, because this was an excellent movie.

...marriage, divorce, procreation, poor parenting, adultery, the legal system, drought, addiction, farming, mental health, negligent pet ownership, euthanasia, overworked medical professionals, bureaucracy, olives in pasta sauces, lax leash laws, hospice, dumb (but cute) cops, rampant truancy, pernicious anemia, sibling rivalry, step-sibling cookery, mud-based filicide, holes in dead evil trees (or Evil Dead trees), seductive nannies, Carhartt jackets on guys over 50, overpriced/undersized oak caskets, woefully slow film-making and prepubescent rural pseudo-vampirism as a metaphorical and literal depiction of the incontrovertible fact that all children are blood-sucking and ruinous creatures from birth. I fast-forwarded through chunks of the movie and still got all that from it. I felt bad for the dog because he was named Pippin and in this movie and got blamed for stuff that was clearly the fault of the writer and director. It was too much, too familiar, too slow, too this and too that.

That was disturbing, shocking , unnecessary! Why do they have to kill the dog! The boy was annoying. Didnt feel anything for him. Only when he looked for the dog in the beginning then I liked him. Naming a girl Tyler to suite the abcde ppl was also sidturbing to me. It could have been better cause I like other movies from Brad Anderson but je clearly has a fetisch of using dogs in his movies and making them aggressive like in fractured wanting to hurt a child. Whats he aiming at here, I wonder. Nothing to see here though unless you habe nothing to watch and just want to see what new movies are out there then go for it.

Saw a couple of fake reviews, telling that the good reviews are the fake ones. Like come on seriously? As a movie critic I am concerned about the amount of fake reviews giving a false indication about how a movie is. I saw the trailer and it looks good. Not sure why these people were complaining about slow paced, boring or whatever. This movie is GOOD. Not excellent of course. But GOOD. The acting is excellent. Sure, the movie goes a bit slow, but I have watched a much slower paced movies that made me sleep. This movie is not that bad. Jess (Michelle) and both her childrens acting are on point. Kudos to the director honestly. And quite the comeback by Skeet. If you watch this movie expecting a straight horror movie, you'd be disappointed. But this isn't a straight up horror movie. It is a Horror + Drama movie... which is kind of a fresh make up of real life drama and intertwined with horror/supernatural. My final say is, ignore the low ratings, and Go for it. You won't regret it. I loved this movie.

I loved THE MACHINIST but was mixed by BLOOD. The film has great elements, first Michelle Monaghan is phenomenal and her performance is really great, engaging as a mother who is ready to literally everything to support and heal his child. Also the two children are every great. The script is far from being flawless, but is full of suspense, tension and strong relationships between the characters. BLOOD is also one of the most disturbing film you'll ever see. It can be disgusting at moments, though there is no gore (but lots of, well, blood, in this film. What's unhealthy, and really disturbing is the character's decisions and actions, and Monaghan's character, just like us, knows from the very beginning that what she's doing is wrong. She can be seen as a mother who loves and cherishes her child, and also, as someone says in the movie, "a monster". That's really disturbing. And her actions become unbelievable at some points. Of course, the supernatural element here is only a pretext to think about: "how far would you fo for your child?". Still, there is a feeling that something is unfinished here, probably due due to some unanswered questions, but we feel it goes beyond these. BLOOD is a film you'll love or hate. What's sure is that you'll probably feel very uncomfortable, and be shocked watching this film. Whatever you'll like or hate it, you won't forget it, and you'll probably need to walk 20/30 minutes to absorb the experience.

To answer the question "how far would a mother go?" I have to say that I thought I knew, as a mom of two, how far I would go to save or protect either of them. The movie really left me questioning my own answer to that! Michelle Monaghan did a great job balancing the hectic and somber life of a newly divorced mom while exposing the underbelly of a human being's primal tendencies to protect her young. At what point is "too far" actually too far to save your own child? Skylar Morgan Jones perfectly portrayed the daughter who has been burdened with a secret no child should have to carry about her own brother. Skeet Ulrich's character as her dad seems to be a good guy who loves his kids, and obviously worried about his ex-wife's stability and capacity to take care of their children on a day-to-day basis. Definitely want more backstory into what's up with that tree! I'm intrigued! Already planning to watch it again!