Frightening Strikes

Summary and Review of The Atoning Vera: Virginia Newcome Ray: MIchael LaCour Sam: Cannon Boursage Director: MIchael Williams Release: 2017 The opening scene of “The Atoning'' shows Vera, (Virginia Newcomb) attending to her young son, Sam (Cannon Borsage), as he settles down for the night. Vera appears tense as she soothes Sam’s concerns about his father’s whereabouts. It cuts to a dream sequence where Sam is shown to be under threat and the viewer is led to wonder if this is a portent of things to come. At breakfast, the next morning, Sam is greeted with the palpable strain between his parents and the boy feels caught in the middle as he tries to please both and ease the tension. Later on we see that Vera and Ray no longer share a bed so things do seem to be going very badly. However, photos dotted around the house speak of happier times and we are led to wonder what has happened to cause this rift. The family go about their daily routines in their suburban home and, apart ...

Summary and Review of Driven Emerson Graham: Casey Dillard Roger: Richard Speight Jr Director: Glenn Payne Release: 2020 Emerson Graham (Casey Dillard) is an aspiring stand-up comic who makes ends meet as an Uber-style cab driver. The upbeat opening scenes show a montage of Emerson’s interactions with various customers during the evening as she perfects her comedy routine in between pick-ups.  Things take a turn for the unexpected when she picks up the mysterious, and rather terse, Roger who wants to stop at multiple addresses for reasons unknown. The sparks fly from the word go as Emerson tries to engage in casual conversation but Roger (Richard Speight Jr.) is having none of it. The chemistry between the two is immediately apparent in their humorous banter, which establishes the tone for the rest of the film.  After Emerson witnesses an alarming encounter between Roger and a stranger, he reveals that he is on a quest to rid the world of evil entities (which must be compl...