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thingmaker2001
Reviews
Infinitum: Subject Unknown (2021)
Well Made But Pointless
A well made, well acted story involving an apparent time loop and using the word "quantum" to suggest some sort of explanation for it all. The important thing to understand is that it is not going anywhere and nothing will ever be explained. If that appeals to you, you might want to see it.
One Drop (2016)
Barely Worth Watching
The idea is muddled and the dialog is frequently too clever... Also, all of the characters have secrets which are to be revealed at the most dramatic moments--frequently by the characters spending a lot of time talking when the situation is desperate and seconds are supposed to be critical. Furthermore the monsters are not terribly convincing and are shown enough that they lose any sense of uncanny menace that might have been there when they are first glimpsed.
Do not expect the story to make sense on any level and you might be able to enjoy the film anyway as it is technically decent and the actors are not bad.
The Djinn (2021)
Not a Bad Movie....
But not very good either. Technically, it is excellent, with decent effects, and the central performance from a child actor is also very good. But it feels longer than it needs to be and somewhat repetitious. There are a few other problems.
As much of the film is a protracted duel between the boy and the intruding "Djinn" in a few rooms, it is hard not to be reminded of Home Alone. Also, the story hinges on an occult book which aside from a nice leather bound exterior, seems very much like some teenage witches "Book of Shadows".
Tartarus (2010)
Art film style - Stupid monster movie
It mostly looks nice, although there are tilted camera shots that have no reason and a bizarre bit where it went to black and white for no purpose (I thought for a moment it was to represent monster-vision, but it was not POV).
The actors are unconvincing, the period detail is shoddy (1813 and there are semiautomatic rifles) and the pace is slow...
The writing is bad. Our protagonists get ideas from thin air (The monsters attack their cottage and then leave, depositing the corpse of a woman on the porch - therefore, they want us to bring them women... to mate with).
The same protagonists behave badly (kidnapping a local woman to use as bait... twice) and stupidly (in the forest at night, hunting nocturnal monsters, they fail to cover each others back. This sort of thing is constantly happening.
There are monsters. The pre-credit sequence, not unlike John Carpenter's The Thing shows us they come from outer space. But don't expect top see much of them and don't expect them to be remotely interesting.
Oh, and women in this movie exist solely to facilitate alien reproduction or to motivate the pathetic male characters'
La ragazza nella nebbia (2017)
Stylish, twisty... But...
This movie did hold my interest. It is beautiful to look at, well acted and not predictable until near the very end... But, while it explains everything, the explanation is annoying rather than disturbing or satisfying.
I was reminded of "Twin Peaks" and "7even".
"Twin Peaks" for the isolated community which may harbor secrets and which is depicted in ways that are slightly (I note the frequent shots of a tabletop model of the town used as establishing shots of real locations) surreal touches.
"7even" for the general tone of corruption, with all characters being tainted in this case...
The Twilight Zone (2019)
Not Very Good...
Well, it looks good and, in every technical respect, it seems well made, but after the first two episodes I have decided not to bother watching any more.
The first episode was a mediocre slog through one of those familiar stories of a guy getting his wish, which turns out badly. ...Although it looked great and had a couple of memorable performances.
The second episode was a re-imagining of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and it was muddled, slow and suffered from a sort of double surprise ending. The original TZ version of this story probably clocks in at about 25 minutes/ The TZ movie managed to amp up the same story to panic levels in under 15 minutes. I was frankly surprised at the attempt to tell this version in... 37 minutes - I just checked that because it felt like an hour.
The Rift: Dark Side of the Moon (2016)
Very Bad...
Science-less science fiction with no point and little coherence. I suppose I should have been warned by the sorta nonsensical title but the credits at the beginning depict the moon rotating in space and clearly depict the reality that the moon has no "dark side" but rather a day /night cycle just like the earth; just longer. Alas, I should have remembered that sfx sequences are often done by people smarter and/or more interested in accuracy than the film-makers.
There are some good scenes at the very beginning which provide background on the main character, but it's all downhill from there.
Characters behave bizarrely, even before the story begins to depend on bizarre events to propel it.
The music is eccentric and often... Well, the word bizarre keeps coming to mind.
Honestly, I had to skip over large parts of the film, which was annoying me too much to endure, but I am absolutely certain I didn't miss anything that would have rendered it interesting or meaningful.
Gilgamesh (2014)
I found it unwatchable...
I didn't get all the way through this one. There may be some big ideas and it is possible they are even good ones... BUT. The incredible cheapness, the lousy acting and dialog, the occasionally goofy editing... It was all too much for me.