leonardomasi-95909 Reviews

Hellraiser (2022)

Quite solid BUT

[9 October 2022]

This one is a solid reboot, such an improvement from the last two installments. Let's be honest here: it has nothing to do with the original source material ("The Hellbound Heart" novel by Clive Barker) and it must be valued as a standalone film. Jamie Clayton does a great job as Pinhead/The Hell Priest and the visuals are stunning (both really needed to lift up the franchise), but what lacks is the gritty and unsettling power the original still has: the themes of death and sex, flesh and blood are rather flat here, while the main characters (although well acted) are less interesting than expected. And you can actually see the twist about Trevor coming from the beginning. Still a good movie on its own, but at times it feels more like "A Nightmare On Elm Street" rather than "Hellraiser", due to the dynamics of the multiple dream and hallucination sequences going on. Let's just say that sometimes less is more, especially when it comes to effective horror classics like the original "Hellraiser": the screenplay would've still worked well with less production design's grandeur and a faster pacing.

Said that, cinematography is top notch, special effects build a good atmosphere and the make-up work on the Cenobites is terrific.

American Horror Stories (2021– )

Season 2

[7/10 · 3 August 2022]

Based on the first two episodes, this season is FAR better than the first one. Episode 1 (named "Dollhouse") was somewhat interesting and at least it featured very good actors (Denis O'Hare and the kid playing his son), the production design was top notch and the ending twist connecting to Coven was a nice treat for fans. Episode 2 ("Aura") started off with a good concept but it got wasted with zero fear factor and rushed bits (the twist with the husband found guilty was sooo predictable).

Overall, it seems like they toned down the gore to concentrate on the story which is not necessarily a bad thing, but now I expect the following episodes to avoid the stupidity of the first season.

Death on the Nile (2022)

Style over substance

[25 April 2022]

First of all, the other reviews are being way too harsh: it's not a horrible, utterly dull or bad movie. While I do agree is slow-paced, not so interesting screenplay-wise and historically inaccurate (the opening scene and various droplets of anachronism here and there), the casting was on point and the cinematography was good, you can't deny its technical professionalism.

Yet, just like in "Orient Express", Branagh opts for style over substance: eventually the plot drags and some bits were unnecessary (almost all the characters have something changed about their personalities from the original book). Long story short, watch it only for entertaininment and forget about great logic.

Emma Mackey does her best job to date.

Urban Legend (1998)

Almost

[6/10 · 17 April 2022]

I first saw this movie like 11 or 12 years ago when I was a teenager and found it laughable but somehow effective. I saw it recently on Netflix and I didn't change my mind: it's full of clichés (teenagers killed by a hooded kiler in a college, the murders being inspired by urban legends going around typical 90s American shallow youth), the characters are unsufferable and the viewer roots for the killer to slash them all. The urban legends theme is kind of intriguing: even though the film is not above average in the post-Scream (which, ironically, made fun of these kind of movies two years before Urban Legend's release) slasher wave, the camera work is good and the story is entertaining enough until the last 10 minutes. Once the killer is revealed, the motivation and logic behind it all are so weak it becomes a spoof of itself: how can a single thin girl with perfectly manicured nails move bodies around the campus without anyone noticing? Weren't security cameras a thing in the 90s? Why is she immortal (taking a bullet, falling from a window and then down a bridge in a freezing river and STILL being alive at the end)? Regardless, it's WAY BETTER than the second installment and it's good enoguh for a mindless horror night with friends.

Dark Glasses (2022)

Better than Argento's last efforts but...

[5/10 · 24 February 2022]

"Occhiali Neri" is better than Argento's latest releases, including "Dracula 3D", "Giallo" and "Il Cartaio", but ultimately it falls short. The main problem here is the script (the movie was written by Argento and Franco Ferrini over 20 years ago but even back then it wouldn't have worked): the characters have no back story at all, the killer's motivation is sooooo cheesy I'm actually laughing remembering it and the dialogue is atrocious. Though being exruciatingly disappointing as a proper horror/thriller movie, "Occhiali Neri" would have worked better as a tv installment and has some positive values: the music by Arnaud Rebotini is a bit redundant but enjoyable, and sometimes Argento remembers he was a master and delivers some pretty shots. Asia Argento is finally credible and well acting. Tensions picks up in the last 20 minutes or so with a series of homages (the dog scene in "Suspiria") and atmospheric locations. All the rest feels rushed and even the gore is lacking. 5/10 being generous, it could have been way better.

Diabolik (2021)

Obviously hated but pretty enjoyable

[7/10 · 20 December 2021]

"Diabolik" is nowhere as bad as people make it out to be: it's certainly flawed (mostly from pacing issues) but it's solid, well-directed and acted, and fairly respectful of the source material. Is this a masterpiece? No. Is this the "rebirth of Italian genre movies"? No, but it's fun and entertaining to watch if you don't expect to go see Citizen Kane.

A note: obviously, Italian press reviews are hating on this movie only because they tried to make something different from the otherwise monotonous theathrical panorama: it's beyond me why every single time someone tries to make a genre movie in Italy, press is always demolishing the effort, there's no surprise the film catalogue isn't evolving much as it should.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Don't trust the negative reviews

[8/10 · 9 August 2021]

People have been too harsh on this movie, to the point it became annoying: NO, it's not the worst movie ever, it doesn't look cheap, the sets are not ugly, the acting is not bad, the cinematography is great and ranting about the special effects being unrealistic is like expecting a movie from '92 to look like Avatar. This movie is good, you are just biased because it drives away from the original spirit of the book (i.e. Dracula being romantic, some characters changed etc.): if you take it for what it is - as you should AWLAYS do for movies, whether adapted from a book or not -, "Bram Stoker's Dracula" is a remarkable feature. It's flawed (the ending being a bit rushed, but perfection doesn't exist in real life, let alone in movies) but it's miles better than other Dracula adaptations.

Frontier(s) (2007)

Not it

[31 August 2020]

I read many many reviews of this movie claiming it was one of the best French horror movies ever and that it made the genre popular again. Sadly, when I finally got to watch it, it came off as an extremely loud, unnerving and over-the-top gore fest with nothing new added to the table. Xavier Gens literally remakes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre nodding to Hostel, with the only exception that you already know how it's going to end from the opening credits (the main character narrates the story, so it's obvious she survived the ordeal...). The evil characters are annoying, action picks up after something like 40 minutes of swearing and nothing interesting, and all the political themes are soon to be drowned in splatter excess. Recommended only to the fans of gore. If you are looking for a good French horror movie, then watch "A l'intérieur" or "Martyrs".

Shock (1977)

Last but not least Bava horror

[6 April 2020]

Dora (Daria Nicolodi) moves back with her son Marco (David Colin Jr.) and her new fiancé Bruno (Steiner) to her old house, where her husband allegedly committed suicide. The atmosphere gets more unsettling evey day, and Dora suspects her son is possessed by her husband's ghost. So, unfortunately I only found a version of 85' which I think it's the censored one (the uncensored version may contain some bloodier details), but regardless this is a solid 7 to me: flawed in the central part (the tension's pacing slowers and resumes only in the last 20 minutes) but beautifully shot and with a well executed final twist. Great soundtrack and awesome "practical" special effects: the sequence where Dora's hair beings to move on its own during the nightmare was filmed with a still camera on a bed really turning upside-down. Also, to the ones comparing this to Amityiville Horror or Poltergeist, they are two completely different kind of movies: this is more psychologically-driven, and the supernatural elements only work as a "side dish" to the story!

Siren (2006)

Good atmosphere

[14 February 2020]

I don't know anything about the original videogame, so I don't know if this movie lives up to it or not. The atmosphere and premises are good, and they set the right tone for a well-balanced tension buildup. The main flaw of the movie is that it doesn't explain much of what's going on, and some bits seem very rushed and pointless. And the lead actress spends the whole time screaming or waiting for bad things to happen, through very loud orchestral music and shaky camera movements. The ending kind of makes up for the mess before.