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True Detective: Night Country: Part 5 (2024)
True Detective
Like or dislike this season you can't deny that they got the name of the series right with this episode. A son that killed his father to do what's right and two detectives going without their safekeeper to a death trap... all of that to get to the truth ? That's what True Detective means, the writer truly knows what True Detective is about and this is what pains me the most about this season, while i like it a lot, don't get me wrong... i feel like asking for Nic's direction in a few things and having a novelist on board wouldn't hurt anyone at all, this has to be the best plot the series ever had, unfortunately it isn't the best script. Loved the episode regardless, this felt like True Detective, i hope the last episode is amazing.
Halloween Ends (2022)
More of a rant than anything else.
First of all :
Jamie Lee Curtis deserved so much more.
And so did Michael.
This move is not bad in my personal opinion, which doesn't equals good.
My main problem with the Halloween sequels in this specific timeline is that the first movie had problems but was solid, everything they needed to do was go up !
Unfortunately, somehow, they managed to not do so. 1978 and 2018 remain the best.
I really feel like Corey's storyline should have been there since the first one to manage to work, we really wanted to see Laurie and Michael, since it's supposed to be their conclusion, Laurie's last stand, Michael's death, the whole " evil dies tonight " thing on the second movie ! They should have hyped us up to the limit and paid exceptional writers, honestly.
Because the ideas are there, for example : in Halloween Kills; the whole survival guilt and revenge arc, where hatred leads you, people becoming a reflex of Michael... those were very interesting ideas !
The same thing happened here. The idea of a second, not stronger but faster and character-driven killer was SO GOOD. They just needed better writers and more movies, honestly. There is no way of making a descent into madness character study without making the movie about him. ( unfortunately, a mistake in this case. Not because it was a bad idea, but because other characters mattered more here ) either make a tv show or a very good trilogy. They had time to either make a superb slasher or a compelling story, both would honestly be asking too much, i think.
In conclusion : very good ideas, poor execution.
I love Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael.
The Mob scene against Michael was one of the best scenes of the franchise.
The idea of a second killer or hell, even a cult of Michael was not even half bad if done right.
The Laurie vs Michael last fight on Halloween Ends was super dope, i loved it.
My final consideration is that they just need better writers, but to keep the people who had such iconic ideas, some heart is there, but it needed substance and more action.
Btw the names : Halloween Kills and Ends are just honestly dope. One of the reasons i want them to be better.
Halloween ( 2018 ) - 7,8
Halloween Kills - 7,0
Halloween Ends - 6,0.
Andor: Kassa (2022)
Please, don't miss the mark.
The start of the show is honestly very refreshing. There is something about being able to tell your Star Wars character can kill someone in cold blood without seeking redemption that just feels right to me, i hope they don't do to this the same they did with Fett. Luna is pretty good, as he was in Rogue One, honestly not the character i was hoping to see in a spin-off, but seeing how things were handled with shows like Better Call Saul, i'd say any character can be even more interesting with good writing, but you do need to keep your character constant and making sense, so you unfortunately can't turn him into the level of depth of Maul from clone wars because we have seen his later self in Rogue One.
That said... i honestly wish they did a very deep character study and went offrails with that Blade Runner feeling on this, it's what i feel star wars needs right now. I like the fancy imperial "clean" side of the galaxy, and even the beautiful Mandalorian landscapes. But honestly ? The rainy city... just got to me and i rewatched the episode's start numerous times, because of how beautifully depressing and tragic it all was, unfortunately.. Cassian Andor is no Vader, Ben, Luke, Ahsoka or Revan when it comes to character development and another Cal Kestis superman boy scout is out of the plans for my enjoyment, he works on his merits and in some storytelling as well, but Star Wars is missing the point... they will probably need to get extremely interesting characters out of the hat if they want this to work ( or not, if they do Ozark in this ) props to Luna and the whole crew, even if this doesn't turns out to be The Breaking Bad of star wars we want, which can be asking too much, maybe... this will turn out to be an Ozark and i will be super happy to call it a masterpiece when it's over.
I guess you understood why i called it Ozark if you think about Martin and Andor, developed characters. There is no journey of insanity or the delight to see Heisenberg. Even if the show is amazing, not that Ozark lacks anything, but you need to have a notion if where the entertainment and quality of your show are coming from, Breaking Bad and Ozark knew it, let's hope this does as well. Or... that some other show matches or surpasses Mandalorian in quality.
Props to the team and Luna again.
Btw... that blaster execution.
It was amazing, felt tempted to give this a 10 just because of that scene. Amazing.
7,5/10.
Smile (2022)
Very good, almost a 10
A very gripping and beautiful horror movie. My only actual complaint is that i wish they kept Caitlin Stasey as the entity for a little longer for dialogue and confrontational scenes, it's no coincidence the marketing has her face all around, it's just too iconic. Kinda reminds me of Adelaide Wilson from Us, portrayed by the amazing actress Lupita Nyong'o, she proved that a superb acting mixed with a character with iconic attributes completely steals the show and simply makes the movie better, more thrilling. But i guess any word that would come out of the entity's mouth needed a logic and coherent dialogue, even if it is indeed just a lot of threats, they really kept a straight line there, a mindset, and i appreciate that. Still, in my opinion, a missed opportunity for this movie and the actress to shine even more.
That said, the beggining of the movie is very very good. My only "complaint" would be the illogical uphand given to a 'disturbed' ( actually posessed ) person to commit suicide, but professionals are indeed human and slip sometimes, that could be solved with a bit more of paranormal elements displayed to the main character, making her reaction more plausible, you would buy the distraction even more. That said, i love shocking and intense starts in movies, it is a formula i'll never get tired of seeing. In fact, this movie has many formulas i deeply enjoy as an horror fan, which probably weirdly contradicts my minor issue with the Ring ( and probably others i missed ) references and inspirations, it is good. But originality does feels more than good and is more than welcome, and i'm aware we won't have another Rosemary's Baby any sooner or later, even tho we do have a very very good recent times horror movie : Hereditary. Thanks to a team of exceptional people.
Regarding the characters : it is extremely close to The Ring, as soon as i saw the calm policeman slowly starting to believe, i surely knew his fate. He really reminded me of Noah with a subtle twist in his fate; he dies after the main character. The climax fight scene could be a little longer, just to make us believe that there would not be a plot twist, it just felt like it would, honestly since the movie does cares about it's quality and it is not a disappointment at all. Some shots are breathtaking and stylized even when they didn't need to be, which is not bad ( or perhaps, the upside down shot of a city meant the world felt like that, but i can't tell you such thing, i'll roll with a style choice, no complants ).
I loved the entity's final appearence, it embodied the embodiment of Rose's trauma, very good. And as for the interpretations, some are common, which is not bad, just what the role required, no bad actors in scene, for example Jessie T. Usher delivered a very good skeptical and sometimes cynical character, it was on point and it wasn't much, just enough to deliver a beliavable character. That said, Sosie Bacon and Caitlin Stasey did a LOT, they were truly great. Even perfect at times, and this is coming from someone who holds Toni Collette at the top for horror interpretations. Any genre, actually. She was robbed of a win. Yeah, i didn't say nomination, she deserved a statue. Anyways, they delivered true suffering, huge props to them, amazing actresses.
The pacing is good, at least during and after the opening scene. The first arc is great, the suicide, the entity creeping from the darkness and such, are great scenes. Anyways, there were a lot of ideas, concepts and points of view in this movie, they just needed more time to apply to it, that's why i would say this needed to be a six episode TV show, but then.. i do think some of the ideas were left aside on purpose due to it's possible huge complexity and plot holes to come, sometimes it's inevitable when you're not Agatha Christie.
That said, we just need a badass believer in an horror movie, that exact entity may be fictional, but the world is a "weird" place all around, alike things do often happen and i definetly would be the first to believe her or at least give it a chance. Not everyone is skeptical, religion and such beliefs are a thing in our planet. And no, it doesn't needs to be the stereotype of the guy in the basement who is obsessed over aliens or ghosts and demons, make it be anyone else, it would be a breath of fresh air, but then i may be asking for a masterpiece.
Final considerations :
The ending reminded me a lot of one of The Ring's scene, not sure if it was a bonus or something ? Or perhaps a sequel. Where they show many people the cursed video at once, moving the curse ahead. It just instantly made me remember that.
The creature's posession and interaction and CGI in the end was honestly Men ( another horror movie ) done right, that alone was a breath of fresh air.
The "curse not being over" plot twist was also a very good callback to The Ring all over again, a cool sensation, thank you for that, you made me feel sorry for "Noah" again.
I loved the giant skinny creepy monster, gave me a nostalgic feeling about Resident Evil and The Evil Within ( also that scene in Anabelle 2 )
Joel really could have made a run for the matches before they were lit.
This movie has style.
Jokes aside... to not be completely unfair, the movie has very good moments of originality.
Good ending, very brave.
8/10.
The Sandman: Sleep of the Just (2022)
Good.
The CGI works, the transitions are beautiful and the narration is on point. The actors served the character's purposes very well.
Huge props to Tom Sturridge and Boyd Holbrook on this. And as for the novels/series statements, i don't have a say as this is my first interaction with the series.
The only problem with the episode itself are the expositive dialogues, which took me off it, therefore making my personal experience less enjoyable, but, if you embrace the little bit of corny the episode has, you will be simply delighted with it. A show i recommend, it's good.
And props to the direction as well, beautiful artistic shots and a good work not focusing a 100% on the CGI made objects, it made for a more realistic environment, some TV shows don't balance the direction and expose the flaws in the CGI completely and... it's not what you want.
Great episode.
The Umbrella Academy: World's Biggest Ball of Twine (2022)
Still good
For the time being, some aspects of the show ( specially subplots ) do feel all inconsistent, some of the characters aren't as talented or strong in some moments as they used to be, and for some reason, they end up always having the upper hand logic wise, but then failing to beat enemies that are weaker and pretty much beatable ( Diego beating up two of the Sparrows ! ) so it ends up being extremely confusing at times, I understand that they need episodes to happen, so it might need a certain length, but I am sure they could have done something more organized, it is not bad, in fact, it is good indeed, the universe building makes the clumsyness and the huge amount of random and devoit of logic info somehow pretty believable, the action scenes are very good in this one and a few plot points are very very cool, great building up.