wilhelm-22 Reviews

The Unforgivable (2021)

Masterful Bullock, OK movie

[7/10 · 18 December 2021]

It's just such a joy to watch Sandra Bullock act that I don't care about the film's minor shortcomings. As other's have pointed out, there are a few logical errors in the script, and the story is quite predictable. But the cinematography is good and the acting is great overall. Sandra Bullock seems to only get better for each film she's in. Some reviewers here complain about "wooden" acting, but I think Sandra makes a perfect portrayal of an individual worn down by trauma and injustices. The acting is very subtle but still successfully communicates a wide range of emotions. Recommended.

Hypnotic (2021)

Watchable, but less than mediocre

[3/10 · 7 December 2021]

For some reason I keep on watching low-budget thrillers, although i get disappointed 90% of the time. I really like the genre, and back in the days you could often find some nuggets among those films. Low budget films and "movies of the week" were often made by younger directors, having the opportunity to try out a few left field ideas.

Not so much anymore, at least not at Netflix. The films slavishly follow standard patterns and there is very little to expect in terms of experimentation and new ideas.

"Hypnotic" is no exception. As usual, the acting, cinematography and set design is totally fine, while the script is abysmal. The concept, that you can use hypnosis to have people commit crimes on your behalf, is of course very far removed from reality. That wouldn't have to be a big problem, but the script doesn't even use this far fetched idea in a very creative way. There are lots of possibilities here to make something interesting out of the uncertainty of what is real and what is not ("perceived" reality during the hypnotic state). The film doesn't do much of that at all though.

We know from the start that the psychologist is a psychopath, we know when the heroin is hallucinating and when she's not, we know which characters are friends and which are not. There are simply no twists and turns or unexpected revelations in the film. Watchable if you've have nothing better to do, but you could probably find a better film.

Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan (2021)

Interesting story but distracting & cliched visuals

[2/10 · 28 November 2021]

An interesting story no doubt, involving an unusual criminal and a debate around the controversial psychological diagnosis "multiple personality disorder" (currently known as "dissociative identity disorder"). The film team has done a great job at researching background stories and finding interesting and relevant people to interview.

The visual presentation however is terrible. To compensate for the lack of actual documentary footage, the film makers have gone overboard with copious amounts of 70's era stock footage, and layer upon layer of "CSI" type motion graphics. The visuals are used in an almost compulsive manner, like the film makers feel that every word uttered has to be illustrated. (It reminds me of the MTV parody found in the 90's film "Reality Bites").

Another strange choice is how the interviewees are presented. They are placed on chairs in the middle of stylised rooms, that supposedly represent their different background/stories. The gimmick doesn't work though, as it puts focus on the film's surface and further distracts from the story itself.

All in all a missed opportunity. Seems like it's made by advertisers rather than film makers. Perhaps of a somewhat older generation, desperate to be "modern" and fearful of "boring the youngsters" with longer camera takes or fully developed ideas.

There's Someone Inside Your House (2021)

Solid "teen scream" movie

[6/10 · 8 October 2021]

The movie is more or less following the expected formula for a "slasher" targeted at teen audiences, but it is well made. It adds a few new twists to the genre, like a serial killer wearing masks of the victims and basing the murders on their dark secrets. It is also stronger than usual in the drama department with a certain depth to the characters and overall good acting. I recommend this to anyone who likes the genre and is ok with a moderate scare factor.

The Beatles: Blue Jay Way (1967 Music Video)

Why the re-edit?

[7/10 · 14 September 2021]

Nice that this psychedelic masterpiece is now available on YouTube. But why is it that this re-edited (and inferior) version has become the "official" version? The clip originated as a scene in "Magical Mystery Tour". The new version includes take-outs from the same sessions, but nothing that really adds anything (e.g. Distorted shots of billiard balls). Instead it excludes some of the highlights of the original. John's crazy start/stop riding on the rocking chair is gone, as well as the creepy children towards the end of the song.

The Girl on the Train (2016)

Good acting and atmosphere, problematic script & editing

[5/10 · 10 September 2021]

I quite enjoyed this film while watching it, especially thanks to the acting from Emily Blunt and Haley Bennet and the melancholy autumnal atmosphere. The concept of having an alcoholic as an "unreliable narrator" is an interesting one, and Blunt did a good job at portraying the pain of that disease.

However the film has many problems, especially with the script, and to some extent the editing.

The film is unnecessarily confusing with random jumps back and forwards in time, making the timeline almost impossible to follow. The whole framework with the main character watching people from the train and obsessing about them would make sense in a movie where these fantasies were an important element of the story. In this case they are not, though, since the filmmakers leave that concept very early on as Emily starts to interact with the people.

Emily's character is quite well written (although her alcoholism comes and goes dependng on what's convenient for the story). However Rebecca Fergusen isn't given enough screen time to develop her character at all. Haley Bennet gets more time, but ironically her character is of no importance for the story itself. The men are all two dimensional villains.

To me the film is worth a watch. But with a slightly better script it could have turned into something much better. It surprises me how many films nowadays fail because of the script, as a script is a comparably small cost in a big production.

Child's Play (2019)

Decent satire, disappointing horror

[5/10 · 22 July 2021]

I went into this expecting an embarrassing failure. The original "Child's Play" is one of the most iconic horror films ever made, so how could a new version possibly live up to the expectations?

Initially I was pleasantly surprised. The film makers made the wise decision to totallyrethink the plot. In this version, Chucky is an AI robot gone rouge, rather than a doll possessed by a serial killer. This is a brilliant setup that places the film firmly in 2021, and makes it work as an interesting satire of our modern information society and its possible threats.

We are also presented to relatable characters, the teen Andy and his worried mother. Andy is a "special" and lonely kid, therefore susceptible to the promise of Chucky's eternal friendship. Chucky's only job is to be a good friend to the boy, but his very literal interpretations of what Andy says leads him to murder. One cool dramatic device is that Chucky records everything he hears and sees. From time to time he replays the snippets of information that has inspired his grizzly acts. This way the audience is reminded that Chucky is only a product of the information he has been subjected to.

So, the underlying idea is a very good one. However, the movie fails miserably in the horror department. The new Chucky isn't half as terrifying as the original one, and the scary scenes are highly clichéd and uninspired. The victims are the stereotypical ones, and the kid heroes are ridiculously resourceful. What's worse, once the film makers turn their attention towards horror, they seem to forget all the good things that they had in the setup. For instance, Andy's "special kid" status is forgotten very quickly. Also, we loose track of Chucky's motivation as he turns from misguided but well-meant deeds, to full-on mass murder.

I give it a 5. Some really interesting and fresh ideas, but the film runs out of steem pretty fast and starts relying on tired cliches.

Midsommar (2019)

Fantastic pure cinema exprience

[10/10 · 4 May 2021]

This is a truely amazing film with qualities we don't often find in cinema today. It is more similar to "weird" arthouse movies from the early seventies such as "Equus", "Don't look now" and "Possession". Fans of Kubrick, Polanski and Cronenberg will certainly love this.

It has been getting some harsh reviews here and it's easy to see why. It's somewhat misleadingly labeled as a horror movie, which it's not. In fact the film doesn't fall neatly into any category. It isn't overly concerned with traditional story telling, dramaturgy or psychology, Instead it offers an almost physical experience more comparable to the abstract beauty of music. The cinematography, scenography and sound design are fantastic on their own, but what is more impressive is how well they are knit together into an artistic whole.

A word of warning though, it contains a couple of scenes with horrific and very graphic violence that I could have lived without.

Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020)

Well-made hommage to 80's slashers

[7/10 · 1 November 2020]

This is nothing more and nothing less than than a well-made classic 80's style horror movie. Lots of twists and turns, grotesque murderers and unusually well-developed characters make for an entertaining watch. The film is clearly inspired by the somewhat obscure (but great) 80´s slasher "Just Before Dawn". In fact it steals so much of the plot from that movie that it's close to plagiarism. But if you love 80's horror you're still going to enjoy this. One small complaint is that the interesting premise of teenagers suffering from tech dependency isn't developed in the movie.

The Open House (2018)

Competent movie except for the endíng

[3/10 · 27 June 2020]

A father is killed in a tragic accident, leaving behind his wife and son. The mother/son duo have economical problems and are forced to live in a relatives' house. The house is about to be sold, and once a week they have to stay away so that the broker can show it to speculators.

Weird things start to happen. A friendly but creepy neighbor lady seems overly interested in our heroes. A mysterious car show up on the driveway at night. Things disappear without explanation. Telephone rings, but no-one answers on the other end. The mother/son duo start to suspect that something is wrong, maybe some speculator has hid away in the building after the "open house"?

I quite enjoyed this film until the ending. Good atmosphere, good actors, and a fairly original plot. But what a disappointment the ending was! The heroes are both murdered and there is no explanation whatsoever! Don't know if I missed some clues but judging from other reviews here that is not the case. A big waste on what could have been a good film.

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Big disappointment

[2/10 · 19 April 2020]

None of the Annabelle movies were masterpieces. But they were scary and entertaining enough to satisfy those of us who just can't get enough of evil doll movies. Annabelle also happens to be an impressively creepy doll, and the "based on a true story" aspect of the films give them some extra appeal. I was very happy to find this new installment of the series on Netflix, but it turned out to be a big disappointment. The main problem is an incredibly weak plot. Three girls accidentally let Annabelle out of her glass cage, thereby releasing some evil spirits. The rest of the film they walk around in the house and have random encounters with a diverse selection of ghosts, werewolves and other supposedly scary creatures. That's it. No twists and turns, no secrets/revelations, no character development, no nothing. To make it even worse, the ghosts are not all that scary. Also, we see very little action with Annabelle herself, she mainly sits in a chair and stares. Don't know what happened here, they had some great characters and backstories to work with and it would seems almost impossible to not come up with something at least half decent. But despite everything they had going for them, they failed miserably.

The Return (2005)

Great psychological thriller

[8/10 · 10 October 2014]

A surprisingly good psychological thriller, with outstanding cinematography, intelligent script and sophisticated visual storytelling. I suspect that the low rates on IMDb are due to the fact that the film misleadingly is packaged as a "horror movie", which it certainly is not. The film has more in common with David Lynch's "Mulholland drive" than "The Grudge". Obviously the film doesn't have the intellectual depth or the emotional impact of Lynch, but it's still quite original and holds up well compared to many other psychological thrillers.

The poetic cinematography creates a compact, bleak atmosphere. The film's slow pacing works in its advantage, as we slowly are drawn into the heroines perception of the world. The acting is competent and the story itself is quite engaging, it kept me guessing until the very end. The constant jumping between reality, flashbacks and hallucinations becomes a bit overbearing at times, as well as the heavy use of "scary" sound effects, but apart from that I found "The return" to be a very enjoyable movie.

The Truth About Emanuel (2013)

Touching movie about loss and friendship

[7/10 · 22 March 2014]

A movie with an unusual flavor and with an original theme: the friendship between a young girl, troubled by the loss of her mother, and a woman who is troubled by the loss of her daughter. The film has a very special atmosphere and the acting is very good throughout. The script isn't 100% tight. There are scenes that never lead anywhere (like the scenes with the step-mom suspecting a lesbian relationship between her stepdaughter and the neighbour). The poetic/metaphoric under water scenes seem a bit out of place, and there is also some clumpsy editing. It's easy to forgive these minor flaws though, thanks to the great acting and a touching, original story.

Julia's Eyes (2010)

The work of a great upcoming director

[8/10 · 2 January 2012]

This film is a bit silly/corny, mainly due to the script that allows too many psychopaths to appear for the story to remain credible. BUT, this is also the work of an incredibly talented visual director, who explores the themes of seeing/being blind in a very creative way. The challenge here is to "visualize" blindness in a way that a seeing audience can relate to, and the director does this very convincingly. E-g. in the scenes between Julia and the caretaker, the caretaker is always filmed without showing his face, which allows the viewer to feel the same uncertainty about his identity and intentions that the main character feels. There is also a beautiful scene where the caretaker transforms into Julia's former lover through a simple camera movement, a scene that visually explains how Julia projects her feelings towards her lover onto the caretaker. Another plus in my book is the empathy the film shows in regards to actual blind people. it takes its subject seriously and in fact lets the audience, at least to some extent, experience the pain of loosing one's eyesight. I rented this movie believing that it was the work of Guillermo el Toro, and, although I find that it lacks a bit of this great director's originality, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the visual creativity of Guillem Morales was on par, if not surpassing, the level of his mecenate.

The Beautiful Person (2008)

Superficial and pointless

[2/10 · 16 November 2009]

This film desperately tries to be deep but ends up being utterly superficial. Beautiful actors, Nick Drake soundtrack and excellent cinematography can't hide the fact that this is a confused and amateurish story without a message. The main problem is the script: we never get to know the characters, we don't understand what motivates them. There is no real "story" to follow, no beginning and no end. Time after time the filmmakers seem to forget the main characters/story line and far to much time is spent on subplots and side characters that don't interest us, since they haven't been introduced earlier in the film. The actors are OK but the script just doesn't give them anything substantial to work with.

Four Minutes (2006)

Great actors but mediocre film making

[5/10 · 14 December 2008]

The premise of this movie is great (if not super original), and the acting is outstanding. But as a whole this movie is a bit of a disappointment. I think my main problem with the film is the editing. The editor seems restless with the slow pace of the scenes and tries to speed things up by hard cutting. But this just leads to the fact that each scene ends at the very point where it starts getting interesting. The jumping back and forth between the subplot (the piano teachers love story in the past) and the main plot (the same teacher teaching a young criminal to play) is often confusing and creates distance to the viewer. The subplot also doesn't really tie in to the main plot and should probably have been left out altogether. The final scene where the girl triumphantly plays the piano would have been so much more efficient and touching if shot in just one long take, now the editor tries to compete with the girl's virtuous skills and again, it creates distance and makes the whole sequence feel fake and pompous. I still recommend this film because of the great actors and a nice story.

Tout est parfait (2008)

Brilliant movie

[9/10 · 29 September 2008]

This movie was a very positive surprise. It was a long time since I saw such excellent acting and directing in a movie. The pacing and the rhythm of the movie is perfect. The acting is wonderful, extremely realistic and believable. The cinematography and the locations effectively create an atmosphere of loneliness and isolation. Unlike "Ken Park", a recent movie that deals with the same subject (suicide among teenagers) this film doesn't focus on the reasons behind suicide, it's more interested in exploring the grief of the survivors. This is probably the best film I ever watched on the subject of grief. The director is not afraid of using silence, he even allows some scenes to be boring, which is totally suitable, since grief has very little to do with drama and excitement. Overall a great movie. The only thing that is a bit unsatisfying is the directors' reluctance to deal with the reasons behind the suicides. He has the right to do so, since that isn't really the theme of the movie, but nevertheless, as a viewer you get very disappointed when the "suicide letter video" is played towards the end, without the audio that might have given some explanations.

The Descendant (2007)

At times Hilariously bad but not without charm

[2/10 · 27 September 2008]

I just watched "The Descendant" on the opening night in Montreal. I have very mixed feelings about this film. The cinematography in this film isn't bad, although it suffers from being shot on video. The story is unusual and kept me interested until the tasteless twist at the end (more about that later). The film has a unique flavor to it. The setting & the props are very effective in creating a certain mood and the set designer has paid lots of attention to detail. Unfortunately, there are other aspects of the movie that are not equally impressing. The acting is overall terrible (the middle-aged lady in the bar and the bartender are the 2 exceptions). All actors play on different levels: from extreme overacting (the evil old man) to extreme under-acting (the young main character). This inconsistency leads to the fact that none of the characters seem believable The editing is terrible, sometimes it's so confused that scenes that are meant to be realistic appear as psychedelic dream scenes. There are many superfluous "horror" montages/flashes that have little to do with the story and just distracts the viewer. The continuity is awful too, the script girl must have been out of coffee during the shoot if they even had one. There are especially many mistakes where the characters seem to look beside each other instead of at each other, due to badly matched camera angles. There are many details in the storyline that are confusing. Why is the main character so keen on walking around in the corn fields, when each time he does so he gets caught by bear traps? Why doesn't the old couple react at all when the guy brings out their music box to the garden and starts playing loud music in the middle of the night? I like the fact that this film avoids unnecessary gore, but sometimes it just becomes a little bit too child friendly. In one scene a woman and her dog are being ambushed by 4 villains in the woods. The villains surround her, carrying big knives and baseball bats. The camera turns away, we hear the woman scream and the dog cry, and we are certain that they are meeting a horrific death. But a few scenes later they reappear. The lady's' hairdo is a bit messed up and the dog has a band aid on the knee, apart from that they seem to be healthy & happy!

Despite, or maybe because of all this, I actually found the movie very charming and quite intriguing. Until the end, where the film all of a sudden brings up a new theme: it comments on the Canadian history of slavery and the inhuman treatment of black slaves at "Nigger Rock". This is a dark and until recently hidden part of Canadian history. Of course this is a very important subject to bring up, but not in the context of this kind of a horror movie. It's just not the right forum for discussing such a serious topic that involves so much real human suffering.