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Reviews
Call Back (2009)
Well-done lower-budget horror
I have to say, I read the Netflix reviews which were so-so and saw the low score on here, and had some trepidation when I streamed it, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's clearly a low-budget film, but, for what it was, it was done very well. Having worked as a grip in the industry, I'd guess this movie was made for under a million dollars, and they seemed to squeeze everything out. Despite there being only one real location, the shots weren't repetitive and I was never bored with how the film looked. Some of the gore is great, and the acting is pretty solid, most particularly from the lead, Levi, who was very strong as a stereotypical LA director ass. Movie is, for the most part, quite well-paced, and the elevation of torture levels goes beyond what I expected to see. It's a slow burn with classical music, so if you're looking for "Saw" and fancy fat-cutting editing, this isn't what you're going for. But if you like good torture, pretty girls performing that torture, and a nice back and forth with plot, you'll enjoy this film.
Gran Torino (2008)
Vintage Eastwood
Vintage Eastwood...there's no two ways about it. Takes a genre (racial tension) that has become weary and puts a nice take on it. Photography, story and acting are all very solid, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'd thought I'd seen my share of movies that dealt with black/white issues, and of course this is Asian/white issues, but I was afraid the similar premise would take us to all too familiar of a place. But it's not. It's something more about young and old, honor and fear, and just good old right and wrong that proves that Eastwood has a grip on both the society we live in and the movies we want to see. After Mystic River I thought he'd never be able to pull it off again, and I can happily admit now how wrong I was.