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Selva trágica (2020)
A slow descent into the abyss
I felt the need to write up a short review because, well, there weren't that many and I think this film deserves some words from a more balanced perspective.
First, this is not a movie to watch if you're looking for a "haunting flick" with jump-scares and ghostly apparitions. Its tempo is rather slow and pondering. But if you can enjoy movie experiences that are more like meditations, do not pass up on this film. This might also not be a film for your average date night as it has themes and certain shots that are extremely discomforting.
But if you, like me, enjoy movies that take place in the jungle and uses the jungle as a sort of n:th character in the plot (I immediately think of Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Apocalypse Now and Cannibal Holocaust to name a few), and you can - like previously mentioned - enjoy a movie that puts forth suggestive themes and existential questions in a shroud of contemplative horror, you'll enjoy it.
I deeply appreciate the fact that the movie uses both english, spanish and mayan language as it adds to the realism (as well as the narrative, which you'll understand by watching it), and the characters all felt believable and interesting in their own ways. It sort of reminds me of The Witch (2015) in some ways too, with its suggestive cinematography, and the music is haunting and unnerving.
Perfect for a late night watch if you can stomach the existential dread.
Tenet (2020)
Pretentious, disjointed and not very engaging
I usually enjoy the work of Christopher Nolan, albeit not a die-hard fan like some people.
I get it, this film is complex and puzzle-like, and probably best enjoyed with a couple viewings or more. But since the story feels so disjointed I couldn't really get a feel for any of the characters until perhaps at the very end, if that even.
I usually have an issue with time travel (or time going backwards in this case, potatoes tomatoes) in stories because it's quite impossible to get it right. Too many unanswered questions in the science of it all and too many aspects of it just not making any sense whatsoever. Sure, all things doesn't have to be explained in minutiae. I like sci-fi and it doesn't always have to make perfect sense. But it all gets a bit more difficult when the only thing that carries you through the story is the fact that you're trying to make sense of it, at all.
Questions to ponder: if they're moving backwards in time, wouldn't each and every motion be backwards? Why don't they speak in reverse? Furthermore, how do you isolate your own body from the world around you? What is it even with us humans and wanting to think of ourselves as separate from the world around us? Does the bacteria in the protagonists bowels live in reverse too? How would that affect his metabolism? If breathing can't be done without damaging the lungs, what wouldn't sweating be like? What about causality? What's these nuclear materials got to do with anything? Why would they cause causality to start going backwards? I guess theoretically the world COULD be inverted, but certainly not just separate parts of it. Everything ties together. Plus, as we all know, the past and the future is just a human concept. There is only now, always.
That, and so much more, was basically my internal dialogue throughout this film, and it didn't help that I didn't care much for the people in it so there was nothing to steal my focus away from just questioning everything.
I'm not a physicist but all of this just seems so implausible, when at the same time it tries so hard to make sense and paint a coherent picture, and that I think, is my biggest gripe. I can watch superheroes all day and not question a thing, but they're rarely this pretentious.
There's nothing wrong with just telling a great story in a good way. I wish more directors felt this.
6/10, and that's mainly because of the special effects and the fact that they manage to sew this plot together at all.
Bloodline (2015)
Don't bother with season 2 & 3
I started watching this show when it came out, and I absolutely loved the first season. It's great in every regard, really! But for some reason I felt that the ending of season 1 wrapped it up pretty good. Granted, there were still some loose ends but I could live with not knowing anything more about the Rayburns. I knew enough to explain most of what was happening in season 1, so when season 2 started airing I wasn't very interested. I was "done" with it.
Then, quite recently, I introduced a friend to the show which had me binge the first season, but this time we continued with season 2 and 3. And I almost regret doing that, honestly. Wait, no, I DO regret it. And I feel bad for all the people involved who were actually doing a stellar job but the writing... oh my god, what happened to the writing? And what happened to our believable, somewhat likeable but troubled characters??
This show always had enigmatic characters, not all-bad, not all-good - which is precisely what made it so great. But then in season 2 & 3 we're introduced to one new story arc after another, all ad hoc and none of it really making any sense to the point where you're ultimately asking yourself "are they serious with this?".
No. I'd definitely recommend seeing the first season - really, it's incredible. But whatever you do, leave it at that. Don't feel that you have to keep watching out of curiosity as you'll just ruin it for yourself. Whatever season 2 and 3 has in them, it does little to explain anything further anyway. If anything, they just raise more questions.
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)
Missing Combat Challenges a huge letdown
The third (or fourth, depending on how you see it) part of the Arkham series presents us with Batman's biggest challenges yet, and the world that Rocksteady has created for us is one gritty, dark representation of a city in full-blown anarchy. We recognize most gameplay elements from earlier games while being given more to play with this time in the form of the Batmobile and new gadgets.
I loved the Arkham series, and spent a massive amount of time with the Combat Challenges of both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Don't get me wrong, I loved the story archs in those games as well and nothing really compares to their nightmarish visual style as well as the hallucinatory gameplay sequences that are presented to us, as well as the feeling of freedom that comes with soaring the skies using the Batclaw.
But... and this is a big but; where, oh where are the Combat challenges in Arkham Knight? I spent a lot of time doing the Arkham Asylum ones, and I was very happy to find them again in Arkham City. They really were a challenge if you were going for full game completion, and they were a true testament to your skill as well.
When I had finished the two earlier games, I spent hours upon hours perfecting my fighting skills until I had no problem at all facing 20 enemies at once, some with armor or nightsticks, knives etc etc. You had to get into some sort of flow and always predict what set of moves were coming next. It was very, very addictive and, in a way, where the meat of the game was.
And in Arkham Knight, they're nowhere to be found. I was very surprised when I couldn't find them. They were one of the things I was truly excited about getting to experience on the PS4 compared to PS3! More enemies, more spectacular stages to fight on, different new gadgets to use on the fly and incorporate into combos.
And, nothing.
I still like the story, and it's a very well made game and a worthy finisher to the series. It would have been 10/10 if the Combat challenges had been there. Now instead I'm leaning towards 7, perhaps 8/10 if I'm feeling generous.
I should also add that this is my very first review on here, which goes to show how dear this game series is to me, but also how disappointed I am that they left out some of the very best parts of the prequels for this instalment. Thank you for your time. Now if you haven't, go play through these series and start with Asylum, if you can. They're all great.