nzswanny Reviews

Hold Your Man (1933)

A film way ahead of it's time.

[10/10 · 19 October 2018]

From the overempowering feminist performance from Jean Harlow to the non-conformity of the character Clark Gable plays, this is a movie that was incredibly ahead of it's time. It probably is one of the coolest movies ever made, juat because of how rebellious the shifting grounds of the film are, and is even ahead of some movies today. This isn't also the greatest entertainment but it's also a movie to make you feel for the characters and the situation they are in, and you might even shed a tear when you watch the marriage between Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. This is a movie that can be appreciated by anyone, black or white, female or male, old or young, rich or poor, that will bring you victory, accomplishment and a sneaky little piece of wonder along the way.

Female on the Beach (1955)

Not the campy movie people set it out to be

[10/10 · 19 October 2018]

Sure, this has many quotable one liners from Jeff Chandler and Joan Crawford, but the music and the cinematography is sweeping and melodramatic, giving the movie an atmosphere you'll never find in another movie. Sure, there are some outdated sexist elements of the movie (Jeff Chandler practically abuses Joan Crawford in some moments) but that's all outweighed by the great, powerful and feminist performance of Joan Crawford. So, I think this is a movie that can be appreciated by both misogynists and feminists alike, as it has a little something for the both of them. Besides, what fixed the sexism for me was the fact that Joan Crawford, while she ran back to him, DID actually have to think for herself about whether or not he was that good for her. It's a beautiful movie, and I would recommend it more so to melodrama fans than film noir fans, as while it is a mystery on the surface, it's a beautiful melodrama underneath.

The Last of the Mohicans (1920)

A timeless masterpiece.

[10/10 · 19 October 2018]

This movie was probably really incredible for it's time, as it has an interracal love interest, an American Indian protagonist to support and the beautiful cinematography. The Michael Mann movie pales in comparison to this movie, as the Michael Mann movie had less substance to it and most things were on the surface and were forced, while everything in this movie is powerful,, natural and controversial for it's time. Of course, people were obviously prepared, because it was based on the book of the same name, but this movie is fantastic and will even astound those who only watch modern movies. From the opening scene to the last you are enthralled into this historic world, and this movie is both-sided on both the English and the American Indians, which is good. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone.

The IMDb Show (2017– )

Millions of shows already like it!

[1 January 2018]

The iMDB show isn't entirely a show you put to review by a movie critic like Roger Ebert or Felix Vasquez Jr. but for ordinary people who regularly go onto their computers like you and me which are mostly frowned upon, we let our own opinions be announced without strict social boundaries and for the better of that. We let ourselves express our opinion in order to make the internet a functional and exciting place for people all around the world to have the capability to use and as well as building a separate society with different rules from our real society we have come to terms with communicating with each other online in many different forms in social media. Some of the social media platforms we use to communicate with each other online include popular websites, apps and other applications of the internet that are recognized by almost everybody who uses the internet commonly by name or logo such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, Reddit and Disqus. The social media platforms that we use named Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, Reddit and Disqus are websites that do not focus on much other than social interaction in the internet's social rule but over the years that the worldwide web has sprouted websites catering to other things as well as having a social platform for people to comment on either the website, it's contents or the topic that the website itself is based upon and these certain websites that cater to giving people these capabilities include YouTube, numerous computer games and once even IMDb. Recently IMDb had taken down the social platform from their website which was used to discuss, debate and inform about movies which was considered the topic of IMDb and it's purpose, to discuss movies with one another using the social boundaries of the internet because they thought that their social platform was only being used for negative purpose and the taking down of the social platform of IMDb had received incredibly controversial feedback. While some agreed with the majority of the IMDb staff for taking down the social platform of IMDb, a huge number also disagreed and since then complaints have been heightening and some had even quit using IMDb because of the fact that the social platform that they had gotten used to using had been taken down almost mockingly. In it's replacement came a cardboard copy of every flashy dishy celebrity Selena Gomez pop star music video TV show ever invented of the likes of ET, not meaning the Steven Spielberg movie, and Access Hollywood which gives movies a bad name with annoying and unnecessary interviews cluttering up the once beautiful homepage of IMDb that you could just find on YouTube. The IMDB show gracefully destroys the website with an utterly shambolic pile of crap that serves no purpose to the users of IMDB who could just look up some piece of crap interview found online on YouTube in a quick type-and-search while the IMDB show just stomps about where the social platform of IMDB used to be with it's god damn big smelly stupid Supra Skytop 4's laughing and mocking us out of their websites while us IMDB users carefully scrape out any other social platforms on the internet that they know about from their memory with depression. Shame on you IMDB...we will riot soon!

16 Blocks (2006)

Surprisingly drama-oriented, but action packed nonetheless.

[8/10 · 5 October 2017]

Although someone could consider this movie simple-minded, action- packed entertainment to watch when bored another viewer could consider this movie to be a well-crafted drama with suspense, tension and great acting. Considering that Mos Def is actually more trained in rapping than acting he actually gives a very good performance that matches the realistic wackiness of the character he is playing without misunderstanding any of the traits and in my opinion he gives a better performance than Bruce Willis. Bruce Willis may be a much more major figure in the film industry despite his downfall ever since Cop Out, but he actually gives a performance that seems underwhelming compared to Mos Def's performance because Bruce Willis mostly plays his own character in real life, but despite that they both share great chemistry in the movie. Mos Def plays a criminal and Bruce Willis plays a policeman and together they develop a subtle friendship throughout the movie much like the friendship between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon film series and I really enjoyed that. Overall if you like both dramas and action movies then I think you'll enjoy this movie but it isn't a movie you'll be thinking about through the ages though.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Futuristic version of A Fistful Of Dollars.

[10/10 · 4 October 2017]

To be honest with the reader of this review, I had never seen the first Blade Runner however it had been near the top of my "must- watch" science fiction movie list in my head for a very long while now and I decided to watch this movie expecting an exciting sci-fi blockbuster with action-packed car chases rolling in all over the place. Surprisingly this film was not the "good action-packed popcorn fun for the whole family" that I was expecting and the film actually takes the slower, more patient and realistic approach with it's storytelling rather than a lot of car chases and rushed editing. This is a very similar film to the likes of A Fistful Of Dollars because the main character, Ryan Gosling, resembles the personality of Clint Eastwood's character in A Fistful Of Dollars, the musical score carries away the movie like A Fistful Of Dollars, the pacing remains slow however manages successfully to keep our interest like A Fistful Of Dollars and the film carries an incredibly dark, bleak tone much like A Fistful Of Dollars.

I'm glad I saw this movie earlier than most people because then I can write a good review for this movie so that more people can consider watching it before the negative remarks start coming in. Before those come in, let me remind you that this movie is pure, bleak, raw and dark science-fiction to the core that goes with the dedication to telling a story rather than the dedication to kill as much people as possible. It goes with the more slow approach which some people may find a bad thing but others like me will find a good thing. But I think something all viewers will respect here in this movie is the intense cinematography that is common in a lot of other Denis Villeneuve movies and the fascinating special effects as well as the subtle performances by Ryan Gosling who understands the character he is playing and doesn't overdo it. Ryan Gosling's character is an interesting one because although he is emotionless and straight- forward we, as the viewers, can detect that there is more to this character and throughout the movie we slowly start to see a bit more of his own self. Blade Runner 2049 focuses mostly on the main character and if you are going to see this movie expecting Harrison Ford to have a lot of screen time that is similar to the length of Ryan Gosling's screen time, you're very wrong because Harrison Ford only plays a minor role in this movie which is, although important, not the main focus of the movie. Even if someone can view this movie as a science-fiction movie, someone can also view this movie as a character piece instead depending on their preference because of how much dedicated focus is on the main character.

When the movie was finished and all was done, despite the reasonably long runtime I still felt that the movie should of been even longer. Because I don't like to be sentimental I gave myself thirty seconds and then I got up from my chair and walked out as the credits rolled despite me still being in a very deep emotional zone however I want you to know that the emotional zone was almost impossible to get out of. As I was walking out I still saw a person watching the credits in his chair and I understood that he was also in a very deep emotional state and people usually do that so that they look cool to their friends, but the person I saw really was in an emotional zone - I could tell. I could also tell that I wasn't the only one that enjoyed this movie in the room and I was relieved because I was a bit afraid that people wouldn't like it because of it's more slower approach than other science-fiction movies. I was incredibly glad that someone else understood the style of the movie.

I'm not going to spoil any more of the movie but I will leave a last note to say that Blade Runner 2049 is an incredibly dark and intense movie that is probably one of the best science-fiction movies I've seen that has been made in the last five years so it very much is a masterpiece. If a futuristic version of A Fistful Of Dollars sounds bloody good to you, then you'd be killing yourself if you didn't pay this movie a visit at your nearest cinema. In my personal opinion, the film was most definitely a masterpiece and it has me even more excited for seeing the original starring Harrison Ford in the main role.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

An emotional, dream-like movie that never feels excessively soppy with an incredibly subtle performance by Jim Carrey.

[10/10 · 23 September 2017]

When people ask other people what Jim Carrey's best acting performance is, people usually light up and say, "The Truman Show!" Although I would say that he gave a good performance in The Truman Show, in my opinion I think that he gives a much better performance in this movie, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Although this opinion definitely isn't everyone's, I think that this is Jim Carrey's best performance because he goes out of his daily routine as an actor that works in comedy and stand-up and usually he acts in his films with the same personality which is undeniably a humorous one. But with Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey goes out of his routine and gives us a subtle, grief-causing performance that is entirely the opposite of his usual personality and yet it still feels natural as if it were his usual personality. In this film I saw a lot of serious acting talent shine through him that I had never seen him show before and if you're like me and enjoy seeing actors be in a different, unusual personality that they usually aren't in I think you'll enjoy this too.

Another reason why you may enjoy this movie is because of it's dream-like surrealism. There are so many psychological tricks in this film that make the film feel like an incoherent dream such as the disjointed editing, the unnatural situations and the emotionally dreamy soundtrack. Also, you know how when you dream you can be doing something in one room and the next minute be in a completely different building? I thought I was the only one, but here Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind captures this fully in a movie and letting us transform into frankly a hallucinatory drug trip. If you're like me and enjoy the weirdness of dreaming I think you'll enjoy this too.

What are you waiting for? An emotional, devastating, honest movie that feels like a dream with wonderful performances from the entire cast and interesting, realistic characters as a sidedish. If this sounds good to you, then please, do give this a watch!

The Truman Show (1998)

Amusingly subtle comedy that parodies TV shows.

[10/10 · 6 September 2017]

The Truman Show is one of Jim Carrey's most successful comedy films along with Dumb And Dumber, The Mask, Ace Ventura and Liar Liar, however this movie is the most well received by the film critics and earning an 8.1/10 on IMDb and a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes (as well as a 90 on Metascore but nobody gives a damn about Metascore). So it's no wonder that some people are still thinking about watching the movie and reading reviews, and one of those people used to be me once, and I'm surprised you're reading my reviews out of all the ones. I'm glad you're reading this, and I'll try to give you the best effort for a review possible so you can see whether you'd like this movie or not.

The Truman Show can be interpreted as a basic comedy movie to pass time by some but it can also be interpreted as a misunderstood masterpiece because of the specializing in cinematography, subtlety and wittiness in the subject of TV shows. In reality TV shows, people like Truman live in them for basically the entirety of their lives and the only difference is that they are fully aware that they have been living in one while Truman is completely unaware. However, Truman begins to gain suspicion after strange events happen and he begins to suspect things while we, as the viewer, are completely aware that the strange events are because of the fact that he is in a TV show. As usual, Jim Carrey brings his humorous characteristics as he reacts to these strange situations such as product placement, coincidental happenings and bad luck and we, as the viewer, are amused when we watch him in these situations because we know he is in a TV show. While these situations are funny they are actually very thought-provoking and they may question your life itself and how the process of Reality TV Shows work and whether or not the actors in Coronation Street are like Truman - except that they are self-aware of it being a TV Show. We then watch these TV Shows with heaps of effort and we enjoy them, however are we really to care of the impact of TV Shows? After an episode we just flick it onto another channel until dinner is ready.

Still not sure whether you will like this or not? Well, if you are a big fan of Jim Carrey's outrageous but intelligent humour then I think you will enjoy this movie. While this is a lot more subtle and thought-provoking in terms of humour than Jim Carrey's previous comedies, it still sticks to the humour we know and love from Jim Carrey however on a lower volume than it is usually played. If you are a fan of thought-provoking, cynical satires then I think you will enjoy this film as well. If you are a fan of good cinematography techniques then I think you'll enjoy analyzing this film. If you simply want to watch a good film then watch this. If you are not a fan of Jim Carrey, satire, cinematography or good films then this film is not for you. Simply put, this film is a comedic masterpiece that may be to some tastes and below others depending on the type of films you usually take interest in, but for me it was a delightful treat that just whizzed past my expectations.

Equilibrium (2002)

Incredibly flawed...but also incredibly entertaining.

[8/10 · 6 September 2017]

Equilibrium is one of those movies that is undeniably flawed; a film that replicates the storyline of the book 1984, a film that replicates the action scenes from The Matrix, a film that sometimes tries too hard to be dramatic and a film that commonly feels downright cheesy. But Equilibrium is also one of those movies that is undeniably entertaining; a film that holds a slick atmosphere, a film that holds characters developing throughout, a film that displays brilliantly exciting visuals and a film that proudly boasts a fitting soundtrack. Although the flaws were there, I found that the redeeming, quality values of this film stood out a lot more than the flaws of this film which were, although obvious, not too difficult to cope with if you don't pay too much attention to the flaws. Equilibrium is one of those movies where you have to switch off your cynical side (although that's the worst nightmare for us film critics!) and instead listen to your positive side in order to enjoy it, and if you listen to your positive side you will find that there is a lot of enjoyable moments in this film to appreciate. Although there are some dramatic moments that try too hard, there are also a lot of dramatic moments that actually work in this film which captivate your attention and toy around with your emotions. The dramatic moments that work in this movie aren't as good as the scenes you'll watch in Citizen Kane, Schindler's List or Taxi Driver but they are a good effort nonetheless if you take into account the work Kurt Wimmer put into this film. Along with the other redeeming values is a bit of a misunderstood quality to this film called editing: a nice flow is created in this film because of the editing. Overall I found this film to be entertaining and if you adjust your expectations to the right level I think you may even be enthralled.

Small Crimes (2017)

Superb drama about troubling past mistakes.

[10/10 · 4 September 2017]

Although the dark tone of this movie may not be to everyone's liking, this film chooses intentionally and wisely to be downbeat and realistic without ever showing off it's own dark realism, therefore creating itself to be a film that will have very divided feedback and that's the main reason why I like it. This Netflix Original movie starts off with a scene that resembles the opening scene of The Godfather, possibly the most analyzed film scene of all time, containing similar cinematography, style and context and at the same time introducing the main character of the film for us viewers. Joe Denton is a kind man with a troubling past of small crimes and he is speaking to another man named Chaplin on the day that he is escaping prison, and this conversation between the main character, Joe Denton, and Chaplin held my interest because of how interesting the dialogue was. With good films like this one, scenes where you feel like you should be bored don't bore you at all and actually hold your interest, and what makes this opening scene so good is that it grasps our attention simply with good dialogue and camera work. Cinematography is a key ingredient for visual storytelling and the director of this film is aware of that, so he uses cinematography that catches the dark, realistic atmosphere of the film and in good taste without ever overusing it, always using it for important moments. Along with the cinematography is the humour which has been given very divided feedback from critics; to sum up the humour in this film, it is very straight-forward and cynical, and although it's not for everyone it's a damn fine treat for fans of black comedy. In fact I thought most of the critics would appreciate the wittiness of the cynical humour in this...the film isn't one of those "good popcorn feel-good" romantic comedies starring Goldie Hawn but the film is a "good popcorn feel-ashamed" black comedy starring Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau and isn't that better?

It's a subtle black comedy and you can treat it as such, however you can also treat it as a serious crime drama. It's thought-provoking, interesting, visually great and containing the needed flow of a good film and if that sounds good to you give it a watch. After all, Netflix is providing us with films and we should be supporting their good work so they know what other kind of films to create. If you'd rather watch a sweet sentimental tale about a boy and his lost puppy however, go elsewhere.

Mercy (IV) (2016)

Sometimes we do not need the answers...

[8/10 · 26 August 2017]

I highly enjoyed this film because of it's good cinematography, tension and suspense however the majority of the reviewers here haven't. At first I was turned off by the low IMDb rating, but I watched the film because of it's interesting "home-invasion" plot line anyway and ended up enjoying myself and questioning the cause for the low rating. So I went back onto IMDb to read some of the reviews to see why people didn't like it and the main complaints seem to be that the movie was "confusing" and that "it made no sense," with also the classic "pile of crap" compliments for it being thrown in. Personally some of the greatest movies are so good simply because there is no explanation for them and if you especially go looking through the artsy circuit you find a lot of gems that are good because they don't solve themselves. Think Under The Skin, Dune and Hour Of The Wolf...although Mercy doesn't completely figure itself into a bizarre weirdness of those type of films they are great examples of movies that are good because they have no answers. Under The Skin never explains why Laura is abducting people into her body, Dune never explains what the hell is happening and Hour Of The Wolf leaves the insanity of the characters to our own imagination. This film is a home-invasion movie that achieves the technique of not solving the questions and instead fulfilling us with a good, interesting and satisfying experience that also expects us to do some work as well to solve the questions ourselves. Overall if this sounds good to you give this a watch and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Wanted (2008)

Entertaining action-packed extravaganza.

[10/10 · 26 August 2017]

I enjoyed this film and I almost got as far as calling this the perfect action film as I was typing the summary of my review because of how the movie includes everything that an action film fan hungers on. When action fans watch basic action movies they are commonly left unsatisfied with the movie because of how it is exactly the same as the last action film they watched and how those are usually missing the ingredients that they want in their steak and instead just rely on grease. Action films want bones in their steak, and what this film fully succeeds in is giving us the brutality of bones in our steak instead of overdosing on the cheesiness of grease. The film still has a bit of grease but it is enjoyable grease: the brutality of the violence is created intentionally over the top and is used as an advantage for some dark humoured laughs. This means that although we still have the cheesiness of a normal action movie it serves as a proper ingredient that mixes well with the brutality in it, and instead of just relying on cheap, recycled and cliché explosions it relies on bringing us some hilarious scenes of brutal, bloody, gory torture, and the mean- spirited cheesiness of this is what every action film fan lusts for. If you are one of those die- hard action film fans then this better get on your watchlist or you will be surely missing out.

Ray (I) (2004)

Taylor Hackford's stylish depiction on the life of Ray Charles with a dedicated performance by Jamie Foxx.

[10/10 · 19 August 2017]

The movie Ray was an incredibly big critical hit in 2004 and earned a spot in film history as the first African-American biopic to be nominated for 6 Academy Awards and in my opinion rightfully the movie truly earned those Academy Award nominations simply for the stunning editing techniques. This film is a biographical film that is based on the real-life blind musician Ray Charles and his successes and downfalls that also revolves around the wicked, self- indulgent effect that fame can have and how it causes his social life to quietly fall down a hole. The fact that the film deals with the cause of fame means that it is very honest, realistic and confronting in my opinion because of how some people are naive to the consequences of being famous. The message of this is also carried along in a very well made flow throughout the development of the film as we get to know Ray Charles and his past and we get to know some of Ray Charles's inner demons that show us that even the most perfect people can have flaws. The film itself is very well made purely because of the even pacing, exciting editing and ear- pleasing music, and with all that a dedicated performance by Jamie Foxx is given to execute it. This will probably be one of the more exciting biopics you will see in your life, so why not give this a watch?

Lake Placid (1999)

Deserves better reviews.

[8/10 · 19 August 2017]

Lake Placid may come across to you as the most quotable, cheesy, hilarious film you'll see this year, and this is why I liked it so much. It's intentionally hilarious and cheesy and does a good job of resembling the style of low budget B-movies IF you ignore the big name actors. I'm a bit surprised that some of the critics didn't catch the intelligence of the film's humour and how the characters can be so likable despite how unlikable they are, and you could have a jolly good fun time of an argument about who the best character in the film was. The editing is surprisingly good and actually adds a neatly humorous style to the movie and the visuals are nicely eye-pleasing, and in my horrible opinion the film is twenty billion times better than it has the right to be. It's not deserving of a long review, but it's better than good as a film to pass time.

Unforgiven (1992)

The subtle decay of a killer.

[10/10 · 19 August 2017]

Unforgiven, a film directed by Clint Eastwood, holds a dark, brooding atmosphere that instead of holding a glamorizing gloom in the atmosphere of the movie it seems to be a regretful and honest gloom which isn't common with a lot of movies, and this subtle little thing is what makes Unforgiven one of the better films you will watch in your life. William Munny decays through his age as he reflects as a farmer on his regretful, haunting, violent past and whether or not he has changed or not, a cold-blooded killer that used to kill women and children for the sake of cruelty. In this film, William Munny one day has a person named as the Schofield kid entering his farm and asking him to go with him to achieve a 1,000$ reward, but in order to achieve that award the Schofield kid has to kill two cowboys named Quick Mike and "Davey-Boy" Bunting because of them disfiguring a prostitute. William is then told by the Schofield kid that the reason why he was being asked to help him was because of the rumour the Schofield kid heard about him being a cold-blooded killer, but William is convinced that he is not the same person as he was and refuses to help him. But some days later as the thought of returning to his old ways crosses his mind, William decides to achieve the reward of 1,000$ with the Schofield kid and sets off on his horse to find him, and along with him he brings an old partner named Ned Logan in order to achieve the reward. But as William Munny goes in the process of achieving it, he realizes his haunting decay as he sees disturbing hallucinations and remembers innocent people that he murdered inconsiderably, and so William dissolves a recognized darkness into his soul that slowly increases as the film goes along.

The performances by Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jaimz Woolvett and Gene Hackman are all according to character and both remain stable and loyal to the characters themselves and fully replicating themselves as if they were them with changes in emotion, posture, voice and personality. The characters that these actors play are incredibly good because they have personality traits that can be considered good or bad depending on what kind of viewer you are, and instead of simply giving them pros and cons they are given realistic traits that people can have an opinion on themselves, and the film itself never forces opinions down our throats and lets us see things our own way. The characters develop the film throughout just as well as the storyline does as we get to know the characters of the film as if they were our own friends, and with every scene we quietly get to know new things out the characters we are seeing with almost each scene they are in. The editing carries the development of the film all through into a carefully patient experience, and the film never uses too much lying sentimentality but with honest yet quiet emotion that unrecognizably gazes into your soul in a subtle yet powerful way. The film contains all of the key ingredients for a drama tone to please Drama movie fans and the key ingredients for a western tone to please Western movie fans, but what makes this film good is the fact that it never uses overused clichés from the genres and the film can work on it's own rather than in a 2$ box set. Some will root constantly for the character of William Munny and some will constantly hate for the character of William Munny while others will not know what to think about him, and in my horrible opinion that is what all film characters should be like: ones that you can discuss over at any time of the day and whether they are good or not.

Unforgiven is a real treat and it is a big shame that most movies cannot be like this with golden, crisp cinematography, realistic characters, captivating storyline and tense moments. Before I complemented how the film holds a greatly quiet, shameful dark atmosphere instead of a boasting one, and the problem with a lot of movies is that they boast about the violence in them. If you had to watch your last movie, this would probably be a good one, and I think anybody who says that about a film proves how much of a masterpiece it is. 10/10, well done Clint.

Focus (II) (2015)

Stylish and fun, however Margot Robbie ruined the second half.

[7/10 · 13 August 2017]

I would of rated the film a 9 if it just continued in the first half as a good, flashy, stylish and intelligent film but the second half then turned the film into another horrible Mr And Mrs Smith all because of Margot Robbie and Will Smith's romance. I was cautious about rating this film as high as I did at first, but then I decided that I would because the first half was so good, but the second half was a real stinker and deserved a 5. The film had so much potential at the start but then just slipped off the rails, I guess, and I never actually thought that I could of felt this way for a movie before. The cinematography could of also been a lot better, but because the editing is so good, the humour is funny and the fact that the first half was genius I think I will say that I enjoyed this. Watch the first half of the film, then imagine up a second half, no need for a long review.

Dune (1984)

You like strange movies? You'll love this.

[10/10 · 13 August 2017]

When you begin to look for movies in every crack of the wall you get to see strange movies like this, which is supposed to be based on a famous source material that I have not read yet. This film is really good because of the fact that it's incredibly bizarre and follows a pure Twin Peaks sort of style to it, and beware bland normal "good popcorn fun" blockbuster fans, this is not a normal fantasy film like how apparently it's source material is. It's incredibly weird, and that is what is so good about it, and it contains surrealist visual effects and picture-perfect cinematography, holding some of the most memorably weird moments in a movie I've seen in a long time. The special effects are brilliant yet strange, and although they may be a bit too weird for some I think others looking for a mind screw will love the uniqueness of this movie. It's a surreal space epic with an 80's soundtrack and an imagination that'll leave you gasping; I watch movies specifically to see weird things like this that I wouldn't see in real life and to be captivated into such a strange world like this is really interesting. Before I think I complimented on the picture-perfect cinematography too minor and I'd say that it has some great movement and angles with the camera photography, so I recommend you analyze that if you give this a watch.

You want escapism? This is the real deal.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Disturbing Spanish horror masterpiece; an even more demented Frankenstein tale.

[10/10 · 13 August 2017]

The Skin I Live in is a very disturbing movie about plastic surgery, and if you are easily disturbed I suggest you know what you're in for. This Spanish horror movie stars Antonio Banderas as an obsessed plastic surgeon called Robert Ledgard that looks for the way to make the perfect skin and who gives a subtly eerie performance that visualizes the insanity of obsession, breaking thick boundaries to get there. Unexpectedly, the film then entirely develops into a horrific nightmare that gets more frightening as it goes along, with Robert Ledgard going to extreme lengths to create the skin as perfect as possible. There have been a lot of shocking scenes in this film that have stuck in my memory for a few days now and have troubled my mind hauntingly, and that effect on a two hour event gets my dearest respect for the courage it has to not play it safe and keep away from disturbing it's audience. The soundtrack, editing and cinematography then top it all off, creating an extremely disturbing horror movie that is repulsing and at the same time frighteningly fascinating.

The Untouchables (1987)

Honourable flashback to the classic film-noirs from the 30's to the 60's.

[10/10 · 13 August 2017]

If you are like me and like a good film-noir or two then I recommend you watch this film which plays out exactly like a film-noir, with camera work, angles, lighting and editing all perfectly suiting the polished and straight-forward style of the genre. The Untouchables is a movie that contains clichés from the genre but uses them to it's own intentional advantage and if this film were in black-and- white I would of believed that it truly was a movie brilliantly created around the 40's. Some do not like style over substance and that's okay, but in order to warn some viewers I will state that this is more of a visual feat in terms of experience, but myself I don't necessarily consider style over substance a bad thing and I have actually created a strong respect for films simply having good cinematography and editing. The editing flows the film all together in the traditional film-noir manner, comprehending the film into an understandable experience and never losing grip of it's tone because of the good editing. Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Robert De Niro star as the main characters and all deliver performances worthy of the film, both expressing their characters realistically and in a style fully according to the film-noir genre. If this all sounds good to you, then why not give it a watch?

Adaptation. (2002)

Dream-like film about flowers.

[10/10 · 13 August 2017]

Adaptation's plot revolves around a script-writer, Charlie Kaufman, and his brother, Donald Kaufman, and how Charlie Kaufman attempts to bring a non-fiction book about flowers called THE ORCHID THIEF into a film script to be adapted into a movie, which serves the purpose of the title of the film. Stress comes with Charlie's process of creating the script and meanwhile Donald Kaufman achieves success with his script, The 3, stirring up disgusted envy for the character Charlie Kaufman and adding to his continuous stress. Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman are both played by Nicholas Cage and each have funny, unique and likable personalities with Donald Kaufman being the naive "stupid brother" comic relief and Charlie Kaufman being the intelligent, experienced serious man. They both contain great chemistry on the screen considering the fact that it's played by one person only and revolve importantly in the storyline of the film while also being entertaining in their roles, and it's a pure joy to watch the two characters interact and react to the situations in the movie. Adaptation is an excellent film however mainly because it serves the purpose of feeling like a dream by feeling strangely surreal and perfectly normal at the same time, but it also raises a lot of thought-provoking questions about the topic it is on: movie scripts. Adaptation incredibly breaks the normal structure of a movie by rearranging, replacing and even removing, and sets out to do feats that no other movie would dare to do and you may find yourself wondering if the normal film structure is as good as everyone says. The film remains in a strange taste, uses voice-over narration to explain the characters and uses no ordinary structure, yet we are fascinated and entranced by the magically dream-like atmosphere of the captivating film but also being self- aware of it's actions by expressing it in an intentionally destroyed manner. When you watch this movie, I think you'll get feelings that you never thought were there.

Pay the Ghost (2015)

Hey, that was quite good.

[7/10 · 25 July 2017]

I'm completely aware of all the hate Nicholas Cage gets (which I disagree with), however I actually consider him a good actor that commonly falls into the wrong hands. In this little horror film, Nicholas Cage actually gives an acceptable performance as the main role with good, sentimental angry outbursts of rage. It's nothing special, but I enjoyed this film because of it's imaginative, dark cinematography and quietly creepy atmosphere. It's got good jumpscares, surprisingly eye-capturing visual effects and an alright storyline to keep it going, and as long as you expect little from this film you may find yourself pleasantly surprised. I have to remark, this is actually one of Nicholas Cage's better films after all the crap he's acted in previously, and it's good that he's still acting in some films worthy of your time.

The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

Subtle and honest.

[10/10 · 24 July 2017]

This is not just another sports film. The World's Fastest Indian, starred by Anthony Hopkins, contains subtle emotion from the main character, Burt Munro, with honest and hidden emotion that never pretends to be something it isn't. That's what makes this movie so good; most films tend to breakdown into faked hysterics, but this gem actually knows real emotion to carry audiences with them. The film contains some extremely tense moments as well as a subtle yet realistic performance by Anthony Hopkins who remains completely convincing throughout the film and who remains never falling out of the character he is playing. The film also contains some good cinematography, good editing to subtly transition the scenes together and a direction cleverly controlled by the right hands, Roger Donaldson's. I suggest you give this a watch!

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Blew my expectations out of the water!

[10/10 · 24 July 2017]

What makes War Of The Planet Of The Apes a masterpiece? Because it has some extremely well handled dramatic moments in it, boasting visually stunning cinematography and masterful acting to carry it off. War Of The Planet Of The Apes is not just about the horror about the battle of war, it's also about the revolutionary shouts from the people being affected by it, in this case the apes. It's an emotional roller- coaster, except instead of over-done sentimentality it displays raw emotion to get into the viewer watching the film. War Of The Planet Of The Apes, in my opinion, marks as the best of the Planet Of The Apes prequel trilogy and while it isn't as good as the 60's Planet Of The Apes it remains a boasting, powerful epic despite that, proudly declaring itself in pride. Listening to the film boom over the speakers of the cinema is incredible, and the experience for this film won't be the same if you just watch it on your TV...see it at the cinema before it's too late!

The Last Saint (2014)

Trippy cinematography and editing make this a good show.

[8/10 · 24 July 2017]

The disorientating cinematography and editing helped add to the atmosphere of helplessness in the shoes of a man in the criminal underworld, the film also offering a sidedish of raw brutality and honest dialogue. The cinematography and editing techniques are the real treat here however, and although it may not be an experience for some it's an interesting experience for others, showing us the fear, guilt and horror of the atmosphere in criminality. Although not entirely an action film, this boasts some terrifying fight scenes to add to the atmosphere of the mess of criminality, and the disorienting editing helped make the film display the sinful, guilt- ridden mess of being a criminal. The film isn't too short or too long and runs at a good length packed with emotionally devastating moments and a good, native soundtrack to add to some of New Zealand's atmosphere apart from the criminal one. Although it may not be for everyone, anyone who takes an interest in movies that think differently may want to give this a watch.

Colonia (2015)

Shock value can be done well, and Florian comes and proves it with a scream.

[7/10 · 27 June 2017]

Of course, this wasn't the first film to prove that shock value can be done well, but it is not common for one to use it. Shock value is usually looked down upon for reasons I'm too dumb to understand, and I approve of shock value for reasons people are too smart to understand. Colonia is based on a shocking true story about a real-life cult and it's horrific beliefs, and although we don't usually see anything, implication's enough to shock viewers, especially considering the fact that you know it's a true story. It's not shocking content-wise like A Serbian Film, it's shocking atmosphere-wise like Requiem For A Dream. Of course, it's nowhere near as good as Requiem For A Dream, yet on it's own it stands on it's two feet and confidently speaks it's opinion, using truth to convince you. I wouldn't say the film's anything special, but you'll probably remember it for a while. I think the editing could of been a bit better, but otherwise it was good. Go watch it, I think you'll like it.