biljao258 Reviews

The Eternal Daughter (2022)

I'm so, so sorry, Louis

[3/10 · 5 December 2022]

Louis, the casting director was so inspired when you were given a key role in this movie. Your talent really shone through as you captured "affection", "endearingness" and "faithfulness" - you also really nailed "valor" as you chased the 'ghost' (?) down the hall. How were you to know that the writer/director based the movie on a single concept story with some rather obvious twists. And then even resorted to several hackneyed 'gothic horror' tropes. Yikes, even a big-name star was not enough. But them's the breaks of the movie industry, Louis. Even a talented actor such as yourself can end up in what some may see as a turkey of a movie. But hopefully, this will lead to bigger and better roles for you.

Mystery Road: Origin (2022– )

Jay eventually gets a white hat

[3/10 · 13 July 2022]

As Jay Swan - an indigenous detective- Mark Cole Smith doesn't have the rugged masculine presence of his predecessor in the role (Aaron Pedersen), which matters because the story is set in a regional mining town where the mixed-race population strongly identifies as 'cultural indigenous'. Two pivotal parts of the story - Jay's standing and authority in enforcing whitefella law and blackfella law, and his romance with a local woman, are both very weakly written and acted with little conviction ( the Jay-Mary romance has no erotic sizzle whatsoever).

Some of the secondary roles (eg the Sergeant, Jay's brother and uncle) are more interesting and better acted than the two lead characters. On the other hand, a couple of the other secondary characters are simply badly cast. What was the casting director thinking?

The main crime story takes some licence with police and legal procedures, is rather slow and convoluted at times and has dumbed down dialogue which uses more coarse language than is really necessary. The narrative suffers from too many undercooked plot elements and the frequent switching between brief scenes from sub-plots really kills the dramatic momentum.

The show has some pretty good cinematography and it may provide some insight into Australian indigenous matters for international audiences ( if it gets overseas sales?), but as TV entertainment it's not really at international standards.

Cruel Summer (2021–2023)

A lot of talent being killed by bad story telling

[4/10 · 5 May 2021]

It started off very promising - nicely shot and with very capable young actors. But the 'triple time line' story becomes increasingly convoluted and confusing, and the drama is on very, very slow drip feed ( which will be spun out into 10 episodes?). However, I'm done at episode 4.

Black Bear (I) (2020)

black bear droppings

[1/10 · 7 December 2020]

The first half has a few sharp lines and some passable but stagey acting. From then on it declines into 'clever' incomprehensibility. I'd eat bear poo before I'd watch this movie again.

Picture of Beauty (2017)

The traditional Hungarian music is good!

[22 September 2020]

The traditional Hungarian orchestra which provides the soundtrack, the bucolic settings and the cinematography are quite good. But the movie seems to be made by a director and cast with an offbeat sense of humour -it's a kinky story with minimal dialogue and undeveloped characters and really choppy editing set in a quaint folkloristic milieu. To go further over the top, there's frequent male and female nudity and gratuitous "full on" sex scenes ( lesbo and hetero). But hey, just watch it for the music.

Justine (II) (2019)

Virtiginous camera work

[3/10 · 22 August 2020]

It's a slice of life story with pathos, tragedy and social relevance . The acting is quite capable but the three child actors tend to outshine. The main problem with the movie is that it appears to be completely shot with a single hand held camera -- this gives some immediacy and intimacy to the story, but it becomes virtually unwatchable in places with excessive use of 'sweep' shots.

April in Autumn (2018)

Visually impressive urban social drama

[5/10 · 21 August 2020]

It's a nicely shot and well made movie (plaudits to the production crew). The gentle story involves a mother and two adult daughters who are very convincingly played by the three lead actors. The other cast members are all quite capable. The narrative structure is rather desultory with a number of subplots, which include a couple of story elements which remain unresolved. A 'dramatic' scene towards the end is a bit out of character with the earlier tone of the movie. It's an easy watch involving nice, caring people ( so rare in indies nowadays) with some aspects of ambiguity threaded into the storyline. Overall the movie is quite 'feminine' -- but not a chick flick.

The Queen of Sin (2018 TV Movie)

More risible than thrilling

[3/10 · 18 July 2020]

Production and technical features are above average for a TV movie. There's a moderately engaging story surrounding the heroine Posey (Christa B Allan) but it really falls apart as a thriller. It's clumsy and hackneyed with formulaic bad guys and big plot stretches. The actors ( some of whom are worthy of better things) must have been laughing up their sleeves in the more preposterous scenes.

Chameleon (I) (2019)

Watchable, but .....

[3/10 · 7 June 2020]

It's visually stylish and quite well made, but excessive use of 'fade to black' is very irritating and impairs the narrative flow. Viewers need considerable tolerance for major implausibilities early in the plot. Later in the story, some action scenes and twists/double twists make the movie a bit more interesting. While the support cast are moderately capable, the lead male character (Joel Hogan) is a less than compelling actor. It's an ok indie noir with nice California scenery, but the high ratings are somewhat dubious?

The Whistlers (2019)

The Coen Bros would not have made this, thankfully

[2/10 · 9 May 2020]

The quirky settings, dark "humour" and Ms Marlon's ample bosoms cannot compensate for the completely confusing narrative structure, cardboard cut-out characters and underwhelming thriller content of this movie. Even the whistling communication idea, which had some imaginative promise, falls quite flat. It's quite well shot with some interesting settings, but a rather inept 'noir'.

Blow the Man Down (2019)

Churned out for streaming media?

[28 March 2020]

I hope the cast (mainly female) and crew had a good experience making this movie and that it benefits their careers. However, it's rather lame, derivative and amateurish in several respects. The "insatiable demand for content" these days often produces movies that are barely passable entertainment. Story, acting and direction are not strong in this movie.

Cicada Song (2019)

Should have been 'test viewed' first

[3/10 · 23 January 2020]

Making some allowances for a low budget indie, the basic cinema craft (acting, photography, sets, locations, sound design) of the movie are ok. Where it really falls apart is in the story line and disjointed editing. The story is convoluted and unconvincing involving a woman left for dead in the woods, missing children, small town homophobia, undocumented immigrants, exchanges of bundles of cash by a shady realtor and law firm and some very obscure attempts at 'suspense'. Given the considerable time and effort to produce and shoot the movie one wonders if it has been tested for comprehension and engagement with some test viewers! A small point: What has the 'poetic' title got to do with anything in the story?

Unintended (I) (2018)

A search for resolution

[7/10 · 19 November 2019]

This low-key drama involves elements of mystery as a young woman struggles with years of devastation and despair from a childhood incident. She is now in a seriously disturbed state and seems to be facing incipient mental breakdown. The story traces her ordeal with fears, disbelief from others and thwarted memories. Technically the film is very well made and shot (with the DP making the most of the beautiful Hudson Valley scenery). There are excellent performances from the lead players and cast. Elizabeth Lail and Hannah Westerfield are remarkably convincing as the 'older' and 'younger' versions of the main character. The movie is not a thriller or action drama and there are a few stretched coincidences in the plot but overall it holds together as a credible and satisfying story.

Up There (2019)

Does it have a raison d'etre ??

[3/10 · 15 November 2019]

The 10/10 ratings are rather suspicious. The cast and crew presumably had fun making the movie and it's technically sound. The lead players (Zoe Canters and Daniel Weingarten) have some comic ability, but the other actors are very uneven. Canters and the Director push the " quirkiness " of her role to the extreme. The story involves an awkward romance which culminates in some surprise outcomes. There's a bit of local color involving small town characters, but they don't get much of a look-in. Whether there is a raison d'etre for the movie depends on personal taste.

Official Secrets (2019)

Dull movie on an important topic

[4/10 · 9 November 2019]

The first hour is slow paced exposition of the facts of the case with largely cardboard cut-out characters ( possibly the newspaper office scenes provide some light relief). There's a frisson of drama after this where the lead character shows sustained moral courage in the face of paranoia and intense harassment by various government agencies. But even here, the Director and Kiera Knightly play the role in a very low key way. Many reviewers seem enthralled by the movie's "brave whistleblower v corrupt governments" theme, but it's more of a plodding docudrama despite its panoply of acting talent.

Saving Zoë (2019)

Well crafted movie

[7/10 · 7 November 2019]

The story combines familiar high school/ teen themes with much more serious elements of exploitation, crime and tragedy. Director Jeffrey Hunt gets very good performances from the Marano sisters ( a twist of the movie is sisters playing sisters) with a very good supporting cast. The most interesting aspect is the narrative technique : the story is gradually revealed using diary material, imagined events, flash-backs and some clever juxtaposition of the presence of the older and the younger sister. The most impressive aspects of the movie are technical with high standards from the Director of Photography, Production Designers and Editors.

A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019)

Genre bender plus!

[8/10 · 30 October 2019]

An engaging and entertaining movie, but not for the squeamish. The storyline effectively combines elements of social realism, thriller/suspense, gruesome black comedy and a bit of kinky humour. Technically very high standard (even though apparently made on a low budget) with a solid cast. But it's worth watching the movie for Sarah Bolger's great performance alone.

The Wolf Hour (2019)

Dreary and oppressive

[2/10 · 2 October 2019]

I've been a fan of Naomi Watts ever since she played perky Betty in Mulholland Drive (1999) and she has a pretty solid filmography ever since ( just a few duds). She has the courage to play 'screw-up personality' roles for instance in the recent (forgettable) mini TV series Gypsy (2017) and now this movie. But not even her acting can offset the dismal and implausible story line and completely unengaging lead character part. How do investors/producers (including Watts as an executive producer) come to think this movie will have any audience appeal?

Angel of Mine (2019)

OK watch -- but not a "thriller"

[6/10 · 6 September 2019]

The movie has a solid cast including several promising child actors. It's nicely shot in the salubrious suburbs of Melbourne and with a narrative which is cohesive and well paced. However, the main character seems to be a psychologically disturbed person only and no where creepy or sinister enough to create 'suspense'. Then the final denouement verges on melodrama, hardly the "thriller" of the publicity material. ( A minor point -- it's an Australian film with actors refreshingly free from obvious Australian accents.)

The Handmaid's Tale: Household (2019) Season 3, Episode 6

Very slow burn psychological drama

[4/10 · 27 June 2019]

Sure, the photography and production values are great, but Series 3 so far lacks the dramatic tension of the earlier series and very little of the classy character acting. The story line, especially in eps 5 and 6 is becoming soppy and silly. I'm about to throw in the towel.

Tell It to the Bees (2018)

Good character acting, but....

[7/10 · 9 May 2019]

The director draws excellent performances from the two female leads (playing Lydia and Dr Jean) and also from the very capable supporting cast. The cinematography and production design capture the ambience and restrictive social mores of the "small" 1950s Scottish mill town quite convincingly. The story is less convincing about the symbolism of the bees (which is presumably derived from the book). We see too many random extreme close-ups of bees, Lydia's son Charlie sharing his secrets with the bees in their hives, and in the last 20 minutes of the movie, an incident which implies that the bees have developed some sort of preternatural relationship with the boy. This latter aspect, particularly, seems rather incongruous with the otherwise quite adult themed lesbian romance story. It strikes me as a movie primarily to be enjoyed for its great character acting.