dj_vlado Reviews

Leave No Trace (2018)

Discount Captain Fantastic

[5/10 · 18 September 2023]

Seeing the movie (made 2018) after Captain Fantastic (2016) made me see the similarities but also the differences in quality between the two.

The plots of the two follow similar paths: living in the wild in gorgeous settings, conflict, discourse whether life styles and paths of the kid(s) and father should be the same.

However, where Captain Fantastic excells Leave No Trace falls flat. It lacks the heart the, soul and beautiful writing. For instance relationship between Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) and Will (Ben Foster) lacked the debth and nuance to elavate the movie for me. Cinematography also leaves me wanting, this movie fails to capture the aesthetic of gorgeous wilderness, again something that Captain Fantastic managed to capture fatastically (no puns intended).

This movie is watchable but clearly weaker of the two.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Highly flawed visual spectacle

[4/10 · 19 February 2023]

As expected the movie is visually gorgeous, you can feel how passionate Cameron was in making the milieu of Pandora and what lies beneath the water.

However, the movie is seriously lacking in writing department. Plot is highly predictable and corny. Dialogue is at some parts so terrible that it cuts through any tension or immersion the movie might have built by this point. Crying at loud, in the movie na'vi kids said 100+ times "bruh", "bro" and I believe I even heard couple of "cuhs". Due to terrible screenplay it is almost impossible to judge whether avting was good or not, actors were deffinitely handed great chances to succeed.

Also pacing was was off between acts and thematically tone switched too much. And finally, I believe movie should have been at least one hour shorter.

All in all I feel that the movie is visual spectacle that lacks in almost all other components.

Let Me In (I) (2010)

I do not understand how anyone can like this?

[1/10 · 16 January 2022]

There is no plot, story and shred of visually beautiful movie making.

It drags and never begins. Nothing scary or emotionally pulling either.

Would not recommend.

Outside the Wire (2021)

OK, with significant weaknesses.

[5/10 · 22 January 2021]

Generally speaking good acting and good production value.

However the plot and screenplay is weak and movie compleatly falls on itself in the third act.

The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

Not 10/10, not 1/10 either.

[6/10 · 15 October 2020]

Ive been reading many reviews and I agree with some and disagree with many.

First of all, after watching first series expectations were high coming into this one. It started off well, they were planting seeds of thrill and intrigue mixed with elements of horror, like in the first one. However, as the show moved along things just felt flat, plot became thin and every bit of mystery that was built up was resolved somewhat instantly, often in the next episode. Mixing this with slow storytelling watching became tedous at some points.

Secondly, because of this, elements of horror were lost as well. I read in comments that "this was not meant to be a horror", which is just a copout. First series was so effective in horror not because of the jump scares, but because of keeping the audience at the edge of the seat with a great story. A quality that this one lacks.

All in all it is still OK, mostly good acting, good cinematography, and in the end decently watchable, yet not rewatchable like the first one.

Death Note (2006–2007)

Masterpiece but latter half ruined the series slightly

[9/10 · 8 August 2019]

I will be short, the series is a gem: character buildup, screenwriting, tension, drama, art, cinematography, everything. Truly captivating story...

...until (without spoiling it) the main story arc ends quite anticlimactically and new subplot begins with new characters in the primal focus. The latter half takes away a hint of brilliance from rest of the story.

Still I would recommend it!

Summer of 84 (2018)

Absolute beaut.

[10/10 · 26 December 2018]

This flick was a great addition to the contemporary thriller/horror genre with great intensity, storytelling, character build, cinematography and acting. Furthermore, watching this movie in the context of recent teenage-horror releases such as Stranger Things and IT, but also all badly produced Horror movies (excluding i.e. James Wan) many clichés were to be expected but not delivered. I felt that Summer of 84 brought lot of new with a nostalgic 80s kick to it, but without falling into fallacy of reproduction of same ideas.

Overall great, thrilling and well-rounded movie that keeps you pinned down to the bottom of the sofa in suspense. Bravo.

It Comes at Night (2017)

Deceivingly bad that made the whole movie theater audience leave home upset.

[2/10 · 1 July 2017]

Deception, deception, deception.

Purely for deceiving audience Trey Edward Shults' should be ashamed. False marketing and delusional trailer prepared movie goer for something absolutely different, than this vacuous "thriller". Sure, I get it, the whole beauty according to the critics is the fact that you don't get what you expect, instead you are faced to think about ethics of humanity in post-apocalyptic scenario.

Looking beyond this vile move by the film makers I see without too much substance. Viewer waits throughout the whole movie for "It" to come, but sadly it never comes, at least to the wider audience. Movie leaves on purpose many unanswered questions, but not in a clever and mind-altering way, instead people left the cinema asking themselves "What, was that it?". I have never seen people stand up and leave in such a confusion and anger the theater.

If I have to find something good, it would probably be fine acting and somewhat pleasant cinematography. However this doesn't come even close to saving this money-grab of a movie. Petty.