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Emily_Baines
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Things Heard & Seen (2021)
Such A Disappointment
This movie began as something promising. A not-so-bad imagery, script seems a bit different from that indifferent mass of cheap horror movies, dark secrets slowly unravel. And somewhere in the middle of the runtime this movie started to collapse. The mystical elements of this film became over-dramatical (and funny if you get into the sarcastic mood), and one could guess what is going to happen next without any sweat. The last minutes of the movie were not based on intrigue (which would be an appropriate decision when making a horror movie), on philosophical thoughts and insights (I will shortly review this film's 'ideas' soon) or on strong emotional experiences (because the scenery can also be TOO MUCH apocalyptic, especially in 2020s). It was a pure inertia. Such a big let down, right?
However, if all of this could get any cheaper, it certainly did. Think again: an absolutely pure and saint wife, her beloved daughter, an honest and mighty 'she-can' type of feminist, a couple of grey he-characters, and then absolutely damned-dark-negative-terrible-horrible husband without any positive personality values. Doesn't it sound like a very childish and plain way to 'win' symphaties of the watchers? This is a wound of modern movies. Putting in non-white, non-hetero actors in movies just because they are the way they are, without thinking about their talent or how it sticks to the script. The same goes there: the script-writers might have thought that a moral about the weak and fragile woman who still cannot win against a brutal an heartless husband can save the lame story, however, the results were not as expected.
Shortly said: you may expect too much from the trailer, description or even the beginning of this film, anyway, go watch something else. Seriously.
Wij (2018)
Captivating story and deep ideas beneath
To begin with, this is one of those movies that feels like unforgettable experience. 'Bijzonder' movie, as a Dutch would say. Yes, it is not for everyone. There are a lot of porn scenes and the overall topic is quite unsettling. However, if you can handle this, you are left with a long-lasting inner discussion about the mind of a young person.
It is often talked about the cruelty of youth. Many think that bad upbringing, education may be the cause, others talk about brutal video games, TV shows and films. This story, however, proposes a whole new suggestion. Perhaps it is not really a cruelty? Maybe this destructable behaviour might arise from the emptiness inside of a soul, maybe the person doesn't even understand that his actions may have detrimental consequences?
There were a few scenes in 'Wij' which were strongly connected to this statement of mine. For instance, the one with the dog. The girls were shouting that it is wrong to leave a dog on the railway, that it is cruel and unhuman, however, when the guys started going away, the girls simply shrugged and followed. They knew the idea of cruelty, but... just... you know. That feeling. When you say 'however'. It is not your life, right?
Another example could be the moment on the bridge. When the simple joke truned into a massive catastrophe with a few fatalities. But in the minds of youth that caused all of this it became nothing more than a headline. 'We are on the front page'. Just like this. And all of those broken families and holidays exist only as a narrative, not as a part of the real world. Even the last minutes, when two of those 8 teenagers were reminiscencing their lucky escape from their deep trouble, spoke quite a lot. The teenagers understood that they were doing something really wrong, but saving their asses seemed more important thant their morality, thus they preferred destroying the life and family of (not so pure, but not so damned) the local politician. And after a couple of months they talked about this as something distant and unimportant.
Before summarising, I would also like to point out the beautiful atmosphere. The soundtrack kept the tense just perfectly, and the colours of Dutch-Belgian summer were immersive and realistic. It felt so good - as a comeback to The Netherlands. I admire that the cinematography managed to be so idyllic without becoming naive and 'kitsch'.
And now let's come to the conclusion. This movie is heavy. If you have weak nerves and you tolerate only traditional movies, do not choose this one. Because the IMDb rating, in my opinion, is already too low, and the poor ratings by the viewers who did not really understood the deepnes of this film will not do any good. On the other hand, you can experience something untraditional, moving and long-lasting. It is a real gem, a penny for your thoughts. Enjoy.
Gone Girl (2014)
A movie for today
Although this movie was released in 2014, it should be remembered today with all those #metoo floating in the social media. Even if this movie can tell us about the nasty side of psychopathy or the terrifying side-effects of being in the spotlight, what I loved most was that finally woman was not the heroine of the story.
Usually, the woman is the victim which will regain her power and show off that she was right from the early beginning of the movie. Let's take The Girl on the Train or even Return to Sender with the same Rosamund Pike on the lead-role. In both movies, men are the bad guys with no good sides. And women always win no matter that sometimes there may be some of their fault in the consequences. However, firstly, this movie evolves as something similar to the films mentioned, evolves as a thypical thriller about a woman who fooled a bad husband, on the other hand, soon the character of a woman-role gets a chance to fully develop. And we see that the actions have consequences. And it is a rule for everybody, not only for men. And if this is not enough, finally the psychopath is not so charming as in American Psycho or The Clockwork Orange. All of the uncomfortable moments are presented here as well. Thank you so much for this!
What to mention about a script that fully catches the viewer's attention and a natural acting. Yeah, it is a long and great movie to spend the day with and not to forget within the upcoming months.
Brain on Fire (2016)
Great performances and terrible purpose
At first, this movie seemed so promising to me. Everything was intriguing. A person starts to struggle with his mental state, and the acting of Chloe Grace Moretz and the parents of her character was stunning and filled with emotion. It really touched, you know. I could feel the horror of the parents whose child is falling apart and all the cinematography transfers the permanent dazed state so well.
Anyway, this movie is not about this. The further it went, the clearer I could see that the main aim of this film is to encourage people to push the doctors harder and harder if the diagnosis does not suit them. I mean, the number when the pacient loses his life because the patients incorrectly diagnosed his disease is not small, however, those mistakes do not always occur because of the incompetence of medics. Nobody is a 'see-it-all-guy', anyway, in this movie it is concentrated only on doctors' fault. Furthermore, sometimes a mental disorder IS a mental disorder even if parents cannot believe that their beloved child could be 'infected' with it. But this is the true. Let's not forget that even the main character of this movie had a career that could really provoke some severe psychological issues and parents cannot know if their 'little child' does not use any kind of drugs or alcohol. This is the bitter truth that is encouraged to be forgotten while fighting with the system although sometimes the one who is wrong is the one who is fighting with it.
So, why am I giving so much - 6 stars - for this movie? Only for amazing acting and probably for the first half of the movie. Anyway, I warn you: always keep your head cool before shouting that everyone: teachers, docotrs, government - is making mistakes but you.
The Faculty (1998)
Ordinary plot with amazing characters
Overall, you've got a typical story. There is a school with a shortage of money, there is a bunch of teenagers, there are some aliens. You would say that it is another cheap and simple teen-horror-aliens movie for a boring Friday evening. There is some truth in it, on the other hand, this movie is so enjoyable it is even difficult to discern why it is so special.
The director managed to make a classical script into something more. A casual mistake of those beasty horror movies is to fully concentrate on action and fill the story with dark rooms and screaming aliens. But this is a whole story, we have characters with their lives, we have a school with a lot of problems and even some slight comedy elements which are here not to make somebody laugh but to give this film a beautiful colour of irony.
But the best part of this movie are characters and actors. All the cast is so good, we have Clea DuVall, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie and even a fetus Elijah Wood in one place and they make the best of their characters. Every student has its personality, which is fully developed - not only the core of some traits but it also changes throughout the movie. Furthermore, all of the extras make a natural background and the school in movie looks sarcasticly realistic.
So, this movie guarantees an amazing evening. It will make you well-entertained, it will make you sometimes laughing, sometimes trembling and satisfied after the end of titles. Go on, hook yourself up.
Before I Wake (2016)
One of those Good horror movies
I'm really thrilled when I see a horror movie which does not scary me (because I am not one of those who can be frightened by a movie at all) but which has a great base of ideas. This is one of those stories which shows us perhaps less of gore and spooky scenes but tells something more.
It is a nice story about children who can make their parents lives a dream, however, their power to turn them into the nightmares is equally strong. And it is very important to go into the journey of their subconscious before it is too late instead of ignoring signs of growing problem. It was really touching and profoundly moving. I felt great sadness while watching the second half of this movie which is unusual for this genre. Bravo.
Furthermore, the effects are beautiful. All of this dreaming with eyes open world was so colourful and vivid!
Surely, overall Before I Wake is not some kind of extraordinary movie that I am going to remember all of my live, anyway, it made my weekend quite enjoyable and I recommend it for those who want to see a well-made horror movie with less of illogical scary scenes but filled with some reasoning and ideas.
Passengers (2008)
Drama about death
Sometimes movies' descriptions are hugely inaccurate. For example, it is impossible to call Passengers a horror movie and it's more like romantic than of fantasy genre. As it had sometimes looked like a bleach and unintriguing typical thriller, this movie has a slightly deeper idea what is a little bit exciting.
As I have mentioned, at first the creators of Passengers try to convince us that it's a plain thriller. We get a twisted plot, multicontroversial scenes and it is not always realistic. One of the scenes I disliked most in this movie was when Toni showed up behind Perry after Claire had left the room. So, practically all the time as the movie went on I thought that it's a rather dull film.
Anyway, after the ending I understood that there is a very nice thought below some of the crappy scenes and unrealistic plot twist. It's a movie about accepting a fact of death and there may be even a slight critique of the so-called therapeuts who sometimes need more help than their patients themseleves.
Of course, I am not a big fan of romance, so the hurtling development of relationship between Claire and Eric irritated me, however, those might be the elements that people who adore sweet and sour love stories will be satisfied by this movie. Yes, it is not a choice for those who are seeking horror (as there are no creepy moments), but it's a fair romantic drama with some fantastic elements which will not fade after switching the TV off.
It Follows (2014)
A different horror movie
It is a fresh movie of this genre. It is a frightening movie with an idea and it is worth of applauses. Perhaps there are not a lot of tricks that will make you jump out of chair, however, the tense is being built up constantly during the playback.
As I have mentioned, I was really surprised that I was able not only to catch some kind of deeper meaning, but it has also been not accidental; it is an iceberg-type of film. In my opinion, it is a story about experiencing some kind of traumatising event that leaves such a deep wound in one that he may start seeing treath even in the people he loves. And trying to pass one's inner dread never grants a relief; if the passed fear 'kills' one's 'victim', the grief can come back to the 'sender' (it is extremely visible in the situation between Jay and Greg). In the end of the movie, Yara says a very nice quote about fearing physical damage (like death) instead of fighting with the causes of it. Probably that would have saved the characters of this story...
There were some aspects I did not like at all in this movie, that's for sure. The aesthetical appearance and psychological decency of this film was a bit wrecked by the cheap tricks that did not even nicely submerged into the story. For example, although gross 'Its' should have looked scary it was quite dull and made an adverse effect.
Last but not least, I want to thank for an amazing soundtrack. The music is tenseful and original enough that I would like to hear it again and not only as a part of this movie. Believe me, you will like it. In addition, the cinematography is also elegant and captivating.
Consequently, those who are seeking for a classical horror movie to eat some popcorn with friends in a late evening in the autumn might be let down. Anyway, this film will certainly be appreciated by those who want the good time and some thoughtful material both.
I Kill Giants (2017)
Getting better only until culmination
Okay, firstly I must admit that I have never been a big fan of fantasy especially when it is mixed with reality and the reason why I choose this movie was that it was supposed to have not only magical action, but a deep psychological meaning as well. This is true, indeed. The personality of Barbara is quite irritating and it is not very easy to like her as a character at first, however, later the situation improves. The story about a socially outcasted person rolls out quite nicely, the giants may obviously be a metaphor of the inner beasts that can take over your mind and force you to be a senseless and dangerous person. I enjoyed the scene where Karen shouts at Barbara that she doesn't even know how hard Karen is trying to hold their lives together and then Barbara, thinking about her fight with giants (thus, extremely powerful inner demons), replies that Karen also has no idea how much of effort Barbara puts in keeping their relatives safe. One can also notice a difference between classical action-fantasy movies in the duration of 'fight scenes'. Normally, the final battle between the hero and his nemesis lasts like 15 minutes (at least!), but here, where a meaning is far more important, only one powerful strike is enough. So this movie may disappoint the action seekers, but those who want to be entertained by the movie plus gain some food for thoughts will not be let down.
However, the climax of this film was... like... really weak. I mean, it seems as the most important idea of this movie is 'you must embrace life, not to deny it'. But there were much more beautiful thoughts here! And to put the highest point of this story in such a plain and bleak way when the viewer, according to all of the story he has already seen, expects something almost shattering. Surely, I believe that if one in his own life understands something like this it is really one of the biggest moments in life, but it really doesn't affect the one who sits behind the TV screen. Yeah, perhaps this is true that it is not wise to deny life, but is it really touching my senses? No.
So, if you want to see some fantasy and reality mix which is not dull, it is a great choice. On the other hand, get ready to get quite a weak ending.
The Drownsman (2014)
A totally messed up nonsense
The only one good thing about this movie is that it is not long, so you will not have to suffer long to finish watching it. Yeah, probably I could look at this film as a story of developing and overcoming a phobia, however, it obviously concentrates on cheap 'horror tricks' without even managing to use them in a correct way. It is not scary in a psychological way like the Mother! which fearful atmosphere is created by an enormous amount of stress the viewer experiences nor the tricks are working well like all those unexpected pop ups that give you a goosebumps in some Alien or The Conjuring, I don't know. This movie just wanders around between 'gross' scenes and perhaps it even tries to be 'deeper', but it's not even close to achieving this aim. Not to mention a plethora of logical holes, let me name you a few:
1. Anybody can visit anybody in a psychological ward? I mean, you just come in, say who you want to visit and nobody asks you about your identity, your reason for visiting and don't check if you have any potentially dangerous stuff with you. Of course not. What a shame.
2. The scene where all the girls come together to have some kind of spiritual seance is absurd, all the girls look as if the make-up artist and hair stylist were hiding just around the corner. Yeah, perhaps it is beautiful, but as this movie was not trying to be aesthetically distinctive, it's extremely unlogical.
3. Why did the light-haired 'witch' leave a washmachine full of clothing open? If you are going to do a laundry, then do it, it's ridiculous.
4. Taking a bag full of 'memories' from a mentally unstable man and leaving without even thanking him or saying goodbye. What a wise decision.
And I could go on and on about the 'I had known that you are depressed for a year but I act as if it all has turned up only now' or 'I leave the car with evidences and go home on foot and nobody investigates a mysterious dissappearence of 4 of my friends'.
Yeah, don't be me and do not expect neither entertainment from this cheap horror thriller nor a deeper meaning. It's blank and messed up. Even Halloween is better althought I didn't like it.
Rubin and Ed (1991)
Fresh and delightful
Tired of typical comedies that are all unfunny and similar? Rubin And Ed is a great solution! It is comedy that doesn't really differ from stuff we are used to see, but it contains new colours of humour.
Good things first. This comedy is quite original. Characters are strange, funny and interesting. As I've just mentioned, humour is subtle and fresh. The movie is weird and memorable. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that movie wasn't predictable! It's full of surprises and slaps (in a good way). Of course, there were some boring moments when I wanted to drink some tea or something, but I was to lazy to do that. But, I guess, the worst thing is quality. Smudgy and quite amateur movie. Sometimes this childish work can irritate a viewer.
So, film wasn't bad. If bad quality isn't problem for you, this comedy is a great choice for any cozy evening - I guess you will love this movie!
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
Could be better
A big part of people have read the The Hunger Games trilogy and were interested in movies based on this novel. I am one of those people. But, to be honest, the film disappointed me... I've been expecting something better. No, I haven't wasted my time, but I didn't enjoy this creation.
The book reader sinks in action between the first 10 pages, but in film, you are watching the first 30 minutes and still, nothing's happening. I had started to get bored. The weakest part of script is that... okay, there are a lot of unexpected twists and moments, but this is the backbone of film, the film is based on this. And it's impossible to watch this movie for the second time, because there will be nothing fresh. The idea is quite original, but quite flat as well. The only thing that I cannot complain about is visual effects - that's majestic.
So. The film is better than the big part of action movies. At least I am trying to believe this statement. You will enjoy dramatic plot twists, but I will not watch this for the second time, because there will be no drama, intriguing parts or something like that left. I recommend this for easy and light Friday evening with your friends. Nothing more.