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Sebelum Iblis Menjemput: Ayat Dua (2020)
Excellent sequel to an excellent movie
This movie does a good job of following up on May the Devil Take You, but it has enough that is new to engage viewers who have never seen the original. Some elements of the plot are not surprises, but they shouldn't be--some of what scares us scares us because it raises the possibility that bad things we've seen elsewhere might enter our own lives.
As in the first movie, the actors are one of the best reasons to watch. Chelsea Islan is again superb as the lead, Alfie, and Hadijah Shahab as Nara, Widika Sidmore as Gadis, and Baskara Mahendra as Budi all deserve to be singled out, although none of the performances struck me as weak.
Like the first movie, this should be better known in the United States!
Sebelum Iblis Menjemput (2018)
Excellent horror film
This movie is a good example of horror that uses plot and good acting as the chief generators of fear, with fairly limited amounts of blood. The plot is simple, but effective, and the performances are compelling (even with a language barrier for many of us). The lead actress stands out as do each of her step-siblings. The simplicity of the movie makes it effective, where a lot of special effects would have made the ending disappointing. Definitely worth watching.
Session 9 (2001)
Good, if underrated, psychological horror
This movie takes what has become a cliche--the abandoned asylum--and makes good use of it. The mostly male characters are a group of people linked by a variety of common experiences. They work as an asbestos abatement crew for different reasons, but each suffers from personal demons (one is a once promising law school dropout; another has lost his girlfriend to one of his work associates etc.). The question is whether the sinister atmosphere of the asylum holds dangerous of its own or merely activates the bad side of one or more of these men. The "truth" of the narrative is never revealed, but the supernatural is strongly suggested, if not dwelt on in detail. Others have mentioned the Shining, but the first season of Castle Rock, drawn from that same Stephen King universe, is probably more relevant (in similarity--Session 9 is older than Castle Rock).
Not full of shocks and gore, but well acted and effectively filmed. This movie deserves to be better known.
Space Station 76 (2014)
A Trainwreck in Space
I wanted desperately to like this movie, for its retro look, its cast, its promise of subversive humor, but watching it felt like doing penance. What I think (with a great deal of uncertainty) the filmmakers were going for is a kind of commentary of the way that sci-fi as a genre projects itself as futuristic (socially as well as technologically) while being bound by the conventions and prejudices of the times that produced it. Anyone who has watched the original Star Trek (and to some extent STNG too) knows that the supposedly ultra-progressive future will be described rather than shown in most cases. A gender- and race-blind society still tend to vest power in white men whose fitness for it is shown by their success with women. This movie tries to show us a future where humanity is vastly ahead of the present in its technology but no further ahead than the 1970s in its thinking on men, women, families, and children. Women who don't want or can't have children are failed women and mannish--and focusing on a career is a betrayal of gender. Sex between men is still the source of personal shame and the butt of jokes.
Only three of the characters are at all likable, and some, including a young mother, are downright vile. Some of this might have worked if the ovie had appeared in 1980, but in the 21st century, it just comes off as sad.
Busanhaeng (2016)
The Best Zombie Film Out There
This is certainly the best zombie film I've seen. Like most such films, this one avoids the classic but little-used-now voodoo or necromancy explanation for the reanimation of the dead, but unlike most others it does give an explanation for the phenomenon. This could have taken up half the film and weighed it down considerably, but the writers introduce it through a few deft touches which both explain what is happening and fuel the tragic plot. The cast does a good job (from what I can tell without knowing Korean), and both the action sequences and quieter moments are engaging.
Horror fans will mostly like this, but it should appeal to others too, since its central characters and their predicament have universal resonance.
Devil's Path (2018)
Worth Watching
Overall a decent thriller with some good plot twists. As some have said here, these are not always unexpected, but they are generally well handled. I didn't think the dialogue dragged the plot down giving it a slow pace, even if there is some unevenness here and there. Aspects of the ending are bleak, but there are surprises. As in many horror movies, monstrosity breeds monstrosity, whether it is recognized or not. The story could have been clearer in places, but generally worth watching for anyone who likes some darkness in lgbtq films.