scaradu Reviews

Superwho? (2021)

Don't watch the trailer but watch the film

[7/10 · 6 March 2022]

If you're in the mood for a fun comedy flick then "Superwho?" might be a great choice. It's got all the necessary elements to make it a parody of the superhero genre (the Spider-Man upside-down kiss scene will stick with you forever), a complete disregard for the establishment (sexual jokes abound), and actually working as a superhero movie at the same time.

It also manages to entertain via its courageous way of approaching topics that are generally frowned upon in modern cinema, and the casting is one of the most likable sets of people I've ever seen. Oh, and Élodie Fontan is hot as hell!

In short, this is a French movie that just works very well, despite the fact that you (and I) don't speak this language. Why not watch the trailer, then? Because it spoils a few of the great jokes that could have hit way harder if I, for one, have not witnessed them prior to seeing it in the cinema.

Blade Runner (2013)

The film noir cut of Blade Runner

[7/10 · 18 March 2021]

The Film Noir Cut of Blade Runner is exactly that - a 60 seconds condensation of the original film's plot, with a few minor changes to fit the old-timey era. Not much else to say here. The animation is neat and is worth a watch if you're looking for some neo noir inspiration; even more so if you're a Blade Runner fan that devours everything with the name on it.

7 Summers (2020 TV Special)

I rate this 7 summers out of 10

[7/10 · 12 November 2020]

It was nice getting a little more context for the amazing 7 summers song but overall the actual music video was way more enjoyable. What really turned me down though was the girl's obvious lip job which took me out of the romantic, dreamy vibe of the original music video. To conclude, this is a nice addition to the story but one that you will never watch again. Now, let's go back to playing the original music video on repeate.

Kenobi: A Star Wars Fan Film (2019)

18 minutes of Star Wars

[8/10 · 28 December 2019]

If you're into Star Wars then this little gem is a must-watch. I don't want to make this review too long because the gist of it is this: it's with Obi-Wan and it is produced incredibly well, for a fan film at least. It's fan fiction like this that gives me and others new hopes that perhaps Star Wars can get back on track. So if Disney is reading this, head my advice: your new Kenobi series should get take notes from this and The Mandalorian. Or, in short, let passionate people, like the ones behind this fan film, bring true Star Wars to life.

It's only 18 minutes runtime by the way but that's 18 minutes more than the Rise of Skywalker...

Hellboy (2019)

Where's the cigar?

[2/10 · 17 April 2019]

I had low expectations going into this as the whole idea of re-making the Hellboy franchise from the beginning with a new actor and director was entirely aberrant. Sure, I am a big fan of Del Toro/Perlman but this is not an excuse for disagreeing with people who do not like it. It just was a bad film. Needless to say, my expectations were exceeded!

If you haven't seen this one my advice is to just don't do it in the cinema (no need to support this kind of entertainment) or wait for the freaking DVD as that's where its quality stands. If you do plan on watching it, make sure you watch the other 2 movies AFTER because they're so much better that you wouldn't want to watch this piece of trite last.

Coming out of the cinema I had one thought about it. I need to re-watch Hellboy 2: The Golden Army to wash this stink off of my mind. An awesome movie that puts to shame whatever the hell the guys in charge for this remake aimed at.

Because it is nothing more than an over-bloated gore fest, folks. It lacks the subtle comical undertones of the first, the good, down to earth dialogue and relatable characters, the intriguing story, the fascinating cinematography and anything else that made the original 2 cult classics. Sure, they might not have broken any box office records when they released, but I assure you, a third installment by the brilliant Del Toro, combined with the glove-like portrayal of Hellboy by Ron Perlman would have cashed in much more dollars than this and, more importantly, it would have cashed in many of our hearts for years to come!

Sure, David Harbour does a good job, but if that's the best thing that can be said about this flick, that the actor does a *good job*, than we can just conclude it doesn't have much else going for it.

Also, where's the freaking cigar man?

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)

Wonderful film gets thrashed for imaginary reasons

[9/10 · 30 March 2019]

I don't know what people were expecting from this movie and I really don't get the low scores. This movie was fun, adventurous, well acted and above all else very different and unique, with a brilliant twist on the Don Quixote story. This film did not come out of Hollywood's movie spewing machine so I would guess audiences nowadays are too dumb to comprehend a good work of art. A metaphor. An analogy. An intricate story that blends fantasy and real, history and present, fact and fiction.

This film was wonderful and I smiled all throughout. It is similar to films such as Holy Motors (2012), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) so if these ring a bell please give this film a chance. You will thank me later.

I rated it a 9 because so many people rated it so low and, honestly, it's at least a 7. Considering the fact I smiled all throughout the film I give it a 9 but objectively it as an 8.

The Last Kalderash (2016)

A close look at the Romani people (Gipsy) from Romania

[8/10 · 22 March 2019]

Geo is the last kalderash (an old school metal worker, medieval even) that got married at 12, due to tradition, and left school after only 4 years. Now he is struggling to provide for his family while his line of work is slowly dying.

Not much more can be said about the plot of this documentary. However, its true beauty, so to speak, comes from the real depiction of this family and the ethnicity they belong to. I have to sum it up I would say 'This is reality'. As a Romanian this wasn't very shocking to see as I am accustomed to their customs (I myself being a hefty 37% gypsy ethnicity) but for a foreigner this might stand as quite a sight.

The portrait this documentary paints is quite literally a reality. From the way they look, speak, act, think, and everything else this piece can stand a great source of information on the Romani people. Well edited, filmed, and documented, I rate it a 7 because I already 'know' much of it. Otherwise, I would give it an 8.

Automata (2017– )

I forgot I was watching a short film

[8/10 · 14 June 2018]

I only rated it an 8 as future episodes might not merit a 9 or 10 but episode 1 premise promises a really good story: Automata puts a SF twist on the classic noir detective drama, exploring a dystopian alternate version of Prohibition-era New York. Prohibition doesn't ban drinking, but the further production of sapient androids that have become prevalent by the 1920s. As a result, the existing androids, called automatons, are shunned by society, relegated to an untouchable caste of servants despite their near-human thought capability, and are frequently subjected to hatred and violence. It's in this oppressive setting that private detective Sam Regal and his automaton partner Carl Swangee work together to solve cases for both communities, learning to see humanity in one another while trying to prove that justice is still worth serving.

In-Shadow: A Modern Odyssey (2017)

The greatest awakening movie ever made

[10/10 · 15 May 2018]

This is easily one of the best things my eyes have ever witnessed, and that is an understatement. In its 13 minutes run-time I went from amazement to awe to being flabbergasted. A host of emotions passed through me, exactly how this obscure but masterful creator probably intended.

A video of a generation (this one) and more than that, this short made me not blink so as to not miss a thing, my jaw dropped to the floor, and goosebumps inundated my body from head to toe, back and forth. I rarely experienced this while watching something.

Think I'm exaggerating? Watch it for yourself. Thank me later. And more importantly thank the Creator (pun intended) for delivering such an accurate representation of our times (pair it with Steve Cutts's "Happiness" short) and, as opposed to other apathetic memes making the rounds on the Internets, this one also delivers a solution, a way out, a truth, the truth, whatever you should want to see it as.

This is one piece of astonishing work that everyone needs to see.

Ghinionistul (2017)

Romanian audiences will get a good laugh out of this

[7/10 · 19 December 2017]

A low budget comedy with a simple premise, the down on his luck protagonist and his string of unfortunate events, Ghinionistul had me laughing or smiling all the way through it.

As seen from the trailer this is a low budget type of flick that doesn't actually show it, due to its modern approach in terms of shooting and editing. Have been waiting for this for a while in Romanian cinema...

Far from perfect but still providing good entertainment, sadly only Romanians will get the bulk of the comedy, and with a short run time of 90 minutes, this is a perfect choice for an afternoon movie. Simple, funny, and well acted, Ghinionistul major flaw is that foreign audiences will not get it.

Hawaii (2017)

A decent film not about the actual Hawaii

[8/10 · 21 November 2017]

I am a citizen of the country in which this film takes place and first of all I can attest to the production value being top notch. It captures that era perfectly. From the cars, buildings, clothing and even gestures and family dining manners everything is on par.

Be warned though as this is not an action movie but rather a lighthearted suspenseful romantic drama that doesn't necessarily insist on depicting the Romanian communist era, but does this nonetheless indirectly through dialog and setting, which is a good thing.

The dialog is good, the acting is almost great and I was surprised to see older people in the theater enjoying this alongside teenagers! So the critics calling this a superficial communist era film are wrong. This actually appealed to younger audiences, as the film as a whole felt more like a drama in that era, not a film insisting to depict that era.

I was amused and entertained by this film and I recommend you go watch it in the afternoon, not in the evening (that's for superhero movies and whatnot). Nothing heavy here but bonus points for putting some puzzle pieces together in my mind in regards to that time period. My rating is 7.5/10

Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017 Video)

A beautiful anime short set in the Blade Runner universe

[8/10 · 28 September 2017]

This third and last of the Blade Runner prequels (that is actually the first one, chronologically speaking) provides a glimpse into the events that happened soon after the original Blade Runner. Beautifully animated and directed by Shinichirô Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Animatrix, Samurai Champloo) Black Out 2022 is a 15 minutes must-see even if you're not a big Blade Runner fan, but plan on seeing the Blade Runner 2049 film because it provides some important elements to the story.

As I've already said in the Alien: Covenant prequel review, I really hope studios would start making more of these prequels as they actually get you in the mood for the actual film without spoiling anything, like trailers do, and also add a whole lot of substance to the overall universe.

Overdrive (2017)

Overdrives your brain into dullness

[3/10 · 17 June 2017]

Overdrive mashes so many ideas from other movies that it was hard to keep up with all of them and so I stopped counting when I couldn't keep up. Sure, stealing from other movies isn't a bad idea when you add your own touch. As some guy once said "steal like an artist" but with this one, it's like you're watching a weird reenactment of cool ideas from other movies without adding your own details or imprint or at least gluing them together with some sense.

And this is the case with this movie. They made a soup of ideas from other films: vintage and sports cars, protagonists that get trapped in doing a "job" for the rich douche bag, pretty locations, chases, and cute faces.

But when you add in really bad acting, way too many plot twists and side characters, an absolute lack of chemistry between the main actors, boring racing scenes and some of the stupidest lines of dialogue one can only wonder how come no one realized it was destined to fail in such a loud way?

Speaking of loudness - here is a message to its creators: turning that goddamn volume up to 1 million won't make it more entertaining but instead leave its viewers with a gigantic headache.

I could, however, see 2 qualities in this racing flick: some pretty panoramic views of France (a la Fast and Furious, of course) and the protagonist half-brothers who actually felt like they were half brothers.

Teens will probably fall in love with the cute faces but otherwise, you should stay away from this poor man's Fast and Furious because it "overdrives" far from its inspiration points way up to the realm of too much, or too little. Drive Over it and go see something else.

Also, who the **** eats cereal at night?

Alien: Covenant - Prologue: The Crossing (2017)

Should have made it in the final film

[8/10 · 15 May 2017]

Prologue: The Crossing shows us what happened right after Prometheus and expands a little on the Engineers and David. Having watched it AFTER Covenant the other day, I strongly believe it should have been made a part of it, not a separate online release. You'll understand why after you see Covenant for yourself.

If you're an Alien fan then this little short will add more cohesion and structure to the narrative so definitely watch it BEFORE seeing Covenant, as well as Prologue: Last Supper. Also, check out this Alien/Predator time-line to better understand the order of events in what seems to start looking like a little big mess: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls003104998/

Alien: Covenant - Prologue: Last Supper (2017)

Gets you in the mood for the actual film

[8/10 · 27 April 2017]

This is actually a really good prequel, reveals almost nothing about the plot, builds suspense and horror, and gives you a connection to the characters. Actually, I wish all studios would make prologues instead of trailers. Prologues set up the story without spoiling anything. Anyway, with this cast and cinematography, the actual film might be a better entry in the Alien universe, better than Prometheus that is.

Scavengers (I) (2016)

A biological Rube Goldberg machine

[10/10 · 31 January 2017]

Stranded on a strange planet, two surviving crew members of a starship perform a series of bizarre rituals using alien flora and fauna in order to achieve... something.

That's how I describe this outrageously creative short that gets crazier and crazier with each new scene.

The animation is as majestic as any Hayao Miyazaki film while the visual craziness is reminiscent of Fantastic Planet but on a whole new level of unprecedented imagination.

Watch it, re-watch it and watch it again and you will then surely agree that this has to be one of the best if not the best short movies you have ever seen.

It blew my mind.