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Seventh Moon (2008)
Lost In The Chaotic Dark
A newly wed couple visit China for family when they are caught up in the local tradition and now must survive the violent night. I must say through its many faults I still enjoy this movie. The premise is good as is the setting and all of the props. I don't mind the dark scenes and found that it accompanied the Moon Demons to their benefit as did the frantic camera movement. However the camera movement was way too shaky for the calmer parts and as it continued it became much more annoying. The editing didn't help with the car assault scene being an example of its abundance. A good chunk of this movie could have been cut, like the odd sex scene and car assault scene could have been trimmed. The film doesn't give us a lot to work with in relation to the characters: at times I can appreciate the couples feelings towards each other but other scenes make the wife unlikable/winy and the husband bland. Their Guide's arc and death felt unnecessary (mostly the death) and shoehorned in. I wish it had better cinematography and consistent editing but we have an under and over developed film with an interesting idea ( I am not educated in Chinese myth so I can't say if the tradition/celebration was accurate or not).
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
A Mixed Bag of Mixed Ideas
An autopsy of a nameless girl from a crime scene with inexplicable injuries sounds like an interesting idea and for half the time it works. The characters are bare bones but the acting is serviceable. It has simple camera work with editing of mixed quality and the music is unmemorable. The investigation of the body I found to be good and engaging along with the practical effects placed throughout. I say the weakest part of this movie is the spiraling use of old cliches. One such cliche that popped up repeatedly was the loud jumpscare or false scare. These scenes added nothing and the fast editing of some of the spookie scenes felt lazy or cartoonish. It was too dark in many scenes replacing the horror with frustration and leads me to believe it was a coverup of low budget effects or overcompensation of them. I'm also not a fan of hallucinations causing characters to kill other characters or if you are going to do it at least let the death mean something/ contribute to the story. The girlfriend's death felt more like an obligation to the horror code than a natural developed action. The ending left me rolling my eyes and confused by some of the character's actions. This film was fun for bits but could have been much better in effects, editing, or any unique style to enhance the interesting idea.
Men (2022)
Men, Women & a Curse
After a tragic incident Harper leaves home to take care of a manor but finds she not only haunted by her memories but by another force as well. When I first saw this movie in theaters I thought it had a strong beginning and body but the ending had an unintended comedic effect on me which ruined the movie. After watching it a second time I find the ending more digestible but still flawed. The acting paired with the unique characters with good dialog makes for a compelling narrative. The music is angelic but also haunting. The camera work is probably one of the strongest assets that this film has with its crisp depiction of the sets and flaunting the vibrancy of the green surroundings.
With all that being said there are a lot of metaphors throughout (such as seeds and decaying animals) this film and I had a hard time parsing through all that I could to understand what this film was trying to say and what the ending meant. I also found the final birthing scene to be too absurd at first. The first time I saw that scene I literally laughed in the theaters but on the second viewing I appreciated it more but wished they had used more practical effects. I liked the movie but probably would warn others of its heavy symbolism if they expressed a desire to watch it.
Everest (2015)
A Frozen Frenzy On Everest
Speaking as someone unaware of the true events (and how they played out in real life) that this film is based on, I enjoyed watching Everest (2015). Everything is decent from the acting to some of the characters (am not informed of how close to fact they are in relation to the actual people) to the music to the camera work. The cinematographer did a good job at showing how vast and harsh the landscape was, albeit some scenes did a poor job at green screen, and the practical effects looked convincing. Didn't enjoy some of the editing, like in the scene when Beck sees his family it feels cheesy/blunt or awkwardly arranged. Not much to say with a simple story but this film gets the job done.
The Ape (1940)
Monsters in Multiple Forms
When an escaped circus Ape and a Desperate doctor in search of a cure cross paths, golden ideals are paved with horrific actions. I'll be honest and say I didn't like much of this movie and understood why nobody around me has heard of it. The few things I liked were Boris Karloff as the doctor, his interactions with Miss Frances and the investigative narrative of the missing ape around the Dr's house. Everything else felt very bare-bones from its odd editing (assuming damage from it being so old if I was generous) to its stale dialog and awful ape costume. I also found it funny that the doctor skinned the ape and decided to use it as a disguise to murder people for a cure, then continue to use it knowing the cops are surrounding his house due to dogs smelling the ape scent. Probably won't watch it again and won't recommend it unless to a Karloff fan.
Det sjunde inseglet (1957)
Death Arrives Alone(?)
When a Knight and his quire return home from the crusades he is met with death ready to take him but convinces him to delay his parting by playing a game of chess so he could meet his wife once more. I adore almost everything in this movie but mostly in the themes and character arc of the knight. His search for any solid evidence of the existence of God but the actions of men, women, and nature are all that he sees really invoke a fear and ugly meaningless shiver that makes you empathize with him. The dialog between Death and the knight is really good (almost all the dialog the knight has is spectacular) and the comedic wit of the squire is top notch. The music is sparse but dreadful and well placed, great camera work and the acting was well done. One of the things that confused me would be the tree scene and the final group's shared fate at the castle, but all in all it's a fantastic film that I would watch again.
Kanashimi no Beradonna (1973)
An Abuse of Beauty
(For Context I watched the 2024 4k version of Belladonna of Sadness)
Belladonna of Sadness is about a woman abused and mistreated by the men and society around her, causing her to embrace the dark arts as a means to gain power and revenge. I like this film for the most part with my favorite section starting from the devil's final embrace till the end. The beginning is more of a mixed bag with some really good/strong scenes with some repetitive scenes/scenarios and a missed opportunity to elaborate on the husband's weakening morality. Everything beyond the devil's embrace is really great in art, song, character and everything in between. The commentary on a woman's plight and struggle with expressing herself (the devil?), her social image/placement and her desire for love i found to be compelling with her actions and conclusion inspiring other women in the ending to be my favorite scene. Needed a better first half, tone down on the excessive editing/flashing but still a good film.
Glass (2019)
Expectations: Shattered
I find the finale of the unbreakable trilogy to be one of the worst conclusions to a trilogy I've ever seen. It's so bad it boggles my mind how great it started with unbreakable and how awful M Night fumbles the story ending with glass. It's shot well, good music, decent acting, fun beginning but as the story continues it trips over itself on what it wants to be, what it's paying homage to and the horrid writing. At one point the Dr says it's awful how the facility treats Glass but once she finds out he has been leaving his cell she immediately drugs him again. It's not explained how Glass overcomes being drugged or his other activities. If Dunn isn't strong then why only keep him chained of the three, wouldn't that reinforce his belief of strength if he is uniquely bound. At times felt over dramatic (like the body taking forever to fall when the worker's throat is cut) and the fighting was just bad. The fight in the hall and how the workers reacted to Glass and the Beast was stupefying. It did not get better with the fighting in the front yard looking uncomfortable and straight cartoonish when the police arrived. The deaths, the reveal, the leaked video being released like it justifies the deaths all of it is hot garbage. I was a little hyped for this movie because Unbreakable was a great film and I enjoyed Split but man did this movie kill whatever it was trying to do.
Split (2016)
Split But Not Broken
A girl and a few of her classmates have been captured by a man with multiple personalities makes for an interesting premise and I think it delivered well. Aside from the two actors playing the classmates the acting is well done with James McAvoy being the standout in delivering a great performance of multiple personalities. The camera work felt simple and clean with some shots staying in memory. The music was good and when well placed added greatly to the suspense and tragedy. I wasn't a fan of the silly car intro and the two classmates were easily the weakest of the characters with them feeling like eventual fodder. Some of the decisions made by the teen characters felt thinly thought out (not taking use of environment and being too hasty) but maybe that's because they're teens. Overall a good watch and would watch again.
Unbreakable (2000)
Unbelievably Breathtaking
A story of two men trying to rid themselves of a hollow feeling they both possess and find purpose with the strange abilities they own makes for one of the best superhero films made. I love the unique and simple camera work paired with the use of strong cool colors in the color palette. The music was never a hindrance and played greatly/appropriately with the dramatic tones. All the characters had great depth and I was invested in how all the characters made their journey. The planting of subtle actions (like the hand holding scene in the beginning and the mastermind villain) was a good choice and I would have liked it less if they were more blunt. The only thing I thought could have been better would have been the house/pool fight where the villain pushes Dunn into the pool and doesn't go check to see if he died or the kids standing awkwardly to the side after rescuing him. Also I'm not sure but I think Dunn was choking him out incorrectly but maybe it's because he doesn't have any training in how or I'm mistaken. Unbreakable is a must see movie if there ever was one.
Chernobyl Diaries (2012)
Wasteland, Wasted Potential
I find the use of Chernobyl as a horror setting to be interesting and thought it started strong. The character interactions were normal and the camera moving like it's handheld felt natural. Once we got to Chernobyl I found myself liking the gray and desolate atmosphere and thought the set was convincing.
Unfortunately as this film continued on its quality started to wane with it ending in complete hilarious fashion. The music wasn't interesting, just dull and loudly played when a jumpscare occurred. This film is plagued with loud jumpscares that make it feel like a parity of a horror movie and is joined by dumb horror movie decisions and strange actions of the mutated people. One instance of strange decisions would be the two people in the bus chose to film the attack instead of radioing contact. The child scene was silly, the geiger counter was underused and added nothing, silly death at the end and an absurdly cartoonish end where the final girl is shoved in a cell with other mutants. Really could have been more or at the very least average but it falls headfirst into cliches.
Dark Water (2005)
A Mess Below The Surface
I thought this movie was fine and enjoyed a different take on dark water. Just like the original, this version sets up its tone and atmosphere quickly and sticks with it. I love how it feels sick being in the apartment combined with the cloudy grays of the day and rotting yellows festering in the color pallet. The setting and weather match how the mother feels and it's burdensome to suffocating and I like how whenever she is stressed you can hear her toy playing in the background. The character traits and interactions I find to be better and more investing, even though some fall into goofy and cliche bits. The score was good and matched the tragedy.
But with all that being said this fill suffers from some of the sins of the original and of its own. The acting ranges from Good (rarely) to decent to downright bad, especially with the child actors and the cheesy dialog at few points doesn't help. It tends to be overdramatic, like the laundry room scene, and is worsened by the loud and quick editing. I find that subtlety is this movie's strength but the loud gloomy music and quick movements of the camera weaken it.
I will most likely watch this film again (probably when it rains) due to it having 2 of my favorite scenes (the flooded apartment with the mother & the last elevator scene) but could have been a lot better.
Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002)
A Flood of Fear & Fluff
While flawed I find myself liking this movie the more times I watch it and can see where it gains its high status among horror movies. I really like how gloomy the set looks with sickening blue hues clinging to much of the film, it really finds its color and atmosphere quickly and sticks with it. It has some effective dreadful & fearful scenes, like the flooded apartment, blurred face in elevator and the final elevator scene. However, I don't like how much of this movie feels overdramatized and gimmicky at points. One scene that comes to mind would be the first time the mother is very late to the school and instead of looking for her daughter she looks at a missing kid poster with a goofy zoom in from the camera. Multiple scenes have this goofy zoom or exaggerated acting. The music is unmemorable except for one or two tracks towards the end. Overall I like this film but it really needs to rid itself of the exaggeration and focus on the strengths that its subtlety provides.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Guns & Great Times
This movie deserves all the praise it gets and cements itself into memory with its nonlinear storytelling and all star cast. All the dialog is fun and engaging, with such scenes like the intro and wife date. All the characters are at the very least solid and are portrayed fantastically by the actors with no weak performances. The cinematography was cool and filled with its own style like the needle shot and the car scene with butch, tagged along with the unique editing choices (like the square scene that was only used once). The violence was both gruesome and funny, paired with good practical effects. The only "weak points" that I could feel were maybe some time management but it's not enough to deter me from watching this many more times in the future. Its a mix of comedy, drama and a slice of violent life that a person should see at least once.
Memorîzu (1995)
Haunting, Funny and Bleak
This film is comprised of 3 different stories animated in 3 different styles and all of them rule in their own way. The first story, Magnetic Rose, is about a space crew stumbling upon an abandoned station emitting a S. O. S. Signal and is probably my favorite. The art and animation style really help express the anxiety and horror of what happens on the ship. The music is lovely but at times stressful and haunting. My favorite shot being of the ending shot of the great metal ship (coffin) forming into a rose, spinning in the infinite void of space, with the computer continuing the memories within forever more. The one thing I don't like is how the A. I. knew so much about the personal lives of the crew and how the crew fell into believing the holograms so quickly (unless that's an intentional nod to the supernatural).
The second is about a sick man coming into contact with a bioweapon and spreading it wherever he goes. This one starts out interesting but quickly shows its comedic nature. It's got good animation, at times it being absurdly overkill, with my favorite scene being the military assault. Kinda found the ending to be a bit predictable but it had a good reaction out of me. Real funny and a good watch.
The third is about a family living in a society built around war and felt the shortest. The color palette is of a heavy gray with the only vivid colors existing on the cannons and a bit on the high ranking officers. Not much happens but it is heavy in storytelling with seeing how all the citizens are organized and how it all focuses on fighting a war with an enemy we never see and might not be there. Great animation, wish there was more of a theme between the three but a good watch nonetheless.
Flora (2017)
Flora Is Fine
I find this film to be a fine example of a good starting point in film. You can tell this had a small budget but it doesn't hurt the film too much. I like the camera work, especially when it focused on the vast and poisonous land, and the music was fine and not overbearing. The setting really did a good chunk of the work in keeping me invested, with the characters feeling serving as highlights for the setting. I'd say the weaker parts are with the editing and the strength of the story unraveling as it tumbled towards the end.
Aside from some awkward delivery of some awkward dialogue, the audio felt like it had no depth and voices felt distractedly clean. The story and character decisions in the beginning were fine but towards the end characters were making strange decisions and the film took some strange editing choices. One example would be when Matsudaira goes back for a fallen friend but doesn't tell the others and gets lost. Then when the other two find the fallen friend they take off their masks. Then the movie adds odd hallucination scenes that feel like they are trying to make a cliche horror movie with annoying jumpscares. In the end a good attempt that needed more work in editing and storytelling towards the end.
Morgue (2019)
Stiff as a Corpse
I watched this because I usually like Well Go USA stuff but this was one of their movies I did not enjoy for the most of this film's run. The intro with the rising corpse jumpscare I found to be silly and as I watched I would realize it would be a repeating offense, with other jumpscares being just as annoying and loud as the first. The acting felt stiff, even if I don't speak the language, and the dialogue/interactions in the beginning didn't help. This especially with the girlfriend calls and the first interaction with the hooded man. The little stuff (like the cup) being moved in the beginning I thought was funny in a silly cliche way. There were some cool, creepy bits in the end but the editing, jumpscares and how long it was disrupted the flow. And the ending with the reveal that the hooded man was a ghost security guard and the employer was the main character's victim from earlier in the movie was mad funny. Like if the ghost wanted revenge why did he let the character leave the building and only when he returned to verify the ghost's identity take your revenge? Very silly end for a movie that felt very flat in camera work, dialog and all between.
Apollo 18 (2011)
Stuck Between a Rock and a Stale Place
To start, I will say I like the concept and the beginning of the movie started strong but as it continued I found flaw after cliche after annoyance. At first I found the camera edits and style matching the tech of the time to be fun and involving, the sets were cool and well crafted and the coloring of the environment was excellent. The pale, glowing white of the moon's surface paired with the vast black of the space above caused a great feeling of hostility and isolation.
But as the movie moved on I found the camera edits to be more than plentiful and over edited to the point of hilarity. It felt like the edits (such as the flashing) were cheap cliches to get predictable scares, and other edits were out of laziness/budget constraints. Not a fan of music being played out of context of a found footage movie (like in the breaking cameras scene). The cliches continued on with the inconvenient take off failure and the one character going through psychosis and turning on his friend. Not much to recommend.
Lake Mungo (2008)
Life And Truth After Death
To all those that come into this expecting a horror movie beware it's more of a drama with horror elements. I love just about everything this movie does and what it sets out to do. The first time I watched this film it had me contemplating my own life and after watching it a few more times I must say the sting of it all is still fresh.
The camera work is top notch, with treating each focusing segment with the appropriate style and the beautiful but gloomy view of the landscapes. The use of interviews and news segments spliced in made it feel like an authentic documentary. The actors did wonderful portraying a wounded family in search of something more and the side characters made me feel how big of an impact the death of the daughter was. The dynamic between mother and daughter was great: within life they never really connected but in death the mother feels like she knows more of her daughter and it brings her some comfort/relief. The horror elements are all master class with such scenes as the pale corpse in the beginning, the description of standing over the parents bed in the diary and of course the visiting ghost camera footage at the end. All while the droning and melancholic music played side by side. The only thing I did not understand was the bruising of the brother early in the movie but with another watch I might clear it up. A must watch of a film.
Rencontre avec le dragon (2003)
Burns & Bewilderment
Just To preface this I could only watch the english dubbed version of the movie so i can't fully comment on if the acting was good or not. What I can say is the english dub of this movie was atrocious. It felt like most if not all of the voice actors were reading from a phone book.
Some of the things I liked were the gore/bloody scenes, Such as Felix discovering the battlefield, and the two action scenes at the end. The costumes looked fine in the beginning (as someone that has no knowledge of historical attire), with Guillaume's costume being the best but the costumes at the end seem a bit ridiculous as do the props. The dynamic between Guillaume and Raul was pretty interesting with them being opposites but tied together by a curse and had a decent conclusion. Throughout the movie Guillaume is being built as a great/crazed warrior that can only know violence and we get to see him in both glory and tragedy.
Unfortunately most of this movie is delivered uncomfortably, whether it be in odd camera work, presentation and character actions. I don't know if the bloody wings from the first death was on purpose (due to it appearing one other time later in the movie) but it looked silly as did the character interaction that played out before. I don't know why Guillaume killed the two boys in the beginning. The dynamic between the characters felt off. Guillaume avoiding or treating them harshly was a purposeful act to not get close or to remind him of his failings but it feels awkwardly communicated. The ghost scenes felt unnecessary (except for one or two sentences) and the second appearance had the ghost stand in one place and move her hands outstretched, making it look goofy. By the time the red tent scene starts i could feel the time of the movie and was just waiting for it to finish. Would only recommend to see other's reactions to this strange movie.
Grave Encounters 2 (2012)
A Pathetic Encounter
I would say this movie is a pathetic attempt at cashing in on a good movie. The whole intro feels bloated with chunks that don't do anything for the furtherance of the story. No character in this film is interesting or worth investing in, with the acting doing no favors (no not just the acting that is intentionally bad). The CGI feels worse than the first and so does the camera movement, which I also found it to be cheating the found footage idea by having a floating camera. I can see what angle they were going for with "making
a film and spreading the art" but it feels cartoon-ish.
I like the mini compilation of reviews in the beginning, the use of camera types throughout and the changing maze idea, but that's it. It's really not worth seeing more than a handful of times.
Grave Encounters (2011)
A Great Encounter
As a big fan of Destination truth and other such shows going over haunted locations when I was younger, I love this movie. From the interviews with the witnesses to the behind the scenes scenes to the night vision shots, it perfectly mimics the shows of my youth and brings me joy. The intro interview with Executive Producer felt in line and the show intro set the tone of the movie. The actors fit into their T. V. personalities, although over acting and bad/repetitive dialog visit the film frequently (but maybe that's on purpose). The CGI is cheap and at times off putting but that's in four scenes i can think of. If your'e a fan of those ghost hunting shows you'll probably like this film.
Blair Witch (2016)
The Bland Witch
I find the concept of the brother looking for his lost sister (of the first movie) to be a bit lazy and I think this film knows it. In one of the first scenes in which all characters are in a bar (with their head cams for some reason) they address this like they are telling the audience they are aware of the audience's Thoughts they are having but going right on ahead anyway. The intro is really weak, even not being compared to the original. As the film went on I noticed how pretty the setting was. On one hand I like the vibrant greens of trees and the deep brown of the dirt and wood, but on the other it loses its amateur charm. Then I noticed another problem: none of the cameras feel hand held or are where they should be. It sacrifices the natural movement/feeling of being handheld for the beauty/clarity. Weak characters that at times act irrationally/not authentic, dumb jump scares and really cliche scares and actions.
The one thing I did like was the rain effects at the ending scene of the movie and the elusive elongated person stalking them. If you miss this film you're not Missing much.
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
Book of Woes
I find the concept of people being inspired by the first Blair Witch (1999) and going into the woods to do their own investigation interesting, but this film's execution was subpar. There is really nothing that makes its mark in the film except maybe the ending. This film is riddled with the isms of the 90's & 2000's with the bare simple camera work, less than pleasant visuals and the edgy/alt style of all the characters (not that this style is inherently a bad thing). The Scenes about the ghost girl are probably the worst in execution of editing/visual effects along with the cut away scenes in red and of the main character in the mental asylum. They add a flimsy edge that either disrupt the film or cheapen the horror. All the characters aren't all that interesting or likable as is the acting. If you like the alt style and editing of the 90's & 2000's then go right ahead but that's all that this film has to offer for me.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Height of Found Footage
I think The Blair Witch is probably one of the best FF (found footage) movies as of yet and sets a golden standard for what a FF film should be. A small and controlled cast, no music that doesn't come from outside of what the characters are filming, the camera looks and feels like it's being held by regular people and not experts with the camera itself elevating the tenses with its video quality. The horror of the night scenes are great with varying voices coming from indistinguishable points & The Interviews in the beginning felt real. This film shows the greatness in what a low budget in the hands of talented people can achieve. The only thing I can see that would bring it down would be the overplayed acting at points and maybe the slow beginning, but not by much.