yxoa Reviews

The Source (2019)

Feels uncompleted

[3/10 · 17 December 2019]

I always enjoy tuning in to watch some running documentaries. The runner always has to conquer their own mind and restrictions their body is telling them to achieve the goals they're after. There are stories behind every mile. Some inner force which drives people to take a step further.

This film did not seem to have any story. You had some characters supporting Courtney Dauwalter, but there wasn't a glimpse to the reasons why she loves to run, why she loves to conquer goals she's set to herself. Documentary seemed just to state lines like "she always want to push harder" - yeah, I admire that, but why? That ain't a unique portrait of her inner motivations.

Cinematically there were some interesting shots, but nothing compared to even a movies about Barkley Marathons - and you even can't film there outside few locations. Most of all this seemed to be commercial for certain clothing brand, which was shown on almost every person on the film.

Freeheld (2015)

Intriguing, but detached

[7/10 · 20 April 2018]

What Freeheld gets right, it got well fitting cast in a roles they handle the most best. Julianne Moore plays a lead as an police officer phasing a devasteting desease. Ellen Page portrates perfectly her younger partner. Both captivate their characters essence and battles well.

Downside is that their dialogue feels forced most of the time. Freeheld captivates the legal battle greatly and gives it time and emotion. But the majority of film it seems that there's no love story what that battle was initially supposed to be built on. Where's the connection that drives eithee of leads?

There of, even though coverage on the story was kept together, I cannot possibly rate Freeheld more than 7 out of 10.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Solid 8/10

[8/10 · 21 December 2017]

I found WHAS really amusing. The film includes all major ways of comedy in general. It is deadly dry as a British made martini - stirred, and shaked slowly - and in the next moment it is over-self-explatory gems. It is as absurd as it is straight forward and honest.

One of the greatest features of the film, is how every character has a story, a function. Although it is clear that their story is continued with two spin-off TV shows, they all do have satisfying means in the movie already.

Samurai Rauni (2016)

I cannot verbalize my disappointment

[2/10 · 25 November 2017]

Seeing trailers and waiting the movie come out, I was thrilled. Finally, it seemed, Finland got it's first major film based somehow on Japanese culture. As a total anime wreck who wouldn't be waiting something as absurd as samurai story located in Finnish archipelago?

And surely it delivered in terms of absurd.

There was little story to follow - if any. There wasn't any character development and if that was somehow to be punished later on, it didn't give viewer enough bone to gnaw. Scenery was nice from time to time, but the lack of proper directing, camera work, editing, screen writing and acting it did not rescue.

If "Seven Samurai" was a huge disappointment, this sure won that race. Would not recommend.

The Babadook (2014)

Not so great, not so bad

[5/10 · 29 August 2017]

I really do consider this to be one of the greatest LGBT+ themed movies to date. It's marvelous how our community is so thirsty for representation in cinema that we actually filled dozens of tumblr. pages with memes which some brave souls enchanted with their unpaid photo editing programs.

/s

Okay, I really liked Babadook for it's characters. I view it as a story of really striven mother who does not understand his son's special needs and has no real support what-so-ever in her day-to-day life. It tells us, once again in history of human species, that we need compassion and listening skills to manage in our lives. That we need to understand our differences. The leading lady is not the typical main character in horror stories, and I enjoyed that quite a lot.

In other dimensions Babadook ain't that marvelous. Music is dull, acting isn't exactly worth an Oscar trophy and Babadook itself -- well, he's not scary. Meme status isn't helping that at all.

I find the movie thrilling in some points, but mainly it's actually pretty typical horror story, IMHO.

30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010 Video)

Not as bad as I feared, not as good as the prequel

[5/10 · 23 August 2016]

Dark Days starts from taking viewers straight back to the ending of it's prequel. It's a refreshing beginning which immediately is followed by the future tense: Stella is now educating people of vampire existence. She's not taken seriously by anyone before she kills couple of vampires in a half-full lecture hall.

FBI agent - who apparently has a bad bloody flue - advised her to keep her head down and reminds that nobody is going to believe her point of view of prequel's massacre.

It's easy enough to throw 3 musketeers to accompany Stella. There is no explanation how their mentor, humanistic vampire Dane, has acknowledged Stella. Maybe via vampire date app? Amber, the team's alcoholic, isn't pleased with Stella's lack of knowledge vampire-wise and wants to drop her out of team. That's all that we got from her character.

Anyways, Stella and the team is hunting a big bunch of vampires in L.A. (of all the places). She gets personal reason after she get the idea that the vampires might be planning to attack Barrow again.

Most of the fun of the movie is the easiness of Stella's character. She is mainly logical, thriven by solely the fact that people should know that vampires even exist. Killing them isn't her main ambition, but she isn't afraid to use the change. Paul's character isn't lacking charisma, but he's lack of dreamy memories of her daughter shine with their non- existence.

Amber and Todd are mainly there for now good reason and Dane's doings for the group are pretty nowhere to be seen. Even the main villain, Lilith, is lacking serious hotness or even serious scariness.

Dark Days is somewhat tied to the prequels plot and gives you the not so obvious ending which is always a pleasant thing. It also lacks of the dynamics of the prequel what makes it hard to give it more than 5 out of 10 stars.