I'm proud of you for actually watching this all of the way through. I'm still struggling. It's f#cking wretched.

Hear, hear.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

love to see your discovery

Apostle (2018) N

A woman is kidnapped by a cult living on an island and led by their living prophet. Her brother goes to look for her after their father receives a ransom note. While posing as a new recruit he learns about the cult and tries to locate where his sister is held.


It's taken me a long time to write this review or even figure out the exact rating to give. There's just so much good and bad in the film that it's been hard for me to figure out and I needed some time to process it. To put it short the potential for greatness is there but too many flaws prevent it even reaching good rating.

The premise is good, settings are good and the bleak, ruthless atmosphere works well. Evans is visually competent director and for the most part the soundtrack supports the image nicely. Even acting is mostly good though I didn't like Dan Stevens in the lead (it really bothered me that his manners were 100% same as they're in Legion).

About the negatives then. First Evans has a habit of prolonging his films too much and Apostle isn't an exception. For its content it's way too long. Despite of its length it also fails to properly build the power struggle within the cult and the change in the latter part feels too sudden. Movie is also little heavy handed with its messages (too much underlining how man twists religion to fit his own needs and rather blatant nods to Gaianism with all the usual destruction and exploitation of the environment by man).

So for me the script is the biggest issue. It focuses on wrong things and ignores some important ones. Either just make it shorter and less explicit on all fronts or change the focus from philosophy and religion to actual people. Still, even as it is, it's not far from being good.

Flatliners (2017) N

Only watched little over 30 minutes but as I saw nothing good or even promising in it I decided to stop. Completely pointless remake with uninteresting characters and bad TV-like production values.

Excalibur (1981) R

Everyone knows the basics of King Arthur, right? A sword in stone that only the destined king can draw out; Arthur and the knights of the round table; the forbidden love of Lancelot and Guenevere; Merlin the wizard who guides and plots and is betrayed by his pupil Morgana; the search for the Grail; and in the end the ruin of Camelot and death of Arthur. Excalibur tells a familiar story.


Excalibur is a movie about a myth, a pure fantasy that never even attempts to be realistic or historically accurate. It's glossy and hazy visuals make it look like a dream. It's a fairytale for adults with knights wearing their highly stylized plate armors 24/7, living the life of high adventure and being heroes worthy of legends.

The scope of the film (starting from Arthur's father, Uther, and ending to his own death and departure to Avalon) is huge and even at 140 minutes it moves at very fast pace. There's very little room for character development and most of the knights are no more than a name. I know this is something I regularly complain about in my reviews but here it just works; it's like the story of Excalibur is larger than people and even the greateast heroes are mere pawns to something larger.


There are some small things to complain about though. I didn't like the casting choices for Merlin and Arthur (Merlin as a whole was written too light for the film and his relationship with Morgana didn't work too well). Some of the sets were outright ridiculous like the foil covered castle walls. 24/7 worn armors were really silly too (Uther even had sex wearing full plate, must have been painful for Igrayne) but I managed to accept that as part of the world.

One of the greatest fantasy epics ever made. Some miscasts and other minor faults eat half a popcorn but otherwise it's just amazingly good.

Christine (1983) r

Bullied high school kid buys himself an old car. He begins to fix it and as the car gets fancier his behavior also changes. The car has a dark history of its own and after the bullies smash it to pieces as a revenge the bodies start to pile up.


Christine is in many ways both standard Carpenter and standard King. Visually it looks exactly like you'd expect from Carpenter; weird angles that make interiors look vast and exterior shots that feel somehow claustrophobic. All this is accompanied by very simple yet still effective soundrack. From King comes the usual bullies, good intentions with bad results and love that manifests itself in some twisted way.

I don't really like the script of Christine. The whole high school bully concept doesn't feel like a proper way to handle what's essentially a twisted love story. I think the relationship between Arnie and Christine could have been more interesting than their revenge to some juvenile delinquents which feels more like a cheap way to increase the body count.

Acting is quite bad. I think Arnie was overacting all the time and Dennis was extremely wooden. Besides good camerawork the best thing in the film is the special effects; scenes where Christine is regenerating herself looked incredibly good.

Essentially a potentially interesting concept is mostly wasted by putting it in the wrong environment. Carpenter manages to keep it above bad but not by a wide margin.

It's been awhile since I last watched The Professional, but it's a great movie. I still think I slightly prefer La Femme Nikita if we're talking the best of Besson, but it's close. I've noticed that you really love your young female protagonists. Ever seen Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural?

I was a bit kinder toward The Dressmaker, but you've echoed the same misgivings I had toward it. Excalibur is the best sword-and-sorcery film that I've seen. It's already long, but I think it'd benefit from being even longer since it crams almost too much into its runtime. Still excellent, though. Christine is just okay for me. I preferred the book, although it's not one of King's best.

Added Errementari and Trench 11 to my watchlist since both sound intriguing. I've read people's responses to The Beast Must Die in the B-Movie HOF and it sounds atrocious. No interest here. I loved the premise of the original Flatliners but not the execution, so I was hoping that it'd prove to be one of the rare instances when a remake was a good idea. Then it came out and I heard nothing but terrible things about it. I'd meant to check it out, but I had honestly forgotten that it even exists until your reminder. Apostle sounds cool. I had no idea that it was directed by Gareth Evans. I've really enjoyed his martial-arts films, so I'm curious to see what he does with the material.

Yeah, that and another in that HoF kind of gave a hiding to my love for B movies...at least for a while.

That's true.

This is my favourite Merlin — weird as anything :). I suppose they're both quite comedic characters in a way. Arthur's a bit of a fish out of water to start with but it actually does jar slightly that he's not doing an RP accent like most of the others. But of course he shouldn't sound like them as he's an ordinary bloke.

I liked that. Maybe if I saw it on Blu-ray I'd think differently.

Funnily enough this is something that Gabriel Byrne mentioned – I think it was on Inside the Actor's Studio – as being very strange. Well Uther is in a hurry :p.

I guess that's kinda hard to miss :rolleyes: Lemora is one of my B-movie favorites and I even suggested it in B- Movie HoF to the person who makes those video reviews after he liked The Child.

I read other HoF reviews after writing my own and it seems quite a few are focusing on the same issues.

Personally I may still rank Conan the Barbarian little higher but I think Excalibur is #2 sword-and-sorcery for me.

I'd say especially Errementari is worth a watch. It should be on Netflix pretty much everywhere, I think.

To me all his films share one flaw - they're too long for what they are. I like martial arts films but The Raid and its sequel didn't impress me that much especially considering the hype that surrounded them. I'm pretty sure I've seen Merantau as well but don't remember much of it.

Yeah, Conan 's excellent. In the Top 100 I did this year I've got Excalibur at 68 and Conan the Barbarian at 90.

Lean on Pete (2017) N

Charley is a 15-year-old boy living alone with his father. After yet another move he ends up working as an assistant to Del, an aging race horse owner. He grows fond of a fading racehorse, Lean on Pete, and after Del has ran the horse out of steam he plans to sell it to Mexico for slaughter. Charley intervenes.


First 90 minutes of Lean on Pete are very typical "kid befriends an animal" material and everything feels just a little too naive, little too black and white. Last act is logical continuation for that but stylistically somewhat different while still pretty much as predictable. I kinda want to say Lean on Pete is a horse film for emo girls (life as a teen is hell, Charley is probably OK looking boy who just mopes and suffers, and at least back when I was a kid most girls were into horses) :D

I had little difficulties in sympathising Charley in some points. He seems very selfish and kinda typical me-me-me teen; he likes Pete so it's OK to steal it along Del's car, it's OK to steal in general (yet he emphasizes how he doesn't want to beg but rely on himself) and after the accident he doesn't pay any attention to the people in car. I have no doubts that he's somewhat realistic teen but it doesn't mean I like him and that weakens the emotional impact of the film.

The movie feels little too long (especially the scenes with the two veterans feel unnecessary) and at the same time it fails to convey the passing of time and distance covered. It's technically solid and has lots of good looking scenery but to me it feels hollow; I don't care much about its story or characters and there's no underlying message that resonates with me either. I don't say it's a bad movie but it's pretty close to that for me.

The Night Comes for Us (2018) N

A man who's sort of an executioner and trouble shooter for the Triad decides he's had enough after sent to kill a whole fishing village as an example. He saves a young girl and kills his own men. Triad wants them both dead and violence ensues.


The Night Comes for Us is close to being good martial arts action movie but during the last 30 minutes or so it falters quite badly. Up to that point the action (which is aplenty) has been mostly fast paced, brutal and very bloody. Unfortunately the final fight (and to a lesser degree the one preceeding it) are prolonged way too much and become boring; some characters have outright ridiculous ability to sustain damage. Also the actual ending of the film is little stupid.

Storywise The Night Comes for Us is very typical Asian action. There's this almost mythical hero, his old friend who's now the enemy, a child that awakens the conscience, etc. It's typical also in its technical flaws like characters popping in without introduction or apparent logic, in general odd pacing, story that doesn't seem to make too much sense and stupidly macho characters (women included) who rather fight 2 vs 1 in melee than shoot the attackers.

90 minutes of good violent action followed by dull 30 minutes of duels between seemingly indestructible men and slightly more brittle women.

Pixote (1981) N

Pixote is a young boy living on the streets of São Paulo committing crimes with his friends. He ends up in juvenile reformatory where threat of abuse comes from both the other kids and the people running the place. After one boy dies due to abuse by guards and another is framed for his death Pixote and few others run away. But is the life on the streets any better?


Pixote is very gritty and hopeless movie. It doesn't fall for the usual trope of painting the boys as mere victims but shows them as despicable as the corrupt adults around them. Maybe the boys never had a chance but the film doesn't really show us that they'd deserve one either. It's very nihilistic film and I like that.

My main issue with Pixote is the lack of proper characters. It just shows us few slices of Pixote's life and almost nothing in those glimpses defines any of the boys. Again, this is likely a conscious choice but it's generally something I don't like; in a character driven film I'd like to be able to relate to the characters somehow (not necessarily sympathize but understand what motivates them and pushes them towards the choices they make).

I also don't like the short intro; if you want to make a documentary then do one but Pixote is a film about fictional characters so I don't really want to be lectured like that. Otherwise the film does feel believable and documentary-like looks fit it perfectly. Largely(?) amateur cast does good job as well. The transition from reformatory to freedom was odd and for a while I thought it was a flashback from before reformatory.

With little more details on the characters this would have been good but as it is it falls slightly short. Definitely worth a watch though.

Mile 22 (2018) N

A black ops squad that is used in operations that don't exactly adhere to international laws needs to smuggle a police officer out of country. In exchange for asylum in USA he's offering the location of missing radioactive material. Just like in all agent films things aren't what they seem.


To me Mile 22 feels more like a TV pilot than a proper movie. It's hard to explain exactly why but it's basically just an introduction to Walhberg's character and also an introduction to main villain (for the "first season" at least). All the surveillance camera footage make it even look like a TV production (something like Person of Interest).

Otherwise Mile 22 is a crossbreed of Bourne films and Far East action like The Raid or The Night Comes for Us (which both just happen to be starred by Iko Uwais who's also co-starring Mile 22). It's just not written as well as Bournes and it's action is not on the level of the Indonesian films I mentioned. It's probably too harsh to say it combines the worst of both but it's definitely closer to that than combining the best.

Uwais is the best thing in the film and he deserves better opportunities in Hollywood (or maybe just keep making films in Indonesia where his talents are better utilized). Wahlberg is OK but his character is kinda silly (I'd assume that his anger issues would severely hamper his work). There are too many cuts in action scenes and storywise the pacing is off. As a whole just barely above bad action film.

Galveston (2018) N (?)

A hitman named Roy has a bad day. First the X-rays of his lungs show a nasty dark blot and then he's betrayed by his boss who apparently wants him dead. He survives and saves a 19-year-old girl, Rocky, in the process. Together they leave the town.


I'll start with the thing that's been bothering me for the whole day since I saw this. Is there another movie with almost identical script because I had the strongest feeling of déjà-vu while watching this? All the major plot points and characters felt like I've seen them before. I was even thinking if I've seen this film before but it's been released less than two weeks ago so it doesn't seem likely. I'm really confused :dizzy:

About the film itself then. Galveston is really typical indie film. There's nothing especially wrong with it but it feels lame, safe and predictable. It's a road movie that doesn't reach the depths of its characters but to some degree still works on the superficial level (mainly thanks to great acting by both Ben Foster and Elle Fanning). There's sort of a feeling of sadness and melancholy but often it feels like a cheap attempt to arouse emotions on the viewer instead of a properly built atmosphere.

Little forced drama with spooky predictability and strong performances. Can't say I liked it but it's barely OK.

This movie is as beautifully done as Marketa Lazarova.... both are amazing films and they were done decades apart.

The Hawks and the Sparrows (1966) N

A man and his son are walking from somewhere to nowhere in particular. Soon a talking marxist crow accompanies them and starts to tell a tale of two medieval monks trying to preach gospel to the birds. Both the crow's story and the men's encounters in the present share common themes creating at times a rather preachy leftist fable.


First half of the film is pretty decent. Its jabs at religion fall on fertile ground with me and the fantastic nature of its world make it positively unpredictable. Also the contrast between light presentation and heavy subject is nice idea that works reasonably well.

Latter half is unfortunately much weaker. To me it loses credibility when after mocking catholic church it suddenly finds salvation in communism and in general mourns the abandonment of ideologies. Somewhat clever satire about Christianity turns to a praise of another failing dogma as Pasolini demonstrates inability to turn his perception towards socialism.

I'm pretty sure that some aspects of the film were lost to me due to lack of knowledge about Italy (especially the contemporary post-war Italy). Like many others I had to use Google to know who's funeral footage was used and obviously during the film I also didn't get the Togliatti reference concerning the crow. There's probably quite a bit more profoundly Italian stuff that doesn't connect and while it isn't exactly a flaw it does affect my personal experience.

Almost good first half that's both funny and witty. Way too preachy and tunnel visioned second half. Not bad but definitely not good either.

The Meg (2018) N

Scientists find a hidden depth in Marianas trench. When submersible is hit by something large and loses contact with the research facility there's (obviously) only one person who can save the crew. Five years of constant drinking haven't made Jonas Taylor any less proficient or manly and it's his job to save the people and kill the monster shark back from two million years of extinction.


The Meg is a pure B-movie with A-movie budget. Sadly it's also a bad B-movie with zero attempt at anything resembling personality. Everything from Jonas' tragic past to child approved romance to greedy billionaire is as formulaic as it gets. I honestly wonder why Hollywood pays anything for writers when someone surely could code them an AI to endlessly spew this crap.

If you're into monster movies you might want to see this for the megalodon but otherwise there's really no reason to waste your time. Little extra on my rating for the hopes that Meg will eat the people responsible.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

I kind of can't wait for that sh*tty shark movie. :lol: I know it's going to be ****, and yet, I'm looking forward to it.

Hunter's Blood (1986) N

Bunch of big city dudes go deer hunting. After actively trying to get under the skin of local rednecks they finally meet degenerate poachers who are willing to test their mettle. What follows is not-so-epic battle between two groups of idiots.


Like majority of these films Hunter's Blood also spends the first half building its characters. In this case the result is awkward and clumsy. Every character and every line of dialogue is so desperately trying to enforce its message that I can't help but think that either the writer assumed his audience to be stupid or he's stupid himself. First 40-50 minutes are just awful cinema and being a B-movie is no excuse because writing isn't expensive.

After horrible foundations are laid the more action oriented second half isn't as bad. Writing is still bad, the music during the forest chases is terrible and acting doesn't improve but at least it tries to be a proper action thriller. I also like the 80s attitude where (generally) the heroes respond with reasonable force to life threating situation (i.e. kill the threat).

With that script Hunter's Blood never really had a chance. Otherwise it's technically passable, even has couple of decent actors and OK effects. As a whole it's bad but with better characters and dialogue it could have been mediocre.

The Equalizer 2 (2018) N

Just like in the first film Robert McCall is still helping those in need. There's no real plot to summarize here as the film is mostly built of more or less random encounters. One of these incidents is closer to McCall than the others and gets more screen time but it doesn't turn the film into a story in traditional sense.


I thought the first movie was OK, maybe even barely good, but the sequel lacks content and doesn't add anything meaningful to the saga. Its attempt to uphold McCall's mythic nature just makes the character boring; Denzel Washington here is like black Steven Seagal (and sadly I'm talking about Seagal past his prime) and that's a waste of his talents. It's an action film that severely lacks in the action department.

All the twists are very predictable and none of the characters have any depth. Outside the main case nothing really has any consequences and the result is unconnected series of random events with minimal cause and no effect. On a positive side I liked the attitude (which is very 80s) and McCall's pep talk to artist kid gets my approval.

A disappointing sequel and a waste of good actor. Few OK action scenes and nice old school attitude redeem little but it's till quite bad.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) N

A surgeon has been meeting a 16-year-old boy whose father was his patient before he died. Eventually he introduces the boy to his family and everything seems to be fine. Then the surgeon's son gets sick and things take more sinister turn.


I didn't know anything about the film before watching (except the good reviews it's got) and it's the first Lanthimos movie I've seen. I was expecting a horror-drama (it's listed as a horror on the streaming service I used and I remember it being mentioned in relation to Hereditary). I suppose it's fair to say that I didn't get exactly what I expected.

The very first thing that hits me (and keeps hitting until the end) is the acting and dialogue. I don't understand why Lanthimos wants his actors to recite their lines without emotion or why the dialogue is completely insane and out of place. What's the point of turning the tragedy into (unintentional?) comedy by making skilled actors woodenly blather about water resistance of clocks or armpit hair?

I like the cinematography and soundtrack but the awkward acting and stupid dialogue ruin the whole story. I don't think tragedies benefit from generating facepalms and bursts of laughter. Maybe Lanthimos could find another signature for his films or just make comedies because he seems to visually proficient director.

All the points are for the visuals, soundtrack and few good laughs. As a tragedy the film is a failure.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) r

Becky is on the run from her violent husband. She goes to live with her brother Otis, an ex-con on parole, in Chicago. The third person sharing the apartment is Henry, another ex-con whom Otis befriended in prison. Becky finds the shy Henry charming while Henry himself is introducing Otis to his favorite hobby, murdering random people.


Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is gritty and brutal movie. It's not a slasher per se but still the first comparison that comes to mind is Maniac (for some reason I'm also thinking Haneke but I could be wrong as I haven't seen his films in over a decade and never really liked them); both films share the same downbeat feel of broken people lost in the crumbling concrete hell and also the same grainy looks of the urban wasteland.

Unlike slashers Henry is more interested in its characters than actual murders (there's some violence here and it's nasty too even though we're actually shown very little). Writing is mostly fine but the first proper discussion with Becky and Henry feels forced and very clumsy way to jump-start their relationship. The film also skips completely the reasoning why Henry involves Otis in his crimes (while somewhat simple Henry also seems very careful and Otis' behavior is careless). Other than that the triangle works pretty well.

Henry doesn't seem to have any clear motive for his murders. In a sense this is a flaw but I suppose the idea is that killing itself is his motive; I find this little boring and easy solution (it's plausible, sure, but I'd say that majority of serial killers have little more complicated motives). I'd wish someone would make a proper film about Peter Kürten.

Little light on story and characters Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is still good serial killer movie. It manages its budget restraints extremely well and all leads give good performances. Soundtrack is pretty nice as well.

Rush (2013) N

James Hunt and Niki Lauda compete against each other on track and become the best of enemies.


I'm not interested in racing at all and in general I don't like Ron Howard's films (I don't hate them but they just feel soulless and bland) so my expectations were very low. Fortunately the topic doesn't seem to affect Howard movie that much and Rush is just like the rest, easily watchable and as easily forgettable.

I didn't know much about the story beforehand (I was actually expecting Lauda to die in an accident and I'd never heard of Hunt) but the rivalry between Hunt and Lauda felt way too perfect and staged from the start (I Googled it afterwards and it seems that the whole grudge is made up). In my opinion that's a signature flaw with Howard whose films are always too polished and without any roughness of real life.

Technically Rush is great and acting is spot-on. Even the script is fine except the fact that everything fits in too perfectly, like planned from the dawn of time. For me the characters aren't interesting and the whole Formula 1 environment is complete turnoff. Despite of that the two hours went by moderately easy and it's not even close to being a bad movie. It's just not for me.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

I love how your Hunter's Blood review began.

The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) N

Newlywed British couple is on a honeymoon in continental Europe. When car troubles force them to stay in a small village they meet local aristocrat who invites them to dinner at his castle. The host isn't exactly what they expect though.


The Kiss of the Vampire is little different interpretation of vampire mythology. Unfortunately its more unique aspects don't make much sense (the way the film is written it's actually unclear if the vampires even feed, and if they do how do they find enough victims in such an isolated place).

There are good individual scenes (like the funeral intro and Carl's piano performance) but the whole is a mess. I think the movie tries too hard to separate itself from other vampire films and forgets that good story is the most important thing. The vampire cult is just dull idea and in the film's context it has too many logical issues.

Decent characters and acting, nice visual style, few great scenes and especially silly ending with plastic bats accompanied with stupid and boring story. Barely above bad but definitely not among the better Hammers.

I hadn't heard of The Night Comes for Us until recently, but it sounds very much like my type of action film. Pixote comes with the cricket stamp of approval, so that's enough for me. I'll probably rent Mile 22 at some point. Does Ronda Rousey get much screen time in it?

Galveston does indeed sound familiar, but seeing Ben Foster in the cast is enough to make me interested. I think I might've dozed off during the first Equalizer because I remember nothing about it. Not too interested in the sequel. Dogtooth is the only Lanthimos that I've seen and it was a potent enough viewing to remain fresh in my memory all these years later. Rush is a really well-made film. I didn't have any interest in the subject matter, either, but the presentation of the story and the performances made it compelling. Hadn't heard of The Kiss of the Vampire, but I've yet to come across a Hammer Horror film that I've outright disliked, so I'll keep an eye out for it.

I love Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. One of my favorite movies and perhaps the most unnerving examination of a serial killer that I've seen. Love its gritty, homemade quality, and Rooker is excellent. I think the absence of motives is partially what makes the murders so disturbing. Killing is an impulse he simply can't control. The ending with the suitcase is particularly haunting.

I totally get the concept behind the absence of motives and it does kinda work. I'm just sad that (one of) the most common motives is so rare in serial killer movies - sexual gratification. Someone like Peter Kürten I mentioned in my review would be a perfect subject for a film but I'm afraid he's too gruesome for film industry to mettle with due to many of his victims being children.

The Leopard (1963) N

In 1860s Sicily Prince of Salina and his family live their lives in vast palaces while the kingdom is in turmoil. Old Sicily is dying as the insurgent army is about to bring it under the rule of Italy. What will come of the Prince, the rest of the old nobility and Sicily itself when the future comes with guns and high ideals?


The Leopard is the first Visconti film I've seen. I didn't even know about him before coming to this site and it's the enthusiasm of @Ultraviolence that got me interested. I don't usually enjoy these epic periodic dramas that much so I wasn't expecting to agree with all the praise but I still found the film very solid.

With practically no knowledge of Italian/Sicilian history The Leopard is at times little confusing. Some extra information would have made following it easier (for example I had to check what the plebiscite was exactly about after watching the film). Perhaps some of the silly comedic sequences could have been replaced with more historical information (though I admit laughing at Peppe Merde's description).

Visually The Leopard looks great (like many Italian epics do) but for me Visconti's love for opera is little too emphasized with scenes that feel like he was directing for stage instead of film. The great ball at the end and the short scene after that are the best parts for me so for once I can say that a film has a strong ending. Acting is little uneven but passable (also after recognizing Terence Hill I was always expecting to see Bud Spencer).

Very solid film for what it is. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd give another half a popcorn if I'd read more about the relevant history and do a rewatch in the future but for now it's just good.

Outlaw King (2018) N

In 14th century Scots led by Robert the Bruce are trying to repel occypying English army.


Outlaw King has interesting topic but it tries to fit far too big story in its two hour length. As a result it throws historical accuracy out of the window and makes the whole war seem more like a small skirmish. What in reality took about eight years seems to be just one in the film (from Robert becoming the king to routing the army led by Edward II).

Technically the film is fine but the narrative just doesn't work for the forementioned reasons. Battles look OK but unfortunately they'd be better fit for Game of Thrones than historical movie (exaggerated prowess of heroes, unnecessary drama and too little emphasis on tactics). I liked the brutality of the film though.

Could have been much better but could have been worse too. Most of the issues stem from the script that has some good scenes but the whole is ultimately flawed. Still passable film though.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

I just don't feel like writing a proper review so...

American Ninja (1985) r

When I was a kid I really liked this one but then again I liked every film with ninjas. In reality American Ninja is extremely bad movie but fortunately it's occasionally bad in a good way and manages to avoid bad rating by unintentional comedy. Props to car chase where it rains in some shots and not in others.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

It's had to find any good ninja movies these days. :(

Yeah. The last OK ninja movie I know is Ninja Assassin (2009). I suppose ninjas are out of fashion right now.

Spaced Invaders (1990) N

It's Halloween but young Kathy doesn't feel like celebrating. She's dressed up as an alien and feels alienated in the new town without friends and would rather stay home with her widower dad. But daddy needs to work so off to party and candy collecting she goes. Oh, and there's the Martian invasion of sorts too.


Spaced Invaders is quite standard kid or family movie with little more edge than these usually have (there's at least one death, references to genocide and torture, etc.). Obviously it also tries to teach compassion, love and other "good" values but either it fails miserably or actually makes fun of the cliche (maybe this is just hopeful self-deception); especially Kathy is like modern liberal who sides with the genocidal and murderous aliens refusing to believe anything bad about them even when they themself proclaim their goals.

Acting and writing are both naive and exaggerated but as I consider this a family film it doesn't really matter (I suppose watching family films is my chance to switch off some of my cognitive processes). Dialogue and humor in general could be a lot snappier but there's some charm in the awkard and childish mess.

I occasionally watch family films and while Spaced Invaders isn't anything special it's OK for what it is. Also needed to check IMDb to figure out why Kathy looked so familiar - she's the girl from the first Jurassic Park.

Peppermint (2018) N

Unoriginal revenge / vigilante film that seems to loan most of its content from Death Wish, The Brave One and Netflix's Punisher series. It's little boring and Garner is unconvincing as an action heroine (she's honestly too old for this). On the positive side it's built on the values that made 80s action films so good.

Not good but my fondness towards the vigilante films keep it barely above bad.



The Nun (2018) N

Another film to The Conjuring franchise but unfortunately this one is mostly a bust (only Annabelle has been worse in my opinion). By far the best thing in the film is its settings; both the Romanian scenery and the convent itself look great even though the cinematography doesn't seem to make them full justice. Story itself is rather stupid and the film is mostly made up from individual scenes that don't generate a proper narrative.

A bit dull and stupid horror that has good topic, beautiful settings and nuns. Oh, and Taissa Farmiga is very pretty.

She is :).

Pulse (2001) R

A suicide, weird internet page and people missing or grown distant lead young Tokyo residents toward a mystery that has major consequences.


Pulse is pretty unique J-horror that is in some ways closer to the likes of Cronenberg and Carpenter than contemporary Japanese films. It's a strange hybrid of Prince of Darkness, Shivers (or Rabid) and typical J-horror ghost movie like Ringu. The result is a great movie that manages to blend all of its elements into highly emotional apocalyptic vision.

While Pulse is mostly considered a horror film it isn't very scary. It is very sad and depressing film though. Its main theme is loneliness and its depiction of it is devoid of hope; in life everyone is ultimately alone and death is no salvation but an eternity of cold and hopeless solitude. I often like sad films and Pulse surely delivers.

Technically the film is good: it's not visually flashy but its static or slowly moving camera fits the film's slow pace well, CGI is clearly dated but it still kinda works and soundtrack is really nice. Acting is OK too. Plot doesn't always make that much sense but like in Fulci's films it's more about the atmosphere anyway.

One of the best J-horrors (maybe even the best). It's not as scary as some others but it has almost unsurpassable feeling of loss and hopelessness.

The Predator (2018) N

Latest instalment in the intergalactic bass fisher saga brings predators back on Earth. It's up to bunch of mentally unstable (ex-)soldiers, a biology professor and a kid with asperger syndrome to deal with the bad boy.


The Predator was little better than I expected but I don't like the direction it's taking the franchise. It's not primarily action, scifi or horror anymore but comedy. Fortunately quite a few jokes work and the stupid dialogue between the characters is very amusingly written. Also huge thumbs up for the humor being surprisingly non-PC for today's Hollywood.

As an action-scifi-horror The Predator fails pretty badly though. There's zero suspense (unlike the first film even the characters seem to agree and everyone keeps their calm with ease), action scenes feel fake and dull, CGI blood is bad and and every scene is turned into a farce. The plot itself is also stupid and I'm afraid if there will be a sequel it's going to be something like Iron Man vs Predators.

An OK comedy but that's not exactly what I'd want from a Predator film. Can't say I hate it though as I laughed out loud several times.

Ghost Stories (2018) N

A professor revealing supernatural frauds is contacted by his childhood idol who disappeared years ago. It appears that the man has reversed his stance and gives the professor three old cases that changed his mind. Is professor Goodman able to give them logical explanation?


Ghost Stories is, yet again, another movie that feels like a prolonged episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. It seems that such style has its fans but I'm not one of them. From very early stages of the film it becomes apparent that there is a twist coming and when it happens it, as usual, feels disappointing. That's Ghost Stories in a nutshell.

Other than the above Ghost Stories is also a decent example of why good horror movies are so hard to do. It spends way too much time trying to be scary (it does manage to have some creepy scenes) and fails to build the story and characters properly. Personally I want more from my horrors than someone irrelevant alone in the dark with a monster for 30 minutes or so.

I stumbled on this film when a Finnish site mentioned that it was the best horror film of the year according to IGN. I beg to disagree and call this a borderline bad movie.

Dark Water (2002) R

A divorced woman moves to an old apartment building with her 6-year-old daughter. Their new home isn't too perfect though; water drips from the roof, tap water tastes weird, footsteps can be heard from the empty apartment above their's, etc. And what happened to a little girl who vanished couple of years ago?


Dark Water is another sad and melancholic J-horror that moves at very slow pace. Like Pulse it doesn't focus on being as scary as possible but keeps the characters and atmosphere as its top priority. From the films I've watched recently it resembles The Changeling the most being something like a stripped down version of it - it has very small and simple but effective story.

Nakata does mostly good job at directing but there are some scenes that don't seem to add anything and end up just being confusing (the scenes involving young Yoshimi). He does good job at handling the pace though as it's always just a notch above becoming boring. Acting is good and especially Hitomi Kuroki as slightly unstable mother does great job.

It's not as great as Pulse but most definitely good. Back in the day this, Pulse and Ringu made me a J-horror fanboy.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

Venom (2018) N

Absolutely terrible. Had to do some skipping to reach the end. Action and CGI looked bad, didn't laugh a single time and hated every character.

The Leopard is undeniably well made, but its length and my disinterest in period pieces made it a chore to watch. I've got Outlaw King on my Netflix watchlist, but it's low on my list of priorities. I've heard a lot of mixed things on The Predator. Curious to see which side of the fence I fall on. Started watching Spaced Invaders but decided within five minutes that I wasn't in the proper mood for it. Still plan on giving it a go at some point.

I ran through the American Ninja series a couple years. I had a lot of fun with the first two entries. For me, they fit the "so-bad-they're-good" qualifications, where I find myself laughing and having a great team with the notable flaws and stupidity, like characters unsheathing swords from their backs when previous camera angles clearly revealed no such weapon, and stuntmen falling from helicopters onto obvious trampolines. Once Dudikoff takes a back seat, though, the series becomes dreadful. Any recommendations for ninja flicks? I've seen Pray for Death and the Ninja Trilogy from Canon Films. I enjoy the cheese, but it'd be interesting to see a serious ninja movie for once.

I've barely dug into J-horror. I guess the terrible American remakes keep putting me off. I just watched Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure a few days ago. Great psychological thriller. Incredibly well made. It has a slow, hypnotic quality that really got under my skin. Highly recommended if you haven't seen it. Pulse (2001) seems to be regarded as his best, so I was already excited to see it even before reading your review.

Serious ninja movies? Now that's a tough one as most of them seem to be "bad enough to be good" level B-movies :D I guess Ninja Assassin is the first that comes to mind. I've rated it 7/10 in IMDb so I liked it. If you liked Pray for Death then I'd say it's pretty safe bet to check more films starring Sho Kosugi, the big name of the 80s ninja films.

After mentioning Pulse on a local forum I was instantly recommended Cure and Charisma by the same director. I need to check them at some point. In general I've enjoyed Japanese (and to considerable extent Far Eastern in general) horror quite a lot in last 10 to 15 years. Obviously the novelty has worn off but its cliches seem to fit me better than current Hollywood horror cliches.

The Eye (2002) R

A woman who's been blind since the age of two gets her sight back after a succesful surgery. Along with the usual orientation issues she's troubled by seeing the dead and strange shadowy figures.


The Eye is a horror film from Hong Kong and while it's thematically similar to J-horrors I've rewatched lately it's also very different. It's more interested in its plot and it moves at much faster pace than Pulse or Dark Water. There's little sadness involved but it lacks the depressive punch of the two mentioned J-horrors. It's much less overwhelming experience.

There are some genuinely creepy scenes in The Eye (old lady in the hospital and the lift scene to mention couple) but the mood of the film takes a turn towards less scares around the middle. It's kinda shame as its drama doesn't work that well but Pang brothers do know how to create suspense. In this case I would have preferred the film being more exclusively horror.

Slightly flawed horror that doesn't completely succeed in its attempt at drama and while trying gives away the scares as well. It's still OK though.

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) R

After spending some time in mental institution two sisters return home where their father now lives with their hated and cruel stepmother. But is there something wrong besides the dysfunctional family?


Some of you may remember that I don't usually like Korean movies but A Tale of Two Sisters is an exception. It has the high visual and technical quality that's often seen in Korean cinema but it lacks almost completely the stuff I tend to have issues with like overacting and almost slapstick level of comedy.

A Tale of Two Sisters is slow psychological horror that has its roots in loss, envy and hate. Like many J-horrors it doesn't solely focus on scares but uses them rather scarcely to build the mood and to push the characters forward in its narration. It's primarily just a movie and scares are means, not the end itself. Some of the scares are pretty effective though.

In a way the movie's biggest flaw is also is its strength. A Tale of Two Sisters is a twist movie and as such it doesn't really support repeated viewings too well (at least I tend to focus too much on the twist and possible hints when rewatching such films). When I first saw this over ten years ago I really loved it and while the second viewing didn't fully match my expectations it was still good.

Very beautifully shot and well acted horror drama that relies a tad too much on the twist. Because I'm quite self-aware person I'll adjust my rating up a notch for the reason explained above. Most likely the best Korean movie I know.

The Devil's Backbone (2001) R

During Spanish Civil War a 12-year-old boy is sent to an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. Soon he discovers that the place is haunted but who the pale ghost of a boy was and what does it want?


Guillermo del Toro is a director I really wish I'd like more. He usually has topics and concepts I like but too often there's just something that doesn't work for me. Pan's Labyrinth is his only film I can call great and The Devil's Backbone is very much its predecessor but as good as it looks on paper it, again, ends up being just OK.

I think the movie focuses too much on stealing the gold from the headmistress and Jacinto is too easy to hate (he's just evil with no redeeming qualities). Also there's not enough time to get to know the boys and, for example, Jaime's change from bully to responsible caretaker doesn't work. More focus on the boys, more focus on the ghost and less underlining of Jacinto's vileness would have improved the film, I think.

It looks good, is mostly well acted but ultimately feels like an early draft for something great (possibly Pan's Labyrinth).

Ghostwatch (1992) N

BBC's mockumentary Halloween special about the haunted house and all things related. Not so surprisingly the supernatural forces are let loose in front of the cameras.


Ghostwatch is like a mix of War of the Worlds and found footage films. It's quite hard to imagine if it had been better back in 1992 and being familiar with the BBC people but here and now I wasn't that impressed. In some ways it feels more like an unintentional parody of TV documentaries with experts saying practically nothing worthwhile and the constant avoidance of any depth.

The case used is easily identifiable after seeing The Conjuring 2 (which is way better film, by the way). Ghostwatch doesn't really try to build any suspense and it feels like it's meant to be a one time practical joke for the Brits (which I kinda respect). Acting is not that great by the actual actors (the family and neighbors, experts were kinda fine) and it's hard to judge the presenter and reporters without seeing their normal work.

Respects for the trolling and not being terribly boring. Otherwise it just doesn't have much value (to me, at least). Trolling aspect keeps it barely above bad but I can't say that I enjoyed this one.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

I think you need to have been there at the time for Ghostwatch. I was and definitely got taken in for at least the first half of the show - The BBC had a lot of complaints during and after the broadcast and the show has become quite infamous.

We were a lot more nieve in the early 90s. ;)

The Libertine (2004) r

A story of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester who was a skilled poet, an intellectual and a drunken debauchee in 17th century England.


First hour or little more of The Libertine is very good. It's pure dark comedy built around sex, alcohol and general immorality. Characters are great and dialogue is hilarious (like the introduction scene of Alcock). There's just enough serious undertones to make characters interesting while still focusing on the fun.

Last 30 minutes or so aren't as good. The transition to more serious drama doesn't really work. Wilmot's speech at the parliament comes out of nowhere like there's missing scenes. Pretty much the same can be said about his religious awakening at his deathbed (it seems that this historical fact is questioned by some). I'm not saying the last act is terrible but compared to rest of the film it's just considerably worse.

I like how The Libertine looks; the grainy and dark picture (I read it was mostly shot in candlelight) makes it look positively old. Settings and costumes are splendid. Acting is good and Depp's pompous mannerisms fit Wilmot perfectly.

From great comedy to mediocre drama. Fortunately the former part was longer so I can give this one a good rating.

Grave Encounters (2011) N

A found footage horror about people making ghost themed reality show. For their 6th episode they plan to spend a night in supposedly haunted and abandoned mental hospital. Because it's found footage we already know what happens.


Back in the day I liked The Blair Witch Project (I really need to rewatch that) but I don't like its legacy. Lots of found footage films are made by starting film makers because they're cheap to do. To me it's ultimately flawed concept because it both spoils the story beforehand (practically everyone follows the same formula otherwise as well) and kind of encourages bad cinematography.

Because of the great still images from the film I had some hopes for Grave Encounters but it ended up being just an average representative of a sub-genre I don't really think that much of. Some of the ghosts are great but they're not utilized properly (there's surprisingly little suspense in the film). Acting was quite bad too and the goofy introduction lasted way too long.

I didn't like this but if you're into found footage films you might get (much?) more from it. I was mostly just bored.

Jigoku (1960) r

A university student is preparing for a happy life as he's about to marry a daughter of a professor. One night a friend of his is driving them back from the professor's and they accidentally hit a drunken man. They leave the man to die and soon the student's life starts to crumble.


Jigoku is a weird movie. It's a drama about guilt and responsibility, a horror film about temptations and demons as well as an early gore film depicting the tortures of Hell in moderately graphic detail and even an arthouse film. It surely doesn't bow to conformity and actually manages to create a mess that's mostly enjoyable to watch.

Some concepts of guilt felt really odd to me (the main character is practically blaming himself of many things that aren't exactly his fault) and there are some oddities with the story as well (mostly about Tamura). Mostly the events during the first part escalate in good, albeit little funny, way. The second part in Hell is little mixed; I hated the constant running and screaming but some of the visuals and concepts were great.

As a whole it's very difficult to say anything about Jigoku. I'm still undecided if I consider it good film but lets, for once, risk erring upwards.

The Evil Within (2017) N

A mentally handicapped young man lives with his brother. His life starts to change when the brother brings home an antique mirror and his reflection starts to speak to him. Is it all just in his head, is the reflection really his friend or is there some sinister presence lurking beyond the glass surface?


The Evil Within is a weird film in many ways. Director Andrew Getty was a businessman whose childhood nightmares inspires him to make a movie. He had no prior experience and he financed the whole thing with his own money. The on-and-off shooting took six years. Post-production took another nine and finally in 2017, two years after Getty's death, the film was released.

Lack of film education shows clearly in The Evil Within in both good and bad. There are some highly unconventional shots (like the brother's meeting with the social services lady) and one of the best dream sequence introductions ever. On the other hand there's lots of terrible dialogue, some of the weird shots just don't work and pacing is all over the place. It's really sad that the film took so long to make and Getty never had a chance to make another because he clearly had some raw talent.

As a whole the film is really uneven ranging from absolutely wonderful to annoyingly bad. Luckily the former mostly outweighs the latter and after a long consideration (watched the film two days ago) I've decided to say it's just barely good. Also Frederick Koehler is great in the leading role and effects in the final scene look really good.

The Descent (2005) R

One year after losing her husband and daughter in an accident Sarah goes to caving expedition with her friends. It's supposed to be an easy thing in a beginner friendly and safe cave but the woman responsible for the arrangements has little more ambitous goals in mind. It's not "Boredom" caves but previously uncharted one... and they're not alone.


Neil Marshall started his career with a bang. His debut, Dog Soldiers, is a good modern werewolf movie and the follow-up to that, The Descent, is one of the best claustrophobic horrors. It would be so easy to go wrong with the concept of six women lost in a pitch black cave but Marshall manages to weave legit story and enough characterization into the mix making The Descent a proper movie instead of boring display of dark and darker scenes.

I like the acting by pretty much everyone. The shift from awkward and fake reunion to battle for survival works. The crawlers look creepy and proper underground dwellers (as usual their abilities change from scene to scene and in general they have amazingly bad hearing for creatures that use sound to know their environment). Violence is rather bloody and it has certain 80s feel to it. The film also looks great and keeps the shots just above too dark.

The Descent is not a perfect horror film but it's damn good. It's a shame that Neil Marshall hasn't made more horror after it (though that's about to change in next year).

Hour of the Wolf (1968) N

An artist and his pregnant wife are spending a summer on an island. Man is suffering from insomnia and fear of the dark and strange visions that may be dreams, memories or just twisted reality. On the other side of the island lives a baron with his cohort and the couple is invited into their lives.


At least after a single viewing Hour of the Wolf is a disappointment after a brilliant The Seventh Seal. There's no coherent storyline and it's very hard to get a hold of von Sydow's dreamy decent into madness. It works as a depiction of insanity though and it's possible that at least part of my negativity comes from false expectations (yeah, for some reason I though this had something to do with werewolf mythology).

Bergman manages to build very tense atmosphere and there's sort of threat in its unpredictability (the fishing scene is a good example). Acting is superb and I like the black-and-white visuals of the film. Monologues at the start and end felt somehow unnecessary just like the written introduction.

Little odd film that lacks the stuff I usually seek from movies (story and characters) but still there's something strangely fascinating in it.

The Descent: Part 2 (2009) R

Two days has passed since the end of part one. There's a rescue operation at Boreham Caves but no trace of the missing women. Then Sarah is found far away and the rescuers realize that they've been searching from the wrong cave. Three cave explorers, two cops and amnesiac Sarah go down the old mineshaft searching the other five women.


First The Descent managed to dodge most of the issues a dark cave dwelling horror can have but Part 2 doesn't succeed nearly as well. With no effort on characters the movie becomes a long, dark and dull "scare scene" that lacks most of the cinematic values of the first film. Characters are paper-thin, there's very little story (and even that little is just borrowed from the first part) and it just makes far less sense than the first.

With slightly bigger budget the sequel manages to look worse in every regard: darkness is far less threatening, crawlers move worse, gore effects look way more fake and in general acting isn't as good either. Most importantly Jon Harris just isn't nearly as good director as Neil Marshall. In a way I still like the concept though and I didn't exactly hate the film. It's just another pointless sequel.

Day for Night (1973) N

A film about making a film. Most of the actors are borderline psychotic and the director is stressed about the schedule as well as his artistic vision. That doesn't sound too interesting concept to me but the actual movie is way, way worse.


Quite often with films I don't like (or even hate) I can still see why someone else could possibly enjoy it but with Day for Night I'm completely clueless. It's taken me nearly two weeks to wade through this and I hated every minute the film was playing. It's like a slice of life about people I don't want to see doing their job and edited to be as painfully boring and unexiting as possible.

I didn't laugh to lead actress choosing the wrong door multiple times, I wasn't moved at all by the tedious repetition of the scene leading to that "comedy" and I couldn't appreciate the film's depiction of how difficult it is to shoot a movie (I'm kinda aware of that already). If this is typical Truffaut I better stay away from his works.

I watched Jigoku a couple of months ago and liked it a good amount.

Ringu (1998) R

A reporter is investigating an urban legend about a cursed videotape that kills its viewers seven days later. When she finds the tape she becomes convinced that she's cursed as well. Together with her psychic ex-husband she tries to find a way to remove the curse.


Ringu is the first modern J-horror I ever saw and back in the day it was something different. With tiny budget Hideo Nakata manages to do what most horror films fail to achieve - it's genuinely creepy and at the same time it tells a story with relatable characters. Like his later Dark Water, Ringu is again very much like a stripped down version of The Changeling (I wonder if he likes that film). There are no jump scares, there's very little special effects or even specific scary scenes but still the feeling of dread and fear is palpable. At least for me it's one of the most effective horror films.

My only complaints are the psychic husband (to me it feels like a cheap way to advance the story but characters like him seem to be quite common in Far east horrors) and few scenes that underlined their message too much (like near the end when the reporter tried to figure what she did differently from the others). Acting is very good, Nakata is great director and the soundtrack is the voice of nightmares.

Great film that competes with Pulse for being the best J-horror (it's scarier for sure). A must see for all horror fans.

Macabre (2009) N

A newly wed couple, groom's sister and couple of their friends help a young woman to get to her home after an alleged robbery. There the woman's family led by her mother wants to offer them a meal in gratitude.


In general I'm not a fan of New French Extremism and while Macabre is in fact Indonesian it's very much like a member of that movement. I suppose it's even slightly worse than the French ones on average as practically everything is done a notch worse (script, direction, acting and effects). If this stuff is the new wave of horror I'd rather be an old school guy.

One of the major issues I had was the script; I'm not sure if anyone made a single smart choice in the whole movie (why didn't Ladya kill the fatty after her initial escape, why was that police dude yelling "freeze" to someone who just killed one of his men, etc.). Also why did Dara's family (and she especially) move and talk like they were terminators?

I don't mind violence in movies (quite the contrary, I'd say) but still I'm not thrilled by films like this that have nothing else. The gore would have been well done enough if there only had been a decent story, now it was just boring splatter. Not my type of horror. If you like New French Extremism it may suit you better.

The Ring (2002) R

A remake of the Japanese horror. Again a female journalist investigates a videotape that kills its viewer after seven days. The basics are the same but lots of details have been changed (for the worse).


I just don't understand why some of these remakes are done (for money, yes, but I mean why can't Americans just watch the foreign originals). With 30 times larger budget we have some exactly replicated scenes, lots of unneeded horror cliches and severely mangled main plot. I don't think The Ring manages to improve anything from the original but many things are way worse.

There are some positive things in the film too: acting is quite good, Samara is kinda decent character (is anyone surprised?) and the famous television scene looks fine (but for some reason it's not as creepy as the original). And there's no psychic ex-husband but now he's just an annoying manchild (so that our main character can nag to him about never growing up, I'm sure). I don't like the mudded color palette used. Soundtrack is semi-OK but little soulless.

It's not exactly bad but quite close. Only recommended if you've seen the original and want to see another take on the subject (that reminds me that I still need to watch The Ring Virus one day).

Baskin (2015) N

A group of five police responds to an assistance request in a place with bad reputation. What they find is pretty far from ordinary police work.


On concept level the plot (or the way it tells its story) of Baskin belongs to a sub-genre of horror I don't particularly like. There's too much The Twilight Zone in there and too blatant attempts for twists that aren't nearly as original as the makers would hope. It's definitely one of the better films of its kind though and I was pleasantly surprised.

First half of the film tries to build the characters and it occasionally works. It doesn't paint too kind picture of its characters but there's a reason for that, I guess. Second half is a mix of Hellraiser and Apocalypse Now with quite grotesque imagery and very interesting main villain.

By far the most amazing thing in Baskin is its technical quality. With only $350k budget it looks really damn good. I liked the cinematography, I liked the constant darkness, the gore was good and man playing The Father was just perfect match for the role. I only wish the script would have been better (or preferably in completely different style) but as it is it's probably the pinnacle of its kind.

I liked Baskin too. My thoughts pretty much mirror yours; weak story and characters for the most part, but it looked cool and that little guy needs to be in more movies.

I saw Ghostwatch for the first time a few years ago and liked it a lot. Obviously I knew it was mock, but it was still effective to me. I remember the ending being way too ridiculous though.

Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) R

Continues the story shortly after the first film's ending. Brigitte is shooting monkshood to slow her impending change. After collapsing on the street she wakes up in rehab clinic. Without monkshood her change is becoming faster and there's another werewolf on her tail. With a help from a young girl she tries to escape the clinic.


Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed doesn't try to copy its predecessor but tells us new and very different story. Obviously the metamorphosis is still a major theme but we're quite far from the original's mystification of female puberty. This time the main themes are addiction, human vs animal and, I suppose, abuse in various forms.

With Ginger dead (and being reduced to mere hallucination) Brigitte is now accompanied by a young girl who's called Ghost by everyone. The chemistry of the duo is great and as good actress as Emily Perkins is young Tatiana Maslany steals the show. I really liked how the film is written in a way that at some point you just notice that Ghost has become the real lead. Supporting cast is also good.

Budget restraints are handled well and the result looks mostly great (some of the close-ups of the werewolf are kinda weak). It's not a scary film by any means but scary doesn't equal good anyways, not even in horror. I kinda wish there'd been a third film continuing the story because the ending left me wanting for more (there's a third film but, as far as I can remember, it has nothing to do with this storyline).

Appears we feel similarly toward Guillermo del Toro. Minus Pacific Rim, which is awful, I've liked his films to varying degrees, but I've yet to love any of them. I guess The Shape of Water comes closest, but there's always a slight disconnect for me, even though I admire most aspects of his filmmaking. The Devil's Backbone is a good movie, but I remember thinking that it tried to balance too many subplots at once, and that the ghostly little boy was possibly the least interesting aspect.

Been meaning to watch A Tale of Two Sisters for awhile. The director's I Saw the Devil is one of my favorite films, and I also greatly enjoyed The Good, the Bad, the Weird, so I'm hopeful that I'll like it. I agree with your assessment of The Libertine. It started strong but tapered off toward the end. Grave Encounters had potential thanks to its creepy setting, but I thought the movie itself was poor.

Jigoku is quite the curiosity. I didn't care for most of the movie until it transitioned to hell, then the macabre visuals won me over. Love The Descent. The sequel is worthless but watchable if you have zero expectations. Sorry to see that you found Day for Night such a chore. I haven't seen it myself, but I've been fairly impressed with the few Truffaut films I have seen. Started watching Baskin late one night but fell asleep about 20 minutes into it. I didn't care much for what I saw, but I hadn't gotten to the good stuff. The screenshots from it continue to intrigue me.

At the time, The Ring was one of the creepiest films I'd seen. The visual of the little girl crawling out of the TV, along with the surreal images from the cursed video tape, were straight nightmare fuel. (Little girls with long dark hair in their face still creep me out, to be honest.) Naomi Watts also gave a much better performance than you typically find in horror films. Been a long time since I watched it, but I'm confident that I'd still like it. Never seen the Japanese original, or any of the other J-horrors you've been watching lately. Happy to see praise for Ginger Snaps 2 since I think it's unjustly overshadowed by its predecessor. As I said in the current Horror HOF, I actually prefer it to the first film. The decision to make a third film and set it in the 19th's century was idiotic.

The Tunnel (2011) N

When the government scraps its plans to build an underground water recycling plant in the old abandoned train tunnels below Sydney, a journalist and her crew goes down to investigate.


The Tunnel is yet another found footage horror (though technically it's not found footage) and follows closely the cliches of its kind. I don't seem to be a fan of this style so take my opinions with a huge grain of salt (i.e. if you generally like found footage horror this may be a film for you - I watched it because my brother said it was good).

The format of the film is even more flawed than found footage in general: The interviews breaking the actual footage spoils the survivors even before the crew enters the tunnels. This decision to present the film as a mockumentary kills all the potential suspense from the start. There are two big logical flaws in the film as well; the inclusion of security camera footage and the metro guard going into the tunnels.

The only redeeming thing in this cinematic waste is the acting which is surprisingly solid for a film like this. Other than that it should only be watched by found footage aficionados.

I'm pretty sure my distaste for The Ring is mainly due to liking the original so much. At the same time the Japanese version is creepier and sadder than the remake. Some of the stuff is just too polished (like the video tape which in the original is really poor quality and distorted but in the remake it's perfect image quality and looks like something that was done in a film school rather than by an angry ghost).

Samara coming out of the TV is the best scene in the remake and the only one that I possibly prefer over the original (the original is still kinda creepier but Samara has some twisted cute factor on her side). The other great scene is at the end when Samara's hospital tape is played again but this time the pauses in her speech are emphasized differently changing the meaning of her words completely.

I really recommend watching them. They're some of the best horror films made in this century.

I need to rewatch the third one soon but unless it's a lot worse than I remember Ginger Snaps is a good candidate for the best trilogy of horror films. I agree that setting it in the 19th century was a stupid decision (especially when the second film had a perfect ending to continue the story) but I think they just wanted Ginger back in Ginger Snaps. The quality difference between first and second is rather small but I slightly prefer the first myself.

Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004) R

In 1815 Ginger and Brigitte seek shelter from a trading post. Welcome isn't warm for them but being under siege by a horde of werewolves can do that to anyone.


I honestly remembered this being better but it's not even close to previous two films. Ginger Snaps Back isn't separated only temporally from them but it's lore and themes are vastly different as well. First two films had this modern feel as they stripped the mystique from the werewolf myth and concentrated on more mundane aspects of the transformation and its effects. This final act on the other hand is filled with prophecies, curses and old superstitions.

In some ways Ginger Snaps Back is a remake of the first film set in different time. Unfortunately it has lost the characters and smart script which made the previous films so good. Ginger and especially Brigitte feel hollow and the supporting cast is filled cliches. The film also drags quite a bit and is at times rather boring.

Positive things that keep it barely above bad include rather nice looking werewolves, some nice cinematography and good individual scenes every now and then (the last 15 minutes or so has quite a bit of good in it). I think it's safe to say that it was a wrong decision to make a 19th century "spin-off" instead of continuing the story from the first two parts. Only recommended for the fans of werewolves or Ginger Snaps franchise.

Death Line (1972) N

A civil servant working in the ministry of defense goes missing in the Tube. An inspector links the case with several other disapperances at Russell Square Station and finds out some grim history of the Underground.


In some ways the plot doesn't make much sense but it's still moderately entertaining film. And if you accept its somewhat silly concept the script isn't otherwise too bad. Even the monster (the cannibal who should be named Midor for obvious reasons) has a motive and isn't just an evil fiend.

Characters are OK and acting is fine except Inspector Calhoun, played by Donald Pleasence, who's just great. Make-up and effects are quite decent as well, especially all the decaying corpses in the abandoned station. Opening credits music is also really groovy and the Underground is always a nice set for a film.

Death Line does drag a little and the police investigation isn't given enough time (I would have preferred more screen time for that instead of the young couple's adventures). It's not a good film per se but at least it's much better than the previous metro horror I watched, The Tunnel.

The Dark (2018) N

A man is running away from the authorities and ends up in the Devil's Den, a forested region the locals believe to be haunted. The police are looking for a boy he's kidnapped. Then the monster comes and she feels sympathy for the abused boy.


It's pretty obvious where the comparisons to Let the Right One In come from. The Dark isn't just a copy though but delves deeper into the traumas of its teenaged leads putting less emphasis on the romance and being an outcast. It's very dark film where even the redemption (kind of) at the end tastes sour.

The Dark sympathizes with its abused and broken kids but at the same time it doesn't shy away from the monster that Mina has become. Majority of her victims don't deserve what they get so in that sense it's somewhat like a traditional ghost story (but without actual ghosts and way more brutal).

Acting is quite good and there are no major technical issues. Soundtrack is little lame, there's no over the top gore and some of the violence happens off screen but it's still little nasty at times (and its themes may be uncomfortable to some) and the script is pretty solid. As a rule I don't like the type of ending it has but it's one of the least irritating of its kind.

Overall a positive surprise and this far the best movie made in 2018 for me.

Terrified (2017) N

Strange things are happening in a suburb of Buenos Aires. In one house a man is haunted by an apparition that keeps him awake at night, in another a man witnesses his wife's weird death and in third a young boy returns from the grave days after his funeral. Local police commissary asks assistance from a man who investigates supernatural phenomena.


Terrified is a mix of J-horror (especially Ju-on) and western dimensional horrors like From Beyond or Event Horizon. Lots of its imagery comes from Japanese films and like them it doesn't rely on jump scares but prefers slow impending doom. The little explanation it offers is more like the western films I mentioned and there's some imagery that nods to that direction as well.

There's plenty of creepy scenes and the atmosphere in general is well maintained. Its scares often lack some originality but there are couple of scenes that truly stand out (especially the shower scene). Overall the horror part of the film is good. Story and characters are left little shallow and while it's not a massive flaw in a film like this I'd personally prefer more depth. Acting and soundtrack are really good.

Well above average horror that proves it's worth the effort to skim through all sorts of top lists that Google manages to find; this was listed on one top horrors of 2018 list (I suppose it was released this year in US).

May the Devil Take You (2018) N

A former business man who's lost most of his wealth becomes sick. His family (second wife, her children including one of his and a daughter from his first marriage) uncover the dark secrets behind his earlier success.


May the Devil Takes You feels a lot like Sam Raimi tribute. There's lots of Evil Dead in it with a pinch of Drag Me to Hell. Director Timo Tjahjanto is not Raimi though and unlike Evil Dead his film is a bloated behemoth that should have been edited heavily. He never manages to make his weirder shots to work either.

When compared to other movies by Tjahjanto that I've seen (The Night Comes for Us and Macabre) May the Devil Take You is surprisingly tame with its violence. Some effects work fine but the possessed are like pale imitations of Evil Dead. Lead actress is fine but others don't feel too good.

I feel that Tjahjanto is more at home when directing action and wish he'd continue with that genre. May the Devil Take You is only little above bad.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

A quick summary of my cinematic year 2018. Assuming I counted right I've watched 245 movies since joining the site in mid april. That's little less than one per day on average.

To me it seems that my reputation of hating practically everything is considerably exaggarated. Out of those 245 movies I considered 68 bad (and 18 of those were watched because of various Hall of Fames), 119 average and 58 good. That looks nice enough spread to me.

Not surprisingly horror looks like my favorite genre as more than half of the good films were horror (almost half of the bad ones are horrors too). I'd like to watch more fantasy and scifi but there seems to be so few of them compared to horror.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

The Meg was an awesome movie indeed. Jonas Taylor did an awesome job.

Re: Movie Diary 2018 by pahaK
 

Reading through this thread gave me cancer.

At least I don’t think I’ve come closer to understanding the way you watch and rate movies.

I guess if I had to find a positive thing to say, it would be to quote Spaulding a few pages back: that I’d probably rather see many lower ratings than those people who just toss around the big 5’s all the time. But still, I’m very confused reading this thread.

Why is it so confusing? There's more detailed numbers on 2019 thread but it's basically 25-50-25 percentage spread for bad-OK-good. I don't understand why everyone always says I give terribly low ratings :(

It’s not just your ratings, it’s also your view on the movies. And I mean this in no bad way - I’m merely trying to understand your thoughts.

But when I read about a movie I would consider really good or at least something that should get a moslty positive review at least in some areas, you give it an insanely low rating with thoughts that just don’t make sense to me and seem to brush the movie off way too easily.

I was just about to write even more here, but I’d rather have more concrete stuff to say, so I might return some time later to go more in-depth so you understand me and it doesn’t feel like I’m just bringing you down without any reason. :up:

Have you seen Late Phases? I thought it dropped the ball a little bit but the performances were so good, as well as the atmosphere I couldn't help but like it twice.

It's on my watchlist so I'll probably check it some day.

And to @MovieMeditation I'm more than happy to discuss about how I review films (both in general or in regards to a specific film). I may not be able to answer every question you have because it's often hard to pinpoint what makes me enjoy something but I'll try.

I'm 90 mins into Brimstone. Damn, that's some sleazy western thriller going on there. Haven't seen much like it. It's filthy. Kind of messing me up a little haha