Luis' Movie Log for 2018 (excluding new releases)

I think the first film is masterful, I believe this one to be great. The scares are still very well constructed and fantastically executed, the shot depicted above comes from one of the coolest horror scenes I've ever seen. The cinematography is even better this time around, the color palette is so atmospheric and the way the shots are constructed is amazing. Top it off with an explosive third act, and we have another winner in The Conjuring franchise. If anything, the film could've been trimmed down and there could've been a bit more coherence in developing a specific plot detail, but still, pretty great.

SCORE - 88/100

The Innocents has one of those concepts that completely get my attention from the get-go. A little bit of a psychological thriller, a smidgen of paranormal, and a lot of mystery with proper back story. I was really into this, the story was very engaging, I really enjoyed how tight the pacing was and how the information was revealed through some subtle and also dramatic reveals. This is the best thing that can be said about a mystery like this, a film can shove so much meat into its bones but if the director doesn't find a way to make it engaging, then there really is no point.

Films from this era have something in common that I always find myself fascinated with, and that is the placement of a female character in the front-lead to solve a mystery and maybe get terrified along the way. I love these sort of performances, they really highlight the 60s nicely, think about films like The Birds or Rosemary's Baby. Deborah Kerr was without doubt the best part about this picture, her charisma and charm really shone through on this one and she delivered those intense moments like it was her second nature. The cast of characters including the kids and the help around the house were also really well done. I do also admire how linear the film is, it doesn't waste any time and just sort of begins and never stops giving. My only gripe was that the film did have a little trouble matching that intensity that Kerr executed, everything around her seems to be understated when contrasted with her performance. Overall, very arresting film that definitely kept me tangled in its mystery until its end.

SCORE - 79/100

A very solid horror film, nothing mind-blowing about it, but there's some skill in the directing. Whannell clearly took some notes from Wan and definitely had some tricks up his sleeve for this one. Some of the scares here are pretty good, the protagonist is very likable, and there is a decent effort at building a complex story. Very much liked this one.

SCORE - 70/100

This and LaLaLand are my favorite films of 2016. Incredibly well-crafted, great character story, fantastic romance, and just so infectious. Watching this film is food for the soul, it's a film that makes your heart smile and makes you feel happy. The soundtrack is also incredible, there's some decent comedy, and the ending is beautiful.

SCORE - 100/100

I am a huge fan of this story, it's just so grounded, realistic, yet somewhat fantastical and tragic. This is not my first time being introduced to this story, I've seen the American remake simply titled Let Me In and that became one of my favorite horror films in recent memory. I didn't know this Swedish film existed before I saw the latter, I was told however that it was even better. That being said, both films are both pretty much exactly the same, this one chooses to build most of the tension through wide shots, while the other one favored POV more. I think I love both of them equally.

The story just works on all cylinders, the character arcs are appropriately placed and resolved, the horror is perfectly tied to the heartwarming tale that is the friendship story, it is excellently shot, the atmosphere and setting are genius. Placing this story in the cold, wondrous and beautiful snow really highlights the entire film, the film is cold, wondrous, and beautiful in it's own way. It is very easy to see how much care went into the directing of this flick, not only present through the stylistic choices, the camera angles, and the suspensful sequences, but through the great performances from both young actors. Yes, I am floored with this one and I'm hoping to buy it on Blu-Ray soon to add to my collection. Probably buying both versions to be completely honest, they both have their own strengths. This version's pool scene is superior in every way, yet the american version has an extremely tense car scene that had me on edge the whole time. I'm so happy with both!

SCORE - 94/100

One of the best films of 2014, and not surprised at all it won Best Picture and also got Innarritu an Oscar for his directing. I love the subtext of the film about belonging in a world and feeling relevant. I love the realism of being so passionate about a certain thing while the rest of the world overlooks it. And I love the connection that is made between a real artist, and a person putting on a facade for attention. Excellent film.

SCORE - 89/100

I normally don't like to use premature terms like "badass" when attempting to intellectually dissect a film, but there's no other way to describe it, this film is simply badass. The entire film is filled with eyegasmic visuals, exciting, dynamic, original, and clever action sequences and nice character moments. It's loud, it's bombastic, it's grand in scale, it's magnificent, it's completely nuts. An ultimate film for an action movie fan.

SCORE - 100/100

I watched both Damien Chazelle films in preparation of his third film coming out this weekend. This is one of my favorite films of 2014, J.K Simmons is absolutely incredible in this role and he makes this film so infectious to watch. The film is directed with so much expertise I was on the edge of my seat for the entire thing. Music sequences are fantastic, and the film has a few very nice subtexts about being an artist and what sort of treatment one needs to become the next big thing.

My favorite film of 2016, one of my favorite films in recent memory, hell, one of my favorite films period. Everything about this is masterful, talk about the cinematography, the lighting, those color palettes my God! I love the character writing and the co-dependency established with their dreams. I love what the film has to say about being a creative and having a dream. The soundtrack and score are fantastic, watching this movie is like dreaming.

SCORE - 100/100

Most probably my favorite horror movie of all time. It's incredible what this did back then and still continues to do till this day. It is subtle horror at it's finest. It is simply about a psychotic maniac stalking and killing babysitters just because, yet it does it so gracefully, and with so much social commentary. It is still scary, it's tense, it's well shot, and it's suspenseful. Laurie Strode is a fantastic character, Michael Myers is iconic, a horror masterpiece.

A very entertaining horror film. The best thing about this is how much it feels like a natural progression following the first film. I love the hospital setting, it's creepy, and there's lots you can do. The kills are very cool, there's a couple in here that have become staples of horror cinema. It's just a fun film to watch. My only complaint is some of the awkward editing, and there was not much character development on Laurie Strode.

SCORE - 78/100

Not a bad horror film, sure it has the downfall of not featuring Michael Myers, but for what it is, it's quite fun. The concept is quite memorable, I kinda like the concept of an evil corporation planning mass genocide through Halloween masks. The execution isn't bad either and I like how campy the film feels. The characters aren't all that memorable and the film doesn't really have an impact beyond it's Halloween IP, but still... kinda fun.

SCORE - 63/100

Return of Michael Myers is a great slasher film. The beginning is a little rocky with very on-the-nose dialogue and cringey exposition, but once the movie finds a pace that works for it, it's non-stop fun. The script actually brings forward some very likable characters who are very easy to root for. Danielle Harris is one of the better child actors I've seen in a horror movie and her character is completely engaging. The third act chase sequence is fantastic, tense and memorable. My third favorite from the franchise.

SCORE - 80/100

Terrible movie. There's no excuse for how bad and careless this turned out. It was rushed into production and the director completely screwed everything over. It is blatant that this only cared about the profit, there's nothing about this movie that feels careful. The inconsistencies are laughable, the character choices are a complete joke, they introduce a plot-line to the franchise that doesn't make any sense at all. No wonder this piece of crap came out a year after four, seeing how messy it all feels. Points for some great sequences in the third act...but seriously?

SCORE - 30/100

I like this one way more than I like 5, but not quite as much as the stronger sequels. Really, this movie's main downfall is the inheritance of the cult story-line that Halloween 5 carelessly shoved into the franchise. I love this Michael Myers, he's relentless and genuinely creepy. Characters aren't memorable or special, but I did like the dark atmosphere that glooms over this particular entry. Not a bad film, a little underwhelming if anything, but I appreciate the effort to do something out of the complete mess that Halloween 5 did.

SCORE - 55/100

This is definitely the best sequel in the franchise, unlike a couple of the other sequels, you can just tell the team cared about making this one special. The film threw away the overly-complicated shenanigans of the previous couple and just focused on delivering a modernized, yet simplistic and familiar Halloween film. Great characters, great chase scenes, and a killer third act. This is not as genius as the first but it's definitely the funnest film. It brought Laurie Strode's character arc to a triumphant ending. Love this one, one of my favorite slashers.

SCORE - 91/100

I always forget how many Halloween movies there are, haha.

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My Letterboxd

10 and counting! Lol!

Terrible, atrocious, unwatchable film. It seems like the filmmakers actually wanted to make a film that would piss of literally every Halloween fan. It completely undoes everything good about the previous films (especially H20). I normally defend sequels from comments like: "They just did it for the money", but there's no defening here, it is abundant that this was just done to cash in on the brand, because there's no way they tried to deliver a good movie. From now on, I refuse to acknowledge this movies' existence. Resurrection? What is that? Never heard of it.

SCORE - 5/100

Interesting film, I would say that it's definitely above a lot of the terrible films in the franchise, but it's still pretty far off from the best as well. Zombie is a conflicting director, his character writing just really turns me off, he makes every single one too vulgar and unlikable. The elaborated young Michael Myers storyline was really not needed, although it has some very strong moments and a very cool scene with Michael and Judith. The second half of the movie is just a flat-out remake, and while it has its moments, it still feels pretty understated, entertaining film nonetheless

SCORE - 58/100