Simply awful. Not even delightfully awful. Just so bad it's bad. The almost-silent carnival sequence almost reaches the heights of a C-grade giallo, and that's the highlight of this film. I can't believe that two different state film commissions contributed money towards this.
If it isn't too late, don't watch a trailer or look up a synopsis for this. All you need to know is that it is a romantic comedy starring Rebel Wilson. Going in knowing no more than that definitely made me enjoy it more than I otherwise would have.
Holidays starts strong, but with a couple of exceptions, the short films in this anthology only get worse the longer you watch - whether you're looking for a good movie or a movie that's so bad it's good, there's better stuff out there. Still worth a watch for the Valentines and Easter episodes, though.
I quite happily sit through 4-5 hour movies sometimes, but this was excruciating at 97 minutes. Within half an hour I was ready for it to end, and by the time the credits started rolling I felt like I'd been watching for the duration of an LoTR extended edition.
The concept was promising and the cinematography was great, but almost everything else left a lot to be desired. The effects were cool, but I think the movie would have been better off if they'd let the cinematography do the heavy lifting and diverted some of the effects budget elsewhere. Maybe to a re-write. Fiston Barek did well with what he was given, Maika Monroe did just okay, Ed Skrein was wooden - and I get that his character was supposed to be, but he was wooden in a bad way (it's not like the writing and Alex's character development did him any favours though). I felt a little like Oldman was phoning it in - he was okay, but I feel like he could have done much better even with the clumsy writing.
The score was nothing special, but pretty cheesy in the parts set in the jail (the trailer-bass-drop-thing used to try to make us jump? Really?).
I'd heard this was comparable to Bond, but didn't make the mental leap to the Bond of the Sixties, specifically, where things like
a POTUS-duplicating cabal of feminists is defeated in part by the protagonist's ability to speak Dolphin
wouldn't have been out of place. Good bit of relatively silly fun, though knowing nothing about the series, I almost thought the protagonist was a Q-style side character at first.
Nothing on the original and I hated the ending (Major's choice, specifically). Not to mention the specific version of whitewashing chosen here - just straight-up making Major white would have been much more understandable.
Still, it looks pretty, the combat cinematography is nice, and live action + cinematography definitely does better justice to Batou's eyes and the weird nude stealth suit.
The Cave is sort of The Descent meets Alien - as good as neither, but a very entertaining (if not frightening) horror nonetheless. Don't expect anything original (or particularly well-written), but if you're a fan of the genre (or of science fiction, or maybe of action) it's well worth the watch.
Aside from a hammy climax, this is a fairly decent horror. It's neither actually-scary nor cerebral, but it's an entertaining watch.
Nonetheless, it's nothing on the 2001 original, Kairo. I imagine that Craven and Wright's original meeting went something like this:
"Hey, this movie was pretty successful. What's it about?"
"Modern isolation, and also Hiroshima and Nagasaki somehow, but I haven't exactly figured those references out yet."
"Excellent. Let's make an American version, about Internet demons."
"Perfect."
I know it sounds like I'm griping about changes, but I think being even /less/ true to the original would have made the film stronger. As it is, it comes across as a little confused. It sort of tries to be about isolation, but doesn't follow through, and is weaker for this.
Being less true to the original would have also avoided some cringeworthy stabs at guessing what the youth are doing these days, such as a scene in which it's made clear that the film's young adults, with expensive computers, in the periphery of a "hacker" circle, at an expensive college campus, in P2P's heyday (when even musicians in the industry were advocating torrents and Limewire), pirated music by visiting CD pirates in person and purchasing physical CDRWs.
A stellar debut. Xiuying is ostensibly the only spirit in the film, but many of the characters seem to be in an afterlife of their own in this gracefully-framed but derelict limbo of a landscape, not to mention nods to Sisyphus. Its quiet, contemplative attitude is emphasised in minimalistic editing and camera movement (that is, more often the lack thereof) that lets the painterly, near-monochromatic shots speak for themselves.
I look forward to more projects to come from Hanyi Zhang and cinematographer Chang Mang (whether or not they continue to work together).
This isn't just the best horror movie I've seen in at least the past twelve months - it's also the first to scare me properly in a very long time. A story very well told which I'd recommend to anyone.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, particularly the gorgeous (even captivating) cinematography and costuming, and the horror around the edges.
The format was an interesting concept (and gives me some idea as to how the likes of House of Leaves could be adapted for the screen), but it fell a little flat. The "main" storyline (or the film-within-the-film, if you like) was very intriguing, but the suspense (and occasional horror) often isn't sustained throughout the mockumentary parts, which consequently spoil the mood, even though they're interesting enough. It's appropriate and realistic, and the film's definitely the better for the mockumentary part, but the plateaus in the atmosphere become a little frustrating.
I never would have believed that a short film about a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog would genuinely turn out to be an incredibly sad, even moving film, but here we are. (Perhaps the affect is exaggerated because I was mostly expecting it to be a joke.)
Comments 1 - 25 of 105
Movie comment on Der Student von Prag
Larkspire
I literally screamed when I saw the "Vertigo effect" in action. Why was I told it was invented in the fifties for Vertigo?Movie comment on Christmas in the Wild
Larkspire
Have you ever finished a Hallmark movie and thought "that was great, but I wish it starred Rob Lowe instead of one of Hallmark's standard male leads"?Has your family ever fought over whether they want to watch the Hallmark channel or Animal Planet?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, this is the film for you.
Movie comment on Shark Exorcist
Larkspire
Simply awful. Not even delightfully awful. Just so bad it's bad. The almost-silent carnival sequence almost reaches the heights of a C-grade giallo, and that's the highlight of this film. I can't believe that two different state film commissions contributed money towards this.Movie comment on Ouija Shark
Larkspire
It has a pool party. It has the supernatural. It has a shark. It has psychic powers. It has poignant political commentary. What more do you need?Movie comment on Julie & Julia
Larkspire
A lovely story well told (and filmed), but for a true story I knew nothing about going in I found it weirdly predictable.Movie comment on Bite
Larkspire
Actors $200Writing $150
30 seconds of CGI $800
Practical effects $360,000
Editing $150
some executive producer who is good at the budgeting please help me with this. my movie is dying
Movie comment on Into the Dark: Pure
Larkspire
I had no idea this was part of a Hulu series. It's a decent horror movie in its own right, if derivative of both Mustang and The Witch.Movie comment on Murder Mystery
Larkspire
Much better than I expected. Maybe nothing special, but it has a great cast and it's a neat parody on the parlor/cozy murder mystery genre.Movie comment on Isn't It Romantic
Larkspire
If it isn't too late, don't watch a trailer or look up a synopsis for this. All you need to know is that it is a romantic comedy starring Rebel Wilson. Going in knowing no more than that definitely made me enjoy it more than I otherwise would have.Movie comment on Holidays
Larkspire
Holidays starts strong, but with a couple of exceptions, the short films in this anthology only get worse the longer you watch - whether you're looking for a good movie or a movie that's so bad it's good, there's better stuff out there. Still worth a watch for the Valentines and Easter episodes, though.Movie comment on Knock Knock
Larkspire
Pretty innovative really, I don't think I've ever seen another movie where the true horror is pending divorce.Movie comment on Tau
Larkspire
I quite happily sit through 4-5 hour movies sometimes, but this was excruciating at 97 minutes. Within half an hour I was ready for it to end, and by the time the credits started rolling I felt like I'd been watching for the duration of an LoTR extended edition.The concept was promising and the cinematography was great, but almost everything else left a lot to be desired. The effects were cool, but I think the movie would have been better off if they'd let the cinematography do the heavy lifting and diverted some of the effects budget elsewhere. Maybe to a re-write. Fiston Barek did well with what he was given, Maika Monroe did just okay, Ed Skrein was wooden - and I get that his character was supposed to be, but he was wooden in a bad way (it's not like the writing and Alex's character development did him any favours though). I felt a little like Oldman was phoning it in - he was okay, but I feel like he could have done much better even with the clumsy writing.
The score was nothing special, but pretty cheesy in the parts set in the jail (the trailer-bass-drop-thing used to try to make us jump? Really?).
Movie comment on The Darkest Dawn
Larkspire
About as bearable as most other found footage films.Movie comment on Silverado
Larkspire
Much more deserving of a place in the Western top lists (or any top list) than some of the others that actually made the cut.Movie comment on Mon oncle
Larkspire
This has its moments, but it's mostly interminable. Even gags that are only used once are beaten to death.Movie comment on In Like Flint
Larkspire
I'd heard this was comparable to Bond, but didn't make the mental leap to the Bond of the Sixties, specifically, where things likeMovie comment on Ghost in the Shell
Larkspire
Nothing on the original and I hated the ending (Major's choice, specifically). Not to mention the specific version of whitewashing chosen here - just straight-up making Major white would have been much more understandable.Still, it looks pretty, the combat cinematography is nice, and live action + cinematography definitely does better justice to Batou's eyes and the weird nude stealth suit.
Movie comment on The Cave
Larkspire
The Cave is sort of The Descent meets Alien - as good as neither, but a very entertaining (if not frightening) horror nonetheless. Don't expect anything original (or particularly well-written), but if you're a fan of the genre (or of science fiction, or maybe of action) it's well worth the watch.Movie comment on Pulse
Larkspire
Aside from a hammy climax, this is a fairly decent horror. It's neither actually-scary nor cerebral, but it's an entertaining watch.Nonetheless, it's nothing on the 2001 original, Kairo. I imagine that Craven and Wright's original meeting went something like this:
"Hey, this movie was pretty successful. What's it about?"
"Modern isolation, and also Hiroshima and Nagasaki somehow, but I haven't exactly figured those references out yet."
"Excellent. Let's make an American version, about Internet demons."
"Perfect."
I know it sounds like I'm griping about changes, but I think being even /less/ true to the original would have made the film stronger. As it is, it comes across as a little confused. It sort of tries to be about isolation, but doesn't follow through, and is weaker for this.
Being less true to the original would have also avoided some cringeworthy stabs at guessing what the youth are doing these days, such as a scene in which it's made clear that the film's young adults, with expensive computers, in the periphery of a "hacker" circle, at an expensive college campus, in P2P's heyday (when even musicians in the industry were advocating torrents and Limewire), pirated music by visiting CD pirates in person and purchasing physical CDRWs.
Movie comment on Zhi fan ye mao
Larkspire
A stellar debut. Xiuying is ostensibly the only spirit in the film, but many of the characters seem to be in an afterlife of their own in this gracefully-framed but derelict limbo of a landscape, not to mention nods to Sisyphus. Its quiet, contemplative attitude is emphasised in minimalistic editing and camera movement (that is, more often the lack thereof) that lets the painterly, near-monochromatic shots speak for themselves.I look forward to more projects to come from Hanyi Zhang and cinematographer Chang Mang (whether or not they continue to work together).
Movie comment on Under the Shadow
Larkspire
This isn't just the best horror movie I've seen in at least the past twelve months - it's also the first to scare me properly in a very long time. A story very well told which I'd recommend to anyone.Movie comment on Ejdeha Vared Mishavad!
Larkspire
I thoroughly enjoyed this, particularly the gorgeous (even captivating) cinematography and costuming, and the horror around the edges.The format was an interesting concept (and gives me some idea as to how the likes of House of Leaves could be adapted for the screen), but it fell a little flat. The "main" storyline (or the film-within-the-film, if you like) was very intriguing, but the suspense (and occasional horror) often isn't sustained throughout the mockumentary parts, which consequently spoil the mood, even though they're interesting enough. It's appropriate and realistic, and the film's definitely the better for the mockumentary part, but the plateaus in the atmosphere become a little frustrating.
Movie comment on The Hedgehog
Larkspire
I never would have believed that a short film about a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog would genuinely turn out to be an incredibly sad, even moving film, but here we are. (Perhaps the affect is exaggerated because I was mostly expecting it to be a joke.)Movie comment on Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Larkspire
Taika sure has the knack. Loved the visual comedy in this especially (along with the show-offy scenery, of course).Movie comment on The Lunchbox
Larkspire
This was the most delightful, heartwarming film I've seen in a long time.Showing items 1 – 25 of 105