Best adaptation of Sherlock Holmes ever. Even better than BBC's Sherlock (it lacks the drug abuse and 'unethical' practices from the detective. It's too "politically correct", it's somewhat annoying). Now if you think I'm on the wrong show posting this, either you didn't watch House MD, or you don't know Sherlock Holmes...
This is bad. A bad, slow, poor adaptation from the comics. And, hell, I watched it through 4 1/2 seasons... I mean, c'mon, 1st season is great! 2nd is ok. 3rd is meh. But 4th? 4th is "what the hell are the producers doing to this show?" horrible. And now they announce that the 6th (FU*&%ING 6TH!!!) season will have... ZOMBIES?? Isn't this SUPPOSED to be a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE SHOW? And they announce zombies as if it was a great turn of events in the show... Really? o.O
No, don't bother telling me what happened to the show after the first half of 4th season. I'm pretty sure I can sum that up in only three syllables: "bla bla bla"...
I give it 2 hearts. And that is because 1st and 2nd seasons really entertained me, despite what they did to some characters (like... what? 19 episodes to kill Shane? Seriously? Why? And why is Lori so annoying? Someone please kill her!! \o/ YESSS! Thank you Carl! That's my boy!! Now I can stop watching this crap! Oh no, wait! The Governor appears! YESS!! ............. Aaaaand, he's boring. -_-' ).
Oh boy... This movie is the very definition of a train wreck. Starts just like another day down the line, ends in an ugly and utterly incomprehensible catastrophe.
For the 1st act, the movie was awesome. The world building is so good that at some point I almost questioned myself if the "Night Owls" show was based on anything real (not in a generic way, but some specific show that actually existed IRL). David Dastmalchian gives us an amolst palpable Jack, the show's host, despite the cliché tropes you might expect from a Mr. Good Guy who becomes involved with media and its cruelty ("Its all about the sponsors, the audience ratings, the show MUST go on").
The second act ramps up the speed and acceleration curve in a very good pace. The interview with Mr. Wriggles is AWESOME. All kudos to Ingrid Torelli (Lilly), who delivers a very good performance. The weirdness, the hatred embedded in the tone and gaze, the irony that only those in full control of the situation can appreciate. Her acting is GOOD from the moment she sets foot on the stage, but VERY underrated by the directors / script writers (who, if you didn't notice, are the same guys). And the transition to the third act is where this movie runs through a wall, smashes its face to it and still continues, top speed until it completely derails in a fraction of a second (minor spoilers ahead).
Third act is completely over the top. From the moment the ghost hand comes in over Jack's shoulder all the way until the end, everything is way too much. Lilly suddenly becomes an almighty entity, throwing lightnings through her hands, twisting necks from afar, levitating people to the air, melting people to the ground... That is NOT "the Devil", that is Palpatine, for Reagan's sake... And Jack's conclusion arc... URGH bad. Dastmalchian continues to deliver his best with what he has at hands, but the script just ruined everything. I give one extra point to the direction and their decision to turn this complete mess into something that resembles analog horror, but I take it back because they didn't want to let you know they were taking any sort of influence from YT channels. The result is, again, a mess, you can't understand what the heck you are watching (is this being broadcast? just in Jacks head? WTF is going on?). The movie ends in the best WYSIWYG way: "What You See Is What You Get". Deal with it.
Overall, if you have nothing better to do, dive in. Its well acted and well directed, and overall very well produced, despite the script's mess. If you are looking for something a little more exhilarating, maybe a rerun of The Exorcist would be a better choice...
It's a good show. Had everything needed in a show... too bad it was cancelled... =(
Brilliant! This is a masterpiece. Every single aspect of the movie, from the script to the acting and the direction, from photography to make up, from VFX to OST, absolutely EVERYTHING is so well thought, so well made, the passion of everyone involved is palpable. This movie is a heartwarming piece for every fan of the seventh art. While Hollywood nowadays is all about the technique, the technology, techie this techy that, this movie takes it from the heart. A fable so well told it will stick with you for quite some time. A magical, mystical yet so scary world that you can almost smell from your seat, depicted in many delicate yet gruesome details...
THIS, ladies and gentleman, is pure ART. This is what cinema is about.
Now, if you didn't watch it yet, stop reading this and treat yourself the pleasure. You won't regret.
Even struggling with the notion as I am right now, I would put this on the same shelf as Mother! and Black Swan. This is by far the most ambitious piece of work of Charlie Kaufman. Sometimes, there are so many things happening on the screen, and they are all so subtle and transmit so many different messages, the spectator may get lost. The movie reminds you on key moments that this is a movie you are seeing, not real memories or happenings. It takes some time to criticise itself on screen during the play, acknowledging it's own limitations as media while, at the same time, building up characters and the story. Whoever is unfamiliar with most of the film criticism language may not realise that and this part gets lost. However, this won't stop the spectator from creating theories as to what the fudge is going on, which is so by design.
The plot is so simple and the key to its full comprehension is at the title, bear that in mind. However, we as creatures are not simple. Our minds are complex palaces of memories, feelings, imagination and dreams. The movie depicts this Mind Palace perfectly, going back and forth in time and space, through reality and dream, feelings and reason, on the most perfect pace I've seen so far on screen (let alone David Lynch's Mulholland Drive). What is memory and what is imagination is a question that will stick with you until the end, and the answer is not pleasing to understand, although simple.
So, to sum it up, this is certainly not the average Joe's cup of tea. If you don't want to dive into the abyss of mind, get away from this. But if you decide to take a leap into this void, relax and stop struggling is the movie's main message, which, by itself, may be the hardest thing to do in this life...
What is the purpose of a movie? Well, you can name a few: to tell a story, to give a lesson, to send a message, to show you something you wouldn't get to see on a daily basis, to provoke a feeling, etc.. Some movies have more than one purpose, some other purposes are not listed here (of course).
Borgman fails. It fails in any purpose at all, unless the purpose is to make you think about the movie itself. It tells no story, at least not in the strict sense of "story", so it is not a drama. It has no moral at the end, so it is not a fable. It won't creep you that much (if you are used to watching horror movies, expect no chills and no jumpscares). There is no relief nor release at any point, things just happen and hang you in the expectation something significant will happen, but it never comes. You can't identify with any character at all, they are all too apathetic or simply too shallow for someone to have any sympathy for them.
The only thing Borgman made me think of is Borgman itself and I mean the movie, not the character. What is the point of making a movie? What is it's purpose? This movie apparently has none. Unless I am too stupid to understand anything, but (in my understanding) if you must have a PhD to understand/enjoy a movie, that movie failed.
The only thing Borgman made me feel is boredom. And regret. Maybe I'm too insensitive, maybe hours and hours of terrible horror movies made me too cold, but everything is so surreal that... "Nah, this would never happen" is the only thought I had in my mind throughout the entire experience (and I rate "Gerald's Game" 9 stars).
It deserves 3 stars for photography, make-up and direction. If you want to jump in, be my guest, but be warned: you'll regret the time you sit and watch this.
