Jordan Peele is one of the last few directors capable of making films that entertain you but at the same time make you think.
Nope is a deeply meaningful blockbuster movie, it explores many themes: Nature vs Civilization, exploitation\domestication\spectacularization of animals, the obsession for fame and the art of Cinema itself.
Hollywood needs more movies like this. Movies that are able to attract the masses with spectacular action, special effects and simple but captivating stories which however talk about important themes and pose interesting questions.
Entertaining movie that steals a lot from other videogames and films, from Wolfenstein to Ingrorious Basterds.
Nothing special or unforgettable, but it's fun to watch, mostly for the action, vivid photography, and great special effects
"Christmas Bloody Christmas" is an highly enjoyable film, expecially if you, like me, love 80s movies, neon photography, blood and gory action but is very derivative and a "more of the same" in the filmography of Joe Begos.
I believe Begos peaked with "Bliss" and we wouldn't get another film like that, or better, because he wants to stay in his 80s action\sci-fi\horror comfort zone.
This is not necessarily a bad thing for me because i can take hundreds of films like this one and VFW and still like them all, but the question of what he might do if he steps out of his comfort zone remains unanswered.
Good:
-Gotham is amazing. The set design is perfect and portrays the captivating gothic city in a cartoony but plausible way. Same for cinematography and direction. (I recommend to buy the remastered bluray, it is a pleasure for the eye)
-Joker and Nicholson's performance. So good and in the second part so exuberant that it overshadow Batman and every other aspect of the film
-Iconic costumes and vehicles
-Great music score
Bad:
-This is a film more about Joker than Batman.
Batman is a poorly developed character in this film. He's always between being a caricature (like Joker) or a serious character but he doesn't shine in any aspect.
-Vicky Vale\Kim Basinger could have been an interesting character (like a dark lady for example, since this film has a noir vibe) instead it is simply a damsel in distress used only to provide a (weak) love story and a means to explore Batman psychology, failing to do so.
Bluray quote:
"You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?" - Joker
Noir exotic melodrama with great direction, cinematography and impressive performance by Bette Davis.
If Deliverance and Platoon had a son this would be Southern Comfort.
Disappointing debut for great action director John McTiernan.
The problem here is not the direction, the actors, the cinematography etc.. the problem is the story.
It may not be a coincidence that this is the only film written by McTiernan in his entire filmography.
The story is confusing, there are many interesting elements but they are poorly developed and combined even worse.
In my opionin the film should have stuck to the story of the anthropologist who discovers a tribe of urban savages in Los Angeles. Instead the film adds a lot of random horror stuff like haunted houses, ghosts, nuns, which turns the plot in a nonsensical mess.
Nice noir film that expresses well the fears of infiltration of Nazi criminals in the respectable American society of that time.
Good cinematography, good pace and enjoyable performaces of Robinson and Welles.
Most interesting is the character of Mary, the unsuspecting wife of nazi general Frank Kindler who is torn between standing up for her husband or working with the police to arrest him.
I think a remake that explores the theme of the fascination of evil even more courageously without the constraints of the moral code of that time would be interesting.
Good:
-Torture, butchery, cannibalism and all the bloody shit you shamefully like. A lot of memorable scenes of this sort in the second part of the film.
-The part when they discover the cult in the darkness of the abandoned police station is terrifying
-The evil dwarf leader of the satanic cult. Really unique and iconic character
Bad:
-The plot doesn't make sense, and the fact that this could only be Arda's dream doesn't justify its inconsistency.
I read there are a lot of references to Turkish traditions. Frogs, keys, goat headed females are interesting but i wish the director had built a comprehensible plot with all these scary elements.
Bluray Quote:
"Hell is not a place you go to. You carry Hell with you at all times. You carry it inside you." - Baba
One of the best fighting movies of all time.
Boyka deserves a place in the pantheon of action heroes and Scott Adkins is one of the greatest martial artists.
Good:
-Excellent action, as spectacular as the previous movie but since this movie is focused on an international prison fight tournament there is much more action than the second one.
-Boyka steps up as the protagonist and he is more furious than ever (great perfomance by Scott Adkins)
-The other fighters are convincing and well distinguished. Each one of them has his own features and his own combat style and this makes the fights entertaining and unpredictable.
-The main villain Dolor is a real a.hole
-The ending
Bad:
-The plot is shallow and predictable. It's the reason because i think this film despite the outstanding action is slightly worse than the previous one.
-The buddy relationship between Boyka and Turbo doesn't work so well and the scenes that are supposed to be funny are actually not.
Bluray Quote:
"God has given me a gift. Only one. I am the most complete fighter in the world" - Yuri Boyka
Better than the first movie.
Fights, drama and humour are well balanced in this sequel compared to the original in which there was few action and more drama.
Plot is more articulated and original, thanks to the setting too (the russian prison is way more interesting than the generic US prison of the first film)
Characters are way better, more interesting and charismatic. Maybe Chambers is portrayed too much as a good guy in this sequel, and the morality is less blurred and more defined, with Chambers as the innocent victim who fights for a good cause and Bokya and the russian mob as the evil guys. Also the ending is too sentimental for an action film.
Some memorable scenes, like the one with Chambers outside in the snow.
Fights are great with good choreographies and direction. The only flaw is the shortness of the final fight, i would have preferred a longer and suspanseful duel.
Everything wrong with this movie:
-It takes itself too seriously. The introspective narrative voice, the coming of age drama, the constant references to religion are shallow.
These things are not enough to make a "The Road" with a vampiric background
-The plot and the world in which the film is set are full of inconsistencies. At the beginning, the narrator tells us that the situation is desperate and those who have decided to stay together in cities and villages have not survived. A little later they enter a fairly populated city where everyone gets along well and there are also enough resources for everyone...
The protagonist tells us that, however, he doesn't want to stay because his destiny is the street and vampire hunting... later on in the film they load up their car with all kinds of people (a nun, pregnant women, a man that could have been bitten by a vampire, who could slow them down and hamper them in their hunt for vampires) to go towards New Heaven which is supposed to symbolize a return in the civilized world...
-Vampires in this movie are retarded zombies. At one point a character is left alone at night without weapons in the midst of a herd of 6-7 vampires, he comes out unharmed (we don't know how since the director doesn't show us anything) . Also the scene of the vampire trap with a bloody teddy bear is hilarious.
-The main villains of this film are a clichè group of religious fanatics that have no purpose at all except create chaos, rape nuns and kill the protagonist of the film.
-The final fight is ridiculous, an highlight of the film solved in 2 minutes.
In summary this is a zombie movie without what that makes zombie movies great (the desperate fight for resources and survival, the collapse of trust between people, the selfishness of humankind in desperate situations, the fear that anyone could have been bitten and turn to a zombie/vampire at any moment, the presence of an ubiquitous fearful and implacable enemy etc..)
Allegorical tale about the complicated relationship between man and woman that leads to toxic masculinity and physical and psychological violence towards women.
The setting of the English countryside is ecstatic as the setting of a fairy tale but like every fairy tale there are monsters here too.
In this film the monsters are all men, all with the same face, all with the same hostile and sexist behavior towards Harper.
The "nice guy" landholder who always expects something in return, the adolescent who threatens and offends, the sexually repressed priest who blames women for all human suffering, the psychopathic stalker.
They are nothing more than the mirror of Harper's husband who committed suicide and layed the blame on her because she asked the divorce.
They all represent the same type of toxic, possessive, and narcissistic male.
The final sequence shows in pure body horror style the self-referentiality, the narcissism, the petticism and the weakness of the typical man of the patriarchal society. Deep down he is a deeply insecure man who desperately wants to be loved by women unconditionally.
It is a good film that could have been even better if the metaphors had not been so explicit (and often cheap) and if they had outlined the protagonist better. The photography is splendid and the ending is also memorable in its rawness.
Bluray Quote:
"James, what is it that you want from me?"
"Your love"
Good:
-Ving Rhames character and performance. A real a-hole. The only reason to follow the film until the end is to see if his ass gets beaten.
-The juxtaposition between the two boxers. Snipes, quiet and decent guy who is in prison for having commited a crime in a burst of jealousy and Rhames, arrogant, evil guy incarcerated for rape.
-The final fight. Full of action and suspance
Bad:
-A waste of good actors. The plot and the characters (except for Rhames) are weak for a film that has Wesley Snipes, Peter Falk, Wes Studi, Michael Rooker in the credits
-The direction is bad and this is surprising considering this film is directed by Walter Hill. It often looks like a tv movie or a mtv video clip, chaotic fast editing and cheap hip-hop music make things worse.
Bluray Quote:
"I'am not an athlete, i'm a gladiator. People play baseball, nobody plays boxing" - Iceman
The best thing about this movie is the atmosphere. Chloe Okuno manages to portrait perfectly the isolation, loneliness and anxiety of a girl haunted by a stalker in a foreign city with no one to believe or help her. The plot is really simple, the film is not scary in the typical horror way, but direction, cinematography and setting makes this movie worth watching. The only real flaw i found about this film is the ending. Forced and unrealistic.
Bluray Quote
"Maybe he is staring at the woman who is staring at him" (Julia's boyfriend)
"Yo dawg i heard you like zombie movies so i put a zombie movie in a zombie movie in a zombie movie"
Good:
-Metacinema at its finest
-Masterful direction, the opening long take is superb
-The second part is clever and funny
Bad:
-This film is half horror, half comedy. They could have added another layer to the story if real zombies showed up at the end to close the circle (horror-comedy-horror).
Bluray quote:
"PUM!"
Good:
-Outstanding allegory of the capitalistic system and US society
-Powerful and courageus social and political criticism.
-Oscar worthy performance of the protagonist Lupita Nyong'o
-Clever use of humour in an horror movie
-"I got five on it"
Bad
-Middle part is a game of cat and mouse that makes little sense. The tethered could have easily killed the protagonist's family in multiple occasions but they don't
-The underlying message and the society in which they (us) live are scary, the film itself not so much
Bluray Quote:
"When you point a finger at someone else, you have three pointing back at you."
Very enjoyable old school action movie.
Fast paced, with plenty of car chases, shootings, ambushes etc that keep you entertained during the 2 hours of film. Fun stereotyped characters and a perfect and believable role of semi-retired sheriff for the 65 yeard old Arnold Schwarzenegger.
BLURAY Quote:
Gabriel Cortez: "Hell, 12000 Mexicans come across every day, you shoudn't mind if one goes back"
Sheriff Ray Owens: "You make us immigrants look bad"
Good:
-Astounding action. Direction, cinematography, sound effects and all the technical aspects of this film are extraordinary
-Realism. In an era in when even dialogues between characters are shot in front of a green screen, the fact that they decided to shoot this film in the air, with real planes doing real maneuvers and to put the actors inside a real cockpit must be praised
-Tom Cruise. The film is basically a celebration of the actor and his acting\action skills
Bad:
-More a remake than a sequel. There is little of original in this film.
-The non-action scenes. A lot of them are bad copies of what we already seen in the first movie. The themes are also recycled from the first film but explored in a worse way.
-Actors (Tom Cruise aside of course). An ill and mute Val Kilmer has still twice the charisma of all the new actors they introduced as pilots.
-Romance. Forced and compared to the love story between Maverick and Charlie in the first film terrible.
-Why didn't they call back Kelly McGillis? For a film that focus a lot on nostalgia, her absence is a serious shortcoming.
DVD Quote:
Rooster: "I saved your life!"
Maverick: "I saved your life! That's the whole point!"
Good:
-This film is a pleasure for the eye. Locations, set design, costumes and cinematography are top notch. It's an immersive and fascinating canvas of that historical period. Although not so historically accurate, for example the town where they shot the film is not Pescia in Tuscany (where Benedetta Carlini really lived) but Bevagna in Umbria.
-Acting is very good, expecially the protagonist, Virginie (not so virgin) Efira
-Hot naked nuns get laid (this is the other reason why the film is a pleasure for the eye lol)
Bad:
-Too grotesque. This film sometimes seems an historical drama about serious themes as religion, sexuality, repression etc.. other times seems a porn parody written by Brazzers.
-The story is inconsistent and confusing. I have the impression it was just an excuse for the director to make controversial, sexually provocative scenes to shock the audience and covertly mock christianity.
DVD Quote (spoiler)
"She used a wooden figure of the Blessed Virgin to penetrate the sex of Benedetta and make her to crisis
[Priest smash the table] Crimen Nefastum"
Good:
-Violence and gore in this film are absolutely exceptional. In quantity and quality. A lot of memorable scenes for cruelty and originality
-Disgusting, disturbing, very very offensive but extremely amusing
-No CGI but good old special effects, with props, makeup, and a lot of fake (?) blood
-A collection of really evil nazi puppets that do the worst things to people who do not deserve it (which is the essence of the horror genre)
-A lot of black humour
-Interesting characters in their own oddity. Not only the main characters but even casual victims of the killing have characteristic traits that makes them unique (a line they say, a physical feature etc)
-Opening titles (the comic style is great)
Bad:
-There is more plot in the opening titles than in the entire movie.
The story is very simple, this can be a good thing because it allows the movie to be focused on the killings, but a bit more development would have added suspance and depth to the movie.
-Open ending (and we don't know when and if they will make a sequel)
If you liked the violence in this movie i recommend checking out S. Craig Zahler filmography. Bone Tomhawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, Dragged Actoss Concrete are great movies.
DVD quote:
"Cuddly Bear don't wanna hurt nobody, even a hater, but Mrs. Cuddly Bear wants herself a new hi-def TV.
Cuddly Bear's got principles, but he also got priorities."
Pro:
-Good halloween atmosphere
-the 3 iconic masks and the unforgettable Silver Shamrock commercial
-Very good soundtrack and effects
-Charismatic protagonist and villain
-Critic to consumerism
Cons:
-The title (this should have been a standalone movie or the beginning of a new antologic saga)
-The Plot. The fundamental idea is good but the story is full of plot holes and wtf moments (Robots and snakes, come on...)
If you like 80s sci-fi\horror movies you'll like this film.
It is full of references to a lot of classics of that era (Close Encounters, Friday the 13, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers etc...), it's not a great film but it is not as bad as the ratings say, it's not boring, there's plenty of gory action and there are some wtf moments that make you laugh.
A mix between REC and The Descent but poorly written.
The setting is great, the real Paris catacombs are amazing and the idea of a group of people trapped in there and their only escape is to dig deeper is brilliant. The decision to shoot it in the found footage format is nailed and the camera work is good. Too bad the characters are lame and the story is inconsistent and stupid.
Someone should hire a real screenwriter and make a remake of this.
"Sex is the invention of a very clever venereal disease"
Shivers is David Cronenberg's first feature film and in it we find all the themes thoroughly explored in his filmography.
-Sex, the consequences of the liberation of this instinct or its repression
-The body, its oddities and its conflicting relationship with the mind: does the mind control the body or is it the opposite?
-Technology, science and how they can affect the human body and mind
Shivers is horror at its finest because it uses the genre to investigate interesting themes and pose unsettling questions.
"Fake it until you ... go insane and start swallowing needles and batteries"
Hunter (played beautifully by Haley Bennet) is a kind hearted and naive young girl who tries to be the perfect wife, in return she receives the indifference and oppression of her husband and family.
In response to this gaslighting situation, she begins to rebel by swallowing dangerous objects.
Swallow is a psychological horror where terror and violence are sneaky and mean. The film perfectly manages to put us in the role of the protagonist, we feel weak and helpless and we suffer with her the psychological violence inflicted on her by her family members. The other characters, from the husband, to the in-laws, to the psychologist, even if they never lift a finger on her, are a collection of monstrous characters.
Swallow is a very interesting film, never boring, well directed and photographed.
Highly recommended, expecially if you enjoyed movies like Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman, The Invisible Man (2020) or the more recent Men by Alex Garland.
Good concept, mediocre development.
A lazy, unfaithful husband seeks redemption by building a house in an abandoned, haunted old brothel.
With these premises I was expecting a horror movie about a haunted house with a sexual/erotic touch but for 2/3 of the film there is no sexual tension or tension whatsoever. Just marbles rolling on the floor, broken pipes and sperm leaking from power outlets...
Luckily the last 30 minutes lift the film from very bad to mediocre, and the director manages to show that he has a little of Sam Raimi's talent (the film is clearly inspired by his works) by filming one or two funny and scary scenes. But it's too late
