Reviews

Let me say off the bat that by no means is this a perfect documentary - we don't get much insight into the (former) lives of the subjects, very little background information about the context and the location and not even much insight into how they live their daily lives (they're filming a sustainable green community but there is virtually no insight into their green practices or way of life).

As the title implies, the documentary focuses more on the people and their complicated relationships. The approach taken is very subtle and everything is filmed naturally, as is, there are no "video confessions" or interviews with partcipants or anything like that - only what they talk about naturally. While this is not a bad approach per se, it left a few gaps - some revelations were unexpected and I didn't always understand why people felt the way they did, so at least some interviews or coordinated insight into their feelings would've been nice.

All in all, it's an interesting watch but I was missing a few of the above mentioned things - better narration and more structure. 6/10.

If you are an Estonian, the novel "Tõde ja õigus" has been with you in one way or another since you're a child. It's compulsory reading at school and most Estonians have the whole series at home (5 novels in total). Countless expressions, tropes and jokes originate from it. So needless to say, this movie provokes a whole range of emotions for a native and I dare say it's been extremely well received by critics and moviegoers alike.

Now, if you're not Estonian, fret not. This movie tells a universal type of story, the kind that exists in every culture and language - a story of labor and hardship, love and loss. Despite its long runtime and slow-burn type of approach, it doesn't feel long - the cast and acting are superb, the script is very well paced and written and the picturesque scenes are bound to suck you in.

"Truth and Justice" is a charming and important movie. Highly recommended watching for any true film lover.

While Rachel's story is interesting and raises many valid questions about race and identity, the viewer doesn't actually learn much about these topics. As a staple of Netflix documentaries, The Rachel Divide includes virtually no expert opinions or historical background or even contextual information - I would've loved to hear what actual scholars and researchers of race or identity think about this issue! - all we get is Rachel sharing her feelings and long scenes of her doing chores or talking to her family. And then of course a bunch of clips of people angrily reacting to the whole issue.

I think it's a massive missed opportunity and although the ending desperately wants to ask the viewer "well what do you think?" there is almost nothing to base our opinions on.

In one of the most startup savvy countries in the world, Estonia, the idea of becoming a unicorn (like Transferwise, Bolt, Skype, Playtech have) is the holy grail. With more startups being born here per capita than anywhere else in the world, this movie was long overdue in terms of its target audience - everyone has been "startupping" for nearly a decade now, hackathons are extremely popular and young people are constantly encouraged to start up a business - and the theaters were packed in the first weeks of its release.

With all this being said, Chasing Unicorns is a witty little film and for the many startuppers of Estonia, probably their favorite film on the year. The movie tries to keep its message light and emphasizes every step of the way how failure is important and how you always need to listen to your heart. This idealism, however, doesn't mash well with the often tropey plot - many of the jokes or characters you've probably seen and heard before. The little cameos it included were neat but out of context and they didn't run with the joke but let it awkwardly fade away, which made it so much worse.

The most construed thing about this movie, however, is the female lead's way to stardom - as a character, she didn't seem to possess any of the skills, spirit or vision that the movie tried to picture her having; as such, her character fell short of her co-lead. The ending, however, was what I disliked the most about this movie and I'm not even sure what point it was trying to make - it could've been a 6/10 movie...

Overall enjoyable but has its flaws.

The film has a very promising premise for any horror fan - a story with paranormal elements, a small cast and filmed with a hand-held camera (think of the suspense!). This immediately sets the expectations high - I was expecting a Spanish Blair Witch Project or perhaps a successful spin-off of Rec.

In reality, the friends I went to the movies with got nauseous because of the constant shaking of the camera and I did not flinch once. It must be said, though, that Atrocious does a good job of misleading the viewer - something I rather enjoyed, but some others might find disappointing.

The biggest flaw, however, was that the movie got lost in itself. The producers were clearly so caught up with the whole amateur-footage-spooky-places-run-and-scream theme that it engulfed the whole movie, making everything else that happened inbetween seem like one long filler. And then combined with the completely unexpected ending, Atrocious might just leave you feeling a little indifferent about the whole thing - and nauseous, if you're like one of my friends.

Overall, it's a decent little horror flick, but nothing that would keep you up at night.

I'm a true sci-fi buff. It's my favourite genre of film, literature, even music. So, I was quite excited when I stumbled upon this short film, which seemed quite promising.

Sadly, I was disappointed. There was nothing about this short film that would have made it memorable or exceptional -- the script came off paranoid and most of the actors were very stiff and didn't carry out the scenes. I also felt a bit let down. With this sort of a concept that would tickle every sci-fi fan's imagination, the story didn't offer any answers, dilemmas or explanations. It just sort of threw this half-baked and rather implausible idea out there and just let it sink.

Now don't get me wrong, I can fully understand this film had strict budgetary restraints, which naturally limits its story-telling abilities, but even story-wise it offered nothing original.

I do, however, sincerely hope the idea itself won't be lost. Meanwhile, I recommend everyone who have the same there-is-something-about-the-Moon thoughts rather read "Who Built the Moon" by Christopher Knight and Alan Butler. I can guarantee you it'll be more interesting and thought-provoking, and - most importantly - it doesn't use quotes by American presidents as its source of inspiration.

I can't remember the last time a film evoked such raw emotions in me. I'm literally teared up and shaking - from anger, pain, frustration and disbelief. Watching this film is an experience more than words can describe, it plays on pure emotion. You're sucked into the whole atmosphere, to the characters - both the good and the bad -, and it really eats you up and leaves you with this bundle of emotions that catch you off guard and in the end, leave you empty-handed.

I'm sorry for not being very precise about the plot and the characters, but I simply can't write an ordinary "this film opens with..." review, the experience was just too much.

I highly recommend it, but not for the weak-hearted.

The film opens with four women waking up in a room, they have no memory of their lives before nor do they know where they are. The women show "character" immediately - there's the emotional one, the tough one, the sensitive one and the heroine. The women are subjected to various tests, which are conducted by a callous scientist and his assistants who talk like robots and look like they belong rather to a street rave. The action is like slime - sticky and drags on forever. The last quarter of the film, however, sees a change of pace and the viewer is poured over with information that literally comes out of the blue and quite frankly makes no sense.

The whole feel of "Bane" is bizarre - it tried to be too original and ended up making a mess out of itself. It's not a least bit interesting to watch either, it tries to be gory, psychological and supernatural all at the same time and fails miserably in all genres.

Let me start by saying that I was expecting so much more.

The first part was more like psychological thriller - the rundown kind that has no twists and genuine scares. In fact, all of the "scary" parts were created by using unexpected noises and creepy music, which got boring and predictable really soon. Even changes in the camera angle were accompanied by a loud bang.

The second part, however, turned into a supernatural slasher and I was actually quite thrilled, because the first part of the film had been really bad. So I adapted and stayed tuned, hoping for at least something genuine in the whole thing. Needless to say, I was disappointed once more.

Babysitter Wanted failed at everything that would have made it rise even slightly above the average mass of horror flicks. Not only was the main character annoying and unbelievable, the supporting roles weren't much better either. The protagonist kept commenting her own actions and narrating, which was unnecessary and - yup, you guessed it - annoying. The whole story just fell flat and didn't even give me a good fright nor a laugh nor evoked some sort of an emotion.

Moreover, I was disappointed that the religion aspect of the whole thing wasn't utilized and as far as I'm concerned, that's a serious loss.

So, what we have here is a shell of a movie. All of the necessary components with bad execution and with no soul.

Plague Town caught my attention because I'm a sucker for horror flicks that have creepy children in it - to my mind they are the scariest kind.

It started off good, with a few glitches though - some strange scenes that were apparently supposed to build up the tension, but failed at it. The relationship between the two sisters was exaggerated, I thought, and the whole family unit dysfunctional - even so much that I was wondering why on earth would they gone on this trip together.

This being said, the children were creepy enough, although the effect didn't really last. The events in the cottage and with the townspeople were much more effective, while the children took the unwilling role of backscatter.

I won't even start questioning the logic behind the plot - the so-called plague, isolation, unexplained murderous desires and whatnot - let's leave it at that and take the film for what it is.

To sum up, it'll give you a few good scares with a few laughs, but not much more.

First of all, let me just state I had neither high nor low expectations, I was just looking for some mediocre horror, reminiscent of Children of the Corn but with better special effects.

And I must say I was very pleasantly surprised, the film gripped me immediately and I especially liked the minimalistic setting. The story was utterly fascinating, the tension build-up gradual but steady and the climax worth waiting for.

All the characters seemed realistic, even too realistic, which made the story that much more creepier. The infected children weren't like something out of a cheap horror flick - mindless bloodthirsty killing machines - but they were clever and resourceful, and oh so scary. This is what makes The Children that much more different than other analogous films and really adds to its quality.

But most importantly - The Children took itself seriously, something that most horror films nowadays don't.

"Ginger Snaps" is exactly the kind of movie you want to watch when you're all alone, when you feel cut off from the rest of the world ...because this will enhance this feeling a hundred times. All of the scenes are very dark and grim, there's a lot of blood and guts and a whole lot of tension. It touches the delicate issues which come along with being a teenager and does so in a very bold way - it really doesn't leave any room for interpretation.

The neighbourhood the girls live in is sort of restricted, it gives the viewer an idea of isolation. It's the kind of place where everybody knows everybody, so the gruesome deeds that start to happen seem even more serious.

The acting is good and professional, it's not underdone nor is it exaggerated. Not to mention the characters themselves - the slovenly appearance of Brigitte gives a very distinct view of the girl's shy character. Ginger, on the other hand, is more Gothic, in a dark sexy way and it's very clear how Brigitte looks up to her older sister. So the movie doesn't only bring about a moral dilemma (and trust me, the movie presents plenty of those), but also sort of analyses the relationship between two sisters.

Though it has a few mistakes and comes across a bit raw at some points, the movie in general is still really enjoyable.

"Before Sunset" is so very simple. There are only two actors and only one simple story. But that story will crawl into your heart and stay there, sipping its camomile tea, listening to street musicians and wondering if true love really exists. Because the story knows it does, but it just wants to make you wonder too...

Basically the movie is about two people who meet again, both thinking the other had forgotten about what they shared a long time ago. They just walk and talk, discovering a lot, sharing a lot and probably deciding a lot. Might sound cheesy, but it's worth every penny and every minute spent on it. Don't miss it for the world.

Truly an unique movie experience.