Reviews

Finally watched it, michael mann's 2006 film miami vice. Its reputation as one of the most popular vulgar auteurist films, with the array of 5 star reviews on letterboxd, had me quite interested and excited for what this would be.

To begin, to say that this is unconventional and unique is an understatement, for better and for worse. From the digital, hand-held, dirty and raw cinematography that feels like you're looking into an actual captured footage of cops on miami crime operations, to its dry, cold atmosphere and approach, it isn't hard to notice miami vice's obvious exterior and the way it moves. But despite those initial impressions, i'm really hesitant to describe the film itself as necessarily cold or dry. Because it really isn't in the end. The gorgeous shots of nature -skylines, grass, forest, palm trees- coupled with pretty great soundtrack which might be my favorite part of the movie, there is something special and beautiful about the film, even something human. Also in regards to how human characters move and interact between them. Visuals - tone - vibes - all those elements combined, it really makes this film a relic/time capsule from the early 2000s. It really could not have been made during this era without sacrificing some of its features.

But despite all this - i sadly did not really enjoy the film that much and was let down by it. Simply put the film did not make me engage with it that much. No matter how many positive observations you make with the film, no matter how much you like moments from it or the ending sequence (thanks to this i did leave with positive aftertaste) - the truth is, what ultimately dictates my impression/opinion is my overall enjoyment. I didn't feel that much / the film didn't click with me / was bored / etc etc. You know the drills. At some points i was surprised with how much i could not enjoy or vibe with this film. I really wanted to like this badly and who knows my opinion will change - but it is important to be honest on how you feel. I didn't love miami vice.

A story of literally old guards that defended humanity for centuries, probably millennium, so long that where and how they came to be doesn't even matter. A connection and recognition made through visions and dreams, a rise of a new warrior, etc. On paper, the idea is pretty solid and the best way this could run free and reach its real potential is to fully commit to the mythological, fairytale, epic nature of the story. It doesn't even have to be a period piece, that can totally work in a modern setting. But the old guard doesn't do that. It actually goes into a completely wrong, opposite direction - that of a generic disposable streaming action movie. A movie so bland and dull, in both its visuals and its presentation - and it barely has that much action in the first place. The third act is one of the most blandest looking and staged set piece in an action movie i've seen in a while, devoid of any real stakes, emotions or tension. In fact, probably one of the worst/dullest looking movies i've seen. Even the breadcrumb of action scenes we get in the first and third act are at best passable, and at worst subpar. I'll admit i did not have necessarily the worst time watching this film, with there being glimpse of nice, human moments of connection, retrospection and growth, but those aren't enough to change my opinion on the overall film. The idea and archetype for characters are good, and like i said there are some moments i appreciated but none of them actually realized into a real memorable individuals. The comically bad villain didn't help too. In fact as i think more about it it's getting worse and worse. It's probably the movie slowly evaporating in my brain and in the end there won't be any real substance to come back to. This might be worse than extraction ii.

The most unique and scariest episode of the season so far. The fear of apocalypse, ignited from what you read and see and hear from the media. What's on the newspaper, what's on the television news. You try to ignore it, you change the channel into something happy, but that fear still lingers with you. A paranoia caused by this, that's what this episode is about. There are scary things showing in the television, not a horror movie or a serial killer, and who knows what a mind can do to you after it has consumed and absorbed what's on tv. It may be real, maybe it's not. At first glance this has nothing to do with media or technology, but like i said think there still is something related to that. Media n stuff. I appreciated its idiosyncrasy, a dark comedy/fairytale type approach, and an excellent performance from paapa essiedu. Black mirror is diving fully into the pulp/serialized mystery/scary stories -and i honestly can get behind it, 100%. Honestly really curious what direction the show could go next. Season 7 in 2025!

What we look for & what interest and wow us in science fiction is its creativity and ideas. What kind of scientific advancements, technology, and discoveries can be achieved and what would they look like? But to go beyond the initial hook and interest of the concept is another story. Sci-fi is, in my opinion, at its most interesting when it's ultimately about humans. Us, our relationships, and our emotions. Maybe it's the most basic statement you can have about the genre idk, but i stand by it & Beyond the Sea is a great example illustrating my point regarding that. As expected from a black mirror episode, there is no spectacle or cgi extravaganza at all here. All we have is a claustrophobic and lifeless interior of spaceship, and a beautiful and warm farm house on earth. Beyond the Sea undeniably has an interesting sci-fi tech concept, but what really struck me was what type of story it allowed to tell & remix. A story of two souls sharing one body & life, and the slowly building tension and rising feeling that this won't end well at all. The way it slowly moves towards the inevitable tragic/horrible destination. This is very calm and tranquil story just like the featured farm house. (for the most part, anyways.) it almost feels too quiet and soft at points (maybe even bit saggy too, something preventing this from being actually great), and maybe could've benefited from a bit more provocative approach or a bit more energy injected in terms of directing, but i still overall liked it a lot. Season 6 really has been pushing the boundary of what qualifies as a black mirror story, both this and loch henry technically tells a story of media/technology gone wrong, but still feels very distinct and different from previous eras of the show. For better or for worse, i'm inclined to say this is the closest this show has gone to its prime since the disappointing season 5.

An american suburb house turned into a full-on haunted house ride, a chamber of museum enriched with possession, relic, and chained spirits. All of it freed. This is the closest the conjuring universe has ever gotten to a young adult/teen horror affair, even more than its predecessor, annabelle: creation. It expands further beyond than simply teens being the lead and center of the story. From the opening few minutes, the vibes are there -the interior of the school, the house, decorations and wallpaper, the almost warm and at-home feeling you can read from here and there- in addition to standard teen horror stuff ranging from trauma, blossoming love, to a child who can see things others don't. All executed surprisingly well, while some elements being handled better than others. If only the slow-burn first half wasn't so stretched and overlong. I appreciate the attempt to carefully build and present the characters, their story and memory, situations etc, but after certain point i couldn't help but feel its sluggish nature. Good news is that the latter half is much better! The writers really went crazy with coming up with ideas here, with this one having the most ghost/ghouls in a conjuring universe film. It definitely can work as a jumping point to create even more spin-off and sub-franchises within this universe. To wrap things up: i did not expect the ending to be so touching & wholesome. It feels genuine and authentic, built naturally; not simply shoved in just for the sake of having an emotional moment. (i'm talking stuff with daniela)

While undeniably presenting some thoughtful and strong ideas regarding revenge, (the cycle of) violence, and the effect that whole process can have on us (both psychological and physical), etc, i don't think the movie quite succeeds in connecting those dots and making a cohesive and meaningful statement or messaging. It does however achieve in presenting an extremely violent, vulgar, provocative and fetishized piece of ultra-violence. The set-pieces, the cinematography, all very well done. Such an interesting combination of what it is showing on screen and what it wants to(?) say. Like i said idk if it works 100% but it is a memorable film.

It's crazy how insanely well directed this movie is. Almost every single shot here is so perfectly designed and constructed. The way the camera moves, the way the shots are stitched together and flow, they create a genuinely intriguing and investing mystery/narrative. It rarely loses steam. Additionally, almost every directing choices is not only well-executed. They always make us immersed, build tension, or create some sort of emotional response from the viewer. Also notable is the fact that a lot of the shots are just simply so impressive/cool. It isn't hard to understand why this earned its horror classic reputation/status. Worth mentioning the graveyard scene for its excellent atmosphere and visuals alone.

The story of violence and crime told in the way of stillness, quietness, and the void. An extremely slow and minimalistic approach to a neo-noir story, with the injection of dark surreal fantasy and modern gothic fiction. I've never quite seen anything like this before, truly something unique. I especially loved its mixing of noir and fantasy. People basically diving into this ocean-space of neon lights; bathing in blue, red, and yellow/gold. Probably the best shot/directed thing ive seen recently. My eyes basically became the one with the movement of the camera - the way it zooms, spins, pans, etc. The final episode / ending made me go Huh??!! But there isn't probably a concrete answer. That cameo cracked me up tho.

David leitch started his career as a stuntman, then worked his way into being a film director, and is now one of the most notable mainstream action directors working on hollywood. If you know the basic premise of the film & his backstory, it isn't that difficult to guess the fall guy being a tribute & love letter to the stunt people. This is clearly a passion project for leitch. People that don't often get the recognition they deserve despite their hard work, often life-threatening. But the actual film is that and much more - an inspiring ode for the directors as well. Being proud of one's work, feeling responsible and powerful over it, and potentially inspiring more people like you via your work. Despite the hurdles in the way such as dipshit entitled actors or sinister/anti-art producers, in the end love triumphs, both love for your man and for your work. Happy ending is possible.

The fall guy didn't quite work for me in the first act, with the relationship/sorta-romantic subplot and conversations feeling like they're getting in the way of much more interesting mystery/main plot. The meta-ish narrative and some creative directing choices, while being bold, wasn't enough to fully grab my attention and pull me into the story. I was ready to slap a two-and-a-half star into this thing, maybe even lower, but as the 2nd act hits - the story finally gains its momentum and is a pretty much non-stop great ride til the end credits. I'd say this is quite the opposite of leitch's previous film - bullet train (a film i had a blast with) was a film that quickly invested me and was consistently fun.. until it kinda lost its steam in the cgi-filled third act. The fall guy on the other hand, slowly works its way through the first act until it fully takes off in the second act and onward. What i also appreciated is the minimized/almost non existing usage of cgi - almost every david leitch movie since deadpool 2 had a similar problem of mostly having great cinematography then ultimately delves into grey cgi sludge later, in the climax or sometimes little earlier. The fall guy does have some flat looking scenes or cgi, and sadly leitch may not reach again the visual heights of the first john wick or atomic blonde but overall this is visually strong. Considering the subject matter/theme, i appreciated the third act looking great and real, you can very much feel that those were made with talented stunt people and crew both in front of & behind the camera, putting their hard work in. I guess there were some cgi elements put into them but they weren't that distracting.

In the end, david leitch may not reach the greatness that his fellow john wick director chad stahelski achieved with JW sequels, especially in terms of action, but i'd say his movies get job done greatly for being a fun action films. And i'm very careful in saying this but leitch's movies may have been better in thematic elements.... i'll come back to this statement later. Anyways, good movie!

+) very heartfelt and feels like it was made by human. Which may sound weird, but considering the recent hollywood climate & some themes of the movie, it should come off as a compliment.

I wanted to like this more -and i feel like i should've liked this more- but ehh.

Yes, the long takes are impressive despite being digitally cut together, the set-pieces and fight choreography are impressive and competently done -you can get so so much worse with action genre, and this is clearly much above average stuff when it comes to those areas- but in other aspects this was so subpar. Like i said the long takes are impressive but its 'gimmick' isn't going to last forever. By following a single viewpoint or camera, no matter how omniscient and kinetic it is, sometimes there will be limitations that follow in presenting a big action piece. And when it comes to stuff like the vehicle chase in the first act, you can really see how that could be detrimental in delivering satisfying action sequences. There are undeniably fun and enjoyable scenes and moments here and there, with some nice small bits of extreme/over-the-top violence (guy getting crushed by barbell type stuff) but unfortunately a lot of this felt weightless. Credit where credit is due, but overall this is just another run-of-the-mil netflix action flick. Devolving into visual noise kinda stuff. Inoffensive, watchable, but non-stimulating, head-empty feeling. There isn't enough emotional stakes or weight, viceral feeling of other great contemporary action cinema like john wick or mission impossible. Doesn't help that most of this is visually another grey sludge. Feels quite similar to the first one when it comes to its strengths and weaknesses, with some improvements (more Golshifteh Farahani!) but also some back-steps (it makes sense that the sequel dives deeper into Rake's tragic past and more parallels and relationships about saving the son, but compared to the first one the emotional scenes don't work that well.)

not a bad time, but very forgettable and disposable.

A standard, text-book found footage film. With a very tight 80-min runtime, the film has all the fat trimmed out and goes straight into the meat and bones. What is unfortunate is that there isn't that much of meat to chew and enjoy. Don't get me wrong, there are undeniably tense and effective tension-building here (especially the climax) but a lot of the 'scares' of the film are entry-level stuff. Kinda minimal, basic, and trivial. Not trying to say they were ineffective, but imo, the filmmakers easily could've gone a bit more ambitious and made better use of the environment (the inside of the house). The camera almost feels like a separate entity/character/force, a still and quite spectator that serves as the ear and the eyes for the audience. There even is a certain degree of voyeurism and gazing-into-digital-void feeling that feel like a precursor to something like skinamarink. But what's important is that while it is a spectator and sometimes sees what other characters do not, it is never omniscient. There is still enough room for mystery and blindness for the audience to create some tension. The boredom/not-caring-ness almost set in during the second act but the movie quickly pulls you back in, so i wouldn't say this is a boring film necessarily. Not a great film but wayy more bearable and enjoyable than the other found footage horror film i saw yesterday. Made me feel/think a little bit regarding the role and place of ff horror like this in modern era, especially in regards to the internet and online horror content, but i'll save that for later. Maybe for when i see another ff horror movie.

P.s. The grandma's place has a really nice bedroom!

Starts off as (and sadly that hue does stay during most of the movie) another run-of-the-mill, generic hollywood tentpole blockbuster. From the weightless cgi looks to the boring dialogue and characters, the first act of Godzilla x Kong didn't do much for me. However, as the film progresses, it started to show off its bonkers ideas and charms one by one, and slowly & ultimately managed to win me over. This cinematic universe slowly drifted away from its dark, grounded, almost disaster-movie-like origins of godzilla 2014 as it went on, and after watching gxk you wouldn't believe they're even set within the same continuity. Gone are the rains, dust and night-time battles of king of the monsters or the vibrant, operatic cinematography larry fong achieved in skull island. In gxk, 90% of the battles are set in broad daylight, and the camera spins, cuts, and turns upside down (director adam wingard goes crazy in some shots) to maximize and display these battle of titans in a cartoon-like manner. You are basically being waterboarded with cgi spectacle, and that's not a bad thing! As someone who was turned off by the way godzilla ran in the first trailer, i kinda do miss the old aesthetic of the monsterverse, but i can't deny that what they achieved in gxk is helluva fun. I was basically cheering inside during the third act. They cut off all the bs (mostly) and solely focused on delivering a bonkers, digital, fantasy-like colosseum for the titans to punch and throw each other. Also notable is the role of kong as basically the protagonist of the movie. Contrary to godzilla, who gets less screentime and is treated more like a force of nature/beast he is, kong acts, feels, and emotes more like a human. There is an interesting contrast between kong's human-like and godzilla's animalistic behavior. Most of kong's scenes works as a dialogue-free fantasy action film about a lone warrior wandering this fantasy world and bonding with a child.

Hollow earth where exotic creatures dwell, ancient hidden civilization in there, huge temples built with shining crystals, hidden lore of monsters, portals, giant monkey tyrant riding an ice dragon, anti-gravity action sequence, and historic landmarks being destroyed disaster-movie-style. You can not fully be on board with the new direction, but you can't deny its charm and fun.

Also forgot to mention godzilla fighting an radioactive(?) sea dragon in the arctic. Think this maybe qualifies as a gonzo blockbuster.

Disturbing, eerie, and tense, the first half of Exhuma is an explosive mixture of south korean folklore and mythicism. It effectively evokes the universal dread and mystery regarding the afterlife, and what we, people still living and walking on this earth, can and should do with regards to that. The spiritual and supernatural bridge dangling between the two worlds. It works excellently as a paranormal occult horror film. Great atmosphere, never looses the steam, with fairly memorable moments.

But then it reaches the mid point of the film, something happens that made me not exactly sure about how I feel about this film as whole. To be clear: I still did like it a lot and it is nonetheless a strong film, but the aforementioned uneasiness and tension quickly goes away, and never quite reaches the same high as the previous half. It is a reveal/decision that I do appreciate: it is ambitious, creative, and is a big swing that we do not often see in a south Korean film. Also helps that practical effects accompanying it are simply amazing. However, the tonal shift/jarring nature of it kinda turned me off. I do recommend going into the film completely blind!

Kinda torn between 3.5 and 4 stars. It the film carried the strengths of the first two acts to the third act, and kept the film more consistent, it easily would've been4 stars and maybe 4.5. Again, still a great film and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in horror films with uniquely korean/asian DNA embedded to it.

"All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine."

Imagine you walk into an art gallery or history museum, and your surroundings come to life. Immortals feels like walking into a scene stripped straight out from a mythological storybook. Tarsem Singh's visual aesthetic and direction is so unique, and while some may (understandably) compare this to the likes of Zack Snyder's 300, Immortals still stands on its own feet, establishing its own visual and mythological identity. What's notable is Singh's usage of visual symmetry, framing, overwhelming shades of gold and yellow, and mixture of cgi and reality (not necessarily photorealistic but stylish). The occasional burst of bloody violence hits hard. The movie is a bit clunky at times, and it may take some time due to slow pacing, but the story being told here ultimately discloses its grand and emotional epicness as it reaches the climax. I was legitimately impacted by it.

Also the first Singh movie I've seen, and the first film I saw in 2024!

Like many other movies in the "Literally Me" Canon, the movie isn't glorifying or condoning the actions of the protagonist here, instead showcasing how cold and inhumane someone can become in their obsessive & maniac pursuit for money and business success. Empathy and other human emotions are completely absent, the tragedy and the victims are merely reduced to objects and materials for the news/view/money.

Also works as a satire/disclosure on the equally focused-on-profit, often immoral side of the media industry. Sometimes the ones photographing the scenes of crime and tragedy end up in front of the camera as the material/object for the news, but at the same time, there are ones that just walk away without any consequence, continuing their twisted odyssey across the night looking for where the spectacle and profit lies. Jake Gyllenhaal nails it as a sociopathic maniac that lacks any humanistic aspects, and he is a lot more unnerving and scarier than characters of similar genre category. The story slowly pulls you into his story of documenting crimes, with the latter half and third act especially being really tense.

A decade has passed since this film came out, and there have been some changes - pretty much every single person now carries a small camera in their pocket & the traditional media is on the decline and new form of media is rising. But some things have stayed the same - the desire for provocative and explicit images, rigid pursuit after money and success, etc. And as long as these things continue to stay, people like Louise Bloom will also continue to exist.

I remember the film being advertised as in the same vein as John Wick or Taken. I even went into the film expecting something similar, but the actual movie was nothing like that? But it was still satisfying nonetheless. I found some interesting parallels between the film itself and its main character. The violence, while being creative and scrupulous, isn't really excessive or over-the-top. It is quiet and patient. On first glance it feels cold, stoic, and emotionless, (and it really is for the most part) but if you go deeper you'll find enough heart and emotion. And overall, it is just so damn cool. Maybe could've packed some more energy? Not an all-time classic or something but deeply watchable and satisfying. Can't wait to see the two sequels.

The latest installment on the long-running V/H/S franchise is... fine. I'm simultaneously disappointed and satisfied as a fan. Before going through individual segments one by one, let me sum up the overall experience with the film. V/H/S/85 is filled with interesting ideas. Even some of the weaker segments contains/starts out with intriguing hook, setting, concepts etc. Obviously some segments are executed better than others, as expected from an anthology horror film. But my biggest issue, which holds true with almost all of them, is that they are quite underwhelming with regards to scare and tension. While I was engaged throughout and often was surprised and admired the way storylines converged/tied up the loose ends, I barely felt any tension or sense of terror and dread. It made me want to watch better horror films that excelled in those aspects. This is why I'm so mixed on this one despite leaving the film with positive taste in my mouth. It would have gotten so much lower rating if it weren't for some fantastic reveals and a great segment. Overall, I'd say this is around the same level as V/H/S/99. I still want to see more V/H/S films since there aren't any (successful) found footage-horror-anthology hybrid franchises, but I sincerely wish the next outing doesn't forget to make things actually scary. Oh, and I went into the film completely blind; and everyone should!

Total Copy While not as strong as Bruckner's previous entry in the V/H/S franchise 11 years ago, this worked pretty well as a wrap-around frame narrative. The fact that this story was split in 5 or 6 parts in between other segments worked in the segment's favor, making this a nice break/treat between other stories. The visual aesthetic and tonal vibe of "80s scientists conducting research on a mysterious being" was a delight. However, I still wished they went back to the "a group of people discover a bunch of disturbing tapes" frame narrative of the first two films.

No Wake As I got invested in the characters and the story, it raised questions such as; who was the shooter & wtf is with the water and what would the survivors do? And then it just ... ended? It was very off-putting and disappointing for something with this much intrigue and potential. But this was before I knew how it would come back later....

God of Death Perhaps the weakest segment. I appreciated the choice to include non-english horror segment, but the actual divinity/ritual scenes and the gore were pretty silly and over-the-top.

TKNOGD Loved the Tron-ish visual design of the digital world. The idea of a 'Tech God' being summoned via a digital/cyber ritual and wrecking havoc sounds fun. However, the location being limited to a single stage was detrimental in realizing its full potential. Still not bad tho. Loved the gore effect.

Ambrosia Had no idea where this would go, but as the "VII" sign appeared, finding out how this connects to the first segment was so cool and fun. The whiplash I got realizing the purpose of the 'Water Gun".... This was something haven't done in the franchise and I'd love to see more fresh structures like this. The primary reason why you should go into this film blind.

DreamKill I knew this was directed by Derrickson before going in, but even if I wasn't aware of his involvement beforehand, I think I still would've recognized Derrickson's vision and touch behind the camera. His signature usage of grainy/creppy footage, concepts regarding dreams and visions are all present. And they take more ominous and dark route/vibes - not only is it a lot more violent than average Derrickson film, at moments it reminded me of Skinamarink from earlier this year. The Black Phone reference made me soy out - even though I didn't really like that movie! Dreamkill was definitely one of the strongest segments in not only this film, but among the entire franchise. Don't really have any complaints with this one. I think I grew to like Derrickson as a filmmaker more.

Suggestions for the next V/H/S entry: it would be cool to explore the early 2000s / 21st Century; V/H/S/04 or 05 would be cool.

Or just come back to the modern era.

Harley Quinn in this movie might be the most blatantly sexualized female character in a movie I've ever seen.

Her shirt is strategically torn & short to the point that her belly button and midriff are shown. Her short is basically underwear, and the camera gazes on her butt multiple times throughout the movie. Harley is also shown wearing nothing but a red push-up bra in the upper half of her body(while the camera slowly sweeps her body starting from the bottom, completely objectifying her). Not only that, her thin/sheer white shirt makes her bra explicitly visible. And when she gets soaked in water in the middle of the rain.... It suddenly seems like Harley is the only one attending a wet t-shirt contest.

Her role in the film is to be a mere eye-candy, in order to appeal to horny teenagers and men. And as someone who was a horny teen back when this movie was released, I used to thirst over her relentlessly after seeing 2-seconds shot of her Bra in one of the trailers.

7 years later, I'm honestly just kinda put off by how they blatantly sexualized her.

I do think that there is nothing inherently wrong with presenting female characters in revealing clothing or in sexual manners, but c'mon.

I can write a whole essay about all the things wrong about the movie, my expectations and the disappointment, its sequel, the ayer cut, etc etc. But I only chose one aspect about it.

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem continues the trend of the stylish & ambitious hollywood animated films, started by works such as the Spider-Verse films. While it is clear from the get-go that both Spider-Verses are major influences to this film, Mutant Mayhem still manages to develop its distinct visual identity that feels different from other contemporary members of this category. Viewers might be turned off by some of the 'unusual' and 'ugly' design choices for the characters, but for the most of the runtime I was really impressed with its excellent visuals, especially during the third act. So many shots and instances where what I'm seeing on the screen feels pulled straight out from the picture books I used to read as a child. Really Memorable stuff.

What works as a double-edged sword for this film is the ultra-fast pacing that rarely gives you room to breath. This is a film that really embodies the 'Gen Z' and 'young' soul and approach; not only is it hyper-stylized, but is also full of energy in almost every scene, that it never gets 'dull'. Endless flow of dialogues and jokes might help some of the younger viewers keep engaged, but for me it felt a bit overwhelming at parts. Since the film is moving so quickly and throws so many things at you at points, it was sometimes difficult to fully engage with the characters and plot. Some moments feel there aren't enough emotional weight or they feel abrupt. It also doesn't help that the first half of the film follows a pretty basic and generic plot. Unlike the Spider-Verse films nothing during the first half necessarily made me go 'Wow.'

That being said, I overall had a good time with this film. There are really good jokes and pop-culture references that do not feel forced into the film, clever pay-offs and character arcs. These are stuffs that still guarantees some level of satisfying moments and storylines. Honestly, since the film was so high-energy and fast, I'll need some time to fully let the movie sink in my brain. Maybe a good joke or great sequence will keep popping on my mind time to time. The film perhaps will gradually grow on me.

Struggling between 6 and 7, but for now a 7. I wouldn't rush out to the theater for the sequel, but I'd definitely be curious to see what other adventures these turtles might be up to next time!

After the success of the first film (and the Conjuring), director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell returns to the Insidious universe with the second chapter, with a bigger budget & better quality.

Not only does Chapter 2 look better, it has better production values and better scares than the first one. Wan and Whannell are becoming more skilled & slick with the horror genre with this one. (We even get a glimpse of what a James Wan-directed Found Footage film would be like.) Scares are better, tension building is better and its hold longer. For the most part. The third act, while being still effective by maintaining the gloomy and foggy atmosphere and family drama, is bloated and does drag a bit. Also the Gonzo/Gothic crazy energy from the climax of the first film is a bit lacking. That being said, this feels like another rare case of great horror sequels. The script was also a standout, with its clever callbacks and links to the first one & even within this movie itself. It almost feels as if the story was conceived together with the first one. It feels like a story that wasn't forced, it was meant to happen This isn't a film that works only because of the directing. The shot of Elise letting Josh and Carl escape and smiling from the behind while disappearing will linger in my memory for a while. What an effective ending too!

I'd be lying if I said that I did process and understand all of the dialogues and situations all the time throughout the movie, or I cared 100% about everything happening in the last act of the movie.

But what a movie.

For a 180-minute odyssey that records a man's scientific & academic fascination, his personal life, and his contributions and drama surrounding his most important creation, it is definitely a LOT to take in. But it never feels too much or too little. The film has no interest in Oppenheimer's childhood days or his death. With the development of the bomb being the center of the story, the film spreads out to past and future, Oppenheimer and his affiliates, and his personal life and inner self relating to that.

The pacing is quick, there are insane amounts of dialogue and it never feels boring or loose. (For the first two acts and some of third act) The editing really shines in making this possible. This isn't an action film, and this does not have a single war combat scene while being a movie about WW2. But it feels so epic, cinematic, and large in scale. It feels (and is) an important story to be told and to witness.

The trinity test scene & the ending are probably the most memorable scenes in the whole movie. With the former building up tension so well and the way it pays off is excellent. I found myself almost gasping watching the scene. And not just that scene but multiple times throughout the movie! The movie actually deserves the word 'breathtaking' when taking about it. The ending is also nearly as breathtaking and perfectly constructed. What a way to end a film.

Not a perfect film, but a great one regardless. Wonder how I'll feel on rewatches regarding the third act.