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Reviews
Arctic Hollow (2024)
What this film gets right?
Imagination. Setting. Story.
It's a great idea. It's intriguing. Deals with the inner earth theory with a possible entrance in the Arctic. Hooked me.
It's a great setting. Dark, cold, foreboding. Give the filmmakers credit for trudging up into the mountainous wilderness and getting difficult shots in 4 feet of snow. People keep complaining the film was too dark when it got into the cave system. Well, caves are dark, and it's not that dark. Problem people have today is that they watch films on their phones with brightness turned down. This movie is meant to be watched in the dark, at night, in a dark room. Watch it like that and it's fine.
Story. It's actually got a good story. Two lonely people with difficult life backstories full of regret trying to find meaning and companionship in their lives in the most desolate of situations.
This isn't a traditional horror movie with gore and blood, this is more like a fantasy with a story to tell.
Lastly, it's ultra low budget, and better than most low budget films. If you need a 50 million dollar production with A list actors just move along. Don't pretend you didn't know it was a low budget and then come on here and rant about it being a low budget.
At least complain about the story. Who cares what the budget is? Are movies like this perfect? No, but at least look at what they actually did do on a $3K budget. It's actually impressive when you think about it.
So tired of reading reviews where people complain about the budget. Who cares? They make terrible movies for 100 million. A budget isn't the concern. The story is. I thought the story was fine. 70 mins. No complaints.
Magellan (2017)
Had some good moments but felt stationary...
Films on these budgets are a challenge. The story has to be compelling enough to keep interest without the bells and whistles. It was a very interesting premise and the lead actor does what he can, but in the end there is too much time in the spaceship and not enough engagement with other characters. It's just a lot of time to cover. Sci-fi's are especially hard to make on a low budget.
The ending isn't very satisfying either. This film has some really nice moments and at this budget level any film that can hold a persons attention for 2 hours is commendable and worthy of 5 stars. Films aren't easy to make.
Mr. Earth (2022)
This is a story about a Father trying to save his family...
At the end of the day this is a very human and down to earth story about a father dealing with some very common human themes. It just happens to deal with them on another planet where it contrasts with a civilization where emotions have been lost. I thought it was better than most films at this budget and the main actor was actually really good.
While the pacing could have been faster and the scale larger, this film is simply a deep dive into a man struggling with depression and loss. If you know that going in and can relate, the film works. It's not about action or scale whatsoever. Don't expect blockbuster effects. It's about a very flawed yet relatable man dealing with the pain of loss.