Change Your Image
josh-1298
Reviews
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
People are blind if they think this is a return to the classics.
Apart from a few lovely jumpy moments I though this film was rubbish, some good performances, the main Kid was quite good, but I've got to say the editor certainly likes to tug his own nether regions.
Whats happened to the subtle horror, the horror that infected your soul in the early seventies, generally silent, unnerving? The director tries to hard if you ask me, as does the editor, bloody hell everyone! The script was boring also and dare I say formulaic. Excuse me for saying that word, formulaic, its thrown around too much, although it has a truth, film scripts and indeed films, follow too many rules for me these days.
For some reason they lack substance, like the film maker is trying to emulate a film that has happened or inspired them before, to make it successful, they're imagination is obviously far too shallow to find and tell a story from within, they have to chase the fleeting imagery of what could promote they're own success or what they've glimpsed on the screen.
The sound in this film really made me angry, that slowly slowing down creaking boomy sound, it reminds me of a rave party, screeching strings at intense moments, give me silence I say and you would have had me melting in fear. Suggestion is the way to my heart in a good horror, stop trying to be fancy! It had potential and if I really squinted my eyes (and my ears) in this film I would say I enjoyed it, fantastic production values, good use of shock but..I'm sorry to say...overdone and heartless.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
All the markings of great adventure, great design, pity was underdone.
Typical of new films, production design perfect, beautiful in fact, the end credits awesome, I would have preferred an animated version based on this. Interesting that I found the end credits animation good, is that because animation is the preferred medium regardless of story? I Love the mummy films, well the first one, but this one was thin, the action sequences too fast to get any real enjoyment, the music bombastic and the cleches extremely tiresome. Slow down, I say, focus on the plot lines, why move so fast? Make it more intelligent, give the story more to do. I wanted it too succeed, most of us do, but what makes a good adventure film succeed is better development of plot, more interesting development of characters; I mean what was the death of the "new general" and her scare face side kick all about, I didn't know them. The main problem with this film is it went too fast and was loaded with pathetic comedy - need I mention the yak. Take your time go slower that's the way to go, be gentle and if you have action, lets see it, not swollowed up in a blur to cover deficiencies. I enjoyed it but as whenever I'm disappointed, I wanted more, more time more careful attention to detail, does everything ave to be so cheaply cast away? come on guys you can do better than that, I see this as the producers problem, the financiers problem, you pushed the artistry too much, you cut it down too simply, you made way for greater spectacle and sacrificed a good film. I want another one, no mistake, though I doubt it will ever happen.
Yume (1990)
A Flow of Truth
Am I of the few who aspire to true optimism that begs the question that this film is for anybody and everybody? Absolutely, and anybody who has come away with something from this film can agree that they obviously believe the same thing. Don't apologize guys because this film deserve all your credit.
Specific to the human experience is the nature of dreams. Something that can inspire us, beg questions of or for us to simply ignore. So futile are the attempts to analyze them fully, one can pull them apart and may be useful for the understanding of ones mind, it works, it does, but sometimes dreams just are. They obviously could be pulled apart and thats interesting, but when you experience a dream, you just react, analysis and embellishment doesn't happen till after.
What's truly beautiful about this film is its truth to how a dream plays, it's truth to its ambiguous dialogue (as in a dream), the truth to the embellished coloring or discoloring (as in a dream), overall its truth to the mood and perpetual questioning that a dream always conveys.
I can't fault it, I love it, It makes you realize your not alone. To see dreams played out in such perfect detail, The snarling dog with the red light, my goodness! The fade in the weeping demon exquisite, the joyous encounter in the peach orchard! I could go on...
The fact remains I'm as cynical as the next man, I try not to be, I don't have to try with this, its perfection in its imperfection, Imperfection in its perfection.
If your looking to watch this, forget any kind of precursor and look at it as yourself, it doesn't need analyzing, you'd be wasting you time, its another mans dreams.... but how familiar is it all?