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slavabregovic
Reviews
Captifs (2010)
Nothing new here
I randomly watched this without any real idea of what the film was supposed to be. In fact I was hoping for the "twist" to be something more surreal or supernatural (like a portal to hell or something), but unfortunately that was not the case.
For one thing, the trope of Serbia being this dark and horrible place (and Eastern countries in general) is tired, shallow and inaccurate. There's some inconsistencies another user pointed out, one big obvious being the "bad guy" with a Serbian tattoo.
Acting is decent, filmwork itself is quite good as well, but the whole thing comes across as rushed, half-assed and predictable. While I wouldn't call this "French Hostel", it's on the same level as far as quality goes. Stereotypical characters, obvious "twists and turns", nothing terribly memorable.
In my opinion, it's particularly disrespectful to base a film on horrible real events and just sort-of switch the characters' ethnicities around. The main premise could still be based on real events but would've worked better had they maybe picked a completely different location or with less focus on the characters' nationalities.
Nothing special here, might as well watch an M Night Shalalalam if you're in the mood for something tepid and mediocre.
Pyhän kirjan varjo (2007)
Very interesting, wish it were longer
We're taken on quite a weird little trip with this documentary. All the way to Turkmenia (aka Turkmenistan), one of the world's seemingly most-isolated country. Only in fact, the leader and his sycophants do quite a bit of international business. This invite is often apparently staged by foreign companies offering to translate a strange and legendary "spiritual book" written by the late Sapamurat Niyazov. We see more of big business than usual, as well as some re-enacted Turkmen propaganda. I wish this would've delved a bit more into the contents of the "Ruhnama", as it is quite a delirious, rambling, dizzying book (containing the history and spiritual concepts, cultural artifacts and values of the Turkmen people----according to Niyazov). However, this documentary packs a lot into its short run time. Quite a story told here, with plenty of ethical questions to consider.
Spring (2014)
Lots of interesting build for NOTHING
I really -wanted- to like this film, and I did til I got about midway. The whole story starts off with a lot of promise, beautiful scenery, some predictable but totally decent acting... and then just delves into nothing.
Our story begins with a man meeting a beautiful, fun girl with a strange secret she uses a lot of dumb excuses to conceal. It leads you on a meandering romantic venture, which begins to grow stale due to constant twists, teases and allusions... that just keep going. While I feel it's fine to leave "plenty to the imagination"--- be aware, most of this film is simply a cute romance story. It's nicely done and pretty, but not terribly interesting. The "reveal" need not be spelled out in entirety, but there's a lot of build-up for nothing much.
By the time the film is nearly finished, there's some interesting special effects here and there, but it feels quite shallow. There's no elaboration as to why any of the weird stuff is happening, and the plot essentially disintegrates.
I'm a little surprised at how well-received this was, because I found it incredibly disappointing. The romantic atmosphere congeals, as if someone felt they could make a rather bland (though quite cute) love story film "more interesting" by tacking on some sci-fi elements without really fleshing them out. Although the pacing is balanced, the nuances and tension just never really materialize into anything exciting. You get some vague weirdness, but it certainly doesn't live up to the Lovecraft comparisons.
I appreciate the concept, but the execution comes off as contrived.
To the point: Fans of standard romance films and M.Night Shamaylan will love it, those looking for something unique will probably be let down.
Ludo (2015)
Fun but Odd Pacing
I'm a bit surprised that there are only negative reviews here, because I genuinely enjoyed this off-beat little film. It's certainly no masterpiece, and the storyline is a little thin. However, in my opinion it was enjoyable anyway. The main characters are charming, silly students trying to stretch their legs and break some rules only to encounter something extremely strange going on at the mall.
I guess what I found most enjoyable was the looming, disorienting atmosphere and some extremely well-done makeup/FX that made for some genuinely beautiful, creepy imagery. The storyline kind of jumps all over the place, which is a bit jarring, but I didn't mind. To me the more confusing aspects would've been fine had it not been so long.
Most Indian films tend to be on the long side--- this one didn't need that. The pacing is a bit strange, but there's quite a few humorous moments balanced nicely with some tense, surreal bits. Perhaps I liked this more than other people did because I didn't go into it expecting a scary horror movie (it was a random pick). I had only the most vague description of the film, and at first I expected it was going to be some goofy teen movie. It isn't really a "horror" film, it veers more into a surreal, kind of artsy zone, which is honestly pretty unexpected the way it starts off. This would probably annoy a lot of people (especially if you were hoping for some legit horror), but I thought the concept was fun.
Overall, the fragmented narrative and sometimes awkward pacing didn't ruin the concept for me, and it's still far better than most average Hollywood horror films. Give it a chance, especially if you like artsy films and/or are on mushrooms.
Tasher Desh (2012)
Beautiful!
I had the luck to see this film a few years ago with my partner, and then later we both couldn't remember what it was called. Fortunately a friend reminded me, and I'm so pleased. This has become a new favorite. An exciting storyline full of symbolism (both meaningful and for the sake of unique imagery), a dreamlike atmosphere, excellent cinematography and makeup reminiscent of German expressionism. It's dizzyingly psychedelic, and at times confusing, but not disorganized or pointlessly random. There's a lot of little threads to follow, but all the noticeable themes leave plenty of room for your own perspective.
It's not your typical movie by a long shot, and if you're not into surrealism, the joy I felt for this film might be lost on you. In any case, we've got creative storytelling combined with fine acting and beautifully strange imagery.
If you're in the mood for something decidedly different, but you've already watched Twin Peaks again and crave something "refreshingly trippy"--- definitely take a stroll into The Land of Cards.
Naked (1993)
A refreshing punch in the face
This still stands as one of my favourite films that I really don't want to revisit too often, nor is it a movie that I'd recommend to lots of people. Harsh, would be an apt description, but that's far too simple. If anything, this is a very sharp exploration of both darkness and light, freedom and free-fall, power and powerlessness; the lack and then abundance of, nuance.
That being said, it's a rambling, twisted jaunt through some of the darkest aspects of 'your average person'. While it's a slow burn, it's a searing, painful and stark jab contrasted with scatterings of dark humor, parody and self-deprecation.
With an eerily powerful ease, Thewlis introduces our...ultimate anti-hero of sorts, Johnny. Johnny is an aimless fvck-up with a confusing, manic energy driven by what seems to be a volatile mix of hopelessness and a deranged sense of...adventure? an open mind? It's hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. Tangled alongside Johnny are his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp), a dry, somewhat bitter woman, and her friend Sophie, a charmingly frustrating gal, both of whom have the misfortune of becoming ensnared in Johnny's twisted unraveling. Then there's Louise's landlord, a man with a smooth, slick veneer that seems to just barely cover the foul grime within, enough to draw in the pretty Gisele.
We spend what seems to be an exceedingly long night with a cracked-out, somewhat manic Johnny as he roams London, having left his hometown of Manchester, apparently (or maybe subconsciously) looking for 'something' that he just can't seem to find, whether in his head or in the bleak reality of his existence. This segment of the movie is rather slow, but again, it's a closely condensed representation of how such a night would unfold in real life. Johnny meets some rather 'colourful' characters during his jaunt, yet said colours are muted and rather marred by a thick cloud of intense nihilism. Yet, nihilism with a sense of wonder. There's a dizzying contrast between smash-in-the-face bluntness, and poignant subtleties. A sense of pointlessness, yet Johnny makes various interesting 'points' throughout his ramblings and musings. A common thread throughout his journey: the paradox of many truths. Something (i think) is especially relevant today as it was then--- that things are varying greys, never just black and white. Johnny is a scumbag, but also an intellectual. Sophie, a strong, free-spirited person, but also, a person susceptible and somewhat caged by misogyny and naivety. And so on, with all the people we encounter, there are many contrasts, truths, presumptions and revelations.
This film relies heavily on very loosely-scripted acting, which presents a series of sharp and often uncomfortably realistic scenarios. No aspect of human ugliness is spared when the focus is something inherently ugly. Each shot feels quite voyeuristic, as if you're along for a ride with each character introduced. This is a dark trip, for sure, with some...almost shockingly 'touching' moments on the way. In particular, the conversation with a bored security guard, and an interaction with a sad, lonely women up late alone in her apartment. Also worth mentioning is a jangly, amusing, fleeting little interaction with a homeless man (Ewan Bremner and his wonderful accent).
Here we could've easily fallen into an all-too-often seen trap of gratuitous violence and glorified rape, when instead, it presents us with both subjects (and so much more) that forces the viewer to both confront and be confronted. I especially appreciated the realism offered by the way this film is actually shot. When Louise wakes up, she looks the way we all do when we first wake up after a restless night, disheveled and tired, without overdone makeup tricks or lighting. The characters appear as we see people in everyday light, this is no noir film. Had it been created more recently, I think many people would be quick to write it off (along with the director himself), pre-emptively being offended by the difficult subject matter it explores. However, I think it's certainly worth a watch, most especially because the direction in no way glorifies the darkness, the wrongness at hand--- there's no fetishistic aspect (I'm side-eyeing you, Lars von Trier). It isn't as if the director is going over the top to shock us, or getting off on presenting these tortured stories. It's a brash dive into territory that feels both dreadfully familiar yet what many of us obtusely insist is very distant. And that, right there, is exactly why I liked this film so much.
All that said, we have an excellent cast delivering stellar performances. I would have given it a 10 rating, but I knocked off a few points: I didn't care for the music, I felt it was too melodramatic and "movie-like". There's several scenes where it seems very out of place to the point I found it memorably annoying. That, and Gisele's character seems flat and underdeveloped, when the film is so long it seems they could've given her a bit more substance. Those little nit-picks aside, I feel like this would be a great movie for a film student to learn from. It's also much like a book come to life. Not for the easily bored or offended, but fantastic if you want to see something very different that leaves one with a lot to think about.
Megan Is Missing (2011)
Sad, realistic, better than you'd expect
I'm not sure why this movie got such terrible reviews (although the level of sinister depravity that it reaches could obviously be off-putting to some). There's some technical issues (swore I saw a mic in one scene), but otherwise I think the pastiche of camera/"youtube" style video/cell phone footage works well for this particular story, and I typically don't care for "found footage" films.
A pro critic mentioned he found the main character unsympathetic and that she needed to be "knocked off her pedestal". I didn't get this impression, because I felt the actress really came across naturally. Teenagers are bratty and even the nicest have an annoying sense of entitlement---that's an important element in the realism of this story.
Megan is funny and charming, but has also incurred a lot of trauma in her short life. When describing her first sexual experience...you can't NOT feel sympathetic for her. It's a profoundly uncomfortable scene. This movie delves into some areas that are quite blunt (yet not heavy handed) and disturbing---yet they are things that happen all the time. People forget, or want to forget, that some teenagers have much more complicated lives than we'd think, and often they don't know who to turn to. Megan is an honor student, but the flip side of her life is much darker.
This starts off a little slow, and the dialogue is a lot of bland, typical kid chatter. It's a bit much but it sets the tone, and the cloud of naivety sets you up for a serious kick in the head as Megan's (and Amy's) lives unravel down to the bone.
This is definitely a harsh psychological horror film, I'm surprised it doesn't receive more recognition. There's a bit of black humor, satire and social commentary during the "news report" bits that are biting and clever.
I knocked off a few stars mostly because the antagonist has a frustratingly wooden delivery, which is disappointing as he's such a vital part of the story.
Overall though, worth checking out, and effectively unsettling.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Not worth the hype at all
I wish I could say my poor review was based just on my dislike for Joss Whedon projects alone (not a fan of Buffy or Angel, yuck), but it's not. Several people blew this movie up for me, being careful not reveal spoilers but assuring me that since I enjoy strange and complex films, I would like this. And I really wanted to! I had high hopes that this would be something surreal and humorous...but I was surely let down.
This film is neither strange, nor complex, nor original. For all the glowing reviews here, I am wondering if either I saw a completely different "Cabin" or if the other reviewers have drastically different ideas than I do about what makes a unique horror movie that really "grabs" you.
I 'get' the campy, 'fun nod to old slashers' vibe, and I'm not always opposed to my horror having some comedic elements. However, this film plays like a second-rate Wes Craven dig--- and to me, that's like cheating off the dumbest kid in class for the big test.
The acting is terrible. Predictable dialogue, stereotypical characters (which were meant to be archetypal, but came across played out instead), spitting out their lines as if they'd memorized them or read them from a prompter. The story starts off in a pretty standard format, college kids heading to the woods, so this leaves a lot of room to work with. It meanders into pretty standard fare, then redoubles it. A LOT. All the "fantastic twists and turns" are really just clichés and stereotypes thrown on top of one another in a huge, convoluted mess. Nothing left me guessing. The "Power Rangers" movie has more to it than this.
I won't ruin the film with spoilers, but my take is that if you like things like Angel, Buffy, M.Night Shamalyan, "Scream" (or other later Wes Craven) or the "Saw" franchise--- you'd enjoy this. If you're into black comedy...skip this one, this lacks the depth and intelligence needed to make a killer black comedy. Not for fans of thrillers, psychological horror or cohesive acting.
To its credit, I can see this being amusing for your average high school horror fan, or something.