C'mon Niell, your District 13 is one of my all time fave movies, Elysium was alright. Demonic makes even Chappie look somewhat bearable. You emigrated to Canada and started making more and more cliched and milquetoast movies, this one most of all. Come back to South Africa, it is true what they say conflict breeds creativity. Peace stagnates it.
Reviews
12 Reviews
Demonic
(I) (2021)
Is Niell Blomkamp the new Shyamalan? The curse of declining reception with each successive movie
25 August 2021
Black Widow
(2021)
Black Widow shouldn't be the most boring part of a movie called Black Widow
9 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I think this movie would have been slightly better if Natasha Romanoff wasn't in the movie at all and Florence Pugh was the main character, because she was the only character of any interest in the movie, followed by a hammy performance by David Harbour. Rachel Weisz and Scarlett Johansson seemed to be sleep-walking through the movie, Scarlett may have checked out of these MCU movies a long time ago. It's a bit sad really, she has been hanging out with these weirdos for such a long time, and finally gets a chance to headline her own movie and gets the shortest end of the stick and ends up the least interesting part of her own movie.
I don't know or care about what or who the Taskmaster is or was and how they changed it for the movie doesn't matter to me in the slightest, it was just a henchman in this action movie.
The most baffling part of this movie was that there are multiple scenes where we are supposed to wonder "Oh no, guys, how is Black Widow going to survive" when the world fully knows she survives the movie. Give those "dont-know-whether-they'll-live-or-die" nailbiters to the rest of the family, maybe it would've been slightly more interesting.
Seriously, I found myself totally uninvested by the end of the first act and the movie never really redeems itself in any way. My rating of 4/10 feels more lenient than this movie deserves.
I was so sure David Harbour's character would die or Rachel Weisz's character would be the villain or something, but noooooo... nothing interesting happens at all. No humor, no style to offset the boring plot and cookie-cutter action.
I don't know or care about what or who the Taskmaster is or was and how they changed it for the movie doesn't matter to me in the slightest, it was just a henchman in this action movie.
The most baffling part of this movie was that there are multiple scenes where we are supposed to wonder "Oh no, guys, how is Black Widow going to survive" when the world fully knows she survives the movie. Give those "dont-know-whether-they'll-live-or-die" nailbiters to the rest of the family, maybe it would've been slightly more interesting.
Seriously, I found myself totally uninvested by the end of the first act and the movie never really redeems itself in any way. My rating of 4/10 feels more lenient than this movie deserves.
I was so sure David Harbour's character would die or Rachel Weisz's character would be the villain or something, but noooooo... nothing interesting happens at all. No humor, no style to offset the boring plot and cookie-cutter action.
The Tomorrow War
(2021)
Pure lowest common denominator, lacks any self-awareness for how schlock it is
5 July 2021
Throwing Chris Pratt into a overproduced movie with an undercooked plot doesn't magically make this movie a moneymaker. Thank god this movie with no self-awareness and laughter-inducing seriousness was canned direct to streaming, where, the lowest common denominator can enjoy it and forget about it the next day. Give your brain cells a respite, skip this one.
Caveat
(2020)
Most effective horror movie I have seen in years, with a caveat
3 July 2021
I generally absolutely dislike meaningless jump scares, and this movie has got a few of those, but somehow I didn't hate them when they happened. This in and of itself makes this movie more effective than any scare-a-minute Hollywood blockbuster horror feature. Some aspects of the story and pacing may turn you off, but for when the eerie music kicks in, you know you are in for a great time. I was using noise-cancelling headphones while watching, but had to remove them and move further away from the screen to watch the ending. Never have I had to do that while watching a horror movie in a decade. This movie will challenge your friends who might think they don't scare easily. Easily up there with The Grudge other J- and K-horror movies in terms of scares. This director will definitely go places.
Anything for Jackson
(2020)
A taut deal-with-the-devil movie doesn't quite stick the landing
9 May 2021
Another horror movie I loved unironically. A perfect marriage of old-school horror sensibilities with the best parts of modern ones, this is one of the hidden gems that absolutely succeed in scaring the viewer by refining the jump scare formula in a way that, with the added advantage of actors who sell you on the far-fetched storyline and a script that makes you care inspite yourself. It unfortunately falls apart quite a bit in the last third, but has enough creepy bits to sate the appetite of fans looking for a good time!
Nobody
(I) (2021)
Substance over style version of John Wick
22 April 2021
A fantastic lead performance by Bob Odenkirk adds to an action movie that packs quite a punch. Smartly written and darkly comic, the direction goes a long way in making this much more than a John Wick knock-off. Definitely carves a niche for itself in the modern action movie genre.
The Dark and the Wicked
(2020)
An ultimately aimless yet valiant effort at delivering rural supernatural scares
21 April 2021
This scares in this movie find a balance between the abundant jump variety and the much-craved subtle intelligent variety, which, unfortunately is about the most praise I have for this movie - I wish the director had put in as much effort into the story as he did into the look and feel of it, this much became instantly clear when I discovered this was the same director as the overrated The Strangers (2008). Not much here for mindless jump scare junkies, not enough cerebral filmmaking to hook in horror purists.
Sea Fever
(2019)
Gripping terror at sea, science to the rescue!
16 April 2021
This is an intelligent horror movie with themes of character isolation, Science vs. Superstition and scientific approach to problems, which add much appreciated dimensions. Add a pretty terrifying, almost Lovecraftian monster and you've got a bloody good time!
The Empty Man
(2020)
Truly a cult classic
15 April 2021
A little underacted characters and disjointed storyline notwithstanding, considering the horror movie landscape of today, this movie is competently directed and edited, the soundtrack does a nice job of adding requisite terror, and the world-building aspects of this horror movie set it apart from the usual trash. Truly a modern lost classic.
Justice League
(2017)
A Zack Snyder film that Joss Whedon tried to clean up - and it shows. What a mess!
20 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
As we all know, Zack Snyder (BvS) has a very different vision of superhero movies than Joss Whedon (Avengers). This movie felt like a mish-mash of both incompatible styles. Scenes just happen without any connectivity, the plot is so generic it could have been written by a 5-year old. The attempt by WB Studios to Marvel-ise the movie by bringing in Joss Whedon and shoe-horning in comedy elements is nauseating. Yes, Flash has his comedic moments, but they feel very out of place. Superman's jokes are just out of character for what has been established.
This should not please BvS and Man of Steel fans, nor should it please Marvel fans who are more into character chops and comedy. What we have is a very unfocused movie with such an uninteresting villain that I felt like they just dragged and dropped him from a Mortal Kombat cutscene. Whatever they were trying to establish with Cyborg's struggle as a half-man half-machine falls way flat, so does Wonder Woman's attempt at being an anchor for the morality of the team. Batman just mopes around and Flash just goofs around. Jason Momoa was a standout, but that's the point - not enough screen time is devoted to any of these characters for us to like them. There are no character arcs.
There are certainly some good set pieces in the movie - the Amazon fight was good, so was the final fight scene, although it was very obvious they color-corrected much of it to look at least visible to the naked eye and for that I am thankful to Mr. Whedon. The stand-out scene for me was when Superman wakes up - Superman's fight with the team (although contrived in response to the success of Civil War) was interesting and I perked up for a moment, only to be undercut by Steppenwolf going "YOINK! Stole your BOX" and Superman returning to Smallville for the highly predictable recuperation scene with a sub-par Lois Lane performance and his mother (MARTHA!). Honestly, they missed a lot of great potential conflict with that subplot.
All-in-all, I am surprised by how much everybody seems to be liking movie. I can only attribute that to the die-hard DC fanboyism and the vocal immature majority of the internet. I just want to know what the comic book fans think of this movie. So many great stories involving the Justice League (can someone please show Chris Terrio and his WB overlords the Timmverse JLA series?) This movie falls flat on its face into sub-par cheese cartoonish territory with the rushed team-up plot line and no focus of character chemistry. This is exactly what you would expect from a Zack Snyder helmed WB-DC product which Joss Whedon was hired cleaned up. Kudos to Joss Whedon for adding/modifying scenes that made the movie at least slightly watchable, but I would have loved to have seen a Justice League movie totally helmed by Joss Whedon, or even one which truly represented Zack Snyder's vision (however bad it may be). A 50-50 product just made it schlock-central, a betrayal to all involved in the creative process and insulting to the viewers.
This should not please BvS and Man of Steel fans, nor should it please Marvel fans who are more into character chops and comedy. What we have is a very unfocused movie with such an uninteresting villain that I felt like they just dragged and dropped him from a Mortal Kombat cutscene. Whatever they were trying to establish with Cyborg's struggle as a half-man half-machine falls way flat, so does Wonder Woman's attempt at being an anchor for the morality of the team. Batman just mopes around and Flash just goofs around. Jason Momoa was a standout, but that's the point - not enough screen time is devoted to any of these characters for us to like them. There are no character arcs.
There are certainly some good set pieces in the movie - the Amazon fight was good, so was the final fight scene, although it was very obvious they color-corrected much of it to look at least visible to the naked eye and for that I am thankful to Mr. Whedon. The stand-out scene for me was when Superman wakes up - Superman's fight with the team (although contrived in response to the success of Civil War) was interesting and I perked up for a moment, only to be undercut by Steppenwolf going "YOINK! Stole your BOX" and Superman returning to Smallville for the highly predictable recuperation scene with a sub-par Lois Lane performance and his mother (MARTHA!). Honestly, they missed a lot of great potential conflict with that subplot.
All-in-all, I am surprised by how much everybody seems to be liking movie. I can only attribute that to the die-hard DC fanboyism and the vocal immature majority of the internet. I just want to know what the comic book fans think of this movie. So many great stories involving the Justice League (can someone please show Chris Terrio and his WB overlords the Timmverse JLA series?) This movie falls flat on its face into sub-par cheese cartoonish territory with the rushed team-up plot line and no focus of character chemistry. This is exactly what you would expect from a Zack Snyder helmed WB-DC product which Joss Whedon was hired cleaned up. Kudos to Joss Whedon for adding/modifying scenes that made the movie at least slightly watchable, but I would have loved to have seen a Justice League movie totally helmed by Joss Whedon, or even one which truly represented Zack Snyder's vision (however bad it may be). A 50-50 product just made it schlock-central, a betrayal to all involved in the creative process and insulting to the viewers.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
(2016)
A brilliant premise tackled by the visionary director of Trollhunter
4 August 2017
The title and poster of the movie give a creepy and uneasy feeling to the prospective watcher, and the same creepy atmosphere is wonderfully evident from the start of this well-executed, well-acted offering from the Norwegian director who gave us the thoroughly underrated Trollhunter. This time, he opted for conventional filmmaking instead of the found-footage style he so deftly utilized in Trollhunter, giving us time to take in the brilliantly directed scenes which immediately thrusts the audience into the unsettling premise of a Jane Doe being autopsied by a father-and-son coroner duo.
The dialogue between the leads in the beginning build character almost instantaneously, and they feel real from the get-go. Compared to the recent trend of horror movies eschewing character development for cardboard cutout jump-scare fuel, this movie comes as a nice and refreshing, almost surprising, change of pace. The father and the son have contrasting personalities regarding their approach to autopsies. I expected this brilliancy in dialogue and character development to carry the whole movie - and it immediately increased my expectations of the movie; I fully expected this to be an underrated horror gem of 2016.
Alas, however, half-way through the movie the director's Conjuring-esque influences seemed to show through the cracks. Though not devolving straight into jump-scare territory, the movie dips its feet into schlock scares now and then, which has a very infuriating effect on the viewer who, until now, has been amazed by the movie's restraint. The character development also suffers, with some actions by the leads contradicting their motivations.
However, the concept and execution need to be commended. The actors Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch do well to sell the dread and claustrophobia experienced by the characters. Special mention to Olwen Kelly, who gives possibly the best performance of the movie, despite having no lines, no action (she plays the corpse). Definitely one of the highlights of the movie was the synergy between the camera-work and the actress's facial expressions which do more to put the viewer at unease than minute-long scenes of staring into the darkness, fully knowing the movie is going to go for that cheap jump-scare. That being said, I would say the script was the weakest aspect of the movie, the ending just leaves you wanting a little bit more, and slightly disappointed. Nevertheless, the movie does its job of selling you the premise and executing it well enough to leave you unsettled for a few days.
All in all, I would call this movie as a mixed bag, though I would give it a glowing recommendation as it is head and shoulders above the spate of incomprehensible scare-fests being offered by Hollywood these days. Great work, André Øvredal.
Be sure to check out Trollhunter by the same director. Although not a horror film, it merges the found-footage genre with goofy mythical creatures to amazingly hilarious yet epic results.
The dialogue between the leads in the beginning build character almost instantaneously, and they feel real from the get-go. Compared to the recent trend of horror movies eschewing character development for cardboard cutout jump-scare fuel, this movie comes as a nice and refreshing, almost surprising, change of pace. The father and the son have contrasting personalities regarding their approach to autopsies. I expected this brilliancy in dialogue and character development to carry the whole movie - and it immediately increased my expectations of the movie; I fully expected this to be an underrated horror gem of 2016.
Alas, however, half-way through the movie the director's Conjuring-esque influences seemed to show through the cracks. Though not devolving straight into jump-scare territory, the movie dips its feet into schlock scares now and then, which has a very infuriating effect on the viewer who, until now, has been amazed by the movie's restraint. The character development also suffers, with some actions by the leads contradicting their motivations.
However, the concept and execution need to be commended. The actors Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch do well to sell the dread and claustrophobia experienced by the characters. Special mention to Olwen Kelly, who gives possibly the best performance of the movie, despite having no lines, no action (she plays the corpse). Definitely one of the highlights of the movie was the synergy between the camera-work and the actress's facial expressions which do more to put the viewer at unease than minute-long scenes of staring into the darkness, fully knowing the movie is going to go for that cheap jump-scare. That being said, I would say the script was the weakest aspect of the movie, the ending just leaves you wanting a little bit more, and slightly disappointed. Nevertheless, the movie does its job of selling you the premise and executing it well enough to leave you unsettled for a few days.
All in all, I would call this movie as a mixed bag, though I would give it a glowing recommendation as it is head and shoulders above the spate of incomprehensible scare-fests being offered by Hollywood these days. Great work, André Øvredal.
Be sure to check out Trollhunter by the same director. Although not a horror film, it merges the found-footage genre with goofy mythical creatures to amazingly hilarious yet epic results.
The Blackcoat's Daughter
(I) (2015)
An atmospheric Hitchcockian nightmare horror treat
21 June 2017
Atmospheric horror movies are few and far between in the era of the modern Hollywood blockbuster and you seldom get a chance to see them in theaters. This movie is one of those rare little horror treats you hear about, decide to see and not regret spending an hour and a half with it, and the creepy and tense feeling remains in your stomach for a few days after watching it.
When I realized this movie was directed by the son of horror icon Anthony Perkins, the Hitchcockian connection was even clearer to me. This is apparently Oz Perkins' first horror movie and he creates and absolute antithesis the James Wan-influenced modern horror industry tropes, which obviously elevates the movie above the lowest common denominator, which might explain the polarizing response.
However, if you crave a slow-building plot, some excellent aspects such as choice of background music and inspired shot composition, this is the movie for you. Quite similar to the surprise offering of 2016 named The VVitch, the plot is a descent into chaos, the story slowly but surely leading you to some interesting guess-work, only to surprise you at every step. This is one of the few modern horror movies where directing, editing and screen writing have a magical synergy.
This is a must-watch horror movie for all aspiring movie directors, and a great nostalgic trip to the comforting yet at the same time disconcerting horror movie. I look forward to Mr. Perkins further horror offerings. A perfect counterbalance to the rash of modern fast-paced modern horror movies that have sold their soul to the Devil of Jump-Scares.
When I realized this movie was directed by the son of horror icon Anthony Perkins, the Hitchcockian connection was even clearer to me. This is apparently Oz Perkins' first horror movie and he creates and absolute antithesis the James Wan-influenced modern horror industry tropes, which obviously elevates the movie above the lowest common denominator, which might explain the polarizing response.
However, if you crave a slow-building plot, some excellent aspects such as choice of background music and inspired shot composition, this is the movie for you. Quite similar to the surprise offering of 2016 named The VVitch, the plot is a descent into chaos, the story slowly but surely leading you to some interesting guess-work, only to surprise you at every step. This is one of the few modern horror movies where directing, editing and screen writing have a magical synergy.
This is a must-watch horror movie for all aspiring movie directors, and a great nostalgic trip to the comforting yet at the same time disconcerting horror movie. I look forward to Mr. Perkins further horror offerings. A perfect counterbalance to the rash of modern fast-paced modern horror movies that have sold their soul to the Devil of Jump-Scares.
Tell Your Friends