Just like it was with his feature film debut, "A Tale of Shadows" (2017), the director, his cast and crew, seem to be heavily deluded in thinking that the films they're making are fun, significant, well-acted and witty, when in reality they are amateurish, boring, corny, self-important, silly, and unintelligent. Thankfully shorter than "A Tale of Shadows", "Until Midnight" is, nevertheless, a tedious exercise in endurance with no sense of character, plot or story. Worst than all of that, is that there is no sense of danger throughout the "suspense" forced onto us.
The film thinks that, by unraveling the mystery through a non-linear structure, it is as clever as "The Hateful Eight" (which happened to be made by an actual filmmaker), when in reality it is no more interesting than the irrelevant perspectives of "Vantage Point" (2008).
There is a scene in the film where the lead character does his laundry, sits down and observes the running cycle just before his mother calls to ask him whether he is doing the laundry. Cinema in its essence.
Again, like in "A Tale of Shadows", selecting your favourite actor is like choosing your favourite fast-food restaurant; different flavour, all crap. However special mention should go to the house cat in the film. Sublime to a fault.
The cinematography is poor, as are the lighting and sound design, making one wonder what the film's budget was spent on.
You're probably wondering if this review will mean anything in the grand scheme of things, and you shouldn't worry. It won't, because that would imply that this movie has scratched the surface of the cinematic landscape, when it won't even find a crevice to shout at audiences from.
If this movie was a short student project, you could forgive the bland state of nothingness its "heart" & "soul" flows through. However, as it stands, this is a movie to be ignored.
Unless the director is willing to receive constructive criticism, useful feedback, and listen to professionals in how to craft a compelling, thoughtful narrative and how to shoot a film, he really ought to find a new hobby so that audiences won't feel exactly like what they're watching.
The film thinks that, by unraveling the mystery through a non-linear structure, it is as clever as "The Hateful Eight" (which happened to be made by an actual filmmaker), when in reality it is no more interesting than the irrelevant perspectives of "Vantage Point" (2008).
There is a scene in the film where the lead character does his laundry, sits down and observes the running cycle just before his mother calls to ask him whether he is doing the laundry. Cinema in its essence.
Again, like in "A Tale of Shadows", selecting your favourite actor is like choosing your favourite fast-food restaurant; different flavour, all crap. However special mention should go to the house cat in the film. Sublime to a fault.
The cinematography is poor, as are the lighting and sound design, making one wonder what the film's budget was spent on.
You're probably wondering if this review will mean anything in the grand scheme of things, and you shouldn't worry. It won't, because that would imply that this movie has scratched the surface of the cinematic landscape, when it won't even find a crevice to shout at audiences from.
If this movie was a short student project, you could forgive the bland state of nothingness its "heart" & "soul" flows through. However, as it stands, this is a movie to be ignored.
Unless the director is willing to receive constructive criticism, useful feedback, and listen to professionals in how to craft a compelling, thoughtful narrative and how to shoot a film, he really ought to find a new hobby so that audiences won't feel exactly like what they're watching.