arminio Reviews

Po tamburi (2021)

Shamefully missed opportunity...

[3/10 · 3 June 2022]

OK - I am from Slavonia - part of Croatia which this movie wanted to parody and make fun - and based on all the hype that was made at the time of production of this movie, I really expected it will deliver a funny parody of events, customs, music from that part of my country...

But what I watched was lame, crappy so-called "action comedy" that truly and entirely missed the point.

See, there are so many "stereotypes" about Slavonia which you can successfully and intelligently make fun of, but this a-kind-of-a remake of Walter Hill's classic "The Warriors" made in Croatian/Slavonian way, was pretty bad and occasionally even dull and boring.

I must say that first 30 minutes are pretty good, but then everything falls apart in lousy (over)acting, bad uninspired directing, weak action scenes and with very lame, non-funny and out-of-place jokes.

Some fight scenes are so badly done with completely wrong choice of fight choreography and soundtrack, that you really need to see it to believe it.

Final Warriors-like "come out to play" paraphrase was a nice idea - but also messed up totally...

I am really, really disappointed. There are so many missed opportunities to make a really good parody... So instead watching movie, just watch trailer - it is much better than entire movie.

I just hope maybe someone will make a decent remake of this remake :)

The Enemy (2011)

Amazing!

[10/10 · 24 March 2012]

Fantastic film! So simple but so effective... Atmosphere and mystery around the main character and all insanity that his presence actually only emphasize, are shown in so simple but so effective way that this is a must see for all who wants to learn how to produce great film with minimalistic approach. Acting here is superb and actor who portraits "demon"/"god" is simple amazing. Zecevic manage to mess up minds of his characters and audience by mixing horror, mystery, drama and nonsense of war.

Together with "Zivi i mrtvi" (aka "The living and the dead") which has similar surreal anti-war story and equally great realisation and "Idi i smotri" this is the third best anti-war movie I've seen so far.

10/10

Death Tunnel (2005)

What a waste of opportunity.. :(

[2/10 · 28 June 2008]

I simply couldn't believe that someone can waste such a great idea and location! I mean - how can you make bad movie in Waverly Hills?!

But Booth brothers manage that! This movie is completely bad! There is no atmosphere, it is "overedited", it is full with annoying "boo" scares that are totally nonscary and become boring because you easily can predict when it will come next one because they put them in every single creepy situation ruining entire atmosphere. And you need to know a lot about Waverly Hills hospital before watching this movie because lot of situations looks like pretty senseless "plot points" and looks stupid instead scary if you are not familiar with real mystery about the place. And above all, there is no any decent story (although near the end they try to make some sense out of all and blow everything even more in stupidity) - just a sequence of poor "boo" scares, running or walking thru the spooky corridors shot in pretty unspooky way and very annoyingly edited with completely missed score and irritating sound effects that constantly try to keep you "on the edge" which leads to boredom instead scary feeling. Bad, bad, bad... I really couldn't believe it can be so bad - but it is. Completely vaste of time, idea and location.

I hope somebody will make a true horror movie on Waverly Hills. For now, Session 9 is closest to perfection (and shot in Danver Mental hospital) - let's somebody make something that spooky in Waverly Hills...

2/10 just for some nice location shots

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)

Unbelievable

[10/10 · 13 August 2007]

I saw it at Slovenian Grossmann film festival before few days (with Lloyd introducing the movie by himself!) and I am stunned! This is without doubt absolutely the most pleasantly outrageous Troma movie so far! And, boy, it is funny as hell and "takes no prisoners" while making parody of everything - from American style of living, fast food chains, American political & military situation, gay&lesbian groups, terrorism... to zombie movies in general and classic movie clichés... Filled with some inventive and never-before-seen over the top gore (occasionally it is gorier and in the same time funnier than Braindead!), extremely catchy songs, tons of humor and Lloyd in thongs, this is instant Troma classic!

Bravo Lloyd!

Come and See (1985)

True horror of WWII

[10/10 · 19 June 2006]

Words cannot describe this masterpiece of cinema. Truly shocking portrait of World War II shown thru the eyes of a kid placed in a center of death, insanity, Nazi bestiality and other gruesome events in Belarussia during one of the darkest time in human history. Full of grotesque and bizarre images with camera movements that simulate human eye and fantastic acting of nonprofessional and, actually, not actors at all, makes this very painful and shocking to watch and experience. Actually, watching this movie is experience that should warn us not to forget what actually was and is a hell of war.

Masterpiece! 10/10

The Visitors (1988)

Very, very good!

[8/10 · 16 November 2005]

I am really pleasantly surprised! This Swedish movie is really simple and plain haunted house story with focus on few characters and their experience with horror. The best thing is simplicity and minimalism - everything happens in and outside house without any explanation why scary events happens which is great and original approach that simply put viewer in the same line with characters on screen. Also, actions of characters tend to be realistic as it possible - with all bad, stupid and good moves without silly heroic and/or cold approach to mysterious events in the house. Very different from other haunted house movies. Also, lack of gore and usage of light, shadows and sound instead over the top FX to produce horrific atmosphere is fantastic approach and works amazing! Even awfully bad English dubbing in the version I watched, occasionally lame acting and silly ending can't reduce real creepiness of scary scenes.

Very different view of pretty exploited theme with situations and actions that are the closest to reality if this would happen to some real family in the real world.

Highly recommended!

Hong men jue e zhe (1985)

Ah! Memories!

[10/10 · 24 October 2005]

Gee! I remember how I watched this movie as a kid before 20 years in cinema and had fun like never before! Since then I tried hard to get any possible copy of it and now it is available on DVD... now, after 20 years, I think this is truly one of the silliest martial art flicks I've ever seen - and I've seen tons of them. This one has it all - from bizarre realization to insane look, feel and really memorable stunts and action that sometimes goes truly over the top - especially in great finale that comes with so insane fights that you must watch it to believe!

Truly recommended as a pure fun movie which value is in stupid dub, silly dialogs, trashy look, great action with obvious usage of dummies and wires... And after 20 years it just got better than the first time I watched it!

And dad! I still want that leather knife case! :)))

10/10 from me!

The Psychic (1977)

One of the best giallos!

[10/10 · 30 June 2005]

Truly a masterpiece of giallo genre and one of the best Fulci movies! From start to end, it relies heavily on plot and various details in plot that can twist your imagination and lead you to different conclusions. The most interesting thing is ingenious original title, made in a classic bizarre giallo type: "Seven Notes in Black" which basically rounds movie perfectly (won't mention why because of spoilers but when you see movie you'll catch it). It is truly sad that title is changed for international release :(

From start to end, this little gem will force you to watch it with constant "brain work" about finding connections between visions and situations that happens around main characters.

Hard Fulci fans would be disappointed because of very little gore scenes - but this movie doesn't need gore - it is "light" giallo with suspense, atmosphere and nice twists and turns and that's enough to see that Fulci can make something good even without buckets of blood.

Highly recommended!

Le matelas (2004)

Great!

[10/10 · 11 April 2005]

Really great student work of young Lebanon filmmaker Antoine Waked! Truly funny, bizarre, twisted and effective crime-comedy with nice twists and turns. Antoine shows us story abut two prisoners in a pretty bad situation which will lead to pretty interesting surprise at end. Shoot in a very professional style (I am not sure are other members of crew students or professionals but job is very well done) with good acting and very fluid direction, this is definitely proof that Antoine has remarkable talent - both as a director and a screenwriter.

Until we see Antoine's next project titled 'Giallo', this one is highly recommended!

The Phantom of the Opera (1998)

Try to watch it like a parody of classic opera and you will get the point!

[6/10 · 25 March 2005]

For start, I agree with most of comments about this movie. Yes - plot is totally stupid (raised by rats ??!). Yes - Julian Sands is awful in this role. Yes - direction is completely flat and non-Argento like. Yes - there is bizarre Turkish-bath scene which is something never-seen from Argento... everything is correct! But, you must watch this as an "classic opera-styled movie" and things works! Let me explain: movie definitely look like classic opera in a movie shape - it is full of cartoonish characters that constantly overact and look and act funny (usual thing in operas), almost every scene contains fabulous Morricone score - even dialogs and other shots that are usually not scored, here have some music in the background (normal in operas - they are made of music!). So, how you can expect then to have amazing POV shots, insane camera work and other classical Argento trademarks that will, in this context, ehm, "stand out like a turd in a punch bowl" (Leisman from "Up the Academy") ? This type of flat direction and overacting, too funny characterisation of almost every character (every character is funny and looks and acts just like characters from comical operas except leading roles: Asia, Sands and Di Stefano - their acting is not comical), some totally stupid dialogs (check some dialogs in operas!) and even stupidity like "raised by rats" (some classic operas have more silly ideas than this one is) fit int this opera-style movie perfectly! Then, even Turkish bath scene, rat killing machine and other insanities with bizarre over the top gore are great fun to watch! And it still has some Argento touch - some ideas and shots in a catacombs are truly great (when phantom chase unexpected visitors and one of them try to hide...).

I especially like ending. Asia is great in final scene and even Sands is better than in a rest of movie (he really sucks... ) and with absolutely amazing Morricone theme, final scene is very emotional and truly touching.

This movie is highly underrated and completely misunderstood among Argento fans. I mean, most of people say - if it is not like anything that Argento made it is automatically sh*t? Do not watch it thru the eyes of Suspiria, Inferno, Deep Red... Try to watch it like a sort of parody of classic opera and you will get the point!

At least, it is funny and entertaining as much it is silly.

The Manson Family (1997)

I felt like I was on a LSD trip...

[17 August 2004]

What to say after watching this exploit insanity except: Oh Boy!

Despite low budget and amateur cast, movie is pretty well made with a pretty experimental approach in the way it was shoot and directed. Full of full nudity, sex, LSD, satanic orgies and unbelieveable brutal violence (culminating in Tate/LaBianca murders sequences), original Mansons song recordings and all mixed in an very interresting way that results with IMHO "ultimate" exploit movie (at least of these days).

Actually, watching movie I felt like I was on a LSD trip (I never was on LSD "trip" but I can expect it looks like this - the whole movie looks like a hell of a LSD "trip" !) and big "gore"finale was so tense that must "smash" you in the face: so much brutality, stabbing, and again stabbing and brutality and delirium that murderers have during orgy of violence is shocking beyond belief!

I don't know how accurate Van Bebber was in showing all events from a "family's point of view" - is it pure artistic approach or god reconstruction (on movie site he claims that it is product of heavy researching) but if it is realistic enough to shock you from head to toe if you have a nerves and strong stomach to watch it from start to end.

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Crap, crap, CRAP! :(((

[1/10 · 4 August 2004]

Oh boy! This movie is TOTAL CRAP!

They try to connect two legendary horror icons, put lot of CGI in it, stupid teenagers, girl with obviously fake boobies... and made such a mess where you practically badly want that annoying character die in next scene instead to be afraid for his/her destiny... Not to mention tons of totally nonscary "boo" scenes that are simply too lame to be shocking.

Story is silly, acting is even worse, stupid dialogs and lines that Freddy speaks (occasionally even in camera toward viewer)... all this looks so ridiculous! Inspite pretty large amount of explicit gore (most CGI :( and occasionally cartoonish like old Samurai and kung-fu movies which is inappropriate for horror), this is not horror in Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street style but more likely in "teen horror" style which is degradation of these two horror legends.

Sad. :(

Nosferato in Brazil (1970)

Who can explain what is this ?!

[1/10 · 3 July 2003]

I like surreal things, I like Lynch's early films and short animated bizzare stuff, I like Svankmajer's surreal animations ... but this - what is this ?! I can't figure out what author tried except to show bunch of sequences without any sense ... or I just can't find any meaning in this ?

Sorry, but I don't.

1/10 from me ...

The Ring (2002)

Weak ... :(

[5/10 · 4 February 2003]

I will not write too many words for this remake - just want to say I'll give it 5/10 but only because of amazing horse scene - everything else is weak copy of Japanese original and should deserve lower mark.

Sad. :(

The Wages of Fear (1953)

Stunning!

[9/10 · 21 August 2002]

What can I say? From the first time I see this movie as a kid on our national TV I was blowed out! It is so simple and yet so tense with incredible ending that you simply must love it.

I also watched Friedkin's "Sorcerer" but that adaptation of same novel never hit me like this gem.

I highly recommend it to everybody who want to experience tension in true meaning of that word ...

10/10

Mala seoska priredba (1971)

Extremely funny - but with a dose of bitterness

[10/10 · 13 August 2002]

This is short, 17 minute documentary masterpiece about MISS and best singer contest in a small, rural, Croatian village in 1971. See, in that time in former Yugoslavia was very popular to organize various "modern" events everywhere to educate people of isolated part of country about culture and modern events. This movie shows one of these events in one of these villages.

It is simply shoot, without any comment which works perfect and shows event amazingly effective. Partially, everything looks like satire and it is amazingly funny to watch - I laughing so hard watching false singing and false music but at the end, you must wonder yourself to whom you laughed because all "bad" performances of singers, musicians and rude "beauty" of girls are not funny when you know that they give the best of themselves - at end, fun have bitter taste.

Definitely 10/10

Variola Vera (1982)

More than scary ...

[9/10 · 1 July 2002]

This is really scary and shocking movie that deals with true events of smallpox epidemic that hits former Yugoslavia in 1972 (I was one year old and my parents still remember all this). Movie works excelent in building tense atmosphere from the first second - when you hear amazingly creepy score and see first scenes where a pilgrim buy a little "doomed" flute from a man infected with smallpox, to the moment when he get sick and spread desease that finally stuck in General hospital in Belgrade where main plot of the movie occurs. We see, death, fear, anarchy, people get crazy, army build quarantine ... the creepiest moments of the movie are showing infection (makeup are stunning) and suffering of patients and definitelly occurence of main infectologyst dressed in scary white suit which, in conjunction with amazingly simple and effective score give unbearable tension and unpleasant feelings (only remark I have is that he reveal himself at the end of the movie - and I think it would be better that we don't know any fact about him). It is only sad that we don't see any events that occurred outside hospital (many people was infected and died in the city and everywhere where infected pilgrim passed) and that main plot is stucked in hospital.

Anyway, one of the best and creepiest movies I ever seen with several moments that will stuck in your memory for a long time.

Curse of the Blair Witch (1999 TV Movie)

Unbelievable believable

[10/10 · 20 June 2002]

If I didn't know that this is mockumentary, I would definitely believe in every word they said there!

Movie is shoot so clever and good (which is reasonable because authors were fine documentary moviemakers before they did this and BWP) that is totally believable and real unless you read end credits where you can see that entire thing is fake :)

It is my favourite mockumentary, next to Jackson's "Forgotten Silver" which is funny and, in most scenes pretty obviously fake while this one is totally realistic.

10/10

Forgotten Silver (1995 TV Movie)

Damn good hoax

[9/10 · 20 June 2002]

Jackson pull this one great! It is not so believeable as some other mockumentaries (like "Curse of the Blair Witch") but this one is so funny and soo well done !

Some scenes are obviously fake but made me laugh well :) and some are so impressive especially fake silent movies that really looks like 90 years old copies (Jackson himself can be seen as extra in some scenes in "Saloma" oD )! They really did excelent job - I admire all efforts that was put to shoot it.

Relly great and funny movie that just must be seen!

10/10

Dark Star (1974)

Veeeery funny !

[7/10 · 19 June 2002]

One of the best student movies I ever watched - I will say it is much better than anything newer that Carpenter done .... Although a bit slow occasionally in some parts, this gem is extremely funny and refreshing piece of low budget SF which is actually also a student work which start Carpenter's career.

I reccommend this movie because it deserves all attention!

7/10

Brivido giallo: Una notte nel cimitero (1987) Season 1, Episode 1

Biiiiig dissapointment ...

[2/10 · 18 June 2002]

Really, this movie is big dissapointment - plot is weak (what plot?), there is no euro-horror style, everything is so lame (especially ending) ... pretty dull, boring, silly ... Bava's weakest job! Only good thing here is FX makeup which is pretty decent and really very gory for one TV film.

All in all, sad product of Lamberto Bava.

2/10

Battlefield Earth (2000)

Impressive piece of crap

[12 June 2002]

Well, you may ask yourself how it can be impressive and piece of crap in the same time ? The answer is: 95% of the movie is pure crap and 5% is, let's say, impressive (or better: spectacular). First, let me explain "crappy" part: I never seen more stupid script than this one, used for making this "movie". Really, so lame events that you can see here can't be described unless you see it by yourself - first, stupid nonsenses like "human animals" that does not know how to read and then, at the end of the movie, driving combat, supersonic planes and operating nuclear bomb without problem. Then, training for flying (!) in a flight simulator (?!?) without explanation how they manage to get power-supply (?!!) Then, total strange occurrence of snow in one scene (freezing cold and city covered with snow) while in the other scene, everybody wears short sleeves on warm sun. Also, incredible crappy acting (especially of main character who make such incredible stupid faces all the time that is so irritating)... And finally, really annoying and "over the top" usage of slow motions in almost every action scene (what the hell was director Christian thinking ? He is not John Woo or Sam Peckinpah , for God sake!)

Well, the rest is impressive - and that is last 15 minutes of stunning battle - I mean, battle itself is stupid as the rest of the movie (almost lame as airplane battles from ID4 etc.) but FX made here is simply amazing - especially landscapes and final destruction of Dome, explosions etc. are pretty spectacular.

So, because of that last 15 minutes, I will give it 2/10. Only because of that!

Battle Royale (2000)

Amazing!

[8/10 · 9 June 2002]

This movie is simply amazing! Well done, directed and shoot, it brings pretty disturbing and brutal vision future and "education" of future. Use of classic music and modern soundtrack is stunning and works well together with brutal, bloody scenes which improve shock. The best thing is constant twists that won't leave you to rest. Ending is pretty lame and expected, but last 20 minutes is a "must see".

I recommend ! 10/10

The Wax Mask (1997)

Disappointed ...

[3/10 · 9 June 2002]

Well, I am big fan of Argento and Fulci and I admire Stivaletti as FX specialist but this movie has nothing of Argento or Fulci... I must admit that gore effect are pretty remarkable. But, direction is so "hollywoodish" and mainstream (usually works - but not for this type of movie, especially not for Italian horror production) and there is no anything "Italian" in it. Same remark goes to soundtrack. Entire movie looks like low budget hollywood product that are being shoot for video or TV and forgotten after few months. Basically, can't believe that three Italian horror legends worked on this film and there is no anything that characterize them (except Stivaletti's great FX) in this movie.

Can't give anything more than 3 ...

The Church (1989)

Visually impressive, but ...

[7/10 · 7 June 2002]

This work o Michele Soavi looks like stilistic exercise - plot is pretty weak but camera work is simply AMAZING! Movie contains one of the best steadycam and crane shots I've ever seen! But poor story definitely does not improve entire impression...

Anyway, mood, atmosphere and stunning camera work are really remarkable and worth seeing and that keeps movie from falling down.

Still, Dellamorte Dellamore is the best Soavi's movie I've seen although camera work here is much better.

7/10