Andreas_W333 Reviews

Baby Reindeer (2024)

Mixed feelings about this overlong mini series

[4/10 · 10 May 2024]

One key ingredient for many successful shows is that you symphathize with the show's key role. From episode one and onward, I felt just a lack of interest in this foolish person who just does pretty much every move the wrong way, avoiding self responsibility and responsibility towards others. To follow this person for 7 episodes, was way too much and in the end I honestly didn't care much when he opened up about things. I was actually reminded of a friend I broke bonds with, who always vain over his head, patholically unfaithful, avoiding responsibilities and hurting others, believed his talents were so great he would make it big any time - and cutting bonds with him after 15 years was the one of the best decisions I've made. He was a lot like "Donny", and contributed many complicated scenarios with people whom he either confused or let into his life as one of his strategies to be a central figure. So many emphatic people got hurt or in trouble because of this person, me included. So seeing this show, was like seeing one of his kind - and although the stalker and the molester are the real monsters of this show, the real pain of a character for me was Donny himself, and I was more provoked by the fact that the creator of this semi-bio show felt this story was so much of interest that he played the role himself and exposed what a character he'd been himself. Was it a way for himself, yet again, to feed his vain imposter behaviour? Maybe not, but I don't care other than being a bit pissed about having watched him for the major part of a day. Wish him good luck with the success though, and hope it won't negatively affect the shining persons in this story (like his girlfriends and parents).

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

From a time-frame where decent sequels were made

[6/10 · 17 January 2024]

Pros: A decent sci-fi story (much inferior to the original Blade Runner movie though) Good looking visuals and sound Harrison Ford does ok, as does Robin Wright

Cons: Too long and too slow.

Boring cast (the major part) with Ryan Gosling looking and acting just like Gosling, the younger actresses looking like a preset from a russian lingerie advert, Leto's Wallace being an uninspired take on Jared Leto himself (one of the laziest efforts I've seen in a movie this scale) and a less believable scenario of what happened to Deckard.

It lacks the sympathetic antagonist from the first film, and the existential essence that brought light into the viewer.

As a standalone film, this would be a decent sci-fi picture. Not a masterpiece by any stretch. Watching this right after the 1982 original, I felt this failed as a sequel on many levels. They tried hard though, they even copied Vangelis style of soundtrack but it didn't help a lot. It's an ok film, but nothing I will need to see again anytime soon.

It's a mega-budget missed opportunity.

And this coming from someone who adored the director's previous film "Arrival".

Blade Runner, however, didn't need a sequel. It's obvious after having seen both the same evening.

6/10, touching a 7.

The Police Are Blundering in the Dark (1975)

Possibly the worst giallo made during the golden era

[1/10 · 1 November 2023]

First, this movie was made years before 1975, but didn't get released until 1975, when long movie titles with "police" were trending, due to the popularity of eurocrime. This movie was meant to have been titled The Salad Garden or something, but they changed it. This however, is a cheap and poorly executed province giallo with at least one recognizable face, most other actors you probably rarely ever saw before - and for good reasons. I don't know where to begin, you need to see for yourselves, but the bizarre salad dinner scene has some of the most hollow dialogue and acting - and not to mention the overlong crazy scientist scene performing his arts on a regular home mixing table, randomly pushing knobs for what feels like several minutes. Good lord, how did Vinegar Syndrome even go the whole mile restoring and releasing this mediocrity, when there are real low budget diamonds waiting to be recovered?

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

An insult to an overdone franchise

[1/10 · 22 April 2023]

I am not a huge Evil Dead fan, but I liked the first two movies when I was a kid. The charm of these movies was the low budget and almost home recording like feeling, as well as the dark comedy that was always present behind the creepy atmosphere. That said, I had super low expectations on this "sequel" - and yet I was shocked when it was finished. Shocked as in "this could quite possibly be the worst movie I have ever seen in a theatre - or anywhere". It feels like a big budget movie made for the restless and self absorbed selfie generation. A long carneval of "scare" scenes drenched in cgi, adding nothing new to the table of cheap scare horror films. Don't get me started on the acting and the dialogue. Dear oh dear. If this movie will remain a 7.5+ rating movie over time, I am not sure I want to be a part of the future ahead.

The Fifth Cord (1971)

Know what you're watching

[7/10 · 21 January 2023]

I remember seeing this for the first time 20 years ago when I had bought a bunch of Salvation tapes. I had been on the giallo wagon for some time and my hobby was collecting them on old ex-rental tapes from over the world. I had learned to appreciate nasty looking pan & scan transfers of really obscure gialli such as Reflections in black and The red headed corpse. Still this gorgeous looking movie on a widescreen retail tape did very little with me. I am not sure why, but perhaps it was Nero's unlikeable character, the overall easy pace or the not so complex story development. Now, being 20 years more diverse in my way of looking at things - I would rank this movie as a beautiful example of the genre, but it's not for everyone. This is more of a noir-paced film, rather than a classic slasher giallo. Made by a master of atmosphere and cinematography, Luigi Bazzoni, you can here see how he removes the suspense and horror elements that is so present in his first giallo (La donna del lago aka The possessed) made some years earlier. Here he focuses on portraying characters to build a guessing game of sorts, and this will not impress someone who watched Fulci's Duckling or Argento's Deep red right before watching this. But, it comes with a great cast, a memorable Morricone score, some of the best photography this genre has to offer. Do yourself a favour and see it in italian, it's much better when Franco Nero doesn't overdo his lines with his heavy accent - a general recommendation for most of his movies since his overall acting gets more justice and you're not distracted by the heavy accent that can be a bit too much which is a shame because he is a world class actor and you see this more easily in the italian versions. So it's wonderful that we now have movies like this on beautiful Blu-Ray transfers with language options. A luxury I didn't have 20 years ago while seeing most of these films on tape, and you rarely saw an english subtitled italian version anywhere.

Blood and Diamonds (1977)

Not a heist film, but a really good melancholic crime film

[8/10 · 24 December 2022]

Judging the film by its attributes on forehand, you'd think this movie is a diamond heist action movie with a lighter tone. The movie does include diamonds, but this is actually a very serious mafia thriller, much like Manhunt and Milano Calibre 9. It contains several of Di Leo's classic ingredients; good acting, good soundtrack, very complex fight scenes, some effective twists, and not least human relations that are believable. Nothing is entire black or white. It was good to see this on a nice looking high definition transfer today, as I've had the film on DVD for 15 years or so, but never took the time to see it (maybe because it's lower rated than Di Leo's classic crime films). If you like Manhunt, then you will probably appreciate this one as well as they share that mix of action and melancholy.

Symphony in Blood Red (2010)

Brutally underrated little film

[8/10 · 23 December 2022]

Saw this movie for the second time recently. It's a kind of giallo in reverse, where you get to follow the killer closest of all characters, still his face is obscured. It has good acting, a good soundtrack, and some really nice photography and effective scenes. It's one of those weird films where you get to connect with a very disturbed individual, and actually begin to feel for him. My only complaints with this movie are the horribly cheap looking credits sequences. They don't do the rest of the film justice and will lead new viewers into thinking they are about to watch a really bad movie. It's actually one of the best post-millenial italian horror films, only it's a very different one. I have the Ascot Elite Bluray of this, which comes with lots of good extras.

Dark Glasses (2022)

Argento (father and daughter) is back

[6/10 · 4 October 2022]

I had the honour of seeing this movie at the swedish premiere with Dario himself sitting on the row in front of me, and also introducing the film for the audience. I will try to review the film objectively, and I have seen it twice now. The first time I was quite blown away, since it's beautifully photographed, well scripted with good overall acting. The music is great while intense, but the dramatic strings pieces doesn't feel right and doesn't do what's going on on the screen justice, and is repeated a bit too often. The movie drops a bit in pace in the middle, but the beginning and ending parts are great. Given that this is a 2022 Argento, I must say that this is easily his best film since "Do you like Hitchcock?". It's a stunning movie to watch, and has many scenes that screams Argento. Also kudos to Asia who convinced her father to film the script with some changes, she also does a flawless performance in her role here, a as does all the key actors. Great work, and a beautiful return to great shape. If you've seen other more contemporary gialli and horror films from italy, like for example Deodato's "Ballad of blood", you will definitely not be disappointed by this one by the master of horror.

Kalle Blomkvist och Rasmus (1997)

Very underrated Astrid Lindgren adaption.

[10/10 · 2 April 2022]

A lovely adaption that is equally good as the old adaption in black and white. Perfect for both kids and adults, with a thriller plot that isn't too scary for kids but still exciting enough to entertain the older audience as well. Perfect casts and beautiful environmenta and music.

This one is even better than "Kalle Blomkvist lever farligt" from 1996, but that one is also highly recommended. Both these late Astrid adaptions deserve more recognition not least in Sweden. Now they are more like hidden treasures.

Don't Go in the House (1979)

Don't say this often, but very underrated film.

[8/10 · 18 February 2022]

A so called video nasty that is more psychological horror than anything. Very well acted, beautifully composed and has the feel of an a-grade movie when you see it in high definition. Still it's really bleak and shocking, and I definitely understand why it was banned in the UK. I saw the extended version called "The Burning" (which is a much better title for this film, I think). I expected some sort of slasher, and although this one has a body count, this is so much more than a low budget slasher. This one has similarities with "Psycho" and "Maniac", but is worth checking out on its own merits because it is a very disturbing and well thought out movie. In sheer affect I could give it a 9 or a 10, but 8 is probably fair on a horror scale where 10 are the real masterpieces such as "Black Christmas" or "Possession". But seeing this film have almost the same rating as "Anthropophagous" and other z-grade films is a joke. The rating must be based on very bad prints, or people expecting the film to be something else.

Archive 81 (2022)

Two brilliant first episodes, followed by six hours I will never get back.

[2/10 · 6 February 2022]

Giving this a 2 is being nice. Can't recall when I last saw such a flawful mess. The first two-three episodes had me hooked (seriously), but three hours in the gimmicks and clichées took over too much, and in the middle I began to loose hope because it's so incoherently scripted and what seems promising is soon out of the window, the characters begin to loose quality and the dialogue more rediculous. You begin to think for your self "may I not be watching yet another Stranger Things"-spinoff, and that is eventually what you att watching. Only dressed in a cult horror fan-suit, and with such uneven quality in the last episodes you would think Uwe Boll or Ulli Lommel would have done it better. I am a cult movie buff, with quite low standards when it comes to being entertained, still even I don't buy what this show tries to be. The first two episodes get 10/10, the third 6/10 and from there we have 1/10 pretty much all the way to the end credits. This show would have served well to have been trimmed down to a 2,5 hour movie, but what does it help when it eventually becomes a carnival of cringe. See at your own risk. I will ask myself if I will keep my Netflix after having spent almost 8 hours in front of this.

Suspiria (I) (2018)

The next level, and will be a winner in the long run.

[10/10 · 11 January 2022]

Say what you want. Daria Nicolodi and Dario Argento's original film is beautiful in sound and vision, with an intelligent story that intrigues. Let's leave it there, because this 2018 Suspiria is a loose homage and movie with its own self, expanding some of the original ideas and adding dimensions totally absent in the first film. I saw this 2018 movie for the 3rd time yesterday, after having seen the swedish premiere in Gothenburg when it came out here. I liked it then, but I wasn't ready to perceive it as an entity free from the original film. Now I see it differently, it is not a perfect film (some dialogue in the beginning is a bit cringy) but it gets really close the more you try to understand it. It deserves to become a classic in the future, and I believe it will. The director is a true master and I hope to see more horror offerings from him and these actresses. But next time, don't forget to cast Udo Kier. We all need more of Udo.

The Baby's Room (2006 TV Movie)

In the desert of post-millenium spanish horror, who would think a TV movie is the best example?

[10/10 · 10 January 2022]

If you can overlook the sound and feel of a TV-movie from this period, you will find a highly original supernatural horror movie within a 1h 20m frame. Successfully done, with a rapid pace and a great story (not to mention very good acting). Saying things about what's actually going on would spoil too much, seek it out and be rewarded. It has a take on supernatural events that you rarely see on film, and does so with the honor. I saw this movie in the "4 films to keep you awake" (I know it has been released as 6 films in its native country) collection in 2007 and has been revisiting this one (and the equally brilliant, but different, "Spectre") many times since. It's a lot scarier than all of the major budget spanish horror films I've seen from the period, and when I've shown it to friends they've praised it. A wonderful little film - and of course you must see it in its native spanish language.

The Bunker (2001)

The best WWII horror I have seen to this day

[8/10 · 19 December 2021]

If you can overlook german soldiers being british, costumes maybe not exactly historically correct (I couldn't care less myself) you are in for a creepy, supernatural tale with amazing bunker settings. The pace of the film is great, and the characters are engaging. I was disappointed when I saw that the director didn't continue directing feature film after this one, because I saw this movie 20 years ago (and really liked it then) and revisited it today and it still creeped me out. Bravo!

Hansel & Gretel (2013 Video)

Wonderfully absurd horror comedy

[10/10 · 24 October 2021]

I have to admit I haven't seen other Asylum productions, but I can tell you I loved this little film. It reminds me of Troll 2, although I enjoy this one more. Intentionally made as a "so bad it's good" movie, and there are so much absurd stuff going on here you shouldn't be too bored watching it. A later day cult film that deserves a cult reputation.

Alibi perfetto (1992)

One of the better entries in the 90's giallo cannon

[5/10 · 29 September 2021]

Get me right, this is a movie that plays like a tv-movie from the early 90's, so you know you will be hearing a lot of tacky music emulating orchestras with digital keyboards. Not all of it though, as the film actually has some groovy jazz music with real orchestration. Story and dialogue is not original in any way, but I was entertained the whole film and it was short (just under 80 minutes). The real saving graces of the film is the acting by Kay Rush who actually pulls it off playing the female cop and delivers in scenes of battle. It may confuse to begin with, as it has two parallell investigations but the real one that will conclude the film is screaming giallo. Given we're talking 1992 and most entries from this time was totally horrible, I have seen a lot worse I must say. This one along with Washing machine and Strange story of Olga O is probably among the better giallo entries from the early 90's.

Malignant (I) (2021)

Whatever inspired this, it sure wasn't giallo films

[5/10 · 20 September 2021]

Hong Kong action meets asian horror - but made in the states. And it's alright if you don't expect it to be a serious film. I had read the misleading promotion of it being Wan's homage to the giallo genre, if that is true he was not successful in manifesting it into the film. It doesn't even have the style or esthetics, or music either for that matter. It looks and feels like a quality Hong Kong picture based on a comic. It's got plot holes like a good old cheese, but you will be entertained and ask yourself "wtf?!". Annabelle Wallis is great and makes the film extra memorable.

Halloween II (1981)

Heavily underrated sequel, on the whole a better film than the first one, and this one is not even directed by Carpenter.

[10/10 · 24 August 2021]

First off, thank you John Carpenter for creating one of the world's best soundtracks and refining the main theme to even higher levels and adding several wonderful themes in this film. John Carpenter's contribution to this film is extremely strong, and he has some writing credits also. Sadly, he seems to despise this film for reasons I can't understand because I can't understand why. It's better directed than the first one, has less goofs, the main actors actually has reasonable lines and it's packed with tension. The director here directed JLC to act in a believable way and Loomis doesn't sound like a poet on the streets as soon as he has a line. This movie also adds depth with the back story which was of course nowhere to be seen in the first and made Michaels killing spree more senseless. So this movie brings a lot to the table. A really good slasher film that tries to explain why Michael survived in the first film, and does so and get away with it. Deserves praise, and definitely the best one of them all.

Halloween (1978)

A bit about its origins, and my thoughts on the film(s)

[8/10 · 22 August 2021]

Let's clear the air. "Black Christmas" by Bob Clark is the best north american horror movie, the best slasher and the best acted horror movie I have ever seen. What is too little talked about, is that Halloween was originally a Black Christmas sequel. John even asked Bob about making a sequel and asked him what the the story would be like. Bob basically told him the story of Halloween with the killer coming back from a mental institution and revisiting the house, but John recreated the character from Billy to Michael and added a new (very short) back story and also changed christmas to halloween. So these two movies share lots of things, and I love them both - but Halloween is nowhere near as creepy and haunting as Black Christmas, and the acting in Halloween from the two major actors is quite laughable to be honest. They are saved by spectacular lightning, sets and soundtrack. And the dialogue, c'mon! Thankfully these actors and their dialogue is better in Halloween 2. Halloween is all about style, atmosphere and soundtrack. It has some major goofs, bad acting, brilliant acting from kids and actors in lesser roles. If you haven't seen Black Christmas yet, see it. When you've seen it. Watch Halloween again. If you truly are a fan of Halloween, then you should see the film that gave birth to it. That said, I am glad "Black Christmas" didn't turn into a billion dollar franchise that to this day is being made sequels of. Sorry for Bob though, who didn't get the recognition of having made the best horror movie of all time. Halloween however is an enjoyable ride, with flaws. Its soundtrack is really groundbreaking, no news there, and many composers to this day are taking Influence from John's way of layering things up. Last words, I like Halloween 2 better than the first one and always did for some reason. Maybe because the acting is more solid, but a key ingredient is the Mr Sandman song which would have been great in the first movie, adding a bit of surreal sweetness to the mix.

Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973)

The creepiest thing about this film is in the details

[7/10 · 15 August 2021]

You might ask yourself why there was a clause in the filmworkers contracts that they must keep the real director a secret. Well, it is on the surface a very provocative and nasty swedish film for its time and even by today's standards. I do however know a really disturbing reason, which was presented by one of the main workers on this film on a movie buff gathering in Sala (Sweden) when this cast or crew (I won't give the name) attended as a guest. The thing is, the scene with the eye, is real - performed on a fresh corpse (which was a suicide victim which gave automatic permission for an autopsy) at the Karolinska hospital supposedly, and the director had contacts who granted him to film the exercise on the eye in connection to the autopsy. This is gruesome stuff, and probably the real reason why the director still wants to remain obscure and doesn't give interviews. However, he wasn't alone, and in Spain they did several films with real gore due to the lack of a special effects talent. Javier Aguirre's "Hunchback from morgue" is one more known example, where the star Paul Naschy began severing a real head before he couldn't finish it - but they kept the frames where he cuts half-way, and they finished the scene with a prop head. This is described in Naschy's autobiography as well as his commentary track on the german special edition dvd. So, back to Thriller. It is indeed a shocking film and an admirable piece of film history - just see what has come out of it with Kill Bill and all. Worth mentioning is the beautiful score by Ralph Lundsten, which gives the film a dreamlike and surreal quality - and something you can see in all of Vibenius films is his great talent to direct dreamlike and surreal scenes. I have all of his films and I happened to see the first one when I was 4 or 5 something. His two following works however, I am happy to have seen later as a young adult. Gosh, you gotta be a special guy if you first do a movie for kids and then move on to Thriller and Breaking Point. We will never see an official box set with these three films, safe to say.

Festivitetssalongen (1965)

A surreal masterpiece of black comedy.

[10/10 · 7 August 2021]

Seeing this film you must keep in mind that it was a director's debut (well, at least as a film maker) and what a debut. Not sure the swedish audience really understood how brilliant this mystery/dark comedy/art-house film still is today. An all-star cast, a wonderfully absurd story with a lot of twists, a quality soundtrack and camera work you rarely see in films from the swedish sixties. Georg Rydeberg probably did one of his best roles here, same goes for Lena Granhagen as the enchanting lady in the frequently visited apartment. A surreal masterpiece of black comedy you shouldn't miss if you get the chance seeing it.

The Chosen (1977)

Underrated horror film from and underrated director

[8/10 · 4 August 2021]

According to an old interview Kirk Douglas really liked this film, and I understand him. Not many italian horror movies has this international quality and while many call it an italian Omen, I'd say in that case this movie is at least equally as good if not better. Alberto de Martino guaranteed quality in the 70's, with films such as Blazing Magnums, The Antichrist and The Killer is on the Phone - and this one could be his best film. It's eerie, violent and full of great acting as well as a decent story with some politic statements. Well worth seeing!

The Sensuous Doll (1972)

Unfairly overlooked and unusual giallo

[6/10 · 4 August 2021]

A depressed and alcoholic painter develops a relationship with a doll - does it come to life or are we watching something completely different unfold?

Farley Granger (who at this point did four memorable giallo thrillers in two years time - Something is creeping in the dark, Amuck, So sweet so dead and this one) stars alongside Krista Nell, Erika Blanc and other great stars from this period. This one is a surreal and odd film that to this day doesn't have a release worthy the film. I had an old American VHS release (really looking like something you'd rent in the adult movie department) before I upgraded to the Retromedia DVD (Eurofiends from beyond the grave) which is a raw transfer from what I presume would be a french or canadian negative and squeezed onto the same disc with the the movie Satanik so the resolution is not the best, but ok. Still I would love to see this movie in high definition as it actually is a better movie than many others in the genre but the current editions doesn't do the film justice. Also worth noting, this movie was released in a hardcore (inserts) version in europe, although I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Really, hope to see Vinegar Syndrome pick this one up for their Forgotten Giallo series, and give it the treatment it deserves. 6/10 on my giallo scale.

Rabid Dogs (1974)

Bava's best film

[8/10 · 26 July 2021]

Don't get me wrong, I really like Mario Bava's films (most of them that is). But I do not count either him or Argento as masters of european horror, Narciso Ibañez Serrador sits on that throne. However, this particular movie leads you to think that Bava could have been the best crime movie director from Italy, had he only explored this more. Rabid dogs is the work of a master, and it has a realism that you normally don't experience in Bava's films. Make sure to see the "Rabid dogs" cut with the Cipriani score, since that is the Mario Bava film and not "Kidnapped" which is an Alfredo Leone/Lamberto Bava redux with cheesy 80's music.

Blood Delirium (1988)

A real oddity from a time when the most atrocious italian films were made

[5/10 · 26 July 2021]

What do I make of this film? Well first, Sergio Bergonzelli did some of the more weird genre films during the seventies, and some of them are good too. How he managed to cast John Phillip Law for this one is beyond me, because this is probably one of the weirdest films I have ever seen. Quite entertaining and unusually gory and sleazy for being a film from 1988 (when the italians really had begun to make less extreme films since some four years back). The dubbing is awful, and the soundtrack sounds like something from a mexican Falcon Crest-ripoff. The end result is just bizarre and some of the scenes has acting and dialogue so bad you will be surprised. A mixed bag worth seeing for fans of italian 80's horror. If you like Fulci's lesser films, then chances are you are going to love this one.