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LilyInSpring
Reviews
The Quiet Room (2018)
Would've been 9 stars--except for the ending
(It wasn't"all a dream" or I would've given it 0 stars.)
I liked almost everything about this. The writing. The acting. The direction. The sometimes claustrophobic and sometimes a little bit open sets.
The MC is incredibly likable. Charming, wounded, real. I cared what happened to him, The other characters are enough but not too much. Their interaction is very good. The monster was cool. The writer introduced a "Chekhov's gun" in the first act and "used it" in the third.
Overall great stuff, except for the last 20 seconds. I'd watch more from this group--writer, director, actors. Major talent here!
The Unfolding (2016)
Unexpected and loved it
First of all, the important stuff for the shakycam haters (like me); 5% shakycam, the rest is cameras set around the house.
This movie startled me and left me with goosebumps. It touched the very sensitive core of fear those of us who lived through the Reagan-Khruschev game of global chicken in the 1980s. Definitely watching again. They managed to add a sense of urgency to the usual poltergeist stuff, made a bit of fun of jump scares, and nobody was obnoxious (!). The standard haunting plot was amped up with the external tension. Only 2 lecturey spots. Recommended.
The Burial of Kojo (2018)
Dreamlike...
Which in this case is a synonym for meandering and slow and lack of action. From the description I was expecting more of a fantasy. It turned out to be a dark family drama seen through the eyes of their daughter. The cinematography could've been smoother. The imagery and music were beautiful. I wanted to like this better.
The ABC Murders (2018)
Christie is somersaulting in her grave
The words "LOOSELY BASED ON" should've been in neon flashing letters above the title. This is horrible. It's an insult. The screenwriter even CHANGED POIROT'S BACKSTORY.
I sat through this travesty so you don't have to. It's appalling and boring at the same time. The only reasons it deserves one star are for Malkovich's performance (he did a very good job with the dumpster fire of a script) and for Rupert Grint proving he's much more than Ron Weasley.
Run away from this as fast as you can.
2036 Origin Unknown (2018)
Not as bad as everyone's saying, but...
Not that good, either. In easence it's an homage to 2001, with Jarvis, and with fewer psychedelic lava lamp effects. That's good, because I didn't leave the room to make a sandwich like I do when 2001 goes psychedelic on and on and on and...
It's also an INFINITELY kinder, gentler version of "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream." INFINITELY.
Also has bits of several other alien contact/exploring Mars moviesx Acting is fine, plot is predictable, dialogue is predictable. One of the better low-budget SF films. Worth a watch if you're a fan of the actors and if you want to play a game of 'What movie have I seen this bit in before?' or if you're doing chores and need nackgeound noise.
Le petit prince (2015)
As good as I hoped
1. It changed some bits of the book, but I saw why.
2. It went in an unexpected direction at the black moment, and the development was very creepy and sad and a bit hopeless, but it pulled itself out of an ending that would've made me heave something through the screen and did it beautifully.
3. Because it's intended for kids, as an adult and a writer I found several plot holes that perhaps kids would accept as kids accept fairy tale conventions. Not so much hand-waving and misdirection as "Here's the important part; don't worry about how we got from the last scene to here."
4. Yes, I cried.
5. The stop-motion animation did a SUPERB job bringing the book's illustrations to life.
6. WATCH IT NOW.
We Are Still Here (2015)
Not bad at all!
IMDb dinged me for not adding a summary. Okay: Couple whose adult son recently died move into a remote farmhouse and spooky things happen.
Really, that's the logline. It does not do justice to the movie.
I enjoyed the setup (1st 2/3 of the movie). Good acting, fun characters whose job it is to be menacing and spooky, great use of setting. Actually, the use of setting is what made me stick around. Also, either they didn't overdub the FX or the overdubbing was superb, because I believed they were walking around an old, uncarpeted, uninsulated farmhouse.
Then the movie goes batshit for the last 1/3 and it's beautifully done. Everything makes sense including the final scene, which doesn't happen often. The last little moment after the credits/backstory via old newspaper articles made me smile.
SPOILERS FOLLOW!
I see that this was inspired by The House by the Cemetery. Glad I didn't see this trivia first, because THbtC is IMO utter dreck and I would've avoided We Are Still Here because of it. We Are Still Here reminds me more of Rosemary's Baby (characters, atmosphere, direction, talent). If they'd said it was inspired by Burnt Offerings, that would've made sense. Also, they flat-out imitated one of the best spooky moments from The Changeling (the George C. Scott movie).
You know what's coming, at least plotwise rather than chaos, and the ride is worth it.
One of the better haunted house movies I've seen in awhile. WATCH IT.
Gamgi (2013)
Pushes every single mom-button. Beware!
First of all, it's a good movie. It hits all the usual K-Horror tropes with actors who can act. On top of that, it possess that rare gem, a child actor who isn't annoying! She's funny and adorable and believable and I enjoyed her scenes.
So far, so good.
Then the flu hits epidemic proportions and things go to hell. Think "The Last Man on Earth" with better CGI, and government officials as weaselly and amoral as the officials in "Torchwood: Children of Earth."
Then the evil genius put his/her finger on the mom-button and left it there. If I had ANY idea of the mom-button pushing for the last half of this, I would not have watched it.
For those with no mom-buttons to push, I recommend this movie. It's terrifically frightening in a "this could happen tomorrow in real life" sense. High production values. Good acting. Good FX. Quality all around. Just beware before you press Play.