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toshka210
Reviews
Isolated (2016)
Tension within tension.
I was lucky enough to get an early screener of Isolated back when it first came out a few months ago. After digesting the film in my brain, one of the main things that stuck out as the essential positive in the film was the tension. The fast pace filming and the way the film felt alive.
Samuel Vaughan's performance helped to boost the film tension wise. The way the story unraveled felt like a present box slowly being opened to show us what is actually hidden inside. His performance helps the unraveling of the story as realistically as possible.
Some scenes in the film, or shots to be exact reminded me of different fast paced and tense films that I like rewatching time after time. For example the scene where our main character is at a phone booth talking on the phone reminded me of the film Phone Booth. It gave me the same feeling of tension.
Fuwad Abrar is slowly starting to pick up pace of what kind of style he wants to pursue in his future filmmaking career and I really admire that. After watching his shorts films I can see and feel that it's the same filmmaker behind the camera.
There are few things that I would like to note, some criticism on the film. Firstly, some scenes are too shaky and it would have been a nice touch to see some stable shots on a tripod. Some shots feel rushed and don't connect to each other in some scenes but those are things that can be worked upon in future films.
As a first feature film, this is a great place to continue and see the progress that Fuwad Abrar will take in his future films.
Moth (2016)
Something different creeps this way!
Not so long ago I was lucky enough to get a private screener of the latest found footage film made by Gergo Elekes and Jozsef Gallai. After some time has passed and I got to process the film in my brain for a while I think that I am ready to give a proper review of this film.
POSITIVES:
First off, I would like to admit that the film took a very different path and way of progression that I had imagined in my head from the trailer and such. I was expecting more of a straight forward non stop creeper. But what I got instead was sometimes a slow burner film. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so.
Another thing that I would like to mention is that the film feels dated...and I absolutely love that. Just hear me out for a second! The way it progresses and just the feel of the film takes me back to the Blair Witch days, the film had some nods to the pioneers of found footage films first presented back in the days and I think that makes the film look more nostalgic for me.
Lidia Szabo gave a very convincing performance for the most part, she had layers to her character which opened like a fresh tulip as the film progressed which benefited the film more as the story unfolded.
NEGATIVE:
One of the main problems I had with the film was Jozsef Gallai's performance in most of the scenes, but I am struggling a bit on that part, because I don't know if its his performance or some of the cliché dialogue that gets delivered.
Which leads me to the second part of the problem. Some of the conversations between our characters in the film gets so clichéd to the point where its like every single dialogue in every found footage film you have seen. But it's not that big of a deal sometimes since there's not THAT much clichéd dialogue scattered through, but when there is it is very noticeable.
In Conclusion I will be giving the film 6/10. But I believe that after multiple watches I might boost the grade. Sometimes I realized that found footage films for me are like fine wine. The more you let it sit, the better it gets.
Bodom (2014)
Found footage done right!
I went into this film completely blind. I had no idea about the myths or anything considering Lake Bodom.
What really shocked me about the film was the fact that it ended up being absolutely the opposite of what I was expecting. I went into the film expecting a paranormal type film but ended up getting something completely different and unique. The Acting from everyone was good. They got into their characters pretty well,especially due to the whole documentary/interview style opening and continuation of the film itself.
One thing that this film nailed was creating a sense of dread. Right from the get go I was feeling that something is not right,even though in the film everything was normal. The way the characters entered the old cabin house I could tell that there was something wrong with the atmosphere.
One thing I was worried about was the ending,since most found footage films end up having an ending that doesn't quite pay off but here I thought it fit very well,even though there were some scenes that could have not been included, I think that it really added to the films atmosphere and served as a very well deserved "Final Punch" if you may...
All in all, I highly recommend this film to everyone that loves experiencing a film that makes you feel dirty and disturbed inside. There are no loud bangs,no cheap sound effects,just the sound of people and nature mixing together to form the ultimate disturbing experience. 9/10
Exitus (2013)
A perfect example of a perfectly made Art-House shortfilm!
Let me start of by saying that the the premise itself is very intriguing and spine chilling. When i first started watching this short film I must admit I didn't fully grasp the storyline of the picture,but as the story unfolded and when it got to the end,the pieces of the puzzle slowly started combining and it all made sense. Once it hits you,you feel completely gripped and sad for the characters. The concept is amazing,the execution is excellent and of course the direction is top notch. The only minor complain that I have is that in some scenes the cuts could have been made abit earlier. But thats just a minor nitpick. Do yourself a favor and go watch this amazing short film!