Valithanithizum Reviews

I Saw the Devil (2010)

An absolute masterpiece of brutality and revenge.

[10/10 · 28 February 2012]

First off, all things aside I Saw the Devil right from the opening scene when the ambient music starts playing and the snow falls down. We just now that it's cinematic pacing is going to be excellent. I think that is the reason why this movie is so engaging. Each scene has it's own musical score and it's intensely acted.

Lead actors Byung-hun Lee who plays Kim Soo-hyeon the protagonist, displays a brilliance yet tactical urgency for his planned out revenge and eventual torture of the man who threw his life upside down.

Lead antagonist Min-sik Choi who plays the Devil Kyung-chul is one of the better villains in the last few years that we have seen in cinema. His ruthless, pure brutal disregard, and lack of emotion really set him in a league of his own. Even under immense pressure and animosity does he stay true to his role and executes it with precision. His acting is in a league of it's own, even his presence is chilling to the core, his witty word play is unmatched in intellect and delivery.

For me without a doubt this was the movie of the year of 2010, at least in the horror genre. It's plot, gorgeous cinematic pieces, top-notch acting, and some of the most brutal scenes we have seen in a long time. Leave an imprint into your skull that I Saw the Devil is truly a notch above the rest. In a year without tons of outstanding flicks we must thank director Jee-woon Kim and everyone else who worked on this project for their ultimate precision to detail, complete lack of censorship, and a movie raw to the core with honesty. We "the fans of horror" are truly appreciative of you and your art form. Your brilliant pacing has people hooked from the very beginning, and leaves us hanging on the edge of our seats until the very last second, and even beyond. As your brain takes time to comprehend what you just saw.

In no way is this a movie for everyone. But if you have read this far, I'm sure you can already get the picture if you would enjoy this film. It contains some of the most realistic murder and rape scenes that we have seen in quite a while. It's violent and gory to the core. It's also filled with an amazing rendition of musical scores to either darken, brighten, or heighten the films mode. Everything is top notch and this gets my ultimate stamp of approval. Please do yourself the favor and watch the "uncut" subtitled version in 1080p, view the movie as how it was meant to be viewed. You won't regret it.

I Saw the Devil will not only remain one of the best films of 2010, it will be watched 10 years from now with the same relevancy and brutality that it has brought us this year. Movies like this are truly what makes cinema, an art form. Brilliant from beginning to end.

The Descendants (2011)

2 Words - Shailene Woodley

[6/10 · 15 February 2012]

What a depressing movie, it tears any shred of humor, caring, remorse, and companionship and rips them right out underneath you. There were a few saving graces for this snore fest. The Hawaiian scenery and music was excellent. But to be honest, the only reason to watch this film is simply one reason.

Shailene Woodley.

Sweet mighty Jesus what a lovely young actress with so much talent, she was the only thing bright in the entire movie and she shined brightly. Her beauty is unmatched just watching this goddess in action is enough to make any grown man fall to their knees and drool. In the words of Skrillex "Oh my god".

Blue Valentine (2010)

Triumphant Cinema.

[9/10 · 14 February 2012]

Blue Valentine is one of those movies that takes you into a realm that not many movies take us. It's a true epic work of cinematography, dialog, and acting all rolled into one. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Willams put together two of the finest acting jobs I've ever seen. Such amazing chemistry, they simply command you to watch this movie. The plot is deep and involving. Ranging from fun and comedic, laugh out loud funny at times. To melancholy and depressing. It shows true range of emotions, and really takes you into part of your head that isn't often explored. I really think this movie should be praised more than it has been, it's truly a classic.

With one of the most compelling movies of 2010, you simply must watch this film. It's one of those movies that will stick with you for ages to come. Triumphant Cinema.

8.9/10

Frontier(s) (2007)

Frontiers rates up there with some of the most brutal movies of all time.

[8/10 · 14 February 2012]

Frontiers right from the beginning really hooks a line and sinker into you. Forgiving, unrelenting, brutal. Filled with gore, blood, deceit, and sadistic neo-Nazis - this movie has it all. It's like Rob Zombie and Robert Rodriguez teamed up for a brutal French Torture Flick. It's an awesome movie that's definitely well worth watching, if you can stomach it.

The ending of the movie is one of the best I can recall for a film of this genre. Just totally shocking, up there with A Serbian Film. Just leaves you in utter shock with your mouth hanging wide open.

Frontiers gets 7.8/10, it's well worth the watch.

Detroit 1-8-7 (2010–2011)

Shame on ABC for Cancelling This Show

[10/10 · 14 February 2012]

One of the best crime shows since The Wire. Full of strong, witty, intelligent dialog. Great case work and crime solving, along with strong acting and good cinematography. Finch was one of the greatest characters to come out in a long time. His strange persona, but upbeat and quirky way of getting things done was epic. This show got so damn good towards the end of the season, I bet this would have progressed so much in just a few more seasons. This is now the 4th or 5th show ABC should have not cancelled, including the Playboy Club and Prime Suspect, and a few others that slip my mind. Shame on you ABC. You don't know a great TV show if it smacked you in the face.

The Firm (2012)

The Firm, not your average crime drama.

[10/10 · 8 January 2012]

The Firm brings to the table an action thriller crime drama that establishes itself as one of the premiere shows on television. Josh Lucas plays the roll of Mitch McDeere, who is a criminal defense lawyer.

Displayed at the beginning we first learn of his involvement in a scheme that goes way beyond just his criminal cases. Those reasons lead him to be assailed by not only the Mob, but crossed and entrapped into his own firm.

Rewinding the time table we journey back 6 weeks before to see exactly how all this played out. Thus begins the gripping tale of The Firm full of honesty, and deceit. Justice, crime, love, and violence, the firm incorporates very strong lead acting by Josh Lucas which carries the show beautifully. A wonderful witty script, and excellent content make this so far an excellent show and one that will most likely draw in quite a large amount of viewers as we are engrossed with how the story unfolds.

Plenty of riveting action, strong acting, meaningful content, and highly entertaining. I think The Firm establishes itself as something else besides just another TV show.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

Will Always be Relevant

[10/10 · 6 January 2012]

Almost 14 years after it's release L.A Confidential has stood up to the test of time brilliantly. Thanks in part to it's key components.

First, it has one of the most fluid story lines ever delivered with spot on pacing, tons of action, and twists and turns galore. No filler, just straight unadulterated goodness.

Extremely strong acting, the movie is phenomenally cast with a young powerhouse triage of Russel Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey. They all have key and integral components for the wicked story as it unfolds. Finally culminating in a climax of interlocking beauty.

This is one of those movies that will stay relevant for ever. It's just integral viewing, and one of the best Noir's or films of any genre for that matter anywhere. It's a classic, what else can you say besides that it should be required viewing no matter who you are.

Cold Fish (2010)

Cold Fish is the best movie since Oldboy.

[10/10 · 4 January 2012]

Cold Fish transcends modern day cinema, and evolutionary it in a way few can capture. From it's beautiful serene 20 minute introduction up until the title screen, we already know we are blessed with something special.

Cold Fish displays with perfection the broad spectrum of human emotion. From love, to revenge. To gratitude, to humility. To life, and to death. What struggle do we have to go threw until we finally snap and say we have had enough?

Right from the get go you are thrown into an average day with Mr. Shamoto. Your average husband that cares deeply about his wife and daughter, and owner of their fish shop. Things start out slowly, but soon you are thrown into the twisted world of that which is Cold Fish.

Deeply entangled Mr. Shamoto meets fellow fish store owner Mr. Murato, where his world we be slowly turned upside down. For what lurks around the corner will be one of the darkest and most twisted story since Oldboy.

Director Shion Sono delivers with razor sharp precision, with witty brilliance, gorgeous cinematics, strict attention to detail, and plenty of blood. The movie combines your typical genre of Thrillers, Fantasy, Grindhouse, Classic, and Horror and combines it into something very unique. From the gorgeous, strong brutal intellectual dialog to the utterly phenomenal acting job from Mr. Shamoto and Mr. Murato, this is absolutely a movie you must watch.

The Salton Sea (2002)

The Salton Sea is nothing short of pure brilliance.

[10/10 · 3 January 2012]

The Salton Sea is utterly fantastic. It's amazing it took me this long to watch it, it's an instant classic.

What makes the movie so fantastic is the amount of content and the variety of said content that is displayed. It's gritty, yet intellectual. Slow, yet paced perfectly. The story unravels slowly, yet the story happens to fast. I think it's safe to say, that the complexity of this movie can not be understated. What you are getting here is the total package. From the gorgeous delivery and beautiful cinematography, to the intricate details from the culmination of the plot. The thought engrossing script, and the perfectly acted epic story tells the tale of redemption, revenge, heartbreak, sorrow, loss, and glory.

Val Kilmer delivers his best roll of his entire life. This movie will be relevant for the next 100 years. Do yourself a favor, and add this to your must watch list.

Melancholia (2011)

Melancholia Falls Flat

[1/10 · 9 December 2011]

Here is how to make Melancholia a brilliant movie.

Take the beginning of the film roughly 5 minutes, and the last 30 seconds and edit them together.

There you go, beautiful artistic sounds and sights with gorgeous high definition picture and enough bass at the end to blast you straight through your movie seat.

For a movie that could have been so damn excellent this one falls directly on it's face as soon as the Melancholia logo frame hits the screen. The movie turns into a self engorged, elongated, misshapen and misdirected drawn out snore fest. Anything that can be wrong, has will and is wrong. This coming from such an amazing start to the movie which was truly stunning and gorgeous ending, to turning out to be one of the most monumental failures in modern day cinema. My god, what a shame.

Keith (I) (2008)

Twisted and Thought Provoking

[9/10 · 22 November 2011]

Keith is indeed a gem of a movie. Taking the basic premise of your classic love story and adding stylish flair, great presentation from the dialog to the story all the way to the cinematics Keith deeply inspires hardcore thought provoking psychological ramifications.

It's like unwrapping a present, only to find another present inside. It's a movie that gives you back ten times what you put into it. Despite their high school age, I'd highly recommend this movie for adults - it's not just limited to a target audience. Just take some time to sit down and watch it.

Keith is a masterpiece of it's genre. Everything about it excels and I think that it accomplishes exactly what it set out to do.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

A Twist on Horror

[9/10 · 17 November 2011]

Movies like this often don't present themselves much, Tucker and Dale vs Evil takes a spin on the horror genre and presents something genuinely funny, twisted, and just plain out enjoyable.

The movie presents itself clearly, developing it's humor early. It's plot is established and then insanity ensues. Laughter and likability continues all throughout the movie, right until the very end.

It's carried by strong acting by Tucker and Dale is perfection, which play a quintessential cult classic hillbillies role. The star of the movie is by far Dale, his amazing down to earth kindness, his witty dry humor, and his heroic villain persona - turn an otherwise terrible movie, into something special.

Based on Dales performance alone, makes this movie more than watchable. There is just a bit of everything here for everyone, lots of violence, humor, and blood. What more can you ask for?

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Masterful Cinema

[10/10 · 14 November 2011]

After sitting down and watching the whole season in one sitting, I truly experienced something deeply engrossing, highly emotional, filled with dark plot twists, fantastic visuals, and storytelling of epic proportions.

Watching the whole season in one sitting blows most comparative movies out of the water, this is masterful cinema at it's finest.

Huge character development, on top of some of the best acting performances I've ever seen. From the lead characters to the peasants, wanderers, and barbarians every role in the whole show is excellent. Which I think adds vastly to it's depth. The scenery, the environment, the atmosphere - awe inspiring, breathless, and at times just magical.

This is by far the top TV series, the only thing I can see topping this anytime soon, is season 2. Which trust me, can't come soon enough. After this 10 hour marathon, I could probably watch another 50 hours straight. It's that engrossing, and with the way they left the ending of season one with so many questions unanswered and the plot developing, the second season should be even more amazing.

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

Laid Back Relaxed, and Down to Earth - Rudd Delivers

[8/10 · 10 November 2011]

Laid back relaxed, down to earth, and honest. This movie takes a different approach to lots of things. The comedy is chilled, refreshing, and entertaining.

A pleasure to watch, and actually has a great plot and back story. Rudd's sisters all have their own story line going on, and his honesty stirs up problems. He may be an idiot, but he is an honest idiot.

His strong performance leads to some decent overall pacing in the movie. While this isn't anything astonishing, it's surely not a bad film.

It's demeanor and individuality are what set it apart, and what make it worth watching.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011)

Shockingly In Depth

[7/10 · 9 November 2011]

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is carried heavily by the twisted, vile, centipede obsessed main character Martin.

By carried heavily I mean, this is by far one of the most disturbing characters in horror. His appearance, distant sinister gaze, and his demeanor shine through the grittiness of the film. Talking about gritty, this guy masturbates with sandpaper. Now that's gritty.

Really, the movie is shot from his introspective. His deranged and abusive upbringing, turning him into a brutal unsuspecting killer. He seems harmless enough, like the the "Have you seen my stapler guy?" from Office Space. Yet, this is one parking attendants garage you definitely don't want to park in.

The film is much better than the first one. Shot in black and white, and filmed great cinematography wise. It remains raw, grainy, and uncut. Audio is distant, but well suiting for such somber setting. This movie is dark, unrelenting, and leaves absolutely not one hint of remorse or emotion. Tom Six has put together something of genius and epic proportions, 12 to exact.

American Horror Story (2011– )

A Dark Twisted Adventure

[9/10 · 20 October 2011]

American Horror Story is simply extraordinary.

A trip deeply filled with psychedelic visuals, interesting characters, a solid musical score, along with superb acting. This show will leave your mind in a puddle of mush, it's psychological ramifications are it's strong suit.

Terror. Fear. Emotions. American Horror Story takes those vibes and bends the thin line between fantasy and reality. It's edgy grittiness and sharp bladed approach appeal to us deeply. It's the dagger, and our brains are the victim. Unrelenting surprises unlock themselves as you delve deeper into the realm of insanity.

Just sit back relax open your mind and enjoy the brilliance.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris - Reality becomes Fantasy

[9/10 · 13 October 2011]

At first I wasn't sure what to think. As the movie started out beautifully filmed, great musical score. But almost like a romantic comedy that had gone very wrong.

As the film progressed, something magical happened. Things started changing, Owen Wilson descending into his writing career and engaged to hid fiancé - and his dream of seeing Paris in the 1920's came true.

From this moment on the film is pure brilliance, with Owen playing a fantastic yet whimsical writer - that at midnight in Paris. Is transported to the golden age of Paris in 1920. Along the way he meets greats like Hemingway, Picasso, and Dali. All supported by a really strong cast of actors, and a beautiful script and cinematography.

It becomes his alternate reality. But as the way it's portrayed, it is indeed actually happening. His reality and fiction get intertwined in a Pan's Labyrinth'esque type of fantasy. The movie is a pleasure to watch and don't let the romantic part scare you, I won't spoil anything but lets just say there a quite a few twists and turns along the way.

I think almost anyone with appreciation for good movies, cinematography, writing, or just something heart warming interesting and outside the box will really enjoy this film.

Hesher (2010)

Hesher Kicks Ass

[8/10 · 13 October 2011]

Hesher played by Gordon Levitt Smith carries this movie about crudeness, recklessness, sadness, humor, adrenaline, rock, darkness, and great story telling.

Raw and unchained you may laugh, you may cry, but you will surely enjoy it's sure out of the box brilliance.

Hesher really has a bit of everything, but let's just say it's highly entertaining.

It's also more complex than it seems. It's not just about Hesher trying to turn TJ's life upside down. I think it's more to toughen him up, and try to make him the maniac of a man that Hesher truly is. But I also think it's much deeper than that.

The tale of loss of TJ's family, their heartbreak and struggle. The constant battle of realism, invaded by the quirky, rude, downright vulgar - yet charmingly hilarious, and at some points ruthless Hesher.

Shallow at first glance, but as your mind opens up Hesher becomes pure brilliance.

Revenge (2011–2015)

A Revengefully Good Time

[10/10 · 6 October 2011]

What else can I say, this show is amazing. Revenge should be the standard for all other TV shows to follow.

Emily Thorn and her strong supporting cast are at the top of their games. Brilliant writing, and a deep dark mysterious story line will keep you hooked. So many sub plots and twists and turns as the story unravels it just keeps escalating. It's amazing to watch nearly every character to be deeply developed into the plot line. You never know what will happen next, and it's just pure bliss to watch.

My favorite new TV show in a long time, and I can't wait to see Emily Thorn every Wednesday. I've developed a sick demented crush for her devilish beauty.

Drive (I) (2011)

Drive - It's one Hell of a Ride

[9/10 · 6 October 2011]

Drive is one of the most gripping movies I've seen in a long time. It combines some of the greatest car chases, gut wrenching scenes of violence and brutality, humor, and loads of cash in a heist gone bad. Oh yeah, and brilliant acting by Ryan Gosling and his beautiful neighbor Irene played by Carey Mulligan.

This movie starts out with Ryan Gosling making a living as an auto mechanic, Hollywood stunt driver, and you guessed it one bad ass getaway driver. Ryan Gosling portrays swagger while remaining grounded with his nonchalant edginess. Things go sour when his Irene's boyfriend comes home from prison. That's when things hits the fan. Gosling is required to try and save Irene and her boyfriends family, their son that's 8 years old.

Forced into a heist to try and save Irene's family. Which goes very very wrong.

This is when the calm cool collective Gosling turns into a pseudo psychotic maniac driver from hell, yet still remaining his poise. But develops such a gruesome edge.

After this things become very intense, and some of the most brutal scenes of violence ever recorded will be imprinted into your brain. Imagine a fork to the eye, and then 3 stabs of a butcher knife to your neck, blood squirting profusely from your arteries.

This movie has everything, I could sit here and type out everything and why it's such a damn amazing movie. But I would be here forever. Incredibly deep, amazing cinematography, world class acting. Deep storyline, best movie of the year? I'd say one of them, do yourself a favor and Drive yourself to see Drive right now, for the love of god you will thank me.

Weekender (2011)

Weekender - A Cult Classic

[10/10 · 6 October 2011]

First off, let me say that I'm absolutely shocked that this is rated only 4.8/10. This movie is bloody fantastic.

I can guarantee that this will become a cult film in the future the same way Requiem for a Dream is today.

While not without flaws, this movie has so much to offer someone looking for a good time. It starts out with the 2 main characters Dillon and Matt getting into the UK underground rave scene. They meet up with Captain Awesome and begin hosting their own raves. That's when the fun begins.

There are so many twists and turns, and epic moments in the film that I won't spoil anything. Give this movie a chance and you may find that you really enjoyed it, a guilty pleasure with a great ending.

The Art of Flight (2011)

The Art of Flight - One Well Worth Taking

[9/10 · 6 October 2011]

The Art of Flight is more than what it seems.

This is an engaging, immaculately filmed, brilliant film that shows what happens when us as humans push our boundaries.

From the breathtaking cinematography, from amazing camera angles and intense vivid slow motion action in the most remote locations in the world. It's really unreal some of the stuff in Art of Flight, it takes nature and snowboarding and combines them into something magical.

Ad mist all the flashy stuff, the film is much deeper - it shows humanity and the struggle for greatness. To keep pushing yourself to the limit, and what to live for. The strive and passion these guys have for taking down the most dangerous sections of mountains to ever be snowboarded upon is just amazing.

If your into sports at all, or movies about pushing your limits of what the human mind and body can do. Or just looking for something gorgeously appealing in high def to sit back and enjoy, look no further than the Art of Flight.