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Under the Shadow (2016)
An overrated jumpscare film based on a cliché "djin" story
If you are from middle-east and if you are an horror fan, you will find this film pretty boring. It is a typical middle-eastern Djin story. The story is pretty superficial. Taking advantage of the war time issues without giving any kind of deep messages. Some dare to call it "psychological horror" since the background is about the Iran-Iraq war but trust me the war has very little to do with the film because it only has jump-scare moments. The legends and stories behind the "djins" (or however it was translated to other languages) are very superficial and lacks development. There is a huge potential in such stories and all those middle eastern superstitions, beliefs and culture could be reflected much more detailed and complete.
In the end sadly I feel like I just wasted an hour and a half on a mediocre horror film that just uses "djinns" instead of ghosts...
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Bad Director, No Music, Devoid of any Logic or Art
Seriously the film is a bad adaptation to today because it lacks substance. The scenario is full of holes. It is worse than a Swiss cheese. The execution of musics does not make you get in the mood. It just makes you cringe...
Yet it has 7 points (at least for now) on IMDB compared, ranking much higher than many other good thrillers. Why? I really have no idea.
Secondly the story is not prepared well. It is not presenting an opinion, it is imposing its opinions on you.
In the end my conclusion is the director and scenarist hate doctors and want to impose a stricter liability on them in law. However, they did not even provide any substance. It is like there is a sickness and no body understands it... Except that little boy of course. None of the doctors are able to understand what is wrong. Probably because they are not using their brain. But that's unusual. So it is best to shut down your brain while watching it and then get a glass of wine and be posh and act like this was such a nice and posh "art" film.
Sorry the truth is you just wasted your 2 hours on a scenario that was probably not worked on even one minute over the time you spent watching it...
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
No matter how much you dress it, s*** is still s***
First of all, I am really curious about how they got a 15 age restriction in the USA, I wonder if these guys have actually watched the film to rate it so.
Second of all, I do not say this lightly and I have watched many historical dramas or documentaries that did not interest me but I have never watched a film as boring as this one.
The film simply does not have a strong story. It targets rich people at their 30s, I believe, and I am sure that's where it gets its rating boosted.
What is good about this film? Well the music, the colours, visuals... They reflect the feelings really good. I give them that. However, I believe everyone was aware how light and useless the story was that they just tried to hide it all behind the visually 'arty' scenes and musics. Yet, they have tried it so hard that after a moment it felt really exaggerated.
What is really bad about this film? Story. Superficial and pumped with the boring Hollywood thriller clichés. It lacks any kind of logic or a foundation under it. It gives no explanations but this does not make it a deeper story as this is not a mystery film. On the contrary, it gives no explanations because it fails to develop the characters and remain quite superficial.
I hoped to watch a suspenseful thriller with a complicated story. I got a disgusting, sexually over empathised film, that does not tell you a story but just tries to make you feel some feelings, especially if you can associate with the characters yourself as I am sure a few do. It tries to ask and question life but does it very superficially. Yet in the end it tries too hard to give the feelings that you just respond with a yawn, mumble 'seriously' and check the time to see how long this torture of boredom is gonna last for.
It could have been an amazing film but for that the story should have been developed, expanded, rewritten.
My verdict: It has too many clichés for an 'art' film. It has too superficial story for a thriller. And it conveys all the drama through visual art to cover the 'weak' story.
UKIP: The First 100 Days (2015)
A very controversial political mockumentary
This is a mockumentary that portrays what would happen if an anti- immigration, anti-EU party would win the generals elections in the UK in 2015.
The show is very good at showing what anti-immigration and anti-EU claims may actually lead to. Its content is certainly highly sensitive for the UK as the elections are coming.
It has been criticised for using real footage of politicians, though I don't really find it reasonable because it is simply presenting an opinion on how the future would be. At no where, it claims to present any facts or anything and it would not be a mockumentary if it had such claims.
It presents a good picture where people can see the larger effects of Brexit rather than just immigrants coming from other EU countries. It also portrays well how "cracking down on immigration" does not just mean immigrants from the EU but the whole world, although many people somehow naively believes (or presents it like) that UKIP will just single out European immigrants and does not make any difference on other immigrants. Of course visitors in the UK already realise how the visa processes even for short visits are becoming unnecessarily daunting. The mockumentary may have also emphasised the further troubles the long term students in the UK experience because of all the red tape of getting a visa and being a foreign student in the UK. Well that is what is happening now but since the subject of the film is the future they may portray the collapse of the UK's world famous education system as well. Hopefully, if the film does not face any censorship perhaps they can put it in the sequels.
The Babadook (2014)
Good but seriously incomplete
I think it certainly deserves 8 points but it is good in building tension and has very good scary elements. It has many good ideas but not elaborated enough. So if you are a horror fan and if you haven't watched this film I suggest you to watch it certainly.
*Edit* Since it is certainly announced that there won't be a sequel, I cannot do anything but to downgrade my rating to 6 as it stands quite incomplete and nothing much more than a jump-scare film.
***Spoilers below***
I did have second thoughts about giving it 8 points. It certainly does it job to scare but so does the scream or blair witch when you watch it for the first time. Unfortunately at some places, it only depends on noise, sudden volume ups, screams and yells to scare you though.
I think what people are fascinated about this story is that it makes you think that the woman has psychological problems. Perhaps she has but in the end you are presented with a real monster feeding on worms. That gives the story a very unusual taste. A taste that is good only if it was accompanied by some more explanation. Besides this point, there are also many other elements that are not explained in the story. First of all, the death of father. Did he die in an accident that his head got cut off? Did he die just after talking about the weather? Are those just the imagination of the mother? So the story does not elaborate on the accident enough. It also does not make sense that father died while taking mother to hospital. It is normally the mother that dies during the birth not the father. There is something quite unusual there. How did she reach the hospital then? Was that a car accident or train? What happened during the accident? The film also leaves it unclear whether the bugs are just the psychological hallucinations of a traumatized mother or the way our supernatural being, Babadook, messes with his victims. These are all left unanswered.
A good horror film is the one that scares intelligently. As a standalone film, Babadook feels more like an unplanned story written hastily without connecting dots. Moreover, it gives you the feeling that there is something really intelligent going on in the background, that will be explained in a sequel.
To sum up, Babadook is a very good yet incomplete horror film. It is probably the first film of a saga as there is so much left to be answered and without these answers it is not much different then an average horror film. Yet, it is simply a big disappointment if there is no sequels. The accident of father is a serious aspect that needs to be explained more detailed. Yet what is even more important is the babadook himself. His character is not elaborated deep enough and there is so much potential to exploit in there. Hopefully, we all will enjoy this treasure in its sequels in following years...
Unfortunately it is announced that there won't be any sequels. It is good to leave some stuff to imagination, I like that. But this film leaves too much for imagination as it is.
The Purge (2013)
Why You should not be tricked by low IMDb (5.5) point
If you are wondering about the film and worried about the low rating, please don't mind the people who seriously underestimate the quality of this film. The reason is that everyone thinks that they can write a better scenario than that and characters are stupid. They expect characters with no emotional dilemmas, they expect people who are doing the most rational thing with no human element, as in every Hollywood film where the cool hero kicks the a** of the bad guys in the brightest way. DO NOT expect that too much in this film. This film is not a typical thriller film that approaches killing very lightly and easily. Every time you feel a character is about to die, it makes you think its moral sides. This film has many very good messages and it delivers them very well. It is trying hard to reflect on the emotional dilemmas and morality of killing rather than keeping it as a satisfaction element for the audience. So If you want to watch a film with a very good story and messages about morals, this is the right film. If you wanna see a blood bath with coolest and brightest characters dealing with a meaningless gore, then find another film.
Briefly, this film is for you, if you are looking for a good story that will make you think. If you are looking for a typical film like "panic room" etc. then turn your face to another film. IF you think the characters could behave better and more logically, without any emotions, then you better start writing your own scenario and good luck in finding some readers, you will need it.
Elysium (2013)
Mr. Lilcookie's Spoiler Free Advise on whom should watch this
The film is really good if you are looking for a good science fiction film. It will definitely not let you down. I think this film has a taste very similar to "In Time" and perhaps a little bit "Soylent Green".
The only problem with this film is that they could make the scenario more passionate more stronger. I think scenario lacks a little bit of passion though. I had a couple of scenes where I just felt like the scenario tastes a little bland. It lacks emotions in some important scenes making you feel like it needs a little bit more drama.
It would be a much better film I think if the film had focused on Jodie Foster much more.
The film is also pregnant to many good social messages, but it rushes it messages and as a result it fails to deliver them completely.
Ender's Game (2013)
Mr. Lilcookie's Spoiler Free Advise on whom should watch this
Do you like Aliens v Humans films? Do you get excited when you hear about District 9? Well then you better watch this.
This film is the Matrix of 2013. It begs for sequels. The film is so good that I think it is a no-brainer to adapt all Ender's Game books to the films. Performance of Asa Butterfield is incredible and what's more is that the scenario is perfectly adapted, I think.
You are definitely gonna enjoy this film, especially if you like sci-fi and spaceship films.
This is definitely a MUST WATCH film. I repeat! THis is definitely a MUST WATCH!
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Mr. Lilcookie's Spoiler Free Advise on whom should watch this
This film is for those who likes mystery-horror films with a good story. Though like most horror films it depends on some sudden scare tactics, it has a nice story that brings the creeps into your skin.
If you like Cthulhu and Lovecraft stuff, I am sure you are definitely gonna enjoy this. It gives a little bit the taste of the first Resident Evil film. May even taste a little bit like Hunger Games as well but among all the strongest taste I get from this film is similar to that of watching Evil Dead.
If you are looking for a horror film with a good mysterious story, you would not have a bad night with this one.*
(*Statement above is only for the palate of horror fans. If you are easily scared of horror films, prepare an extra sheet for your bed tonight.)