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Inside No. 9: The Bill (2017)
Inside No. 9 - S3E2 - The Bill
Inside No. 9 - S3E2 - The Bill
The restaurant is about to close and four friends get into an argument about who will pay the bill. The discussion turns into a fight, and the fight takes on catastrophic proportions.
What started as a fairly boring viewing of four men talking fast and being hard to understand even with subtitles, ended up being perhaps the best episode yet. It's so good that I'm going to rewatch it before moving on. Great acting, the tension that will keep you on the edge of a knife (pun intended), and completely insane, even breathtaking plot twists. This one really surprised me.
10/10.
Inside No. 9: The Devil of Christmas (2016)
Inside No. 9 - S3E1 - The Devil of Christmas
Inside No. 9 - S3E1 - The Devil of Christmas
A wealthy family comes to the Austrian mountains to ski and in their bungalow, they find a picture of a demon on the wall. It turns out to be a local legend about a demon who rewards good children around St. Nicholas and punishes and takes away bad children. Soon the boy begins to see signs of the demon's visits and the question arises whether it is an unsavory joke of one of the housemates or if the demon really exists.
The story is interesting, filmed in the style of the seventies and actually using equipment from that time, the format in which the story is presented is unusual, and the plot twists are unexpected. Original, risky, and quite successfully executed. The problem is that I can't stand "found footage" and similar film forms, so I can't judge this episode objectively. From me, one subjective
7/10.
Inside No. 9: Seance Time (2015)
Inside No. 9 - S2E6 - Seance Time
Inside No. 9 - S2E6 - Seance Time
The girl comes to the same house from the episode "The Harrowing" for a session of communication with the spirits of the deceased. Of course, things are not what they seem and there are several twists and turns during the 30 minutes.
Excellent acting (Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, and especially Dan Starkey and Alison Steadman in the role of blind medium Madam Talbot), well-crafted atmosphere, interesting twists, and a couple of nice jump-scare moments. But the story itself, especially the cliche ending, does not deserve more than seven out of ten.
7/10.
Inside No. 9: Nana's Party (2015)
Inside No. 9 - S2E5 - Nana's Party
Inside No. 9 - S2E5 - Nana's Party
At the family celebration of the grandmother's 79th birthday, the sons-in-law traditionally play pranks on each other, and unpleasant family secrets threaten to come to light.
The episode feels like a cheap sitcom, with banal humor, pathetic drama, and a totally disappointing ending. The cutting of the cake is the only scene with some tension, but this idea is not enough to carry the entire episode. Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Claire Skinner, and Lorraine Ashbourne performed well, but they didn't have much to work with. In my opinion, it is the worst episode so far.
4/10.
Inside No. 9: Cold Comfort (2015)
Inside No. 9 - S2E4 - Cold Comfort
Through the monitor of the security cameras, we observe the events in the volunteer Comfort Support Line organization. The protagonist receives disturbing calls from a girl who threatens to commit suicide and it throws him off track. Things are more complicated than they seem and are gradually revealed to us in the twists and turns towards the end of the episode.
Visually, it suffices to repeat that the episode mimics security camera footage. For this approach to hold water, the episode needs a powerful story to support it, and this one is not. The story development was quite boring to me, and the twists and turns were predictable, far-fetchedly unconvincing, and fundamentally pointless. Only the acting is good. Overall impression - half an hour wasted.
5/10.
Inside No. 9: The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge (2015)
Inside No. 9 - S2E3 - The Trial of Eliyabeth Gadge
Inside No. 9 - S2E3 - The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge
In the 17th century, two inquisitors came to a remote place to try a witch, at the invitation of her own daughter and son-in-law. An almost Pythonesque mockery of primitive mentality, church dogma, witch hunts, and mass psychology. Hilarious trial, excellent scenery and costumes, even better acting, and impressive plot twists. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton nailed their roles, and Ruth Sheen stole the show, but the rest of the characters are really not far behind. So far, the second season is convincingly better than the first season.
9/10.
Inside No. 9: The 12 Days of Christine (2015)
Inside No. 9 - S2E2 - The 12 Days of Christine
Inside No. 9 - S2E2 - The 12 Days of Christine
I don't know what I could write about this episode without it being a spoiler. The story is designed in such a way that it is practically impossible to get the gist, because until the very final twist you have no idea what you are watching. And then it hits you like a ton of bricks. From the construction of the story, through the pace, the atmosphere, the acting, to the point and the emotions it evokes, "The 12 Days of Christine" is an excellent 30 minutes of television, the best episode so far, and according to many who have watched all the seasons, possibly the highlight of the entire series. It is only important that you enter the story without any prior knowledge and pay attention to the details.
10/10.
Inside No. 9: La Couchette (2015)
Inside No. 9 - S2E1 - La Couchette
The stiff-necked gentleman in the sleeping car of the train went to sleep. He has an important meeting in the morning. But the compartment has six beds and the other passengers arrive one after the other, making noise and causing a series of comical situations. As things stand, there will be no sleep. Especially when they discover that there is a dead man on one of the beds.
A great cast, a variety of characters characterized very well in just half an hour of an episode, and humor that ranges from harmless verbal and slapstick to perverse, morbid, and quite nasty, all in all, it is a lot of fun. But even though it has a decent plot twist, the episode lacks story strength and didn't leave me with any impression. Fun to watch, but forgettable.
7/10.
Inside No. 9: The Harrowing (2014)
Inside No. 9 - S1E6 - The Harrowing
A teenage girl comes to a creepy house to watch over a sick man while his family is away. She takes her friend with her to keep her company. Of course, it turns out that nothing is as it seems and that what awaits her is not worth all the money in the world.
By far the worst episode of the first season. The script is an unoriginal linear gothic horror, with no real plot or denouement, nor the final twist that is the trademark of this series. Half an hour of slow and boring development of the situation passes in anticipation of a surprise and just when you think - here it is, any moment now - the ending credits start. Just because of the good atmosphere and scenography, I can't go below
4/10.
Inside No. 9: The Understudy (2014)
Inside No. 9 - S1E5 - The Understudy
Inside No. 9 - S1E5 - The Understudy
In the theater, the stand-in actors are preparing for the rehearsal and hoping for their big chance. How far are they willing to go to get that chance...
An episode of consistent quality with nothing to complain about, but somehow thin compared to the previous ones and quite predictable. I see that many rank it among their favorites, but I found it boring.
I also find it boring and irritating that this site brought back the minimum length of reviews. It has no point and only wastes time for both writers and readers of these comments. Twelve more.
5,5/10.
Inside No. 9: Last Gasp (2014)
Inside No. 9 - S1E4 - Last Gasp
Inside No. 9 - S1E4 - Last Gasp
A popular singer dies suddenly while visiting a terminally ill girl. His entourage and the girl's family are thinking only about how to get financial benefits out of the unexpected situation. It is a tribute to human greed, selfishness, and cruelty, against the innocence of children. An original idea and a much tamer twist than in previous episodes. It did not leave a particularly strong impression.
I need 169 characters more, but I can not tell more and still avoid spoilers. So I have to write whatever pops in my mind until the counter gets to zero. Nineteen more, done!
6/10.
Inside No. 9: Tom & Gerri (2014)
Inside No. 9 - S1E3 - Tom & Gerri
A teacher, who is trying to make his way as a writer, takes in a homeless man who found his wallet, befriends him and his life suddenly goes downhill.
The episode is interesting, but quite unconvincing. Things just don't work that way. Also, the twist is predictable. Or maybe we actually have no idea what we're watching until the very end... The writers of this series, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, who also play the main roles, surpass themselves from episode to episode, and Conleth Hill (Lord Varys from Game of Thrones) is always a welcome spice, who adds a special touch to the episode.
8,5/10.
Inside No. 9: A Quiet Night In (2014)
Inside No. 9 - S1E2 - A Quiet Night In
Inside No. 9 - S1E2 - A Quiet Night In
Two masked burglars try to rob a luxury house, while the owners are present and in the middle of a marital dispute.
"A Quiet Night In" is an obvious homage to silent comedies from the beginning of the last century, which is confirmed by the choice of Chaplin's granddaughter for the main female role. Essentially realistic situations are over-the-top caricatured and hilarious slapstick gags are lined up one after another without respite, until the (un)expected ending. A very twisted and amusingly morbid episode with a few effective twists, a class above the first episode.
8/10.
Inside No. 9: Sardines (2014)
Inside No. 9 - S1E1 - Sardines
At the engagement celebration, the guests and future newlyweds play a kind of hide and seek, where one hides, the others look for him, and whoever finds him joins him in the hiding place. In this way, the episode introduces us to one character at a time, all of whom are somewhat caricatures of different types of people, slowly revealing their mutual relationships. A mildly unpleasant comedy, with a very unpleasant twist at the end. The episode isn't particularly original and feels a bit cheap. It is redeemed only by the silly premise and the ending, which is somewhat stronger than the previous half hour.
6,5/10.
Viy (1967)
A dark fairy tale
Over two decades before Serbian "A Holy Place", the Russians adapted Gogol's short story "Viy" much more faithfully to the original text, but that does not make this film better by default. From the point of view of production, it is better (it's a bit disappointing to me that a Russian movie from the sixties looks better than a domestic film from the nineties, although I'm not particularly surprised), it has a dark but fairy-tale atmosphere, and, for its time, phenomenal special effects, make-up, and costumes (except for the titular demon who looks really lame). If you like Russian fairy tales from the USSR era, don't miss it, but don't expect horror in the truest sense.
Although the Russian version is visually richer and the story is more detailed than "A Holy Place", it is poorer in terms of erotic elements, characterization, and character background. Also, Branka Pujic and Mira Banjac are way better and far creepier than their Russian counterparts (I'm not saying actresses, because the grandmother is played by a man).
While the Russian film is an excellently filmed two-dimensional fairy tale, Serbian film is low-budget and visually unconvincing, but has a more complex and compelling story. Overall, same rating for both.
7/10.
Sveto mesto (1990)
Better than "Leptirica"
Almost two decades after the cult "Leptirica", Djordje Kadijevic brings us another, now also a cult horror film, based on the short story "Viy" by Nikolai Gogol. In relation to the source material, "A Holy Place" follows the basic flow of the story, but while, perhaps due to the budget being too low for special effects, it omits the multitude of supernatural beings that the story abounds in, on the other hand, it expands its erotic elements and deepens the characters by inserting, in the original non-existent, flashbacks from their past. As a result, we got an excellent script, which is the strongest asset of this production. Everything else is at a much lower level.
The production gives the impression of a film at least a decade older than it actually is, and could perhaps fit somewhere in the seventies. The general atmosphere and visual experience for most of the film leave the impression of comedy rather than horror. Maybe it should have been. Comedy is something that fits both Serbian mentality and our authors, and if you look back at the best achievements of Serbian cinematography, I think you will agree that most of them are comedies, followed by dramas. Horror is not our forte. This impression is additionally contributed by Dragan Jovanovic in the leading role. Let's face it, he's a great stage actor and comedian, and I love him a lot, but for this movie, he's totally wrong and completely kills any chance of establishing a creepy atmosphere.
The rest of the cast is quite good, the music neither stinks nor smells, I can't decide whether are the motifs directly taken from "Leptirica" plus or minus,... All in all, a solid film worth seeing, but don't let the status of best Serbian horror get your hopes up too much, because it didn't deserve it by being a masterpiece, but by its lackluster competition ("Variola vera", "Serbian film" and "TT Syndrome" prevent me from using the term non-existent).
7,5/10 (this 0.5 just to raise it above "Leptirica")
Leptirica (1973)
Beauty and the beast
Beauty and the beast
The film based on Milovan Glisic's short story is considered the first and perhaps the best Serbian horror film. "Leptirica" brings us a rural atmosphere, beautiful nature, a satirical attitude towards folklore and superstitions, and a rather humorous story tone. There is not a trace of creepiness and tension, perhaps because there is no background music or sound effects in the film to help build an eerie atmosphere. The film has nostalgic and folklore value and some nicely designed details (blood mixed with flour, partial portrayal of the vampire), but overall it gives the impression of an amateur comedy attempt, like an exam work of a film student. Until the very end that left me speechless, even though the twist was obvious from the start. From the moment Strahinja jumps over the old woman at the door, until the closing credits, this film is a masterpiece, filled with scenes that will haunt you for the rest of your life.
7/10.
The Monster Squad (1987)
"Creature stole my twinkie!"
"One hundred years before this story begins, it was a time of darkness in Transylvania. A time when Dr. Abraham Van Helsing and a small band of freedom fighters conspired to rid the world of vampires and monsters, and to save mankind from the forces of eternal evil. They blew it."
A hundred years later, Dracula gathers monsters (Frankenstein's monster, Werewolf, Mummy,... ) in the American suburbs, to make evil prevail on Earth, using a powerful charm. No one believes in monsters, except for a few twelve-year-olds, who join The Monster Squad and start a battle to save mankind.
Interesting premise, monsters made without special effects, just costumes and makeup, references to old horror movies and the undeniable spirit of the eighties, but poor execution. This mash-up of Goonies, Ghostbusters, and Abbott and Costello monster movies is more of a parody and homage to horror comedies than a stand-alone movie, and it's graced by some pretty bad acting and direction. A rather messy and at best mediocre achievement, not even up to the knees of the '80s cult titles with which it is classified.
5/10.
The Lost Boys (1987)
"Death by stereo"
Single mom with two sons moves to Santa Carla only to find themselves in the "murder capital of the world". This place is teeming with vampires. The older brother becomes one of them, while the younger one joins the vampire hunters.
Joel Schumacher's cult horror comedy from the end of the eighties is not scary at all, and not particularly funny, but it is a textbook example of an extremely entertaining teenage film, it perfectly captures the atmosphere and style of the eighties, gathers an exceptional cast and the music is excellent. If you like the eighties, "The Lost Boys" is a real treat.
7/10.
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
"Nice old lady inside died of natural causes"
Today I committed an unforgivable blasphemy and on Friday the 13th, instead of a Jason marathon, I rewatched a teenage comedy from 1991. Back then in elementary school, we wore out this VHS until the tape eventually got stuck in the VCR. It's one of those movies we knew by heart as kids, and if we'd seen it for the first time as adults we'd probably have turned it off halfway through. However, three decades later, I really enjoyed it. Strange are the ways of nostalgia.
The mother of five children goes away for the whole summer and leaves them with a babysitter. The babysitter suddenly dies and the kids decide not to report it and somehow manage on their own during the summer, because long live freedom! Of course, life without parents is a crazy time in theory, but in practice, it's an endless series of problems that children can't and shouldn't deal with, an excellent premise for a teenage comedy.
"Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" doesn't show top qualities in any way, nor will you be rolling on the floor laughing, but it's a decent enough option for a casually entertaining afternoon. The script and characters are clichés, but the clichés are sweetly and watchably packed and, if you like eighties and nineties teen comedies, you'll enjoy it. Christina Applegate does well in the lead role, plus she's eye candy, and there is also David Duchovny as the supporting villain. It was especially interesting to me that out of a large number of artists who signed a rather good soundtrack for this film, I have never heard of any of them in my life, except for Army of Lovers.
6/10.
Thrashin' (1986)
West Side Story on skateboards
West Side Story on skateboards
Objectively, the screenplay is a total cliché, the characters are a total cliché, the execution is mediocre in every way and the whole thing is just one of countless similar mediocre teenage attractions of the eighties. Subjectively, nostalgia for my own childhood, love for everything from the eighties, several interesting easter egg tributes (The Goonies, The Wild One) and a club performance by the then still new and little-known band Red Hot Chili Peppers in their best phase, before they went mainstream and boring. I know it is not realistic, but from me
7/10.
Kings Row (1942)
Some people grow up, and some people just grow older.
Some people grow up, and some people just grow older.
In a seemingly idyllic small town in America, we follow the lives of several young people, their coming-of-age friendships, loves, and problems, some everyday and benign, while others are existential and tragic. Through their stories, we see the hypocrisy and darkness of the provincial mentality at the turn of the century (XIX/XX). It is a classic period drama of the golden age of Hollywood, pleasing to the eye, not particularly demanding on the brain, with no prominent flaws and virtues that would inspire me to write something more. Nice movie, worth watching.
7,5/10.
Scream 2 (1997)
Same s***, differ... same packaging
The sequel has all the flaws of the original, which is not surprising since it is practically the same thing, packaged a little differently. When I say different I mean less fun. To me, this seems like a lame attempt to cash in on the old glory, although I don't even understand why the first one was so popular to make it possible. So far, after the first two movies, "Scream" is the weakest horror franchise I've watched. I didn't expect that, considering that "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is by far my favorite, and both are Craven's.
4/10
" It's some dumb white movie about some dumb white girls getting their white asses cut the f up."
Beat Street (1984)
A black and Puerto Rican version of "Saturday Night Fever" - Chicago Tribune
From the point of view of objective cinematography quality, this film is mediocre at best. There isn't much to complain about, but it doesn't stand out either. Clichéd ghetto coming-of-age script, amateur cast, mediocre directing... Nevertheless, "Beat Street" became a classic, because it immortalized the early era of hip-hop culture in a way that was receptive to a diverse audience, hip-hop that in addition to rap includes break dancing, DJ skills, as well as the art of street graffiti. Besides, for those of us who grew up in the last quarter of the previous century, the nostalgic value of this film outweighs its objective values. If you look at it as a long '80s music video, it deserves at least
7/10.
Speak No Evil (2022)
- Why are you doing this? - Because you let me.
- Why are you doing this? - Because you let me.
From the technical side, the film is very well done, but I was not too fond of its essence. At first, it balances between boring and unpleasant, as it goes on it becomes more and more painful to watch, and in the end, it left me with bitterness in my throat and a cramp in my stomach. I had the urge to give up several times and now I regret that I didn't, because this is a soul-damaging movie and a totally unnecessary experience in my life.
I must emphasize that I am a big fan of horror and psychological thrillers. Still, although this film is technically both, it is not in the way we are used to, and watching it did not bring me any pleasure, only an all-pervading feeling of nausea and spiritual pain. Without particular explicitness and with a very slow pace, the film achieves its horror with an incredibly effective atmosphere and natural acting, which largely cover the obvious illogicalities in the story. It derailed me so nonchalantly that a high rating practically goes without saying, and yet, I would never watch it again, nor would I retell it and recommend it. I'd rate it a zero if it could wipe it out of existence.
7/10.