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Busanhaeng 2: Bando (2020)
Peninsula, not Train to Busan 2
First off, this is basically a stand-alone film marketed as a sequel, trying to imitate the sucess of the first film. The story is set in the same universe, four years later. No other characters from the original, stunning and emotional Train to Busan remain.
Song-Ho Yeon could have just invented another reason for the outbreak, slap a four-years later on and at least not lie about this film being a sequel, which was clearly done for monetary purposes.
Now onto the actual film. Where TtB builds amazing characters, (flawed) heroes and villains alike, this film doesn't. While the main character again battles his inner demon and recognizes his flaw, just like the father in TtB, the other characters had little to no impact.
The film is trying hard to be badass, cool and filled with action, but it forgets to build character - which is a shame considering TtB was excellent at it. The deaths don't feel impactful, and unlike the first film it has a happy ending which felt suprisingly unsatisfying.
The big takeaway is that Song-Ho Yeon may have been a master of emotions in TtB, but has forgotten his true power in favor of action, mediocre CGI and a bunch of unrealistic car stunts in Peninsula.
In the future, I would love to see him tackle new, stand-alone horror movies which have a heavy emphasis on characters and emotions and aren't blinded by CGI and useless action.
If anything, I can truly appreciate the greatness of Train to Busan even more after this: a film that rounds everything up so beautifully, it does not need a sequel.
Hereditary (2018)
immensly uncomfortable, but also cluttered.
Ari Aster produces a gripping and uncomfortable film - if you loved Midsommar, you will enjoy this movie a lot, too. And vice versa.
The production design is superb and the lovely and naturalistic home of the family slowly turns into an iery place of terror. The viewer is left unsure about what is real and what is the result of mental illness - or perhaps darker forces at work. The only issue with the film is that Ari Aster pays so much attention to detail that the average viewer can't keep up. There are tons of subtle hints, some plain as day and some so hidden you'd have to rewatch the movie three times to pick it up. This, while when rewatchint the movie certainly very entertaining, left me constantly wondering whats important and whats not, constantly looking for reocurring motifs only for them to play a minor role and leaving me a bit clueless at the end. The ending could have been done better, while Ari Aster tries his best to use different cinematic elements to portray the powers at work, it is easy to lose track of who is what and what is who.
All in all, if you 'click' and manage to follow the ending, its an amazing experience of a film, gripping and certainly worth a rewatch.
The performances are really all great and very captivating - coupled with the amazing production design and Ari Aster's genius storytelling this allows for one of the most immersive movies of the year.
If you love indie horror and are sick of slasher or jump-scare horror, this is definetly a must-see.
Definetly a movie that gets even better, everytime you watch it, though it is so uncomfortable, I'm not sure I ever will.
Waves (2019)
Exactly what todays cinema lacks
Wave's story isn't one of a typical film or book. It merely treats the audience as a bystander who just happens to watch a family deal with what's thrown at them, mainly from the perspective of a young, ambitious teenager, Ty, and his sweet, shy sister Emily.
The film doesn't have a traditional narrative which makes it refreshing while never being boring. Trey Edward Shults could have ended the film after the first act but decides not to and continues to not only tell the amazing dramatic downward spiral of Ty but also the aftermath. Shults tackles other tough topics and introduces more interesting characters as the movie progresses keeping it fresh, while maintaining the observational feeling for the audience.
The cinematic execution is also spot on and on par with some of the greatest movies. Shults uses various cinematic effects to tell the story, most notable the amazing use of aspect ratio which reflects Ty feeling more and more claustrophobic and stressed and Emily redifining herself and how she deals with the situation as well as the family growing back together.
The whole movie is beautiful to look at with some very cinematic shots, pretty colours and amazing actors. The music is also great, especially if you're a hip-hop and r&b fan.
Overall the movie can be slow at some points, but that's just part of it. The movie left me a little confused but totally amazed and it hasn't left me alone even weeks after seeing it. Shults pulls off an amazing work of art which is a love letter to american youth culture and cinema and is exactly what the action and superhero fueled movie industry lacks. Lay back and enjoy.
Hors normes (2019)
So pure and genuine
At some points in the movie I felt like they used real disabled persons and some of the reactions were seriously genuine. I'm not sure if they actually did, but I wouldn't be suprised.
The movie is almost like a documentary just following the lives of Reno and his association, who take care of disabled kids no one else can deal with, while still following a traditional narrative. The former is due to the real-life influence the movie has.
The acting is top-notch, I almost didn't feel like watching a movie but watching actual events instead. The story is great too and to top it off it comes with a message. It's just a nice, heartwarming movie which left me smiling throughout most of the film.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019)
Just... boring
All characters are so stereotypical they become unlikeable. The only somewhat sympathetic character is the daughter. Bernadette is an absolutely unbearable character and I'd argue her husband is even worse. Yet she doesn't realize what a burden she is and her husband, who at the beginning of the movie didnt even care, suddenly wants to send her to the psychatric ward, which seems excessive.
Most of the movie is stale with little to no events pushing the story forward and the missed opportunity of adding some action with the russian scammers. thus redeeming the whole plot point useless.
Towards the end it gets a little less stiff but that is far from enough to compensate for the rest of the movie.
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
Lay back and enjoy!
This movie is great if you just want to sit down, relax and watch some senseless entertainment. It's funny, it has amazing acting, amazing make-up and anything it takes to kidnap you into Zombieland for a couple of hours. There is lots of splasheresque Zombie Kills and as always, the Zombie Kill of the Week/Month/Year is the funniest.
If you liked the first part, Shaun of the Dead or Little Monsters, you'll like this too. And vice versa.
After the Wedding (2019)
Bad, even as stand-alone
Didn't watch the original.
This movie bored me from start to finish. It was bearable, but thats about it. The lead, Michelle Williams, while acting well, portrayed a very unsympathetic character which seemingly didn't like to clear things up by opening her mouth and was completely unable to adapt to the circumstances. The story would have been slightly enjoyable if the leading character wasn't such a letdown to begin with.
There is a somewhat foreseable twist and the classic 'bad guy ain't that bad' and thats about it. Nothing special, nothing memorable.
Official Secrets (2019)
Could pick up the pace
The movie is slow and wouldn't it be based on a true story the screenplay probably wouldn't have been picked up. That being said, the performances are good, especially by Ralph Fiennes, and knowing that the story is very much real is chilling.
It's very heavy on dialogue and features one minor action scene which seems to be the only break from said dialogue.
You'll like this movie if you liked Snowden (2016) or other real-life stories heavy on dialogue with little action or suspense. Worth watching, but not worth going to the theater for.