martlarrivee Reviews

Allegoria (2022)

I LOVED IT!

[9/10 · 9 August 2022]

I am honestly flabbergasted by the bad reviews here.

I don't understand. I watch TONS of indy horror movies and this one is just incredible.

Who the hell is Spider One and how come he is not doing the next Evil Dead?

Completely screwed up, completely original and unique, perfectly acted and executed.

Someone here said the acting was bad?.... I mean there is at least 3-4 notable performances.

... and some of the sound design.... just wow.

My new favorite horror movie in a long, long time. Bravo!

Resurrection (2022)

Amazing actress in amazing movies with terrible endings

[6/10 · 7 August 2022]

Funny how this movie is comparable with the Night House, in which the same actress starred. Rebecca Hall is sincerely phenomenal in this movie. Just like the Night house, the movie is perfect.... and then falls appart at the end. I'm dumbfounded how two movies, so well executed, with so much potential, just can't close a story and finish a complex idea in a satisfying manner.

The Innocents (2021)

REMARKABLE

[8/10 · 24 June 2022]

Truly impressed with this movie. Yes it is slow, but I actually loved the pace and it was so well executed. First, the child actors are outstanding. Especially the girl who as some kind of autism. I was convinced she was on the.hightest level of the spectrum when I realized later that she could be directed and was actually acting (to witch extended I don't know that's how good she was). Those kids are brilliant. Second, the "paranormal" aspect of the movie is very well done and integrated, very believable. I was totally buying that this could happen. Beautiful, dreadful, original... I was truly immersed in this world.

The Northman (2022)

Robert Eggers with more money = less interesting

[6/10 · 24 May 2022]

It's not the first time a great Director doesn't handle so well a bigger production (cough cough Tarsem Singh)... although obviously The Northman has it's moments, ultimately the result will be far less interesting than The Witch or the Lighthouse. This one loses his charm and authenticity with more production value. Feels more staged, more "acted", the CGI and the FX are not quite convincing, the night shots don't look really good. The "abstract" or " dream" sequences are not very nicely done. Feels like all the money they tried spending more ended up removing what made this Director great. The natural shooting, the set-up, the raw acting... gone. Here, the love story doesn't quite make you feel anything, the revenge is not very emotional, the stakes not quite clear. A weird mix or realism but also "fantasy" that is not quite assumed..... it's kind of there, helpful to help the plot, but also out of place. You get 1 hour of realism to suddenly see crows free the Northman from his ropes (!!??). The opening act is complete non-sense. Still, it's worth a watch because Eggers is a good Director and as a few tricks up his sleeve... but no, please. This is not The Witch or The Lighthouse.

Revenge (II) (2017)

One of my favorite B movies....

[8/10 · 8 March 2022]

It is so visually striking, fresh, modern... and violent! The music is simply fantastic. It's just a very cool movie. I'm surprised the Director hasn't done much other movies since because the execution is awesome. Def something I like to re-watch from time to time!

Here Before (2021)

Very well done... almost loved it.

[7/10 · 21 February 2022]

The acting, the mood, the cinematography... is superb. There is not much going on to be honest, but I actually loved the first 2/3 because the small details were clever, and tensions felt very real. I don't mind a slow burn when it's so well executed. For me, the" twist" ending was the let down. The movie is rather slow, and it way too much to unpack in the last 15 minutes, felt rushed and hard to swallow. The more I think about the ending, the more it really doesn't make much sense, and contrasts a lot with the rest of the movie that feels mature and believable. Still, reminds me a bit of "Birth" with Nicole Kidman... Not a great movie, but it kind of sticks with you.

They Live in the Grey (2022)

Could have been good...

[3/10 · 19 February 2022]

... but the movie suffers from bad acting and average cinematography. I don't want to be mean, but the main actress as the personality of a fish, it's like looking at a blank page. Some nice ideas, but when a movie relies so much on the mood, you need stellar acting and direction. Otherwise nothing carries the weight of the subject matter.

Bellflower (2011)

My favorite movie that nobody saw...

[9/10 · 30 November 2021]

I really, really love Bellflower and honestly, quite surprised that Evan Goldwell's career didn't explode after this movie. He proved he was quite capable to deliver a movie with little to no budget that is unique, visually striking and most important... with emotions that hit home. It's cool as hell, the love story is heartbreaking, the friendship is endearing, the movie is haunting and sticks with you for days. A passion project that screams to be alive and blows up on screen. And what can I say...that car is just so awesome!

Titane (2021)

Extremely..... stupid

[3/10 · 20 November 2021]

I love weird and disturbing movies. I've seen them all. So I was quite excited to see something new from what we call "French extreme cinema".... but this was trying way, way too hard. There's a collection of events going on, each weirder than the others, that makes no sense whatsoever. Some things are a bit shocking.... but by the end of it, the movie is so frustrating and makes so little sense that I can't help but being really annoyed and hate it. A bit like Holy Motors, where you really try to go along with the ride but at the end you realize that you are just not invited to the party. 3 stars because the movie is beautifully shot.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

It's my favorite film ever...

[10/10 · 21 October 2021]

... and I don't even have to think about it. I was born in 1973, seen everything. Consider myself a movie buff. This is the movie. No need to say more.

Halloween Kills (2021)

For the Saturday night crowd...

[2/10 · 16 October 2021]

I honestly don't know why or for who these movies are made for. Certainly not real horror fans. Maybe some people looking for a cheap Saturday night thrill, yelling and laughing at the screen? Seriously, Halloween kills doesn't even feel like a real movie. It looks likes one, sounds like one, but feels off, awkward, corny and manufactured. You get the score, the mask, familiar characters... you get new concepts like "maybe this time he could take off his mask?", or "maybe this time the whole city goes after him?"... but at the end of the day, we would have been fine with Micheal Myers staying dead in that hospital back in 1981.

The Secret of Sinchanee (2021)

Stopped the movie after 40 minutes...

[1/10 · 9 October 2021]

It was on my watch list. Sadly the acting is very weak and the movie has a cheap "tv pilot" feel... so none of the tensions or scares have any gravitas or weight. After 40 min of not feeling anything, I gave up. Obviously that bad movie poster was a warning.

The Night House (2020)

What a let down...

[4/10 · 7 October 2021]

The movie has a strong start and nice tensions, I was sold. But by the time we reach the end sequence, the movie goes full metaphysical, with very "on the nose" explanations and Invisible Man vibes... totally threw me off. When a ghost needs to explain the full story to you, there's a problem. There was little left to the imagination and it really fell short to end the story in a compelling manner.