This is probably the most fucked up film of the year, which was surprising to me, since it's kinda getting mainstream buzz. At it's core, it is a wonderful body horror story, incredibly gory, totally brave. The last 20 minutes are wild. Fantastic work by everyone involved.
An action movie with a touch of Lovecraftian Horror. Ron Perlman is unbelievably good in the lead role. His performance is physical, funny, soft and even sensitive when it needs to be. The Abe Sapien character played by Doug Jones is cool and I'm glad to see the character get a larger role in the "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" sequel.
The creatures are plentiful and the practical effects are a standout. Having Nazis and Rasputin as bad guys certainly provides a significant challenge to the team of super-powered good guys, as well.
As with all Del Toro creations, this is a great looking movie. It's one of my favorites of the "superhero" genre.
the X, the XX AND the BORING ONE.
It's lacking that B-movie charm of the original. I think the script sort of gets it, because the dialogue is often cliché and unintentionally funny, much like the original. However, the cracks quickly start to appear once you dig past that. Apparently screenwriters still haven't figured out that excessive cussing often has the opposite intended effect on the viewer. Structurally, it focusses on the wrong things and overcomplicates a simple, streamlined story. In the beginning we're spending way too much time with these two main characters who have no personality, nor do the actors show a hint of chemistry. The editing can sometimes feel choppy (it often feels like entire scenes have been removed in order to cut this down to the bone), but generally the first half is still mostly a slog. Once it finally turns into the revenge story we all know, it becomes more eventful but I wouldn't say any of the action is particularly well executed, memorable or even original. For example, the scene that intercuts between the opera performance and Eric killing a bunch of folks clearly owes a huge debt to Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. On top of that the villain's not interesting, the acting generally sucks and aesthetically it feels like a cringy mallcore emo version of The Batman (some very similar lighting and use of distorted lenses). The look Alex Proyas came up with for the original was clearly rooted in the goth and industrial culture of the time, this feels very childish and like it's trying way too hard by comparison. Bill Skarsgard and some of the sets look like they belong in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. The soundtrack's quite good though, very distinct from the original but the choices all fit the tone. I wouldn't say this movie exactly deserves Joy Division, but at least it kept this from being the absolute worst release of the year.
1.5/10
Such a mess. I can't believe it.
I'm currently writing this while still in the movie theatre. I never reach for my phone when i am at the movies.
FKA Twigs was unbearable. I never wanna see her face or hear her voice ever again.
Wtf was that insta love thing? They literally said 'Hi' and then they were soooo in love with eachother. Get out of here!
The dialogue was as deep as the writing of a 15 year old emo girl from 2005. Trust me, i was a 15 y.o. emo girl in 2005 who would write "deep" shit like that.
The whole thing with the video was so illogical. She was looking at the camera but then she asks her friend who took that video:eyes: Then Zadie sent it to her but by the middle of the movie they said that Shelly had the video on her phone like it was there from the beginning... But they all saw her killing that other girl and now her friends are trying to protect her? I mean... i couldn't keep up with this plotline, seriously.
The editing was a bit messy too.
What was the point of the piano player? Take her out of the movie and nothing would change.
The diamond tattoo on Eric's face was all over the place. At times it was right below his lower eyelash, at other times it was on his cheekbone.
And wtf was that ending? Did they turn back time? If they did, then all the bad guys would be alive, right? Because why would they both die? Did they overdose? I just don't see the logic.
The ONLY interesting thing in this movie was shirtless Bill Skarsgard. Thank god we had plenty of this, otherwise i would have fallen asleep.
1 star for the aesthetics.
1 star because Bill's hot.
1 star because im generous.
That equals 3 stars from me.
Thank you for your attention!
Highly original and unpredictable, bringing different elements to the style. The movie takes place mostly in a single environment, and is divided into chapters, all very cohesive and surprising, some scenes are impactful and tense. The chemistry between the protagonists is excellent, even with some humorous moments and a lot of spontaneity.
That was not too badly directed but overall totally average.
It's trying to get out instead of in, but it's just a montage of the basic stuff we have already seen hundreds of times in any spy/cop/action movies where the protagonist try to access somewhere.
Well, it's half that, and half boring father/daughter talk mixed with insipid pop-like concert.
His moves are cheap versions of spy movies that work ridiculously well (the merch guy just letting him in ???, the uncle just standing there ???). The concert is a cheap version of current popstars. The psychology is cheap (the pseudo mommy complex, please). The twists are cheap.
And even inside that, lots of things make no sense.
From the small things: they are in a huge event and of course it would be boring to see them queuing, but they just manage to instantly get to the front row twice to see Lady Raven outside, and to buy merch.
To the big ones: there are cameras everywhere and cops have an operation center there. They know the guy is there and they know he wants to create incidents and panic. They would have immediately looked at the security cameras of all incidents (girl pushed down the stairs, kitchen incident, ...
Let's not even talk about anything the merch guy does, which would already be crazy under regular circumstances.
Or that there's no way cops would deploy such an operation for a guy that kidnapped a dozen people, and probably wouldn't enroll and brief that many employees (and artists lol) in it.
Then there's the next part when they exit the arena. Starting there, there's a bit of tension, but no suspense anymore since there is just no way he can survive that. Once he's out with her, there is absolutely no way he is not identified. Either he kills her to gain a little time, or cops will come immediately when he releases her. He can only die, disappear, or get caught.
And it starts making less and less sense.
First, would Lady Raven really go out of her way to save Spencer ? Not sure. They're going through a corridor full of cops. She could just have screamed. Instead she is taking a huge personnal risk, let alone the risks for other people when he's outisde.
Then no one finds her behaviour strange ? And she goes there with just the driver ? No way.
Then she calls on her follower to help Spencer, so not only asking them to commit crimes (they'll be breaking in somewhere), but not even thinking that the house could be trapped (why the hell wasn't it ?). Not even counting that she should have called the cops first. And that she's just putting the whole family in danger, she doesn't know him, he could kill them all now that they know.
For the final scenes, the guy's pretty strong for someone drugged and tazed 4 times. The less subtle way ever to grab a tool. And why the hell woud no cop stay with him in the van ?
Now for the pseudo twist, it sucked. The wife knew all along and she's the one that tipped the cops ? Why ? She makes a speech about how crazy it was to see him lie flawlessly and then just happen to maintain her facade for weeks ? Why not directly call the cops ? What if he killed someone in the meantime ? What if they failed to catch him there ? Plus it could go very badly in a place full of people. Again that's endrangering a lot of people for nothing.
Since it's Shyamalan, I was expecting some twist. At the very least, that maybe the wife was the one making him kill. But it was way cheaper than that.
Could have been okay if his daughter didn’t have a speaking role (maybe), but the plot was very straightforward and didn’t go anywhere.
Like marriage, it started of as a good idea but just kept going downhill until the only thing that keeps it together is doing it for your daughter.
The idea that a Beyonce level star would hold a concert to trap a killer is a lot to bite off, but then it just kept getting harder and harder to swallow.
Watching the credits, however, I realized the entire film was a vanity project to showcase the director's daughter's talents, which is the only thing that ended up making sense about the whole idea.
Unbelievable! The way they were able to find street parking outside the concert venue :sob:
I almost feel generous giving it a 3... listen I have no qualms with the story, its supposed to be cheesy, goofy. Its nothing unique and I can honestly sit and enjoy these type of movies and have a good laugh.
Mellisa carries the film but I'm sorry I found Octavias acting in this poor. She was so robotic and awkward and had no life in her whatsoever (my opinion of course) and as I say while Mellisa was the only redeeming factor I feel like even all of her characters are one dimensional and she now just plays the same roles with different tweaks. I do still find her funny but I hope she can branch out into different roles in the future.
I trudged along until the end but neither me or my wife was impressed and just found it poor with only a few laughs here and there (I think a few were forced as we were trying to find SOME humour and not feel like we'd wasted an evening)
Was it the best movie I’ve seen in the world? No. Best movie of an awful year of lockdowns and generally poor productions? Still no.
But does it deserve a 3.5 star rating on IMDb? Hell no!
I love Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy but never seen them act together and never realised they were actual life long friends! Jason Bateman was typically amusing too.
I enjoyed this movie for what it was. It was cheesy, lighthearted and generally a bit of fun.
Being a smart ass doesn't always help: The Movie
Basically a remake of Alone (2020) with a Wind Chill (2007) twist. The best thing about this is the combination of beautiful snowy landscapes, winter clothes and makeup to make it feel cold—I definitely felt cold watching it. I saw the first twist coming a mile away unfortunately but in all fairness I doubt it was meant as a surprise, if it was then that's lame. Most of the runtime is two people talking in a single location but I just couldn't stand either one of the characters or the dialogue. Whenever it shifts back to survival thriller mode is when it gets interesting but it's all been seen before. The best scene was the flashback and the conversation that followed. It got weird at the end, not sure what to think of it.
Not awful but not particularly good either. The wintry setting adds atmosphere but the film becomes less interesting as it goes on.
Extremely disappointing movie that came after a great first part and a spectacular second installment ... In my opinion it lacks originality in terms of plot and characters and to be honest I basically found it boring #wasteoftime
Amazing marketing, a so-so film. I’m sorry, I left this film liking some elements- the lingering cinematography, the shifts in aspect ratio- but leaving it with ultimately nothing. Even Cage is one of his ‘fun but not exactly good’ performances. I think of Cure, which I finally saw a few months ago, and how it went at length at selling Mamiya’s charismatic and mesmerizing hypnosis. The contrast between his charming and helpless veneer of short term amnesia and the misanthropic void inside that’d engulf others in their worst fears and impulses. Cage is not that. He’s a more effeminate Joker. He’s not convincing in any way in of himself, and he doesn’t feel like an extension of a great evil either.
So alright, I’d get then embracing the supernatural and satanic to distinguish itself instead, but I didn’t feel that either. I never felt that old all encompassing evil. Both Cage and Satan felt undercooked. And so maybe the horror is that you never know how close evil is at home. But the mom is just okay too. I wasn’t touched by her and Lee’s relationship before the reveal, I wasn’t horrified by it after. On one level I like the climax. Is it obvious Carter’s family is going to be drawn into it? Yes, from the moment you hear a birthday brought up. That works to set up an ongoing dread, an inevitability that Lee can’t stop. If you’re like me you’ll be mentally screaming at the screen to just shoot the doll, the mom just did it, try it. And so the big ending moment is her gun misfires, again and again. You can’t beat this evil.
But it just falls flat. The evil itself isn’t built up or represented enough to land. What could work on paper is a bit of a limp ending in execution. The film resorts to a fair bit of exposition dumps to carry it as the mystery and tone starts to falter. It starts strong, with a lot of potential. But this movie just doesn’t have legs.
Another boring arty "horror" film in the vein of A24... at least it was pretty short. Perkins is such an edgelord he even ran the credits backwards(!) in red(!) with a pop song on it, oohh!!! Twat.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Longlegs’:
I’m so annoyed. I am SO over cryptic artsy fartsy horror. You’re allowed to be a digestible film and be stylish at the same time. You don’t have to make somebody’s head spin for 90 minutes. You’re allowed to make sense. Too much time was spent on being weird than building real stakes and fleshing out characters. And the Annabelle-esque reveal is so out of left field. Like what?!
The only reason my rating is somewhat reasonable is because I honestly thought Nicholas Cage’s performance was masterful. What he did with that character was next-level. He went places that I didn’t think he was capable of going. GENUINELY bone-chilling. A backstory of his character could be major.
I think the most frustrating part, for me, is that I felt this film was one big missed opportunity. Beyond the Longlegs character, I thought the mood was absolutely on point and the music/sound was just fantastic. This could have been a truly scary picture. Ugh.
Longlegs wins for imagery and atmosphere. The creative shots, the sound design, and the theme all work together to make the film horrific and effective. Where it falls short is in the connection with the villain and insight into his character. Knowing there's a monster in the closet is scary, but feeling their motivations can turn your blood ice cold. This film has none of the latter.
Like a daddy longlegs spider: odd, slow and not very scary.
Longlegs is Silence of the Lambs with too much silence and not enough lambs. This horror / thriller tried to be Seven but only got to a 5.
Watching Longlegs felt more like someone telling me the story of a serial killer rather than watching a movie about one. The actors failed to live up to their roles and looked more like caricatures than threats, and the climax felt rushed and premature.
The film definitely has a cool aesthetic, but style with nothing inside it is just an empty suit that should be kept in the closet.
Great horror that relies on the suspense when the obvious is about to happen rather than jump scares.
This however results in a story that's very foreseeable. Still better than most other horror movies released recently though.
At its core, Oddity isn't unique, but its setup and atmosphere make it a great watch with plenty of scares. The film isn't perfect, but it knows better than to screw up all it has going for it.
Alien universe film order:
1. Prometheus (2012)
2. Alien: Covenant (2017)
3. Alien (1979)
4. Aliens (1986)
5. Alien 3 (1992)
6. Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Spin-off franchise:
- Alien vs. Predator (2004)
- Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Nicolas Winding Refn tells the cruelty, superficiality, and emptiness of the fashion industry with a self-indulgent, pretentious film that feels just as cold and empty. I don't like the phrase "style over substance", as not all films need to have an engaging plot or make life-changing statements, but ravishing cinematography aside there is literally nothing here. And by "ravishing" I might have made an understatement: "The Neon Demon" is in many ways the pinnacle of Refn's aesthetic pursuit, and offers two hours of dazzling, beautifully composed shots that go beyond haute couture glamour. As suggested by the title, the photography is dominated by a vivid palette of highly saturated neon colors, often playing with contrasts of red and blue, two colors that retain a symbolic meaning in the film. However, that's really all about it.
The plot follows young model Jess as the moral corruption of the industry transforms her from the naive girl next door we love into a narcissistic bitch. Refn fills the script with awkward dialogue and trite commentaries on the industry and the destructive force of beauty that consumes both who has it and who seeks it.
The first half is actually pretty enjoyable, as you are have not grown tired of the visuals yet and wonder what direction the film is going. Then it all turns into a tacky music video with cannibal lesbian witches… Don't misunderstand me, I DO appreciate that Refn always tries to cross the line and do extreme stuff, and I have no problem seeing tits guts flying around, even in a serious film. However, this time it just looked like a tasteless provocation from a fetishist. I know those scenes were meant to shock and disturb, but they are so corny I almost laughed the whole time. But that's pretty much all you will remember about the film.
My interpretation: that the natural beauty that Jesse owns is some kind of powerful magic that attracts people, and that makes her unknowingly some kind of witch herself. The three witches notice that and plot to eat her as soon as she reaches full power so that her magic can be passed on to them (it's starting to sound like Attack on Titan). Gigi's beauty is manufactured, probably she wasn't even born with her power, and eventually couldn't take it? Who knows, but Jess being eaten was a nice metaphor of showbiz, where there is always someone ready to feast on your corpse the second you die.
I kept this review warm for weeks as I was not sure about my final verdict, but let's go for a more than decent rating to honor not only the beauty of the cinematography, but also Refn's will to risk with every film.
The Neon Demon is a horror movie? starring Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, and Keanu Reeves. There’s so much artistic douchebaggery going on that it’s hard to get a handle on what kind of film this is. The story is your basic naïve teenage girl coming to Los Angeles to make it as a fashion model and finding that success inspires the homicidal envy of her peers. The sets and costume designs are incredibly well-done, and create a very visually rich look. But with all the symbolism and metaphors going on, it’s really difficult to follow the plot. A problematic film, The Neon Demon is a fascinating dark fairy tale that’s just too artistic for its own good.
Disturbing, stylistic snoozefest. Painful to get through the whole movie.
This was a beautiful and haunting slow burn.
Visually stylish and interestingly told. It won't be for everyone - this is an artier take on the classic story - but for the patient viewer, there are rewards.
Fountains of Blood (alt title). It's just gore for the sake of gore, on average a death every 2 minutes to the point where you don't give a shit about any of the characters.
You know anyone who is in the frame will be killed in the next 2 minutes. Some good action and acting...but meh.
I've seen this movie 2 weeks ago when it was called “Immaculate”. Also if you're horror movie is 2hrs long it better be at least 8/10