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thom-13652
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The Outwaters (2022)
razzie for worst cinematography ever
Let me sum it up, one guy films the brutal deaths of his friends with the world's tiniest flashlight, somehow manages to hold on to the camera (and his useless handling of the thing) all while losing his mind himself right up until the moment he cuts his own dick off and disembowels himself. Prior to that the only clear shot he managed to get in the entire movie was, of course, of the fat girl's tit.
Apalling movie. Not a single line of decent dialogue, maybe 5 coherent ones in the whole movie, unrelatable and/or unlikeable characters, zero sense of story, and it's so poorly shot that you literally can only see the maybe 10 percent of the screen that's lit with that teeny flashlight so you miss every detail of these supposedly interesting unexplained events. What a waste of time.
The Childhood of a Leader (2015)
Saved only by the acting
I had to read the synopsis again after watching to check that I did not read the wrong one before hand. However, it seems I read the right one, yet it seems to be describing a different movie. What we expect is an intriguing look at the psychology and circumstance that might lead a young 10-year-old boy to become a fascist leader. Instead, we watch nearly two hours of an unhinged and spoiled rich kid misbehave, without any sense of progression of the character, let alone signs that would indicate that which the synopsis claims the boy would become, all intermittently accompanied with a ridiculously exaggerated soundtrack considering banale scenes it accompanies. There is only one very short scene at the end that is meant to be some sort shocking reveal, and is once again signaled to be so with exaggerated soundtrack and cinematography, but given that it is the thing we have been impatiently waiting for since reading the synopsis before watching, it isn't much of a shock, except for the shockingly bad execution of it, with nothing tying this scene to the rest of the movie except a certain actor we've seen earlier, now for some nonsensical reason reprising a different role. The director clearly takes himself and his movie very seriously and tries to shove the gravity of his idea down your throat, without any redeeming feature to justify it. The movie is saved from a solid 1/10 rating only by the top-notch acting of the boy, Tom Sweet and one or two of his co-stars.
The Creator (2023)
Pretty but hollow shell
Feels like the average concept art student's grad project from 10 years ago. Appealing but very generic visual design, standing on very thin stilts as far as everything else goes. Story elements and the world-building are shoddy and all over the place. The first half of the movie sets up for a possibly very intriguing and interesting storyline, but never picks up that lead and turns into a messy, generic and predictable story, much like what an AI would spit out if you asked it to write you a sci-fi movie about love. The top notch cast was done short by the bad screenplay, and Hans Zimmer disappointed as well, with only one impactful track, other than which the soundtrack is forgettable, if even noticed.
In conclusion, the general audience will love it for its shiny shell and elements from other better movies, but cinema veterans and anyone even a little familiar with the concept art industry will leave with a heavy eyebrow raised.
Talk to Me (2022)
Terrifying look at death and the afterlife
The story at its core is a familiar one for horror fans, but in this case is so well executed, making it feel like a fresh new experience. Things like this always remind me of the dread I felt when watching Lord of the Flies for the first time when I was far too young to be watching it.
The main characters here were all endearing, believable and likable, already fixing the main flaw in most horror movies. You feel every feeling the character feels because they're relatable and you care. The horror aspects were all executed flawlessly, no cheap jumpscares or in-your-face moments, none of the familiar clichés, just nightmarish visions filling you with a more quiet dread, making you question everything, and the ending to the movie is just the final cherry on top, truly a terrifying vision, but you'll have to experience that for yourself.
Lake Mungo (2008)
Extremely disappointing
Considering its classification of horror, and the relatively high rating, it's disappointing at best. The acting is good and there's a lot of setups for a really interesting and horror-worthy story or twist, or even a more emotional dramatic avenue, but some of it is deliberately dismantled with other plot points and the rest just sort of goes unused. So, much like a ghost we are left with a feeling of unfinished business, loose ends, unresolved issues. Although the documentary-style was entirely unnecessary and detrimental, it was engaging enough to watch just because of those little teasers of something more, but at the end the lack of depth or resolution of those teasers will leave you regretting your choice to watch in the first place.
Hollows Grove (2014)
Very decent, deserves better
I've seen just about every horror movie there is and I was pleasantly surprised. The acting is very good considering the budget and especially compared to other much more hyped horror movies (including the other low-budget ones). The premise is set up very cleverly from the start in such a way that suspension of disbelief is not even necessary, it's integrated cleverly into the plot which is however not entirely unpredictable but it does make the scares more convincing because of the doubt it sows in the mind of the viewer and it relieves us from having to be skeptical of the possibly paranormal happenings because the characters themselves are skeptical for us, making for a much more enjoyable experience. There wasn't much innovation but still felt like a fresh take on a common trope, the brief ending scene had a nice X-Files style, and don't miss a quick fun scene post credits.
The Fallout (2021)
Feels somewhat disingenuous
Too many cues are taken from Euphoria, from the California summer teen drama vibe, right down to the style of the main character and the romance, but not as well-written with some 2020's era teen stereotypes/clichés, and nearly all characters are over or under utilized, all of which combined cause the message to fall somewhat flat. The strongest point happens in the first ten minutes, which is supposed to be what the rest of the movie revolves around but instead the next 50 minutes feel like a distracting attempt to recreate elements from Euphoria and the last 20 minutes are too little too late to get back to the message of the movie. The little sister is built up for a strong role in those first 10 minutes, but made unlikable for the whole of the next 50, and attempted in vain to be redeemed in the last 20 minutes. Ortega is overrated and Ziegler is much more convincing and likable, surprisingly, as she plays the influencer. Best friend Nick is annoying in the intro, redeemed but barely seen for the rest of the film. Other great actors like Shailene Woodley are wasted on a couple minor scenes.
Not a bad movie but did not do this type of tragedy justice.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Bizzare, jarring and insane, none of it in a good way
It seems the director told the actors to literally forget everything they know about acting, because despite the A-list cast all dialogue is as stiff as can be and the characters' behavior plain weird, illogical and jarring. Most of this movie I watched either laughing and hitting my head simultaneously because certain scenes were just so ridiculous, or with a deep frown on my face from confusion and/or annoyance. Nothing makes any sense, from the general story down to the actions of the characters and even the odd and at times annoying musical cues. I've never seen a worse movie with this kind of production value and cast.
Unless you're into movies that are unnecessarily and inconsequentially edgy and artistic, spare yourself. For what I think is only the second time ever, I requested a refund for this rental.
The Remaining (2014)
Very religious but not terrible
Clearly made with a religious agenda, it's like the movie is calling out all atheists, urging every viewer to repent and turn to god, but if you watch objectively it's quite entertaining and an interesting interpretation of the biblical end times. Plenty of plot holes, and the majority of the movie is a fetch quest, but the acting is not that bad, it wasn't as predictable as most horror movies, and the special effects are noticeably low-budget but wisely and selectively used to not be bothersome. Worth a watch if going in without expectations, you don't mind the heavy religious stuff and you want an entertaining watch but have seen most other half-decent horror movies.