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Reviews
Poltergeist (2015)
This movie is condescending.
One of the wonderful things about the original movie is that it insinuated a lot. It was very good at saying things without saying them - and showing you things to visually story-tell. It created an amazing sense of mystique and eeriness that made this movie a classic.
The remake has no subtlety - at all - in any way. They really love to beat you over head with everything - the writing, the effects, everything.
Feels like watching a preschool show where they repeat things 5 times for the kids.
First there is the clunky exposition ("there are speakers all over the house" "I can't believe I lost him in that mall"). They spend 20 minutes telling you how this family is in financial distress and that's why they moved. How he lost his job but insists on being the breadwinner so she can write. The real kicker: all of this is utterly irrelevant to the plot! None of this actually gets a callback. And it doesn't do anything to give the characters any personality either because its so situational and expositional.
A fantastic example of over-exposition is when the little girl talks to the TV. In the original Carol Ann answers in very short sentences and you don't know much of what is going on but you know there is someone talking to her, its scary. Here, she answers in awkwardly complete sentences to make what the ghosts are saying obvious - but its not interesting. Not enough to sacrifice the creepiness of the original approach.
Next, are the actual paranormal happenings. They over the top and very fx-heavy. From the tree having actual hands to showing the limbo fully - they show everything. This approach hurts the movie in two ways: having to use cliches to brush off the paranormal happenings because otherwise the movie would move too fast; and being so visually heavy that they smother any possible suspense. Once again, they beat you over the head with everything, leave no room for any interpretation, tension, nor a single thought. Its all there for you, bluntly and plainly. This makes watching this as interesting as reading the periodic table.
Finally - the performances are downright cartoony. I dont think this is on the actors, I really believe they wanted the ham aesthetic from the James Wan movies and it does NOT work. There is no emotional weight to any of this. Its not helped by how poorly the characters are written - no person behaves, reacts, or talks like this. You simply cannot care about any of the characters because they are flat caricatures of people.
The story is dumbed down. The dialogue seems written by a 2nd grader, everything is spelled out. Its downright insulting to the audience.
The Spirit (2008)
Really, it's not a bad movie!
This movie is not as bad as everyone claims. Sure, it pales next to Sin City, but it's actually entertaining! Visually it's beautiful, again, not as well done as Sin City, but still a piece of eye candy. Now, the story is not a serious one, the movie is a comedy with action and violence. It's an easy watch, don't have to think too much, just an amusing movie. The acting is not as awful as everyone says, Scarlett Johansson is as bland as ever, but without the psych around it, people seem to notice! Everyone else is fine, Samuel Jackson is funny, Gabriel Macht tries to be dry and stern, but he can't help to go back to be Danny Colt, which is exactly what the character calls for, and Paz Vega is charmingly out of place, and intentionally so. Overall, the movie is no huge ride, but it's a fun watch! and does not deserve all the crap it takes. Watch it sometime, you'll probably like it.
Buenos Aires 100 kilómetros (2004)
A very simple yet touching film
The main strength of this film is it's simplicity. Without being too convoluted, the film has an interesting and entrapping story. Despite the simplicity of the actual narrative, the movie is surprisingly deep and stratified, as proved by the way the story is written to analogously follow the five protagonists , one of many themes during the movies being how all boys that age go through very similar situations and feelings. The story itself is quite original, and feels, to the viewer, very realistic. The feelings each character has really hit home, and even though some situations seem a tad far-fetched, it all fits into the atmosphere of teenage anxiety and drama, and awkward feeling of not knowing how to react to some situations.
This is a movie that when you see it, you feel the complexity, you don't have to re-watch it five times to finally catch all the clues to understand whats going on. This simplicity is very refreshing allowing the viewer to simply absorb and enjoy the core of the movie.
Basically, this movie is an easy watch that brings the viewer back to the beginning of the teenage years by creating a illusion of simplicity and awkwardness.
Ultraviolet (2006)
Great action, lots of eye-candy, a fun watch... silly story
I definitely enjoyed this movie... granted the story is kinda ridiculous, and at some points it doesn't make sense... The Sci-Fi factor is very cool though... they take the concept of "disposable phone" to a whole new level... The visuals are really interesting... very pleasing. The action is cool... and it the best part is that it's pretty original... it's not the same 5 moves and sequences you see in every movie... The acting is appropriate for a movie of this kind.. not too good but not the most important part of the movie either.
Basically, the cool futuristic concepts, beautiful visuals, interesting cinematographically, and fun action scenes make up for the mediocre narrative and o.k. acting. I really enjoy it... recommend watching it if you find it in cable... not really worth renting unless you love Milla.