FilmsFillMyHoles

Lavish! I'm an absolute sucker for production design and some of it's absolutely marvellous here (especially the introduction to the Realm(s)). Hallström knows how to make a pretty movie, Johnston knows how to make 'em fun, and with their powers combined you get to watch money burn in a beautiful (CG) bonfire.

I really don't understand how could anyone call this "lazy", "lifeless", or "soulless" even. There's clearly so much imagination and work put into creating this world (even if it doesn't reinvent the wheel), and there's plenty of sincerety from the cast. Keira's having so much fun chewing the scenery. She's deliciously over the top! There's nothing cynical about The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (maybe from the suits behind the curtain). It's just a simple classic tale overblown to unnecessary proportions.

Ain't a hill I'm willing to die on, but (yet again) generic does not equal bad... The magic wears off after a while, but it's perfectly fine 'lullipop' (lullicane? no, that doesn't really work) entertainment for the Holidays.

...but like some contractually obligated encore from a once great band on their second revival tour. They're playing hits from all over their discography, yet the audience, whilst having proper fun, are simply tired of clapping, and just want to go home.

With such a distasteful promotional campaign (ranging from off-putting to repulsive), it's hard giving props, it is, but credit where credit's due. The Rise of Skywalker went to some rather unexpected (and many familiar) places, with a breakneck pace (for better or worse), tied up some loose ends nicely, and was filled to the brim with action. So you do get a bang for your buck in that way - fan service and all - if that's what you're looking for. To me it was perfectly fine popcorn entertainment, that did manage to move me, once almost to tears, yet for all of his Spielbergian efforts, J.J. couldn't really make me care all that much. It's over. It's over. It's over. That's what kept on echoing in my head after tonight's premiere, and I'm still not sure what to make of it. I think I'm more or less satisfied, but there's an overbearing sense of emptiness to it as well... That's conclusion for ya, I guess.

It was a rather strange feeling btw, leaving the theatre. Nobody seemed to know exactly what to say. I saw many confused faces: a middle-aged guy adamantly voicing his disappointment to his family, some teenagers making snarky remarks amongst themselves, but I also heard a little kid joyfully telling their parents how awesome it all was.

One thing's for sure, every generation will get a little something out of it, and that's not a bad thing. This new "conflict" trilogy as a whole, as imperfect as it is, thankfully is quite watchable.

Honestly never seen her in anything where she wasn't - at the very least - simply wonderful.

A comedy from a bygone era, yet a tale of romance, which is timeless. Now, before you roll your eyes back into your head, when I say "timeless" I mean Woody has basically made this film, I don't know, ten times already, but for me the message hits a little different and still resonates each and every time. And I just love the man's writing. I also watched a couple of Éric Rohmer's early works this year, and A Rainy Day in New York reminded me of them in a most pleasant way.

And I probably had the most ideal viewing experience imaginable as well: a steady rain outside the theatre, the film shown in a rather small room, with a senior crowd (old ladies letting out hearty laughs left and right), me and my nice cup of green tea in one hand and a pretzel in the other.

It truly was one cosy afternoon. I look forward to repeating it once it hits VOD.

P.S. (on the behind the scenes stuff): I get why people wouldn't want to watch/support Woody's work. I myself am quite iffy about watching Polanski films. While I'd question the integrity of certain cast members, donating their income to charities is ultimately a good thing. So at least that shines through the stormy release of A Rainy Day.

Josh Hasty wears his influences on his sleeves loud and proud, like patches on his favourite jean jacket, but I'd say he pulls off the look well enough. In the beginning we're treated with a nice establishing scene - with the one and only Sky Elobar - which is followed by that fantastic title sequence, with those wonderful autumn vibes and soothing synths (it's the absolute highlight for me). Then the plot kicks in and things start to fall flat and slooow down rather quickly.

With an uninspired revenge plot and the lack of a real protagonist - stuck with a boring killer (liked the pumpkin candy holder schtick, though), boring bullies, and a boring sheriff - the mind begins to wander over into the background, which is where Candy Corn's strength lies. The lovely set dressing and location, the Carpenteresque score, and all those endearing side/background characters - the deputies, Elobar, P.J. freaking Soles! (essentially playing Lucy Moran), Pancho Moler's especially fun. I also like how it all seems sort of out of time, like I've no idea when it's supposed to take place (can't remember if it's mentioned).

While it could have been a little tighter - there are clear pacing issues and those forced slo-mo scenes are a bother - it is about 80 minutes of perfectly enjoyable mood setting for Halloween season. So I think I would recommend it as just that.

Also, if this were to turn into a series, I'd be into checking a sequel out come next year, or something.

I've always enjoyed grumpy old men comedies ever since I was a kid (especially the Matthau-Lemmon kind), so take it with a grain of salt when I say: Even though I almost turned it off in the first 40 minutes... twice, The Last Laugh is kinda cute, sort of enjoyable and got a few giggles out of me. If that's not a resounding recommendation, I just don't know what is?

Really, though. Dreyfuss is great here! He's the only reason you should be watching this. Unless you share my undying love for Chevy Chase of course (no matter how much of a phony bell-end he might be), then there's that too. Some might call this a bore, and I agree that it's a bit dull, but it's not without its moments. Dreyfuss has a really sweet (shroom-fueled) musical number, the ending is genuinely touching, and once Andie MacDowell enters the picture, she brings a much needed warmth with her.

However, when Chevy clumsily starts to make a move on her, I felt a bit... icky, but then I looked up MacDowell's age and it felt a little less so (still very much forced, but they're cute together). Talking about aging gracefully... Honestly it kinda blew my mind that she's in her 60s. She is simply s t u n n i n g!

P.S.: On a techical sidenote, the sound mixing is not good, at all.

I've always been fascinated by folk songs, especially their grim depressing nature. While they're usually about the everyday miseries of common people, there's always an underlying poetic reflection on the societal issues of the times in those simple words. Ballad of Orin is very much like that.

Like a song with a beautiful melody, this film also lulls you in, but it does so with its aesthetics. The cinematography is devoid of anything fancy, instead it has a gorgeous rustic yet delicate quality (one of the most beautiful looking films I've seen). It starts off with an enchanting "float-in-the-wind" serenity, but as the story progresses the winds start to get stronger and stronger and the ballad becomes bleaker and bleaker. Though the time jumps that portray Orin's life were a bit jarrin, I deeply felt and feared for her, which created a wonderful sense of empathy and tension throughout her journey.

I'd highly recommend seeking out Ballad of Orin. It's a beautiful film. You don't really need any preexisting knowledge of Japanese folklore or history, everything's very well explained.

Even though the connection betwixt the memories/music videos is a bit ham-fisted, Dirty Computer (the "emotion picture") is wonderful. It's themes feel extremely personal yet universal, the songs are bangin' (the album itself is bloody fantastic) and the whole thing feels so vibrant, colourful and just alive! Janelle's been one of my favourite artists since The ArchAndroid, so I can't wait to see what she does next!

A Prayer Before Dawn is a harrowing yet beautiful fierce tale of addiction. While the premise is rather simple and almost cliché, its execution is what's truly exceptional. Sauvaire succeeds at creating a personal film with a natural flow, which paired with the extremely authentic production results in one of the most immersive experiences of the year. I was in. Not once did my mind begin to wander. My eyes were glued to the screen for two straight hours.

Responsible for this immersion was first and foremost Joe Cole's insane level of commitment and believability. The first time I saw Cole was in the 6th season of Skins, the British melting pot for insane talent (e.g.: Hannah Murray, Kaya Scodelario, Kaluuya, Hoult, Patel, Dempsie and O'Connel), where he played kind of a posh sociopath quite charismatically. He's also been great in Green Room and gives a similarly visceral lead performance here, that's equal parts loud and quiet. You don't really get to know Billy Moore, but you understand him and that's what counts most in a film of this caliber. His phisicality, training and interactions with the ex-inmates complements the film wonderfully and the choice to focus the camera on him with constant close-ups (and only a handful of wide-shots) makes the whole experience that much more claustrophobic. Another outstanding aspect is the uniquely edited sound-design and the very restrained ambient score. Everything in this film is there to serve the plot, there's no schmaltz or flashy showmanship. It's not that kind of movie.

A Prayer Before Dawn tackles two sub-genres surprisingly well, while remaining a poignant soulful drama. So if you like boxing/martial arts or prison movies you'll enjoy it and if you're someone or know someone who's dealt with addiction, it will resonate with you deeply. Can't recommend it enough.

I was completely immersed. I related to and identified with the characters immensely and felt like I was there with them cruising the town partying and having a blast pointing my finger at the screen and laughing like a dummy saying that "doii, that happened to me too, haha..." and feeling slightly embarassed afterwards.

Linklater's really great at making films that are universal. I love how Dazed and Confused means so many different things to so many people (both in a positive and negative way). For 70s graduates it's a nostalgia trip and for the younger crowd it's a time-machine. The same goes for its reception. For its fans it's a poignant meditation on the high school experience and coming-of-age from multiple perspectives and for its critics it's a male chauvinist's glorification of the tribal nature of the high school society, and I have to say that both sides would be right to a certain extent.

The performances are great all around (DD-L's phenomenal as always, Winona's full of gusto and Joan Allen's subtle) and the camera work is at times quite impressive, but with a plot so repetitive, the narrative becomes rather redundant and the pacing suffers (especially during the beginning)

Miller's play holding a mirror to the hideous face of the blacklisting paranoia of the 50s had weight to it. However, transferring it to the silver screen (especially in the 90s) takes away the hugely important context of the source material. The Crucible boils down to a straightforward adaptation. Still it's a poignant meditation on corruption, group mentality and peer pressure with a powerful ending. So, much like Giles Corey, all I can say is that The Crucible needed "more... weight."

Also, the mentality that the "witches" (almost all female characters tbh) of Salem did it all to attract men is... problematic to say the least.

Okay, so here I am at 4 am, struggling with a little bit of insomnia. I've lately been in the mood for a well-made cosy romantic film, hoping for something along the lines Before Sunrise, right? So when I came across Never Let Me Go in my watchlist it seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

After I started the film I noticed that the screenplay was written by Alex Garland, the guy who did Ex Machina, Annihilation and wrote Sunshine. I found it odd, but I rolled with it: I love his work so this should be promising. The film began with the conventional childhood love story premise. It was charming and adorable, but something was a little off (mind you I did not pay as much attention to the first 5 minutes as I probably should have). As the film went on it got progressively weirder and weirder, At around the 40 minute mark I kinda understood Garland's connection to the film. I paused it and checked the IMDb page, and only then did I realize that I've been watching a pretty abstract sci-fi film.

So going into Never Let Me Go basically blind gave me a very unique, mesmerizing and slightly frustrating experience that in my sleep-deprived state I definitely was not ready for. So I wasn't able to completely get what the film was trying to say, but mostly what I gathered or managed to interpret was that it's the portrayal/allegory of society's exploitation of its young, maybe? I'm not sure.

Like I said I'll definitely need to return to this film in the future to fully get the picture. Despite the initial confusion of my viewing experience I kinda loved Never Let Me Go. The only major issue I have with it is that the narrative style and worldbuilding of the film is left a bit too ambiguous. Other than that it's shot gorgeously and acted beautifully, complemented by an exquisit score. Would recommend, but know what you're getting into.

Such a lovable and joyous set. There is an abundance of hilarious skits and jokes (admittedly Martin Short kinda steals the show), but unfortunately there are plenty of jokes that miss the mark as well. All in all it's not the funniest comedy set I've seen, but it's probably the most wholesome (it sorta reminded me of Jerry Before Seinfeld in this regard). It's not for everybody, but if you think the title is funny, then I'd say you'll probably enjoy the show.

Duncan Jones is a filmmaker whose work I'm always most eager to see. In my opinion he really doesn't get the credit he deserves: Moon is a masterpiece, Warcraft against all odds was a pretty decent fantasy film and Mute, while probably his most inconsistent work yet, has sparks of genius. Unfortunately these sparks are kinda few and far between, but they are there.

Ok lets get the bad out of the way: Mute's biggest detriment (starting off the avalanche of issues) is the fact that it wasn't Jones' first feature. Initially he wanted Mute to be set in the past, a straightforward noir, that's a perfect premise to start a carreer off (e.g.: Blood Simple), but unfortunately Mute was shelved and after the success of Moon and other sci-fi "noirs" (District 9, Dredd, maybe even Blade Runner 2049) Jones decided to set Mute in the future (unnecessarily and kinda annnoyingly "linking" it with Moon) and make it a futuristic/tech-noir. This decision in of itself isn't inherently bad, but my bone to pick is that it's obvious that this change was made for marketing purposes: every futuristic aspect of the film feels sorta half-assed and more of an afterthought than fully fleshed out purposeful worldbuilding. Furthermore Mute's plot doesn't even fit its future setting making it at times straight up incoherent. This core problem leads to a chain reaction of further issues: the story itself is servicable if uninspired, but its always at odds with its future setting, the style and tone are totally inconsistent (the vision of 2058(?) feels surprisingly dated, sorta bland and the sci-fi/noir inspirations bleed through without any kind of subtlety (Blade Runner, Drive, Sin City etc.) taking away from the aspects that are truly unique to Mute. Lastly some nitpicks: there were a few lines in the screenplay that were quite bad, at times even cringey, I felt completely robbed that we did not see Leo and the "huge well-dressed brute" guy duke it out (it was teased so hard it hurt!) and finally the child peformance was just noticeably bad.

That out of the way lets focus on the good suff: Duncan Jones' directing has a certain energy and flow to it (very dinamic) keeping your eyes glued to the screen. The three amigos Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux were fantastic. As harsh as it sounds they literally saved Mute from obscurity. Skarsgård is a great actor, if directed or utilized well he can be fantastic (e.g.: Big Little Lies). He has a very expressive face and surpisingly wide range so he was kinda perfect for this role. It was also a blast to see Paul Rudd act again (he doesn't just play his usual lovable and funny "Paul Rudd" self), he finally plays a character with great intensity. While Rudd is full of energy and chutzpah, Thureaux gives a much subtler, restrained performance, which was also great (also Dominic Monaghan's cameo is a lot of fun as well). These three actors and Duncan Jones' talent (though not fully utilized) elevated this film so much that after the (rough) first 20 minutes I found myself enjoying Mute quite a lot actually.

Visually On Body and Soul is gorgeous (both in its aesthetics and storytelling), it's concept is a truly unique take on romance. The problem is with the subpar delivery and the clunky writing.

The acting ranges from decent to great, at least visual performance vise (loved the close up shots of the actors' excellent mimicry). Alexandra Borbély and Géza Morcsányi gave fantastic visual performances, you can understand everything you need to know about their characters, what they're thinking at the moment etc. by their subtle expressions, but as soon as they opened their mouths it took me out of the film. The line delivery and oral performances feel ingenuine and unconvincing (except for Tamás Jordán and Zoltán Schneider who were great all around). I understand that it's purposefully and fittingly restrained and withdrawn, but it goes so far in that spectrum that it makes every conversation between the main characters a chore to get through (for the audience). The writing doesn't help it either. As a Hungarian, Ildikó Enyedi's writing (especially the dialouges) felt really unnatural and old-fashioned for me, like a book from another century (something from Dezsö Kosztolányi - a great Hungarian writer from the early 20th century). So I'd say you'll probably enjoy this film more if you're not familiar with the Hungarian language. Lastly I'm not sure what was I supposed to take away from the film. It seemed like other than a beautiful portrayal of a spiritual connection b/w two people - Body and Soul, which is praiseworthy enough, there's not much else under the surface. I didn't feel like I really gained anything from watching this film. Which is my personal issue, but I wanted to adress it anyway.

On Body and Soul is a tough watch. It's overlong and kind of empty in a way, with bad line delivery. Still I would recommend seeking it out, because it's a highly unique experience with a one-of-a-kind atmosphere, fantastic cinematography and some commendable (mostly visual) performances.

The Work shows a group therapy program set in Folsom Prison, where a set of convicts, with brutal histories and broken lives, sit down with a few volunteers from the outside world and share their pain with each other in the most civilized manner possible.

The film does not sugarcoat anything, showing everything as it is, with honesty, but never exploiting or lessening the integrity of its subjects. The life stories and decisions the prisoners made in the past are gruesome and dark, but the program and documentary makes an effort to refrain from judging them by their actions alone, demonstrating that they are not that different from anybody else, they are human beings. There's the same amount of respect and emphasis on the volunteer's demons and struggles, which further reinforces the previous statement. The Work makes the wise choice of singling out a few characters, people and concentrate mainly on them and their baggage. Though I would have loved to hear everybody's story, this decision makes for a tighter and much more focused "narrative" and a more accessible documentary.

Throughout the film we meet some extraordinary men, get to explore their psyche and empathize with their life story. The Work is an intense, brutally raw and tearjerking look at manhood, humanity and the depressing reality of a life lived behind bars. It shines a light to this incredible therapy program and makes the viewer reflect on their own lives. One of the best and most affecting documentaries I've ever seen.

Louis trying to revive the spirit of "Golden Age" cinema with his filmmaking style gives the film a welcome uniqueness, but its appropriateness is kind of questionable. As it usually is with his work (Horace & Pete, Louie), the film gives him a platform to spew out his thoughts and views on the world and society in an entertaining manner. That being said the film lacks a clear message or point. At least it introduces some intriguing well rounded and balanced arguements, discussions on "current" societal issues (weirdly reflecting the reprehensible actions Louis made in his past). Overall, seperating the art from the person behind it, I Love You, Daddy is an original and wothwhile watch just based on its great screenplay and fantastic acting alone. I would recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

Loveless is a depressingly profound experience.

It paints the world as it is, not shying away from showing the bitter emptiness, disconnect and sorrow (which we usually choose to ignore) that surrounds our society. The desperate search for happiness, the unbelievable selfishness, lack of compassion and love, as the title suggests, that seperates generations of people in our modern times of self-absorbed("anti")social media. The film manages to achive these incredible feats (without being preachy) in its fantastically written and acted multi-layered and complex characters, whom as the story goes on beautifully unravel from just simple despicable people to characters that you understand and by the end sort of empathize with and pity (though not all of them: the character of the father is kind of an exception, he's a bit underdeveloped). Though our main characters represent what is wrong with our society, Loveless manages to keep a hopeful balance showing the good side as well with its selfless side-characters, the search party.

Andrey Zvyagintsev's direction is immaculate, from the beautiful cinematography, with its lingering shots of the dreary Russian winterlands and cityscapes filling you with a sense of melancholy and loneliness, to the authentic writing and the tragic story itself.

Loveless is a tough watch that challenges the warped values of the 21st century, holding a mirror towards our modern society, still unable to escape the same endless cycle it's always been trapped in. A dour but realistic meditation on humanity's need for love.

/as schmaltzy or cheesy as this review sounds I assure you the film is the furthest thing from being those things./

I admire Rian Johnson for basically saying "F#ck You!" to the Star Wars fandom and its expectations while introducing some fresh new concepts that test the characters' ethics and morals, but the final product is an unfocused film and story (that doesn't really go anywhere) with too many sideplots, characters (spewing out cheesy dialogue *cough* Rose *cough*) and a horrendous last act. Loved the ideas and intentions behind the film more than its execution, but overall the good far outwheigh the bad for me (a light 7/10).

If somebody were to edit it down to 90 minutes, completely mute its audio and replace it with the music of Daft Punk it would be as fantastic as Interstella 5555 was back in the day.

Visually its a masterpiece. The level of creativity in creature design, world-building and CGI is unbelievable, one of the best looking and most imaginative films of 2017.

Unfortunately my praises for Valerian stop there. At the core of the film, its story is highly conventional and forgettable. It's characters are flat as a pancake, at times they are straight-up unlikable. The acting is serviceable, Cara Delevingne does all she can with what she was given, she's an OK lead, on the other hand Dane DeHaan's performance and character choices are best summed up as questionable and kind of annoying. The most entertaining performance was by Clive Owen, even with the little screen-time he had. The romance between the leads is extremely forced with zero chemistry between the actors.

But now the most atrocious part of the film: the awful writing. It is utter trash, I absolutely despise it. The dialogue feels unnatural and choppy with some really cheesy one-liners. The humor is never funny, its clunky and hammy, resembling the cringy childish humor of the Star Wars prequels. This has a huge effect on the acting, since with such sh!tty writing the line delivery by the actors is just as terrible as you'd expect.

So overall it's a pretty mediocre film, the visuals are to die for, the acting and the plot is OK, but bringing the whole thing down is the lousy writing. I honestly would recommend watching it at least once, but be sure to mute it and put on Daft Punk's Discovery or Homework in the background.

Tonight She Comes is a terrible, but kinda enjoyable mess.

It's extremely stupid: The writing is atrocious, the plot is non- existent, character motivation and logic is thrown right out the window and the tone is just all over the place. At times the movie is quite self aware but other times it's just awkward.

Occasionally there's a beautiful glimmer of wonderful schlock with some decently revolting, but mainly disgusting gore that's actually quite fun. The acting goes from serviceable to pretty goddamn awful, though Larissa White, who plays Ashley, deserves a shout-out for being one of the better parts of the film, on multiple fronts.

The film definitely has the potential to be a so-bad-it's-good guilty pleasure, if you can tolerate its nonsensical story, awkward humour, embarrassing writing and the cringey characters.

The level of believability is off the charts, which unfortunately sometimes becomes a bit of a detriment. The WNUF Halloween Special is full of amusingly corny characters (Frank Stewart and the Bergers are fantastic) and wonderfully cookie commercials. Though not every section is as fun as the last it still keeps a highly enjoyable and adorably nostalgic vibe throughout its whole running time with a few spooks along the way. The only negative I could think of is that I did not love the ending and that there are just too many of said commercials, (no matter how fun they are) but I guess it's realistic in this way too, other than that I wholeheartedly enjoyed and loved the WNUF Halloween Special.

I just don't know where to begin...

...well lets start with the story, a films core. The Snowman's plot and its execution was all over the place. It's not just that it was nonsensical and just laughably stupid by the end, but the movie was filled with scenes and complete subplots that were completely inconsequential and unnecessary. Some characters and their whole storyline could easily have been cut out and it wouldn't have had any effect on the plot. Excuse me, did I write characters? There were none in this film, only famous and recognizable faces who were hired because of their name. Talking about this stellar cast full of fantastic actors, they just as easily could have been replaced by complete unknowns and it wouldn't have changed a thing. I feel bad for them, since Fassbender is in my opinion one of the best working actors today, along with Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K. Simmons and Toby Jones who unfortunately just did not have anything to work with from the get go.

Okay, lets talk about the execution of this mess. It starts out slow after a very odd opening and stays that way for more than half of the movie. Nothing important happens. Then we are introduced to some new "characters" and subplots, which also didn't add anything to the film. Then there's some effort to build Fassbender's "character", which had no payoff and was completely unconvincing anyway. Then by the time you get to the half-way point you're bored out of your mind and already know who done did the things that had been done, so there's no reveal or twist by the end. And that ending. It is just completely ridiculous and has a few unintentionally laugh out loud moments. So, there's that.

I have to say that I haven't read the source material, so I don't know if it's as bad as the film (probably not), but the film is just bad. Really bad. It's extremely stale and bafflingly stupid, which caught me off guard, since there was a time where Scorsese was set to direct. I wonder if he could have made it work.

The only good that's worth mentioning is that the setting is very pretty to look at, shot at times beautifully, which at least adds a certain atmosphere to the film and lastly there was some fun gore and unintentionally funny scenes.

So don't go out of your way the see this one, it's a stinker.

Hearing the raving reviews about Wind River caught my attention but only after finding out that it was written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, the writer of last years Hell or High Water, which I absolutely love, did I decide that I'd definitely check it out in the theatres. I have to admit I left kinda disappointed.

During Wind River all I could think about was the resemblance to True Detective, season 2 that is:

Both were written by someone who previously created something amazing and kind of special (True Detective season 1 and Hell or High Water), but ultimately failing to recreate that same magic, that lightning in a bottle with their following work - Pizzolato's TD season 2 and now Sheridan's Wind River.

Other than the circumstances of making them, they share the same problems in writing, directing and production and weirdly enough I found this to be true in their positive attributes as well.

Wind River has impressive cinematography and an incredible sense of chilling atmosphere, which actually made me feel cold and shaky at times, creating a gloomy and depressed mood, which was complimented by the incredible and fittingly melancholic soundtrack, again just like TD season 2. This being said I did think that the story was quite basic, bit too simple and slightly unengaging, lacking layered well-written or at least unique characters. That being said the actors did a solid job with what they had, in TD- S2 it was Collin Farrel, Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAddams and here Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen (along with Graham Greene who was probably my favourite) who elevated their underdeveloped characters with their performances. Some of the dialogue while having some well-thought out interesting ideas and touching moments felt a bit forced, unrealistic. Finally, the director! True Detective had Cary Fukunaga and Hell or High Water had David Mackenzie, the directors and writers complimented each other perfectly, but TD without Fukunaga and Sheridan directing feels like its missing something.

All in all, both Wind River and season 2 of True Detective, while having some pacing issues, are well above the average crime thrillers we get nowadays (e.g.: Sleepless), that have personality and are worth seeing for sure (if only for their climax which is extremely satisfying and touching in both cases).

I think The Exorcist is the most realistic horror film I've ever seen. Though, this is both a compliment and a detriment to the movie. The blend of grounded drama and true horror is done superbly, the acting is just flawless all around, Ellen Burstyn gave one of the best performances I've ever seen on film, along with Jason Miller and last, but definitely not least, what Linda Blair did as just a child actor is simply unbelievable. The Exorcist is well-deservedly a horror classic, one of the best horror films ever made, it's a great film, but I had two huge problems with it. The editing and most importantly the way it was shot, the cinematography. There were many editing choices that I did not agree with, keeping some of the more mundane scenes running for too long and cutting some amazing and truly scary scenes painfully short. While this bothered me, I absolutely hated the fact that the cinematography is just so impossibly bland. There's no style or edge to it, despite the last 30 minutes of the film, which is cinematic perfection and a horror masterpiece there's absolutely no atmosphere to the film, which unfortunately made the extremely well developed dramatic scenes and the first hour of the film borderline boring. Still to end on a high note as time goes by I'm sure I'll appreciate the good sides of the film more, because the good is just excellent, but for now I'm a little frustrated by these two minor things, because they did take away a lot of enjoyment out of the film for me.

After hearing the premise I had high hopes for this one: an old lady, Deborah Logan, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's and a bunch of medical students stay at her house with her and her daughter to document the disease. After the next couple of nights Deborah starts to act incredibly strange, especially at night and as her condition gets drastically worse and worse the crew starts to believe that she might have become possessed by a sinister spirit.

That's a pretty great freaking concept.

BUT! the film was a let down. It felt like three completely different horror movies jammed into one, each with a very distinct plot, story and horror elements. The first act I enjoyed quite a bit. It's the closest thing to the main plot. It felt like an above average psychological horror film. It's kinda creepy, the acting is pretty good and the atmosphere is captivating. It's not as subtle as it should have been, but it's the best part of the movie.

MINOR SPOILERS:

Then came the second act, which introduces a serial child murderer whose spirit possessed Deborah's body and made her act all sinister and psycho for some reason to complete some ritual to become immortal or whatever. This took all the mystery away from the beginning and made the movie far less interesting and kinda bad. The ending is even worse, it's a freaking schlock-fest. In the last five minutes it became flat-out ridiculous: in a scene the old lady's jaw somehow disconnects and she tries to swallow a little girl literally like a goddamn snake...

Though THIS IS NOT A GOOD FILM at least IT'S PRETTY ENTERTAINING and has decent acting. I'd recommend checking it out, but don't expect too much and try not to take it very seriously, you'll at least have some fun that way.