fellowshipofthering-976-769687

IMDb member since April 2014
    Lifetime Total
    5+
    IMDb Member
    10 years

Reviews

Lake Mungo
(2008)

Watched this once many years ago... Still creeps me out to even think about.
I don't consider myself a patient person, and slow movies lose my interest, however, while Lake Mungo was slow, something about it made it hard to look away. Maybe it was being able to relate to the Australian setting (as an Aussie myself), maybe it was my desperation in need of a horror-fix, I can't really pin-point it. It could be the investigative theme of the film, as it doesn't go overboard in it's presented techniques (no super high tech gadgets, government spies, etc), and thus makes it seem real- something achievable by the average person. It begins to feel personal.

The final hour-half hour of the film is where everything begins to piece itself together really well. Throughout the film you're constantly asking new questions (eg. "where did that person go"), and the end really makes the build up feel justified. It's a chilling feeling, still, and you might be a little on edge for the remainder of the day after watching Lake Mungo- but if you're a horror fan, this should be your cup of tea. It's not a fast paced, mega-action slasher, but it does give you the subtle feeling of uncertainty and vulnerability, which is admirable.

Always Shine
(2016)

Thought-provoking
When I started watching this film, I'll admit, I expected the Hollywood over-sexualized b-movie about girls in underwear and steamy showers... It was, as they say, "a breath of fresh air" to be able to watch a female-led film without having to cringe and sigh at over-sexualized interactions, and pointless nudity. This is a film with a focus on it's story! I'll be damned! Then, I turned to the internet to find out what the ending was supposed to mean (and you might too), and as it turns out, my (as mentioned) relief WAS the point- in a sense.

I have watched a questionable amount of films in my lifetime (more so than my peers), however, I don't consider myself to be a film enthusiast. I do feel this film might need to be watched at least a couple times before you're able to make sense of some scenes, and thus believe this film will be more appreciated by film enthusiasts, but nonetheless would recommend watching. The themes of the film are refreshing, and I feel lucky to have lived in a time when a filmmaker could tell a story for what it is, and without the distractions (glamour, nudity, gore) needed to keep an audience's attention.

Underworld: Blood Wars
(2016)

Would recommend to a fan of the franchise... for closure.
As a fan of Underworld from it's first release, I'm disappointed in Blood Wars for being the only film of the franchise that I didn't enjoy. While it was visually beautiful, with promising characters and story lines, my biggest peeve is that the entirety of the film felt either rushed, or unfinished (potentially both). I was really excited whenever a new character was introduced, however, none were explored enough to justify their place in the film. This is frustrating because it seems obvious that the characters were thought-out well, given unique identities and backstories, however, the film failed to produce these. Our main antagonist, for example, is difficult to empathize in, and becomes more of a mere pest than the fearful, intriguing villain we've seen in former films. Same issue with most of the story lines, which felt too-condensed (was it a budget issue?) that you almost question their relevancy in the film, and if the film would have been better without them.

Blood Wars overall had so much potential to be one of the best films of the franchise, however, it was crammed with too many overlapping story lines into this 90 minutes of poorly executed 'movie', hardly explored in-depth enough to do them any justice. This easily could have been resolved if the movie had have been longer, or spread across two films. Hopefully the final installment will tie in what we didn't see in Blood Wars, and give fans (old and new) some closure, because Blood Wars will leave you asking "that's it?"

Deliver Us from Evil
(2014)

Promising thriller
I am a fiend for horror and thriller films. From camp to new age, I don't care, I love them (well, the genre, not always the films).

I am a sucker for demon-based films, especially as a life-skeptic and paranormal obsessor. This film went beyond the usual cheap thrills most horror/thrillers go for, and I was scared, anxious and pleased with the film in general. The actors were spot on (kudos to the partner-cop and priest).

The only issue I had with the film was met within the last ten minutes when I had that moment "that's it?!" Some things were left unexplained/unconnected (ei. The cat connection, the inscriptions history, the endgame...) I am under the impression that there were some budget cuts or someone walked off set towards the end because it felt like a rushed ending- maybe they didn't know where to take the film from the last height it reaches (exorcism).

Despite the abrupt ending, it was a film worth watching if you're a frequent to horror/thrillers (which I felt was a little bit of both).

The Physician
(2013)

Do not judge a book by it's cover... Highly recommend this film!
It wasn't to Hollywood standard- but that's actually a compliment, considering the crap Hollywood is unveiling these days. I approached this movie with an attitude of; "Oh... Okay... Well, it has Ben Kingsley and Stellan Skarsgard so it 'might' be okay.." Turns out, it's really a case of not judging a book by it's cover.

I thought it was far better than what other let off. I read the review complaining about the legitimacy of the story- "Hello! It's a movie... Not a documentary..." The characters are very convincing, the story is very much intriguing, and the wrap-up of the film is just how you'd want it to be- without being what you'd expect it to be.

Just because it's not a blockbuster, doesn't mean it's not worth watching. This film is so unique, and really, it's a masterpiece in it's genre, and I can definitely see many being surprised by it. Well done to the actors too, especially the relatively-unknown actors (The main character!).

See all reviews