Blink Twice

This film was good. Enjoyable but hard not to keep thinking about the "client list" of Epsteins island. Imagine who's on it. This movie gives insight to that.... Anybody and everybody...people are truly sick and this movie does not land far from many truths. See it for yourself. I enjoyed the slower pacing as you watch the story slowly unfold like a blooming flower. I usually don't care for Canning Tatum but he wasn't bad in this. I think Zoe's first effort was solid but hopefully she will continue to hone her craft. Curious to see what she does next. This film isn't perfect but was not a waste of time.

'Blink Twice' was truly a pleasant surprise, and one of the most entertaining movies of the year.

Zoë Kravitz made her directorial debut with a film she wrote and directed, and she managed to gather a truly stellar cast. Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, The legendary Kyle MacLachlan and many more. Above all, Naomi Ackie manages to carry the film in an amazing way, with a captivating, impressive, and very charismatic performance. Since the movie has so many plot twists, it's difficult to praise the other performances without getting into spoilers, but I can only say that the impressive cast does a really successful job here.

It's truly surprising to think that this is the first film Kravitz has written and directed because it feels like the work of a very experienced and talented screenwriter and director. The movie is made and structured very well, and it seems that during her years as an actress, she learned a lot from the people she worked with, and her debut film is far from looking like the first film of a filmmaker. A very professional job from all angles. If she continues in this direction, I see great achievements in her future.

Although the film is a psychological thriller, Kravitz managed to blend the genre with a lot of humor. There are several moments in the film that will surely shock many viewers, especially with the way they come out of nowhere, and the fact that they are flanked by humorous scenes on both sides is quite unusual, reminiscent of early Guy Ritchie films or even Quentin Tarantino's extreme dark humor.

The film's length is very compact, and I feel that its pacing was just right. Although it took a little too long to "get into things," the tension and mystery are built very effectively throughout the film, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat, eager to see and know more. Additionally, the very ending of the story feels a bit odd and even slightly rushed, containing two or three holes and points that raise questions ("how and why did this happen if such and such?").

The soundtrack, as minimalist as it is, it adds a lot of atmosphere. Less is more, in this case. Additionally, the sound editing in the film was very impressive and added to the atmosphere of tension that the movie tries to build from the very first moment. The cinematography is also very impressive, and in general, this film feels very high-quality in its technical aspects.

In my opinion, this is one of the most surprising and entertaining films of the past year. I really enjoyed watching it, but it's important to come prepared for a pretty wild film that's completely without restraint. On the one hand, the movie is full of humor, but on the other hand, expect some pretty harsh things to watch. Zoë Kravitz pleasantly surprises with her first film, and I hope that beyond a successful acting career, she will continue in this direction as a director/screenwriter and bring us more original and surprising films like this one.

I was excited to watch a new original movie I knew nothing about, going in without watching a trailer. Overall, it's a mostly a solid movie, but never reaches the highs it could have. It doesn't seem to maximize the potential created by the setup. This could be for a few reasons.

It starts with an interesting premise that had me mildly intrigued. We get to the island quickly, but we sort of meander in the island party life for far too long. We know something fishy is going on, but the plot does not progress. It's almost a full hour into the movie before anything big happens.

I found myself getting impatient, and that's without watching the trailer. Now after seeing the trailer (which gives away SO much), it was likely significantly worse for anyone who watched it beforehand. They already knew what was coming and had to wait the majority of the runtime for it to get to that point.

By comparison, Midsommar is a full hour longer (Director's cut is double the runtime of Blink Twice). And it also has a scene of them enjoying some drugs, which is much funnier. Yet it has several creepy scenes building tension, even in the first 30 minutes. That's how you keep your audience invested and in suspense, even for a 3-hour movie.

Another reason I feel like this misses is the dark comedy aspect. I LOVE dark comedies (Beau is Afraid omg). But I only laughed a few times in Blink Twice, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Several other attempts fall flat.

I think Zoe Kravitz is a highly talented actress. I'm also basically in love with her and watch most movies she's in. But directing is a vastly different skill set, as is writing. It probably wasn't wise to take on both in her directorial debut. It's solid for a first effort, and she may have a future in this field. But it does feel off in many ways, which made sense when I found out it was a directorial debut.

But why not focus on acting? She should be getting major lead roles in top-quality movies with elite directors. Very few actors stay relevant in their older years. That's when you can write and direct. And in the meantime, continue gaining valuable experience while maximizing your time as a star actress.

One other note that has zero bearing on my rating. Was anyone else distracted by the lead actress's teeth gap? I couldn't stop looking at it, lol.

I can see some people liking this. But I think most will find it underwhelming.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 8/22/2024)

I was really looking forward to "Blink Twice" after the trailer caught my eye. Sadly, the movie didn't live up to the hype. It started off pretty slow with too much time spent on party scenes that didn't really go anywhere or add much to the story.

When things finally started to happen, it all felt rushed and the ending was a letdown. It seemed like the film had the pieces to be really interesting but just couldn't put them together in a satisfying way.

Overall, "Blink Twice" has a cool idea but doesn't quite nail the execution. It might be worth a watch if you're curious, but it might not live up to your expectations.

The impressive parts of BLINK TWICE do not add up to a satisfying whole. This is a visually appealing film filled with solid performances by accomplished actors. It also is a weird film devoid of thrills, tension, frights, or emotions. Though the performances are good, the characters are undefined. Without improving on them, the script cribs from GLASS ONION, THE MENU, and other limited location thrillers.

When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It's paradise. Wild nights blend into sun-soaked days and everyone's having a great time. Nobody wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. Something is wrong with this place. She'll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.