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Cuando acecha la maldad (2023)
Solid start, flat mid to end
As a Brazilian, I really enjoy movies that are not the usual material you normally see coming from South American productions (mostly dramas and real-life stories). Horror is a genre not often seen around here, and when it shows up, it is often a low-budget production with poor writing.
But I always give a chance, and director Demian Rugna already had my favor due to his "Aterrados", where there were really bone-chilling moments, though I also felt a lack of a solid script. Anyway, Aterrados was enough to give him credit and watch his next horror production.
The movie starts very, very solid, with great special effects, make-up, and an eerie countryside atmosphere. Saddly, it rapdly fell flat, and writing goes "horribly" sideways. Dumb decisions, things unexpectedly happening, no character building, among other details.
I wish I could have a more positive review. As a horror fan and also as a fellow South American, I'm a serious genre fan, and I try to be impartial in my reviews.
Watch on your own choice; it's not that bad, but I have to say that I was really anxious for the movie to end.
Asteroid City (2023)
Style over substance II
I'm such a huge fan of Wes Anderson work. But the latest two movies though filled with his style were rather bland.
I didn't really got any hint of what this movie is about. Maybe I'm not smart enough to understand... or like another review I read and copied its title... it's more about style than substance. Like I said, I love Wes Anderson style, but you can't rely merely on style to make a movie. And we all know that Anderson can come up with great stories, characters and unforgetable lines.
There's no interest in seeing characters saying or doing quirk things the whole movie with no character development, with no solid script, only for the fun of it. There's no character attachement this way. You see, after so many years, I still enjoy rewatching Fantastic Mr. Fox and so many others of his movies. Actually, his first two movies, Bottlerocket and Rushmore are the opposite of Asteroid City... they both have an interesting plot with memorable characters and lines yet Wes was still carving his style, they were substance over style. And that's the point.
The "stageplay inside a real life world" concept is somewhat interesting, but other than that and the pastel tones we all love, you won't find much more.
Heart of Stone (2023)
Dumb and cliché filled
Yeah, I could write and write but still I wouldn't be able to say how terrible was this movie. It took me three days to finish watching it because it's boring, acting is shallow and the plot is so full of clichés that the whole movie felt like a Frankenstein monster made out of spy movie genre pieces, badly stitched together.
I agree that Gal Gadot is a real beauty, she is charismatic and inspring as a strong woman icon. I really liked her as Wonder Woman due to the fact that her character need to be felt as a stranger, a fish out of water and being a bad actress actually helped her making Wonder Woman/Diana a believeble struggle to fit in a sudden new world. Also her accent, of course.
And that's all. Heart of stone is as empty as a weak cards hand in a poker game. You can bluff, but even though, you're a sore bluffer.
Prey (2022)
Finally...
...the movie the franchise deserved! Well shot, beautiful cinematography, well paced action and the female lead character pursuit of her own strenght is in line with present social dilemas. Finally but not the least, the feral predator is simply awesome!
Yeah... the movie nailed it alright! Watch it and enjoy it.
Men (2022)
Liked it, though...
I liked the movie, I'm a huge horror fan and the movie is quite a horror art/dramatic movie, full of metaphors and symbolism, so, it's not the usual movie most people are used to nor expecting.
It's sorta weird with the same vibes of uniqueness from Midsommar. Sure, it'a a totally diferent movie, don't get me wrong... don't expect anything similar to Midsommar, except for the oddness that grows throughout its length.
So, if you're have a taste on uncommon horror art movies, this one is for you. If you're not, well, maybe this just won't be the movie for you, better go watch something else, like The Blackphone, which is more aligned with mainstream horror.
C'mon C'mon (2021)
Well crafted but boring
Right... the movie is really well crafted. Joaquin Phoenix as usual delivers a great performance, the kid is also great (God, sometimes I wish I was his uncle only to teach him a lesson, what a spoiled brat, lol).
Black and white movies are always delightful to watch at, but I can't really understand the reason to choose doing so, guess it works well with the all present sadness and indie atmosphere.
It has sort of a flirt with documentary, by showing real kids and their feelings towards an adult life in a more and more connected and selfish world.
Clearly it has several layers... the issue involving the Alzheimer mother, all the soft bickering between Johnny and his sister about their past as kids, the personal drama regarding the sister's husband, and finally the kid being pushed into this family turmoil, and suffering himself a great deal.
Besides, there's the the approach on a documentary style, by interviewing real kids in some troubled cities like Detroit (once the city of the future, no wonder Robocop had Detroit as background) and New Orleans (ravaged by Katrina years ago). But here lies the major problem to me.
Complex layers in a drama movie are good, but too much layers can make it dragging, boring and jeopardize character development. Add that a coherent but purposely low paced writing... you will understand my review's title.
So that's it to me... a very well crafted, beautiful movie with great performance and deeply human, but it couldn't avoid ended up being somewhat tedious and boring.
Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)
A satire
Imagine if all Iphones become an Android... that's what this movie is about.
A satire about social networks and how more and more we dumblessly fall into it as if it supposed to be the most important thing in life, though it's not.
Great state of the art animated feature, with a solid plot, but very childsh driven. I understand, guys gotta make big money, yeah, right out of our pockets.
Watch it and forget it.
Gold (2022)
More yellowed than goldened
Yeah, you know, I like this kind of movie... Slow burning post-apocalyptic story, little dialog, small cast. So it's natural for me to say it's a cool movie. But as a serious cinephile, I have to analyze things from an impartial point of view. You have probably already read that "Gold" is a somber story about greed and survival, and that's about it, there's really not much to say. Well, there's the washed out yellow pastel tone throughout the whole movie and at some point you get fed up with it
I do not particularly like Zac Effron, but he turned in a pretty solid performance here, out of his usual role. He's a bit like Robert Pattinson trying to run away from the teenage hero he became famous for. I would say that Gold is to Zac Effron what The Lighthouse was to Robert Pattinson. Of course, The Lightouse is a way superior movie in all aspects (including weirdness, but I say that in a good way).
So if you are like me and like slow burning movies, you should check out Gold, you'll probably like it. Make like Zac and take a peek over the wall, you might like what you see.
The King's Daughter (2022)
A sun king that shouldn't ever had seen the sunlight.
According to Trivia section, The king's daughter were filmed back into 2014 and should had stayed there.
As a medieval fantasy fan, I have to say that this movie is bland, the tale is foolish and it's rather funny watching a bunch of french characters talking with brittish accent.
Art design is a trip on real hairstyle and several outfits of the era depicted. Dialogue is dumb and sounds pretty ridiculous and the same can be said of the acting. Soundtrack has a take on modern vibe but not into a positive way. Mermaid FX is so terrible I thought it was a wax doll, lol. Makes me think that it was made targeting an specific audience, which I would guess being female teens.
That said, it's not the movie sucks (it does), but a more mature audience wouldn't stand watching it, like I didn't. It really hurts me watching an actor of such caliber as William Hurt in a dumb production like this one.
Want to watch a nice silly medieval fantasy tale? Then watch Stardust. Oh you've watched it already? Watch it again, you'll be making yourself a favor.
The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
Favreau and Filoni did it again
TBoBF is a deep dive into Star Wars lore. Never thought I would end up rooting for a bunch of tusken raiders.
Favreau and Filoni are simply doing the best thing in Star Wars I've ever seen after Disney took over. Please Disney, keep money flowing into their hands and let them do their thing.
They were able to bring TBoBF a step up above from The Mandalorian , all the ingredients SW fans love are there, pratical mixed up with digital effects, several characters from the original trilogy and some from expanded universe.
For the common viewer, it may look too 80ish, with simple puppets and simple pratical fx, but for the true fans, The Book of Boba Fett is a delightful show.
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
I'm a great fan of Wes Anderson work, but...
... but this movie, although having all the gimmicks we all love and long for from the last movie to the next one, all the stellar cast and the familiar faces we all expect to see on a Wes Anderson movie, it lacks storyline. There is of course, a storyline, but it's not the usual one. Maybe that's why I didn't fall for the movie like I did for The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and so many others.
As the movie is some sort of anthology, telling the tales of different characters from the same french town, connecting them by the end, there's no room for character development. I loved Mr Fox and rooted for him, the kids from Moonrise are simply awesome and there's adventure on Island of dogs. That's what character development suits for.
But we got none of that on The French Dispatch, only the stylistic format we all love from mr. Anderson. I can understand that the director wanted to try something different, and there's no problem at that. Turns out some people would enjoy, some wouldn't.
As a fan, I really love all the things Mr Anderson are renowned for and that you can find watching The French Dispatch. The old 4:3 aspect ratio surprised me, but it suited perfectly to the usual atmosphere the director builds. The color grade and color palette, the running walls/floors, the quirky characters... it's all there, but this time, lacking character development.
It didn't work for me, although, it's not that I disliked the movie, I just didn't buy it. Try watching and check it out for yourself, if you're a fan like me, you might like it. If you're not a fan, you might think the movie too artsy, thus boring and longer than it really is.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Oscar nominations
Easily an Oscar nominated movie, The power of the dog is, technically, a work of art. Well-written, well directed, great cinematography, great cast, great design production and a great performance by Cumberbatch (certainly will land him a best actor nomination).
I wouldn't call it a western per se, as it is placed in 1925, though dealing with cattle ranchers in Montana (actually, New Zealand), but it's sorta.
A slow-burn tale, it's not a movie for the general crowd, as the directress (does this word really exist? As a Brazilian dude, I'm not sure) chooses a subjective way to dive us into the story with several subliminal camera frameworks.
I think the only misstep here is the somewhat lack of a timeline, as things flow very smoothly but also quickly, things changes very fast from chapter to chapter. If you don't pay attention to what's happening, you easily get lost and will find yourself asking what's going on (my girlfriend kept asking me "what the heck's going on?"). Blame is on the fact that it's based on a book and we're all aware that book based movies sometimes get that "something is missing here" feeling.
Overall, a great movie for those who enjoy a slow burning drama with an artsy take.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Don't expect a complex writting
Not much to say here but a little bit of most of other reviews. To me, Venom sequel tasted a little better than the first movie but frankly it's no masterpiece. Good to spend an hour and a half, and that's all. Average acting due to Tom Hardy's performance, the movie is filled with funny dialogue, some action, zero violence, all coming out from a script that's a total mess... rushed and frantic. Carnage and Cletus are weak, undeveloped antagonists, there's a major plot hole in the final showdown you must ignore in order to accept whatever reason Venom turned out victorious in the end.
Movie would had come out much better if it had been centered on the everyday dramas and struggles of a man and his alien symbiote partner, both lost in their own thoughts while sharing a body and home in a big city. Jeez, saying it loud sounds like the deformed cub out of the twisted relation between Sex and the City, Friends and Two and a Half Man on a scifi take .
Best thing is the post-credit scene, believe me.
The Wheel of Time (2021)
A mish mash of fantasy tales with a sour taste
The wheel of time is all you ever read about medieval fantasy badly patched together mixed with real history. The list just goes on... Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Last Air Bender, King Arthur, one can even notice Star Wars here and there. But to me the last straw was Bel Tine instead of Beltane... dude, com'on, put some creativity in it, for Tolkien's sake... nordic and breton/gaelic architecture and culture in a mishmash that is simply not palatable and deeply terrible, not to mention the chinese stylized robes. Oh, there's a dude wearing a sweter I swear I could buy in any store wear.
So, Bad production design, bland acting, poor use of creativity, dumb writting, average FX... I don't know where to begin. All looks bad from where I stand.
First episode was way enough to me. Actually, by watching the trailer alone one could easily say it would end up bad. As I like to say, all I could see was bad all around. But I wanted to be wrong, after all, we're all lacking a good medieval fantasy show. Turns out I was not wrong.
Anyway, look somewhere else if you wanna watch a good fantasy show, because The Wheel of Time won't be.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
Tarantino-esque with poor script
I had great expectations on this flick. Blaxploitation western with a revenge plot between outlaws and a great cast, what could go wrong? Well, it depends on one's opinion. Mine is that script is too weak, there are way WAY too many characters that add nothing really important and director chose a very modern tone and a "boyz in the hood" atmosphere.
A modern tone isn't necessarily bad on an historical movie... turns out sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't... take Guy Ricthie's King Arthur: legend of the sword as an example, the movie is pure trash as well as Robin Hood with Taron Edgerton, God, what a waste of budget.
In the other hand, we have A knight's tale and Sherlock Holmes, both entertaining movies despite all anachronisms. So, who or what is to blame on "The harder they fall" fail? To me, like I said, too many characters and way too modern gang tone and dialogue.
Thumbs up to cinematography and camera direction. I liked how some takes had a 70's feeeling, as if I was watching an italian spaghetti western. It's also clearly inspired on Tarantino's long dialogue style and arguing.
Anyway, I blame the terrible scripting... it's so bad written and boring I couldn't even finish watching it.
Candyman (2021)
Dragging and shallow
I'll be short and blunt... best thing about this movie are the ending credits and the main theme.
I mean... this was supposed to be a horror flick, not social statement. If one really intends to draw attention and make people think about this shameful and terrible thing racism is, try a documentary, a drama or cinebiography. It would had been more effective.
I love Jordan Peele's work, he did a fantastic job on BlacKkKlansman (producer) and Get Out (producer/director), he wrote and produced this new installment on Candyman lore, but not everything must be about social statement. Sometimes all a horror movie needs to be is a horror movie.
By the end, things get eye for an eye... Candyman becomes a vigilante and mass murder lots of white people. So, means we should fight violence with violence?
Anyway, movie is boring, drags from the very beggining, acting is dull, there are no jump scares at all, plot is shallow and the ending twist is lame.
Dune (2021)
Dennis the menace
My God, only 20 minutes into the movie and I was already mesmerized for the great masterpiece it is.
The ambience, the music, the greatness of the halls, the unique take on the spaceships and tech... the list goes on and on.
But the most astonishing were the Harkonnen. They"re now truly ruthless and savages psychopaths.
Thanks, Dennis, for bringing such piece of artwork up to us.
Demonic (2021)
A little bit dull, but watchable
First of all, I'm a huge fan of Neil Blomkamp's work. But when I heard he was going to make a horror movie, I had mixed feelings about it. I read several reviews before watching Demonic and truth be said, none of them was enthusiasmatic. But as a fan, I had to see with my own eyes how Neil would helm a horror flick. Turns out it was not bad, nor good. In the end it was more sci-fi than horror. Think of it as an experiment. The demonic creature isn't frightening, to begin with. For any of you familiar with Neil's shorts and feature films, you guys know how he loves dealing with tech and aliens/monsters, and Demonic is his own personal take on the mix between the two genres. The demon resembles kinda like the aliens from the short Rakka, all black and sorta slimy. We don't have Sharlto Copley, but the female heroin, Carly Pope, is also a common face on Neil's productions.
So, don't look for a scary movie, don't look for a sci-fi thriller, don't look for any expectation, just watch the movie and take your own conclusions, just as I did.
The Beach House (2019)
Lovecraftian
Slow burn horror Lovecraftian-esque themed... I'm a fan of the genre, so, I kinda enjoyed the movie.
But sure thing it has some troubles. The male lead is really bad, like, I could had done it better (and I'm no actor). Other than him, the rest of the cast is ok, and Jake Weber, as a seasoned actor, pops up as the best thing on screen. Plot is cool, whoever's a horror fan like me can see the clear references here. Although cool, and being a slow paced flick, turns out it burns way too slow and things take too long to happen. Cinematography is ok, it all happens in an urban area so there are lights all around, though houses are scatered far away from each other and that alone helps creating a creepy atmosphere. Add to that a nightmarish fog... you can see things allright, but as in a blur. Saddly, the director doesn't use it on his favor and the fog potential is underused.
As the movie slowly develops, the last act happens, in the other hand, too fast and the fate of he characters are rushed out, in a blink of an eye.
It had so much potential...
So, for the fans, a decent movie, with some strong points and several weak spots. For the casual audience... bland and snoozing.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
Those who wish this movie dead
Man, what a waste of time... seriously, I don't know where to begin. Shall I mention the bad, BAD cinematography? Or perhaps the dull characters? Maybe Angie's character weak personal drama... Oh boy... the villains are almost comic! They"re Debi & Loid with guns! And to think they were supposed to be seasoned killers. What a joke!
Not much to say here but to only watch this movie if you got nothing else better to do.
Wait, on a second thought you better stick up to nothing to do. That's it!
Chaos Walking (2021)
Clearly rushed
By the time I saw the trailer, I didn't know it was based on a book. Got the movie, started watching it and thought to myself "this is clearly based on a book" because it felt so rushed, with undeveloped characters, several plot holes (no one noticed or heard a spaceship falling from the sky in flames only a couple kilometers away? Seriously?), bland acting, even though movie is crawling with superstars... and an entire sentient alien species to deal with... and what do they do? Squat! It makes Dark Tower looks like a masterpiece (and DT was baaad, very baaaad).
Unfortunately, it had so much potential... why not make a series out of it? It wouldn't need great FX and writers would had the chance to come up with a thicker script.
But nooo, intead, let's rush it, spend over 100 million on it and ruin it.
Sometimes I just can't understand movie industry...
By the way, Tom Holland's character sounds like a jerk saying his name all through the movie, which is another major plot hole... in a world where anyone (men only, actually) can see your thoughts, there's no reason on letting them notice you're trying to hide something because you can't think on it, because, well, they can see you doing that. Confusing? Yeah, dude, exactly the point!
Watch it and see by yourself, but you've been warned.
Thunder Force (2021)
OMG
Usually, I watch a movie up to the end, no matter how bad it is. I found out I have a line I can't cross, 'cos I was not able to watch Thunder Force till the end. After 10min in it, I was paying zero attention to it and left living room to my daily chores. 1 star because I can't give less than that.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Fantastic CGI but very poor writting
Two of the most iconic movie monsters of all time... together on a modern movie with state-of-the-art CGI... what could ruin it?
An unbeatble foe... a very, very bad script. Godzilla and Kong together are no match for a weak script.
Dudes tried to create a plausible tale but, man, there's no need to build such a thing. Kong and Godzilla are all about gigantic proportions and destruction and we're merely watching it as things must be torned apart and breaked down to pieces while trying to save our lives.
Why make things complex when there's no point in doing that? A hollow Earth? An Earth inside the earth? An Avatar-like gravity inversion?
I tip my hat for the great CGI and the original monster screams straight from the old movies. But that's all. Fast forward the tiny human chit chat and watch only the battle scenes. Trust me, you'll enjoy it much more.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Rushed and plotholed
I guess my title says it all... it's rushed and full of plotholes. The only thumbs up is due to the awesome Awkwafina's dubbing. You get fond of Sisu the moment she pops up on screen. The kid captain is also very cool. Awkwafina has this... aura surrounding her, in lack of a propper word.
Other than that... it's a cool movie for your kids, and only. If you're a fan of feature animation like I am, you will feel a bit of disapointement. But it's ok to watch it if all you want is some distraction.
Coming 2 America (2021)
WTF
Don't waste your time watching this crap sequel. I wasted mine and my girlfriend's. Please, don't do it. Movie is shameful... could had been brilliant.