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Reviews
No One Will Save You (2023)
You had me up until the very end.
This is by no means a bad movie. In fact, I rather liked it. The story concerns itself with Brynn, our alienated heroine, who is a pariah in her little town. She skulks around avoiding people as much as possible. She spends her days building miniature houses, teaching herself to dance, and writing letters to Maude, to whom she confesses she'll never forgive herself.
Cut to aliens. It's a home invasion of little gray men with probe-y fingers and telekinesis! Brynn must fight her way out if she wants to survive and accidentally kills one of her intergalactic visitors. Hilarity ensues.
This really was a decent movie. It worked best when Brynn was in survival mode. The lead actress did a great job bringing a complex character into a sci-fi action film. We even get the payoff of learning why she is a pariah.
And then the ending. Ugh... I won't spoil it, but I didn't care for it. It was too big a departure from the tone the film set from the out.
Overall, however, this was an enjoyable Friday night movie. Good effects, strong lead, and a less-is-more approach.
Rose (2020)
If you're expecting hardcore vampire antics... this maybe isn't for you.
However, if you enjoy a character and dialogue driven story with horror elements, then this is spot on.
Spoilers ahead...
First off... I really liked this movie, though it's not without some flaws. Rose and her husband, Sam, live in a remote cabin, off the grid. Sam hunts and gathers, while Rose is locked inside typing away at a novel. From the out, it's clear something isn't quite right with Rose. When Sam returns from a hunt with three rabbits, he must immediately wash off while Rose must don a mask soaked with essential oils. Then there are the leeches. Sam bloodlets in a room bathed in blue light while Rose begins making animalistic chirps from the dark. You know... all normal stuff married couples do.
The movie does a very good job building the tension, helped along by a claustrophobic setting. When a stranger calls, we all know something will happen. It's just a question of how and to what end.
This film is carried by the lead actors. They're both really quite good. The movie is very light on action, being something of a slow burn. The finale did feel a bit tacked on, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
Overall, this was enjoyable. Then again, I like dialogue. People will point out the lack of action, and they're right. Still, this was man good watch.
From Black (2023)
Rooting for the demon
Dear Demon (or whatever you are), please take Anna Camp so she shuts up. Oh my god. This movie was laughably abysmal. Like, embarrassingly so. This movie is what happens when you order A Dark Song from wish.com. PS: A Dark Song is so much better.
Anna is an ex-junkie, whose son went missing 7 years ago. She was too strung out to notice and blames herself. Anna attends a grief support group whose moderator approaches her with an interesting proposition. Complete this bonkers ritual, and she'll have her son back. Naturally, hilarity ensues.
The script is objectively awful. The acting, somehow worse. The score, worse still. I was literally rooting for the demon.
Just save yourself the trouble and watch A Dark Song, which in of itself, is far from perfect but light years beyond this isht.
The Crucifixion (2017)
Welcome to rural Romania... where everyone speaks English!
Oh god... where to even start? Possession movies are pretty easy to do terribly, and this was no different. The dismal acting reflected a dismal script. It was incredibly predictable, what with the tropes it made no effort to eschew. Girl lost her faith and has a chip on her shoulder, convinces uncle who owns a newspaper to let her fly to Romania and cover a story. Was it murder or was it an exorcism gone bad? Gee... I wonder what happened to our plucky hard-nosed "journalist" next? This film was so utterly devoid of originality or creativity. The hunky priest (but NOT a love-interest), Father What-a-waste? Check. Mysterious village boy who's somehow connected to everything? Check. Running through a cornfield? Check. British actors putting on a vaguely "Eastern European" accent? Check.
If you want a movie that blurs the line between possession and mental illness, just watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Brooklyn 45 (2023)
Surprisingly better than okay.
I didn't have high hopes for this going in, save for some positive reviews. I must say that I am legit surprised at how much I enjoyed this flawed but engaging film.
Okay... friends are trying to move on from World War 2. Is the war really over? This was a little heavy handed, but ultimately done well. Colonel Hock is grieving the recent suicide of his wife, Susie. He gathers his friends together for an impromptu seance to try and contact her from beyond the grave. Hijinks ensue.
This film does a surprisingly good job at taking the characters and portraying them as being damaged from the horrors of war. I like that this was a very character-driven story. So much so that it came off as a film version of a stage production.
The dialogue was a bit too on the nose. I get it... it's the 40s. But it definitely came across as trying way too hard to capture that vernacular. The supernatural elements of the film weren't coherent enough as well. It just felt disjointed.
Overall, though, this was surprisingly enjoyable. Not amazing, but certainly not awful at all. If you're a fan of movies like Clue, that are dialogue-heavy, then you'll probably enjoy this film.
Rang song (2021)
Could found-footage just die already?
This movie started off with some potential, but soon fell victim to all of the common tropes of this genre. There will be spoilers...
First off, the cinematography was actually pretty good. Some of the crane and perspective shots I thought helped with the setting. Nim, the titular medium, was an interesting character, played very well by the Thai actress. The other characters, however... ugh. The sister, brother, his wife... all monumentally poor decision makers. Their gross stupidity, which the filmmakers relied upon to further the plot, was absolutely maddening. Your daughter is clearly possessed, but you're just gonna give her free range of the house at night?!? And Mink... This character simply wasn't likable at all. I had no reason to root for her.
My biggest issue with this film was that there was simply no pay off. The one good character was inexplicably killed off screen. After that, the final act was just bonkers. It really made no sense. So much so that I was rooting for the demon at the end. Also, RIP, Lucky (the dog).
Absentia (2011)
I get it... it's an allegory. 🙄
I really wanted to like this movie more than I did. It certainly didn't break any new ground. There's a string of missing persons and animals. There's a mysterious tunnel. There's the haunting visions, the screw-up sister, the gruff detective, etc...
My issue, I guess, is that the film got lost in its own narrative. As an allegory for grief/loss and its effects on mental health is a bit heavy handed. And in the mix, there's the hint of some Lovecraftian creature that never gets delivered in a satisfying way.
Instead, by the end of the film, we come full circle, having had absolutely nothing explained or concluded. We're left to our own interpretations, I suppose.
There were some positives. The film did build a sense of foreboding, and the two lead actresses did a pretty good job. That being said, however, I really found myself missing an explanation for things in the story.