djlandd Reviews

The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon (2023)

Great movie poster, good actors, good movie

[21 April 2024]

Often enough, I stumble upon movies where I only witness the movie poster and add them solely based on that without going through the movie profile. This was one of that category, I loved the poster, the poster gave me black comedy, thriller, violence vibes and to be fair I was not that far off.

I enjoyed this movie, had a nice interesting and styled on start, moved on with a fine pacing and the ending was good too, something I didn't expected. Two things out of the most that hits me the most when judging a movie is the start and the end, and this film definitely had that, which worked for me. Main character worked wonders for me, the actor portraying it and the character itself. Been a long time since I saw a loner character like this. I loved the actor, will be looking into his profile, hoping he has more thriller/crime genres under him.

Character development subject was poked in other reviews but I feel the story telling for all characters in the movie were apt, it was considerable amount for the main story to progress so I certainly don't agree with others poking on other characters development. The protagonist might not be a saint nor might be the other characters, but I can see the reasoning for everyone's actions. The movie showcases connections between the cop, rescue girl and the doctor, which I feel is sufficient for each of them to get to know the protagonist's doing and reacting to it as they all do in their own ways, from the start to the end.

I feel if someone doesn't buy the protagonist's character then their won't be any interest from the get going failing the movie from start itself. I watched this with subtitles as I am not native but I know how acting depends on the dialogue delivery as well, so from a non-native's point of view, I felt everyone did good in acting. The locations were great, didn't feel cliched or fake.

With that all, I feel the movie deserves to have rating atleast in the 7s, movies like these deserve applaud and I will most certainly do that as it deserves.

Last Summer (2023)

Disappointing remake none the less

[16 January 2024]

I like movies that get remade in a different country/language from the original. There is a different touch to it, and I like that change of freshness in addition to the film itself.

I was looking forward for this movie recently after I heard it is a remake of 2019 Danish film "Queen of Hearts". I love the original movie, it was beautiful, Intense, the characters were great and so were the actors portraying them. I watched it long time back and was curious how much of it I would remember while I watch this French remake. Surprisingly it was a lot since scenes from this movie just kept on poking me, they just felt incomplete.

The movie starts with a bad side actress, personally that stung me. I did not get involved with any characters, I didn't feel the motivation or any doings the characters do. The film just moves a pace than it should have. Things just happen and keep on happening, it just feels dead, I feel the audience doesn't get any chance understanding of how the characters are feeling or what they want next. It just felt like the film wants to move on to the next stage of story in each new scene, and that makes it dull, so eventually it gets unexciting minute by minute feeling tedious. And then a time comes you are just watching just to complete this movie till the end.

I feel like Léa Drucker did good, She did her part nicely all through her scenes but the way this movie is done, she can't do anything and I don't blame her. Others were ok. I know this movie is shorter than the original and I realize it is because this they trimmed down on simple scenes that they felt is not important. But those scenes do justice, A simple scene from the original where Trine Dyrholm checks out herself in the mirror in a follow up scene gives out so much to the audience about what she is feeling. Léa Drucker doesn't have any scenes like these, so the connection between the audience and the characters die slowly. The sex scene in the original was intense and showed purpose, this film butchers that as well, there is no real narrative to that scene. It just doesn't go well,.

I did a lot of comparison with the original but I would say none the less, the movie is a disappointment without the comparison. The screenplay, the pacing just doesn't feel organic. Will definitely recommend the original, Queen of Hearts(Dronningen) {2019}.