dnlampos Reviews

The Party (I) (2017)

Pseudo-intellectual modern day mess with lots of talent

[4/10 · 20 August 2023]

For all the amazing talent that it's packing (and every single actor is great, with some obviously standing out, Spall (what a bloody awesome actor), Murphy and Ganz in particular, and in that order) it still fails to be anything more than an old school pseudo-intellectual boring piece, with plots and twists you would find in mediocre theatre plays and film school projects. It clearly draws inspiration from Italian films from the 60's and some Avant-garde stuff from the 80's, but the blend of these inspirations with the modern world makes it even more timid in its final outcome.

One good thing I can find is that, for a film made in 2017, it was smartly critical of gender ideology and in that manner, it stands the test of time.

As for the direction, I can definitely see the director doing something much better, or much worse in the future. It will depend on whether she lets go of the themes that interest her the most in a personal level and drove her to the creative life, thus freeing herself to truly be a director. If she directs something totally in contrast with these themes, I do believe she will flourish and show the directing talent she clearly has.

Midnight Mass (2021)

Don't mind the 1's and 2's, this is pretty good

[8/10 · 28 September 2021]

A show that has at it's center fanatical christians that become vampires, was bound to get lots of 1's and 2's and bad reviews. And of course they couldn't clearly state that what bothered them was the ridicule of their religion, so they focused on the "dragged out dialogues". Yes, sometimes it feels like some dialogues could have been shorter, but the writing is actually so good that it doesn't matter.

Overall a very different view on the otherwise overdone vampire theme, a hilarious -and although set in a horror-fantasy setting- disturbingly accurate portrayal of christians and a must watch.

The Lodge (2019)

totally pointless

[3/10 · 28 April 2020]

Apart from showing what religious fanatisism leads to, which would have been a great theme for a horror film, it unfortunately falls short in every way. None of the different "twists" and backstories are really developed and the ending is lazy. I wish they had given this more thought and worked on the script much harder, it could have been a totally different movie. As it is, it's just pointless

See (2019–2022)

Best action show of 2019

[6/10 · 22 January 2020]

Forget about the reviews. this show is fantastic. the story is a more than descent post apocalyptic one, the acting is actually solid all around, especially the queen and baba of course, but the rest of the cast is great too. I really don't get why it took so long for this to get a descent score. It's miles better than the witcher or his dark materials or any other hyped up show to have come out lately. And the fighting scenes are just phenomenal. Realistic, yet highly entertaining. Definitely will be waiting for season 2...

The Victim (2019)

A masterpiece that can never get the praise that it deserves

[9/10 · 17 July 2019]

If it was a movie instead of a short series everyone would be talking about it. And it very easily could have been as, and this is the only fault I can find, some characters did not need to even be part of the story. As it is, it will never get the praise that the story and storytelling of this gem deserves, simply because it is one of the many tv series that come out every year. Amazing story, with multiple twists, brilliant acting by everyone, especially the 2 antagonists, and above all, a deep, humane message not simply to be found or be served, but to be slowly and masterfully extracted until the very last phrase of dialogue. A must see.

Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019) Season 8, Episode 6

Stop blaiming Dumb and Dumber, this is GRR Martin's ending

[1/10 · 20 May 2019]

And that's the worst thing of all. I could live with this totally dissapointing ending of the series, if it was just that; the ending of the series. Unfortunately it is also the ending of the story. Dany, the underdog, the girl that is being sold to a warlord and ends up liberating nations, ends up being Hitler, because... what? bad blood will always come out? Seriously George? Bran, who had the most spiritual arc story of all the characters, ends up being King (and also smirking about it). Jamie, the bad turns good, was always good (remember when he was a contender for the Azor Ahai prophesy?) ends up dying stupidly and doing nothing. And worst of all, none of all the prophesies and slowly revealed secrets that made up this magnificent world and story mattered! Jon Snow's lineage didn't matter, the Night King and the Others were just a bunch of zombies, Azor Ahai was just a fable, the valonquar prophesy didn't matter (but bricks do!), we never found out who the third head of the dragon is (remember this? Used to be one of the big questions, back when the show and story SEEMED to be GREAT)... Unless that ridicoulous ending was all Dumb and Dumber's making, then Martin shouldn't even bother finishing the books (which he won't anyway)... totally dissapointing...

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

better than the first one

[7/10 · 6 January 2019]

The first FB movie was rather horrible, from Redmayne's Newt to the story, to everything, so much that it lessened the good feeling that the whole HP series has left us with. It seems that they learned from the feedback -or should I say backlash- from the first one, and improved all aspects in the second one. They mainly did that by numerous references to the HP world we already know, drawing from stories and characters from that world. N. Flammel, Nagini, Dumbledoor, a Lestrange, even a younger version of Prof. McGonagall, all nostalgic aspects that seem, at least so far, to be integral parts for what's to come in the FB series. Those who say it feels like a filler they are right, it does, but that's not a bad thing if the creators of the franchise actually give us really good HP films in the future based on what they built with the Crimes of Grindelwald. The important thing is that it seems like they avoided the total disaster that the first FB movie showed it will be.

It Comes at Night (2017)

You really didn't get this?

[8/10 · 22 November 2017]

For those who failed to get the film and now trash it wondering "What comes at night?", the answer is fear comes at night. Fear and the irrationality and terror that follows it. Don't get fooled by the lower than deserved score at IMDb (that doesn't mean anything anyway in a frighteningly increasing pace). This film is a great one, with excellent casting and performances, great cinematography and most of all a clear message; if you let fear of the "monsters" (whatever the monsters are symbolized by) get you, you will become the monster in the end. Simple, beautiful, humanistic. Brilliant film.

Backcountry (I) (2014)

Much more than a "beast vs man" movie

[8/10 · 8 August 2015]

Not being a fun of horror movies, I was surprised that I really liked this one. The gore is there, the fear is there, but this movie goes beyond that if you pay attention to the dialogue and the excellent acting, not to mention one of the best directions I can remember. Apart from the simplistic beast vs man backbone of the story, there are messages there about male insecurity and the power of survival over emotions in a deeply human level.

-Spoilers following- The male protagonist is a likable character at first; all men can identify with a guy trying to impress his gf. Then he becomes a totally unlikeable character; trying to impress your gf is one thing, denying numerous signs of danger is another, especially when you drag your gf into death's claws just because you can't face the reality of your own mistakes... and then he kind of redeems himself when he cries out to his gf to run away, while he is being eaten by the bear. But not quite. You can't forget that although in the end he tried to save her (and in a way he did, by giving her time to escape) he was the one who got them into this mess. You want to propose to your gf and instead of just picking a nice restaurant or something, you end up giving her the worst nightmares for the rest of her life? Good job loser. BUT, even though the viewer can't forgive him, she does, while at the same time still fighting for her life. And now we come to HER. What an amazing actress, what an amazing character and what a journey we see her going through. From a successful lawyer, unwilling to take dangerous trips to the woods, to a total bad ass survivalist. Some viewers might think that after the attack the movie becomes less interesting, but for me that part is when the movie really kicks off; watching her go from terror to numbness, while never stopping her basic, human effort to survive is just amazing. And the scene with the deer is just heart breaking; human stretching out for help to a peaceful being...

I won't write anything about the direction really, just that it is almost flawless and inspired in every way. The director sets a high goal; to make this feel real. And he totally succeeds. He doesn't show a "movie" couple, he shows us a real couple. The dialogue is not only realistic, it is essential to the plot, all of it. Even the peculiar appearance of Eric Balfour's character is totally important for the plot. Overall, if you don't mind a brief but very tense, realistic and disturbing gore scene, this is a must watch. If you can't stand gore, avoid it, you will get nightmares from this.