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Jestem morderca (2016)
Was this supposed to be a comedy?
I suppose, looking at 70's Polish detective work through the lens of 2020's technology, makes the investigators in I'm A Killer (Jestem Morderca) seem inept, like a European version of the Keystone Kops. There's just no way their constant bumbling and fumbling of crime scenes could be that profound. Yet, there it was, shown in all its noir glory.
Many of the characters in I'm A Killer were unlikable buffoons, but I'm guessing that was purposeful, perhaps meant to show just how weak evidence gathering was, causing people who may be innocent to get to death row.
At times, the pacing was snail-slow. Still, was it a watchable film? Maybe. If you miss it, no biggie. If you do catch it, just know it's not the highly rated experience some reviewers say it is.
L'impasse (2022)
Fair to middling French version of a Lifetime-type movie.
I think renaming L'impasse to Fatal Reunion for the English-speaking countries was a mistake as its bland, generic title gives it an uninteresting Lifetime movie feel.
Despite the twists and turns in L'impasse, the way the movie played out was simply dull and uninspiring. Sure, there were loose ends and unfinished subplots, but L'impasse gets a pass because many movies are like that these days. After all, we're at the age where quantity over quality reigns, and the more films the streaming services have, the better it is for their bottom line.
At least the film had some delicious eye candy, such as sweeping scenes of islands and sprawling glistening cities and sea. To be fair, the acting from all wasn't that bad, but the implausible melodramatic script dragged the entire production down.
If Lifetime-type movies are your thing, and you enjoy scenes of sweeping vistas, L'impasse fits the bill. Otherwise, look elsewhere to be entertained.
The Oak Room (2020)
Better than I thought it would be.
Putting aside my search for a good horror film to watch, I thought I'd give a new crime drama a try since I'd been watching a few from Europe, Russia and South America.
The Oak Room appeared on my radar and I was pleased to see it was Canadian.
What really stood out to me was the acting of everyone involved. That alone sold the movie, and it didn't hurt that the claustrophobic, snowed-in atmosphere, seen everywhere, was essentially another character.
To be fair, The Oak Room was a slow burn, but one which I didn't mind because it allowed the movie to breathe naturally, letting you in on its little surprises throughout. This was an enjoyable, intelligent, thought-provoking film and highly recommended.
Axiom (2022)
What a waste of time.
Impostor (or Axiom) is the kind of film you watch hoping that something - anything - would happen. It doesn't. Instead, what we get are long, drawn-out shots that clearly should've been cut up to stimulate interest in the viewer.
Perhaps this was intended as an art film? If so, it failed miserably. I kept asking myself, "Well, when do people realize he's not actually who he says he is?" Little did I know that that was not the intent of this film. A better title would've been "Liar" or "Faker" because that's all he was, a liar and a faker.
Another thing that irked me was the pseudo-philosophical babblings of some of the characters in the film. They spoke as if they'd uncovered the secrets of illusive human behavior which the world has yet to grasp. Yes, the movie was that pretentious...and boring. Epic fail. Don't waste your precious time like I did.
The Rooster (2023)
Why did this guy even become a cop?
I really wanted to like Rooster, but the sniveling, spineless, constantly crying cop made me wonder why he chose that job as opposed to, say, being a librarian or janitor at an elementary school.
I find it odd that people can simply push him around and he accepts it. Perhaps me, being an American, can't fathom that behavior because, in America, laying one hand on a cop can get you shoved face down into the concrete.
To be fair, I did like Hugo Weaving's mad character. I think he did a really good job. And I'm not faulting the actor who played the weak-willed cop, after all, that is what the script called for.
Do I recommend this as a good crime/mystery/thriller movie? Nope. It's really a buddy-type movie. If you're into that, Rooster fits the bill. If you're in the mood for a decent crime/mystery/thriller flick, look elsewhere.
Pitbull (2021)
Very good film.
At the time of this review, Pitbull: Exodus was rated 4.6 on IMDb. That's a gross injustice as this film was well-written, well-acted and exhibited excellent cinematography.
Among the many things I admired about Pitbull: Exodus was the sheer menace of the actor Przemyslaw Bluszcz brought to the film. In fact, it was the same menace he brought to another Polish crime thriller I recently saw, Colors of Evil: Red.
For years, my interest has been in Nordic noir with their flawed characters, bluish-gray cinematography, gloomy atmosphere, and the fact they don't shy away from presenting graphic violence, gore and nudity in their productions. It appears the Poles match them in their intensity, and Pitbull: Exodus is no exception.
Worth the viewing? I'd say so.
Amok (2017)
How much of it was really based on true events?
There were quite a few questionable elements in Amok which made me wonder how they could have transpired without anyone noticing.
To wit: In the beginning of the film, the novelist Krystian was in a room in his house carving up a woman like a Thanksgiving turkey while the rest of his family was ignorant of it. How could that be? How'd he sneak the woman in? I thought for a moment his wife was in on it because of some kind of strange agreement they'd made.
I was also hoping the film delved more into this carved-up woman, who she was, etc., but alas, that entire subplot was abandoned.
Generally speaking, the all-around acting in the film was solid as well as the cinematography. Poland sure looks good, especially scenes of the sea.
In the end, imho, Amok seemed disjointed and could have benefitted from a tighter, more coherent editing. As it stands, it's still watchable, but it's no big deal if you miss it.
Repulse (2021)
I fell for the hype. Silly me.
What's the difference between watching Repulse and a snail crawl across a dew-soaked meadow? None, zero, zip. They're both achingly slow. At least Repulse has a little dialog. Not much, but just enough to at least keep my interest.
The tagline for Repulse reads: The darkest and most disturbing Czech movie ever produced. Was it? Too bad because I've seen other European films that make repulse look like Barney & Friends.
What initially got me interested in watching this needlessly drawn-out affair was the fact it was mentioned in the same sentence as other gore-filled films like Inside and Martyrs. Was it even close to those? Nope, not by a longshot.
What also made me give Repulse a low rating was the acting of the child's mother. While everyone else was okay, her exaggerated, hammy acting brought the proceedings down. I would've said this was a one-star flick, but the cinematography was very crisp and clear and set design was very well done. Otherwise, Repulse should be considered a pass. Sorry.
X. (2018)
Worst. Detective. Movie. Ever.
I try my best to be sympathetic to characters which exhibit shortcomings such as bipolar 1 disorder, autism, PTSD, panic attacks, etc., but X: The Exploited really takes the cake.
If it wasn't bad enough that the female detective cries uncontrollably throughout the film, but the mere thought of her handling a gun makes her faint. I mean, why be a cop, let alone a detective, if you can't handle trauma? Are they so desperate for law enforcement and detectives in Budapest that they'll hire anyone?
The film really makes Hungarian law enforcement look like incompetent dolts, and I'm sure they're not like that at all. It's insulting, really. With all the weaknesses the lead detective has, she'd be better off driving a school bus or stacking books in a library. But then again, she may even find those occupations so stressful that they'd induce panic attacks anyway.
Tl;dr. X:The Exploited is a perfect waste of time. The writer & director should be ashamed of themselves.
Håndtering av udøde (2024)
Slow. Slow. Slow. Molasses slow.
I'm not sure who the producers and director of this film was aiming at, maybe a screening audience comprised of slugs and snails. But man, calling this film slow is the understatement of the century.
We get it. People arise from the dead and it takes a little while to adjust to this atrocity, but do we, the viewing audience, have to sit through the proceedings like we were wading through quicksand?
To be fair, the brooding atmosphere was on point as well as the acting of all those involved. There was in interesting idea introduced into the film, too, but because the development was molasses slow, it was almost unbearable to sit though.
Is this film recommended? Well, as they say, if you've seen one zombie film, you've seen them all. I watched it because I was interested in how Nordic noir via a zombie trope would play out. It was interesting. Too bad it was too slow to sustain anyone's interest.
Sikeurit (2009)
Okay thriller ruined by police ineptness.
I found it difficult that police investigations in South Korea are that inept and incompetent. It can't be. The detectives and coroner in Secret make the Keystone Kops look like Mensa members.
Is the police department so rigged that every cop is under the thumb of the local mobster? Speaking of the mobster (Jackal), why is he and his henchmen allowed to frolic about the city so casually, freely admitting to the detectives that he has committed murders, without any repercussions?
I really wanted to like this film, even going so far as to overlook the South Korean trope of having characters cry crocodile tears in drawn-out sad scenes while sappy string music played in the background. But in the end, the on-screen incompetence was just unbearable and unrealistic - unless, of course, that really is how crimes are investigated in South Korea. In that case, I stand corrected.
Daglicht (2013)
One of the best films I've seen all year.
I must admit: Being north of 60, I've become jaded to the plethora of mediocre films that had been released over the past 20 or 30 years. They all seem to be cheap rehashes of prior films, created to make a quick buck from the continuously endless parade of streaming sites that be.
Daglicht (Daylight) took me by surprise because I wasn't expecting anything other than a run-of-the-mill Nordic noir. Perhaps I'm biased because I'm also autistic like a few of the characters in Daylight, but special mention should be made that the filmmakers did portray autism fairly accurately.
Also, I was surprised by the strong relation this film had to Rain Man. You can almost call this a Danish Rain Man given its similarities.
Like a lot of Scandinavian noir, the atmosphere was perfect as well as the pacing, music and direction. Was some of the acting a bit over the top? Maybe. Hollywood is also guilty of making sure you can tell someone is autistic from a mile away. Nevertheless, Daylight is worth the two hours spent watching it and I look forward to more films from the creators.
Waidmannsdank (2020)
I for Incomplete
I had high hopes for this film mainly because of the scenery which, for all intents and purposes, was beautiful eye candy. That Austrian village seemed like the idyllic place to raise a family and have good friends by your side.
The acting, however, was just okay. Nothing special. To be fair, I saw the dubbed version which seemed weak. For instances, there were moments when the characters were screaming out their lines but the vocals dubs made sounded placid, tepid and lacking in emotion.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the incompleteness of the movie. Who rigged the ladder? That was never revealed. Who shot the police sergeant? That was never revealed. The police checked everyone's rifle but never thought to ask if the barn owner's son had a rifle? Lame.
It's interesting this film has three titles - Good Luck and Good Hunting, Appointment With Death and Waidmannsdank. Perhaps they should've stuck to one title such as The Ladder since that was its original focus. Of course, since that original focus drifted anyway, maybe the fact that the film was always in search of a proper title seemed appropriate for its inconclusiveness anyway.
The Mill (2008)
Very few redeeming values.
In all reality, this "film" is really a one. I rated it two stars because of the effort put into it. Was the acting atrocious? Absolutely. What about the script? Yep. It was ridiculous. The cinematography was also second rate. Why the director didn't put the movie through a film-like filter that can easily be achieved in Adobe Premiere or even free software like DaVinci Resolve is a mystery to me. Maybe they wanted a found film feel? I don't know.
The good thing about poor productions like these is film students can see what they should avoid in order to make their movies likeable. This film had zero scares. I can't even give myself a good answer to why I watched it all the way through other than to see what NOT to create if I ever get the hankering to make a horror film.
Cuckoo (2024)
Sigh. Yet another film in the long line of horrible films.
Let me count the ways:
Horrible acting? Check.
Horrible screenplay? Check.
Horrible direction? Check.
Scenes that make no sense whatsoever? Check.
I'd rate this movie as being just one (1) star but I do give the parties involved an E for effort as well as the cool visions of the Alps.
There was a time when a lot of energy was spent in producing quality films. Sadly, those days appear to be behind us now. With the proliferation of streaming sites, there's a concerted effort of quality over quantity. Those who have the most to offer win. I suppose they think the average viewer can't tell the difference between, say, The Godfather and a high school production. And they're probably right given the large amounts of positive reviews for Cuckoo. I do wish I could that 90 minutes back. Oh well. On to the next movie.
De behandeling (2014)
Falls apart at the end.
I get it. A hunky, mouth-breathing detective is all the rage in Lifetime Movie Land, but when you want a lawman to be strong, stoic and unaffected by crime scenes, The Treatment fails in that regard.
The positives about this movie are its Nordic noir influence - blue-green tints, gloomy atmosphere, subtle ominous background music. And yes, there are red herrings galore to keep the proceedings afloat; unfortunately, they add little more than simple ambience and, in the end, were obviously distractions.
To say that the federal detective makes a lot of questionable decisions is the understatement of the century - but I get it. They have to keep the running time long so people will get their money for the 2+ hours spent watching it.
In the end, The Treatment, or De behandling, is an average, nearly bloodless thriller. If the worst thing you've even seen in life is a cat stranded in a tree, then yes, this film will disturb you. For others, it's merely an ok walk in the park.
Megalomaniac (2022)
Who needs Ambien when you have Magalomaniac?
To say that this flick was like watching grass grow is an understatement. This movie was so slow that I fell asleep 50 minutes into it. However, because I'd already invested my time into half of it, I figured I'd watch the rest.
There were more questions than answers in the film. To wit:
1. How are the brother and sister able to afford a huge house like that? We don't know what the brother does for a living, but his sister is a janitor, and that pays next to nothing.
2. Why does the woman stay at her abusive job? Couldn't she find something else?
3. Also, why not tell her brother about the rapes? I get why she doesn't go to the police given her brother is a serial killer.
What was good about the film were the killings. They were brutal and graphic. All in all, if this film had a much much brisker pace, it would've been rated as highly as others in the genre, like High Tension, Inside, etc.
Crescent City (2024)
Save Your Money.
This film was embarrassing to watch. Had I read the reviews on IMDb, I would've passed on it. And it's a shame, too, because of the well-known actors on hand - Esai Morales, Alec Baldwin and Terrance Howard.
Crescent City had Howard's detective character come off as weak and spineless, barely able to do his job.
The movie had a great fake out in the beginning where they showed the killer who was clearly a woman, but the reveal later on showed that it was Morales in drag. What a rip!
My biggest grievance is the ending. Morales and Howard duke it out in the end on Morales's lawn, then in the next scene, Howard is in a hospital bed. Okay. So what happed to Morales the serial killer? Was he killed? Arrested? Sent off to a gulag deep in Siberia? The movie doesn't say.
Another annoying bit was Howard killed the kid which, supposedly, he didn't remember because he blacks out every time he holds a gun on somebody. Yeah, whatever. Nevertheless, he did kill an unarmed kid, yet the chief of detectives gave him back his badge with no investigation? The movie basically said Morales, who took the trailer kid's bag of money, was worse Howard who shot him/
I'm angry I wasted time with this tripe. I gave it two stars instead of one because of the clean, crisp cinematography.
Anything for Jackson (2020)
If you're 14 years old, you'd think this was The Godfather.
Anything For Jackson had potential. The standout was the woman who played the doctor's wife. The doctor himself was okay, but my goodness! The overacting, wide-eyed acting by the pregnant woman was so atrocious and difficult to bear that her appearances ruined the film, brought it down to dismal levels of amateur-ness.
I knew very little going into Anything For Jacson other than it was recommended on reddit and had a 6+ rating on IMDb. Alas, I should've known better. Ratings have fooled me before, and this movie was no exception.
At one point, the captured mother-to-be could've escaped when her hand was free of her handcuff, but the screenwriter and/or director fell asleep at that moment. I did like the ginger death metal guy who played the conjurer of sorts, but some of the special effects were just beyond cheesy.
Save yourself the trouble and pass on this if you're over, say, 18 years old.
Noroi (2005)
Rubbish. Absolute waste of time.
If you're 12 years old, you'd think Noroi: The Curse was as good as, say, The Godfather or Shindler's List. It's hard to fathom I sat through the entire two hours of this indecipherable mess hoping I'd see something - anything - that would redeem it.
Nope. Noroi was standard poorly-filmed, poorly-executed, poorly-acted paranormal found footage ware that any 6th grader could've filmed.
That's my punishment for reading the revies on IMDb and reddit, but I should've known better when rave reviews also led me to another atrocious film, The Black Phone.
Anyway, it is what it is. Noroi: The Curse is behind me, and even though I still don't know what Noroi stands for, it doesn't matter. It may as well mean "don't waste your time".
The Black Phone (2021)
Who greenlit this mess?
Talk about wasted talent. I signed on for this film last night because, well, it had Ethan Hawke in it, so how bad could it be, right? Truth is, they could've used ANYONE besides Hawke given his character was masked for 99% of the runtime.
One of the other problems with this movie was motivation. Why did the Grabber grab those young boys? Just so he could beat them with a belt if they walk up from the basement? That makes zero sense. With child abduction, there's usually a sexual component, but not in The Black Phone.
It would also have been nice if the filmmakers would've given a little insight into how the young girl is able to dream images depicting what's going on. But, I get it. We don't know how Stephen King's Carrie is able to be telekinetic or Drew Barrymore's character can be a firestarter, so why should we here?
Speaking of which, I got strong Stephen King vibes throughout the film. Then, I recently learned the screenwriter's connection to King. Makes sense, i guess.
As in a lot of other horror films, the cops were clueless, acting stiff and wooden, and general behaviours simply non-believable. Wish i could unsee this travesty of a movie. Luckily, I'll forget about it in a day or two.
Aux yeux des vivants (2014)
This Movie Made Me Angry
Why? Some of the characters made such dumb decisions to propel the plot that it led to me screaming obscenities at the screen. What really annoyed me about Aux Yeux des Vivants, or Among the Living, is the huge plethora of cliches written into the script:
Police as dumb as a box of rocks? Check. Knocking out the bad guy and not making sure he's dead my hitting him more? Check. Armed mother whose baby was just abducted, and family abused to the point where her husband was slaughtered, refusing to pull the trigger on her assailant? Check.
Then, to top it off, they let the patriarch of all this ungodliness walk free while he had them in their gun sight. Unbelievable.
The reason I gave this 3 instead of 1 was because the gore effects were well done as was the general acting, and most especially, the cinematography. Yeah. Those corn field shots were breathtaking. Otherwise, this was just a so-so film, hardly worth watching.
Barbarian (2022)
A Ho Hum Film Marred By Poor Performances and Choices
I went into Barbarian hoping for the best because, at then the time of this writing, it had a rating of 7.0. What were its disappointments? Well, there were several.
1. Right off the bat, when you notice that lighting and thunder occurred at precisely the same time, you can be sure the filmmakers were a little lax in the details department.
2. The woman (Halle Berry lookalike) spent the night with the stranger because one hotel said they were fully booked because of a convention. Fine, but that's just one hotel. Detroit is huge and has at least 83 hotels and probably 50 or more motels. There ain't no way they're all filled up with conventioneers Plus, she didn't even call any other places. She just took his word for it.
3. Her wide-eyed look throughout the entire film was past annoying. That could've been toned down a little.
4. How is it that two airbnb's were able to rent the house without consent was never explained.
5. Of course, there was the typical horror trope of "don't go back in the house!" but ignoring the warning and doing it anyway.
Maybe I'm jaded and have seen more than my share of horror. Barbarian doesn't rank up as among the best I've seen, unfortunately.
Bajo la Rosa (2017)
Way Better Than I Thought
I wasn't expecting much from Bajo la Rosa as, at the time I saw it, it was only rated 6.3 on IMDb. Was it an intense film? Yep. Everyone played their parts with great ferocity. Even though the film and pacing were stagey in parts, it still held my interest.
I gotta admit, though, that there was some predictability to the outcome of Bajo la Rosa. If you've seen enough films, it practically telegraphed where it was headed.
That said, what kept the movie from being a run of the mill kidnap film were the trials and tribulations of the family whose child was kidnapped. Plus, the antagonist was devilishly wicked. Recommended.
Cat Sick Blues (2015)
Worst. Trash. Ever
Don't believe all the glowing reviews here on IMDb. They were written by those involved in the creation of this "film." It's simply amazing how bad this movie is. I'd only watched it because it was recommended on Reddit as a disturbing flick to see. Supposedly, it was akin to films like À l'intérieur, Irreversible, Calvaire, Haute Tension, Frontier(s), etc.
The problem with Cat Sick Blues is it's tainted with horrible acting, horrible music, horrible dialog, horrible special effects, ridiculous decisions made by the actors, etc. Even the cinematography was weak with poor framing of the actors here and there. I wish I could get the time I spent on this rubbish back. Oh well. As they say: They can't all be gems.