A young woman inherits an old hotel in Louisiana where, following a series of supernatural "accidents", she learns that the building was built over one of the entrances to Hell.
Yes, the narrative nonsense might be an attempt at surrealism. Based on the ending that even seems probable. But even if that IS the case, it’s still not a good film.
It’s so jarringly bad in places it complete destroys any sense of dread or suspense that may have been building.
I do understand (I think) that the nonsensical plot turns are supposed to indicate the encroaching Hell-state but it’s badly communicated, both in the writing and in the visuals. I appreciate the intention, at least.
★★
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.
My last review of this film simply said “Extremely forgettable”.
I watched it for the second time, the first with my children (8/11), and remembered almost nothing about it. So, I guess I nailed that…
This is a terrible film in so many ways. Probably the most egregious error is that, in a film about space wizards, it asks too much of you in the suspension of disbelief. “They built a colossal fleet of gigantic starships and no-one noticed?” And this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
I don’t think there is any doubt that Ben Solo’s story is the most interesting thing here. Rey’s story becomes ridiculous as it tries to reverse out of the cul-de-sac it went down in TLJ.
As we reach the end it become abundantly clear there was no overarching story for these final three films. Or, if there was, it was second guessed. The prequels are much derided for the quality of the film making but at least there was an actual story. As a result, I think this comfortably becomes the worse film of the nine.
★½
An oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.
You know exactly what you’re getting. The comedy comes in waves, rather than a consistent level of hilarity. And, frankly, some of the troughs are kind of dull but the peaks make up for it.
★★★
Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.
First time I’ve watched this with my children (8/11). They quite enjoyed it and I didn’t hate it.
I still find plenty of it maddeningly moronic. Like “dropping” bombs in space. And how moving steadily in one direction, in space, burns fuel… But that was easier to look past today.
However, it’s harder to look past just how many scenes drag on. Even the characters admit that’s all they are doing at one point.
But there are still lots of cool moments and the more irreverent tone bothers me less with time.
I just think that Rian Johnson (like Edgar Wright) might be better off not directing his own writing work…
★★★
Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…
I liked how it turned out. Much better than real life. And I liked a lot about how it was made. But I didn’t actually like the sum of the parts.
★★★
It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.
New York detective Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of mysterious deaths in which the victims are found beheaded. But the locals believe the culprit to be none other than the ghost of the legendary Headless Horseman.
I guess if you don’t like the Depp/Burton/Elfman triumvirate there’s no way you’ll like this. But I think this is worth the watch for the visual effects, makeup and stunt work alone.
The headless horseman is superbly realised. A villain almost as formidable and implacable as the Terminator that, despite the lack of facial expression, still manages to have a playful and cheeky demeanour.
The central plot is fun, though it does rely heavily on a fountain of exposition in the third act to bring it together. Some of the performers are a bit wooden and the accents are ALL over the place but there’s at least Michael Gambon to enjoy.
Finally, a word on “horror”. There’s more threat and gore in this than I find in most recent horror movies pitched at teens. It deserves a little more respect in that regard.
★★★★
A young boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man, who keeps a mysterious arsenal of terrible weapons with him.
A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy.
I hated this when it was first released. Maybe I just didn’t want to like it?
I couldn’t get over the fact that we knew almost all of these characters were going to die, otherwise we’d have heard of them, right? I guess you could call it the curse of the prequel. On that basis I found it pretty hard to warm to them.
This time round, I was just focussed on what was on the screen much more. And, while there are still some fairly clunky lines and moments, the overall story plays out well and the battle scenes might be some of the best in canon. Looks gorgeous too.
★★★★
Returning for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts, Harry is stunned to find that his warnings about the return of Lord Voldemort have been ignored. Left with no choice, Harry takes matters into his own hands, training a small group of students – dubbed 'Dumbledore's Army' – to defend themselves against the dark arts.
It’s hard to fault this film for the turgid story upon which it is based. In fact, the film actually excises a lot of the cruft. But even stripped to the bones very little actually happens to further the story.
★★★
