A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010, USA) | Rating: 2/5
I honestly didn’t want to see this movie. When it was announced to be remade, I felt like I jinxed myself because I was so happy that no one was touching the iconic 80’s franchise. Similar to Scream 4, an online review convinced me to check it out and I was expecting the worst from it. I’ve seen friends destroy the case and disc, but surprisingly I had no immediate rage over it. I’m proud to say that I can calmly criticize this remake. Also like Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street is another favorite horror movie franchises. The movie tried its best to “reimagine” the original, but a lot of it fell flat due to lackluster execution and dull characters. It recycled scenes from the first movie but unfortunately removed the impact it had back then. There was also a lot of annoying jump scares that were ineffective. I don’t know about other iconic remakes, but Freddy got the same treatment as Michael Myers as being humanized and sympathetic in their personal backgrounds. They’re both terrible characters, but knowing so much about them takes away from the fear of the killer…or perhaps monster. As for the new Freddy, I understand the serious take they wanted to make with the character, since over the years he started to become “too sarcastic” or joking and less threatening. The portrayal mostly was decent, but lacked something I can’t put my finger on. It reminds me of Christian Bale as Batman. Not terrible, but ugh that voice kinda ruins things a little. Also, the make-up bothered me a lot. At times, his mouth would barely move when he spoke and I didn’t like the “realistic” approach of the look. Maybe in the future, I’ll do a more in depth comparison between the two. Also, upon request I’ll do it as well.
Martyrs (2008, France) | Rating: 1.5/5
Normally, I wouldn’t have watched this, but a friend turned me onto it as something that was unwatchable due to the subject matter and graphic imagery. For me, that sounds like a challenge for my mind, eyes, and stomach. Yes, there are movies that are hard for me to watch and I’ve mentioned some of them here, but this movie isn’t one of them. Upon watching this, I was expecting a straight up revenge movie, but it ended up being something else. Revenge is only relevant for part of the movie. I had problems connecting with the story and its characters and I have no idea if it was because I watched this movie dubbed, but it honestly shouldn’t form a disconnect. The premise seemed interesting, but the presentation was oddly paced in places and a bit confusing. The ending was unsatisfying and I guess it would be nice to have something typical. Lastly, one thing I did like was the main characters’ bond to each other. Other than that, I don’t think I’ll be joining the hype wagon for this movie.
American Beauty (1999, USA) | Rating: 4/5
I know this movie has received tons of praise and I can understand why. I didn’t have any expectations going into it and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, other than the few little elements that has been parodied in Family Guy and Not Another Teen Movie. The story felt original to some extent. It takes the typical suburban family that appears perfect on the outside, but full of flaws on the inside and adding forbidden desire, power, and a nostalgic longing to the mix. I enjoyed the diverse characters and the slight exaggerated conflicts each character had to face. The conclusion was unexpected, thought provoking, and cleverly executed. Although I don’t have overwhelming praise for this movie, I really did enjoy it and what it had to offer through its storytelling, fleshed out characters, and beautiful cinematography.
A Comapny Man (2012, South Korea) | Rating: 4/5
So, I was trying not to fall for the whole “judging a book by its cover” theory and I did read the synopsis on the back like I normally do. I’ve never heard of this movie, but it’s in the category of secret life of a hitman/mafia man. The theme could easily be screwed up and misleading, but this stayed on track. Even though this movie has basic clichés when it comes to Asian hidden organizations, it was still entertaining. It was everything I wanted I.R.I.S to be
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008, USA) | Rating: 4/5
I feel like I’m late to the party by watching this cult movie now for the first time. I’ve been wanting to see it for a couple years, but the opportunity has been quite slim until recently. After seeing Pawdugan’s review, I felt a little more determined to see this movie and I am happy that I did, although I didn’t expect so much singing. I knew it was a musical horror, but the amount of spoken dialogue is near non-existent. I’m not complaining or anything, just stating an observation. So, the premise of this movie was bizarre and unique. The execution matched the tone of the story and the presentation was quite entertaining. The relationships seemed realistic in a musical or opera sense, but in reality, it would be a stretch. I really enjoyed Blind Mag and the Graverobber the most as I’m sure a lot of people did. Everyone else was good too, but I wish they had someone else for Paris Hilton, more so in the singing than the acting. Her voice either couldn’t reach the tone or level of vocal expertise as the other characters or she sounded like a breathy porn star. It didn’t ruin the movie though. The visuals were great and didn’t go overboard with graphic imagery, so the integrity of the musical genre was kept intact while bringing something a little different to the genre.
If there's something you want me to review (or want a more in depth review of the movies above or previous ones), check out this post on how you can submit requests.
No comments:
Post a Comment