I dig alot of David Slade's work, but the bad outweighs the good. Dark Harvest is another miss for him. It is atmospheric, and has some good gore but the plot and characters are just bland. I love films set around Halloween but this year has not been the best for the season's films. This went on too long, felt contrived and had a forced stinger. It at times felt like a want to be Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Years ago a friend told me to play Five Nights at Freddy's, and you know what i did? I never played it. But i thought the figures looked cool, reminded me of the Banana Splits even though i know it was based on Chuck E Cheese. I loved the Banana Splits Movie, but then Nicholas Cage starred in Willy's Wonderland, an awesome and batshit film about a guy that works overnights in an old arcade with animatronics......and that is what i wanted the Five Nights at Freddy's film to be. Instead we got a slowburn that takes too long for the plot to kick it....a plot that felt like they had AI write it, and a film that didn't embrace the camp. Either go all out camp for this or go for an R. Instead it felt like a bad episode of Goosebumps or some shit like that. I wasn't bored, but this being the horror film that is going to blow up the box office is very telling about mainstream horror.
I actually forgot to even post about Ahsoka. To be honest the show was so unmemorable that i don't have strong feelings one way or another for it. I only kept watching because of a possible Mandalorian tie in, but the plot, acting, characters, battles, all just fizzled out for me. I am not going to say it was terrible, but it was most definitely unneeded and the final result felt like a cash grab, a cash grab Disney will take to the grave. Oversaturation is killing Hollywood, conveyor belt filmmaking is a death nail.
The Royal Hotel is a bleak film, it is uneasy at times, on purpose, and it achieves it's goal greatly. The film's plot gets more unnerving and makes you say what the fuck the longer it goes, but i wish the characters had more depth. Like are they party girls? Hipsters? Who are they? The final scene is super poetic and it leaves a lasting image.
Another year, another VHS. Like most anthology films, it is a mixed bag, like most VHS it features despicable characters. This has one of the more intriguing selection of segments however, best of which being from Scott Derrickson. There is so much more that can be done with this franchise, but they are usually quick watches so nothing feels like a waste of time. Will i watch the next installment? Yes, yes i will. Will i be stoked? Depends on the talent attached. I am a fan of alot of these directors but they need to fully embrace the depravity and medium.
The Exorcist is an amazing film, it's sequel not so much. The third oozes atmosphere yet the two prequels leave alot to be desired. In fact most possession films leave alot to be desired, the subgenre usually bores me. David Gordon Green gets alot of hate for his Halloween trilogy and i feared i would feel the way about this that most felt about them. This film looks very Green but doesn't really feel like one, it feels like a basic possession flick, not good, not bad, just exists, but i would say it is above your average one as it is not a boring film. The lead actor does great and i honestly would rather have seen a film about him and his daughter, her friend and her religious dad that may or may not be racist. I honestly would have found that way more interesting.
Gareth Edward's has directed the best Neil Blomkamp film yet in The Creator. This is big & gloss but it has so much subtext, i felt it could be overbloated from the trailer but this is nice & tightly paced. This feels like cinema, it feels inspired by Blade Runner, it feels inspired by Apocalypse Now, and it has a lot of heart. It is topical with AI, but it also shows both sides of the war within the film and is a nice shade of grey until the end.
John Carney does it again! The master of the romance with musicians has already delivered us pure gold time and time again, and while nothing will match the masterpiece that is Once, his latest, Flora & Son is one of the year's best. Not as raw as once but it hits just as hard. Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon Levitt have amazing chemistry, as does Hewson and Oren Kinlan, plus Jack Reynor adds in a presence as well. We see the love of a mother & son, ex husband & wives putting aside personal beef, plus organic crush unfolding. When characters hear music, we are along for their journey of discovery, and this film itself is a journey if discovery. It's inspiring, heartfelt, funny and shows life isn't always glamourous, all while making you feel good.
