Thriller

The Nightingale (2019)

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Director: Jennifer Kent
Writer: Jennifer Kent

I have to start this with a word of warning: this is an extremely hard film to watch. It’s not just that it’s bloody. There are also several scenes of rape, and a shit-ton of racism. My understanding is that people have walked out of the film when it’s been shown on the festival circuit. That said, if you can tough it out, you’ll find a very powerful, well-made film.

1825: Claire (Aisling Franciosi) is a young Irish woman and former convict who is indentured to Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin), the leader of an unruly group of British soldiers stationed in Tasmania. He refuses to release her from her servitude, and forces himself on her, angering her husband Aiden (Michael Sheasby), who confronts Hawkins and his men publicly one night. Once Hawkins’ misdeeds are uncovered, he loses the commission he was promised, and blaming Claire, he kills her family and leaves her for dead.

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Countdown (2019)

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Director: Justin Dec

Writer: Justin Dec

Have you ever filled out one of those online quizzes which asks you about your age and weight and health and then purports to tell you, based on said information, how long you’re going to live? What if you download an app, and without giving it any personal details, it gave you the same information, but rather than just a statistical guess, it was an absolute certainty? That’s the premise of Countdown, a slightly better than average horror film that works because of some better than average direction.

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Time Trap (2017)

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Have you ever gone into a little dive of a restaurant and ended up having a killer meal? Watching Time Trap (2017) is a little like that. I’m so used to sitting down to a low-budget film and having it be so sub-par that I almost don’t know what to do when it’s not. To be fair, it’s not exactly “low” budget at $1 million, but they definitely got the most bang for the buck I’ve seen in a while. No cheesy effects or bad acting here. I put it on in the background while doing something else, but very quickly stopped that something else, because it was just that good.

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Magic Magic (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 17, 2013)

I didn’t really want to review this film. Primarily because it seems to be polarizing, and no matter what I say about it, I think a number of people are going to hate it. I went into it thinking it was something quite different than it was, and I ended up enjoying it. I say this because it made me feel uncomfortable and disturbed in a way that few movies have done. The 2000 Jeff Daniels film Chasing Sleep made me feel that way. I like movies that make me feel uncomfortable and disturbed. As far as I’m concerned, the worst thing a movie can do is make you feel ambivalent. Continue reading →

Scenic Route (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – September 27, 2013)

I know I gave up my little reviews after the summer ended, but I thought I’d just mention this film briefly. If you ever thought that Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler couldn’t do drama, you might give this one a try. It surprised me a bit. It’s slow moving, and doesn’t go much beyond two characters sorting their lives out, but I found it a little touching, and by the end found myself turning the whole story over again in my mind. It’s the kind of movie you don’t see advertised much, and after you see it, you wonder why you’ve never heard of it. (running time 1:22)

UPDATE: in going back to add the links and such, I see that the Metacritic score is a 34 (out of 100). I’m still standing by my review, primarily because a) IMDB has it at a 6.5, and the written reviews are mostly positive, and b) I can’t remember enough of the film to contradict the critics.

The Conjuring (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 8, 2013)

As I said to a friend recently, “The Conjuring was so creepy, I nearly conjured a load in my shorts.” I was kidding, but only just. Horror is one of those genres in which there’s such a glut of options that most of them are bound to suck. This isn’t one of them. James Wan keeps proving that he knows how to create films that scare us. I feel like he’s moved away from the sheer gore of his Saw series (which frankly became cartoonish after a while), and found a much deeper creepy. His previous film Insidious was more frightening, I think (although not by much), but this one is more mature, and doesn’t have the third act issues that the former had. Continue reading →

Gravity (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – October 17, 2013)

Gravity. I felt sick to my stomach most of the time, but it was quite good. I thought it got a little hackneyed near the end, but not enough to rub me the wrong way. Sandy looks pretty damn good for nearly 50, too!

I don’t know as it warrants the 8.6 it’s got at IMDB, but it’s definitely a must-see in the theater. (NOTE: I didn’t see it in 3-D, although I might go see it again, just to get that experience.) (running time 1:31)

UPDATE: I gave it a 7 at IMDB.

Now You See Me (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 3, 2013)

Sigh. I wanted to like this one. A caper film. With magic. Should have been right up my alley. But I forgot about the Eisenberg Principle, which is that whenever I see Jesse Eisenberg in a film, I have an overwhelming desire to punch him in the face…repeatedly. Here, he was at his face-punchingly worst. Add to that a lack of verisimilitude, a twist that you ought to see coming well before it arrives, and a completely unnecessary (and undeveloped) romantic subplot, and I was underwhelmed. It did have potential, but to my mind, the final third went off the rails. It’s getting a good score at IMDB (7.4), but maybe that’s just misdirection. 😉 I’m giving it a 4.5, with the expectation that many people are going to disagree. (running time 1:55)

Nattevagten (1994)

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(Originally from Facebook – July 25, 2013)

Forgot to post last night’s entry. This was remade as an American effort (Nightwatch) with Ewan McGregor. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that one, but even knowing the ending, I feel like this one was a little better. A good old-fashioned suspense/thriller. I’d put it in the 6-6.5 range. IMDB gives it a 7.3. I think we both score this one higher than the remake, though, so see this one first, if you can. (running time 1:47)

Side Effects (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – July 30, 2013)

I’ve been falling behind on my postings, but not on the movies. Got three for the last three days. Here’s #1
This got a 7.2 at IMDB. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen so many really good movies lately that I think that’s a little high. Not too much, though. Well acted all around, although Tatum stretches believability a little as the wealthy trader. It’s also a fairly smart film, so be sure to pay attention as you go. A good, old-fashioned psychological thriller. We’ve seen this sort of film before, but there’s enough new here, and the performances are interesting enough, that I’d give it a 6. Maybe even a 6.5. (running time 1:46)