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Dagr (2024)
Terrible
A bad film all round.
Perhaps the most annoying set of characters you're likely to see on film. The two leads are exceptionally obnoxious, though we are clearly meant to empathise with them, it is basically impossible. They're airhead wanna be robin hoods who are on tiktok, and so painfully irritating it's hard to use words to explain. I was hoping they would be killed after their first scene. The other characters are annoying but only in a mild way, especially in comparison (though their reaction to the later scary moments is aggravating).
The film has a 40 plus minute build up without even a hint of anything unnatural/scary. It is just the two main idiots in a car travelling to the house, which is spliced with the film crew at the house doing their jobs. Genuinely boring. Once things start the film improves, but it is all over so quickly.
There is a complete lack of scares or atmosphere in the film. Which for a horror is more than disappointing. The poster is scarier than anything on the screen. A sense of dread could have been built up, but after the character establishing scenes (more than half the film), things kick off without even a little dread or idea of what may be happening (more on that later). The hooded men don't even provide a jump scare and the effects they used around them don't add to their scariness. The chanting does not add much.
You don't really get any hint of what is going on until a bizarre scene where a tv turns on a recording from the 90s plays. A professor gives you the lore on what is happening. Why he was recording a videotape is unknown. Why Lord Somerton and his dead (?) cult want the TV to turn on and explain things is even more unknown. Really poor storytelling there.
The writing for this is poor, so it is hard to know how harsh to be on the actors, but I certainly won't be looking to see what else they have done. The directing is also poor, found footage at its worst.
I normally give horror movies generous ratings on here, as they get harshly treated by ratings. But I can't give more than 2 stars.
Avoid at all costs, nothing worth watching.
The Caregiver (2023)
A Mess
A real mess of a film.
Starts off not too bad, with the hint of a supernatural element which builds a bit of atmosphere.
This then collapses once it is revealed what is actually going on (they are quite vague about the details and the reasoning so you will be left confused). What is actually going on is not scary, it breaks what tension the film contained.
Of course, the main character makes some stupid choices which help the film to continue, this is normal in horror but here it is extreme and highly frustrating.
The main character is acted fairly well, the others do a so-so job.
The further explanations towards the end, from an outside source, only muddy the waters in terms of what is going on and especially why it is going on.
The end is meant to be thought provoking, but it fails to achieve that.
Avoid.
Trim Season (2023)
Bad
A poor concept that is barely half thought out (perhaps conceived while high?) and never properly explained.
Weak writing that leaves you not liking a single character in the film (especially the one they are desperate for you to like). Far too much time spent establishing characters and giving you their backstory for very little point (many horror movies do this but nearly as much as this one).
Awful acting pretty much across the board. Their is the odd exception but those people are not on screen enough to make a difference.
The only good things to say for it are the opening scene is interesting and the film looks quite good.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Disappointing
I loved part one and was really hopeful of a satisfying ending, but was left disappointed.
I am a big fan of the book(s) and feel previous attempts at visual interpretations have been underwhelming. The first film changed that. It set the world and characters up thoroughly and steadily. It was long but merited the running time. Part two was a let down.
In this film the good work is somewhat wasted. Don't get me wrong this is not a bad film, it just has some problems.
Quite long sections were boring. The focus on certain characters and personal issues were given far too much screen time. Zendaya's Chani, I'm sorry but it was like the director was getting a bonus for every second she was on screen. Which might have been fine if the character was not portrayed in such a petulant and petty way. Her huff at the end of the film encapsulated this. Fine to make her role bigger, but it was done poorly.
Chalamet's Paul did not develop convincingly, or at all. In the first film he played the character to a tee, but this time the writing left him the childish boy seemingly throughout. His ascendance to the Mahdi/Kwisatz Haderach via the water of life was not given anything like a vision (indeed throughout the film his/his mothers visions and the more mystical parts of the story were left out or completely underplayed). And left you at a loss why he was suddenly behaving so differently.
Notable things were left out, in particular the Navigators, but also other elements you would assume would be in here.
Too much long stares into the sand, I love the visuals and the whole mythos of this universe, but as a big fan I was sitting there bored several times.
Their were some real highlights: Paul's first riding of the worm was really well done. The whole section on Geidi Prime was really great. The fight/battle scenes were done really well also. The senior actors were all fantastic, shame the young leads could not match them.
A noble effort with flaws.
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Ridiculous, yet staisfying.
The fourth chapter of the John Wick saga sees the titular hero search for a way out of the business.
Let me start by saying this film is among the most ridiculous I've ever seen. But it is par for the course with this series.
Their are new characters and new locations, most of which add something to the mythology. And mythology is the right word, for none of the action makes sense, it is beyond hyper-realism it is in the realm of heroic myth.
John Wick is again the man of few words and a lot of punches, Mr Reeves best type of role it seems, who must battle his way towards a goal. Donnie Yen comes from Hong Kong kung fu cinema to add something a little different, but don't expect his physical behaviour to match that of the blind man he supposedly is (a needless plot point that does very little). Our favourite samurai, Hiroyuki Sanda, plays his part well and the Osaka sequence looks the best of the big fight locations (which is all this movie really is) A new black character, "Mr Nobody", played by Shamiel Anderson, adds a little and has a dog that evokes memories of the original films motivation
The new villain de rigour of Hollywood, Bill Skarsgard, plays the baddie whose French accent sounds mostly French. He is the most interesting addition.
This film is fights, fights, fights and then some fights. It is so overblown it becomes partially transcendent. On some level this is satisfying and I can't help but give it a good rating. When filmmakers focus on what fans want they get the rewards. This film doesn't make sense, I could talk for 3000 words on all the absurdities of this film, but in some very strange way it actually does make sense.
Mandy (2018)
Something Different
An intriguing film. It's beautiful, engaging and something you won't see every day.
It is a slow paced film, the start in particular, but if you have a decent attention span it will be worth your patience.
There are quite a few elements left unexplained, if you don't like that then this will irritate.
It is well acted, I can't think of a cast member who let the film down.
The music is good and fits the style of film very well.
The director has a great eye with many beautiful shots and sequences. I look forward to exploring more of his movies.
The storyline is basic on the surface level, but there is a lot going on under the surface.
The Breach (2022)
Solid Enough
This film has a few things going for it and overall I found it to be enjoyable. It's far from perfect though.
The creature design was absolutely fantastic, it's been a while since I've been so impressed. Shame they weren't used more often and earlier.
The concept, while being a blatant rip off of H. P. Lovecraft, is enticing and creepy. Shame they didn't really go into any depth with it. You end the film not knowing much about the breach at all.
The pacing, of the main storyline, is poor. We get so much unneeded back story about the characters it leaves not much time for the scary. These characters are not interesting, the strange goings on are and good horror filmmakers recognise this.
The acting is of a poor standard. Not outrageously poor but it is a little distracting. Some of the dialogue is not really helping the actors though, it isn't all their fault.
All in all worth a watch if you are a horror fan, a solid effort.
Lake Mungo (2008)
Really Bad
This film does not know what it is doing.
It is in the documentary style, not my favourite but it can be done well. It takes a very long time to go over the drowning of Alice with lots of interviews. This really drags, but in a film with some pay off you wouldn't mind that.
The next segment of the film focuses on her ghost appearing here and there around the house and lake she drowned in. This is the best part of the film, there is something of an ominous feeling for this segment.
Then a bizarre twist, the brother has been faking these appearances. This throws you for a loop, completely jarring you out of the ominous feeling. This twist accomplishes nothing at all other than derailing the film.
They then try to drag you back into the same ominous feeling, oh she actually is there. But you are now not sure what is going on because the trust has gone.
Then another twist. She has been sleeping with their neighbours and recording it. This again drags you away from the scary moments. It is a plot point that might have been able to work, but it achieves very little here other than wasting time talking about the neighbours and how Alice was withdrawn. It could be seen as a potential reason for her spirit to be staying, but it turns out she does not leave this place even at the end of the film.
Then there is a trip not long before she drowned where she seems to have seen herself dead and been aware that she is going to die. This is okay, even a little scary and poignant. It seems to give the family some closure, though obviously not Alice as her ghost remains.
This is just a bad film made by imbeciles. The family are boring and not very likeable. The interviews with other characters rarely add anything. There is a psychic character who is in the film a lot but doesn't appear to do anything other than take up time, he certainly gives very little insight.
Nefarious (2023)
Fantastic
I have never given a 1/10 rating before, but I feel I have to here.
I was blown away by this film, having gone in without any expectations.
Sean Patrick Flannery gives such a captivating performance, I forgot where I was during some of his monologues. I've not had that in many years. And, reviewing it now a couple of weeks after watching it, it has stayed with me the way great films can.
Yes, this film is from the Christian perspective, but you will not see films from a Jewish or Islamic perspective treated in the manner this one has been.
It's very heavy on dialogue and more in the way of building dread than a gore-fest. The other acting performances are solid. But it's Sean Patrick Flannery, he is the reason to watch this film.
Stargate: Atlantis: Michael (2006)
Great Episode
{Contains Spoilers} This is a fantastic stand alone episode of Atlantis. The episodes focus is almost entirely on Michael and this is what elevates it above much of the rest of season 2. The actor does a really convincing job and it is very easy to get swept into his story. The normal characters becoming the antagonists makes this a unique episode, very cleverly done. It lays the foundations for the end of season finale and the Wraith returning to Atlantis.
The downside to this episode is how it fits in with the general ethos of the show. The Atlantis crew (for want of a better word) have a moral ambiguity here, they will do anything to defeat the Wraith. In other episodes they have a strict moral code they tend to boast about. Here that is all forgotten about and it makes Elizabeth Weir look like a complete hypocrite (not for the first or last time but this is perhaps the biggest example). Also it is very out of Dr Carson Beckett's character for him to have done this. They also seem to have rather assumed the success of this venture, otherwise why have Michael on Atlantis?