Reviews

The Last Days is a Spanish sci-fi thriller directed by David and Àlex Pastor. A mysterious epidemic of agoraphobia has spread across the planet. Survivors hide underground or inside buildings. An epidemic caught the office worker Mark (Quim Gutiérrez) at work. His wife remained at home. He cannot go out into the street. Therefore, in order to return to his wife, Mark begins a journey through underground communications. Filming took place in Barcelona. The budget was 5.5 million euros. This is the brothers' second full-length film. Their first film ('Carries') was devoted to the problem of infection with an unknown virus. In The Last Days, they preferred not to disclose the causes of the disease, but periodically hinting at the infectious component. Thus, the emphasis was shifted from the deep working-out of the surrounding world to personal relationships between the main characters. The complete evolution of these relationships is shown. In the beginning - the boss and subordinate, in the end - friends sacrificing themselves. For audiences who want to see primarily post-apocalyptic drama, this shift in focus can be confusing. After all, if you start thinking about the world in which the events take place, then you understand how poorly it is worked out. The second half of the film begins to wear a purely melodramatic shade and you completely forget from the atmosphere of the epidemic. Only a few scenes remind of her. Wonderful actors have been selected for the leading roles. They coped with the roles perfectly. They were able to convey the relationship well. In general, the film came out well. But due to its genre-blurring, it is very difficult to select the target audience. Fans of the genres of post-apocalypses, drama, and melodrama will find something of their own. None of them will be satisfied.

The Bay is a pseudo-documentary about the events taking place in the town of Claridge on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, where an epidemic occurred on July 4 - the mutated parasites Cymothoa exigua moved from fish to eating human flesh. Years after the tragedy, documentary filmmakers are trying to put together all available material about the terrible incident. The film's budget was $2 million. The filmmakers decided to show some originality within the genre and collected filming not only from a couple of cameras, but from many. Reporter's camera, police car camera, teenager's mobile phone, street surveillance, and others. At the same time, the hand of the master is felt - the director is Barry Levinson ("Rain Man"). The film turned out to be interesting and exciting. Everything is edited like a real documentary. The events are shown by footage of the journalists filming the report, and footages of the police, doctors, ordinary residents of the city. Despite the use of different camera techniques and different characters, you do not lose the essence of what is happening. On the contrary. All attention is drawn to the events on the screen. The cast also deserves praise. They play very naturally. There is simply no one to find fault with. There are no famous actors in the caste, but they are not needed either. The whole atmosphere of chaos, fear, and panic is conveyed wonderfully. Aside from the person on whose behalf the narration follows (Kether Donohue as Donna Thompson), there are no central characters. They are all just parts of the big picture. "The Bay" became a good horror film about an environmental disaster. One of the best representatives of the genre in 2012.

The Hallow is a full-length debut of director Corin Hardy. He debuted at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The plot tells about London conservationist Adam (Joseph Mawle) and his wife Clare (Bojana Novakovic) moved with their son to a remote house surrounded by an Irish forest. The film begins with a wonderful atmosphere of the Irish forest, cloudy weather, fogs, dullness. Suspense is growing with every frame. With a modest budget, the ambiance is created by pale colors and dialogues. This is the most successful part of the film. But then the forest creatures enter the scene. They are the combination of practical effects and CGI. There are representatives with successful computer graphics in the cohort of low-budget films, but low-budget films and graphics are not compatible. This film is another confirmation of this. With the appearance of poorly drawn creatures on the screen, all the gloomy atmosphere, so well created in the first part, disappears in an instant. An indisputable advantage is the acting. They very well conveyed the emotions of parents fighting for the life of their child. The gloomy atmosphere is replaced by a completely standard action game with a fight in the house and forest. In the end, the plot twist reawakens interest and the final impression is benevolent. Fans of this genre should watch this horror film. You won't regret it if you do.

Fans have been waiting for the new film in the Ju-On franchise since 2011, when the work on the fourth film in the series was announced. But time passed and no significant progress was observed in the work. Until in 2017, Nicolas Pesce sat down for the director's chair. Young and talented director and screenwriter, director of The Eyes of My Mother (2016) and Piercing (2018). Filming took place in May-June 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The film's budget was approximately $10-14 million. The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative, just like the previous parts of the franchise. The main character of the film, Detective Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough), experiences the death of her husband and moves with her son to a new city. There she investigates the case of the 'terrible house' and all the people associated with it. In parallel, 2 more stories are told: an elderly couple William Matheson (Frankie Faison) and Faith Matheson (Lin Shaye), who became crazy with a curse, as well as a young couple of realtors Peter Spencer (John Cho) and Nina Spencer (Betty Gilpin), who collided with the house and subsequently also cursed. The plot is close to all previous films in the franchise. Therefore, it is more likely a restart of the universe than its continuation, since the authors did not add any development or something new. And in general, during the whole film, the detective part is more interested than the mystical one. At the same time, cinematography and editing frankly let us down. Some scenes just look cheap, others change so quickly or unexpected so you lose the essence of what is happening. Failed to create a scary atmosphere, the emphasis is mainly on screamers, but they are not scary either. The main plus of the picture is the selection of an excellent cast. It's hard to find fault with him. On the other hand, now you regret that such a picture will be in the track records of these actors. In general, it will only suit fans of the franchise, but they will also be unhappy with what they see. It's a shame given the long wait.

The film was shot in a mockumentary style. The plot tells about the events that took place at Loch Ness during the filming of a documentary about Werner Herzog. The first half of the plot is devoted to the preparations for filming. Backstage work is shown. But it's pretty interesting to watch. Very quickly you forget that you are watching a movie. Everything was filmed and edited in such a way that it feels like a real documentary. Plus the great and natural acting of the actors playing themselves. The ending sags a little when events develop too quickly. But overall, the movie is worth watching.

The film was shot in the pseudo-documentary style. t the same time, everything is pretty well done. This is not surprising given the rather large budget for this genre of films. You cannot find fault with the quality of the shooting because the genre imposes certain requirements on the picture. There are shaking cameras and low resolution and so on. The actors should be noted separately. They play very naturally. Some moments you look like a real found footage. The plot did not disappoint much. After watching, there were quite a few questions left. This provides many reasons for negative criticism. But I looked with pleasure.

Cinema, even in its very narrow genre, is very mediocre. The plot is simple and unremarkable. The assassin who thought everything in advance, the police which don't notice everything in close range, the 'turn around' messages, etc. The acting is poor. In general, the picture is suitable only for the viewer who is interested in this direction and nothing more.

The film was shot in the found-footage horror genre. Plot is about a brother (Ed Oxenbould) and sister (Olivia DeJonge), whom their mother sent to their grandmother (Deanna Dunagan) and grandfather (Peter McRobbie). In my opinion, Shyamalan managed to rehabilitate himself after previous films. He was able to make not a bad film. Cinematography is generally not bad for this genre. There are no questions about acting, the children got used to the role very well, each having their character, and the adults perfectly showed the distraught old people. The plot is standard and obvious. Worth seeing.

The theme of exorcism and the human obsession with evil spirits is played up from all sides in world cinema. Director and screenwriter Scott Derrickson has already shot a theme movie ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose"). The film is based on the book by American police officer Ralph Sarchi "Beware the Night". Eric Bana plays the main role, and he looks very appropriate as a police officer. Edgar Ramirez plays a priest, a former drug addict. "Deliver Us from Evil" is a horror, mystery thriller and detective story. The authors have mixed too many genres. There are a frightening atmosphere, action, a detective part, and a police action movie. This mixture looks interesting but has not been properly assembled. But overall, this is a good story about fighting evil.

A well-filmed psychological thriller with horror elements interests the first two-thirds of the timing, and then slides into something standard and seen many, many times. Of the actors, only Sarah Bolger is worth noting. Children play rather themselves and are not particularly remembered. In general, a strong middle peasant. View and put on the shelf.

The director's debut was a success. The picture cannot be called outstanding, but it is certainly very solid. You don't miss a lot in the first half of the film, because nothing much happens. The emphasis is on the relationship between the characters. Although, even in this part, one can note a good camera and acting work. All the fun is left for the second part. It is worth noting the very smooth flow of the whole picture. Even at the most intense moment, you still feel how everything moves smoothly and slowly develops. This is not a traditional horror movie, but rather a drama with horror movie elements. At the same time, it cannot be said that the picture stands out within these genres. She seems to be missing something. For drama - tragedy, for horror - suspense. Fans of drive will not like this film, but I recommend it to everyone else.

An excellent example of how a very high-quality survival film can be made for a low budget. The emphasis in the film is on the development of relationships in a couple thrown into the sea. Sharks appear in moments, which is not surprising for such a budget, but closer and closer each time. This is enough to understand the hopelessness of the situation. Shots with a couple in the water and parties on the shore alternate very successfully. Everyone is having fun and is not even aware of the tragedy unfolding at the same time. The actors play great, especially given the shooting conditions. An excellent film about how people find themselves helpless and defenseless on the open sea.

The plot is very commonplace. Nothing surprises. Thousands of films have been made on the theme of haunted houses and this is not the most outstanding of them. The atmosphere in the film is addictive, but only until the appearance of the ghosts and mystical events themselves. Thus, the first half of the film is much more enjoyable than the second. The acting is also at a very average level. Not particularly annoying, but not delightful either. In general, the picture is not remarkable at all. Suitable for one time, but only for fans of the genre.

The film was shot and edited well. Adult actors play at their best. The plot does not shine with originality, but it is quite interesting to watch. Recommended for viewing by all fans of the genre.

The acting is at a good level, as is the camera work. The plot is quite standard. You will not be able to meet any unexpected plot twists. The film was created within the framework of the genre and performs in it at a quite good and solid level. Does not cause any negative emotions, but also joy. It is worth watching, but only for fans of the genre, while others do not need to.

It looks pretty bland at first, but by the middle of the movie it gets exciting. But then in the end everything is simply chopped off and nothing is explained. The film is not badly shot and edited, which is not surprising in this genre. The acting is neither exciting nor annoying. The film is worth your time, but only once in a lifetime.

The main problem of this film is that there is no sane narration, sane plot. The complete lack of acting tries to be compensated for by the loudness of the sound and visual effects. But to no avail. The complete victory of form over content. I do not recommend to watch.

It all starts out pretty trite. Difficult relationship between husband and wife. Difficulty interacting with your own child. Nothing surprises. But then the director starts to raise the suspense with music and plot twists. You do not tear yourself away from the screen until the last seconds. And maybe in some places, the plot seems either predictable or sagging - but overall, the impression is extremely satisfactory. Atmospheric and exciting!