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Reviews
The Minds of Men (2018)
Very interesting look at a few of the unethical MKUltra CIA programs.
Very interesting look at a few of the unethical MKUltra CIA programs.
It also features some of the lead-up for the programs, giving some background for how such things could come about, which was very welcome.
Surprisingly, the famous drug-focused programs that so usually occupies these is only touched upon here. Although drugs are sometimes part of these programs, they are not the sole focus of them. It's more about brainwashing, and reprogramming with other (sometimes horrifically direct) means. So don't expect lots of information on the programs where they just messed with people who were on LSD.
Some of the reenacted readings are less than ideal, particularly CIA-man(?) at typewriter. You'll see what I mean.
It certainly didn't need to be 3 ¾ hours long. The editing was lacking in several areas...
A lot of time is spent listing names for each portion, that could have just been shown to the viewer all at once, for about 15 seconds, then later, when comparing who was involved with each segment, by highlighting and fading each portrait and name, the inter-involvement could have been more clearly illustrated. Perhaps with diagrams. The narration serving to draw attention to overlap etc, rather than listing, always listing. The same could have been done with the funding sources.
As it stands, it's difficult to make sense of any of it.
Sometimes the documentary will just stop, and there will be echoing audio snippets with eerie visuals for a minute or two. Often things we've already seen & heard. The documentarians were trying to establish some atmosphere or something? A good editor will mold the content in such a way to give the viewer chills and moments of impact, rather than separating the content for substance-less droning. Not well executed, just more time wasted really.
In the latter half when interviewee (if memory serves, the only one) Peter Breggin is introduced, it's a big breath of fresh air from the established editing formula. Although his ideas & criticism towards classical psychiatry are not properly explored, he does offer a valuable humanist perspective of the callous & absurd CIA-endorsed programs. His full ideas could have been an interesting counterpoint.
I definitely recommend viewers to look up Breggin's work, even if you disagree with him, if only for a change of perspective from the typical medical practitioner's. Thomas Szasz also comes to mind.
The narrators (who I understand to be the authors of docu) also take some ridiculous liberties, such as ending sentences with patronising smirky lines like "see how that works?"
These do not belong in documentaries. When you're taking a break from cringing at the horrific medical experiments you might be lucky enough to cringe at one of these unnecessary lines.
There are also more than a few repetitions that will have you wondering if they're trying the unethical techniques on the audience, themselves.
The black & white aesthetic looks good for the most part, little bits of colour are permitted during specific moments, but I get the sense that the film might have worked better if it were even less enforced. For instance, perhaps during the new location footage?
Optimally, if somebody with skill in editing were to fanedit this, they could probably achieve great improvements. One of the few cases where a faneditor is given a documentary with much material to work with, to do so. It might just be the first documentary fanedit, unless any commenter would like to enlighten me.
This may seem like a very critical review, but the good content of the documentary speaks for itself, so I definitely recommend a watch if the subject interests. Perhaps one chapter at a time will be best, however.
If only it didn't have so many elements holding it back, that at this length, are difficult to forgive.
EDIT: It seems that skeptics* don't like the docu authors much at all, and my own perspective has lowered to a degree. They appear to have some questionable ideas about vaccines (a topic to which I personally defer to the mainstream consensus) and have had collabs with Alex Jones (whom I detest, he is a hilarious living meme though...) in the past.
*(although I'm not personally a traditional skeptic, by any measure as, somewhat paradoxically, I follow many philosophical & religious movements AND secular, atheist & skeptical organisations simultaneously)
It's up to you whether this impacts your own skepticism when watching this docu but my general suggestion would be to take it with more than a little salt.
Anon (2018)
It's missing a sense of urgency or tension.
I never really cared for Sal Frieland (Clive Owen). Doesn't feel like his tragic backstory is really tied into the themes of crime in any interesting way. Feels more like a plot device.
The POV shots are very slow and unrealistically on-rails, I can't tell if this was an intentional creative choice or just an inability to properly emulate what it looks like to view the world from our eyes.
You have to strike a balance between how it was done here and the handheld style usually employed.
There is a reveal in the 3rd act that is utterly emotionally flat.
The soundtrack, editing and world of the movie hold everything in a kind of detached embrace of melancholy. Relevant themes and concept but this really should have been a more interesting/engaging movie.
Great visual style, as expected from Niccol. His movie's cars are always cool af. No-one else is doing work quite like this, Niccol deserves a nod for that alone.
Just, more energy please.
It's alright. Enjoyed it more than In Time tbh.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Thought it was crap on first watch, now I think it's funny crap.
So I rewatched the uncut version of this as a comedy and actually had a good time, pretty funny, and form-wise it isn't as bad as I initially thought.
The uncut version is actually worth tracking down imo. There hasn't been an uncut BR release yet, so you'll only be able to find it on DVD or some streaming platforms. The runtimes are listed on imdb for those interested in doing so. There's also a helpful movie-censorship dot com comparison.
Perhaps much of my dismay to it on first-watch, was the fact that I had just watched Part VIII, so getting another turd would have been frustrating after the abomination of Jason Takes Manhattan.
The Crystal Lake Memories docu gave it some more context too.
Anyway, this is definitely a guilty pleasure/good-bad for me now.
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)
Barely scratches the surface.
Vague, mostly uninteresting, unfocused and meandering. With the occasional box-office mention, or highlight-reel of gore (ie. spoilers) with shoddy rock music in the background.
About 10 minutes of interviews with crew/filmmakers have any actual substance to them. Where some of the craft and themes are elaborated upon.
Interviews generally go like this "Imagine liking horror films and violent films, isn't that crazy that people can like films with death in them? Well, us filmmakers & fans like these movies! And they can be very successful, so what's that about?!"
By the end of the docu you'll be very tired of hearing this.
You're honestly better off reading some Wikipedia pages on slasher films.
War Dogs (2016)
Achieves no emotional investment
Not particularly interesting or funny. Mostly boring and by-the-numbers.
Why are there chapters?
Soundtrack is painfully hackneyed.
Gekijô-ban: Zero (2014)
Calmy executed ethereal horror
Actually quite creepy and haunting when it's not getting in its own way with awkward exposition and weird tropes. Significantly though, I get the feeling that's probably due to being 'lost in translation'.
Recommended regardless for horror hounds.
Wolves at the Door (2016)
John R. Leonetti's weakest effort so far.
I only laughed a handful of times and then it was over. Is this what passes for unintentional comedy these days? Annabelle and Wish Upon are much funnier. Hell, you're better off watching Mortal Kombat: Annihilation!
Maybe I just need to be drunk with friends, and actually have slept in the past 24 hours... I don't know why I keep trying to watch comedies when I'm tired, it never works.
Leonetti already had a better Manson homage in Annabelle which he barely extends to feature length here. Including oddly clothed and unkempt members of the "family" again. They dawdle around like they're doing a school play of The Strangers.
The cast get spooked by some sprinklers & fireworks and I must admit it's fairly humorous how long it takes the protagonists to catch on to fishy business.
Spends too much of the runtime trying to be stylish.
Also, the relatively narrow & shallow focus on this grim night, would be quite offensive I imagine, to anyone who was damaged by the family.
À l'intérieur (2007)
Not a cohesive ride, but a hell of a time. Almost literally.
Starts out fairly somber and tense, escalating spooks carefully like a carnival ride that isn't quite-right.
The plot begins to culminate and the ride gets fairly flashy.
Law enforcement is persistently stupid and bothersome but you let it slide because the movie has you by the gonads. Perched on the edge of your seat.
Then the movie says "you know what? Fuck the ride! Sets the entire thing alight, flies burning off the rails into the rapids of a 'wet n' wild' park, except instead of water it's blood.
Ends up detracting a bit from the overall cohesion, but when it's this fun who really cares?