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jan-biebaut
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Blink Twice (2024)
Impossible to add a spoiler for this movie
The story could quite make for a great film but it doesn't.
You know by the fact that it is a thriller and that they are on an isolated island owned by a rich man that something is about to happen. But for the first forty minutes, just nothing happens, not even a suggestion of anything disturbing. All you witness as a spectator is drinking, smoking a lot of weed, dancing, pointless conversations in the sense of a reality show like 'ex on the beach' nothing more ... and then boredom strikes as a spectator.
After forty minutes, everything goes very quickly; one person becomes aware of 'something' and that by being stupidly bitten by a snake. How a snake bite can cause that is not communicated, what she is suddenly aware of is not said. She simply says 'there is something that is not right', and you have to go with that. From then on, a lot happens, with flash backs and action, but nothing is hinted at; which makes you suddenly confronted with situations and flash backs that are suddenly thrown in without any meaning. There is just the superficially simple story that everyone will understand, but any reference to what preceded it, or the connection between each is left out.
So in the first part, the film is a tedious take on an underwhelming reality show and the second part a banal poorly made action film without really much action and an ending that is incomprehensible due to, as throughout the film, the lack of any explanation.
The only thing that is quite enjoyable are the images, the photography. Some scenes are a treat for the eyes. The acting is not exceptional but adequate. But the movie was not intended as an art-film.
Good advice let this film pass you by and opt for Walt Disney's latest film, at least there the story is consistent.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
A bit of a dull movie
Noa's tribulations are not so much about the future of apehood, but rather the adolescent feelings of a growing ape and the generational conflicts with his father who then turns out not to be such a demanding father in the end. The latter are thwarted by tribal conflict among the apes. 'Man' barely gets involved until the middle of the film. When it does, it is in the person of a woman who initially does not talk and turns out to be insignificant. You only see the only other humans for about 6 minutes and that's when a group of people are drinking and subsequently being aged up. What happens to the trapped people is not shown or mentioned. The woman later turns out not to be a stupid creature but also to be able to talk, is wise and even possesses a secret mission, which you only know about during the last two minutes of the film.
For me, it is a storyless film that resembles a very bland decoction of Mad Max among the apes with one human as the antagonist.
I would say don't spend your time and money on it.
The Equalizer 3 (2023)
The equilizer trylogy has a lot in common with a lot of westerns by Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone.
The hero (almost) always remains unscathed, but that is never disturbing, it is believable for some reason; you are not presented with a complicated plot, it can be reduced to good against evil, but still it is not a bad thing because there is more to the story and the coincidences and surprises are cleverly found. Besides, Clint Eastwood and Denzel Washington have the composure with which they walk through the film very much in common. Hence, it also seems that these films progress slowly but nothing could be further from the truth; the film remains alive under the story shown.
And just like you have in Clint Eastwood's films, there is a hint of romance that is not reciprocated by either hero.
This last of the triptych is no less than the other two; the spice is the same only it involves different ingredients.
A very good intelligent action film that also touches.
Serenity (2005)
a peerless space adventure film
This is the most beautiful spaceship film you will ever watch. Like a perfect dish, the right ingredients, not too much not too little; wisdom, action, love, politics, argument, incorrectness, pride, and not least dry humour. The story is about a spaceship ... nay every word about the film is a spoiler. The film starts from the very first minutes with a story full of wonder and unexpectedness, so start the film.
Love, you can learn all the math in the verse. But you take a boat in the air that you don't love.she'll shake you off just as sure as the turn of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down, tells you she is huring before she keels. Makes her home. Storm's getting worse. ...
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
I give this film an 8 but ...
It's actually the score my 12-year-old son would give the movie. It is a movie based on the game of the same name. It is a nice story without pretension, with little or no blood.
Despite the fact that the film is 16+ I think this is a youth film. So you are also watching a story geared to young adolescents. The suspense, the characters and the romance are tuned for this age.
So it is about some mechanical dolls that take their own initiative and are sometimes very threatening. But there is more to it.
So highly recommended for all FNAV adepts like my son and for people who want to see a friendly horror movie.
The Nun (2018)
It makes the hair on your back stand up.
The Nun is a pretty suspenseful horror story. The film does not need complicated storylines and supernatural explanations. It is about the evil hidden in a monastery that you are confronted with at the start of the film. Never is there a scene from the ordinary familiar world, always you are in the company of evil. Because of this, the film exudes an unworldly atmosphere from the beginning. An atmosphere of desolation, gloom and hopelessness that gets under your skin; reminiscent of the (good) books about vampires and the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Throughout the film, this atmosphere lingers; especially when you quietly realize that what you see is not.
In my opinion, The Nun is a very good horror film that you must have seen as a fan of the genre.
Too bad that the character of The Nun appears in the film The Conjuring 2; because to my knowledge, there is no connection between the two films. However, that connection is made at the end of the film The Nun 2, which is quite exciting but nowhere near the level of the the first film. Perhaps The Nun 3 will be released in which the connection with the Conjuring will be explained.
No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
a watchable film
It's a horror/ghost movie made by the book. Perhaps a little too much made by the book. All the ingredients are in it jump-scares, strange eyes, ghosts that weep. The film builds to a climax where each time the ghosts become less and less suggestive, weeping openly, screaming hideously themselves. At the end of the film, things pick up speed and new plot twists come in, and some characters leave the shadows. By the end, you have a whole collection of quite interesting incidents and twists, but ... nothing comes with an explanation in the end. So the film is reduced to a simple and well-delivered ghost story without any double bottom line. The acting and special effects are good.
All in all, a smoothly watchable film.
Meet Cute (2022)
A movie about timetravel can spawn many wisdom ...
And that is certainly true with this film. The original thing about this film is that there are very few other storylines in it. The film is about one incident that is; Sheila's time travel and the consequences that it brings, and that is what it is about. It also does not elaborate on how the time loop arises; the film is also not concerned with the credibility of time loops. What you get is a conversation between two people that is warm, sometimes deep, sometimes silly, but always thrilling. It could be a theatre play with two actors. Still, it remains captivating, and yet the film is not slow, far from it. Mind you there are no action scenes in it.
The acting is good. Both actors portray credible characters who evolve in a consistent manner.
An intelligent romantic time loop film.
The Mother (2023)
A film with a promising premise .
..
but the story sticks to a predictable storyline with only a small number of discrete plot twists. The chase and shoot-up scenes are far too long and often unbelievable. It makes the film boring after only 20 minutes. Towards the end of the film, a scoop of 1960s romance is added so that the film becomes so easily digestible that you forget about it by evening.
The acting is below average, Jennifer Lopez plays the tough lady (mother) but without any depth or subtlety.
Watch it if you've had too much to drink or if you're half asleep anyway. And next time watch Colombiana, much more spicy and a convincing killer lady than Jennifer Lopez.
Come True (2020)
This is not a good movie
However, the film starts very strongly, progressing slowly but plunging you into a dark melancholic atmosphere not least because of Electric Youth's music.
And then ... the film gets stuck, it is a repetition of always the same scenes without letting the story evolve, the film becomes unbearably boring. In the last part of the film, something finally happens ... a plot twist; but it is so off the mark that it becomes ridiculous. The little that happens during the film is also unexplained.
Only the music keeps the film somewhat straight. Which is excellent.
Too bad a film has to end like this, it could have made a wonderful film for no more money, just make a better script.
Premature (2014)
A boysmovie for girls :-)
Quite a nice unpretentious film; don't expect any surprising twists, no unusual ending; no heart-rending situations because of the repetitive day; just the fact of the day repeating itself is used intensely to create funny situations. I don't know if teenagers in America talk about sex so obsessively and frequently, but compared to the youth here in Belgium, it seems to me that it is exaggerated. For those who wrongly compare this film to American Pie, there is no naked breast in it.
Unfriended (2014)
an empty movie
A fun fact that has already appeared in other films. But at the end of the film, you still haven't heard anything since the beginning apart from the screaming voices of the actors. The denouement is just ridiculous, in other words there is no ... the film just ends period. The acting is ok and the story could be believable, but that's it. So a film to miss.
Old (2021)
A film that gives you the creeps.
The basic idea is already very frightening and claustrophobic without being in an enclosed space. How the characters deal with the situation is less convincing. It is a jumble of events with little connection between them, as it could have been an original subject. The acting is also very weak at times. All in all, it is a film that is worth watching just for the sake of it.
Host (2020)
There was a lot more to come from this film.
The idea of making a film about online spiritualism is fun and well thought out. Seeing each character behind his computer screen and behind her, only the shadow of the interior, is already very obsessive. But then the whole strong setting is shattered by stupid and cheap ghostly apparitions in flying sheets, sliding chairs., characters turn up in each other's houses without any explanation, someone goes into the attic to check whether there is a ghost and takes her laptop with her, ... There is no story, only the box of tricks of horror films is emptied and staged and that's it, nothing more. The horror ingredients are so over the top, and without any subtlety, that it becomes ridiculous. The same film without any ghosts, just with the suggestion of spiritism and nothing more would be much more exciting than this.
Stephanie (2017)
you don't know what is waiting for you.
Be assured, Stephanie is a ruthlessly gruesome film. Only it all happens at the end of the film. The first part may be necessary, but until the middle of the film, it remains a story that goes in all directions. And I was starting to lose interest at that point, but the ending is brilliant. You need the whole beginning to make the horror complete, but the director could have put a bit more tension in the first part. The acting is not exceptional, but still good. All by all go for it.
Sylvia (1977)
If you feel like a nice porno with your partner, this one is ideal.
A nice porn film with a fine story. The fuck scenes do not never last too long, but they are frequent. So in terms of sex, the viewer will be satisfied. Of course, it cannot be compared to a great psychological epic. Joanna Bell's acting skills are very good. It is a pity that she never continued her career.
Oxygène (2021)
A film with a great story...
... but the acting is sloppy and chaotic. The emotional situations such as her panic attacks are implausible. A bit like 'oh we have to program these feelings now because it has been a while. The acting is not good, rather overacting at certain moments. Flash backs and flash forwards that serve no purpose in the story.
The denouement and the meaning of everything that happens to her is well thought out but then again badly worked out.
So it is an entertaining film, because you want to know what is going on, but it is absolutely not a good film.
Awake (2021)
a nice film in the line of end of the world films
Quite a nice film, in the vein of 'bird box' and 'How it ends'. Not at all predictable, at least not for me, but maybe I am too stupid. Only the last two seconds of the film are really stupid.
The Last Days of American Crime (2020)
A cocktail of action, betrayal and movie noir love
Quite a nice exciting film. The story is classic even if there are twists that I did not expected. The acting was also pretty good. There are some scenes that are a little less believable, such as characters who with many gunshot wounds still perform heroic deeds, but that's the thing with action films. .
Book of Monsters (2018)
If you don't expect too much from a horror film for an evening watch it.
It is not an extraordinary horror film but it is still watchable. The acting is quite decent. Sometimes the film has unexpected highs and sometimes incomprehensible lows. The humour is not very original but digestible.
His House (2020)
beware
This is not a horror film but a beautiful film about guilt, penance, redemption and forgiveness without any religious framework, in which the horror images in the film, because there are, fade away against the horror of the story.
If you only want a flat horror story, it is better not to watch this film, thus avoiding a negative criticism of this beautiful gem.
Kill Command (2016)
Why not invest so much money in a storyless film
A film with an almost 100-minute incessant gun battle with robots, and a filter-thin underlying storyline. Although the robots are quite attractive this is a boring film.
8 rue de l'Humanité (2021)
pointless covid film
Bad jokes, overacting, a pointless story that leads to nothing, humour on the level of children's films, poor staging, in short a cheap film in all respects.
41 (2012)
Why low budget movie makers don't do better?
I think it is too much for a low budget film to make a film about time travel. The story doesn't make sense, there are a lot of consequential situations that the film doesn't go into, the attitude of the characters is often very strange, there is too much background music that often doesn't match the images, the actors' performances are very poor. No, this is not a good film!
Enter Nowhere (2011)
It may have been a nice touch but ...
It may have been a nice touch but ... the film suggests higher expectations than it lives up to. The acting is not good. Throughout the film there is 'thriller music', even to the extent that you can barely hear the characters talk; typical of bad low budget films. It should be a credible story, but it is stuck together with tape. I prefer a low-budget film that is unpretentious and doesn't take itself too seriously.