Wrong Turn starts off as a formulaic genre film sending a bunch of annoying millennial's wandering off into a forest, getting lost and one-by-one meeting gruesome deaths. But half way through we enter a strange community of a confederate doomsday cult complete with their own customs, laws and a barbaric justice system. It was so well done you could actually see their point of view and understand why the boyfriend might choose to stay. Our heroine really held the movie together, transforming into a believable Katniss-type figure with impressive bow and arrow skills. It was also highly unpredictable the way the guy from the bar turned out to be a good guy, and the hired hunter met an unexpected end. I also loved the twist at the end just when we think life has returned to normal, the founder himself shows up at her house. On the downside the acting was hit and miss especially from the father and the cute kid. Also the dialog was a bit too basic and the invented language brought an unwelcome humorous tone to the courtroom scene. 7/10.
Reviews
19 Reviews
A bleak by-the-numbers documentary
13 February 2021
Outbreak is a bleak by-the-numbers documentary with very little new information to impart. The pacing is off, moving quite nicely in the beginning but stalling towards the end. Some emotional moments are captured quite well but the science is noticeably lacking. Also unimpressive the way they kept talking about the virus's impact on "the western world" without ever mentioning Australia. 3/10.
High Ground
(2020)
Watch The Nightingale instead
8 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a generic revenge killer plot and dropped it into a 1920's colonial outback Australia setting and slowed down to a snail's pace. The problems begin with the opening scene. A group of Aboriginals bathe in a picturesque stream. A bunch of soldiers show up and start shooting them. Without any lead up or backstory it just feels like comical violence for the sake of it. Wind forward 12 years and a couple of the survivors are out for revenge. Bang bang bang everyone shoots each other. The end. Seriously the cinematography is the only good thing about this movie. But while stunning scenery makes for a great documentary, it can't save a lackluster script filled with paper thin characters and no reason to care if they survive. 3/10.
Savage
(II) (2019)
A powerful story told poorly
2 February 2021
Savage has a genuinely powerful story to tell but goes about it all wrong. For starters it's told out of sequence with multiple timeline jumps back and forth to make a simple story seem complex. The camera work is bizarre and distracting. But worst of all is a myriad of scenes featuring loud nerve-jangling music with slow motion montages. No idea what that was meant to achieve other than prolong the runtime. Not to mention Jake Ryan's New Zealand accent was laughable. Speaking Aussie with a few eh bro's on the end is not speaking New Zealand. 4/10.
Penguin Bloom
(2020)
A tragic waste of time
2 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is one the most boring movies I have ever seen. Even the shocking fall off a cliff that should have been truly dramatic came off as funny with no background or explanation whatsoever - it just happens and then in case we didn't get it the first time we get to see it again for good measure. Seriously the only good thing about this movie is the magpie. All of the other performances are so wooden and the dialog so cheesy it's hard to stay focused. There is no narrative tension or any reason to keep watching. Sometimes Sam smashes things and occasionally the bird flies away and comes back but that's about it. Surely the book is better than this. 1/10.
Monster Hunter
(2020)
Wish it was in 3D
31 December 2020
Monster Hunter doesn't waste much time on earth, just long enough to bring a band of US soldiers out to the desert looking for nothing but armed to the teeth, suddenly teleported to a new world through a bad storm. Once there they are faced with unimaginably huge creatures which aren't affected by their guns but they keep on shooting anyway. Milla is perfectly cast and believably strong in the lead. Make no mistake this is a cinematic CGI spectacle matched by a theater-rumbling soundtrack that should be seen on the biggest screen possible. My only gripe is that they didn't make a 3D version. 7/10.
Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
You'll wish you hadn't seen it
31 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is a pathetic attempt to use the age-old childhood fantasy about wishing for unlimited wishes as the premise for a superhero movie. That's the laughable way Steve Trevor comes back - Diana just wished him into existence, because you know she couldn't possibly have a fulfilling life without her man. This leads to a never-ending reel of awkward 80s nostalgia gags that don't work in 2020. The writing varies from amateurish to downright cringe-worthy, especially in Kristen Wiig's character. Wonder Woman is barely even in the movie - most of the time it's just Diana investigating a mystery no one cares about. And then when the world is coming to an end, thanks to everyone wishing for stupid things, Diana delivers a cliched speech on TV and suddenly every single person in the world renounces their wish. Happy ending. You can finally go home. The only good part is the opening scene which doesn't even have Gal Gadot in it. Make no mistake this is 2h30m of pure garbage.
Dharala Prabhu
(2020)
Forgettable movie with bland music
20 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Dharala Prabhu is a contrived tale about Prabhu (Harish Kalyan), a healthy young soccer player who gets pressured by a desperate fertility doctor (Vivek) to become a sperm donor. He must keep it secret from family and friends because it is something to be deeply ashamed of in India apparently. When Prabhu falls in love with a stunning divorcee (Tanya Hope), they get married but soon find out she is barren. Since surrogacy is also apparently shameful, they end up adopting a 3 year old girl who turns out to be one of his offspring. The story unfolds at a steady pace and makes the most of the jokes involved with the setup. But once his wife finds out his secret it all gets very unpleasant to watch, and the soppy ending doesn't really make up for it. 5/10.
Kabir Singh
(2019)
A masterpiece of Indian filmmaking
26 June 2019
Kabir Singh is a riveting, emotionally charged, vibrantly portrayed remake of a 2017 Telegu movie about a gifted surgeon with a short fuse who collapses in a pit of despair when his girlfriend is forced to marry another man. Shahid Kapoor carries the film with an electric performance that flips from charming to explosive fury in a heartbeat. Kiara Advani is captivating as the gracious yet naive love interest, and their romance is genuinely passionate and convincing. The supporting cast are all terrific in their roles, especially his loyal friend and wise grandmother. It's an extraordinary character study of a strongly determined yet deeply flawed human on a journey through the highs of academic and professional success to the destructive lows of depression and alcoholism, highlighting the importance of friends and family in times of need. The script consists of sharp dialog with lashings of wicked humour. The cinematography enhances the storytelling with long uninterrupted shots that draw you into the moment. The director wisely avoids any unnecessary dance sequences, instead using songs to efficiently convey the passage of time and elevate the emotional impact. It's a masterpiece of Indian filmmaking not be missed. 10/10.
Game Over
(I) (2019)
Surprisingly effective psychological thriller
26 June 2019
Game Over is a freshly original, eerily gripping, carefully crafted drama that starts out as a psychological thriller and ends up a horror slasher. The screenwriter tackles a range of disturbing themes rarely covered in Tamil films, including nyctophobia, sexual assault, PTSD, depression, anxiety and suicide. The story is visually fleshed out with realism and supernatural elements inspired by popular Hollywood genre franchises such as Halloween, Paranormal Activity and Final Destination, without any of the usual Bollywood tropes. Taapsee Pannu is genuinely convincing and likeable as the computer game designer whose life is spiralling out of control, whilst doing all the right things like seeing doctors, psychiatrists, even a dermatologist and the police. The tension is real and the atmosphere electric. I leapt clear out of my seat at one point. Unfortunately the pacing drops off somewhere in the middle but picks up again in the second act for a satisfying if somewhat implausible conclusion. 7/10.
Badla
(2019)
An enthralling whodunnit with a twist
12 March 2019
Badla is an enthralling detective mystery whodunnit drama that puts you through the stress and dread so brilliantly portrayed by the lead actress and the ridiculously clever detective who is always one step ahead. The first half had me on the edge of my chair pondering what I would do in this situation. The second half ends up breaking this tension by splintering the narrative into multiple possibilities, flashing back to the same scenes but switching characters and even reversing roles. This left me confused and bewildered, wondering what is real and who to believe. That is of course the point of the film - that in the eyes of the law, the "truth" is only what you can prove. Unfortunately it concludes with one final mega-twist that sacrifices plausibility and reinterprets the entire story, making me want to see it all over again. 7/10.
Escape Room
(I) (2019)
Surprisingly original
28 February 2019
Escape Room is a surprisingly original Cube/Saw-genre film that ditches the usual gore/torture/nudity in place of diverse characters with interesting backgrounds and personalities that evolve throughout the course of the film. The premise is engaging, the characters are relatable, the story is far-fetched but contains clever twists, the sets are highly detailed, the acting solid, the conclusion unbelievable. What impressed me most was the characterization enabled me to actually care for the players and had me rooting for them to survive, whereas in the typical genre film I can't wait for them to die. 6/10.
The Wandering Earth
(2019)
Overly ambitious, laughably implausible, clumsily edited mess
28 February 2019
The Wandering Earth is an overly ambitious, laughably implausible, thoroughly confusing, clumsily edited mess. The plot runs amok with too many hollow characters making stupid decisions without reason. Action sequences were so badly shot and edited it was hard to figure out what was going on. The CGI varied from passable to worse than a 90's video game. Acting was stilted and expressionless. Dialog was rambling and inefficient with an overuse of weird computer voices to explain what was going on. By the end I couldn't care less about the characters and fell sleep. The filmmaker's intention to build a sci-fi epic were noble but lacked the budget, talent and experience to pull it off. 3/10.
Amavas
(2019)
Awkward, primitive and farcical genre mashup
28 February 2019
Amavas is an awkward, primitive and farcical genre mashup of horror/mystery/musical that misses the mark on all three, ending up more of a comedy. My expectations were low after last year's Bhaagamathie but happily this was a slight improvement. The horror element consisted of repetitive inconsequential loud jump scares. Its spooky atmosphere kind of worked but was ruined by the actors' inability to convey genuine fear. Acting was mostly sub-par especially from the deadpan male lead and annoying comedic butler. Songs seemed out of place and unnecessary like a bad musical. The story was laughably contrived with twists that felt like total afterthoughts. In the second act there is a prolonged flashback sequence of drama and romance that felt like a cheap soap opera. On the plus side the two leading ladies were drop-dead gorgeous, some of the jump scares worked and the catchy club dance number in the middle had me tapping my toes. 3/10.
At Eternity's Gate
(2018)
Boring art-house biopic
28 February 2019
At Eternity's Gate is a boring art-house biopic mostly consisting of shaky hand-held footage of Vincent roaming around painting scenery. No fault of Willem Dafoe - he is truly transformative in the role, and he delivers some memorable lines. I assume the constantly shaking camera, weird close-ups, half-blurred frame, strange colours, repetitious dialog and random edits are intended to make us feel disoriented and frustrated like Vincent did, but it doesn't make for an enjoyable or enlightening film. It lacked a narrative to tie all of the random scenes together. 2/10.
Vox Lux
(2018)
An intriguing, unforgettable and jarring look at the price of fame
28 February 2019
Vox Lux is a boldly peculiar and remarkably compelling fictional biopic about Celeste, a talented young singer whose career is kick-started by a national tragedy. Raffey Cassidy is outstanding as the vulnerable yet tenacious child prodigy whose acting, singing and dancing talent is wonderfully showcased here. But just as the film is hitting its stride, it suddenly skips ahead 16 years, leaving out all of the most important events of her life, including childbirth, world domination and a sudden fall from grace. As a result the character transformation is totally unbelievable, not to mention Natalie Portman looks nothing like Cassidy. Rooney Mara, who was originally cast in the role, would have worked much better. Stylistically the film felt a lot like The Killing of a Sacred Deer, with Cassidy even speaking in the same robotic manner. The musical performances worked well also, with Gaga-style costuming and catchy original songs from the genius of Sia. Despite its many flaws, particularly in its unconventional format and pacing, the movie kept me glued throughout and pondering for many hours after. 7/10.
Arctic
(2018)
Not to be missed
20 February 2019
Arctic is an intensely realistic and harrowing experience brought to life with stunning cinematography, attention to detail and efficient pacing. Where most survival movies depend on mistakes and dumb decisions to drive the plot forward, Arctic features an intelligent, well-trained and determined protagonist who carefully plans his every move. Mads Mikkelsen delivers a powerhouse performance telegraphing precisely what he is thinking at any given moment without uttering a word, as well as making us feel the extreme cold, fear and pain he is enduring. And I'm certain part of that was real too. 8/10.
Svideteli
(2018)
The movie is just feet
15 November 2018
I'm not joking. I saw this at the Russian Film Festival in Brisbane. The synopsis read "The film tells about the history of the Holocaust through the stories of its unwitting Witnesses." What a load of bollocks. It's a woman dancing around to music, shot from a low angle so you can only see her feet. No dialog. No faces. Just feet. Seriously this sort of garbage should come with a warning.
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