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sebastiansmarandache
Reviews
Baskin (2015)
You have to understand what kind of adventure you are joining
This is going to be a weird one for some people. If you are only expecting a gore fest or a straight forward horror, this is not it. Baskin is a surrealist movie more than anything else, and as in most of the surrealist movies, it's a bit pretentious, it has a lot of symbolism, it leaves lots of things to your own interpretation, it jumps between dream-like sequences(nightmare-like, in this case) without preparing you or letting you know if what you are seeing is real or not, and it doesn't have a really linear plot. That might create confusion and might not seem rewarding for the average viewer, so i understand the bad reviews.
For me, as a fan of both horror and surreal, it was a good movie. Not the best one, but a very respectable one. With a limited budget and coming from Turkey, it managed to deliever decent acting, mythical atmosphere, well done hellish imagery, a disturbing journey and a mind twisting end. It also unravels in a very Lynchian way and i liked that, everything seems pretty normal and easy to follow at the beggining, until at some point where everything just goes crazy and you have no idea what to think about what you are seeing.
Recommended, but only for the people who love unusual rides, or are at least ready to enjoy one.
The Void (2016)
Great and terrible, at the same time
Will it give you the creeps? Yes. Will it keep you interested? Yes. Will it disappoint you at the end? Also yes.
It clearly wants to be a tribute to some horror giants. The concept is Lovecraftian, the creatures look like The Thing, the villain is reminiscent of Hellraiser and it descends into hell like Silent Hill. Those elements mash up well and make up for a thrilling experience.
It is really enjoyable, it's mysterious at the start, the acting is on point, the atmosphere is good, the creatures are scary and it manages to be disturbing.
It's flaw is that: After it gets your interest, it doesn't know what to do with it. It just abruptly ends without answering it's own questions. I like movies that leave a lot to interpretation, but it's not the case here; The Void just doesn't give you the necessary dots to connect and it feels like a part of the movie is missing. Who or what are the hooded figures? What are the villain's motifs and beliefs? Why are people turning into monsters? What happens after the two go through that portal and what exactly is on the other side? We'll never know and that feels like wasted potential to me.
If it would have been longer, or if it would have revealed something to polish the story, The Void would have been a great movie, but in it's current state, it just doesn't feel complete.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
Don't believe the hype.
I found this movie on so many "disturbing movies" lists, that i kind of believed the hype and jumped in with high expectations. Big mistake.
It's capital flaw is that the acting and editing are so bad, not even a 5 years old would think the footage is real. And once you realise it isn't real, it becomes absolutely mediocre. You'll just assisst it's struggles to be disturbing and see it failing. There was not a single moment where i could take this killer seriously... or the situations... or the victims and their lines.
It's definetely not a horror, not a good movie, not one of the most disturbing movies out there. Just save your time and go watch a true crime documentary. Any of them would be better and scarier, for the simple fact they are... real.
Lens (2016)
Overrated but underacted
PLEASE STOP GIVING HIGH RATINGS TO MOVIES JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE MADE IN YOUR COUNTRY. I see it happening all the time lately and it is misleading for the people that are actually looking for a good movie to watch. I'm not saying it has a really high one, I'm just saying that I've seen thrillers with lower ratings that were so much better than this one, it would be a shame to even compare them.
I found this one on Netflix and it intrigued me so I jumped into watching it without researching it too much. Big mistake.
The story is ok, but the execution is straight up trash. The way it is filmed and the music are just as kitschy as anything you would see in a poor Indian TV show. The editing isn't great. The acting is so bad it makes the whole thing feel like a parody. There are some symbolic elements in it, like the eyes or the fish, that just seem out of place considering that the movie isn't subtle in any way and the other parts are so bad.
Not going to go further with this. I think a 5 is a decent and deserved rating for it. Watch it only if you are in the mood for eating popcorn while scratching your bellybutton, otherwise, it will be a waste of time.