revribhav-96772 Reviews

Sacrifice (VII) (2020)

example of atmospheric horror

[6/10 · 25 January 2023]

I watched it till end, it is a very effective atmospheric horror movie that is quite intense if we leave out last about 12 minutes.

Like any other pagan theme movie, there is undercurrent of evil associated with paganism, though the ending moments seek to balance the impression.

Tupilaq serves as the symbol of the past that continues to haunt almost all of the protagonists.

Some of the dialogues are worth remembering, e. G. "families are complicated sometimes people get jealous they get betrayed and often they lash out!" The movie is well acted, especially by female protagonists, I recommend it.

The Hunger: Plain Brown Envelope (1998) Season 1, Episode 19

temptation is deceptive

[6/10 · 28 May 2022]

Sophie is a hitchhiker, in hurry to reach her destination she takes lift in a truck driven by a young man, Jesse.

As the night falls there is apparently a break down, they move to back of the truck to keep warm.

The seductive surroundings in the back of the truck are intensified by sex toys and erotic stimulating material so much that Sophie is tempted to have sensual fantasies with Jess.

When it is morning it turns out that Sophie died the previous night, due to extreme cold, her body is found by the highway patrol as coiled with an artificial snake alike sex toy.

It is an entertaining video with plenty of adult fantasies. I am amazed I am the first one to review on the IMDB in 2022.

The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach (2021)

not merely a bandit queen

[6/10 · 29 January 2022]

During the vintage era people used to have public transport in the shape of a coach drawn by horses. Our protagonist is compelled to rob the public transport to survive not only herself but also to keep her mother and her child alive.

The robber is able to defend herself during trial and is able to get acquitted of charge of armed robbery, it is conspiracy of a few elite including that she gets 5 year's sentence; during prison she is able to generate sympathy from news media and seduces the law enforcement representative. Finally she is pardoned.

It is an entertaining piece of art with nice feel of the "vintage" era .

Closer (I) (2004)

euphemism for who sleeps with whom

[4/10 · 22 January 2022]

All the four characters in the film are attracted to each other, they love and hate each other, they do not inspire any idealism. Prima Facie it is a drama that serves as euphemism for having "different" feelings when a normal person commits adultery.

I do not wish to see the trash a second time.

The Boathouse (2021)

Musical talent or jealosy

[6/10 · 20 December 2021]

We slowly learn that the Boat house has secrets, a babysitter appears to have her own psychological history but finds escapes as a babysitter for her music supervisor.

The director has closed grip on the tale of suspense , the movie seems to me worth watching one time by the fans of psychological horror-thriller.

Our protagonist has justification for what she does, we do not see her punished by law.

Best Sellers (2021)

an inspiring movie

[8/10 · 3 December 2021]

A young woman inherits a publishing house that is anything but no hope for a better future ; she gets lead of a famous novelist under contractual obligation for yet another novel.

The novelist turns out a whimsical and capricious sort of person who enjoys burning his own books.

As we watch the drama it becomes apparent that both of the protagonists, despite their significant age difference like each other, both emerge as survivors.

The film is different, there is neither sex nor violence; the best part of it is that it is inspiring.

Secrets of an Escort (2021 TV Movie)

Escorting pitfalls

[5/10 · 9 November 2021]

We are presented with suspense of who took the teenage daughter of our protagonist ,a divorced waitress who lives a double life as an escort to compensate for lawsuits with ex husband over custody of her teen daughter ; the drama is simple.

The protagonist has a sister as a cop, somehow she is not much help, eventually it is disclosed that one of her paramour's wife, her workplace colleague cum class fellow is the culprit.

The movie is watchable and a bit entertaining except the last few minutes when our protagonist becomes a reformed person ,she vows to leave the sultry past behind.

The director is mature in the sense that despite adult theme there is no lurid sex scene etc.

Don't Let Her In (I) (2021)

Witch versus pregnant woman

[5/10 · 28 October 2021]

A horror film consists of fear , supernatural and eroticism : we have all the ingredients in this entertaining drama.

The protagonist is a woman in her early 30's who lives a peaceful life with her partner, a music lover ; they are visited by a strange lady who has plenty of money to offer them advance of 9 months for shared apartment.

It is gradually revealed that they have let a witch to share the apartment , she is able to seduce both of them.

Eventually the black magic backfires , the witch is dead but the soul is passed on to our protagonist.

The last scene has implied promise of continuation of story,

The Night House (2020)

Horror is natural

[9/10 · 12 October 2021]

The film rotates around the life of Beth,(played by Revecca Hall) a 40 something teacher who lost her husband recently as he ( Evan Jonigkeit as Owen) shot himself sailing in a boat ; their home is at the banks of an ocean or a river.

She tries her best to resume a normal life, she goes to her workplace, meets a concerned parent that she allotted her son a negative remark in grade assignment, she corrects the situation by striking off D and substituting it with B; the parent is not satisfied with abrupt response ,she (played by Lesley Ann Warren, a seasoned actress) persists, arguing "we all have personal matters to deal with sometimes" to which Beth has to reveal: "my husband shot himself in the head last thursday".

After the initial 15 minutes the plot becomes too supernatural to be described in definite terms by a sane person.

The movies ends on a hopeful note as Beth manages not to fall into trap of the death angel second time, the first time was during her teen years.

The distinct feature of the movie is performance of Rebecca Hall, she is able to act 100% a complicated role that takes the story of death experiences to several interpretations.

Lawn Dogs (1997)

growing up of a rebellious girl

[8/10 · 8 October 2021]

Our protagonist is Ten-year-old girl Devon Stockard , she is alone and isolated as the family has recently moved with aspirations of her fairly rich father to become board member of local community.

She develops friendship with a 20 something young man who mows lawns around her neighbourhood, the son of a soldier father, he lives a secluded life in trailer as Trent is reviled and looked down upon by those he works for.

Rather than the neighbourhood, it is the girl's parents including her debauched mother that make her feel like a free witch with belief in pagan beings around her.

She takes the freedom of urinating on the windshield glass of the car and get it washed with car wiper.

The movie runs as psychological drama, the girl is more intelligent than her age, towards the end she save the life of her friend.

They end up true and loyal to each other with the following terms:- "we're not friends, we are hunters!

So who'se gonna kill the meat!"

Once Is Not Enough (1975)

young woman seeks her father in lover

[7/10 · 2 October 2021]

A young virgin , January returns to her father, a film producer who recently (re)married to a rich mature woman.

She unwillingly sleeps with the stock broker cousin of her step mother, genuinely falls in love with a prize winning alcoholic novelist of her father's age.

The movie depicts the class fellow of January, Linda Riggs who gets pretty after cosmetic surgery, she serves to impart the required sense of humour, she admits :-"I screwed every man in this organization" When the novelist friend meets January's father, Linda immediately plans to seduce the famous man, January asks her with black humour:-"Is there any man U don't want to get bed with?" Towards the end of story, January loses first her father and then her lover, though she gets richer by legacy, a millionaire with an empty life ahead.

The movie shall be liked by every one who has read romantic novels during teen years.

A Night in Heaven (1983)

futility of short term affair

[5/10 · 1 October 2021]

In countries with dominant feminism there are funny naughty discos where the strippers are all men and the customers are all women.

The movie depicts the life of a frustrated working woman (Lesley Ann Warren), her husband (Robert Logan), and a young student (Christopher Atkins) in the speech class , Warren teaches at the local junior college.

As the events unfold, the husband gets fired in job as an engineer at the Kennedy Space Center because he cannot follow directions to work on missiles or other instruments of war. In the midnight that protagonist returns from dancing disco. The husband is apparently too "tired" to sleep with his wife, whose sister takes her to Heaven, a male disco in a shopping center. Incidentally, the handsome young student not a good performer in the class is a dancer there, and in a scene of alluring sensuality , he flirts with her and kisses her.

Eventually, the futility of foolish affair is exposed, the loving pair get reinstated to their happy family. The movie runs smoothly beyond the stamp of a comedy or tragedy.

Zandalee (1991)

Toxic love triangle

[6/10 · 22 September 2021]

Our protagonist , as beautiful and sensuous as a poetic muse is mired in love triangle, she loves her husband but his high flyer obsession to run a company as a legacy of his late father has consequences ; his childhood friend, Cage, who plays a painter named Johnny Collins presently an artist returns after several years and takes little time to seduce Zandalee, Married to Reinhold's character Thierry Martin.

The adulterous affair for Zandalee gets so toxic that she is has no qualms to succumb the debauchery of her lover's challenge : "with your husband in the next room 46:00 " Zandalee goes to church to try to get some heavenly miracle on her life even there she is tempted to devil's lust.

The toxic relationship takes the life of Zandalee's husband and finally she finds no other option but to get herself deliberately killed by a shooter who intended to shoot her lover.

Though it is a movie with minimum horror yet it is intensely coloured with abnormal psychology from start to end, it is actually not for general audience.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

unfulfilled wishes of an affair

[8/10 · 16 September 2021]

Our protagonist Sally is the daughter of such parents that have recently been divorced. Her father is rich but loses substantial money when he decides to remarry with wishes for a son to someone he calls euphemistically, an actress (she insists prostitution a part time job).

The mother of Sally is frustrated consequent to divorce after 40 years of married life, she has belief to the extent of superstition in her fortune teller ; all that she wishes is that she is not left alone.

The husband of our protagonist is presently a failed fiction author, obsessed with a neighbour student of PHD as she wears red outfit.

Sally's wishes for an art gallary of her own remain unfulfilled ;her good for nothing husband gets reinstated as a recognized author by stealing the work of a poker friend under coma.

Sally learns eventually that her boss was having an affair with her friend, having suffered in 6 years of married life with a bipolar wife; towards the end of the black comedy her wishes are that instead of her protege it was she that was ripe for an affair.

Though the drama shall fail to inspire any ideals, it is ironic that almost all the predictions of a charlatan fortune teller are eventually true.

Don't Breathe 2 (2021)

a survivor's tale

[6/10 · 12 September 2021]

I have yet to see the first part of the story ; the sequel itself is so engaging that there is no necessity of that.

Our protagonist is a teen female who learns that the old man living with her may not directly be her father or grand father or a relative ; the house is attacked by a bunch of criminals ; the Navy veteran blind man attempts his best to resists and when the girl gets kidnapped he rescues her successfully.

The girl survives and the last scene where the dog licks the blind man's hand leaves a scope that probably the blind man too.

The movie is action packed the dialogues are short and pithy,I recall one:- "War changes us all, No soul returns Holy from it ".

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

More than a work of art

[8/10 · 6 September 2021]

The romantic drama has more than one protagonist ; a recently divorced celebrated painter in Barcelona befriends two American girls, invites them to a weekend of nice places including his home where his father lives.

Despite the adult relationships that are not monogamous, it is the talented actors as well as the director that ensure that it is a family romance rather than an adult story.

I would like to remember this movie as one of the best 20 of the 21st century as on date.

I recall a wife remarks about her husband:- I love Mark but I'm not in love with Mark.

Inconceivable (2017)

Psychic surrogate mother

[6/10 · 1 September 2021]

The story revolves around a psychic surrogate female, our protagonist egg donor takes her biological daughter back as she feels the foster mother is ignoring her. She moves to another city and befriends a doctor couple that are connected with her as she is able to keep secret of being an egg donor of the young daughter of the couple.

The story is a bit over hyped but the drama depicts an engaging thriller of psychic mother obsessed with her biological children . The complications of being a surrogate are explored within the boundaries of a story that is hypothetical.

It is not strictly a psychological drama , yet the murderous psychic is eventually exposed by her being a mural painter.

Like Crazy (2011)

Minor violation is painful for love

[9/10 · 12 August 2021]

Our protagonist Anna, a British student joins a college in Los Angeles, she falls in love with classmate Jacob.

She overstays her student visa and doesn't return home to London on schedule.

The seemingly minor violation of visa rules gets into a big problem as she is sent back to London at the US airport.

The lovebirds get married but the visa complications are not immediately sorted out.

The couple have adulterous relationship, Anna with her neighbour, Jacob with his workplace colleague.

Eventually the couple are together, more mature but sad, they take a shower together.

I recall the meaningful dialogue:-

but once U annoyed them U have to play by the book.

Every Breath You Take (2021)

family torn apart is taken advantage of

[6/10 · 6 August 2021]

The story is not much convincing , a psychopath with intense desire for revenge introduces himself as the brother of a female patient who recently committed suicide to the family of the psychiatrist whom he feels is responsible for suicide of his beloved (though he pretends he is her brother).

The young psychopath takes advantage of the broken family, he seduces both middle aged wife and teen daughter of the shrink; the negative propaganda against the doctor forces the authority to suspend the doctor from practice.

Suddenly the psycho exposes himself by confessing , he takes the doctor's wife by deception to a long ride ,rides the car without working door knob at high speed to make her feel the death - like experience. He comes home to shrink's daughter on the pretext of taking her away from negative minded parents wherein a fight ensues that eventually results in the law of Karma punishing the evil.

Despite the loopholes in the plot it is an engaging movie by virtue of good acting by every major character;though the story could have been written better. The drama ends on sigh of relief as the family is reconciled after learning the lessons.

Breathe In (2013)

as imperfect as life

[10/10 · 1 August 2021]

Can a 18 something teen of half the age of a talented musician disrupt the happy family life, the reply shall be not usually.

The director with excellent team has convincingly dramatized the story of mid-life crisis when a man in his forties finds himself attracted to a teen that lives with his family as a foreign exchange student.

The dialogues are simple but not easy to brush aside, Sophie the teen student advises her teacher cum host: "dont let fear become your profession".

There is neither an ideal nor any bad character in the family drama ; for a sensitive human being it shall not be easily forgotten.

I recommend the movie , it is one of the 20 best films ever watched by me during the 21st century; characters and situations may be seen by the audience with open eyes as fully lived in instead of merely portrayed.

It is not perfect like life (with a sigh...)

Straw Dogs (2011)

The horror of betrayal

[8/10 · 31 July 2021]

The moment her cat is hanged, our protagonist , now married, Amy is a witness of betrayal from her former friends, especially, Charlie who seem to still covets her despite the teachings of bible.

Her intelligent husband, David provides the required support that the couple are determined to fight instead of running from the situation.

If there are 20 horror movies worth watching during the 21st century so far, I would recommend it.

I appreciate the story, it ends on the perpetrators meeting their Karma, the couple who suffered rape , betrayal and violence emerge as the survivors.

Deadly Illusions (2021)

Psycho sexual comedy

[5/10 · 26 July 2021]

A reasonably happy family with twins has need of a nanny so that the protagonist Mary writes a fresh novel to compensate the financial loss by her husband Tom.

Grace, the babysitter has been liked by the twins, Tom suggests his wife to make her part of the family, Mary agrees.

The audience watches Grace seducing both Mary and Tom separately ; it is harmless until the anniversary day of marriage.

The so called dangerous illusions are revealed when Elain, a friend of Mary who watched Tom and Grace together and tried to warn Mary about that is found killed with scissors having fingerprints of her to make her the prime suspect; Mary inquires into background of Grace to find that she has history of being abused, reaches home to face climax with Grace who , apparently taken over by her another personality, namely, Margaret stabbed her husband. Margaret and Mary fight, and Mary defends herself by hitting Margaret over the head with a flower pot.

The poignant dialogue is spoken by Grace,about Margaret, her evil half ,she says 'I couldn't stop her'.

As a psycho sexual comedy the movie may be watched, there is no deep impact except eroticism between the husband, wife and the babysitter.

Climate of the Hunter (2019)

Jean Rollin's style

[7/10 · 23 July 2021]

Three middle aged persons meet after two decades ;each of them lives a complex life. The man has a defiant son, his sick wife gets into a mental institution, he returns to the place of his childhood. One of the two sisters remains unmarried, the other one suffers from disorders, abandoned by husband, has a daughter who is planning for having a child.

It is the skill of the various people that enable a simple story into a horror mystery that reminds me of the 70's and 80's Jean Rollin films, they are fantasies in which story gets into backside, we see lively paintings before us.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

futility of life is underscored

[9/10 · 18 July 2021]

It is a mysterious horror drama , almost as compelling as the horror classic psycho {1960} released five year before my birth ; the movie has more than one protagonist, a lady who is owner of an art gallery, she is unable to sleep during nights ; a helpless husband and father who is allowed to take revenge for rape and murder of his wife and teenage daughter by a Detective who is soon to die of cancer.

The psychotic criminal gang that enjoys false pride taking offence of the finger poked against them by a teen lady.

The seemingly rich family is torn apart by adulterous husband and the wife who cannot get rid of her anxiety ; the movie ends on a sad note as her ex husband fails to turn up.

The Match (2020)

The game spirit

[6/10 · 15 July 2021]

During Nazi atrocity era, a football match is proposed between Hungary prisoners and Team Hitler on the occasion of Hitler's birthday ; the prisoners are winning by virtue of their skills ; during half time they are given an oral assurance that they win freedom if they lose deliberately ; they win and lose their lives.

The story is told in the flashback by the last ,13th member of the team, then a boy who manages to hide as per the advice of his captain.

The movie seems to be based on historical facts. It is worth watching by all those who believe in a fair game, at least there is no financial corruption as rampant in the sports and many other faculties of present era.