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The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil
Overall it was just "fine". After seeing the trailer I was expecting more of a high-octane, non-stop, "race against the clock" kind of film, and that wasn't really the case.
There were some action sequences, but not as many as I'd hoped for. Also, the film slows down at times to give us the "procedures" on how they reach certain conclusions/acquire certain pieces of evidence, and it's kinda heavy-handed/half-assed at time, I feel.
Some aspects of the story were a bit confusing, and unfortunately the "Devil" doesn't get to shine a lot (was hoping for the screentime to be equally split among the 3, but it didn't really feel like it).
Caught this at a midnight screening. The audience enjoyed it as well, there were some funny moments as well. A cool, good enough movie to pass the time, but not exactly memorable/spectacular in any way.
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All the Gods in the Sky
French film. It had some good moments, but this is one of those films that could've benefited A LOT by adding some ambiguity.
Throughout the film, you're shown/told things from different perspectives, and while technically this is meant to leave you wondering "is that character actually right or not?" the truth is that it's painfully apparent what it is that's actually going on, so by the time the movie ends, there just wasn't anything surprising about the plot at all, which is very unfortunate.
I didn't mind seeing it, it was on my Watchlist (decided not to see the trailer) after all, but it was a bit of a waste. Was expecting a lot more from it.
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Swallow
Another one that I really wanted to see, which has been making the rounds in film festivals.
Basically, it's about a woman who has just become pregnant, and for some reason develops "pica": she becomes obsessed with swallowing small and dangerous objects.
I was expecting something a lot more graphic/horrifying, but then again it's listed as just a "Drama" on IMDb, so I can see why it never went "too far".
The 3rd act was kinda strange, but honestly, I kinda admire the story that the dirctor chose to tell, and how to tell it. This isn't a film that I would necessarily recommend, but it was surprising enough to leave me thinking about it.
Main actress was pretty great in the role, too, she pretty much makes the film.
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Koko-di, Koko-da
Another one on my list which I was very excited to see.
But because the screening was on Friday the 13th, unfortunately I was late to the screening and missed like the first 5 minutes of the film.
Which wouldn't be a big deal to most, and to be fair I don't think I missed anything substantial, but I was
pissed. I honestly can't remember the last time I ever arrived late to the movies, IF that ever happened to me at some point.
I always make sure that I leave home with plenty of time, and this time was no different. The train stopped for like 40mins because a woman jumped (or was pushed) onto the tracks, and was sliced in half... It was Friday the 13th alright :|...
But I digress, about the film:
It was very strange, and the director appears to be quite the crazy person IRL as well.
But I enjoyed the film for what it was, I think many people would find it boring or "unfulfilling", but to me, I couldn't help but think "this is a director that made the film that he wanted to make, and stuck to his vision", which was really admirable considering the kind of film that this is.
Upon watching the film, you might think (as I did) "ok, I've seen this type of thing before, I think I know where this is going", but they added what I thought were a couple of unexpected twists.
I'll have to watch the beginning which I missed just so I can get the full thing, but yeah, I wouldn't say this was a "great" movie by any means, but I'm happy I watched it, because I could tell that the director stuck to his guns, so to speak.
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Midsommar
I liked it a lot, perhaps a bit more than Hereditary, and I can't wait to see the director's cut.
There's really not much for me to say: top-notch filmmaking in every aspect, as well as a haunting soundtrack by the great The Haxan Cloak. It was a good, trippy experience, and I think it paid off not seeing any trailers and such.
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The Lodge
By the duo that made "
Goodnight Mommy", which was one of my favorite films I saw in 2015.
I really liked it. I don't want to say too much about it, but I'll say this:
When the movie cut to black/ended, I exhaled and it felt like I'd been holding my breath for 15-20mins. That, and it was also one of those "total punch in the gut" kind of moment.
This isn't "mainstream horror", FYI. Yes, there are some jumpscares here and there, but just like their previous film, this is all heavily psychological and fucked up, in a vein similar to
Hereditary in that it deals with relationships and whatnot.
The ending was brutal and fucking haunting to say the least.
The screening was sold out, and the directors were in attendance; they talked afterwards for a bit + small Q&A, and it made the whole thing even better for me.
I don't think it topped "
Goodnight Mommy" for me, but I'd been looking forward for their next film for so long, so much so that I also avoided seeing any trailers for this film, and I had one hell of a time. Amazing screening.
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Come to Daddy
I knew this was going to be somewhat of a comedy going into it (starring Elijah Wood), and sure, it had its really good, laugh-out-loud moments, but it's 100% not what I was expecting from a film tagged as "horror" as well.
I was really, really disappointed by what the plot turned out to be. It was an alright watch, but when it comes to the story, I was expecting something else entirely, but it's really not worth talking about.
Bottom line is, I wouldn't have missed a thing by not watching it.
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Bliss
Oh man, this one was a trip.
I was worried at first because they put up a sign saying that photossentive people and/or those with epilepsy should be careful with the film.
It's not something that I have to worry about, personally, but it says a lot about the film. The director said that he's heavily influenced by Gaspar Noé, and you can tell, this is pretty much a tribute to Noé's work.
I wasn't much of a fan of "Climax", but this film blew it out of the water for me. Not the same plot or anything like that, but the visuals and sounds, man, it as an 80min trip from beginning to end.
Seeing this in a large theater at midnight with an incredible sound system was totally worth it.
It's more of an experience above anything else, although there is a story in there for sure, but if you have the chance to see it, I think you should.
A real assault on the senses. Here's a trailer:
As for what's next for me:
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Ad Astra, possibly (only if I score some tickets though, maybe);
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Parasite this coming Saturday (already have my ticket, can't wait to see what all the buzz is about);
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Joker, not too long now;
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Doctor Sleep, maybe?
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The Golden Glove, maybe
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Monos, one of my most anticipated of the year. Really curious to see it.
But right now I'm just really looking forward for the next film festival that'll take place around here in a couple of months, it's the same one where I saw
Suspiria, High Life, Long Day's Journey Into Night and a bunch of others last year.
I am for sure, 100% expecting
The Lighthouse to be part of the programming, and I will be extremely disappointed if that doesn't happen :|
At least it being a "mainstream" film distributed by Universal. Maybe the trailers make it seem worse in content than it is, but idk.
