Year: 2021
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Content Warnings: Sickness (pandemic), sexual assault, death, intense gore
Summary: A pandemic causing mass violence and death breaks out in Taiwan and a couple fights to reunite.
I didn’t have a lot of expectations for this movie, but it was pretty engrossing all the way through. It was quick paced and kept me invested the whole time, unsure what exactly was coming next. The horror in this was intense– a little too much for me half the time to be honest (I can handle blood and gore but I don’t prefer an overabundance), but I can respect the artistry that went into making it look so awful. I liked the main characters and the girl the main girl meets on the subway. I was rooting for the main couple and that girl to all make it out alive from the get-go. The ending is something I didn’t expect, but I liked it for that as well. Definitely something that's not for everyone due to subject matter (mass pandemic) and the amount of warnings that need to be had for the gross scenes in it, but it’s still a decent movie in my opinion.
Year: 1962
Rating: 8.0 / 10
Content Warnings: Death, vehicular accident
Summary: After being the only survivor of a motor accident, an organist moves and is captivated by a dilapidated carnival.
I went into this movie with very low expectations and was happily surprised. The atmosphere, especially including the musical score, was amazing. It felt like a perfect example of a good film of the time and place. I really think the story was fun and interesting; easy to follow, but in a way that didn’t feel too slow or boring. I think there was some nice humor woven in (“coffee never makes me sleepy” and then the next frame is her unable to sleep). I really was invested in the story despite having a pretty good idea of what was going on from early on. I really liked the main character and I really felt her journey in the film was interesting. Also, a small note– this movie made me realize where a certain MLWTTKK sample came from, which was fun.
Year: 1976
Rating: 8.0 / 10
Content Warnings: Sexual assault, death, blood
Summary: A man goes to an isolated Italian village to restore a mural made by a controversial painter.
I was really excited to watch this movie and I was not disappointed. This movie had such a strong tension and mood surrounding it, and it was really fun to watch. I do think I would’ve had more enjoyment however if the subtitles were better— I felt there was a lot of missing things because for some reason, there were lack of subtitles in some spots, and despite trying to download new ones, they all didn’t really work well (or, the movie just had really weird dialogue at times? I don’t know.).
I really think the main actor did a stellar job of wearing the role on his face, so to speak. He really captured the tension and feeling of confusion and spiraling and really his performance made a good deal of the movie. I do think the cinematography was good as well, but there were a few weird and disorienting cuts that did not flow well. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but it just made me confused in a way I didn’t particularly care for. I also loved the setting– I’m so used to small-town horror in America, it was nice to see that depicted elsewhere like this.
I also really thought the story was fun and kept me interested the whole time. Perhaps in part due to what I mentioned with the cinematography’s weird cuts or the subbing, but I was confused at certain points, though most of my questions got answered sooner or later (except I feel like I’m still missing whatever was going on with the cook’s wife… I know they explained her backstory, but it still feels like I was missing something). I expected part of the twist, but not all of it which was really fun.
All in all, I think it was a fun watch overall. I think it was especially good if you’re more of a fan of a horror atmosphere than straight up blood and gore.
Year: 2023
Rating: 2.5 / 10
Content Warnings: Sickness, Death, gore, animal death
Summary: A stop motion artist living in her mother's shadow embarks on her own film, but struggles with her own demons and making the film.
Stopmotion is a film that frustrated me to no end. The premise sounds promising, but it felt so monotonous and boring, it was a hard watch. Probably the only redeeming part of this movie was its stop motion bits– If the movie was all stop motion, I think I’d love it. Those were not only the most visually stunning parts, but very fun and creative, and I was so much more interested in the snippets we got of those stories than anything going on in the rest of the ~1h15M that wasn’t stop motion. The main character was boring– I could deal with that if any of the other characters had even a speck of personality besides ‘annoying and rude’. The little girl? Hated her from the start. I couldn’t bring myself to care about anyone in this movie beyond that. Nothing left an impression, again, besides the stop-motion sequences. Most of the film felt like background noise, but occasionally, it was incredibly annoying. If I could do it over again, I’d watch just the stop motion animated parts and skip through the rest.
Year: 2024
Rating: 9.0 / 10
Content Warnings: Death, flooding
Summary: A cat adjusts to live while living during a perpetual flood, coming in contact with other animals just trying to survive through it.
Flow is a captivating movie that deserves the praise and recognition it received. Similar to how I felt about Hundreds of Beavers in my last monthly review, I think in general it takes a certain elevated level of skill to make a film without dialogue and have it be engaging all the way through. This movie manages that and then some.
The visuals of this movie are beautiful. The style reminds me of something you’d see in a certain era of indie games, and I love that. I think all the characters are so beautifully and lovingly crafted (and in Blender nonetheless!). I think the beauty of the characters is best seen in how emotion is shown through them so naturally and seamlessly. I think they perfectly manage to give every character a distinct personality through just expressions and actions alone, and you grow so attached to them all making it through together.
The film feels almost like a meditation, but the tense moments between those moments of serenity ground you back to the world they’re living in and the times they’re surviving in. It’s harsh and hard to watch the main cat struggle in the water, but it makes those times of peacefulness that much more beautiful.
The soundtrack in the movie is also wonderfully fitting. I think this also ties into the behind-the-scenes beauty of the film, which is all the love poured into it. This film took 5 years to make, with a small team, and with 7 hours of music done for it. The director/writer/producer/cinematographer/musician/ect behind it, Gints Zilbalodis, is all self-taught. I think he has a beautiful future ahead of him with film making, as this is only his second feature film at his young age of 30. I really am looking forward to not just going back and watching his other work, but seeing what the future brings for him.
I think this film would get a 10/10 from me, but I like to save 10/10 for films I’ve seen more than once.
Year: 2007
Rating: 7.0 / 10
Content Warnings: Death/murder, gore/blood, Missing persons, Stalking
Summary: A young woman leaves her hometown to go to college. She ends up taking a babysitter job, and begins being stalked.
I didn’t expect much out of the film. From the onset it was very apparent it was more on the low budget end, and that combined with the horror genre in general is a very big hit or a miss. However, I actually ended up liking it. I think they really did what they could on the budget, and the writing was perfectly fine, with a twist that was unexpected but well implemented.
I really liked the setup of the movie and I knew there had to be more to it– it felt too obvious that it was a serial killer stalking this college student who’s away from home for the first time… And there was…! I just didn’t expect it to be that the guy after her was actually trying to save her because he was a priest going after Satan's spawn! I also think they did a decent job of explaining away why he couldn’t say anything (or at least, filling in the blanks because the parents had hit his head with an axe before– which could explain why he couldn’t speak. Explains it well enough for me anyway.)
Is it the most stunning movie ever? No, but it definitely was entertaining and kept me interested to see it out. I think it was fun and just a decent enough horror movie.
Year: 1997
Rating: 5.0 / 10
Content Warnings: Sex, Animal death (not directly shown/gratuitous, but referenced)
Summary: A man is hired by a conservative MP to infiltrate and take down a BDSM club.
On the day I watched this, I woke up remembering this film’s name and decided to watch it. I think I have sort of mixed feelings on this one.
On the positive side: The looks in this movie? To die for. They remind me of looking at scans of old goth magazines and it’s amazing. I loved Tanya’s looks– they were so fun and full of flair. I think the music was fun and oh god that old 90s web look they utilized? Perfect.
I think my gripes come in with the story itself and the plot beats.I really dislike how they did the dog plotline of no one in the fetish club caring that the dog got killed on their account, and a guy gleefully saying he sent the body to the owner. I just think it was unnecessary and painted the club-goers in a bad light as purely sadistic. I also think the consent part was shaky– They made a point in the film to talk about consent during BDSM acts, but the main guy is often ushered into these situations he clearly does not want to be in. I also don’t really like the way they did Tanya’s biggest dark fantasy being… Getting married and having straight penetrative sex imagining a husband and kids…(After earlier in the film saying she doesn’t like penetrative sex) Like yeah I get what they were going for it just didn’t feel like it fit. Don’t think they needed her to have a kid at the end too. Also I think it ties into my main complaint… I didn’t care for the main guy. He just felt so boring compared to Tanya and her life. I get that he was supposed to be her opposite but he just ended up annoying me more than anything, especially towards the end with the trial and everything.
I think my favorite part was the design of the movie rather than anything else. I think the plot ended up falling short for me by the end. It wasn’t such a terrible watch and I don’t regret it, but aside from costuming, it doesn’t feel all that memorable in the long run.
Year: 2024
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Content Warnings: Blood, Sex, Metaphors for sexual assault, Animal death (pigeon; the act is not shown but heard and the aftermath is shown), Stalking
Summary: A retelling of the original Nosferatu/Dracula; A young man leaves Germany to sell property to a count, while his wife begs him not to go, fearing what will happen to both of them.
I was excited for this one, and maybe that was my mistake. I find going into things with no expectations tends to make me enjoy films more sometimes. I guess my overall feeling on this was “It’s fine”.
I think in general I’m someone who does not tend to like “popular” gothic movies, much to the surprise of those around me. I didn’t particularly care for the original 1922 Nosferatu, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one of few movies I’ve turned off because I could not stand it (However, I do really enjoy Dracula 1931).
Despite my score possibly seeming low, I didn’t hate this movie. Acting was fine– the main guy has been in other things I’ve liked, the female lead was fine– sometimes her acting felt a little grating, but it wasn’t anything super egregious. The scoring was fine, visuals… Well, I loved the costuming. The sets were fine; A lot of the CGI reminded me of the early 00s, feeling a bit tacky at times, but I don’t actually mind it with gothic movies as much. I think the start of the movie felt pretty fast, while it ended up slowing down a lot towards the middle, near the end. I think the run time made it more exhausting than anything; I think if it was perhaps 30 minutes shorter, maybe it would be bumped up towards a 7.0.
As for being an adaptation, comparing it to other vampire movies based on Dracula…? Fine. It didn’t stand out as being so awful I had to turn it off, but it really does not stand out to me on its own either. I think it’s a better movie than the original 1922 Nosferatu and if that’s the bar they were aiming for, fine enough.
6:58pm .. .. // 03.04.2024