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Elevator Game (2023)

Elevator Game (2023)

Supernatural horror, based on the eponymous online phenomenon, a ritual conducted in an elevator, in which players attempt to travel to another dimension using a set of rules that can be found online.

Contortionists have becoming a thing huh? All scary movies use the same song and dance now - though admittedly it's a little scarier with this one!

They found a good elevator, they found a good cast, they have the story, they have the atmosphere, they have a catchy outro song after it's all over too - which I REALLY appreciate when it is. But the shock value's just... overplayed. I don't see horror movies the same way these days. When the threat is TOO perceptible it ruins the scare for me. Ghosts aren't real. Except when they are. Except when they really aren't there...

I love the play with lights, the humming, the numbers, the slow build, the red world. But then it just speeds up and loses me. Why they gotta do a good movie like that. This could've been... friggin' amazing.

It still is pretty solid horror.

The effects are good too.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

City Hall (1996)

City Hall (1996)

Another patriotic American movie. Narrative a la Al Pacino, and politics... was what I thought initially.

It was a thorough one though - and narrated by John Cusack more than Al. Which might give you some hints about how things'd turn out in the movie.

It starts with a murder, and you think it's just a starting point, not as central a piece of the plot as it turns out to be. The corruption runs deep though. As do the feelings. The intrigue. The hazards and gambles of a government job - but also the glamor and high-talking that leads it all along...

I'm really not into politics in real life, but it's fascinating how captivated this movie kept me. The dialog, the characters... it's in the way they interact, and in what they say, more than what actually happens - even though there certainly is a lot of scandal and corruption a brewing too, in what starts with a seemingly simple murder case.

They speak so political I don't understand half of what they're saying, but I do love the way they say it. And I wonder what happened to the mayor, as well as the widow wife...

So there are certain loose ends, but it's an impressive movie, and glimpse into City Hall N.Y.

Maybe the most realistic one they'll ever let you see.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

Snowpiercer (2013)

Snowpiercer (2013)

Was reminded of this movie recently, and for some reason felt I had to see it again...

It's a post-apocalyptic science fiction Korean film based on the book French climate fiction graphic novel Le Transperceneige, by Jacques Lob.

I'd like to read that book.

I didn't remember if it was horror or action - I recalled the insect scene strongly, but little else. I do remember it being sci-fi, and dystopian, a post-apocalyptic movie where the remnants of humankind being stuck on a nuclear-driven train...

Turns out it's way more action than horror. It's never horror. There's discomfort, and action, and philosophy, and love. Little else.

Everything goes in cycles. Even in the logo. The proper, sustainable balance... is a hallmark of the film. And what irony it is that in the end the chaotic nature of humanity derails it all. But then even, there is hope...

Chris Evans - who I thought was Scott Eastwood initially - is the main protagonist.

Tilda Swinton's there too, and Ed Harris, for a whole.

You might also recognize Song Kang-ho, John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Ko Asung, Alison Pill, the bald guy with the clear eyes, probably some others...

It really is a good movie. And the premise even more so than the film. It's about way more than the apocalypse. It's about the world. It's about us.

The special effects however didn't age greatly, but everything else...

Great film.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

Wingwomen (2023)

Wingwomen (2023)

French movies hit different man. There's just something about them... and I'm not just saying that cause this one stars a bad-ass femme fatale cast that I really just enjoy seeing.

The blood's not perfect, the scripting's not perfect either, but the directing... the directing's special here, the settings, the faces, the places, the transitions... and the charm's on overload. The sights make me want to move to France, and the unconventionally passionate sequences remind me that there's a world outside Hollywood too. Like the naked fight scene. That was new. Wouldn't see that in an American movie! Would you? At least not with as revealing angles as you have here.

Some stunts they don't really do justice, and the fights overall aren't amazingly complex or fluent, but some... some are real good. Real good.

Scripting though. I'm not 100% about that part.

Like did she just plan to leave Alex hanging a full four years? And how did Alex get off that roof in the first place? And the heist went way too easy - all complications considered - all things leading up to it too. Same with the final showdown. The Godmother... she deserved more.

The special-effects are heavy initially, and some scenes are a letdown, but it definitely wins me over along the way. Sexy and action-heavy as it is right from the start, and with plenty of intimacy and character bonding along the way.

Great watch.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

There's Something In The Barn (2023)

There's Something In The Barn (2023)

Norwegian movie. About an American family who moves to Norway, to a house... with a barn.

The utopian winter landscapes are a nice contrast to the horror, the soundtrack's top-notch, the sfx too, they have real moose, they have a real American family too it seems - at least a real American male in the lead - which provides a real culture crash - and the family's a charming one from the start. Reminds me a bit of the new Ghostbusters movie but... better. Well no. Not really. Just closer. Scandinavia too. It's cool.

The filmography's so damn clean too. So bright. So sharp. It's unconventional horror, with comedy, one that parodies both America and Norway on an appreciatively equal basis - Norway maybe most of the two. Just hope more people don't start moving to Scandinavia after this...

The special effects are not great, not always, but... what a great movie after all.

It's close to home. Love the location; the people in it.

I'm especially impressed with Townes Bunner - the kid, though the whole family's so wholesome. Martin Starr, Amrita Acharia, Zoe Winther-Hansen. They're all so different, but somehow such an obvious family after all. Maybe the differences are really what make them a family after all...

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

Bloodthirst (2023)

Bloodthirst (2023)

In a post apocalyptic world run by vampires, only the strong survive. John Shepard, Vampire Hunter, is one of them. John has to track down and eliminate the master vampire before he himself gets turned.

Costas Mandylor - related to that other B-movie Louis Mandylor? (They're brothers!) And Tara Reid! I recognize a few of these guys...

The Devil always has been a symbol of the vampires. I haven't thought much about it before, but you have the crucifixes, you have the symbolism of evil and darkness and all... it's clear when you think about it. How have I never thought about it.

Costas is a great hero. The girls are greater. The biker's great. Johnny Huang's a good sidekick, and the Master's not bad either! The settings are good. The cars - though few - are legit too. The movie has a lot going for it, if only the choreography was better, if only...

It really is a B-movie, with all too just dialog, and all too much bickering between races, and not the most convincing actors always, or the most captivating fights, but once you start getting into it all... it really is pretty excited.

Good movie after all. And Bloodthirst 2 is coming... looking forward to seeing how that one turns out too.

 rated 3/5: not bad

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