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    Dead Poets Society (1989)

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    Dead Poets Society (1989)

    A group of students from the country’s most prestigious boarding school forms a secret poetry society after meeting their eccentric but inspiring teacher, Mr Keating.

    What makes Dead Poets Society such a memorable film? Peter Weir’s directing? Tom Schulman’s writing? Robin Williams and his teaching of “Carpe Diem”? Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, and the rest of the gang?

    Dead Poets Society will always be a classic due to the aforementioned reasons individually and collectively, but for so much more. If you ask ten people what the film is about, you’ll probably receive eleven different answers. Is it about poetry and its meaning? About questioning authority? Consequences? About parents who have kids only to tell them what to do and how to do it so they can feel “big”? Is it about love? How about seizing the day as the first step to pursuing your life’s dream?

    The “O Captain! My Captain!” scene is the film’s narrative epiphany. Every step and every risk those kids take is meant to lead to that moment. However, how you perceive the film until then and what the film means to you until then will evoke different emotions inside you. It might be seen as a “white-rich-boys-problems” movie nowadays, but for a couple of hours, pretend it’s you in that age and wonder what your dream was back then, how hard you tried to achieve it, and, ultimately, where you are now.

    It is not a Christmas film, but at this time of year, I always flash back to inspiring films that made me fall in love with cinema as a kid. A film like this does not need my review – it is just a reminder that it still exists and inspires.

    P.S. “O Captain! My Captain!” was sorely remembered again by the media in 2014 amidst the unfortunate death of the acting giant Robin Williams.

    P.P.S. Robert Sean Leonard, the leading actor (next to Christian Bale) in another favourite film of mine while growing up, Swing Kids (1993), never became the A-list actor he deserved to be like Bale and Hawke did. Shame really…

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    The Night Before (2015)

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    The Night Before (2015)

    Three lifelong friends who are about to spend their last Christmas together get tickets to a party that will put their lives into perspective.

    Vulgar language, anecdotal situations, surreal characters… anything you can expect from a Rogen/Goldberg production. Co-writer/director Jonathan Levine teams up again with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt after 50/50 (2011) and with the amazing Anthony Mackie joining the crew… the fun has started already. On second thought, more or less, everyone has worked with someone else more than once in the past. And, of course, James Franco pops up! Oh, did I mention Michael Shannon, Lizzy Caplan, and Mindy Kaling? This is quite the gang.

    This is a trippy journey that, in its vast majority, is very much to the bone. References to Die Hard (1988), Home Alone (1990) and Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”, make it a great buddy Christmas film, especially in times like these. Ultimately, it’s very predictable but you wouldn’t expect anything else from a Christmas movie, even an R-rated one. In all honesty, the church sequence is hilarious, and the confession moment at Caplan’s front door is quite funny. Then, the amount of improvisation by almost everyone is also admirable.

    Love or loathe it, that is the kind of comedy you sign up for. Should you decide to watch it, go along. We all deserve a laugh these days.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Driving Home for Christmas (2020)

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    On Christmas Eve, after a long day’s work, a man calls his family on his way back, only for a stranger to pick it up.

    DISCLAIMER: This story contains strong language and violence and is intended for an older youth audience. Listener discretion is advised.

    Based on my homonymous short horror script, Driving Home for Christmas.

    © 2020 Konstantinos Papathanasiou. All rights reserved.

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

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    The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

    A lonely freshman befriends two seniors and gets to experience life for what it really is.

    The epitome of modern American indie cinema! Watching it again eight years later, I realised the film hadn’t aged a day. Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller make an incredible acting trio; their chemistry lies in the details. Pay attention to the simplistic beauty when a “baked” Charlie unintentionally tells Sam about his best friend or when Patrick dances on Charlie’s lap during The Rocky Horror Picture Show scene. Even though not saying or doing much, Paul Rudd is an inspiring and great addition to the cast.

    Author of the book, screenwriter, and director Stephen Chbosky shocks his audience with his character-driven achievement. Each sequence amalgamates with the next, and all of them masterfully compose an introverted teenager stepping into a life he once only dreamed of. If you’ve watched it, did you notice that they have no cell phones or are not talking about social media? Did you wonder what the date is? Since the first time I watched it, I have learned how to “read” films more concisely. Pay attention to the editing, for example. How much does it give away throughout the film about the ending? Ultimately, how much do you get to see, and how much is left to your imagination during the shockingly culminating scene?

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower could have been an entirely different film in the hands of the late John Hughes, but as it stands, it is a must-watch and a reminder that sometimes, less is more. Its powerful narrative does not try to impress anyone; it just captivates everyone.

    P.S. Charlie is an older freshman. I totally missed it the first time because I hadn’t read the book, but pay attention to the cake’s candles and link them later to the conversation he is having with his brother.

    P.P.S My beloved Ioanna, you know this one goes out to you 🙂

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    #Alive (2020)

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    #Alive (2020)

    A sudden zombie outbreak will find two youngsters trapped in their flats opposite each other, making an escape plan.

    I’m a sucker for build-up. You know, character and story development. Think of Train to Busan (2016) in this instance; patiently and suspensefully builds the narrative before everything goes sideways. So, for horror fans who have watched countless zombie films, the opening sequence does not feel original. I believe the most impressive scene throughout the first thirty minutes is the police officer scene.

    Things start getting interesting after the hero’s breakdown and big exodus. The action and thrill of the battle of survival pick up the pace and gradually get your attention. The pace is about to die out soon after, though, but is saved by the presence of Park Shin-hye’s character (Kim Yoo-bin). If you haven’t seen her in anything else, you should definitely try the same year’s and also Netflix’s production, The Call (2020).

    But then, pace, rhythm, suspense, and action all die together faster than the film’s outbreak. It manages to pick up again, but the effort is nothing new. It’s a shame, really. I wish the filmmakers had decided what kind of film they wanted to make. It seems like the genres are cancelling one another. The film was a shockingly huge commercial success if it’s any consolation!

    RIP Kim Ki-duk  (20.12.1960 – 11.12.2020)

    P.S. Challenge: Count how often the word ‘alive’ is said.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe… and alive!

    Superhero Movie (2008)

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    Superhero Movie (2008)

    A low self-esteemed and constantly bullied teenager gets bitten by a radioactive dragonfly and develops superpowers.

    There are two reasons why I watched it… again. Leslie Nielsen and the Aunt Lucille farting sequence! Other than that, what can I say? It is an hour and fifteen minutes of that kind of humour that was washed up even twelve years ago. It is the first time I tried to analyse what makes it funny – if written and executed properly. That kind of humour has several components. It requires:

    • Some pre-existing knowledge of the films parodied,
    • Exaggerated and utterly disjointed scenes,
    • The heroes’ reactions to the superfluous, anecdotal stimuli causing the disjointed scenes, but their immediate forgetfulness straight after until something else happens.

    I was not planning to make a review, and if I’m being honest, I haven’t really. I just wanted to put in my two cents about the particular comedy sub-genre. I wish there was something else to say, really. Even though it’s silly, to say the least, a couple of sequences will make you laugh – such as the Aunt Lucille farting sequence! And, hey, we do need some laughs. Especially these days.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Run (2020)

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    Run (2020)

    An ambitious, disabled young girl starts getting an eerie feeling that her mother is not who she thinks she is.

    A dark, dramatic, and promising opening sequence sets the tone of Aneesh Chaganty’s suspenseful horror. A huge Stephen King admirer, Chaganty pays numerous tributes to him and co-writes and directs a down-to-earth, psychological horror about the strongest love in the world, a mother’s love, juxtaposing it with a mother’s greatest suffering and its inconceivable effects.

    It’s very well shot, very well edited, and very well acted! Sarah Paulson and real-life wheelchair user Kiera Allen give quite the performances and should be highly praised. Moreover, the bold and provocative twist meets the expectations of the first act’s horrific drama and the second act’s build-up.

    Run is yet another film whose worldwide release dates were postponed due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Yet, even though it doesn’t really reinvent its kind, it definitely deserves a watch, and it does not disappoint! Some plotholes could be spotted throughout the story’s development, but don’t let them get in the way, as the film means well. I liked it better than Chaganty’s previous feature, Searching (2018), whose target audience was the… TikTok generation.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Cold War (2018)

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    Cold War (2018)

    In the 1950s, in Poland, a music director and a leading singer fell in love, but after they agree to defect to France, they parted ways.

    What a year for cinematography! First time in Oscar history that three out of five film nominations were foreign films. So many production details could turn my review into an analysis. My contribution here, though, is not encyclopedic but merely an alert on why you should watch it (if you haven’t) and not miss out.

    Shooting in chronological order and changing the filmmaking style over the (screen) years respectively, writer/director Pawel Pawlikowski makes the second film in his native language, after the amazing Ida (2013) – which I admired watching in a beautiful theatre in London – he recasts Joanna Kulig and Agata Kulesza but also numerous members of the crew. Needless to say, Tomasz Kot breathes his role. An amalgamation of Pawlikowski’s parents story and a real-life folk dance group, Cold War explores love, lifestyle, ambition, inflated ego, self-aggrandisement, and, in times like these, the inevitable involvement of goddamn politics in everything we do and say in our lives. Cold War is a chronicle of this perplexity called life, seeking the long-lost happiness within us, bringing to the surface our inability always to miss it when it was in front of us.

    Other than photography, the acting deserves a standing ovation – the film got an 18-minute one at the Cannes Film Festival. And before I go… “It’s not a film until it’s edited” – Michael Kahn. Like the aforementioned Ida (review to follow), Cold War is masterfully put together, teaching when not to cut. Even though more obvious in Ida, here as well, Jaroslaw Kaminski meticulously cuts between action and reaction shots and builds both narrative and character, setting the pace and rhythm of the film. Ask yourselves this: how long after does the editor cut when the scene’s action is completed? Respectively, how long does the editor keep the reaction shot when there is one?

    Contrasting Hollywood cinema, Cold War wins the impressions with its simplicity. It develops relatable, everyday characters living in political and social unrest who inevitably become victims of their own desires and passions; their human nature.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    The Call (2020)

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    The Call (2020)

    Two women living in the same house from different times somehow manage to communicate and befriend each other over the phone, a friendship that will soon become torture.

    Korean narrative does not fail – ever! The Call is a drama first and a mystery/thriller second. The heroine’s background is as heavy as they come, and the current paradoxical pain only builds on it. Remember The Lake House (2006)? Well, it’s not a bad film, to be fair, but… this is better! This is actually the psychotic, gruesome version, where the tables turn more than once, and the drama matches the suspense and the agony.

    The film explores human nature’s unpredictability and the consequences of our utterances and actions – especially when we don’t know what we are dealing with. Time travel, in all its variations, is only a scientific school of thoughts that clash with each other. Coincidentally, this is the third film I’ve watched in the last couple of months that explores the implications of time travel. Tenet (2020) and Primer (2004) are the other two.

    The Call is by far not an original concept. Frequency (2000) was the first, I think. But it is the perfect example of “old wine, new bottle” with a non-Hollywood denouement. If I’m being honest, the twist at the very end is nonsensical and should have been left out. Lastly, Jeon Jong-Seo and Park Shin-hye are just incredible!

    Therefore, turn the lights off, sit back, relax, and for a couple of hours, forget the word “pandemic.”

    P.S. Watch the trailer! One of the best trailers I’ve seen in a long time.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Come Play (2020)

    Kay
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    Come Play (2020)

    A creature called Larry, which uses mobile devices as portals, seeks to take an autistic kid back to the world it comes from.

    The logline is not promising. We are talking about a creature that manifests itself through phones and tablets if one reads its illustrated story, blows fuses, and is called “Larry.” If that is not a millennial thing, I don’t know what is.

    Where do I begin here…

    • Coming out of phones and tablets?! And a bit of a spoiler here: through TV programs, choose films to speak! I wish I knew what to say…
    • Who, how, and why wrote that illustrated that story? How did it circulate to other devices? And why now?
    • The “fuses” part is somehow explained, but… called “Larry”?! Larry?!?!

    Script aside, the filmmaking style is a pure homage to Tob Hooper (or Steven Spielberg) and Poltergeist (1982). It’s a great feeling seeing the low-angle dolly shots, the protracted shots, and the Dutch Angles, to say but a few, in a house that could have been haunted or include an old-fashioned monster. The experience of horror through a kid’s eyes, especially autistic, would be something that would get my undivided attention in the blink of an eye. Young, Azhy Robertson is great! Although not with the typewriter, writer/director Jacob Chase does a brilliant job with the camera. He adapted his own homonymous short horror, Larry (2017) – which I haven’t watched – and many people liked it. Fair enough. Besides being an incredible woman, Gillian Jacobs is also an incredible actress. If you haven’t watched Gardens of the Night (2008), you should definitely do so.

    To conclude, the directing is impressive, the acting is brilliant, the jump-scares are not always necessary, and the script is for people who have never known life without a phone.

    P.S. What about Spongebob, right?

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    The Psychology of Horror: Preparedness and Purpose (Podcast)

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    The Psychology of Horror: Preparedness and Purpose (Podcast)

    Tonight, I’m interviewing Dr. Mathias Clasen. Mathias, among other things, is an associate professor at Aarhus University, teaches at the School of Communication and Culture, is the director of Recreational Fear Lab, and is the associate editor of Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture. Literary Darwinism, Gothic, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Apocalyptic and Post-apocalyptic Texts, and Cognitive and Evolutionary Theory are only a few research areas he specialises in. Tonight, he is discussing a very interesting research project on the pandemic and horror films with me, and he also explains what attracts us to the genre.

    https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/engmc@hum.au.dk

    https://au.academia.edu/MathiasClasen

    http://horror.dk/mathias/

    https://esiculture.com/

    Goddess of Love (2015)

    Kay
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    Goddess of Love (2015)

    Having found out that her boyfriend is cheating on her, a drug addict and mentally unstable woman starts losing sense of reality.

    I find it intriguing when people ask me about films I am unaware of, and then I wonder, “Why don’t I know it”? Well, I don’t want to brag too much, but there is a good reason most of the time. Of course, I have found myself oblivious to films I should have known. Hence, I watch more or less many of the films people suggest I should “definitely” watch.

    Goddess of Love is a pseudo-neo-noir that I should not definitely watch. Playing around with words, I could have said it’s a film that I should definitely not watch. But I’m not gonna put it that way. I just found it awkward, meaningless, and boring. Admittedly, I don’t know anyone from the cast or crew, so I can’t comment on their past work. What I do know, though, is that if I had a girlfriend like Alexis Kendra, I wouldn’t cheat on her (even with Elizabeth Sandy).

    In all fairness, I have never cheated, and if I haven’t done it so far, I will most definitely not do it in the future. The film touches on infidelity, abandonment, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, and eroticism. Still, it doesn’t explore any of it, approaching seriously epidemically the human relationships, making every character unlikable, unrelatable, indifferent, pitiful, and I’ll dare to say hateable. Even Venus – not the cat, luv…

    I know, there is a twist. But by that point, it is a bit too late for the viewer. Just to finish on a positive note, Kendra and Sandy are playing their parts quite well.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Greenland (2020)

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    Greenland (2020)

    A comet’s passing becomes an extinction-level catastrophe and a battle for survival for an estranged family.

    Fast-edited action films are a Hollywood trademark. There is a misconception, though, that the faster a film is edited, the better results will yield. I’ll prove my point in a second. The beginning of the first act is quite formulaic, with the camera set on the tripod, playing out exactly as it is supposed to. But once I was about to sigh in despair, to my surprise, just before everything goes tits up, Ric Roman Waugh dismounts the camera. He goes on a road trip where the narrative’s delay of resolution stretches the suspense to very high levels. I don’t know if that was a conscious decision, but I must say that Greenland becomes a quite realistic, intense thriller where most humans become scarier than the comet’s nucleus. But very touching is the vast minority who, till the very end, dedicate and sacrifice their lives to do as much good as they can when humanity needs it the most (Comparisons with our current pandemic are most welcome).

    Gerald Butler and Morena Baccarin go through absolute hell, and with them, the young Roger Dale Floyd. All three of them are absolutely thrilling! This isn’t like the Geostorm (2017) bullshit that even Butler didn’t wanna be in. Everyone believes in this one and works as hard as possible to make it work. And it does work, indeed. My breath was taken by Baccarin’s performance when her kid was abducted (no more spoilers). I can’t imagine a mother acting any other way.

    The point I wanted to prove is that War of the Worlds (2005), by far my favourite apocalyptic thriller, is, arguably, the slowest edited film of its kind. The same applies to Jurassic Park (1993). So, don’t get fooled by multi-chopped action sequences; it’s an illusion. Greenland invests in both character and story development and is definitely worth a watch. The two things that seem problematic to me and could have changed are the title, which gives away a ton of information, and the ending, which, like Signs (2002), should have ended when cutting to the prolonged darkness. See and decide for yourselves.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Tenet (2020)

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    Tenet (2020)

    A man is tasked to save the world with a mission that defies the laws of physics as we know them, given only the word Tenet.

    Like any other Nolan film, Tenet requires an analysis rather than a review. But I’ll simplify things as best I can. A type of film like this requires a humongous preproduction time. And they have spent that time wisely. That is why, from both the production and postproduction point of view, the film is immaculate and unlike anything you have ever seen. No matter what I say, it won’t make it better.

    The problem lies right off the bat with the script, though. A similar opening to The Dark Knight (2008) poses a significant issue. There is a preexisting knowledge of the Joker, which means you know who he is and what he is capable of. And if you don’t know the full extent, you find out in a brilliant manner in minutes. Then, the film cuts to people you have already met from Batman Begins (2005), and gradually, it escalates, keeping everyone in the loop. In Tenet, no one is aware of anyone or anything, and without any ado, Nolan keeps bombarding you with more and more information, which everyone seems to start getting, but the viewer. Fear not, though. The science is fictional – pun intended – so please, don’t feel bad if you don’t get it. You won’t get it if you watch it a second time. Nolan himself doesn’t get it (hence, leaving out certain details), but the impressive filmmaking and the delusion that you might get it if you pay close attention compensate. The similarities in narrative can be compared to Interstellar (2014).

    For a film that examines paradox, it is interesting how, for something that no one knows anything about, no one thinks twice before they instantly and unhesitatingly say what they have to say. The same applies to planning and acting. At the end of one sequence, they find out about something. At the beginning of the next one, they already have the equipment, have already travelled around the globe, and have already devised a meticulous plan.

    George Méliès was running the camera backwards over a hundred years ago, so even though from a filmmaking point of view, Tenet is not parthenogenesis, it surely is a unique concept, extremely well planned, and amazingly executed. If it weren’t for this goddamn pandemic, it would have easily joined the billion-dollar club.

    P.S. The indie and unfathomably much lower-budget version of Tenet is Primer (2004)

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    A Ghost Story (2017)

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    A Ghost Story (2017)

    A white-sheeted, nostalgic ghost permanently resides in its home and everything that, in the passage of time, becomes after that.

    A friend called me, laughing at IMDb’s reviews on this one. So, even though I don’t look at reviews before I watch a film, I only read the titles. I’ve seen cases before where reviews are either 1 or 10 and nothing in between, and since the titles were entertaining, I decided to give it a shot.

    Let me be clear from the beginning. A Ghost Story is not for everyone! We are dealing with interesting yet peculiar storytelling with protracted, steady medium and long shots that initially make little sense. The narrative unfolds, though, and life, linearly or not, moves on with just a few edits. Be patient with these shots and think that your life doesn’t have cuts, either. It would also help if you perceived the narration as omniscient – being everywhere simultaneously. During this journey, I couldn’t help but feel the ghost’s loneliness and entrapment. The ability to manoeuvre in time and the inability to do nothing about it. Imagine yourself seeing the world spinning, confined by your questionable existence. An existence that is unknown to everybody as much as it is to you. But still you wait for someone to finally acknowledge this questionable existence you have become. Admittedly, after the ghost’s free fall, the convolution becomes also questionable. But please remember what I said earlier about the non-linear.

    Have you ever wondered what the origins of déjà vu are? Cinema is a form of expression. That’s why it’s art. The aforementioned protracted shots make sense somewhere halfway through the film while understanding the narrative and David Lowery’s subjective perception of time and space. Let the mise-en-scène inaudibly “speak” when the silence is deafening. You may be wondering where she is. Has she become a ghost too? Has she gone to a final destination? Is there a final destination? But then think of something that you can potentially answer. Who is waiting for you?

    P.S. A few days after I watched it, it came to light that one of the producers was accused of raping one of the film’s young girls. Hollywood’s depravity spreads like a pestilence!

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Primer (2004)

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    Primer (2004)

    In an attempt to be innovative, four friends invent something beyond their wildest dreams.

    I remember watching Primer coming out of the army. As much as I was into films, I couldn’t “read” them the way I do now. Of course, the physics behind it meant nothing to me then, and, respectively, without asking much, I accept it now. Consequently, I cannot comment on it but speak of the filmmaking itself.

    The voice-over indicates that what we are watching has already happened and that, for some reason, their story is worth telling, even though the first act indicates the opposite. So far, it looks like a mockumentary to a bunch of guys working on something that they don’t even know, much less the viewer.

    Half an hour into it, the first plot point comes in strong. The main characters and the viewer know they invented a time machine. Narrative-wise, I will not reveal anything else. What has already been established is that composer / actor / sound designer / editor / producer / writer / director Shane Carruth, since the opening sequence, has remained meticulous with his writing on both character and story development. By the way, I have never seen anyone taking on so many different roles. Anyway…

    What would you do if you knew you could travel in time? What would your thoughts be? What would you be afraid of? What would your reservations be? How far back would you go? Would you acknowledge causality’s dangers? Carruth does an amazing job perplexing even further his low-budget sci-fi narrative, and, at the same time, he maintains the dialogue more realistic than any could develop it.

    I do not understand certain people’s choices. Why isn’t Carruth a household name? Why show so much talent and then let go? Just do another film ten years later, and that’s it? I know he struggled, but the guy made Primer with… $7,000. This is the most impressive and tiniest nano-budget mind-bending feature that ever existed.

    Ultimately, I am convinced that the film itself is a greater achievement than its invention.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

    Martyrs (2008)

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    Martyrs (2008)

    After being physically and mentally abused, a little girl grows up and with her childhood friend, they seek revenge against the people who tortured her as a child, not knowing how deep that hellish rabbit hole goes.

    Martyrs was shocking the first time I watched it in 2008, and it was excruciating last night. I guess the years pass by, and our levels of tolerance change according to the lives we have lived and how we have lived them. As much I despise happy endings, this is the first time I was hoping for one, knowing it doesn’t have any. There is nothing I can say that will give justice to the film’s level of brutality, a concept that is not unknown to the French school of horror [see Haute Tension (2003)] and Martyrs not only doesn’t hold any punches but unleashes them full force like only a few horrors ever have. And the studios released that film knowing exactly what feelings it will evoke and the reactions it will cause.

    Admittedly, writer/director Pascal Laugier was in a dark place during that period and shot, arguably, one of the most intense, violent, psychological, dramatic, and torturous horrors in the history of the genre. Every corner has twists and turns, most of which will cut your breath. There are scenes you will want to look away from, and you will not be able to. Sometimes, you will find yourselves squeezing your chair or pillow while your brain tries to process the pain, especially Anna endures. I guess you may even blame yourselves for knowing what’s happening and being unable to help…

    I bought the DVD knowing what I was signing up for. If you are not aware, I host the Cinehorrizon podcast, where I deeply sink my teeth into the horror genre. I am in the process of trying to find Laugier and bring him to my show. There is so much I want to ask him and discuss with him. Laugier has mastered twists uniquely, and The Tall Man (2012) was his next proof. Two years ago, he came back with yet another provocative horror that can ultimately mess up with your brain – Incident in a Ghostland (2018) – and even though it lacks the level of physical abuse, the psychological, for better or for worse, compensates for it. Going back to Martyrs, I would like to take my hat off to Morjana Alaoui and Mylène Jampanoï for taking on roles that their characters are thrown into the deepest ends of human depravity.

    Hostel (2005) and The Human Centipede (2009) are pure torture for entertainment and, simply put, disgusting. In Martyrs, you can sense a diabolical reason, a distorted and hair-raising perverted meaning. There is an eerie feeling crawling under your skin that all this agonising torment comes with a purpose. So, what is more scary? Torture with or without purpose. Without it, it is pointless. But if there is one, one can only wonder what kind of purpose that inhumane, chauvinistic, and hellish journey might serve. A question that will haunt you till the end. A paralysing end that will make you pull your hair out and ask out loud, why didn’t she just leave earlier?

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    Under the Silver Lake (2018)

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    Under the Silver Lake (2018)

    An unemployed, soon-to-be-evicted, for some reason bad-smelling, dishevelled young man is looking for a disappeared woman who only met once, only to start getting obsessed with a Los Angeles conspiracy.

    David Robert Mitchell… probably most known for It Follows (2014), comes back, still paying tribute to John Carpenter, but also Alfred Hitchcock and Brian De Palma with a neo-noir mystery/crime about a lifestyle only known to the City of Angels. If Body Double (1984) and They Live (1988) are films you haven’t watched yet, you must do so either before or after this. Under the Silver Lake is one of those films that can be interpreted in multiple ways. “Attacking” pop culture, being pedantic to the millennials, “accusing” the old guard for manipulating the youth, diminishing the star system’s mentality, criticising Hollywood’s lifestyle, touching on mental illness… all these, and more, are possible interpretations that one can give to Mitchell’s work.

    Pay attention to the recurring themes, the coincidences, the resemblances with past popular films – especially Hitchcock’s, the REM song Sam dances to, the way the girl drowns (no spoilers)… Mitchell is an asset to the independent American cinema; he implements techniques from studio-level films to indies that are doomed to make any money whatsoever but add quality to the American cinema and allow actors to unfold their talents by fully expressing themselves and be seen to the audience in a way that, more often than not, Hollywood derives from them. Of course, critics were divided, and, of course, Hollywood’s system rejected it. Leaning on Hitchcock’s tombstone and having drinks on Grace Kelly’s grave is an allusion to an arguably inequitable system that really respects no one and nothing.

    I’ve never been to L.A., so I’m unsure if that lifestyle somewhat represents how certain people live. But not having a job, spending money you don’t have, not caring if you’re gonna be evicted, paying for hookers with the above-mentioned money you don’t have, and all that in an astronomically expensive city where, somehow, everything and everyone is related to the movie industry, where they can go to parties that happen every night – uninvited, seems like a world within a world that only the people living there, and somehow can afford it (or not), understand it. Did I mention disregarding at the same time killers been after you? But then, I guess, that very same lifestyle might also be the root of this superfluous paranoia…

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    Burning (2018)

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    Burning (2018)

    A young man leading a dead-end life reunites with a girl he used to know right before her trip to Africa, but everything changes when she returns with a guy with a dark hobby.

    The opening sequence’s protracted tracking shot raised high expectations. Expectations that were met in all three acts. The cinematic realism is evident from beginning to end in character and story development. Jong-su and Hae-mi spit in the cup to put the cigarette out, and their sex scene reflects on their levels of experience, respectively, when Hae-mi and Ben arrive at the airport and how Lee is positioned (great subtle “show, don’t tell” example)… everything that Jong-su does and how his posture supports it. Try not to miss a thing! Everyone and everything is positioned or moved within the frame exactly as it should. Body language becomes imperative in understanding everyone’s intentions and secrets. The mise-en-scène is immaculate. Do not disregard Hae-mi’s pantomime in the setup. It is also the key to understanding that particular human element that will be Jong-su’s guiding force. It’s great to see Steven Yeun in a Korean film, by the way.

    Burning is an example to follow from every possible aspect. Listen to the power of the diegetic sound and how its opposite should not undermine it. Specifically, it is a fine example of when not to cut. Each shot’s information remains fresh till the end, leaving no room for stale (the great Walter Murch’s useful definitions). Everything is catalytic to the narrative. Track how your perception of Lee and Ben will constantly change. Haruki Murakami’s and William Faulkner’s original short stories with the same name “Barn Burning” are given the justice they deserve by Chang-dong Lee in a, as co-screenwriter Oh Jung Mi put it, “a dance that seeks the meaning of life”.

    False memories, deception, hidden agendas, obsession, dishonesty, naivety… are parts of us that we either hate to admit about ourselves or define us, and there is no way of us knowing. And with the closing sequence’s protracted tracking shot, our chances of getting the answers we want become slim to none. Not only that, but we’ll raise questions we wouldn’t think, at first, we would. Cinematic realism reflects on life’s realism, though. It is part of the exploration. And that we’ll have to accept it.

    P.S. George, that one’s for you, mate. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

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    Mara (2018)

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    Mara (2018)

    A female psychologist who assists the police in a series of murders comes across an ancient myth of a demon who causes sleep paralysis.

    Hollywood… more often than not, it can be seen as a meat grinder. You put the meat into the funnel, and thin stands of that meat come out. There is no chance you put the meat in, and something else comes out. Mara is that expected outcome. You know what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, and there are no twists. Whatever attempt to surprise the viewer is doomed. Because both character and story development are based on clichés, and so are editing and sound – hence, the unfortunate jump scares. Don’t blame these departments, though. It’s always the narrative that dictates the techniques.

    I know some reviewers love annihilating films like Mara. I don’t. So, in a respectful manner, I will share my humble opinion with you in one sentence: Mara is disjointed in every possible aspect. Olga Kurylenko has come a long way, and her acting skills are remarkable, so I look forward to seeing her in something like Andre Basin, considered cinema. Craig Conway delivers a powerful performance but doesn’t have much to work with. Extra credits go to James Edward Barker and his impressive original score that finds no place in any of the epidermic attempts to scare or sensitise.

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    Silent Era: The Foundation of Cinematic Horror (Podcast)

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    Silent Era: The Foundation of Cinematic Horror (Podcast)

    Tonight, I’m interviewing Rob Byrne. Mr. Byrne is a film restorer of silent films and President of the Board of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFFS). Tonight, he is talking to me about the silent film era regarding the horror genre. How were the films we today call ‘horror’ described back then? How were they perceived? Were filmmakers aiming at psychological or gory horror? Find out how everything started.

    Charismata (2017)

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    Charismata (2017)

    A young female detective starts suffering from dream-reality confusion while investigating a series of ritualistic murders.

    Right, I’ll be quick. I couldn’t take it seriously from the opening sequence. It’s meant to be ‘horror,’ but the British humour overshadowed every chance to scare me – and I’m talking slim to none. Writers/directors Andy Collier and Toor Mian are obviously David Fincher fans, but the budget, story and character development, photography, editing, acting, and profound understanding of a serial killer’s psychosynthesis are hardly evident in the film.

    But hey… Charismata is a British low-budget indie horror that took time, money, and effort to get made and had no intention of fooling you or undermining your intelligence. Should you decide to watch it, it’ll take your mind off things for just over an hour and a half and actually entertain you a little. Plus, it does have a couple of impressive shots.

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    Spell (2020)

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    Spell (2020)

    A family of four land crashes over the Appalachian mountains, but when the man wakes up prisoner, injured, and alone in a sinister house, he’ll do everything in his power to rescue his family.

    Has there ever been a comedy about the Appalachian mountains? Other than it was a horror, I didn’t really know anything about Spell. I thought I was going to be about white inbred people who do… what white inbred people do, but boy, was I wrong. Imagine a lovely Southern African-American Christian community, except that they are not lovely, and they are not Christians. Kudos, though, to Loretta Devine for her amazing performance.

    It started off decently, but then it became somewhat pointless. Actually, now that I have watched it, I feel like I need to know more about why both black and white are depicted in such a manner in these places. On second thought, how do the locals feel knowing that the rest of the world knows nothing about them but the Hollywood version?

    Regardless, the film has many weak points. Without spoiling it for you, specifically, if I had just realized what I was eating, the film would have played out differently straight away. Overall, everything is laid out for you; nothing is left unexplained. Something that wipes out the mystery and, even worse, undermines the audience’s intelligence. Shame for the film, but also for both the Caucasian and Afro-Appalachian people. One day, maybe they’ll make a film on Hollywood based on what they have heard about it. That’s gonna be a comedy/horror I’ll definitely enjoy. I might even kickstart it for them…

    P.S. Must say that my fellow Midlander Lorraine Burroughs looks, as always, absolutely stunning and I look forward to watching her in Muscle (2019).

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    Logan (2017)

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    Logan (2017)

    In 2029, when the X-Men are gone, and mutants are on the verge of extinction, an elderly and slowly dying Logan must lead Charles Xavier and a young mutant to safety when an evil corporation goes after them.

    I don’t write about superhero films, really. As much as I’ve watched them all, and as much as I’m a graphic novel collector, I prefer to keep a distance. But I intend to write about my top 5 (to date) as I truly think they are powerful films and, in my humble opinion, the best of their kind. After watching it for the third time, Logan most certainly still remains in that top 5.

    First and foremost, because of Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart. Secondly, due to (co)writer/director James Mangold. The trio makes a combo that brings to life an unprecedented, R-rated, existential drama/fiction no one expected to see. Mangold’s genius lies in synthesizing the narrative, the character, and the story development. Such synthesis requires a thorough understanding of who the Wolverine was and what he had accomplished while never managing to make peace with his nature and never overcoming his loathing for his nurture. And that, respectively, requires a thorough understanding of the difference between thinking of knowing what an antihero is and the unfathomably harsh reality of having to live with yourself and everything you have done for almost two centuries to become that wrong perception.

    Officially, the film is a standalone, and it follows neither the original X-Men’s timeline and its prequels nor the franchise’s prequels. However, Charles Xavier mentions the Statue of Liberty incident, and he reminds him that he found him at a time when he was a cage fighter. This, by itself, does not mean that the franchise prequels’ timeline is not followed either. In fact, the Samurai sword from Wolverine (2013) can also be briefly seen. I think the only one that has been left out of the canon is X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), but Kinberg’s film has already been forgotten and left out of every timeline that ever existed right after it hit the big screen.

    From Wolverine (2011) to… Old Man Logan, the hero’s journey has had its ups and downs, but this is the best denouement a cinematic (anti)hero has ever seen.

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    Spoilers!

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    Deep down, I knew The New Mutants (2020) would take the torch after Logan. I knew it! “New Mutants” is brought up as a concept in Logan, and The New Mutants trailer was reeking of Essex Corporation. It is a bloody shame that, after waiting for so long, with a unique trailer for the X-Men franchise and so talented new actors, it was such a disappointment. Not only that, but it had a huge plothole, too. The film takes place after Logan – so after 2029, but we don’t know exactly when. By then, the X-Men were long gone, yet one of the new mutants speculates that the doctors’ bosses are the X-Men, non-verbally implying, specifically, Charles Xavier. One of them, at least, should have got their facts straight.

    Jungleland (2019)

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    Jungleland (2019)

    In an attempt to score big, two brothers travel across the country for a bare-knuckle boxing match, but the obstacles don’t stop getting in the way.

    Jungleland… the type of American indie that makes your heart race, wondering from the opening sequence what on earth will go wrong. That said, Jessica Barden (who reminded me of Maggie Gyllenhaal) and the magnificent duo Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell are all British and doing a great job posing as Americans. How about producer Ridley Scott?

    Despite the great acting, Jungleland‘s strong suit is the blurred line that doesn’t distinguish ambition from greed. Writers Theodore Bressman and David Branson Smith and writer/director Max Winkler (son of legendary Henry Winkler) bring to life a beautiful story that will make you wonder, how far would you go to make your dreams come true? And make you think about how far you have gone so far.

    Does it go wrong, though? That is for you to decide. The long-awaited moment has finally arrived and Hunnam with O’Connell are on screen together and reveal about their lives whatever you need to know and not necessarily what you want to. Would I prefer to see them in a British film as a Northerner and a Midlander, respectively? Sure. Does it matter, though, that they put an accent and they are overseas? Not really. Remember, a film that lets you in halfway through and lets you out at an unexpected point in time is a reminder of Ithaca; it’s not about the destination but the journey itself.

    P.S. On a personal note, as I have been living for years in the city where Jack O’Connell and Michael Socha were born, I have met them both, and I must tell you that, other than great actors, they are both great human beings.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

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    His House (2020)

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    His House (2020)

    A refugee couple escapes Sudan during a time of war and arrives in England, only to have to adjust to a new reality and face a ghost that follows them to their new house.

    Welcome to a journey that no one is welcome. A soul-wrenching and haunting experience that no one should ever have. Yet, hundreds of thousands, unknown to us, do to this very day. His House, feature debut for Remi Weekes, is a drama with horror elements whose natural drama is more horrifying than its supernatural horror. Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku carry the film on their shoulders and manage to pass on to the viewer all the survivor’s guilt and immigration’s hostility but also the sense of having nothing left! Matt Smith always adds flavour to everything he’s in.

    It is not a “haunted house” horror film. It is a haunted conscience film and an introduction to a different set of beliefs and norms in the “civilised” world. It is well-written and brilliantly shot, and Jo Willems’ cinematography deserves extra credit.

    Keep your mind open and expect nothing beforehand. This brave attempt from both Netflix and BBC Films gives a taste of what it feels like to be a stranger and struggle in a world that sees you as a piece of s*it or a laughing stock at best.

    P.S. You can enjoy more Dirisu in Gangs of London (2020) and Mosaku in Lovecraft County (2020).

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    Take Shelter (2011)

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    Take Shelter (2011)

    Haunting apocalyptic visions will make a man doubt himself, face his family, confront society, and build a shelter for what he thinks is coming.

    One of my favourite underrated films of all time. It is a visually stunning film that allows actors to unleash their talent, the suspenseful narrative to naturally and patiently unfold, and the viewer to absorb what cinematic experience really means unconditionally. And that shows right off the bat from the opening sequence.

    If you haven’t watched it, writer/director Jeff Nichols will get you wondering: Is it? Is it happening? Is it in his head? But that’s not just it. Think about it… How much “different” can society tolerate? How often were you sure you were right, and no one believed you? But… how many times were you sure you were right, and how did you feel when you realised you weren’t? Also, how many times have you truly followed your gut, no matter what everyone else thought or said?

    Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain are a wonderful couple on screen, expressing all these doubts and beliefs and transgressing the rules. Shea Whigham is always underrated, and I hope a major festival acknowledges his talent one day and awards him, respectively. Last but not least, from beginning to end, pay attention to Adam Stone’s cinematography; it is absolutely thrilling.

    Take Shelter leaves the viewer with some unanswered questions, but that’s part of the journey’s mystery and why a film’s flavour lasts way past the scrolling end credits.

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    Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

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    Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

    Borat is released from prison in Kazakhstan under the condition that he will go to the US to offer his 15 y/o daughter as a bribe to Vice President Mike Pence during the pandemic and the 2020 Presidential election.

    I don’t know what to say, really. It’s been a while since I dropped a film less than thirty minutes into it. Simply put, I found it appalling, indifferent, pointless, horrendous, boring, ridiculous, and above all, an absolute waste of money… and thirty minutes of my life.

    It is funny as much as it is provocative. Which is not at all! Sasha Baron Cohen just managed to piss, again, some more Americans off. The first Borat (2006), not a fan of either, was at least… somewhat… funny and provocative… but… I’ll be damned, it had those uncensored naked men “brawl” that left everyone thinking, how on earth are they shooting this, and, more importantly, why the f@ck am I watching it? This… subsequent film has nothing to it. Borat speaks in Hebrew, Tutar (Maria Bakalova) speaks in Bulgarian, the Kazakh premier speaks in Romanian, and the vast majority cannot tell, once more, the difference. If you managed to watch it all, by all means, prove me a liar. I thought it was… well, check the second paragraph. Cohen is a great actor, and he has proved it time and time again. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) is the latest proof – a review is on the way. Plus, I admired him so much for going against Facebook.

    If you really want to watch a proper funny mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap (1984) is the one! What an original comedy!!! Trust me on this one…

    P.S. Cheerio, Trump!

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    The Last Route (2020)

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    A mysterious man and a group of passengers board an underground train on its last trip of the night, which will prove to be nightmarish.

    DISCLAIMER: This story contains strong language and violence and is intended for an older youth audience. Listener discretion is advised.

    Based on my homonymous short horror script, The Last Route.

    Poems:

    Tsibiskakis, P. (2010), Lucem Ferre, Dreary Lands.

    Tsibiskakis, P. (2016), Cain’s Stone.

    Tsibiskakis, P. (2018), Ein Traum.

    © 2020 Konstantinos Papathanasiou. All rights reserved.

    Ava (2020)

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    Ava (2020)

    After having accomplished numerous missions, a female assassin with a troubled past becomes a target herself and has to fight for her life.

    Ava is a film on which I will spend little to no time, and I’ll be brutally honest. Geena Davis is the only actress who is exempt from what comes next. She’s the flower protruding from the swamp.

    Ava is badly shot, miserably edited, poorly acted, and horribly produced. What saddens me is the fact that A-list actors agreed to do this after reading a fundamentally flawed and clichéd script. Was it money? Boredom? Everyone was simultaneously high? Regardless, the result remains the same: a messed up, destined to sink and stay at the bottom, wannabe, Vidal Sassoon assassin film.

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    Tusk (2014)

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    Tusk (2014)

    An arrogant podcaster is flying to Canada for his show but ends up a prisoner by a mentally deranged old man who wants to turn him into a walrus.

    I had to watch it again. Well, not really. But I did, anyway. It is a film that my mate Ben and I discussed years ago, and it was most definitely… challenging! Everything about Tusk is beyond understanding. The concept, first and foremost, is an old man kidnaps you to make you a walrus. Still, it’s not The Human Centipede (2009), but that’s meant to be a sick, disgusting, stitching-ass-to-mouth horror. Something that brings me to another beyond-understanding point is that… this is a Kevin Smith film. The guy who brought us the Clerks franchise, Chasing Amy (1997), and Dogma (1999). But then he also brought us Red State (2011), so I don’t know why I act surprised.

    Tusk is a film that will shock you and disgust you if you know nothing about it. There is nothing I can say to make it make it more appealing or more difficult to watch. One thing I can say is that the cast nails it! Shockingly amazing team!!! Kevin Smith has experimented over the years. Cop Out (2010) was not my thing. If you asked me, it’s probably his most indifferent work to date. But the rest of his work is very appealing and interesting. He is a comic book nerd who has challenged and defied a lot of Hollywood taboos over the years. You’re gonna love it or loathe it. Regardless, think about this: Punishment for being a pompous a$$hole has also its limits.

    Ben, that’s for you, my mate. I hope my review makes it to the land of the rising sun…

    I bid farewell to the one and only Sean Connery. Rest in peace, sir!

    Happy Halloween!

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    Hubie Halloween (2020)

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    Hubie Halloween (2020)

    A man who has always been mocked and bullied in his hometown takes it upon himself to save this year’s Halloween.

    I hadn’t watched an Adam Sandler film in a while, but I watched Uncut Gems (2019) last year. I was happily surprised, and I said, “Why not?” Well… now I’m saying, “Why?”! Hubie Halloween‘s audience is very, very, very, very restricted. The film’s level of humour barely scratches the bottom from start to finish, but that’s not what bothered me the most. Hell, it wasn’t even Sandler’s voice.

    The film’s theme is walking on thin ice. 99.7% of an American town with a dark history of hunting down people with pitchforks and torches in 2020 is making fun of and brutally bullying someone having a mental illness – whatever that is. It gets worse, though… That town’s once most beautiful woman – Julie Bowen, who still is that town’s most beautiful woman – happens to be that very same town’s nicest girl and part of that 0.3% that actually likes him, with the 0.2% being her nerdy son and the girl he wants to get who also happens to be as merciful and that town’s most good looking high school girl. The rest of the characters are just caricatures. Seriously messed up characters, regarding their role in society, sank into the dark pit of Hollywood’s cliché.

    Sandler and Bowen worked together in Happy Gilmore (1996), and admittedly, they are A-list actors. Ben Stiller, June Squibb, Michael Chiklis, Maya Rudolph, Shaquille O’Neal Rob, Schneider, Ray Liotta, Kevin James, and Steve Buscemi become part of it, for better or for worse. Almost everyone from Grown Ups 1 and 2 but also other films too. Sandler is a great collaborator and top-shelf comedian. Sometimes, though, he seems to be signing for everything under the sun, and Netflix constantly condones such a mentality. The movie is dedicated to the late Cameron Boyce, who was meant to be part of it. It’s shuttering that he’s not with us…

    For films that can easily be misconstrued or go under the radar, I always advise spending a couple of hours forgetting about the real world’s real problems and enjoying these films regardless of their flaws. This is not the case here. Go for all-time horror classics instead. The film’s message seems dumb, but deep down, it is actually mean-spirited, and I’ll dare to say harmful.

    Enjoy Halloween!

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    The Invitation (2020)

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    A young man recovering from a loss is invited for dinner by his boss and his wife during Halloween, but the night takes an inexplicable turn.

    Halloween special episode!

    DISCLAIMER: This story contains mature situations/themes and violence and is intended for an older youth audience. Listener discretion is advised.

    Based on my homonymous short horror script, The Invitation.

    © 2020 Konstantinos Papathanasiou.  All rights reserved.

    Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

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    Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

    When Count Dracula comes to London from Transylvania, a series of ungodly events follow him, and a group of men unites to stop him from claiming his future bride.

    Which Dracula is your favourite? I guess your answer depends on how old you are. I grew up with Francis Ford Coppola’s, and admittedly, it is my favourite. And how could it not be… Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Cary Elwes, Richard E. Grant, and Tom Waits. The late Michael Ballhaus’ haunting photography and the team’s meticulous editing synthesize one of the greatest Gothic fairy tales of the 90s. Two years before that, there was Edward Scissorhands (1990) – once again with the one and only Winona Ryder. See how shadows are cast, how the match-cuts stitch the sequences together, and how the narrative patiently unfolds. Also, the amazing costume design and the brilliant makeup (Oscar winners) are not to be discounted.

    The 2007 Collector’s Edition DVD audio commentary revealed an enormous amount of information regarding the film’s production. One of the most interesting facts is that, other than the Blue Inferno, no digital visual effects were used in postproduction. Coppola was adamant, and his vision paid off (it also paid for his production company’s debt and saved it from bankruptcy).

    In all honesty, of course, I am not posting this actually to review the film. I am doing it for two reasons: Its brilliance lies in the storytelling, and I really want to bring it to the newer generation of moviegoers or film lovers’ attention to appreciate and understand that visual effects should be used only as a means to enhance the narrative rather than overshadow it or compensate for the lack of it. Also, I want to remind myself and older generations that films such as Dracula still exist. Hey… it’s Halloween time, so why not dust the old scary DVDs and enjoy something from the past? For nostalgia…

    Enjoy Halloween!

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    Books of Blood (2020)

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    Books of Blood (2020)

    A man looking for a priceless book, a young girl looking for redemption, and a mom looking for answers cross paths on a dark journey that leads to the unknown.

    Have you ever wondered what distinguishes a film from a TV movie? Is it the narrative or the way the story is told? Is it the photography? The editing? The acting? Something else? Despite what I believe or I may know, give it some thought while watching this one.

    Books of Blood has the 80s scent, and how could it not? It is from Clive Barker, after all. Well, the source, anyway… The first story is ultimately all over the place. It seems that there is no beginning, middle, or end. And what disguises as an end does not give enough justice to what could have been a true Barker story on screen. The sound somewhat annoyed me. I know it was meant to be disturbing for Jenna, but it was literally getting on my nerves on occasion. The Night Terror is, arguably, the best sequence, even though the tribute to The People Under the Stairs (1991) was quite suspenseful.

    The second story is a lot tighter. No one deserves to die from cancer, much less a young kid. So yeah, a single mom having to deal with that qualifies it as a strong drama. But the horror of what happens at the end of it is also strong. Shame that digital visual effects take away the atrocity it was meant to deliver. Regardless, consider the punishment’s gravity, especially regarding what he says afterwards. Did he deserve it?

    The third story smartly stitches everything together, and while watching it, you might realise that my review is as misleading as the stories themselves and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Or not. As I said, it is from Clive Barker, after all.

    Enjoy Halloween!

    P.S. You would never think to see Seth MacFarlane sitting at the producer’s chair next to Barker’s. It must be 2020…

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    Found Footage: The Beginning, the Escalation, and its Societal Impact (Podcast)

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    Found Footage: The Beginning, the Escalation, and its Societal Impact (Podcast)

    Tonight, Erik Kristopher Myers (ekm) talks about the roots of the found footage subgenre, its evolution, its contribution to the cinema, and its effects on society. Myers is a writer and filmmaker. His film Roulette (2013) won numerous festival trophies, and his latest feature Butterfly Kisses (2018) shot to the top of the Amazon charts for New Release Fantasy, scoring rave reviews. Myers has also won numerous awards for screenwriting and editing, and among others, he has been a producer for XM Satellite Radio, a reporter for WTOP News, and a film critic for The Dagger and Ain’t It Cool News.

    The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

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    The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

    A young, traumatised American au pair is hired to look after two orphan children living in a mysterious manor in the English countryside, where reality is deceitful.

    As I watched, I couldn’t help but think, ‘How am I supposed to write about it without giving away spoilers?’ I have tried to avoid hearing or reading anything about it, but sporadic negative whispers managed to find their way to me. I would presume that the audience that has, is, and will be watching Bly Manor is the same audience that has already adored Hill House. Thus, a line must be drawn between the two.

    Mike Flanagan, who once more proves to be a great filmmaker, and Amblin Entertainment and Netflix are still behind the mini-series – even though, past the first episode, Flanagan is not wearing the director’s hat. The same applies to most of the cast, who we get to see in different roles. Also, both of them are parts of the same anthology, marking Bly Manor‘s 35th adaptation for the film or TV of Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw – Flanagan pays a lot of tributes to The Innocents (1961). Due to the similarities, please don’t think or try to find a connection between the two. The producers have announced more series and stated that there is no link whatsoever – if they go down the American Horror Story (2011- ) road or not, that is a different story.

    Bly Manor‘s directing, photography, editing, costume design, and make-up department win the impressions from the first episode, and you’ll have no grief about their quality. The Newton Brothers have also done an excellent job with the film’s score, and I guarantee you that you won’t be able to shake off the “O Willow Waly”; it will hum in your ears for days. Furthermore, all actors deliver top-notch performances that will knock your socks off. All of them get enough screening time to unfold and develop their characters and make sure that each and every one of them will make your heart, one way or another, skip a beat. I mean, how Amelie Bea Smith can act this way is totally beyond me.

    The narrative is left deliberately for the end because it is the source of comparisons, contrasts, controversies, and contradictions. I can understand all four of them, but imagine if the Bly Manor was like Hill House. What would be the point? Some might prefer the latter because, behind the ghosts, there is a strong family drama that pins you down. Flanagan’s protracted shots give that drama the justice it deserves (that’s why I missed his directing on this one). But here’s what I think happened…

    The convoluted narrative that will end up with a mind-blowing resolution requires hiding clues and overall information, BUT, even while misleading with the fabula and syuzhet’s timeline, the filmmakers need to make sure they don’t leave their audience completely bamboozled. Because this is where they lose interest, and even when something big happens in the end, they will have already missed a lot and, eventually, will not understand or care about it. That’s my two cents anyway. I highly recommend it and look forward to the next haunting.

    Oh, before I go, there is actually something connecting the two: love or the lack thereof…

    P.S. Victoria Pedretti shone as Nell Craine, shines as Dani Clayton, and she very much reminded me of Piper Perabo when I first watched her in Coyote Ugly (2000).

    P.P.S. My beloved Ioanna, as promised, this one goes out to you!

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    One Night in Bangkok (2020)

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    One Night in Bangkok (2020)

    A man arrives at the airport in Bangkok, gets a gun, hires a young female taxi driver, and people with no obvious connection between them start dropping one by one.

    One Night in Bangkok is more or less what you expect it to be. Producer/writer/director Wych Kaosayananda builds up the narrative slowly enough for the audience to get to know Kai and Fha to justify the film’s denouement. The editing’s rhythm and pace harmonise the film, but quite early into the film, one can realise that Kaosayananda doesn’t want to get rid of anything he has shot. And that becomes quite problematic. There is too much dialogue that could have been avoided, firstly, to tighten the script and reduce the film’s duration, and secondly, to edit out everything that the audience would have understood without the heroes and villains saying it. The latter is a greater issue simply because I felt I didn’t get enough credits as a viewer. I truly believe that about twenty minutes could have been cut out, leaving much to the audience’s imagination and also focusing on the action.

    The action is another issue that could have been done better, too. By now, we have seen action films in the last couple of decades that are equivalent to a cinematic miracle. Prachya Pinkaew and Gareth Evans have offered us Thai and Indonesian productions that have left us gobsmacked. Ever since action sequences have evolved and raised the bar sky-high. Going back to mediocre action scenes, especially starring Mark Dacascos, an avid martial artist who comes from a family of martial artists, lowers the expectations and generates mediocre reviews. Shame really.

    Dacascos is a good actor, and I really hope that, even now that he is nearing 60, he can still impress us with something better written, directed, and produced. Lastly, Vanida Golten, who appears for the first time in a film, does a magnificent job. Let’s hope that we see her in more projects.

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    The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

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    The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

    Brutally savaged bodies pile up in a small mountain town during the full moon, and an alcoholic sheriff must solve the crimes and keep the town in order and his estranged daughter safe.

    Comedy/horror… How does one put the two opposites successfully together? I don’t know if there is a universal answer, but, in this instance, it’s how actor/writer/director Jim Cummings puts them together. The comedic acting contrasts the dark and haunting photography, and the soundtrack either adapts to the tone or interestingly causes antithesis. My round of applause, though, goes to the editing team, not for the impressive flash-forwards during the killings but for balancing Cummings’ vision of finding humour in dramatic and horrific situations.

    I’ll deliberately keep this one shorter than usual. Turn the lights off and give it a go. Films such as The Wolf of Snow Hollow can be the escape we need against the depressing and abhorrent reality we currently live in, even though we have to return to it eventually.

    Last but definitely not least, rest in peace, Robert Forster. You will always be remembered.

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    Death of Me (2020)

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    Death of Me (2020)

    After a night they don’t remember anything, a vacationing couple finds a video of them where the husband kills the wife.

    The Hangover (2009) meets The Wicker Man (2006). Yes, the Nicholas Cage version.

    Death of Me… a film where everyone aimlessly is running around. I’ll cut straight to the point: there are significant issues with the story development and the editing. The story itself is more than decent, but then the project collapses by the minute as it unfolds. The acting is also decent – considering, but the film is beyond saving. I think the intentions were good, but the execution was bad. I mean… bad! I don’t want to slag it off more because, regardless, many people put in a lot of effort and work. It just didn’t come out right, unfortunately. Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth are really good actors, so don’t let that film define their skills.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

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    12 Hour Shift (2020)

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    12 Hour Shift (2020)

    In a local hospital, a drug-addicted nurse and her small organ trafficking business “partners” find themselves in dire straights when a transaction goes awry.

    Should anything ever happen to you, and you end up in the hospital, that is the nurse you need… NOT! And that applies to the rest of the staff, police, family, patients, villains, and every other caricature that decides to appear on screen and lower the IQ to the extreme. But don’t cast any stones yet…

    Writer/director Brea Grant spent every penny she had in her pocket, and it wasn’t that many, very wisely. She knew exactly what kind of film she wanted to make, and she did. 12 Hour Shift is (almost) as funny as it intended to be, maintaining the horror level to the point that it doesn’t overshadow the main genre – comedy. Editing is the first indicator of this, as it effectively controls the pace and rhythm and keeps the story’s development very tight. Angela Bettis, David Arquette (also the main producer), Chloe Farnworth (who you wouldn’t believe is British), Nikea Gamby-Turner, and the rest of the cast are meant to be funny, and they most certainly are. Amazing chemistry between the actors that will make you, at times, laugh out loud.

    Now… I will say that producer/cinematographer/composer Matt Glass knew what he was doing while composing the film’s score. I can see how the soundtrack could come across as annoying, accompanying every sequence of the film, but it serves a purpose. And that is none other than to exaggerate something far-fetched already. The story’s level of implausibility is sky-high, the plotholes are lurking in every corner, and the acting is over the top… DELIBERATELY!

    I really recommend you watch it. We live in abhorrent times where death is the first news. 12 Hour Shift is a horror that will make you laugh and, certainly, for just less than an hour and a half, will make you forget about what’s happening out there. Grant’s intentions are noble and I for one admire her for making such a film.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

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    The Horror Inside Us: Leading Anxieties and False Certainties (Podcast)

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    The Horror Inside Us: Leading Anxieties and False Certainties (Podcast)

    Tonight, Dr. Michael Lee discusses the horror inside us and why and how one’s inner certainties and anxieties can make the everyday person monstrous. Dr. Lee teaches courses on 20th-century music history, American music history, film music and film studies at the University of Oklahoma. Over the years, he has been teaching courses on the history of horror films, and one of his many specialities is Vampire Cinema. He is a passionate music historian who loves horror movies and began researching their film scores and diversified styles, especially from the 1930s and 1940s. Listen to how our perception affects how we interpret horrors and what Val Lewton’s contribution was.

    Open 24 Hours (2018)

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    Open 24 Hours (2018)

    Having just been released from prison for setting her deranged boyfriend on fire, a young woman gets a night job at a petrol station, where her past catches up with her.

    Promising opening shots that become too explanatory, too soon. The type of shots that fully increase the plot’s predictability. Keep watching, and you’ll see that they also become repetitive, so even if you spot a good one, chances are that you’ll watch it again (and again) minutes later, and it will lose its authenticity. Do not be alarmed, though, because as you keep watching, you’ll realise that the film is inundated with clichés that result from the aforementioned shots. Unfortunately, it all starts with the script, which borrowed parts from the loving horrors of the 80s and 90s and unnecessarily stitched them together. I have the utmost respect for indie films as they do their absolute best for the tiny money they have managed to procure. And here, the film’s budget is not the issue.

    The issue is that writer/director Padraig Raynolds decided not to leave a trademark on his film. Other than the above-mentioned copies and pastes, the composer shouldn’t have tried to copy Psycho‘s (1960) staccato, and Raynolds shouldn’t have used music throughout the whole film. The power of diegetic sound is immense, especially in narration, and it should have been used a lot more. Unfortunately, Raynolds raised the implausibility levels sky-high.

    Full disclosure: I found Vanessa Grasse, whom I first noticed in Leatherface (2017), very attractive, so I’m a bit biased. I believe she has a lot to learn about acting, and with the right guidance, she’ll do really great. I, for one, look forward to seeing her in more projects, and I hope her natural beauty doesn’t get in the way of her promising career.

    To cut a long story short, the story is original, but its development screams all the cliches Scream (1996) is about. Only “virgin horror eyes” will fall for these jump-scares, and not even they won’t bother asking (more than they can count), “How the f@!$ did that happen?!” On the flipside, counting the innumerable gimmicks, I momentarily forgot all about real life’s miseries, so what the hell…

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    Alone (2020)

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    Alone (2020)

    A woman who has suffered a personal tragedy decides to leave everything and everyone behind, but a man with sinister intentions will turn her life into a living nightmare.

    My stomach was tight, and I could hear my heartbeat throughout all three acts and every chapter. If that film title referred to a drama, I would be depressed in advance just by speculating about its subject. In a thriller, though, that I admittedly knew nothing about, I had no idea what to expect. It was tempting to cheat and read the logline, but I didn’t.

    The nonverbal opening sequence speaks volumes; when there’s nothing to say, say nothing. The sequence with the heroine trying to overtake the SUV is defined as the inciting incident, which marks the way director John Hyams builds up suspense. From then on, it is like a heart attack waiting to happen. The moment Marc Menchaca knocks on Jules Willcox’s window, you know that everything is gonna go tits up. I will not give you any spoilers, but pay attention to the protracted shot at the pit stop, the close-up in the basement, and Menchaca’s monologue. These are but a few examples of sequences that indicate high-quality levels of pre-production and meticulous execution during the production and, consequently, the post-production stage. Needless to say, excellent chemistry between Menchaca and Willcox.

    Mattias Olsson, who wrote the original Swedish film Gone (2011), also pens the script for the adaptation, giving it the justice it deserves for the American audience. Well done to all the cast and crew, who seem to have worked under quite unfavourable weather conditions. My round of applause will go to the Department of Sound this time for their thorough work on diegetic sounds (sounds produced by nature). Keep your eyes peeled and your ears wide open for the last Oskar-level shot.

    Alone is a spine-chilling thriller about loss and acceptance and how catharsis can come as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. My challenge for you is to try and find what the villain wants… but also what the villain needs…

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    The Devil all the Time (2020)

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    The Devil all the Time (2020)

    Dark, interweaving stories about faith, chance, innocence, and corruption that spring from the most corrupted part of the human soul.

    West Virginia… WWII is over, the soldiers are back, and the Willards, not from West Virginia, have trouble adapting. As if the war hadn’t done enough damage, understanding the Lord’s mysterious ways led people to be… set in their own ways. This result brings irony and nemesis, a rhetorical device and a goddess from ancient Greece, which civilisations have been stumbling upon in numerous shapes and forms for millennia.

    Almost an hour into the film, the new generation takes over the torch and builds on that wretched foundation, paving the path for and giving birth to menace and hypocrisy, two human “qualities” that the ancient Greeks “saw”chewing up man’s soul like locus. And only one offspring can come out of such a sorrowful family tree… Tragedy!

    Writer/director Antonio Campos, co-writer Paulo Campos, and editor and wife of the former Sofía Subercaseaux put their heart and soul into the film. The Devil All the Time has two strong suits. One is the narrative: the exchange between the omniscient narrator, who speaks people’s minds and connects interweaving stories, and the interchangeable restricted narration between the heroes and villains and the audience.

    The second one is the phenomenal casting: Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennet, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska, Harry Melling, and Robert Pattinson. And guess what, most of them are not even Americans. Excellent chemistry between the actors and amazing work with the dialect coaching. Most of the cast and crew have worked together in other films before, with the most notable collaboration being Holland, Stan, and Jake Gyllenhaal, who’s wearing the producer’s hat – MCU. Donald Ray Pollock, the author of the homonymous novel, gets a special reference for voicing his first-ever narration in the film.

    I guess, in life, what goes around comes around. And The Devil all the Time is no short of literature on screen, believing, and strongly indicating it in the denouement, that we are trapped in an indissoluble delusion that we can run away from ourselves.

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    A Good Woman is Hard to Find (2019)

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    A Good Woman is Hard to Find (2019)

    Having recently lost her husband, a young mother is trying to protect her children from poverty and her little town’s underworld.

    Goddamn poverty! Goddamn misery! Goddamn drugs! Regardless of which triggers which and in what order, the defining opening shot is somehow immediately understood by the shots that follow it. Or is it?

    Writer/director of Road Games (2015), Abner Pastoll, directs a gritty Irish thriller with a realistic plague, a surrealist villain, and a down-to-earth heroine who has to put up with both while protecting her children. And what a heroine’s journey that is…

    Pastoll creates a dark yet healthy environment for the audience yet healthy for the actors to showcase their chemistry and shine in front of the camera. Sarah Bolger, Edward Hogg, and Andrew Simpson lead the way, but the rest of the cast follows and supports them as they should to create this thrilling crime/drama. I greatly respect the whole crew that managed to bring this low-budget indie film to life.

    Now… I cannot not comment on the dildo… probably the weirdest use(s) I’ve seen outside comedy. Firstly, it is unintentionally funny. Or dramatically funny – is there such a thing? Stealing your kids’ batteries from their toys to put them in your vibrator because you are a recently widowed young mum with urges isn’t funny… just funnily portrayed. Come on, I mean, I am sure they knew the mixed reactions the scene would stimulate. On the other hand, stabbing someone’s eye with the same vibrator you satisfy yourself to save yourself from rape is nothing but ironic (but relieving nonetheless).

    Despite your feelings towards it, at least you’ll witness a security system that uses VHS, and you’ll learn what a metaphor is…

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

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    Directors and Horror Films (Podcast)

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    Directors and Horror Films (Podcast)

    Ashley Scott Meyers is a writer, producer and director and owns the blog sellingyourscreenplay.com, where you can find practical tips and advice on how to sell your screenplay. He also runs SYS Select, where you can subscribe to receive premium screenwriting leads, online coaching and mentoring, online courses, and more. Tonight, he talks about the production and artistic differences between indie and studio-level horrors, their perception by both audience and directors and the importance of narrative in filmmaking.

    Ashley Scott Meyers: Writer / Producer / Director

    http://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/

    13th (2016)

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    13th (2016)

    The astronomical rise of the prison population in the US throughout the decades, through victimization of ethnic minorities and partnerships between correctional facilities and private corporations.

    A brave new world! Well, not so new, really. Well, not so brave either, I guess. Writer, producer, and director Ava DuVernay hit the nail on the head with a revealing documentary on the once inexplicable rise of the prison population and its deep connections to racial inequality, the capitalist system, and their common denominator, which is none other than continuously manipulative governments.

    I am pretty convinced that DuVernay’s footage was dozens of hours long, and she could probably have had about three documentaries like 13th. While evaluating her footage, she narrowed it down and told the story as she did. The documentary’s strong suit is the information it provides on the connection between the era of slavery to the media and cinema and The Birth of a Nation (1915) to the present era, and how it is all connected to the rise of the correctional facilities industry. I for one, and not being American, I didn’t have the foggiest so that was, while unpleasant and disheartening, an eye-opening experience. The research was also solid and the archive footage was strong and extremely effective, it literally put a lot into perspective.

    And even though I learned loads about the disgusting, filthy companies that profit from human suffering, I didn’t get around why the poor who can’t get out of prison have been incarcerated, to begin with. I got an idea, don’t get me wrong, but instead of spending some time to expand on it, it expanded on movements and actions unrelated to the rise of the prison population.

    The editing in documentaries such as 13th plays a catalytic role in narrative formation. Documentary means research. The filmmaker does not really know where it will lead or how it will really lead them where it will. It is a journey. O.J.: Made in America (2016) is a perfect example of that. Upon meticulous editing, the 7 hours and 47 minutes focus on the chronicle of O.J. Simpson, the anchor of the documentary, and only expand to the events surrounding his case.

    Regardless, 13th is a must-watch, as are DuVernay’s previous work, Selma (2014), and the biographical When They See Us (2019) – reviews to follow.

    Panagiotis, this one’s for you, mate. Thank you for the recommendation.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

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    Midnight FM (2010)

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    Midnight FM (2010)

    During a radio producer’s last show, a serial killer invades her home, threatening to kill her family.

    The overwhelming suspense! Three thrilling acts that will keep you glued to your seats until the very end. There is not one dull moment throughout the film. Korean suspenseful narrative that, as usual, does not hold back and does not disappoint. This is a story-driven thriller where all utterances and actions are held accountable for what will happen next.

    Excellent directing ensures that the fast-paced editing unfolds the fabula and syuzhet exactly when the information needs to be disclosed. Soo Ae and Ji-Tae Yoo shine on camera, creating stimulating chemistry. An extra round of applause goes to the little girls for their equally brilliant performances.

    Midnight FM is a must-watch; no matter what I say, it will not make it more appealing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

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    Antebellum (2020)

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    Antebellum (2020)

    Slaves at a Confederate quarter during the American Civil War experience a horrendous reality, but nothing is what it looks like.

    This is one of the most meticulous and intriguing opening shots I’ve seen in a while. Music, photography, and powerful acting set the tone for what is about to come. Unfortunately, though, as we go through despicable times, for more than one reason, it is hard to focus purely on the artistic part and neglect the atrocious side of the human soul.

    Leaving momentarily the politics and the comparisons with today’s depressing reality aside, I’ll go on with a disclaimer: I had no idea what I was signing up for. So, I started scratching my beard almost 40′ into the film… I really wanted to see where the story was heading. And this is when my excitement disappeared. The story dragged on and became so political that the characters lost interest. Janelle Monàe’s character became snobbish, and everyone else was indifferent. Nothing like the acting or story development of the first forty minutes. Politics were so forced into the film that it became unwatchable. Whatever was not political, it was pure boredom. I’m particularly fond of both Jena Malone and Gabourey Sidibe, and here their characters were, again, as snobbish and indifferent as Monàe’s – or worse. I cannot relate to such characters because I could never and have never hung around with such self-righteous and pompous people who like themselves that much and think of themselves so highly like they are Derek Zoolander. I am sure the people who value their ticket money feel the same way.

    Half an hour after that, and having watched a particular film in 2004 (no spoilers), I kind of saw where the story was heading. However, directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz made it too obvious; the only difference is that they over-politicised it. And that’s how the second part of the second act was doomed to fail. It didn’t make any sense whatsoever and undermined the audience’s intelligence. And the filmmakers should always keep in mind that horror fans are extremely savvy. I can see how appealing it is to make 12 Years a Slave (2013) meets Get Out (2017), but Steve McQueen and Jordan Peele have their own distinctive and unique style that it would be best to be left to them and not copied. Speaking of copying, did I mention the irrelevant reference to The Shining (1980) and the inexplicably identical poster with The Silence of the Lambs (1991)?

    Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.

    Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

    Stay safe!

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