New Reviews - Progressing Users

Don´t mess with the Family!! The feeling when you come home from work and the first thing you do is look at what came out today and see a big Leatherface, the smile that comes across your face at a movie you've been waiting a year for is indescribable. I'm very happy that this prequel was given to the duo of Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, two excellent French butchers who made the gem Inside and two decent horror films: Livid and Among the Living. Leatherface, their best effort after Inside, has a very dirty look right from the start, it really feels like it was made in the 1960s, and I have a huge soft spot for old Texas. The film serves up a hefty dose of honest to goodness gore from start to finish and it's a hell of a lot of fun to watch – nothing more brutal has definitely come out this year. Sex on a corpse or being eaten alive by pigs, you just don't see that kind of stuff. The sheriff who goes by his own rules, the beautiful Lili Taylor, the thick atmosphere with a great soundtrack, well I'm very satisfied. Nexst Leatherface, ghost and demons feel like a children's colouring book. The local hopelessness, the filth and the psychopathic Sawyer family makes the film a very intense experience. The passage through the woods at night, the screams of a woman running away and the sound of a chainsaw is an indescribable atmosphere! Those who can enjoy like this should not hesitate, they will not regret it. The rest will grumble. 80%.

That was bad. A prime example of how to get the absolute minimum out of an appealing theme. An event where hunters hunt victims somewhere in the desert sounded tempting, but when half the characters die within five minutes in such an uninteresting and unoriginal way, you realise that the potential here will be wasted. The main character is also an unlikeable alcoholic, so no empathy, and all the deaths end with a sniper shooting, so rather uninteresting for horror fans. Unfortunately, the film is also tedious. 35%.

This franchise really has nothing to offer anymore. The technical side is vastly underfunded and the film looks like it fell out of a 90's VHS, same goes for the acting. The atmosphere is nil, a major flaw considering the film takes place in a mental institution, so the only thing worth mentioning is the gore, fairly decently handled with very good practical effects, but it would be much better if we have to wait 70 minutes for things to get going. Chucky's wisecracks are still good, otherwise I don't see much reason to recommend it. It can be survived in one viewing. 50%

A French ride and fun in one. I saw the second part first under a different title and today I learned about the first part, which is also excellent. Philippe Lacheau is a skilled director and actor and all the actors are his friends (they are all together in all his films), which is great I would also love to be part of that group. I like them all, Alice David is hilarious and the situational scenes were amazing. Literally the crazier and daddier Project X. I laughed a lot. 85%

I was expecting much more from the Netflix/King/Flanagan combo than a made-for-TV, conversational bore that runs an unnecessarily long 103 minutes, as the premise would be more suited to a short film. On the horror side of things, there is nothing interesting, apart from one scene, otherwise absolutely no suspense or atmosphere and not even the seductive MILF in the lead role can save it. If the book is as boring as the film, I would burn it after 10 pages. Other viewers are satisfied according to the ratings on FilmBooster and IMDB, I had to make myself a double espresso to be able to make it to the end. One star for the lead actress, the other for the hand scene. Quite an ordeal. 40%

I love the acting of both the excellent Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, but even the young puppy Elle Fanning has something going for her. I was expecting a more steamy psychological and erotic experience which the last half hour politely encouraged, just a shame they ended it so quickly. It was watchable, but could have been better. 60%

Wind River is a very chilling thriller set in Wyoming. Jeremy Renner (who incidentally is slowly turning from action hero to Oscar-winning actor), plays an excellent tracker and hunger who, together with an FBI agent played by Elizabeth Olsen, investigate the death of an Indian girl. Cool setting, Indians, great acting, a decent amount of suspense, heightened emotions and escalating atmosphere culminating in an impressive shootout, which is undoubtedly the best scene of the film. If it wasn't for the slower opening I would have gone even higher with the rating. Anyway, a solid affair from an unusual setting. The final monologue underlines the strength of the whole film. 80%

I'm surprised that I've only seen the film today, which was quite big for its time. Of the actors, I liked Dennis Quaid and the young Jake Gyllenhaal. The disaster scenes are decently gripping and gritty, and the scene with the aggressive wolves is great. I had fun. 80%.

The first half is great, with decently filmed war turmoil, realistically presented and slightly brutal (could have been more), but the second half is absolutely devoid of action and I had trouble finishing it. I prefer dosed action rather than an hour of entertainment and the following hour of misery. 65%.

Probably the biggest movie experience I've had and I'm not afraid to give it a full score. City of God has a very gritty story set in Rio de Janeiro, with no shortage of dead children and women. Little Z is a devilishly cool villain, the main character, a photographer, is a likable guy, and playboy Denny is the most popular and friendly drug dealer I've ever seen. There's also humor and some very powerful scenes that will stick in your memory for a long time. 95%

Similar to City of God, but not nearly as good, this is still an above average film from an unusual and rugged setting that has a lot to offer. I enjoyed watching the story of how a young kid grows up to be a full-fledged gangster and a feared man of his neighborhood. It's entertaining enough, decently gritty in places, so yeah these movies are starting to get me. 80%

Better Watch Out is a very decently made, suspenseful and clever film with great acting, and it’s strongest point are the several twists and surprises it offers. I enjoyed the creative play with genre and the devilish 15 year old Levi Miller, who does an admirable job for a little boy and I would love to see him in similar films again. The only issue is that the film skimps a lot on the brutality. A fun flick that will bring the Christmas spirit into your home. For a miserable year like this, a nice genre piece! 75%

A film has almost amateurish performances, and it stars Josh Stewart (the main character from The Collection), who is disgustingly unlikeable and comes across as bored and annoyed throughout the film. On the one hand, the film is a big detective borefest that's hard to finish, but on the other hand, it has some pretty decent make-up effects and there are a number of brutal deaths (the finale in the pool is pretty cool). I don't recommend it, it’s a cheaper B-movie from a not very successful director. 45%

If you fancy a chilling thriller from Iceland from director Baltasar Kormákur (Everest, 2 Guns, Contraband), The Oath is the right choice. The story tells of a successful cardiac surgeon whose daughter starts dating a drug dealer and is willing to do anything to break up their relationship, but it will cost him a lot of trouble that will turn his life upside down. The atmosphere of Iceland is properly chilling, the acting, especially from the lead, is excellent, the police are intrusive and quite clever, and the final denouement is certainly gripping. It is disappointing that there is no violence, but everything is made up for by a hefty dose of suspense. I had fun. 70%.

I haven't read the book, but I believe that it is definitely more interesting. The film feels very rushed in places and what can we say, cramming seven books into ninety minutes is impossible, a longer running time would have been better. I have no complaints about the acting, Idris Elba is a proper hero and Matthew McConaughey as the bad guy is excellent – it's a wonder that A-list actors are in such a B-movie. The action is decent, nicely shot, only the scene with the demons was too dark. There’s almost no atmosphere, so I wouldn't describe the film as horror even though it is labelled as such here, but for one viewing I think it's decent, inoffensive fun. 65%

Neill Blomkamp proves with this short that he still has it in him and shows what an Alien film directed by him could look like. Zygote is reminiscent of The Thing, but in a modern package, and has a solid atmosphere and a perfect central monster that not only looks great, but the way it works and what it can do is absolutely perfect. I'm praying he makes a feature film with this theme. Even from the introduction where they write the crew numbers 100, it's clear that we would be in for the ultimate sci-fi massacre with 98 dead bodies, which sounds like a dream come true. 80%

I’m not all that familiar with Cary Fukunaga’s work, I've only seen Beasts of no Nation, and Sin Nombre is a similarly themed film, also featuring kids from a gritty setting. Mexico, refugees and Mexican gangs is quite a hot topic, so the very interesting story with some gritty scenes, especially the finale, is very intense and unexpected. I'm satisfied I had fun. 80%.

A pleasantly wacky comedy about the relationship between a mother and daughter who swap bodies after visiting a Chinese restaurant. The idea is brilliant and it makes for a number of funny and offbeat situations. I had fun. 75%.

Great idea and decently made, only it somehow fizzles out into the void because of the open ending, something I couldn’t have done without. 65%

Another variation on Home Alone like the recent Better Watch Out, and it succeeded just as well. Better Watch Out focused more on story and twists, whereas The Babysitter focuses mainly on gore and humour, so both score points with me, although seeing them all together in one film would have been even more of a kick. The film is nicely shot, very sexy, decently suspenseful and above all very gory, the deaths are impressive and will please the eye of many a horror fan. Definitely one of the best horror comedies this year. 75%