Out to own today:
The Greasy Strangler
 | “Why not put a little grease in your java?” Big Ronnie (Michael St. Michaels) A puerile idea, which might have provided mild distraction as a short film, has so little to it that 93 minutes feels interminable. Having exaggerated performances and gross caricatures, sans charm, shows how hard it is to get a WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS or a GENTLEMEN BRONCOS right. Those who are fans of Monty Python might not be so vocal if the sketches had been elongated to movie-length. Even the supporting players and walk on parts are peopled by unfunny O.T.T. weirdos. If this were a social commentary, on post-industrial economically inert towns, would you take offence? [To read more, click here.] |
The Evil in Us
 | “Please, just kill me,” Zoe Kieslowska (Tatyana Forrest) Bargain bin filmmaking of a low order. At least there is no female exploitation. THE CABIN IN THE WOODS and TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL have upped the ante on youngsters in peril in an isolated hut. There is no excuse now for this level of incompetence. Dialogue drops leadenly out of character mouths as if there was no script and everyone had to improvise on the spot, with no prep and not more than a single take permitted. The runtime is dominated by three twenty-something couples, who are friends and lovers with zero chemistry. When it comes the inevitable time for them to perish, the audience will be nonplussed. [To read more, click here.] |
The Shameless
 | “I’m sorry Hye-kyung, I killed Hwang,” Park Joon-gil (Park Sung-woong) The second sentence uttered in a crime drama about emotional evisceration. Early striking tracking shots towards the crime scene of said murder, and an action sequence, suggest an atmospheric thriller that never materialises. Overly long and poorly paced, THE SHAMELESS, in the hands of a Bong Joon-ho, might have been something special. As a character study one can admire a different tack taken in a genre chock full of product, and therefore needing constant reinvention to keep from ennui. However, shorn of attention-grabbing stylistics the script is not enough. [To read more, click here.] |
RSS Feed