- Irreversible
Irreversible is one of the most upsetting films I have watched in years. It follows the day of a trio and you go through the story from the ending to the beginning. Once you realize what has taken place, the ending (beginning of their day) is all the more upsetting. Shot in what feels like one continuous run, Irreversible is relentless in its approach to make you feel disoriented and ultimately disgusted. This film is truly an endurance test and I must add a strong trigger warning for sexual abuse and violence. A well shot and well acted film…I’m still not sure if I would recommend it. Watch at your own risk.Irreversible - 825 Forest Road
825 Forest Road attempts to do something special on a smaller budget and almost succeeds. The story starts off with promise as small unsettling moves are made on screen. You catch them at the corner of your eye. They’re are some so subtle, you have to rewind to make sure you saw it. It’s all pointing to something unnerving and satisfying. Unfortunately, the film then goes for a big swing and subsequent bigger swings that take away from initial build up. It starts to feel like 2 movies with 2 different directions and ideas. Not a terrible film, but a missed opportunity with a truly unsatisfying ending.825 Forest Road - Berberian Sound Studio
A man takes a job doing sound effects for a film studio in Italy. As the filming and schedule become more intense the job begins to take a toll on his mental health. Watching Berberian Sound Studio is a mental exercise and endurance test and not because the film is a drag. The sound effects have an effect that will jar you to the edge of your senses. It’s meant to push the viewer into the same head space as the main character. You want to quit but you have to see it through to the end. The storyline becomes disorienting and the sound design drives this feeling home with each passing minute until you’re left alone in silence. Blissful silence. Berberian Sound Studio is a masterclass in tense atmospheric horror.Berberian Sound Studio - Transformers One
Transformers One is a surprisingly well crafted story that dives into the origins of a friendship gone awry. A young Orion Pax (Optimus Prime) and D-16 (Megatron) are miners on their home world. Through ambition and a bit of luck the two discover secrets that will change the fate of Cybertron forever. Their ideas of what this means for the fate of their kind will also change the meaning of the relationship. This is a story of friends bonded like brothers before they became bitter rivals. Transformers One is a compelling film that will more than likely leave you feeling a bit nostalgic.Transformers One - A Different Man
A Different Man is a story about content and being careful about what you wish for. We follow an aspiring actor who wishes to change his appearance and his dream face becomes a reality. However, as he looks to star in a play, his new life becomes an absolute nightmare. This is a psychological dark comedy that isn’t full of laugh out loud moments but brings uneasy and nervous chuckles. A fantastic film that questions what it truly means to be happy with what we have and how gratitude truly goes a long way. Sebastian Stan is accompanied by Adam Pearson and Renate Reinsve as they deliver layered story that will leave you content….or at least you should be.A Different Man - The Ugly Stepsister
A timeless tale retold from its dark roots, The Ugly Stepsister is a nuanced film that explores the pressures felt by women due to society’s beauty standards. The cinematography pulls you into a different time and place and the acting is superb. The story takes its time to build on the social commentary and critique of standards and ideas that have a hold on us even today. And all of this comes crashing down in a brutal and visceral display of violence that is meant to drive the point home…and it does. The Ugly Stepsister is a fantastic tale worth a watch and a rewatch, just to make sure we get the point.The Ugly Stepsister - Sinners
‘Sinners’ is the most brilliant film in Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s careers. The stunning visuals, beautiful score and outstanding performances culminate a perfectly balanced film. ‘Sinners’ proves to be more than a play on its title. It explores appropriation of culture, erasure of history, and the assimilation of belief systems. Michael B. Jordan delivers the standout performance of his career as two similar and yet subtly different characters. He expresses nuances to their demeanors, speech patterns and mannerisms. Surrounded by an equally brilliant cast, you find yourself engrossed with everyone on screen. The music is a character in itself, moving the story and weaving emotional strings that will fill you with joy and at times sadden your heart. The songs act as a pulse throughout the film. It quickens, it slows, its nervous, its angry, its hopeful, it is everything. ‘Sinners’ is a must see film and proves to be story telling at its absolute best.Sinners - 400 Days
400 Days is one those films that attempts to get it’s viewers to think about a deeper theme and meaning. The problem is 400 Days isn’t thought provoking in any meaningful way. The story attempts to do something interesting in the first half and then forces a sort of “twist” half way through. It ends up not working because there isn’t any mystery to solve or even think about. It’s all explained through the exposition as the characters wonder aloud and the new characters flat out explain what has happened. The film then attempts to get the audience to not believe what they just saw by throwing in an ending that doesn’t actually make sense even if you try to give it the benefit of the doubt. Instead it comes off as if the director didn’t know how to end it and doubled down with a twist to leave the ending “ambiguous.”Viewers will more than likely leave confused and wondering why did the film end that way rather than exploring what the ending meant.400 Days - Frewaka
Fréwaka is an effective folk horror that plays on atmosphere and mood more than bloody jump scares. Layers are peeled back as ideas of trauma bonding and mental health are explored. It makes for an uneasy watch as we all wonder what is coming for us when we finally reach an elderly stage in life. And moving through the narrative, Fréwaka pushes the viewer to think about unresolved familial strife and how this may carry into something ugly. This film is eerie, not just because of its imagery, score and tense atmosphere. It’s scary because it nudges you into the feeling that your unresolved trauma has unforeseen consequences.Frewaka - The Surfer
Nicolas Cage delivers a deliriously unhinged performance as a humiliated surfer. The storyline unfolds in such a way that you’re unsure if the locals are actually torturing Cage’s character or if he’s just an insane beach bum. The cinematography adds to this narrative, effectively twisting your mind right along with the surfer’s. By the time everything falls into place you’re still waiting to see if something unthinkable happens and you get your answer in brutal fashion. A thoroughly enjoyable film, Surfer is Nicolas Cage doing Nicolas Cage things. Have fun.The Surfer
