Thursday, 22 June 2017
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.
Great special effects and some humour make this sequel entertaining, but basically this is an old-fashioned monster movie.
Halliwell*: "The special effects are to be wondered at, as is the fact that the script is cloned from the oldest and most familiar elements of monster movies; this is a dinosaur about dinosaurs."
Maltin**1/2: "Completely contrived sequel to JURASSIC PARK benefits from Goldblum's deprecating dialogue and superior special effects. Enough cliffhanger-style action scenes to make up for the lulls."
Ich seh ich seh (2014)
Twin boys move to a new home with their mother after she has face changing cosmetic surgery, but under her bandages is someone the children don't recognize.
Unusual Austrian shocker successfully creates an atmosphere of isolation and dread, but has some truly nasty scenes and a puzzling ending.
Tuesday, 20 June 2017
Antichrist (2009)
A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.
Ambiguous black fairy tale, basically a two person drama congenially set and photographed in a dark forest; some scenes may not be suitable for the squeamish.
Maltin**: "Intense, gorgeously designed drama becomes increasingly gruesome, with some scenes so brutally graphic they're nearly impossible to watch. This isn't SAW-type torture porn; it's grimly serious, but also very difficult to decipher, with touches of fantasy thrown in. To say it's not for all tastes is an understatement, but those interested in writer-director von Trier may well find something to their liking."
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly vicious things he says and does as he grows up, but Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.
Half character study, half Bad Seed horror movie, the tale is slowly revealed through a complex patchwork of flashbacks and offers an intense performance by Tilda Swinton.
Maltin**: "Swinton delivers a deeply felt performance...Miller is chilling as the adolescent boy. Knowing where the story is headed makes watching this flashback-laden film a torturous experience, though it was highly praised by many critics and moviegoers."
Sunday, 18 June 2017
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
Mesmerizing and heart-wrenching documentary is fast-paced and overabundant with details and is remarkable, as events occurring during the making of the film turn its intentions completely around.
Maltin***1/2: "Riveting, emotionally charged documentary...illustrates how real life often is stranger than fiction."
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