J*A*S*M

An entertaining spectacle from ancient Rome, in the first half I was bothered mainly by the digital monkeys that seemed to have fallen out of the Alien or Predator universe, in the second half by a significantly more fundamental cannonade of twists that happen terribly fast and easy and have no time to mature. As a result, the narrative potential of the interestingly fleshed out characters (even if it does have a slightly soap opera feel) rings hollow when none of the on-paper key moments have any emotional impact.

The rating is the most exactly between a weaker four and a stronger three stars that I can imagine. A little bit horror, a little bit comedy, a little bit romance, a little bit young adult, but a very enjoyable satanic panic mashup with a rewarding role for Bruce Campbell. It hooked me with the very first scene and the very first song, though I admit that both in terms of content and form aren’t anything downright special, and that the running time is a bit too much – the episodes could have been closer to 40 minutes rather than 60.

I didn't bother with it for the first forty minutes. A jealous Russian asshole and a money-hungry hooker are definitely not characters I want to spend time with, and in whom I could invest emotionally enough to make it worthwhile for me to watch a serious drama with them. I found them actively annoying. Fortunately, the plot develops in a not-entirely-predictable way, and formally the film becomes essentially a shaky situation comedy (which in turn apparently annoys uptight viewers). I began to have fun with the introduction of new characters, and in places very well, but that didn't change the fact that I continued to not care for the protagonist, Anora, and that made the overwrought ending fizzle out. A weaker 4* and expectations were higher given the award at Cannes.

A forgettable Indonesian gangster action flick, I feel like I've seen this movie a few times before. Solid action for sure, but not connected to any interesting story or characters that one cares about. The running time is lethal.

Another film whose totally outrageous overlong running time actively destroys everything that is good in it. It could have been a solid zombie drama, but unfortunately there's at least an hour of material too much in the Netflix cut.

Night of the Screaming Teenagers can give the impression of an intense horror experience at times, but really only at times - for example in the opening sequence of the car ride, or at the very end. In other parts, the creative effort comes up empty. The moments when the director tries to create the impression of an apocalypse in progress by means of various sounds and noises, even though visually we see a quiet night town which is obviously completely dead, are downright ridiculous. Once I noticed this, it distracted me from the intended experience until the end. The single-shot form doesn't add to the believability of the action in this regard, either, as the character currently in focus gets caught in the middle of a police intervention, but a few steps away it's quiet again.

Plus points for the fact that they came up with a rather original idea, one that looks fresh in the stale zombie subgenre. Minus points for failing to adequately develop and sell it. In part, the film is very predictable and readable, and some bits of the denouement should perhaps be clear to any viewer long before the director lays his cards on the table. On the other hand, I guess few people can unravel it completely in all its nuances, which in the final analysis are actually very dark and twisted, and surprising to me. Unfortunately, due to the way it is presented the impact is very soft, almost inappropriately I would say. The zombies are visually awesome.

An unusually focused piece of work for Bustillo and Maury, but unfortunately without spark, just a slow, unexciting flow. Moreover, the rational denouement loses the film in my eyes, I don't like when a film lures in with mystery, mysticism, the supernatural, but then bends over and comes up with a bizarre "real" revelation.

Not the best, not the most original, not the most entertaining, not the most intense horror film of the year, but in terms of pure scares, I don't think anything has worked better for me this year. It's subjective, of course, but I was really uncomfortable with the boogeyman hiding in dark corners, not to mention the two scares that left my soul leaving my body. The craftsmanship is great, the acting is also good, and I enjoyed the characters, who are conceived a little differently than usual in similar genre films. The story takes place against a very uncomfortable backdrop that sets the mood of the film from the beginning, unfortunately the denouement isn't entirely satisfying for me.

The first one but with more money. Quality craftsmanship that looks very nice, and Naomi Scott giving a fantastic performance, but the concept of hasn’t been pushed an inch. I rewatched the first Smile two days ago and I could recognize similar, only slightly varied scenes in the sequel. And I didn't find it subjectively scarier, quite the opposite. Moreover, the ending is exactly in the spirit of what is offered, and the plot as such takes the viewer for an idiot. I was generous last time, I won't be generous this time.