alihandemiral Reviews

The Twilight Zone: Blurryman (2019) Season 1, Episode 10

Good idea, poor execution.

[5/10 · 27 June 2019]

The only great thing about this episode is the fact that Rod Serling - a heavy CGI Rod Serling, was a part of it.

The idea is really good and the episode itself starts with a good twist. But in the end, it comes short of what it was trying to communicate for 40 minutes. It comes short of making a point. Peele says in the episode that "the meaning is (already) there", but it actually isn't.

Decent job though, I mean the season. Peele wanted to cement his position as a horror icon with this show. But honesty he could do better.

Cold Pursuit (2019)

Some great dialogue, legendary characters, and an ice cold revenge plot.

[9/10 · 12 May 2019]

Cold Pursuit is one of the few Hollywood remakes that are preferable to the original in the last decade. Adapting the story to the American culture makes it an unique piece of work, distinguishable from the Swedish original.

Witty dialogues, fun-to-watch, unique characters, and solid acting combined with a decent storyline knitted with twists and turns makes the film very fun to watch. If "Taken" franchise was his own throne in action movies, this one is Neeson's crown(Although I'd argue that "A Walk Among the Tombstones or "Non-Stop are much better action-thrillers than "Taken"-the first being a drama more than a thriller).

Very unique and fun. This film keeps the soul of the original but adds that indie -Hollywood vibe to the film, which makes it all better. Good work!

The Twilight Zone: Six Degrees of Freedom (2019) Season 1, Episode 6

Finally, an episode that truly deserves to be called a The Twilight Zone episode.

[8/10 · 8 May 2019]

With "The Comedian" I was hopeful, "Replay" was eerie, but did not quite work for me. "A Traveler" was a really good episode. And I thought in that episode, I felt I was in The Twilight Zone. But "Six Degrees of Freedom" really captures the essence of The Twilight Zone, excelling compared to "A Traveler".

Some good acting, an interesting plot and a punch-in-the-gut ending, this episode almost has it all.

Green Book (2018)

Mortensen and Ali at the top of their game!

[9/10 · 22 April 2019]

Green Book is one of the best road movies in a long while. We have seen a lot of films that deal with "the Afro-American experience" in the last decade, some of which have been highlighted by various awards. But Green Book goes beyond them, because it covers the diasporic standpoint not just from an Afro-American perspective, but also suggests that white Americans have a cast system between them as well. As we see in the film, Italian-American, as opposed to Irish-American, British- American or German-American, is the black of the white race. This is where the chemistry between Tony Lip and Doc Shirley is formed; Shirley is a black man who lives by the white standards and cultural values, but as we see later; he has been through a lot, he has experienced what being Afro-American means in this country, although buried deep; he still knows his roots. But he has "whitened" himself to fit the society; and in Tony Lip, he sees himself, and Italian-American, not much different than himself, the only difference is, Tony does not care to hide his true identity and Shirley learns from him throughout the film.

Viggo Mortensen and Marshala Ali have a chemistry beyond words. They brilliantly convey the brotherhoodly bond between the characters to the audience.

Except for a few minor plotholes, this film is amazing.

The Twilight Zone: A Traveler (2019) Season 1, Episode 4

Now this was an episode worthy of The Twilight Zone.

[7/10 · 21 April 2019]

Peele's The Twilight Zone revival started off with "The Comedian", which had many flaws, but in the essence, was a decent episode. I thought it would get better by each episode, but "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" and "Replay" turned out to be predictable stories with not much to offer in regards to a "revival". With " A Traveler", The Twilight Zone revival finally has a story that deserves to be branded as twilight zone-ish. Steven Yeun's haunting performance also contributes to the eerieness of the episode.

Decent work!

Dragged Across Concrete (2018)

S. Craig Zahler returns with another one of his trademark slow-burning intense thrillers!

[10/10 · 20 April 2019]

S. Craig Zahler is 3 on 3! Once more, he puts the trademark over-simplified but intense action scenes to work. Over-simplified has not a deragotary meaning here. It is simplied to the point that it feels to realistic. In big action thrillers of Hollywood, we are subjected to grand chase scenes, shootouts with explosions everywhere and characters performing incredible actions , an orchestra assuring us what we see is awesome; but in Zahler's art - I call it art, solely because it is- he does not need that Hollywood scheme to make you pay attention to his craft. Just as he has done in "Bone Tomahawk" and "Brawl in Cell Block 99", he does not use any orchestral pieces to signal the grandeur of things, he keeps it as real as it can be.

You hear the footsteps, you hear every gunshot, you see out-of-nowhere deaths, unexpected injuries. But then the movie gets quite all of a sudden, in the exact way that the action has started. Then once more, you're back in the action before you know it. Through those long intermissions to action, suported by great dialogues, Zahler is artistically crafting the small amount action scenes in such a way that those few scenes make worth the wait and deservedly end the whole intense build-up.

Gibson and Vaughn's powerhouse performances are something to behold. As he has done in his previous two films, Zahler finds the best actors for the parts. Tory Kittles shines, Michael Jai White makes the transition from a tough gangster act to panic-ridden frenzy when he realizes he is way out of his league .

The cleverly-crafted dialogue builds a bridge between Dragged Across the Concrete and Zahler's previous works. Another bridge is how the storyline is build, there is always a point of no return in Zahler's films. In that exact point, the characters are deep in the mess, you know there will be no going back. In "Bone Tomahawk", it was the loss of the horses after the face-off with the Mexican outlaws, In "Cell Block" it was the fight with the guard... In this one, well, you will see what it is!

Brilliant overall. Cannot wait to watch more from this amazing writer and director.

The Silence (II) (2019)

And I Thought "A Quiet Place " was bad...

[4/10 · 15 April 2019]

Do you like an in-your-face student film full of plot holes? Then this is the movie for you! What a waste of talent like Stanley Tucci, Miranda Otto and Kiernan Shipka. What a waste... It feels like they are holding their laughter throughout the film, having realized how bad the film turn out. On top of a B-movie storyline, Netflix surrenders without a fight; providing no budget for decent creatures and a few explosions. Bravo!

The Twilight Zone: The Comedian (2019) Season 1, Episode 1

A good start to the Peele Era!

[7/10 · 3 April 2019]

Twilight Zone's revival started out good with a decent episode. The theme was great, the execution, however, could be a lot better. The episode felt at least 10 minutes longer than it should be.

The acting was pretty spot on, Morgan was great as the creppy JC Wheeler, and Nanjiani was tailored for the role of Samir. I really loved seeing Peele taking the place of Rod Serling. It suits him. I believe the show will get better each episode.

Solid job!

Cold in July (2014)

A fantastic crime thriller with great twists!

[9/10 · 30 March 2019]

Cold in July is a great film. First of all, the performance of the cast is just perfect. Sam Shepard and Don Johnson make an excellent duo; the embodiment of oldschool brotherhood. Michael C. Hall is also perfectly cast for his role, his transformation from a decent middle class American citizen to a vigilante is depicted spot on.

The progress of the storyline is very authentic to say the least. A breath of fresh air to recent Hollywood.

Legendary work. I'm really glad Sam Shepard done this film before he passed away, a great work next to many others. May he rest in peace.

The Exception (2016)

A marvelous story about "the new and the old" with a powerhouse performance by Christopher Plummer

[8/10 · 10 February 2019]

The Exception is a great film that does no other film has done before. Bringing the two colossal changes of 20th Century together in one story.

In one side, we have Kaiser Wilhelm II, the pathway to the most radical change in history, the death of "the old way"; the time of romantic chivalry and imperial warfare that always ended up in a status quo in the grand scheme of things. On the other side, we have an extreme "new way"; Hitler's Third Reich, a radical change that the impredictable chaotic atmosphere of the WWI has brought about. A world where mass murder is seen as the state-of-the-art scientific method to achieve greatness. All it takes to go from "the romantic old" to "the radical new" is a war that was fought four times longer than it was expected ( the demise of the frequently mentioned romantic belief "we will be home by Christmas"), with ten times the predicted death and destruction. And inevitably, a decade of turbulent national economic crisis on the part of Germany.

Christopher Plummer "is indeed" Kaiser Wilhelm II, what a powerhouse performance. Plummer and Janet McTeer (who portrays Wilhelm's wife, former Empress Hermine) are the embodiment of the Romantic Imperial way of thinking with their exceptional portrayals of the characters. Eddie Marsan, as Himmler, on the other hand, is a punch-to-the-gut portrayal of the new, monstrous entity that Germany has become after her sufferings since the end of The Great War. His cold, machine-like estrangement from humanity portrays the Third Reich marvelously.

The Void (I) (2016)

A captivating micro-budget Lovecraftian horror thriller!

[9/10 · 13 January 2019]

The Void is the ultimate example of the fact that great horror does not always require big budget. Its storyline is knitted densely, not a single moment of the film is a waste. Despite the fact that its cast is made up of mostly unknown names, the acting is decent. But the Lovecraftian concept depicted in The Void is so good that you will be more than tolerant of the mediocre acting that occurs at times throughout the film. The film has some key scenes that conveys the point that horror is not always about the scares, those scenes show us that beyond eerie, creepy face of the horror genre. For me this film has been the equivalent of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness, due to this aforementioned effect of it.

Well done, well done in deed.

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

A Western Tale that Both Breaks and Warms the Heart.

[8/10 · 4 January 2019]

Jacques Audiard's "The Sisters Brothers" should not only be classifed as a Western. It is a tragicomic adventure film that displays the chaotic nature of being human. John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix are a dynamic duo as The Sisters Brothers, perfect casting for the roles. Riz Ahmed's bond with Jake Gyllenhaal (which was already demonstrated in the great "Nightcrawler" four years ago) is also something worth to be witnessed.

This tale warms the heart, then shatters it to a thousand pieces; only to piece it together once more at the end.

Lastly, the cinematography is top notch; it goes hand in hand with the tale.

Bird Box (2018)

This is the film that The Happening and A Quiet Place would have been if they were done right

[10/10 · 2 January 2019]

Birdbox marks a landmark for its specific subgenre inmy opinion, because although we have seen post apocalyptic mystery thrillers that have to do with the paranormal (The Happening and A Quiet Place comes to mind at first), there was always something missing, an unsatisfying ending here, a major plothole there... But Birdbox is done excellently, no flaw, not one unnecessary scene. Decent acting and Malkovich and Bullock on board, you got yourself a great film.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Dis Spike Lee Joint is Lit!

[9/10 · 30 December 2018]

BlackKKlansman is one of the best pictures of the year. So captivating, fun-to-watch and informative. It is special mainly because it makes its point "the Spike Lee way", if you know anything about Spike Lee, you know what I mean. There are some scenes in the movie which make you cry inside but laugh out loud due to that unique presentation of Lee. Golden characters, each and every one of them. Decent cinematography, some very powerful scenes, and last but not least, a punch-in-the-gut kind of ending.

Incredible.

Outlaw King (2018)

If only it was not made by Netflix, we could call it " the new Braveheart".

[8/10 · 17 December 2018]

Netflix has its good sides. It enables an extra platform for countless producers, writers and directors to give life to projects that would have never been made otherwise. But it also has some very bad sides. Netflix allows in its platform thousands of shows and films continuously. Their business model reminds one of a factory; pushing countless content with the aim of becoming an enormous empire, a monopoly. Therefore, their products sometimes lack the artistic value that they could have if they were made by the classic Hollywood companies that we know of.

We can see the example of this in "Outlaw King." It is a giant production. Great cinematography, decent acting, stellar ensemble... Yet, sadly; lots of plotholes - that I begin to see a lot in Netflix productions. Their way of "chain production" takes away from the art a bit each time. Outlaw King is pretty good. But it has the potential to be great in it, something is missing. That something may very well be "an eye that watches out for artistic values in the production".

Netflix fails to make complete use of David MacKenzie's and the stellar cast's potentialin greatness.

The Wrestler (2008)

Lost for words, Mickey Rourke TRUELY IS "Randy 'The Ram' Robinson".

[9/10 · 19 September 2018]

Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" is a dream flick both for die-hard entertainment wrestling fans and Rourke fans.

My first thoughts about Rourke as "The Ram" was " okay, i love Mickey Rourke, but there's no chance that he is gonna sell himself as a wrestler." And i thought someone like Kevin Nash ("Diesel" in WWF and "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash in his golden years in WCW) could play the role instead. Boy, was i wrong about Rourke selling it as a wrestler. He killed it! Three minutes into the film, he wasn't Rourke anymore, he was Randy "The Ram" Robinson! What a great performance. The Oscar snub of 2009 for sure. Marisa Tomei killed it as Pam also.

Aronofsky's directing is spectacular, the one scene that stuck with me all these years (as i write these lines, i just watched the film for the second time after about four years) is the one when Randy is going for the deli counter in the supermarket. What a spectacular shot that was.

Truly a must see.

Hostile (I) (2017)

Romantic Horror?

[7/10 · 27 August 2018]

Hostile is an indie film the story of which is pretty random and ordinary. What is interesting is that the film is like a coin, it has two sides. The romance side of the story and the horror side of the story are pretty ordinary when they are evaluated independently, we have seen these scenarios millions of times, but what makes this film unique is how these two different genres are brought together through the two lead characters. The film turns out to be an endavour that could satisfy the lovers of both genres.

Alas, although the idea of combining two opposite genres is well executed, the film cannot get too far from being ordinary, the script could have a little more action in it.

I'd give it a 6, but this genre thing... It got me!

Upgrade (2018)

Heck yeah Blumhouse, heck yeah!

[9/10 · 26 August 2018]

Blumhouse came up with yet another original, thrilling, fun to watch film! This film will not be what you expect it to be. It exceeded all my expectations.

The script is full of surprising elements and the futuristic world created in the film is one of the most realistic dystopias I have ever seen in cinema. This is a unique experience, what a fun film to watch!

Lastly, I've been keeping an eye on Logan Marshall-Green since "Devil", and I think "Upgrade" is his Swan Song, along with "The Invitation", of course.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)

A clever remake that is not actually a remake: as captivating as the original with a modern touch.

[7/10 · 8 August 2018]

The Town That Dreaded Sundown has its fair share of clichés, but that doesn't make it a bad film. It is probably the most "progressive" remake in the history of cinema, because it acknowledges the original 1970s film and the events that led to the film , and uses them as a pivotal part of the storyline in a manner that has never been done before.

The writing, as i mentioned before, has some horror clichés in it, but the progressive way that the original film has been remade makes up for it right away after the first 15 minutes.

Gomez-Rejon's directing has almost no flaws, he is superb in what I assume his feauture film debut, the use of light is extremely captivating, I guess we should thank the cinematographer as well as Gomez-Rejon for that.

This film is a must-watch for the lovers of the genre and especially for the fans of the original film. I bet it would be a huge film if Blumhouse Productions was as highly valued as it is today back in 2014.

Gotti (2018)

Travolta is at the top of his game, but the scriptwriters and the director are not...

[6/10 · 2 August 2018]

Along with "From Paris with Love", "Gotti" is the best Travolta film of the decade. But Travolta's powerhouse performance as John Gotti is not enough to give this film a good rating. The film is full of confusing montages. It is a muddy pool of flashbacks and flashforwards that do not make sense to an audience that isn't informed about Gotti's life and mob history. The script is sloppy, but the directing is way worse. There is no attempt to cover up the plot holes or confusing chronology of the script. Kevin Connolly must have said "Hey, I'll let Travolta's performance take care of this one!", Travolta IS truly Gotti. But it isn't enough to save the film.

However, this film is is surely Travolta's second comeback since Pulp Fiction. Hence, a must-see for Travolta fans.

Bad Day for the Cut (2017)

An underrated revenge thriller with some comedic genius in it.

[8/10 · 31 July 2018]

Bad Day for the Cut is a gem hiding beneath the bottom of the sea for the fans of revenge thrillers. It is a great example of why there should be more indie films out there. Fairly good acting - astounding performances by Nigel O'Neill and Susan Lynch especially -a steady storyline and a decent plot twist, this film has it all.

The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

How to destroy the original film's legacy in less than 90 minutes... LAME!

[1/10 · 19 July 2018]

The Strangers 2 is an abomination. The first movie basically glorified an entire sub-genre of horror we call "home invasion" nowadays, it caused dozens of other home invasion films to be released after it; it became a trailblazer. It was thrilling, well-written. This film is nothing but well written. As an audience we don't even get to empathize with the victims, because we are not given anything by the script that will make us do so. Shallow characters, regular American family, which does everything in their power to make sure that they are going to be murdered by the actually not-that-strong invaders. An intruder stays one feet away from the victim, no visible weapon at hand, and she doesn't even throw a punch... Lame writing, lame acting. I mean i love Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson, i really do. Bu they must know that the movie was gonna suck, they didn't put much effort into acting. 40 minutes into the film and the senior characters die. The only characters that made this film a bit more bearable... We are stuck with two totally douche teenagers to root for for the rest of the film.

Thanks for destroying one of the best horror-thrillers of my childhood.

This is my first all-negative interview. The only one who deserves recognition is the DOP. Whoever he/she is, they did a good job on giving the same haunting atmosphere of the original film to us.

The Babysitter (I) (2017)

Absurd, gory and entertaining as heck!

[8/10 · 18 July 2018]

The Babysitter is basically The Strangers meets Home Alone. It's a slasher comedy with lots of hilarious scenes to enjoy. I don't remember when was the last time that I found every character in a film this entertaining and unique.

Looks like Samara Weaving is going to become a familiar face in absurd slasher films judging by her performances in Mayhem and The Babysitter.

The Crazies (2010)

A decent horror-thriller that slightly outdoes the original.

[6/10 · 17 July 2018]

I am kind of a person that supports a remake when there is room for improvement in the original picture. And Romero's The Crazies is just the right film to get remade. I've seen a few horror remakes that are exceptionally brilliant such as Alexandre Aja's remake of Wes Craven classic "The Hills Have Eyes" and Zack Snyder's remake of Romero's "Dawn of the Dead", although The Crazies is not as brilliant, it still has a fresh breath of air compared to the original.

The acting is quite good, although i have a problem with Timothy Olyphant being a sheriff- again! The dude is still Sheriff Seth Bullock from HBO's amazing western drama "Deadwood; he walks the same, he talks the same and he has the exact same quick temperement that Seth Bullock has. Joe Anderson - who i first got to know in ABC's short lived but quite entertaining horror series "The River" and quickly remarked "Damn! he would make a good Kurt Cobain in a biopic!" - is a pretty original supporting character and is the only unique character to watch in the film in my opinion.

The visuals are the best thing about the movie, the DOP saves the film from being a typical outbreak horror film with just the same old storyline and same old jumpscares.. The Crazies is definitely a feast for the eye.

Red Sparrow (2018)

Arguably the best espionage thriller since "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy".

[8/10 · 25 April 2018]

Red Sparrow is a surprising, tense and quite satisfying espionage thriller. Although it starts off rather dull, the 2 hour 15 minute ride gets tenser by every passing minute and comes to an end with a great climax. Even though some of the aspects of the story are predictable after a certain amount of time, the film still does a good job at surprising the audience, genre fans and regular viewers alike.

The film is also striking due to its stellar cast. Lawrence does a satisfying job at transforming to a Russian ballet dancer first, then to an operator for SVR, while Edgerton has passive but assuring powerhouse performance as always. The cast also includes veteran actors Jeremy Irons and Ciaran Hinds, both of whom do a great job.

Red Sparrow is a must for the genre loversç