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Inside No. 9: The Devil of Christmas (2016)
Fantastic piece of cinema
This was one of the first episodes of Inside No. 9 that I watched, and having watched many more, I am very familiar with how they hold the twists until a crucial moment (normally the end). I'm glad this was one of the first ones I watched, as the twist is truly spine-tingling.
For the first 26 minutes, you are sucked into this cheesy 70s soft horror - deliberately burlesque acting, very mild horror, and very low-budget scenery, as the director, Denis, points out as it goes along. It's only when you venture into the last 2 minutes that everything becomes apparent. At least in my case, you're so fixated on finding out who Krampus is and when (warning: spoilers) the planned murder and affair are revealed, you feel a mild catharsis, and the next scene '18B' doesn't immediately raise any eyebrows.
Then, at the same time as the female protagonist, you find out it's a snuff film, and you, as the viewer, feel misled and tricked, just as she was. I must say, horror doesn't usually leave me gobsmacked; I enjoy the thrill of being put on edge, waiting for the climax. However, seeing the would-be murderer unleash that machete, I could feel my heart in my mouth! The juxtaposition of the two states she was in was perfect, and as the machete is brandished over her, helpless and chained to the bed, you feel physically wronged by this depraved snuff film and for having ever enjoyed the first 26 minutes of what you initially thought was a cheesy Christmas family horror.
It is only then you find out Denis (whose younger self is featured in the film) is being interrogated by the police, and he very warmly reminisces on seeing that poor young woman being killed in the cruellest way possible. Bravo, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith! You have left me with severe merinthophobia!
(Just kidding)
Mean Girls 2 (2011)
Cash-grab
This film is simply a cash-grab. There are way too many elements in the film that cannot be serious. Among many:
- The Plastics' dress sense; those girls look like they walked straight out of a 5th-grade disco
- Girl drama; rather than having the façade of friendship, the girl drama is too explicit and predictable
- Pointless events; what is the point of the football game? Jo's expulsion depends on whether or not she stole the homecoming money, not on the result of the football game
- Finally, the dissimilarity between this and the original (Mean Girls (2004)); they run vaguely along the same plot - new girl climbs the hierarchy, becomes what she originally hates, loses it all, changes her ways and everything ends well - but its attempts to copy the original are unsuccessful, and the viewer, depending on whether or not they've seen the original, will just be longing for the original the entire time.
Despite all of this, I did enjoy it. It made me cringe a lot, and I revel in any kind of humour, stupid, illogical or intelligent.
F*&% the Prom (2017)
Hilariously bad!
I don't understand how someone who never went to high school could think he was fit to recreate the high school experience in cinema. The basic gist is there: some people are popular; some aren't. However, all the bits in-between aren't successfully represented.
The clapping in the cafeteria; the dad's inappropriate, unfunny 'jokes'; the hypocritical girl; the overall cringe; all of it is too much to bear lol. I was cackling at how they handled many of the typical high school themes, as it reminded me of Mean Girls 2.
Precious (2009)
Moving, uplifting and a reminder of how fortunate most of us are
There is nothing I love more than progress. This film perfectly illustrates that, showing a lower class black girl from inner city New York surmount her problems at home with abusive parents. Things don't look promising for Precious until she sees life outside a zone which she has been used to her whole life. She not only becomes more academic and sophisticated, but she develops more self-confidence, self-worth and perspective on life. She breaks free from her abusive mother, on whom she was made to feel like she relied wholly. One other thing that I love is the message that academia allows one to change ones life for the better. The process of learning is fun and rewarding, and as someone who was once expected to do poorly academically and who is now at one of the country's top universities, it brings me joy to see someone's life change in a similar way to mine.
One may think it's unrealistic, but what if it had a sad ending and she went back to live with her vindictive mother? It would be a let down and would defy the point that I raised earlier. On the other hand, sad endings are common and not everyone is the same. If Precious had less self-worth, she would have felt more compelled to return home and take up her former destructive path.
On the bright side, she came out how one wished, and that's what one loves to see. I've just bought the French version of the book and will read that when it arrives.
Countdown (2019)
Mostly good
The concept of this film is brilliant and unique: an app that tells you when you're going to die - very relatable to our modern western society, where it's all about technology and screens. I think however the characters found out stuff that was too intelligent for them. I love how there was a biblical story with a scroll of the exact same format as the app itself, as it's clearly not a true story and it had to be an old Gypsy lady who told the prince in the story when he was going to die. Also I was bemused by the comment from the Matt, one of the protagonists, who was black. He threatened the white guy saying something along the lines of 'I'd be happy to take a white guy with me' (referring to killing the white guy). This mention of race was really unnecessary and quite a double standard, as a much stronger reaction would have ensued, had it been made the other way towards the black guy (e.g. 'I'd be happy to take a black guy with me') - my advice to the filmmakers would be: stop being 'woke' and encouraging double standards.
Mini rant aside, it was an excellent film and I was taken back by the suspense of it all!