prateekcertain Reviews

Suspiria (1977)

Gorgeous

[8/10 · 19 May 2018]

Suspiria is visually a masterpiece. The music is exceptional and succeeds in creating the terrorizing atmosphere exceedingly well.

Now, when it comes to explaining "dream-like premise", people go too far into rationalizing the negative aspects of the film as intentional. No, the acting is bad and was not made to feel like a dream. The dubbing is very off and sometimes distracting, and while the fact that they are not English speakers is unfortunate, I can't not take that into consideration while I talk about the film.

The focus and the objective of the film is not about the straightforward plot or the acting, but is about the other-worldly ambience that the colours, music builds and the cinematography, making these aspects an extension of the subject of horror rather than the props. Some of the camera work, set design and gore scenes reminded me of some of the B-grade horror movies I've seen. I don't mean that it cheapens the quality, but it is just an observation. In fact, there isn't a lot of gore here either.

All the negatives aside, this is still a captivating horror film that has clearly influenced a lot of horror and thrillers movies that came after this. It is a must watch for the genre.

On the Beach (1959)

Lost potential

[7/10 · 19 May 2018]

'On the Beach' has a great premise to work with - a town ignoring the impending radioactive doom creeping and strolling slowly with the winds of the ocean towards it, and a navy team with a submarine that does not want to suspend the cloak of importance of their duties. The scenes of tranquil and playfulness are especially well-made and has the bittersweet comfort of ignorance in helplessness. The exploration of the vacant landscapes of American shores and harbours is unnerving. I did enjoy the reactions of most of the people to their eventual demise. What really disturbs the story is the ill-paced romance aspects. If they had spent more time with people coping (or not coping) in these strange circumstances instead of the romance plots, this could have been a classic. It was evident that the movie was not about the nuclear catastrophe itself, but how the Australian town reacts to it. But it takes a while to pick up. The party scene at the beginning of the film, for example, is extremely boring and not essential.