swodder Reviews

The Creatures (1966)

Sci-fi Surreal Mashup

[8/10 · 9 October 2023]

Plays with fiction and non-fiction and places all of us at the whim of an embittered game of fate in the hands of the author. An intriguing entry into the sci-fi genre with surreal elements that seemed to be about the relationship between a man and woman but told through the other film's characters rather than directly.

The woman is initially ignored by her husband and this leads to a serious accident early in the film. The abstract tale shows her regaining her voice and role in the relationship through a game of people chess through which her author husband learns about relationships and love.

Peterloo (2018)

Bland and heartless

[5/10 · 27 March 2019]

This is a disappointing depiction of an important moment in the history of working class political representation. It lacks a central focus and meanders through some interesting speeches that are not given adequate context. The massacre itself is left to the end of the film ends so abruptly that its significance is not clear.

I'd advise avoiding this and instead read Shelley's The Masque of Anarchy plus a wiki article for the facts.

Beast (III) (2017)

Inconsistent Thriller

[7/10 · 12 December 2018]

The film starts well and I was looking forward to an atmospheric thriller. However I never believed in the serial killer plot line and found the way that this was integrated into the main storyline to be inconsistent.

The depiction of the small town community on the island is easily the best part of the film. The mother-daughter relationship showed early promise but got side-tracked in favour of the serial killer plot to the film's detriment.