Lior34 Reviews

Coherence (2013)

Promising idea, but ultimately disappointing

[4/10 · 11 October 2019]

The idea of the film is great. It's complex, intriguing and has great potential to be an amazing one, but it ultimately fails, hard. A particular thing that I think holds thrillers like this is the attention to details the audience must have in order to gain the full understanding of the film, but not here. The longer the it goes, the more you understand the small details don't matter, and while they might add up, you don't derive anything interesting or new from them.

The beginning is very boring and while the tension and pace go up, the film does it too slow, to little. In trying to remedy that perhaps, the last twenty minutes are incredibly violent and horror-like when compared to the rest of the film. But the most awful thing was the camera-work, I don't think it stood still for the entire film, and made me a bit dizzy at times. It had the downsides of found-footage film without even being one.

Overall, the only positive thing that came out of this film is the premise behind it, but everything else, no so much.

Terrified (2017)

Unsettling

[8/10 · 20 July 2019]

This film doesn't wait before jumping into action. Within the first five minutes we are greeted with corpses, gore and the supernatural. Its bluntness was surprising considering the myriad of slow burners which came out of the paranormal investigation sub-genre.

It has its fair share of jump scares and while some viewers might think its excessive, I found them far less tasteless than in most horror films. With an interesting enough plot and a well crafted atmosphere, It used music, sound effects, lighting and camerawork to truly create a film worth watching.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010)

Should be looked at as a stand-alone film

[8/10 · 20 July 2019]

Judging this film on its merits alone and not by being an adaptation is in my opinion the way to go. This is a perfect example for a great film which is a terrible adaptation for its source material (judging by other reviews).

I thought the film was great, and it ticked most of the boxes in what make such movie enjoyable. It had good humor, sufficient action and the obligatory unnecessary romance subplot. It did not fail to entertain me for its entirety and I truly recommend it to both horror/thriller fans as well as comedy fans. Overall it was an interesting, enjoyable spin on movies dealing with the supernatural.

Identity (2003)

Good film with an interesting ending

[8/10 · 11 May 2019]

The film starts well enough, detailing the way each person got to the motel and their circumstances in an entertaining way. Once they reach the motel, the film does a great job at shifting the blame between the different characters to the point in which you believe all can be guilty.

As shown in other reviews, the ending is very divisive. Personally, I found it to be an interesting and welcome twist. While it majorly changes how we view the events prior to it and the few that follow the twist, it gave a unique way to look at the struggle between the characters and a new meaning to their survival.

Overall, I liked the film a lot, ending included, and highly recommend it.

Exam (2009)

Disappointing single room thriller

[5/10 · 9 May 2019]

The story has a decent idea and reminds me of Exam (2009) quite a bit. While in most films from this genre, the stressor is sufficient for such levels of violence, a position offering and a strange test is most certainly not. Although established as highly intelligent people, they act with carelessness, stupidity and cruelty I would not attribute to such people from the introduction we had with them. It starts of as a promising film but quickly devolves into an incoherent violent mess which begs the question what kind of company would hire these people. Worse than that is the ending, which while clear and understandable, is a slap in the viewer's face and an utter letdown. Albeit tense, the film fails with its characters and plot, making it not worthwhile when compared to similar films.

Timecrimes (2007)

Great time-travel film

[8/10 · 20 April 2019]

Timecrimes is an interesting tale about time-travel and its implications. When the film starts, Hector is already in the middle of the loop and we discover the timeline with him. While the beginning of the loop is not shown and does raise a few questions there are enough fan theories to settle one's mind if they are so interested in understanding its start. The concept of free-will can be heavily observed in the film. No matter how much Hector tries to change the outcome of the loop, whether he listens to the operator or not, his actions result in him causing what happened in the previous loop, effectively rendering him without free will. But when we look at each loop through Hector's eyes, it appears as if he does have free-will and so it raises the question, do we truly have free-will if the only perception we have is our own.

There are no dull moments in the film and it was interesting from start to finish. While most of the twists and hidden information was somewhat obvious and predictable, it still managed to surprise me a few times, keeping me intrigued by what will happen next. The performances were acceptable, nothing stellar but good enough. I felt like Karra Elejalde played Hector too apathetic in the first loop, but he managed to better himself in the constructive loops.

All in all, it was a great film about time-travel, though I would not classify it as horror.

Vendetta (2015)

One action scene after another

[6/10 · 12 April 2019]

The film was perfectly summarized by The Hollywood Reporter which said "the sort of B-movie violent actioner that makes you feel your testosterone level rising as you watch it". The film had a minimal plot which was used as a glue connecting all the fight scenes. For the most part, it was one action scene after another, and they were good. I felt like they were well-made and tense enough to be on the entertaining side.

I was surprised though to see The Soska Sisters making a film outside of horror. I generally think they succeeded at their first attempt. I recommend the film for those seeking a mindless and violent action film, and less for those seeking any meaningful story.

The House That Jack Built (2018)

Wants to be an art film

[5/10 · 7 April 2019]

This wasn't a horrible film. It wasn't a masterpiece either, but it had its good parts. I felt like Matt Dillon delivered a solid performance portraying a complicated character. Up to about incident 4 or even incident 5, the film was good. It was interesting and brutal, yet had a surprising amount of comedy in it. But by the discussion between Jack and Verge about the meaning of art came, the film turned into a borefest. A self indulgent part which contributed little to the plot and just lengthened the film unnecessarily.

By the time the film reaches its climax, I was uninterested and although the violence grew more and more gruesome, its impact was weakened. What could have made it better was a good ending. Unfortunately, it wasn't. A surreal ending which felt completely out of place for this story only strengthened my distaste with direction the film was taking. It tried so hard to become art, to have some sort of meaningful commentary or special characteristic, but it failed tremendously. This could have been a nice, well made dark comedy, but it simply tried too hard to be something it's not.

Overall, this is not a recommended film. It's too long, self indulgent, and by the end of it you just wish it to be over. I will say though, that it has a wonderful start which I enjoyed a lot and a great performance by the lead actor.

The Collector (I) (2009)

An alright torture film

[6/10 · 18 February 2019]

The film establishes minimal backstory and character motives before jumping into action. For this particular film, I think it works. We discover and connect with Arkin's character through his trials in the house. It's quite refreshing to see a killer without an explanation nor reason other than killing for killing's sake. And although it feels somewhat lacking not knowing anything about him, it also lets us look at him as a pure malevolent force which fits the plot well. It was suspenseful through most of it, aided by a good soundtrack which helped to amplify the tension.

Albeit having multiple good and even great parts, the film lacked as a whole. It had multiple plot holes (mainly the trap setup), weak supporting characters and the most ridiculous, misplaced and silly sex scene. This is not a ground breaking film, nor even is it particularly good, it's just about alright.

A recommendation for those who enjoy the torture porn genre without much story or explanation, not so much for others.

Lake Mungo (2008)

Not horror, but a great film about grief

[8/10 · 31 December 2018]

Albeit being marketed and recommended as a horror film, this film is not scary, it's not even creepy. I find its inclusion within the horror genre wrong. There is a supernatural arc in it about Alice's ghost, but for the majority of the film, it is used as a way to show us how each person copes with her death. While it is an interesting arc in the plot, it is not its focus. Albeit being disappointed with my expectation for horror, I found it to be a great film about loss. It presents a story of tragedy and grief which follow the death of the daughter, Alice.

The film itself is delivered in a documentary format which suits its slow pace well. Through it, we explore the aftermath of Alice's death. How each individual from the family copes with it, and the secrets Alice, and others, hid. While it has a supernatural aspect to it, it is not the main focus of the film. It should be seen as the glue which keeps all aspects and arcs connected, rather than film's core.

Overall, the film is a great example of a good mockumentary and a good film in general. It discusses loss and grief from a unique, supernatural perspective. And when these elements are combined, they create a great tale worth watching.

Balls of Fury (2007)

Nonsensical and utterly ridiculous comedy

[8/10 · 20 December 2018]

The film is about what one would expect from combining The Karate Kid (2010), the Chinese mafia and ping pong. The film itself is quite a simple one. It is not a timeless masterpiece or has some profound way to look at life, but rather is a goofy, mindless comedy. The characters are caricatures of the usuals which you'll find in a marital art film. The jokes were funny, the actors were good and the overall movie was entertaining.

There is not much to say about this movie because there isn't a lot to it. It's a simple comedy which delivers the cheap laughs it was made to deliver. Overall, I was very pleased by watching it.

The Forbidden Door (2009)

Interesting and thought-provoking thriller

[8/10 · 29 November 2018]

This film is a wonderful thriller which manages to hold both its mystery parts and grizzly parts to a high standard. It details the life of a successful sculpturer and his descent into madness as he tries to unravel multiple mysteries in his life. Different topics are explored within the plot such as self-fulfillment and interpersonal relationships which affect the main character while also exploring abuse, voyeurism and violence through its various conspiracies.

The film keeps a good pace, unraveling its mysteries without having dull moments or unnecessary filler. While it deals with harsh subjects, it manages to be tame with its violence, with a few exceptions made to keep the viewer tense throughout. The lack of significant gore in the movie makes the climax much stronger. It takes a sudden turn into the gory extreme (compared to the rest of the film) which succeeds in shocking the viewer.

This paragraph contains spoilers: The film does rely on a cliche ending of "it was all in his mind" type of twist. It could be considered a fitting ending though. The film has multiple cases of foreshadowing towards the ending, symbolism and other artistic qualities which are too often missing from other thrillers or films which use this type of ending.

Overall, "The Forbidden Door" is a great film. With solid acting, interesting premise and great execution it is truly a joy to watch. It manages to be interesting through its entirety with its compelling and interesting story. It left me pondering about it after the end, which is pretty rare, and only goes to show it is much more than a mindless thriller.

Maniac (2012)

More than just a first person slasher

[8/10 · 26 November 2018]

At the time of writing, I'm yet to watch the original. I will base my review on my impression from this film alone. While "Maniac" is indeed a slasher, it is also more than just that. It tells the story of a disturbed individual from an interesting and unique perspective. For most of it, we experience the film through the eyes of Frank, the protagonist and who we can also consider as the antagonist.

The first person perspective makes the viewer feel as if he is the killer, yet he has no choice in what would happen. Throughout the film, we explore Frank's mental state. The film heavily uses its unique POV to deliver the thoughts and feelings of Frank in a much more personal way. It includes hallucinations and migraines he experiences in different parts of the film as well.

Although the premise of the film is interesting, it presents us with a jagged plot. Most of Frank's mother arc feels incredibly forced. It did not feel like an integral part of the movie and felt like an excuse to include sex filler in the guise of backstory. There are also issues with Anna, who is a template character. A friendly artist who sees the protagonist's true self with a jerk of a boyfriend. There are also other cliche characters in the movie, such as the boyfriend or the gay friend, but these characters are too minor to address them.

On the other end of the spectrum we have Frank, who is a combination of all the good in the film. He is played by a wonderful actor, who, in my opinion, truly embodies the character. The combination of the POV with the internal struggle we experience with Frank, cause some form of empathy towards him. Albeit not in the form of forgiving him, but understanding his motives a little more. As the film progresses, we experience Frank's struggle with his killer side. How he tries to hide it from Anna while still satisfying his urges.

Overall, with a solid soundtrack, unique POV and good actors, the film is great. Though it is not free from flaws, its good parts overwhelm its bad parts. We are then greeted with a great slasher which offers much more than simple mindless gore.

The Princess Bride (1987)

A lovely Film

[9/10 · 23 November 2018]

Albeit being a family-oriented film, it managed to entertain me immensely. Though it had a premise of a generic romance/fantasy film, it delivered it in a funny and interesting way. There are select few memorable moments (mainly featuring Inigo Montoya), yet the rest does not disappoint and does no feel like a bore. While the film's plot itself relies heavily on cliches and the special effects are bad for the most part, its characters and dialogue manage to far outweigh the negative in the movie.

Overall, it is a wonderful family movie.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Not Amazing, but Interesting and Creative

[7/10 · 15 November 2018]

While the found footage is not new nor unique, we do get to see these parts from the killer's eyes which makes it refreshing. The deterioration and low quality effect which is added to the tapes significantly strengthen the feeling of dread while watching them; and while it may be annoying at times (usually with the rapid hue changes), it adds more than it detracts.

The combination of the first two tapes (disregarding the balloon tape) set the tone for the brutality of the movie, starting with the kidnapping and subsequent torture of a child, the movie holds no punches. The movie adds an element of voyeurism which is heavily represented from the third tape onwards. The tape is a recording of a home invasion done by the killer. The scene makes the viewer feel like he is in the killer's shoes and not supposed to be in the house. The hiding and close calls only add to the tension and atmosphere of the scene until it ends with the inevitable death of the couple. The reference to 9/11 in the interview following the officer's exoneration was a great detail which helped the movie feel a little more realistic. As if these events were really took place and had other real-life events influencing them. Although a predictable twist, I felt like it was a great one to help immerse the viewer in the movie and improve its believability.

The interview and the end of the movie with the survivor was absolutely amazing. The actress was great and the scene had a wonderful feeling to it. It was a powerful ending, showing the lasting affects of the killer's torture on its victims. She was constantly asking what to say because she "doesn't know what you (the interviewer) want me to say" which reminded of the earlier torture scenes in the movie which revolved around total submission and erasure of self.

While the movie had some great points which I've discussed, it did have some weak points. They are not detrimental to the movie, but they sure do hold it back from being a perfect one.

The acting of Jason Ribling feels extremely out of place. While in a regular horror movie I would have write it off as comedic relief, in the documentary format is feels like bad acting. There were two more cases of of bad acting, or over-acting to be precise. The first was the with Pam Fears, especially before and after the scene mentioned above. It felt too dramatic and had too much emotion in it, instead of the cold posture usually presented in real crime documentaries. The second was the killer himself in some of the tapes; especially while shouting at his victims to "say his name" and walking on all fours in another. Those in particular didn't make me feel scared, but rather weirded out from his over-dramatic, almost theatrical behavior.

For a documentary which felt like it cares for the little details, it felt weird it would perpetuate the 24 hour waiting period for reporting a missing person, especially in a case of child abduction with clear signs of violence. It definitely broke the immersion the movie tried to encompass the viewer in, presetting itself as a real documentary.

For a killer who the police describe as extremely intelligent, organized and knowledgeable, he seems very disorganized and a risk-taker in his tapes. Again, if this was a regular film, I would count it as a sarcastic polarization between reality and what the police think, but since the interviews were done post-viewing the tapes I count it as a plot hole. The interviewees knew the killer 'lucked out' and got away with his risky decisions, yet they gave a current description of him as some form of mastermind. Moreover, the film stretches the levels of suspension of disbelief when it says the killer used a house for months as his base of operations without alerting anyone (the basement has no sound isolation as evident in the scene with the girl scouts) or leaving any identifying evidence.

I'm not a great fan of open endings though in this particular instance, I feel it fits this movie quite well. We are left with a certainty that the killings continue to wherever the killer moved, yet the biggest question is left unanswered, who is the killer? Albeit agreeing that an open end suits the movie better, I would like to see this question explored and answered in extra material which expands upon the movie.

Overall, I find The Poughkeepsie Tapes to be a good movie. There are a significant amount of good qualities in the movie which easily outweigh its weak points. A solid horror pseudo documentary, and a great entry to the found footage genre.