Pisque Duas Vezes

First off, for a first time director, Zoe Kravitz has done very well. The film keeps everything interesting and goes along at a good pace.

Channing Tatum (being on the poster) is the draw for the audience. Especially, one that without him may not ultimately get a look in. He does a very competent job.

The sexual violence - there is a disclaimer at the start. That disclaimer, from what I saw in another review, is apparently a hint at what you should expect and the reviewer seemed disappointed that the sexual violence wasn't more graphic.

To address the issue, I personally didn't need to see that. For a few reasons, primarily this is NOT a film locking your head in position to confront you with the ugly reality of how sexual violence is perpetrated. We can gather that it's not good. We know.

What this film is primarily about psychological thriller. And we have seen films (not necessary addressing the issue at hand) like this across the decades. Pacey thrillers where you want the goody to outwit the evil baddy. And to that end, this does a very good job. It reveals the plot at a reasonable pace.

I don't want to spoilt the plot so I haven't talked about it. The trailer tells you what you need but ideally go into this not knowing anything.

You may even figure out the ending but even then it produces a twist to it all (albeit one that may counter the issues at hand).

This a metaphor for societies' ills with men who abuse women. And as such, we know in real life the awful things that happen. This film is simply packaging that as a thriller and providing a possible way to mitigate these ills even if the final turn is a little...imo....problematic.

You will enjoy this if you after a good night in and looking for a pacey thriller.

It is a lot better than some other thrillers I have seen recently.

If you're after extreme violence and horror, I suspect you will be disappointed.

Think more "Get Out" than say "Irreversible". Both great films, just different levels of violence.

Anyway, personally, I enjoyed it and it wasn't too overlong.

The impressive parts of BLINK TWICE do not add up to a satisfying whole. This is a visually appealing film filled with solid performances by accomplished actors. It also is a weird film devoid of thrills, tension, frights, or emotions. Though the performances are good, the characters are undefined. Without improving on them, the script cribs from GLASS ONION, THE MENU, and other limited location thrillers.

When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It's paradise. Wild nights blend into sun-soaked days and everyone's having a great time. Nobody wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. Something is wrong with this place. She'll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

A waitress meets a rich elitist while being clumsy and making mistakes who then takes her and her friends to a secluded island with other people, all is good for a short time until it isn't without spoiling what happens. Zoë Kravitz wrote and directed this so probably knows all about this stuff being a child of the industry. They even make a joke about human sacrifices, which I found very interesting.

Is it well directed? I'd say yes for Zoe's first film but the characters in these movies when there is a group of people and their interactions are kinda boring and generic, what you have seen a million times before until initially two characters get on the same wavelength with what's going on and all hell breaks loose.

Not sure what else I can say without spoiling the film, all is well acted and shot.

I went into this film without knowing anything, which is uncharacteristic of me. I didn't read about its production, didn't watch a trailer, didn't even know it was directed by Zoë Kravitz. I came home late from work and sat down for the first thing Amazon Prime promoted me that seemed watchable.

One thing's for sure though, this film stayed with me long after the credits. It kept me up all night and I imagine it's going to haunt me for days still. I tried to soothe with distractions but no trauma group or therapist prepared me for how triggered I would still get. Imagine if Get Out (2017, dir. Jordan Peele) had a baby with Promising Young Woman (2020, dir. Emerald Fennell) and Made for Love (TV Series 2021-2022, dir. Alissa Nutting). Unlike most revenge fantasies though, this film and the last two which were also created by women, understands something most male directors don't - we have to live in this world with our bad guys. They don't get to just die in a blaze of glory as we slo-mo walk away into a life of vindicated righteousness. While the film alluded to sexual assault of men as well (and the unfortunate fixation on the adage that "hurt people hurt people") the experience is still gendered extremely disproportionately.

It is a richly lit, shockingly edited, revolting look at wealth much in the style of Triangle of Sadness (2022, dir. Ruben Östlund) but it contributes unique and unexpected twists that kept me glued to the screen without pause. Like so many excellent films being made today, it is hard, raw, unrelenting, and it also forced me to once again face impossible things. I can't say it was healing but much of the healing journey doesn't feel like repair. It feels more like a burdensome pit in my stomach whose influence changes from age to age. Blink Twice brought up rage. Beautiful, deep, painful rage.

This film was good. Enjoyable but hard not to keep thinking about the "client list" of Epsteins island. Imagine who's on it. This movie gives insight to that.... Anybody and everybody...people are truly sick and this movie does not land far from many truths. See it for yourself. I enjoyed the slower pacing as you watch the story slowly unfold like a blooming flower. I usually don't care for Canning Tatum but he wasn't bad in this. I think Zoe's first effort was solid but hopefully she will continue to hone her craft. Curious to see what she does next. This film isn't perfect but was not a waste of time.