Blink Twice

'Blink Twice' was truly a pleasant surprise, and one of the most entertaining movies of the year.

Zoë Kravitz made her directorial debut with a film she wrote and directed, and she managed to gather a truly stellar cast. Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, The legendary Kyle MacLachlan and many more. Above all, Naomi Ackie manages to carry the film in an amazing way, with a captivating, impressive, and very charismatic performance. Since the movie has so many plot twists, it's difficult to praise the other performances without getting into spoilers, but I can only say that the impressive cast does a really successful job here.

It's truly surprising to think that this is the first film Kravitz has written and directed because it feels like the work of a very experienced and talented screenwriter and director. The movie is made and structured very well, and it seems that during her years as an actress, she learned a lot from the people she worked with, and her debut film is far from looking like the first film of a filmmaker. A very professional job from all angles. If she continues in this direction, I see great achievements in her future.

Although the film is a psychological thriller, Kravitz managed to blend the genre with a lot of humor. There are several moments in the film that will surely shock many viewers, especially with the way they come out of nowhere, and the fact that they are flanked by humorous scenes on both sides is quite unusual, reminiscent of early Guy Ritchie films or even Quentin Tarantino's extreme dark humor.

The film's length is very compact, and I feel that its pacing was just right. Although it took a little too long to "get into things," the tension and mystery are built very effectively throughout the film, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat, eager to see and know more. Additionally, the very ending of the story feels a bit odd and even slightly rushed, containing two or three holes and points that raise questions ("how and why did this happen if such and such?").

The soundtrack, as minimalist as it is, it adds a lot of atmosphere. Less is more, in this case. Additionally, the sound editing in the film was very impressive and added to the atmosphere of tension that the movie tries to build from the very first moment. The cinematography is also very impressive, and in general, this film feels very high-quality in its technical aspects.

In my opinion, this is one of the most surprising and entertaining films of the past year. I really enjoyed watching it, but it's important to come prepared for a pretty wild film that's completely without restraint. On the one hand, the movie is full of humor, but on the other hand, expect some pretty harsh things to watch. Zoë Kravitz pleasantly surprises with her first film, and I hope that beyond a successful acting career, she will continue in this direction as a director/screenwriter and bring us more original and surprising films like this one.

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.

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.

I was really looking forward to "Blink Twice" after the trailer caught my eye. Sadly, the movie didn't live up to the hype. It started off pretty slow with too much time spent on party scenes that didn't really go anywhere or add much to the story.

When things finally started to happen, it all felt rushed and the ending was a letdown. It seemed like the film had the pieces to be really interesting but just couldn't put them together in a satisfying way.

Overall, "Blink Twice" has a cool idea but doesn't quite nail the execution. It might be worth a watch if you're curious, but it might not live up to your expectations.