arungeorge13

This could only be summed up as "INTERESTING IDEAS .. the movie." I believe there are quite a few small wins here in terms of thematic setup, but the payoffs are never as interesting. It starts with a tense thriller premise (that revolves around noise pollution), before diving into a bitcoin subplot and a larger real-estate conspiracy at play. No complaints concerning the performances -- Kang Ha-neul, Seo Hyun-woo, and Yeom Hye-ran deliver quite solidly. Writer-director Kim Tae-joon shows inventiveness in the staging, at least in the initial portions, before running out of steam in the final act, where it turns into a familiar, bloody showdown. Wall to Wall also suffers from the same issue as Tae-joon's earlier flick Unlocked, where the length of the film (1h 58m) lessened its conclusive impact. The nightmarish thriller part of the film ranks way above the rest, and most of that's restricted to the first hour.

One could call this the Irish cousin to 2022's The Beasts, telling a rural revenge saga that's unique in its own ways. Firstly, the framing is fantastically raw and unfiltered, letting us sink into the length and breadth of this beautiful-yet-haunting landscape. Secondly, the performances are striking -- Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan are both amazing -- lending so much depth and heft to their respective roles. The first half is incredibly tense and fast-paced, letting you see Michael's (Abbott) side of the story before it takes on Jack's (Keoghan) POV in the second. Since the setting and the number of characters are minimal, this gives us the opportunity to understand them better, with well-established arcs amid rising tensions.

However, the second half also suffers from having to re-tell the events (albeit from a fresh perspective) with added context. This is where the pacing takes a dip, as we're aware of what went down already, but we're curious as to the "why." The finale is not the most cinematically satisfying either, though given the circumstances (and perspectives shared from both sides), it's ideal. I liked a few of the soundtracks used in the film (Kojey Radical's 2Fs, for instance), going against what my mind would usually associate with something rural/countryside. The use of handheld shots is also commendable, especially in scenes that involve animal brutality (thankfully offscreen, but you still hear the painful bleating) and/or chases. It leaves most of the disturbing bits to one's own imagination; a clever choice by writer-director Christopher Andrews. Despite its flaws, I'd still recommend this drama-thriller.

P. S. I didn't expect to see Holly from The Descent age so beautifully.. Nora-Jane Noone is solid in her (significant supporting) role too.

M3GAN 2.0 is definitely an "attempt" to up the scale and the stakes, but in doing so, it switches genres from campy sci-fi slasher to campy sci-fi actioner. I didn't find this genre swap to be particularly fascinating, because I saw greater potential in a plot where M3GAN is a total menace to society than an "ally." The plot also overcomplicates itself as it progresses, sometimes villainizing the AI and sometimes glorifying it. Sure, the villains in these films eventually end up being "humans" in high positions (yawn!), and there's actually a 180° turn in the way M3GAN is written into this movie. Her arc feels less impactful this time, given the "there's ONLY one solution" setting, but the campy dialogues get an upgrade (hold onto your vaginas, lol!). Then again, I wanted this to be a 1h 35m horror film than a 2h actioner, so it didn't really win me over.