vriesspeech
Joined Feb 2012
Badges2
To learn how to earn badges, go to the badges help page.
Ratings163
vriesspeech's rating
Reviews7
vriesspeech's rating
Take one part teen drama, add some horror, mix it up with a sniff of darker-than-black comedy and stir well. Serve warm with bloody guts on the side and you have Excision. I know that describing it that simplistic is a large detriment to this movie, because it is the biggest surprise in the horror genre this year thus far.
Excision stars AnnaLynne McCord, who some may know from the teen drama series 90210. I know, I was wary too when I found that out, but this movie proved to me that this girl has some serious acting chops. She plays the part of Pauline, a deranged teenager who is dreaming of becoming a surgeon, but is also dangerously socially awkward. Her demented nature combined with a fascination for blood and flesh is a blend that comes to a shocking climax that had me feeling physically ill. It has been a while since a horror movie did that. Pauline might be the most interesting character within the genre in years and has the potential to become the cult-equal to Carrie.
Pauline struggles with her identity at school, saying she is an outcast is the understatement of the year. Her appearance is as frightening as it is endearing. She has a bony frame, walks hunched over, with dark circles around her eyes and an acne-scarred face. McCord really sells the character. Her way of speaking and weird mannerisms further strengthen her personality. At the same time she is desperately trying to help her sick daughter, who is suffering from cystic fibrosis. At home she is dealing with an hyper-Christian mother, played by Traci Lords, and a sorry excuse for a father who seems to be the manifestation of apathy. I couldn't help to feel sorry for her, while also realising that she is a ticking time bomb of carnage, waiting to go off. This contrast is what really sells the character.
Pauline's reality is often interrupted by daydreaming scenes that give a whole new meaning to the word 'disturbed.' During these short flashes, Pauline reigns supreme as the queen of her carnal fantasies in which she indulges in bloody escapades in gory detail. These scenes go far. I wanted to turn my head away at some points (especially during a scene involving a stillborn foetus), but I couldn't stop watching. Bates' unrelenting style of directing had me hooked all the way through.
The movie ends with a shocker of a scene that rounds this movie off perfectly. After watching it I felt numb for a while, while it slowly dawned on me that I had watched something special, in ail its gruesome glory. McCord carries the film home, aided by strong co-acting by Lords. Not all the characters are as fleshed out as these two, but that hardly impacts the overall tone of the movie. This comes highly recommended for anyone who is looking for a spark of originality in a genre that often seems to break under its own clichés.
Excision stars AnnaLynne McCord, who some may know from the teen drama series 90210. I know, I was wary too when I found that out, but this movie proved to me that this girl has some serious acting chops. She plays the part of Pauline, a deranged teenager who is dreaming of becoming a surgeon, but is also dangerously socially awkward. Her demented nature combined with a fascination for blood and flesh is a blend that comes to a shocking climax that had me feeling physically ill. It has been a while since a horror movie did that. Pauline might be the most interesting character within the genre in years and has the potential to become the cult-equal to Carrie.
Pauline struggles with her identity at school, saying she is an outcast is the understatement of the year. Her appearance is as frightening as it is endearing. She has a bony frame, walks hunched over, with dark circles around her eyes and an acne-scarred face. McCord really sells the character. Her way of speaking and weird mannerisms further strengthen her personality. At the same time she is desperately trying to help her sick daughter, who is suffering from cystic fibrosis. At home she is dealing with an hyper-Christian mother, played by Traci Lords, and a sorry excuse for a father who seems to be the manifestation of apathy. I couldn't help to feel sorry for her, while also realising that she is a ticking time bomb of carnage, waiting to go off. This contrast is what really sells the character.
Pauline's reality is often interrupted by daydreaming scenes that give a whole new meaning to the word 'disturbed.' During these short flashes, Pauline reigns supreme as the queen of her carnal fantasies in which she indulges in bloody escapades in gory detail. These scenes go far. I wanted to turn my head away at some points (especially during a scene involving a stillborn foetus), but I couldn't stop watching. Bates' unrelenting style of directing had me hooked all the way through.
The movie ends with a shocker of a scene that rounds this movie off perfectly. After watching it I felt numb for a while, while it slowly dawned on me that I had watched something special, in ail its gruesome glory. McCord carries the film home, aided by strong co-acting by Lords. Not all the characters are as fleshed out as these two, but that hardly impacts the overall tone of the movie. This comes highly recommended for anyone who is looking for a spark of originality in a genre that often seems to break under its own clichés.
A movie by Quentin Tarantino is the polar opposite of a box of chocolates: for the most part, you know exactly what you're going to get. Fantastically written dialogues, larger-than-life characters, more obscure movie references than you can shake a stick at and intense violence that borders on the grotesque. These are some of the elements that characterise Tarantino's work. In this sense, Django Unchained is classic and true Tarantino, his style is unmistakably present. Largely for the better, but unfortunately, also for worse.
We meet the black slave Django (Jamie Foxx) who is set free by an enigmatic bounty hunter, named King Schultz. Schultz needs Django's help in order to bring a band of outlaws to justice and in return he pledges to help Django exact revenge on the slave traders who are responsible for Django's current state of being and free Django's wife, who they have imprisoned. The two form an odd couple, especially at the time of 1850's America, where African Americans dangle at the bottom of the social ladder and are mostly seen as inferior beings. The main storyline of Django Unchained is a classic tale of revenge, moulded to fit the Western times in which it takes place.
The acting is what stands out in this movie. Especially Christoph Waltz, who absolutely shines in the form of Dr. Schultz. His character is a proficient shooter, but preferably uses his wide vocabulary and unique use of wordplay to overcome (and baffle) his opponents in favor of shooting bullets. The stunning performance by Waltz is only matched (but rarely outdone) by Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays slave trader Calvin Candy, who is equally menacing as he is flamboyant. When these two are on screen, magic happens. Unfortunately for Foxx, that is also where it is apparent that he can't hold a candle to the aforementioned actors. He feels extremely uncomfortable in the role of Django, especially in the first half of the film.
I never found Foxx as Django to be entirely convincing and honestly, I couldn't care less about his motives to free his wife and get his revenge. His character was that bland to me. A far cry from the roaring rampage of revenge that is The Bride from the two Kill Bill movies. I also wasn't that impressed by Samuel L. Jackson as Candy's butler and right hand. It was refreshing to see him try out something new, but to me it felt like it was a Western-styled caricature of a foul- mouthed black man that Jackson has played once too many times in his career.
The first act of the movie is sheer, utter brilliance. Especially the scene in which Django and Schultz meet is an early highlight for me, followed later by an even better scene in which the velvet tongue of Schultz manages to escape certain death from a firing squad by an angry mob turns the tables in the process. This ride of cinematic splendor continues until Django manages to kill the slave traders they were after in the first place. After that, It felt to me that the movie loses every sense of direction. The next hour and a half is a collage of scenes that lack any form of cohesion and seem haphazardly strung together, just for the sake of including them in the movie.
That is not to say that the scenes near the end are all bad. In fact, often the opposite is true. I fondly remember a scene in which a band of thugs discuss their garments, or better said, the lack of functionality thereof. This scene had me laughing all the way through. It is a well-known fact that Tarantino mainly makes movies for himself and he doesn't care what other people think about them. For the sake of the viewers of his work, it is clear that he is in dire need of an editor that knows when to reel him in and decides which scenes are essential to the plot. Django Unchained is about 45 minutes too long. The film should have ended with a shoot-out that seemingly is a fitting finale, but after that, the movie just drags on for the sake of doing so, it seems.
Django Unchained is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, I enjoyed my time watching this. I also think it is not the classic in making that many point it out to be. I doubt Tarantino takes advice from anyone, but if in some parallel universe I could give him a hint, I would tell him to re-evaluate his manner of filmmaking, before he becomes a parody of his own success.
We meet the black slave Django (Jamie Foxx) who is set free by an enigmatic bounty hunter, named King Schultz. Schultz needs Django's help in order to bring a band of outlaws to justice and in return he pledges to help Django exact revenge on the slave traders who are responsible for Django's current state of being and free Django's wife, who they have imprisoned. The two form an odd couple, especially at the time of 1850's America, where African Americans dangle at the bottom of the social ladder and are mostly seen as inferior beings. The main storyline of Django Unchained is a classic tale of revenge, moulded to fit the Western times in which it takes place.
The acting is what stands out in this movie. Especially Christoph Waltz, who absolutely shines in the form of Dr. Schultz. His character is a proficient shooter, but preferably uses his wide vocabulary and unique use of wordplay to overcome (and baffle) his opponents in favor of shooting bullets. The stunning performance by Waltz is only matched (but rarely outdone) by Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays slave trader Calvin Candy, who is equally menacing as he is flamboyant. When these two are on screen, magic happens. Unfortunately for Foxx, that is also where it is apparent that he can't hold a candle to the aforementioned actors. He feels extremely uncomfortable in the role of Django, especially in the first half of the film.
I never found Foxx as Django to be entirely convincing and honestly, I couldn't care less about his motives to free his wife and get his revenge. His character was that bland to me. A far cry from the roaring rampage of revenge that is The Bride from the two Kill Bill movies. I also wasn't that impressed by Samuel L. Jackson as Candy's butler and right hand. It was refreshing to see him try out something new, but to me it felt like it was a Western-styled caricature of a foul- mouthed black man that Jackson has played once too many times in his career.
The first act of the movie is sheer, utter brilliance. Especially the scene in which Django and Schultz meet is an early highlight for me, followed later by an even better scene in which the velvet tongue of Schultz manages to escape certain death from a firing squad by an angry mob turns the tables in the process. This ride of cinematic splendor continues until Django manages to kill the slave traders they were after in the first place. After that, It felt to me that the movie loses every sense of direction. The next hour and a half is a collage of scenes that lack any form of cohesion and seem haphazardly strung together, just for the sake of including them in the movie.
That is not to say that the scenes near the end are all bad. In fact, often the opposite is true. I fondly remember a scene in which a band of thugs discuss their garments, or better said, the lack of functionality thereof. This scene had me laughing all the way through. It is a well-known fact that Tarantino mainly makes movies for himself and he doesn't care what other people think about them. For the sake of the viewers of his work, it is clear that he is in dire need of an editor that knows when to reel him in and decides which scenes are essential to the plot. Django Unchained is about 45 minutes too long. The film should have ended with a shoot-out that seemingly is a fitting finale, but after that, the movie just drags on for the sake of doing so, it seems.
Django Unchained is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, I enjoyed my time watching this. I also think it is not the classic in making that many point it out to be. I doubt Tarantino takes advice from anyone, but if in some parallel universe I could give him a hint, I would tell him to re-evaluate his manner of filmmaking, before he becomes a parody of his own success.
Rarely have I felt this good after watching a film. Silver Linings Playbook is a meticulously crafted piece of cinema that celebrates life, love and trying to find your place in the world, with all the struggles and imperfections that come along the way. The narrative is dead simple: Pat (Bradley Cooper) is trying to get his life back on track after he has been in a mental institution for 8 months. He has been sent there after he caught his wife cheating on him and assaulted the man she was sleeping with. Pat has finally returned home and has set his sight on becoming a better person and winning his ex back. All goes according to his plan, but then Tiffany comes into his life, a troubled young girl who has issues of her own. Pat soon discovers that Tiffany play an important role in his quest to find his love again.
What makes this movie so special is its cast. Everyone is phenomenal, no exceptions. Jennifer Lawrence gives the performance of a lifetime in the role of Tiffany. I was already impressed with her acting after seeing Winter's Bone in 2010, but her acting in Silver Linings Playbook solidifies her as the promise of a new generation. It has been a while since I have been this impressed by an actress in a leading role. She inhabits the character of Tiffany and makes it her own. She is a delight to look at, but her talents as an actress even outdo physical appearance. Tiffany is brutally honest, outspoken and rarely takes no for an answer. She struggles with the fact that she's bipolar and she recognises her shortcomings in Pat, who is dealing with the same mental disability. The chemistry between Pat and Tiffany is what makes this movie so great. They are not easy to identify with, but I couldn't help rooting for them from the very beginning.
Bradley Cooper is equally amazing. I must admit that I wasn't fully aware of his acting potential before this film. I always liked him, but now he's an actor that I will watch a film for. He shines in this role. The chemistry between Pat and Tiffany takes center stage, but the stellar performances by Jacki Weaver and -especially- Robert De Niro deserve credit as Pat's parents who are trying their best to take care of their son while dealing with their own issues. It's great to see De Niro perform again as the great actor that he is, it has been a while. I found his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles and the OCD little rituals that he has come up with to be a highlight of the film.
Silver Linings Playbook is far greater than the sum of its parts. A large part of this is thanks to the superb directing by David O. Russell. He gives all the characters enough room to develop. This film is also brilliantly written, with sharp and oftentimes funny dialogue with a sense of humour that feels a little out of place at moments, but is heartfelt and genuine at the same time. Everything just works here. The lighting, the cinematography, the music, everything falls into its right place. The editing deserves another separate compliment. Silver Linings Playbook is fantastically shot, but even better put together. Longer shots trade place with fast snapshots that gives this movie a very unique sense pacing. This movie just flows. Nothing is superfluous, everything scene matters here.
It's hard for me to express how much I love this film. No movie is perfect in my view, but Silver Linings Playbook comes very, very close. Above all, this movie sends a very clear and positive message: at the end of the day she are all a bunch of nutjobs who are doing their best to make the absolute best for themselves in this life. This film reminded me once again why I love watching movies in the first place and I can see myself watching this movie time and time again and never get bored of it.
What makes this movie so special is its cast. Everyone is phenomenal, no exceptions. Jennifer Lawrence gives the performance of a lifetime in the role of Tiffany. I was already impressed with her acting after seeing Winter's Bone in 2010, but her acting in Silver Linings Playbook solidifies her as the promise of a new generation. It has been a while since I have been this impressed by an actress in a leading role. She inhabits the character of Tiffany and makes it her own. She is a delight to look at, but her talents as an actress even outdo physical appearance. Tiffany is brutally honest, outspoken and rarely takes no for an answer. She struggles with the fact that she's bipolar and she recognises her shortcomings in Pat, who is dealing with the same mental disability. The chemistry between Pat and Tiffany is what makes this movie so great. They are not easy to identify with, but I couldn't help rooting for them from the very beginning.
Bradley Cooper is equally amazing. I must admit that I wasn't fully aware of his acting potential before this film. I always liked him, but now he's an actor that I will watch a film for. He shines in this role. The chemistry between Pat and Tiffany takes center stage, but the stellar performances by Jacki Weaver and -especially- Robert De Niro deserve credit as Pat's parents who are trying their best to take care of their son while dealing with their own issues. It's great to see De Niro perform again as the great actor that he is, it has been a while. I found his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles and the OCD little rituals that he has come up with to be a highlight of the film.
Silver Linings Playbook is far greater than the sum of its parts. A large part of this is thanks to the superb directing by David O. Russell. He gives all the characters enough room to develop. This film is also brilliantly written, with sharp and oftentimes funny dialogue with a sense of humour that feels a little out of place at moments, but is heartfelt and genuine at the same time. Everything just works here. The lighting, the cinematography, the music, everything falls into its right place. The editing deserves another separate compliment. Silver Linings Playbook is fantastically shot, but even better put together. Longer shots trade place with fast snapshots that gives this movie a very unique sense pacing. This movie just flows. Nothing is superfluous, everything scene matters here.
It's hard for me to express how much I love this film. No movie is perfect in my view, but Silver Linings Playbook comes very, very close. Above all, this movie sends a very clear and positive message: at the end of the day she are all a bunch of nutjobs who are doing their best to make the absolute best for themselves in this life. This film reminded me once again why I love watching movies in the first place and I can see myself watching this movie time and time again and never get bored of it.
Insights
vriesspeech's rating