Armin_Nikkhah_Shirazi
Joined Jan 2005
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Armin_Nikkhah_Shirazi's rating
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Armin_Nikkhah_Shirazi's rating
THE SHADOWS SIDE is a mystery horror movie which has received especially low ratings. This made me curious because typically, one can recognize the bare bottom of the lot from the first few minutes, and this was not the case here.
While the opening did seem a bit cheesy, it did not feel like other grade Z- movies: the set design of the opening scene and the opening music seemed nice enough, so I decided to watch.
First off, I think one thing that works heavily against this movie right away is the aural experience it offers (apart from the music score, which is actually not bad): the sound design is not good, and the actors are clearly not native English speakers, both of which imbue the scenes with a stilted feel that repeatedly takes one out of the movie.
This is listed as United States movie, but I suspect that is a marketing/distribution ploy. A more honest and IMO more effective approach would have been to market this as a foreign movie spoken in Portuguese with subtitles. There is an audience for that, even in the States. It is not nearly as big as the audience which wants to see American-made movies only, but it won't be as harsh in judging the language issues.
Another problem is that many tropes in this films are familiar and have been done better; I kept thinking to myself "haven't I seen a scene like this before, but executed with more skill?"
The concept of the story, about a woman trapped in a vacation chalet where the boundary between dream and reality is blurred, is not very original, but could still have turned into an interesting B movie. Unfortunately, the problems mentioned above and a general cheesiness, particularly of the monster, undermine this effort.
The cinematography maintains a consistent color tone yet it is uneven when it comes to the quality of tve shots. A few inspired takes are sandwiched among many mediocre ones.
The movie does not resolve whether what the woman experiences is real or not, and bookending the film with philosophical quotes struck me as pretentious.
All in all, not a good film but still a little better than bottom of the barrel.
While the opening did seem a bit cheesy, it did not feel like other grade Z- movies: the set design of the opening scene and the opening music seemed nice enough, so I decided to watch.
First off, I think one thing that works heavily against this movie right away is the aural experience it offers (apart from the music score, which is actually not bad): the sound design is not good, and the actors are clearly not native English speakers, both of which imbue the scenes with a stilted feel that repeatedly takes one out of the movie.
This is listed as United States movie, but I suspect that is a marketing/distribution ploy. A more honest and IMO more effective approach would have been to market this as a foreign movie spoken in Portuguese with subtitles. There is an audience for that, even in the States. It is not nearly as big as the audience which wants to see American-made movies only, but it won't be as harsh in judging the language issues.
Another problem is that many tropes in this films are familiar and have been done better; I kept thinking to myself "haven't I seen a scene like this before, but executed with more skill?"
The concept of the story, about a woman trapped in a vacation chalet where the boundary between dream and reality is blurred, is not very original, but could still have turned into an interesting B movie. Unfortunately, the problems mentioned above and a general cheesiness, particularly of the monster, undermine this effort.
The cinematography maintains a consistent color tone yet it is uneven when it comes to the quality of tve shots. A few inspired takes are sandwiched among many mediocre ones.
The movie does not resolve whether what the woman experiences is real or not, and bookending the film with philosophical quotes struck me as pretentious.
All in all, not a good film but still a little better than bottom of the barrel.
INFLUENCER starts out as the tale of the dangers that await a social media celebrity who is too trusting of a woman who befriends her. Madison is a successful influencer who has traveled to Thailand. After staying there for two weeks, affording her some time for reflection, she realizes that her lifestyle no longer fits well with who she really is. She contemplates getting out of it, which includes breaking up with her boyfriend and manager, Ryan. She becomes acquainted with the mysterious CW, who seems a bit overly friendly, and who helps her out when Madison's passport is stolen on her last night, necessitating a longer stay in Thailand. CW takes Madison to an isolated Island, culminating in the movie's opening credits, after which the main story begins.
This movie is billed as a horror-thriller, but it is more thriller than horror. I rated this highly because it not only almost flawlessly executes what it sets out to do, but in the process transcends several problems that beset similar movies.
The direction is impressive. It opens with a zooming wide-angle shot of the island that commands our attention. Even minute details in some scenes reveal meaningful information. The movie flows well, and a flashback scene is well-placed.
I really enjoyed the cinematography. The first time we see CW, she is shot in such a way that we can immediately sense that this beautiful woman is dangerous. Further, we get to see more than glimpses of breathtaking nature scenes, and the atmosphere conveys well the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Actually, the atmosphere and the plot have more than a passing resemblance to those of the story by Patricia Highsmith which was made into the excellent THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999), but this story has enough twists and turns that it can stand on its own. Moreover, it is updated appropriately for the 21st century, and I really liked the fact that technological advances of this century formed an essential aspect of many plot progressions.
Most of the characters are drawn with some depth, and while obviously CW is not who she pretends to be, in fact no major character is what they appear to be. For example, Madison seems like a highly sensitive person who could easily break under pressure, while Ryan seems aloof, bordering on the uncaring. Neither turns out to be truly like that.
All the actors do a great job, but the movie's credibility rests mainly on the shoulders of Cassandra Naud, who conveys the chameleon-like qualities of CW spectacularly.
The villain in this movie is extraordinarily resourceful and intelligent, which is something that unfortunately few thrillers like this manage to pull off credibly. I would never wish upon anyone to meet someone like that in real life, but in this movie she is the perfect psychopath.
I think the last ten minutes or so can be quite polarizing. Without giving away too much, there are basically two ways a movie like this can end, and I think the director appropriately chose the way that fits a movie primarily meant as a escapist entertainment, rather than as a serious cautionary tale about the dangers of social media.
The only real flaw I can discern is that CW is a little bit too much of an enigma. Someone with her combination of determination, ruthlessness, keenness, intelligence and beauty could presumably get what she wants by choosing far less risky endeavors. What is it that really drives her to do what she does? Even just a few minutes spent on a backstory or even just hints of it would have truly rounded out this thrilling tale.
This movie is billed as a horror-thriller, but it is more thriller than horror. I rated this highly because it not only almost flawlessly executes what it sets out to do, but in the process transcends several problems that beset similar movies.
The direction is impressive. It opens with a zooming wide-angle shot of the island that commands our attention. Even minute details in some scenes reveal meaningful information. The movie flows well, and a flashback scene is well-placed.
I really enjoyed the cinematography. The first time we see CW, she is shot in such a way that we can immediately sense that this beautiful woman is dangerous. Further, we get to see more than glimpses of breathtaking nature scenes, and the atmosphere conveys well the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Actually, the atmosphere and the plot have more than a passing resemblance to those of the story by Patricia Highsmith which was made into the excellent THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999), but this story has enough twists and turns that it can stand on its own. Moreover, it is updated appropriately for the 21st century, and I really liked the fact that technological advances of this century formed an essential aspect of many plot progressions.
Most of the characters are drawn with some depth, and while obviously CW is not who she pretends to be, in fact no major character is what they appear to be. For example, Madison seems like a highly sensitive person who could easily break under pressure, while Ryan seems aloof, bordering on the uncaring. Neither turns out to be truly like that.
All the actors do a great job, but the movie's credibility rests mainly on the shoulders of Cassandra Naud, who conveys the chameleon-like qualities of CW spectacularly.
The villain in this movie is extraordinarily resourceful and intelligent, which is something that unfortunately few thrillers like this manage to pull off credibly. I would never wish upon anyone to meet someone like that in real life, but in this movie she is the perfect psychopath.
I think the last ten minutes or so can be quite polarizing. Without giving away too much, there are basically two ways a movie like this can end, and I think the director appropriately chose the way that fits a movie primarily meant as a escapist entertainment, rather than as a serious cautionary tale about the dangers of social media.
The only real flaw I can discern is that CW is a little bit too much of an enigma. Someone with her combination of determination, ruthlessness, keenness, intelligence and beauty could presumably get what she wants by choosing far less risky endeavors. What is it that really drives her to do what she does? Even just a few minutes spent on a backstory or even just hints of it would have truly rounded out this thrilling tale.
DARK AMAZON documents the travails of a research team trying to find a species of frog in the Amazon Rain Forest that produces an enzyme which can cure cancer. The team is warned of the Anhanga (pronounced anyanga), an evil spirit which is actually a figure in the mythology of some real-life Amazon tribes. The expedition starts out routine, and after several days the Team finds the frog. But then the trip takes a deadly turn...
I love found footage movies that transport the viewer to exotic locations. While there are many, many found footage movies which play out in some regular (i.e. Temperate) forest, including the pioneering BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999), I know only of a handful which are set in a rain-forest, including THE DINOSAUR PROJECT (2012), set in Congo, The WOODSMAN (2012) and ALIEN ORIGIN (2015), both set in Belize, AMANUDA (2021) and VAZHIYE (2022) (the latter an unofficial remake of FOLLOWERS (2017)), both set in Southwest India, THE JUNGLE (2013), set in west Indonesia, THE BORNEO INCIDENT (2013), set in Malaysian Borneo, as well as two other movies also set in the Amazon, EXTINCTION (2015) and the grand-daddy of Found Footage films, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) (in fact, the opening shot of this movie immediately reminded me of its opening shot).
Despite the super-interesting settings, only a few of the above movies are good. I would categorize DARK AMAZON as being among the better ones in this group, even though it is flawed, because this group of movies also contains some real duds.
The greatest strength of this movie is that it really does a marvelous job of immersing us in the Amazon. No time is wasted on pre-trip exposition and we find ourselves in the jungle within the first 5 minutes. Some of the nature shots are gorgeous, and on that front the movie excels.
Events do take their sweet time to get to the horror, about 2/3 in, though it is foreshadowed by rather hokey video effects. In fact, I found the entire treatment of the supernatural aspects of this movie to be hokey. Also, when the first couple people end up dead, with one being decapitated no less, the group seems not nearly as much in fear or panic or even concerned with identifying the threat as one would expect. I don't think this was due to the acting, as I thought it was fairly decent, but rather a problem with the script. I think as a result, the deaths and disappearances in the shrinking group feel oddly impactless.
There is a plot twist toward the end which, I admit, I did not foresee, but it is set up clumsily, with one character's disappearance and reappearance not being explained at all and the relevant motivations totally unconvincing. The faulty set-up and its conspiracy-theoretical nature render the twist ho-hum. Finally, the film tells you right in the opening card that no team members survive, which is a perpetually perplexing pet peeve of mine. Why do film-makers deflate their own movies this way?
So overall, I would say if you like exotic found footage, this movie is worth a watch, but if that is not your draw, then unless you really like found footage movies, you may be disappointed.
I love found footage movies that transport the viewer to exotic locations. While there are many, many found footage movies which play out in some regular (i.e. Temperate) forest, including the pioneering BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999), I know only of a handful which are set in a rain-forest, including THE DINOSAUR PROJECT (2012), set in Congo, The WOODSMAN (2012) and ALIEN ORIGIN (2015), both set in Belize, AMANUDA (2021) and VAZHIYE (2022) (the latter an unofficial remake of FOLLOWERS (2017)), both set in Southwest India, THE JUNGLE (2013), set in west Indonesia, THE BORNEO INCIDENT (2013), set in Malaysian Borneo, as well as two other movies also set in the Amazon, EXTINCTION (2015) and the grand-daddy of Found Footage films, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) (in fact, the opening shot of this movie immediately reminded me of its opening shot).
Despite the super-interesting settings, only a few of the above movies are good. I would categorize DARK AMAZON as being among the better ones in this group, even though it is flawed, because this group of movies also contains some real duds.
The greatest strength of this movie is that it really does a marvelous job of immersing us in the Amazon. No time is wasted on pre-trip exposition and we find ourselves in the jungle within the first 5 minutes. Some of the nature shots are gorgeous, and on that front the movie excels.
Events do take their sweet time to get to the horror, about 2/3 in, though it is foreshadowed by rather hokey video effects. In fact, I found the entire treatment of the supernatural aspects of this movie to be hokey. Also, when the first couple people end up dead, with one being decapitated no less, the group seems not nearly as much in fear or panic or even concerned with identifying the threat as one would expect. I don't think this was due to the acting, as I thought it was fairly decent, but rather a problem with the script. I think as a result, the deaths and disappearances in the shrinking group feel oddly impactless.
There is a plot twist toward the end which, I admit, I did not foresee, but it is set up clumsily, with one character's disappearance and reappearance not being explained at all and the relevant motivations totally unconvincing. The faulty set-up and its conspiracy-theoretical nature render the twist ho-hum. Finally, the film tells you right in the opening card that no team members survive, which is a perpetually perplexing pet peeve of mine. Why do film-makers deflate their own movies this way?
So overall, I would say if you like exotic found footage, this movie is worth a watch, but if that is not your draw, then unless you really like found footage movies, you may be disappointed.
