ccamp89
Joined Nov 2013
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Ratings109
ccamp89's rating
Reviews109
ccamp89's rating
Thanks Spiral, for reminding me why I haven't watched a Saw movie in a decade. Inane, hamfisted, and absolutely brain dead. The only thing worse than the cliché-ridden plot is the totally uninspired traps. Chris Rock is shockingly bad in this film. He does fine with the shoehorned-in comedic moments, but his attempts at portraying fear, disgust, or anger are so off the mark that it's hard to imagine what the bad takes must've looked like. You can see the patented Saw plot twist coming from a mile away, and the movie still goes above and beyond to excessively, insultingly explain it to you as if you didn't predict it an hour ago. I guess the production design looked nice?
Strong 1.5/5.
Strong 1.5/5.
Saint Maud is a debut film that feels like one. It treads familiar psychological horror ground and wears its influences on its sleeve. Carrie, The Witch, Under the Skin, and First Reformed all flash into mind at various moments. Thematically, it has a mildly disappointing bluntness. Its exploration of self-denial, masochism, sexuality, psychosis, and religious delusion is frequently on-the-nose and, at its worst, trite.
What it lacks in subtlety, though, it makes up for in its bold visuals, unsettling tone, and infectious first-timer energy. Rose Glass creates a compelling portrait of a woman in extreme conflict with herself, at odds with the very foundation of her being and grasping desperately for a sense of purpose. The juxtaposition of saintly and savage imagery handsomely evokes the internal battle between the superego and id raging inside Maud, brought convincingly to life by the perfectly-cast Morfydd Clark. It's well-worn, but comfy nonetheless.
Weak 4/5
What it lacks in subtlety, though, it makes up for in its bold visuals, unsettling tone, and infectious first-timer energy. Rose Glass creates a compelling portrait of a woman in extreme conflict with herself, at odds with the very foundation of her being and grasping desperately for a sense of purpose. The juxtaposition of saintly and savage imagery handsomely evokes the internal battle between the superego and id raging inside Maud, brought convincingly to life by the perfectly-cast Morfydd Clark. It's well-worn, but comfy nonetheless.
Weak 4/5
Relic begins in unassuming fashion. A mysterious disappearance. An empty house. Unsettling dreams. A malicious presence. It's nothing horror fans haven't seen many times before, though it has a tender restraint and steady-handed direction which promise something greater than the traditional setup would suggest.
Low and behold, it delivers on that promise. As it draws near its finale, the film deftly veers away from the supernatural and warps into a disorienting, surrealistic portrait of dementia. The house itself becomes a clever metaphor for the declining psyche with maze-like corridors littered with misplaced memories and shards of personal history. The family of the affected wander the labyrinth, desperately seeking an impossible connection with their unrecognizable loved one. Eventually, it builds to a hauntingly somber, wordless sequence in which the profound despair of the loss is articulated entirely through visuals. It's a powerful conclusion which solidifies Relic as a resonant and effective addition to the psychological horror cannon.
Strong 4/5
Low and behold, it delivers on that promise. As it draws near its finale, the film deftly veers away from the supernatural and warps into a disorienting, surrealistic portrait of dementia. The house itself becomes a clever metaphor for the declining psyche with maze-like corridors littered with misplaced memories and shards of personal history. The family of the affected wander the labyrinth, desperately seeking an impossible connection with their unrecognizable loved one. Eventually, it builds to a hauntingly somber, wordless sequence in which the profound despair of the loss is articulated entirely through visuals. It's a powerful conclusion which solidifies Relic as a resonant and effective addition to the psychological horror cannon.
Strong 4/5