Posts by Jamie Turner80

It is a solid piece of cinema with a certain undeniable weight to it. That said, one can't help but feel it was practically engineered for an Academy Award run.

This is easily one of the best films of the year. It isn't even really about nihilism—well, perhaps not any more than the world we live in already is—but rather a razor-sharp observation of a hollowed-out generation living in a place devoid of hope. As a staunch atheist, I can only say: may God help us all.

I find it to be quite excellent myself.

One is constantly surprised by the unexpected. While Before Midnight feels somewhat like a midlife crisis caught on film, perhaps that is simply due to the influence of July, who seems to have meddled with the script. It remains a solid film regardless, though it is atypically dark for his usual style. Personally, I consider Boyhood to be a masterpiece, much like Slacker and Before Sunrise.

I honestly believe there isn't an auteur out there who resonates with me quite like Richard Linklater. While Everybody Wants Somebody !! might not be his absolute masterpiece, it remains an exceptional piece of work: optimistic, possessing a youthful spirit, and intellectually sharp without ever feeling pretentious.

Simply put, this film was an absolute disaster.

I honestly think Lisa and the doll are both just damaged goods. They both stand apart from the crowd, but in a way that only Michael would ever notice. He projects this sense of uniqueness onto both of them; Lisa isn't actually a doll, but Michael attributes those exact same qualities to her because he’s just so utterly desperate throughout the entire film.

A few more recent titles that haven't been mentioned yet:
At Any Price
Mud
Joe
Blue Ruin

I have always had a particular fondness for films set in backwoods environments.

I am counting down the days. There is something truly captivating about their particular blend of biting sarcasm and sheer hysteria.

I found the theatrical structure of this piece to be quite masterful. It prioritizes the mythos surrounding Steve Jobs over the man himself, weaving his legacy subtly through minute details and his complex dynamics with the other characters and his own overarching philosophy. I’ve always been a fan of Soarkin’s dialogue, but here, there is even a slight, sophisticated nod toward the style of Mamet.

I approached the viewing with the expectation that I might somehow overlook certain elements, yet the film simply swept me away. It struck a chord. This is merely a personal observation, but that sense of profound emptiness and the aimless drifting through existence are things I recognize and deeply respect. To my mind, there is even a touch of *La Grande Bellezza* woven into its fabric.

I’m talking about those student employment agencies and similar nonsense. Back in the old days, we had youth cooperatives—something akin to a student service center, though you didn't actually need to be enrolled in college to join. Through them, you could pick up odd jobs, even if the hourly wage was absolute garbage and it didn't count toward any professional internship credit. But when you have nothing better on the table, I suppose it serves its purpose well enough.

I suspect the rates are structured differently for student services and similar nonsense; they don't bother messing with those on minimum wage. The far greater issue, however, is an individual operating without any actual language proficiency while interacting with people, though I suppose that is simply the reality.
The film was executed with mastery—it felt honest and relentless, opting for a single take out of several possibilities. The actors weren't working from polished scripts, relying instead on improvisation. However, this approach ultimately becomes a constraint, causing the characters' motivations to unravel. Furthermore, the narrative feels somewhat cluttered, not necessarily with action, but with too many decisions packed into two and a half hours. It was a successful experiment, I suppose, but to what end? I would have much preferred to watch a superior film, even if it had been more fragmented or polished through seamless editing.

There are various different award boards out there, and I highly doubt they’re sitting down to coordinate their votes directly. However, while it isn't exactly a case of forced competition, you still have the inevitable tension between Leo, Fassbender, and Damon.

Spotlight and The Big Short have certainly gained some momentum, though I suspect it’s being heavily manufactured by the studios. While The Martian is an enjoyable enough ride, it functions more as a comedy than a serious drama—Matt Damon’s performance, in particular, leans quite heavily into the comedic side of things.

From what I can gather, it isn't airing on CBS

simply because it is conspicuously mediocre, and frankly, a bit shameless

Eli Roth simply isn't capable of subtlety, though I suppose expecting it would be a mistake. This isn't Cabin Fever or Hostel, where he can just lean on his usual toolkit of mindless brutality to get by. The real issue lies in the tone; the film never manages to be serious enough to deliver any actual message—no matter how banal or misplaced that message might be—yet it fails to embrace being irreverent enough to pass for pure, unapologetic trash cinema. It ultimately settles in this awkward middle ground, disintegrating before our very eyes, leaving us with nothing to remember once the credits roll.
Knock Knock is a film that is beyond saving. It leaves you with the distinct impression of a poorly told, mediocre joke. Someone else might have managed to salvage it, but certainly not Eli Roth. One can only hope his talents lie elsewhere—perhaps he finds his true groove when working under the direction of Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez, given that his short films and trailers within their projects are absolute masterpieces. As a producer, there is still a glimmer of hope that he might stumble upon something actually worthwhile, much like he did with The Sacrament back in 2013. As far as directing goes, I get the feeling he showed us exactly what he was capable of with Hostel, and everything since then has simply been unnecessary filler.

više na:
I recently sat down to watch *Knock Knock*, and I find myself grappling with what exactly Eli Roth was trying to achieve here. On paper, the premise offers a certain voyeuristic tension—a man’s domestic sanctuary being violated by two opportunistic women—but the execution feels remarkably thin. It attempts to play with the psychological discomfort found in films like *Funny Games*, yet it lacks the intellectual bite or the unflinching cruelty required to make that comparison stick. Instead, we are left with a narrative that feels less like a descent into madness and more like a series of increasingly improbable escalations. Keanu Reeves carries the heavy lifting, playing the role of Evan Webber with a weary, almost pathetic vulnerability that serves the plot well enough. He manages to convey the desperation of a man whose life is unraveling in real-time, which is perhaps the only element keeping the viewer tethered to the screen. His chemistry with Lorenza Izzo is functional, providing the necessary friction to drive the conflict, though one can't help but feel the script leans too heavily on shock value rather than genuine suspense. The film struggles to decide if it wants to be a gritty thriller or a heightened dark comedy, and in its indecision, it settles for being neither particularly scary nor particularly funny. While some might argue that the direction mirrors the chaotic energy seen in works by directors like Robert Rodriguez, it lacks that specific stylistic cohesion. It is a polished production, certainly, but there is a hollowness to the tension. If you are looking for a deep dive into the darker impulses of the human psyche, you might find this experience somewhat superficial. It is an okay way to pass an evening at AMC Theatres, provided you aren't expecting anything profound.

The film isn't exactly a life-altering masterpiece; without De Niro, it would have been nothing more than mediocre. However, his presence elevates the entire production to something genuinely good. It stands as one of his finest performances in recent years.

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I watched this quite some time ago, and I found it rather engaging, even if it hasn't exactly burned itself into my long-term memory. It delivers a genuine sense of suspense.

For a more thorough analysis, see: