Posts by Noah Roberts46

Good grief, look at how many hateful posts we're dealing with this morning. 🍿

Jack Morgan2 said:I remember this from last year when they were filming over in Springfield.

Exactly. Everything around the river was taped off for a while—you can actually see it if you watch the beginning of the trailer.

The movie was just plain stupid. The acting was solid, but that’s about it—everything else made zero sense to me. Not to mention how incredibly naive some of those scenes felt.

Joseph Edwards4 said:You all have one major issue. The director describes the scene where the Shaman performs his ritual as "Putting a Hex," which implies a curse. That makes your entire interpretation pretty problematic. Then you have an angel at the end repeating what our protagonist says, yet the man lacks both faith and patience. Finally, there's that ending where the Shaman takes either a photo or the hero's soul.

Regardless, this is easily the best film of the year so far. The atmosphere is stunning from the opening shot, almost reminding me of Seven during those first few minutes. There’s some decent humor sprinkled in, too, and that scene where the Shaman does his thing is genuinely one of the highlights.

At this rate, even the blind should be able to see the truth, though I doubt Ajuto will. Looking forward to a clever rebuttal. ☕

What does this director actually know about his own film? 🐔

It looks like nobody’s on the same page as Ajuto yet. ☕

You’d be so much better off if you actually understood him. ☕

It’s pointless. Sure, you can interpret a movie in a dozen different ways, but your take just doesn't hold water for me. Once you've already decided what you're going to believe, any further discussion becomes a tedious waste of time. So, let's just agree to disagree. 🙂

Patrick Martin said:So wait, was he basically destroying the Japanese person/demon at the same time? Like, if he wiped out the Japanese person, the demon would've been kicked right out of her, and the guy was practically a goner anyway 🤷

And wasn't it pretty clear when he warned the father not to interrupt him under any circumstances?

Then why even bother with all that ritualistic nonsense if the girl is already possessed?
Sorry, but I'm just not seeing the logic here. 🤷

No, the Japanese person isn't the demon—they're just a possessed individual acting as the vessel for it, much like how a Shaman performs tasks on its behalf. Later during the ritual, the Japanese person actually fought back against the demon, effectively weakening its influence.

He warned his father not to break the ritual because they were attempting to force that evil spirit into the girl while simultaneously purging the good spirit protecting her. Of course he wanted the ritual to succeed.

The girl wasn't infected; she was possessed. If she were truly possessed, she would have been killing people already.

Rachel Cooper3 said:Top-tier filmmaking—as I said before. These creators are masters of their craft; I am eagerly awaiting this director's next project.

But here is my issue... It’s that sequence involving the photographs. When they visit that Japanese person's place, they find photos in one part of the house—and here is the crux of it—there are photos of both the living victims and the deceased. At the end, we see the Japanese person/demon photographing the young priest after his true nature is revealed, just so the Shaman can enter the house of the deceased (the protagonist, the girl, the grandmother...) and photograph them dead. We don't actually witness the Japanese person/demon photographing the priest once he's dead; instead, I am left with the implication that the final photos (of the victims) are taken by the Shaman (?).

Too long? Absolute nonsense. For me, it flew by as if it were only an hour long. I didn't glance at my watch even once because I was completely immersed—a clear sign of an excellent film.

I think both the Japanese person and the Shaman were photographing victims. To be honest, the distinction between the "living" and "dead" shots isn't clear to me either; maybe they were just photographing the possessed before "finishing them off." Personally, I think the demon at the end is more about shock value and symbolism to rattle the audience.🤷

He wasn't driving the demon out; he was doing the exact opposite by forcing it into her, essentially trying to kill off her guardian spirit. If they had actually pulled that off, the kid would’ve been possessed and gone on a killing spree, but luckily, that didn't happen. At least this way makes sense to me. 🤷

I actually dig the Shaman because he isn't the predictable trope you'd expect him to be. 😁

I think you finally caught on, even if the movie is pretty twisted and open to interpretation.

The Shaman and the Japanese person were basically under the influence of some demonic force—whatever you want to call it—using them as tools to snatch the souls of their victims through painting. That woman toward the end is actually a benevolent figure (another spirit or Shaman) who’s been protecting the girl and her family up until then. That’s why the ending hits so hard; just when you think you're getting some cliché twist...

EDIT: Just stumbled upon a really interesting breakdown:

Patrick Martin said:Man, watching this was like a massive trip down memory lane, revisiting all those incredible masterpieces from the South Korean cinema scene that I basically lived and breathed for a solid chunk of time. And look, even though my whole family and everyone else I know keeps hyping up their work, there are still plenty of people who think these movies are total garbage. Honestly, they still give me these weird looks to this day whenever I start raving about them or trying to get them to watch.

Hands down, this is the most polished and mature film from Martin Scorsese.
This time around, he really expanded his toolkit by leaning into that classic South Korean fun&fear vibe—that specific element where you're bouncing between laughing your head off and being absolutely terrified. Though, fair warning, that last quarter of the movie pivots hard into full-blown horror.
My gut feeling? Every single frame and every tiny movement from the actors feels intentional. When everything hits that perfectly, you know you're looking at a masterpiece.

And man, that Shaman guy? Top tier. Absolute legend.

👍👍👍👍👍

SPOILER

Look, the guy is just pure evil—totally obsessed. 😬

Terrifying movie. Honestly, absolutely chilling. That last half hour was pure, unrelenting tension. 🙏

Yep, absolutely top-tier execution. Stringer and Murray are killing it. 👍

vivideagle7 said:The songs are just boring and unoriginal, it’s actually painful...

Just like 95% of that whole British alternative rock scene back in the 80s.

Well, damn, that's literally what the film is about.

Riddle of the Model really stuck with me. It’s got that quintessential 80s vibe—the costumes, the performances, all of it. It serves as a solid foundation inspired by Phil Collins.😬

Look, people just don't have the time or the money, and I don't even have a cinema in my town.

It’s actually a really charming film; I enjoyed every single second of it. It does an incredible job capturing the relationship between time and music—that final concert song is pure genius. Honestly, the funniest part for me was when that bully finally leaves his house and flips off his parents. Personally, I liked it better than Once and Begin Again.

It just hit the torrent sites.

It really ought to be handled as a series. Otherwise, the manga and anime are top-tier, but there's absolutely no need for a second part.

Solid. A little less iconic than Dazed and Confused, but still a great watch. Pure entertainment, and honestly, it wraps up as an excellent feel-good movie.

I'm heading to the theater next week, and I honestly can't wait. I just rewatched Dazed and Confused to get myself in the right headspace. That movie is an absolute masterpiece; if this new one is even half as good, I'll be thrilled.