Posts by redowl90

Isn't it just a matter of Evil wanting Jack Bauer to find Esseker? And as long as he doesn't find him, they'll just keep killing off his family members?

While watching, I just couldn't shake the image of Jack Bauer. No matter how much I tried, that series—as brilliant as it was—has completely pigeonholed Kiefer Sutherland for me. It’s hard to see him as anyone other than Agent Bauer. Every facial expression, every line delivered with that specific tone and grit, felt like a callback to his TV role rather than a distinct character from this movie. Honestly, that's the biggest drawback for me.

Another issue is the heavy-handed reliance on cheap jump scares. They use those tired old tricks, like cutting the music right before a loud noise hits, just to startle the audience. It felt pretty lazy.

That said, the plot kept me hooked, and I found myself genuinely curious about how things would wrap up. And I have to admit, the ending caught me off guard.

All in all, it wasn't a bad film. It was definitely better than that Jeopardy! Horror V mess I watched last night.

I'm honestly at a loss for words after watching this last night. To be fair, I had no idea what I was getting into—that’s because for the past two years, I’ve made it a point to completely avoid reading reviews or even glancing at trailers before watching something. Because of that, I went in expecting a cozy little drama, not a full-blown horror flick. And regardless of what anyone else says, this is definitely a horror movie. I have to admit, watching it alone in my dark apartment at one in the morning wasn't exactly a relaxing experience. 🙂

Anyway... My biggest gripe is that the movie constantly reminded me of The Others. If I hadn't seen that film before, I probably would have called this an outstanding piece of work. But as it stands, it just feels like a solid movie featuring an excellent lead actress. I think the director shows real promise (I'm not very familiar with his other work): he knows how to handle actors, how to build a great atmosphere, and how to actually creep out an audience.

It's worth a watch, but it certainly doesn't deserve all the massive hype it's getting.

Jane Campion is the first one who comes to mind.

Arthur Garcia59 said:Unfortunately, I didn't get through much, but I'm glad I aimed for the heavy hitters this time. Last year I tried to watch almost everything, and there was very little worth actually seeing.

You absolutely have to see "desert of souls." We aren't talking until that happens.

Arthur Garcia59 said:redowl90, how's Kaufman looking regarding distribution?

I suspect it might skip a wide theatrical release entirely, though I can't say for sure.

neonmaker10 said:Wait, Moscow and Belgium?
That actually sounds like a great movie title to me.

A non-Hollywood romantic comedy in American theaters?
You've got to be kidding me.

neonmaker10 said:Does anyone know which movies are getting a wide release? Like Choke, or The Cure... what else is out there?

Across America, we'll see "Zift," "The Cure," "love and other crimes," and "guest orchestra."
I'm thinking "Choke" and that one Brazilian film will probably hit theaters too.

northerncrane4 said:I didn't even have to watch most of the competition entries to know exactly which way the jury was going to blow it.

It’s hardly surprising given the jury was nothing but damn women. Pure pathos.

Honestly, I think it's a travesty that "rumba" took home the top prize, because there were so many better films in the mix. But apparently, that's just how things work at the Sundance Film Festival—the opening film gets crowned the winner (it happened with "exile" last year, too).

Even though I didn't feel that way immediately after watching it, for me, the real winner is "desert of souls." It's the only film out of everything I've seen that I can't stop thinking about; I keep circling back to the story in my head. The script, the editing, and the acting are all top-tier.
And full disclosure—I already downloaded Rodrig Plae's film from last year, "the zone," from the internet. I'm looking forward to catching it after Sunday lunch.
Just to be clear, I thought "Moscow, Belgium" and "class" were much better than "rumba."

As for short films, of course "little bird" won, because this is America. Around here, anything involving sadness, misery, gloom, war, or destruction is an automatic winner. "little bird" isn't even close to being the best short film—I saw at least three that were better: "Life is Hard" (a cheerful, optimistic Romanian one—which is exactly what "little bird" was missing, for God's sake!); "2 Birds" (about some drugged-out, traumatized Icelandic teens in love); and "Ralph" (a British guy who finds—maybe—the love of his life in the middle of Marseille).

I don't dream in German - a complete dud of a short film.

CLASS - an Estonian take on "Elephant." Even though you can pretty much see where it's heading halfway through (and some parts suffer from minor directorial hiccups), it was still well worth the watch. Every single one of the kids delivers a great performance.

birdie - a completely pointless, mediocre short film.

Moscow, Belgium - if this were a Hollywood production, there's a good chance it would have been a massive blockbuster, easily clearing a hundred million. But it isn't. This is a Belgian film that the rest of the world hasn't heard of (and probably never will). It's a shame, because it's actually a solid piece of work that drags a bit too much in certain spots, but it's still a great watch regardless. The lead actress is excellent, and Johnny's character is unbeatable.

life is hard - an excellent Romanian short. I've caught a few solid Romanian films this year—it feels like high time we take a deeper dive into their cinema.

LOVE AND OTHER CRIMES - I honestly don't even know where to start with this one. The movie is good, but the ending is just catastrophic and makes zero sense. Plus, it's way too long.
Anyway, more on that later... Just saw that Pukanić is dead as a doornail.

2 Birdies - a pretty charming little short about some drug-fueled American youth.

DESERT OF THE SOUL - man, this is definitely not one for a morning screening. But regardless of how "heavy" it gets, it's still worth your time because it's an incredibly high-quality piece for such a low-budget indie title. The movie actually makes you pause and consider all that Christian superstition, even if you spend the last 20 minutes praying the main character dies in the most agonizing way imaginable.
Recommended.

The Suspect — honestly, forget everything you thought you knew about filmmaking and just watch how Hassenfratz manages to do everything wrong. This "short" feature clocks in at nearly half an hour. I truly hope this guy never attempts a full-length feature; it would be more painful than watching a Tarkovski marathon.

THE THREE OF THEM — hands down the worst thing I've seen at the Sundance Film Festival to date. It’s one of those films that gives you absolutely nothing in return—it’s ungrateful for your time and leaves you feeling completely hollow. Actually, just exhausted. It's bad. Really bad.

nimblemarlin6 said:The movie is absolutely phenomenal—it’s one of those experiences you really should have on the big screen.

If they were showing "to be wanting blood"—which is also just this slow, three-hour slog—why on earth didn't they pick "The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward"? Distributers are such a weird breed sometimes...

Hmm... I'm not sure. Maybe because "To Be Wanting Blood" snagged 8 Oscar nominations and was actually one of the best films of the year?
Oscar = box-office.

Ralph - Out of everything I've seen so far, this might actually be the best short film. I really liked the tense storytelling about a young guy who meets (maybe?) the love of his life in such a perfectly "random" way.

DRUMBEAT - Man, this one works on so many levels for the first 90 minutes, but then they completely blow the last half hour by adding unnecessary narration and dragging things out. It felt like they didn't know (or more likely, were afraid) how to actually end the movie. Such a shame, because the potential was there.

Test - Unlike "Ralph," this is hands down the worst short film I've watched at the Festival so far. A couple of funny moments here and there... but that's it. Bottom line: zero points. Just pointless.

GUEST ORCHESTRA - If the Sundance Film Festival had an award for the "most human" film, this would definitely win it. It’s a good movie that makes you laugh and hits you emotionally right when it intends to... But that’s actually where the issue lies: just when you're waiting for that final crescendo—that emotional eruption that makes you want to stand up, clap loudly, and shout "Bravo! Bravo!"—it never comes. The film just ends, lacking that final "touch" a piece like this really needs. A real missed opportunity.
But regardless of my rambling—definitely give these a watch!

northerncrane4 said:A serious short film

Bald's take is basically the biggest issue facing American cinema right now.
But let's drop it... We're starting to get exhausting, both for others and for ourselves.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:Look, the movie didn't just go "unnoticed"—it was basically invisible because it wasn't even playing in theaters, despite all the hype! So, goldenhound32, don't act surprised that hardly anyone saw it.

It didn't play in our local theaters because, honestly, maybe a hundred people would have shown up. Or maybe a thousand, but 70% of them probably would've walked out halfway through and left everyone with a bad taste in their mouths. People likely would've only gone to see it for Pitt, and then found it too slow. That's just bad business.

That said, I thought the film was excellent, featuring some of the most convincing cinematography I've seen in a long while.
As for Casey Affleck, I'm not sure what to make of him—I saw him in Gone Baby, Gone and he was terrible there. Then I saw him in this film and he's fantastic—Oscar material. Personally, I liked him even better than Bardem.

northerncrane4 said:Look, I'm hoping you actually have a point to make here, otherwise, maybe just leave me alone.

You can't write about anything substantial until you actually film something substantial.
Yellowjacket is just your typical, run-of-the-mill student flop that has no business being at any major Festival.

It’s honestly no surprise that the American film scene is struggling when people like you and the others I know are working in the "industry." You've got kids who just started studying at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declaring Russian Ark to be some cinematic masterpiece, claiming they're going to make "films about real people." It immediately makes me think of that ridiculous Kreljin rant about people at the train station...

Can we please just get people to make something good? Something that isn't just misery, gloom, or rage... Give us something with happy people, an actual engaging plot, or even just some humor. We don't need constant tragedy and depression. Enough is enough, seriously.

northerncrane4 said:I honestly just feel terrible that there wasn't enough room for that brilliant seven-minute short, "Where the Yellow-beak Lives," by Kristina Kumric and Davor Kanjir. 😢😢😢

I really hope this is some kind of joke.

Michael Newman50 said:shadows dance 🤮

Come on now... It really wasn't all that bad.