Monthly Archives: September 2021

Film Review “The Ritual” (2017) #NetflixReview #TheRitual #TheRitual2017 @bruckmachina @AdamLGNevill @JoeBarton_

film, film review, movie, Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

have these guys never seen a horror film?

A group of rapidly-heading-for-middle-age friends decide to take a hiking holiday to Sweden in order to rekindle and strengthen the weakening bonds between them and to commemorate a tragedy at the heart of their group. However, things (predictably) start to go awry when our group takes a “short cut” through the woods (have these guys never seen a horror film?).

Probably produced by Norway in order to undercut the Swedish tourism industry, The Ritual is a disturbing horror movie. It has the classic, minimalist horror theme that works so well: a few people alone with their thoughts in the middle-of-nowhere are forced to fight for their lives when an unseen evil begins to terrorise them. Simple but effective. The focus is on our lead Luke, Rafe Spall, as he grows to try and conquer his own demons.

Genuinely disturbing at times, this movie sucks you into its world and makes the unbelievable seem quite real. The acting and special effects were delightful, and the scenery is bleak but profoundly beautiful. Our characters’ choices are never absurd as so often is the case in these kind of films, although I must say I did sometimes feel the characters could do with turning their torches off.

Despite being reminiscent of many other horror movies, it never feels like a rip-off or a mish-mash, but rather its own thing. Nonetheless, there can be no bonus points for originality. A solid and thoroughly entertaining movie with a disturbing and credibly portrayed premise. A must for fans of horror or Scandi-anything (but note: it’s an English language film).

3/5

© 2021 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/cinemorgue/images/0/06/Ritual_xlg.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20171021010712

Film Review “Anna” (2019) #100WordReview #NetflixReview

100 word review, film, film review, movie, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Despite the unbelievability of the premise… entertaining

An action-espionage-drama following Anna, a poor woman from Russia with a heavy burden of suffering who is ready to give up on life. At her nadir, a man swoops in with an unlikely offer — become a spy, in exchange for a decent life.

Despite the unbelievability of the premise, the film is otherwise quite believable. The movie’s made up of several segments which end in a twist, the scenes then rewinding to show us what really happened. Entertaining and shocking, but this shtick begins to wear thin by the end.

An entertaining and exciting flick with good acting all round.

3/5

© 2021 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/484641/movieposter/anna-5e0022441661a.jpg

Film Review “Mama” (2013) #100WordReview #NetflixReview

100 word review, film, film review, movie, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

sounds like countless other films

check out my movie reviews blog here

An evil apparition increasingly menaces an emotionally damaged family while itself apparently only clinging onto this Earthly realm due to its own unresolved trauma.

This sounds like the outline of countless other films. However, Mama really is fresh-feeling and impressive. This formula is refreshing by the use of this feral child motif which recalls the real case of Genie.

Good acting from all. Very creepy.

But there are some downers. Aunty only exists to be knocked off and never feels like a danger to the nascent family life of our protagonists nor as a fully fleshed out character. Also, the CGI is a little ropey, though not ruiningly bad.

3/5

© 2020-2021 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from https://doggerelizer.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/32e45-mama2013filmmovieposterlarge.jpg

Film Review “Mirage” a.k.a. “Durante La Tormenta” (2018) #NetflixReview

film, film review, movie, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

read the 100 word review here

mind-bending … Beautiful

A foreboding storm is the backdrop to the sad tale of a boy who witnesses a murder and in fleeing the scene is run over and killed. Twenty-five years later, an eerily similar storm forms which seems to create a link to the past. Can Vera (Adriana Ugarte) save the boy? And what consequences will follow from this?

Mirage is a mind-bending mystery crime time-travel film. Beautiful in every way. The ending is shocking and totally satisfying; it doesn’t wipe out our journey as time travel films often do (the “it was only a dream” phenomenon). Despite the fantastic set-up — a storm which acts as a kind of wormhole to the past through which people can communicate via their television sets –. Mirage is wholly believable. Like all great time travel movies, it uses the set-up to explore those “Sliding Doors” moments where your life changed totally, almost as if on the toss of a coin.

Despite the message that ‘we should be contented with our lot, as it could be worse’, the film never moralises. The focus is the human drama.

The cast could not be better. The acting is thoroughly believable. Ugarte bears a huge weight as our dramatic lead Vera, and she delivers a naturalistic and delicate performance.

Anyone who has ever mused on what would have happened had they not caught that train, forgotten their wallet that time, or decided not to go out after all that night, that is, most people, will love this film. A special movie and the best Spanish language flick I have seen in years.

5/5

© 2020-2021 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/asnozZh17f4Rv9Ro1rETAEEAFOt.jpg

Film Review “32 Malasana Street” a.k.a. “Malasaña 32” (2020) #NetflixReviews #150WordReview

150 word review, film, film review, movie, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fairly generic stuff

In last roll of the dice, a desperate family moves from their village to the city. They hoped their dreams would come true, but their new flat is a house out of their worst nightmares.

Fairly generic stuff: bad stuff happens in the apartment many years before, new family get short shrift from the ghost(s) of the fallen, experts in spookology get drafted in to help fix it, the shit generally hits the fan. So far so standard. But the acting, especially from Iván Marcos (paterfamilias Manolo), is powerful: broad-shouldered, literally and metaphorically, but broken, we can still just about glimpse the young and raw buck that Candela (Bea Segura) fell in love with. The film is deeply atmospheric with great use of all tropes.

The best generic horror movie for a while. But it is deeply generic.

3/5

© 2021 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from http://es.web.img3.acsta.net/pictures/19/09/09/09/26/3456681.jpg