andrewhuk Reviews

The Shape of Water (2017)

Not Del Toro's best by any means, but solid.

[7/10 · 17 May 2020]

Guillermo Del Toro is one of a handful of truly visionary directors left and his work always manages to push boundaries and astonish audiences. The Shape of Water is a different kind of movie for Del Toro. Perhaps his most stylised work to date, the 1940's setting really sparkles, but I couldn't help comparing it to the visual style of Amelie, which was distracting, particularly with Sally Hawkins having a passing resemblance to Audrey Tautou and the musical cues being very close as well. It certainly has a very European feel about it, which is perhaps at odds with the content and setting of the film.

That aside, everything moves along at a fast pace and the action comes thick and fast. Performances are all solid, and it's engaging enough.

For me though, it didn't quite have the substance of Del Toros best work, which was a shame. I am incredibly pleased to see the film being such a success critically and commercially, and by most other directors standards the film is indeed a resounding success, but Del Toro isn't anyone, and for my money he can, and will, do better work in the future.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

Efron astounds in a sadly messy affair

[5/10 · 22 February 2020]

It's hard to believe after all this time there hasn't been one defining dramatic retelling of the Ted Bundy story, given we have an extraordinary story here that couldn't be more perfectly suited to such treatment (the recent Netflix docu-series being a very good example of how gripping and sensational the story is when told well).

Any dramatic retelling of real events needs first and foremost to have the necessary ambition to present the story in the best and most effective way possible. You get the feeling watching Extremely Wicked... that this kind of ambition was never there from the start, and perhaps the weight of responsibility to tell this story in the right way was either distracting or devoid, and the film certainly suffers as a result.

We find ourselves being thrown between characters, never quite establishing exactly whose story is being told here or who we are supposed to be rooting for (which really shouldn't be so unclear at this point). This dizzying lack of focus is the one flaw that lets the film down the most and ensures you are never fully immersed as events unravel.

The film is all too often let down by a script which should be razor sharp, given the amount of real life testimony and footage we have, but feels so awfully fluffy that you have to wonder what the writers were thinking. Several moments caused me to physically cringe at how bad the dialogue was. It's something which seems really hard to forgive, given the subject matter. There's also a B movie quality that runs throughout the film which I don't believe is a stylistic choice. It just isn't quite where it should be, technically or otherwise, which is a real shame.

Thank goodness for Zac Efron then, who (alongside Lily Collins) saves the film from completely disappearing inside itself. Let's be clear, Zac Efron is really good as Ted Bundy. Unnervingly good. Every moment he's on screen he has exactly the kind of hold on you that you don't want to believe Bundy himself would have had, which is how you encapsulate a character. Sadly though the supporting cast put in less than convincing or absorbing performances at best, and are just bad at worst. Without wanting to go into specifics, some of the cast look about as disinterested as you possibly could without dropping off to sleep. It's a shame then, in a film where Efron seems to be giving it his all, and is so very good, that everyone else seems to be going through the motions.

What the film can be commended for is not shying away from portraying Bundy as a human being, living some kind of normalised life. If anything the film probably over relies on that device a bit too much, as if to be making the "he just seemed like one of us" point to excess. What is lacking as well, regrettably, is any kind of attempt to poke beneath the surface.

Ultimately, Extremely Wicked... is a very perfunctory telling of a story that is anything but, and that's a real shame.

Detention (2011)

A mess of a movie.

[4/10 · 21 October 2019]

I went into this knowing very little, on the back of seeing Detention mentioned in a horror movie list and attracted by the promise of a very different kind of horror film.

From the very opening line of dialogue (I'm Taylor Fisher and I'm a B**CH - beauty, intelligence, talent, charisma, hoobastank) the film picks no bones in immediately letting you know what you're in for and the satirical, self referential kind of humour we're dealing with. Unfortunately the film misses the mark on this front far more often than hitting it. I have no issue with this kind of humour (see Josie and the Pussycats or The Cabin in the Woods for stellar examples of it done well) but it feels far too much like an exercise in throwing everything at a wall and hoping something sticks in this case (as does the convoluted plot). Admittedly there are a sprinkling of lines that hit the spot but in order for this kind of humour to succeed it has to be razor sharp and Detention just isn't there. Eventually the relentless culture references become tiresome and I found myself disengaging from the movie.

On the plus side the film is acted perfectly well and the cast is obviously giving it their all (Shanley Caswell carries the movie and is particularly watchable) and to be fair you can't say the filmmakers aren't ambitious and trying to do something different, which has to be commended, but assuredness and ambition unfortunately can't save the movie overall as it descends further and further into ridiculousness and leaves you with the feeling that the movie isn't as smart as it thinks it is.

If you're looking to pass 90 minutes without particularly needing to heavily invest in something then you could do worse than Detention, but otherwise it's a film best left in the annals of relative obscurity.

Midsommar (2019)

Some breathtaking moments but ultimately disappointing.

[6/10 · 12 July 2019]

Ari Aster delivers his second feature film with Midsommar. Whilst it's undoubtedly a step up from Hereditary, the film shares the same problems as that debut, tangling itself so tightly in its own constructs and mysticism that by the time the final act plays out it disappears inside itself leaving the audience behind.

You can't help but admire the ambition of Aster. He creates a hazy dream world all of his own in which beauty and horror are one and the same. His technical prowess is certainly on display here too. The cinematography is gorgeous and the soundtrack will surely finish the year as one of the very best. His direction whilst at times misguided and heavy handed is also undoubtedly skilled and there are one or two truly stunning moments that linger in the mind, the first coming merely minutes into the film.

With all that said, whilst there is much here to commend, the film begins to unravel in the last 30 to 40 minutes. Much like in his debut Aster has big, profound ideas but the writing, pacing and execution of the last act is flawed to the point that any meaning he is attempting to convey here is lost amongst increasingly confusing and disjointed imagery.

There is enough evidence to suggest that Aster has the talent to make truly incredible work and as his writing ability gets better I'm confident he will. For now we have a film in Midsommar that although very good in parts ultimately falls short.

Bird Box (2018)

What The Happening should have been.

[7/10 · 31 January 2019]

Whilst Bird Box isn't going to win any awards for originality, it packs just enough of a punch to succeed on the whole. Some people complain about the pacing being too slow. I found it just about right, with the timeline shift back and forth providing some much needed intrigue and mystery as the film develops. I have to say, this film has one of the more memorable and affecting opening sequences I've seen for some time and is played brilliantly.

The cast does a stellar job with what is ultimately a minimalist piece relying on tension building and dread, which they do admirably. A special mention has to go to Sandra Bullock who is terrific as Malorie, and Sarah Paulson who turns in an extremely brief but memorable performance that I was thinking about long after the credits had rolled.

All in all a very solid little movie without any bells and whistles. Give it a go, you might be surprised. It certainly surprised me.

Final Prayer (2013)

Much to admire about this low budget creeper.

[6/10 · 10 November 2015]

I really liked this movie. The low rating does it a disservice but I can understand it, being a movie that is relatively subtle and builds gradually without relying on old school jumps, cranky action sequences or gore at all. It gave me the creeps, and I'm not one to scare easily. I am a big horror fan and have been watching horror since I was far too young to be doing so but generally find the current state of horror to be fairly insipid and uninspiring, unimaginative and not scary, particularly the multiplex horror of recent times. I actually went into this one with fairly high expectations on the back of a recommendation by celebrated UK film critic Mark Kermode who, despite what else you might think of him, really does know his horror, inside out, and also generally seems to share the opinion that a lot of newer horror cinema is lacking in ideas, so when he does recommend a new horror movie I tend to take note. I'm glad I did.

It's hard to put my finger on any one specific thing which made this film experience as effective as it was but I'm sure the fantastic rumbling, building, sinister but cleverly sparse soundtrack had something to do with it. The acting was good and the confusion and panic which slowly creeps in was well played out, the script was great, giving equal space for humour as well as terror which never felt forced but on the contrary balances the tone of the film out nicely. Probably most importantly the characters are brilliantly written which is becoming something of a rarity in modern horror cinema it seems. The relationship between the two main characters was a joy to watch develop and was most definitely a major contributing factor in how effecting I found the ending when it finally rears its ugly head. You care about these two. You've warmed to them, you like them, and to see them in such a desperate state of peril gets you right in the gut.

It's been a long time since I felt such a sense of dread and discomfort throughout the last act of a film and a long time since the last few moments of a film have stuck in my mind in such a way and left me reeling like it did once the credits hit (with the exception of Kill List, another fantastic recent British horror film that is comparable to this in many ways, sharing the building sense of dread that creeps over you throughout). This is a decent effort by a talented film-maker which manages to do something different with the 'found footage' format and I very much look forward to seeing what they do next.