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robertsmithhald
Reviews
There's Something in the Barn (2023)
The Village Troll
I absolutely loved this movie. It was hilarious, silly, corny, and satisfyingly predictable. The setup is that a dysfunctional American family inherits an idyllic Norwegian farm, and makes the big transatlantic move with plans to start an AirBnB. It all goes straight to hell. But they manage to pull together as a family and defeat the demons threatening their farm, their lives, and their family. It all ends in classic Steven King style. Mayhem. My only criticism is there could have been a lot lore blood and gore. And more mayhem.
The real story though, is a philosophical story about Norwegian culture- highlighting the metaphorical village troll personified in the form of "Elves" living in the barn. The village trolls' seemingly innocuous manner quickly manifests into what it really is- negative, jealous, hateful and destructive forces that delight in ruining for others, especially those who are different and entertain new ideas. Spoiler alert- It was a great pleasure to see them all burn down in the barn- and the ones that survived banished to a museum. Hopefully there will be a sequel- I'd love to be in it and help smoke the rest of them.
Minamata (2020)
Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive material
Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive material known to man. This company was pouring it straight into the bay, poisoning it, and every single living thing in and around it. This created generations of poisoned people. Killing, maiming, disfiguring at random. This does not come out clearly enough in this film.
The Larkins (2021)
Waste of time
I loved the original Darling Buds of May, but it is becoming dated, and I was really looking forward to a new interpretation. This one isn't it. It was a waste of time watching.