Last Seen Contemporary Movie

[Tommy Jarvis]

Imaginary 2024 ★★★

Two and a half stars for an overall entertaining and solid PG 13 horror with some good visuals and a solid cast. The kind of movie that makes you want to imdb half the cast. Tom “Jesus” Payne kind of looks like a Dutch singer called Waylon. Also add a half star for at least an attempt to tackle a real life fear (will the family of my new partner accept me as a stepparent and what if they don't), be it perhaps not really subtle.

A few of the jumpscares are well executed, but they are certainly not all zingers. The story was also a bit too predictable with the stepdaughters turning around, the big reveal about the mom and the fake out near the end. Or with Gloria turning on them. As I said, subtlety is not this movie's strong suit.

That said, a fun night out for people who enjoy the Blumhouse style.

[Tommy Jarvis]

Prey for the Bride 2024 ★★½

Okay little slasher, but with a kind of predictable plot and killer reveal. Not so spoil but (if you know, you know) it contains a spoon of corn syrup

The kills are okay. Basically your standard stabbings and one to keep you eye on. Downside: the most bitchy character gets the most disappointing kill.

The Breed 2006 ★★

A house on fire explodes and Michelle Rodriguez comes out completely unscathed, because there's no bollocks like B-movie bollocks.

While the idea in itself has some good moments – granted, I was afraid of dogs as a child and recently watched Cujo again, so it's not all that hard for me to find violent dogs frightening – and in more competent hands, it could be better. Some of the chase scenes are well done, and Michelle Rodriguez is great in the scene with the cable line and the garage. Then again, other moments cannot help but look silly: the dogs on the wing of the plane, some of the dialogue (especially Dollar Store Paul Rudd and his “big brain responsible” brother), the ending,...

Not even Brad Pitt's boxer from Snatch would like these dags.

Black Mirror: USS Callister 2017 ★★★½

BM: We are taking Star Trek...
Me: Oh, a wholesome story about nerd escapism?
BM: And we will turn Kirk into a colossal sociopathic twat.
Me: There we go. That's the BM I know.

This was however written by a fan – I think – and the finale was more exciting than some of the original Star Trek episodes. Also good at showing the pettiness of dictators. Nonetheless, by Black Mirror standards a pretty staightforward and lighthearted affair. Which does not make it any less well written and made, mind you.

[Tommy Jarvis]

Black Mirror: Arkangel 2017 ★★★½

Helicopter parents end up having the helicopter blow up in their face and the rotor cut off their head. With a feminin spin of Oedipus to boot.

This can stand on its own and be a powerful social drama. Now it does not blow you away the same way some of the other BM episodes did, amongst others because - from a storytelling point of view - it's pretty staightforward and fairly predictable. Does that make it any less well executed, acted,...? Of course not.

El Conde 2023 ★½

Not sure why, but I totally was not on board with this one.

All I saw was a poorly done Spanish Wes Anderson-pastiche with neither the esthetics nor the charm of the quirky characters. I did not get a single laugh out of this one and the vampires often seemed like an aftertought.

The Teachers’ Lounge 2023 ★★★★

The teacher's lounge (aka Das Lehrers Zimmer) is a tought provoking movie on themes like prejudice, racism and jumping to conclusions.

We follow Carla Novak, a math teacher who seems like what we nowadays consider an old school liberal. Standing up for what she believes is right. When a thief is going around stealing things, she makes the bold decision to try and set up a trap. She then tries to work things out with the supposed suspect, but then of course things really go south.

This story is mostly carried by the actors and they all do a great job. Leonie Benesch as Carla, caught and torn between her ideals and principles and her professional surroundings. Tormented by the idea by whatever she does in good intentions only seems to make things worse. I wonder how much of a conscious choice it was to give this character a Polish background. Both actors in the Kuhn family. Both reacting so fiercely that the suggestion something deeper is involved also surfaces.

It also never really takes a side and it does not have a clear cut ending. In fact, the ending switches between different emotions. How the final confrontation between Miss Novak and Oskar switches between harsh and a beautiful shared moment with the Rubik's cube. Even the final shot of Oskar and the policemen can either be seen as sad and grand. While he will probably get in deeper trouble now, he is still carried out on a throne of sorts. Highlighting different emotions. How those who want to can find common ground. And also how well meant actions can inadvertently lead to far reaching consequences.

It's not the most comfortable watch, but recommended for people open to thought provoking movies. And to subtitles.

[Tommy Jarvis]

Immaculate 2024 ★★★★

After a few bad experiences, I started to feel like religious horror was growing stagnant again. Luckily, Immaculate (together with some recent Islam-inspired movies) picks up the slack. First four star horror of this year in my opinion.

We kick off with a strong opening, with a nun fruitlessly trying to escape from the monastery, with a bit of The Vanishing to top it off. Also to the credit of the filmmakers, they at least don't go for the “five weeks earlier”-trope.

Fast forward to the introduction of our main protagonist, sorella Cecilia. For a mainstream horror, it does its best to recognize the beauty of the Italian language, but they still could have done more. I'm cool with subtitles and we all know the main reason for not putting in more non-English dialogue was the fear of frightening American teenagers.

But let's stop the nitpicking. Immaculate overall is a well paced moody reli-horror where the short runtime works in the movie's favour, thus not allowing it to lag. In order to achieve that goal, they sometimes rely pretty heavily on jump scares. So if you hate them with a passion, that will be a downside. Personally, I thought they were well done and they did not bother me. On the contrary the first few worked rather well. As did the reveals. Why sister Isabelle is so cold and even the somewhat predictable bit of “ehmagerd, they knew this stuff all along”. Or the funny bit about how a convent has this fancy schmancy technology at its disposal.

The gore is sparse at first, but becomes more and more explicit (and exquisite) as the movie goes on. With a gruesome ending topping it off with the most intense birth scene since Inside.

Well recommended. Check it out.

The Herd 2014 ★★★½

Melanie Light delivers a more than decent horror short. With enough gore to tide the hounds over, an ending that's as happy as possible under the circumstances and a bit of a (Spaceship Troopers-ish) twist to boot.

The better this sounds to you, the more this is recommended. And vice versa.

The Farmhouse 2022 ★★★½

Fun little Spanish short about a foulmouthed, cool 12 year old.

All's well that ends well and a neat little twist at the end.

That spells solid short in my book.

[Tommy Jarvis]

The Night Nurse 2022 ★★★½

Elderly lady gets chased by an Emma Roberts-looking vampire nurse. Who goes on quite a killing spree, it seems.

All's well that ends well, but then of course... oops.

Good stuff.

Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel 2018 ★★

In this sequel to Hell House, we explore the backstory behind the Abaddon Hotel.

It's your typical FF romp with the typical screaming and running and oh my god what was that? And it has some kill fodder the same way a lot of slashers do.

Half star for the gore and another for the effect when the medium disappears.

The Conjuring 2013 ★★★½

After a good night's sleep, I'm still a bit on the fence about this one.

It is very well made and James Wan is without a doubt one of the better horror directors of his generation. The scares work, the cast is very good and Patrick Wilson and vera Farmiga make for a very believable on screen couple. And the ending is pretty intense.

Does this make it an epic masterpiece that warranted so many sequels and spin offs and what not? Not sure what, but something is keeping me from going that far.

Curve 2015 ★★

A sort of "confined space" thriller with a not very imaginative heroine, a generic villain and too many things that too obviously come and go when it suits the screenwriter. Second star for the flooding scene.

[Tommy Jarvis]

A Doll For Edgar 2019 ★★½

Predictable, but well done.

The Killer 2023 ★★★

What to say? In this one, Fincher is becoming more... fuck, what is the word I am looking for? It's certainly not mild, and poetic and philosophical here feel like these easy way out words when you cannot really think of anything else to say.

This time, he demands more of you as a viewer. You really have to be open to it in order to get into the story of mister You-can-fill-a-bingocard-with-all-his-aliases-and-then-some, partly because of his subdued and detached narration. Also, I love methodical criminals as much as the next guy (and like the next guy, I'm lazy enough to admit that this level of preparation is too much hassle), but this overload of constantly being on your guard and such... storytellingwise, it becomes somewhat monotonous after a while. And for such a methodical criminal, it sure seems like more stuff goes wrong than it should. The fuck up with the dominatrix, the botched sleeping pill with the dog. That somehow does not add up.

It does however add to a well done character sketch, of a killer with more money than he can ever spend, yet without a life to live with it. Too cold to really enjoy it and too distant to share that happiness with anyone else. Fassbender plays that pretty good and Tilda Swinton is as solid and reliable as ever.

If you come in looking for the edge of your seat adrenalin from Seven or Fight Club, this is not for you. This one is (by Fincher standards) more cinephile and, dare I say a tad more... whimsical? Whistful, perhaps? If you can get it, you will enjoy it.

Ps: Maybe it's me, but it seems like a lot of filmmakers nowadays have a thing for The Smiths. *Seinfeld-style* What is the deal with The Smiths? *cue the iconic bass line*

Susuk 2023 ★★½

Susuk is an okay Indonesian demon flick with a few solid scares.

I am not really sure what Susuk is, but based on what it looks like and the possible side effects, I'm at least hesitant to say that it's worth the bargain.

I can't say a lot about the cultural component of the story and wether or not it's an indictment of certain conservative beliefs. I mean, you don't have to be in Asia or have a Muslim background to see a conservative small village and a generic incel bully with his round up the boys moment.

What I can say is that the main actress did a good job portraying a woman that says “I love my sister and I will do everything in my power to save her, conformity be damned”. Particularly in the few sweet moment she has; one with her sister and one with her (hesitant) partner in crime and shy love intrest for the sister.

Susuk is not bad, just too twisty-turny to be really great. I am sure this is due to my cultural igonrance, but one fight looked a bit too silly (partly due to the CGI) in order to really clinch the third star. 2.75 stars, is that a thing?

For fans of Asian horror who want to make it easy on themselves with a Netflix night.

[Tommy Jarvis]

Bad Boys 1995 ★★

Why did I watch this? Because I saw it pop up on Netflix and I was like “yeah, why not?”.

It's a well produced action flick with a lot of buddy cop banter and it's Michael Bay, so we get an ending where everything explodes.

While eighties action flicks had a certain charm to them, these ones seem to become more and more interchangeable. If you've seen one... (and I am sure many people will say the same about horror, and I am okay with that)

Dream Scenario 2023 ★★★★

Aka: Careful what you wish for

The most important piece of the puzzle fell into place during the end credits. Produced by Ari Aster. Now it makes sense.

We follow Paul Matthews, a somewhat mousy (not unlike Beau from Beau is afraid) and quite uncharismatic biology professor. His life is in a rut, his students don't pay any attention to him and his marriage... well, by the look of things the fizz has gone out of the cola some time ago. He mostly just wants a bit of recognition and appreciation, let's say 1 or 2... no, 1.5 percent of what Neil Degrasse Tyson has – though he somehow apparently has never found the time to actually write his magnum opus. Yet at the same time, he does find a way to be annoyed when someone else is inspired by his work. He tends to get whiny at times and the movie does not go out of its way to make him likable.

Then, through no doing or fault of his, he somehow starts popping up in various people's dreams with one hell of a ripple effect ensuing. At first, he enjoys the attention, with scenes that say “You really like me?”. He enjoys getting the recognition he so craved. However, the dark sides of this instant fame soon pop up as well. Like the scenes with the marketing company (with a pretty funny Michael Cera) who are all about the sensation of the dreams. And what about the plant thingy? Wut? Oh yeah, errr,... We can squeeze that in too. Sure(, fine, whatever; as long as you hock Sprite and other shit for us). Quite reminiscent of the white house cabinet in Don't Look up, with people less listening and more looking for ways to spin the message in their favour.

When he starts appearing in wet dreams (like the darkly comedic “sex sequence”) and violent dreams, is when the tables turn. People tend to see this as a movie about cancel culture and I agree that there is an element of truth to that.

At the same time, it also seems to like a reflection on the uncontrollable, unpredictable and at times volatile nature of public opinion and how quickly it can turn on someone, even though that person himself/herself has in fact not changed. In this polarized society with little or no middleground, we of course immediately go from 0 to 100. Turning Paul into a social pariah over something he neither started nor has any influence over. Heck, he has as much of a clue how this came about as we as viewers do. Nonetheless, people spit in his food, beat him up, spray paint his car,... He loses his family and at one point even gets shot at with arrows. And while, yes, he does get a book deal, it's also mostly a reminder how his life has become a reality/freak show. He goes from a stuffy professor studying dull plants to a sort of sideshow who cannot really trust anyone. With the glove scene as a moment that could go with Spinal Pap and the dwarf Stonehenge.

Cage delivers a very good performance as Paul. While we do get small spoons of Cage-freakouts, he never goes full ham as in Face/Off, The Wicker Man, Renfield,... By his standards, he is quite restrained in this one, thus making this one of his better performances, showing just how much he can do when he takes a role seriously. Would the Academy dare touch this one? Not sure. Could go either way. Curious how it will do in Cannes.

To whom would I recommend this? Based on where they stand on cancel culture, some people have already made up their minds and nothing I can say will change or open their minds. But if you liked Beau is afraid or Ari Aster's material or dark comedies in general, you'll probably enjoy this one too.

Shut Eye 2 2017 ★★½

First four or five minutes seem like your standard fake doc/FF romp.

Then it takes a hard turn and condenses A Clockwork Orange and Trainspotting into the length of about a music video.

If that sounds like it's your bag... enjoy. For me? Certainly not terrible, but saying it stands out is a tad much as well.

[Tommy Jarvis]

The Ritual 2017 ★★★★

Aka: The Blär witch mägik
Aka: Midsommar featuring the Sproose Moose

More than anything else, this is a showcase for Rafe Spall's range as an actor and the arc his character goes on. From cowardly turning away from his friend being killed in a robbery to ending up as the “final boy”, even helping along a limping friend who he clashed with earlier.

Is the story original? No. It's one of “those don't mess with nature, don't go here, cause here be monsters” stories. One of those horrors where, if you listen closely, at one point you can actually hear Cillian Murphy's character from 28 days later. “This is a bad idea. You know why? (pause) Because this is a REALLY bad idea.” The prologue is middle aged guy banter with nothing really standing out, except for the Belgium joke.

Does that matter? Horror aficionados will recognize that a good execution can make a movie just as well as a good concept does. And I must say that this one was executed very well. Well done jump scares, the monster's toying with Luke and his friends is well shot, the Wicker Man-like cultists are suitably eerie just like the hallucinations taking Luke back to the liquor store on that faithfull night.

Nice, moody and eerie with good acting all round. Good stuff.

Black Mirror: Crocodile 2017 ★★★

Black Mirror goes nicely bleak with a tale of an unwilling accomplice who gets in way deeper than she had wished for.

Movie buffs will recognize elements from I know what you did last summer and Shallow grave (ie you think you know your friends, but you don't really). Charlie Brooker makes for excellent writing with plenty of moments where Mia seems in the clear before having the rug pulled from under her. With a suitably bleak ending and with Andrea Riseborough (from Possessor, check that one out, btw) excelling as the frightened and determined Mia.

Maybe not top-3, but certainly one of the better episodes.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 2024 ★★

Well... they tried. They certainly tried.

Some of the scenes did try (and even partially managed) to recall the goofy charm of the original. But in the end, it just did not work.

The bad jokes (the whole Stay Puft subplot) outweighed the good ones (the Spin Doctors joke or the one about Mary Todd Lincoln).

The callbacks to the original more often were forced in than adding to the plot.

The finale was predictable and never fully captivated.

Walter Peck was the best example: bring him back because William Atherton is still alive, make him mayor because reasons and them turn him into a watered down doing his shtick version of what once was.

The original Ghostbusters became a classic, even though logically it should never have worked in the first place. Now it's just become cookie cutter family friendly stuff.

Two stars.

[Tommy Jarvis]

The Gentlemen 2019 ★★★½

This one had been spending some time in my watchlist. But it was not until it was recommended to me by a guy I had not seen in ages that I really decided to give it a go. Especially after it popped up on a TV channel's streaming platform. That's the upside to them airing a lot of films and putting all of them on their platform.

Guy Ritchie delivers a solid bit of gangster drama in the style that we're used to. At least this is about weed rather than coke or smack and the tone makes you hope for a forshadowing nature. It also has a good lead in Matthew McCougnahey with bits of both his usual charm and of his Killer Joe-callousness.

Now the first half of this movie mostly is not about him, but about a weazle-ish, slimy PI (Hugh Grant as a dirtbag tabloid version of his romcom parts) and Charlie Hunnam (here the classy version of Connor McGregor in a suit) who tell the story of the rise of Mickey Pearson and his position going in. Sort of similar to Layer Cake, save Daniel Craig is a different kind of cool.

Suffice it to say it involves Russians, Chinese mobsters, one villain with terrible Cantonese and a bit of a Jeff Goldblum-vibe and some twists and turns. Nothing mindboggling, but the former mister Madonna knows what he is good at and thus does so.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
No! Of course not!

For the people who liked Lock, Stock and so on or Snatch. Or fans of Brit crime in general.

The First Omen 2024 ★★★★

This is a worthy prequel to the classic The Omen. You can watch the two back to back and it does not lag all that much.

The cinematography is really well done: the introduction of the main characters, the set up, the building up of the tension, the setting the mood,... Even when they are trying to reassure Margaret, director Arkasha Stevenson manages to set up this subtle atmosphere where you can tell that there is more lurking underneath the surface.

Also, and this is a real plus these days: the callbacks to the original never come across as overly forced or in your face or what not. Father Brennan is in here for logical reasons – he has to be in here because of the connection with the 1976 movie – and Ralph Ineson not only portrays him well, but the make up department even managed to give him a bit of a resemblance to the original Brennan. Same goes with the suicide scene. It never felt like “oh, they're doing the thing because the other people did the thing”. It all flowed naturally.

Speaking of which... when called for, the gore did not hold back. Where the nanny just killed herself in The Omen, this one sets herself on fire as well. And this movie sees the decapitation scene from the original and says “hold my beer”. Not going to spoil it, but it has an equally high wow-factor. Holy crap.

It's not all great. There are always things to nitpick.

Finding the mark on Carlita (excellently played by Nicole Sorace) could not help but look a bit silly. Really, nowhere else to go? Then again, the second whammy reveal is done much better.

Bill Nighy does a good job and I know this is mostly on me. I'm so used to seeing him in comedy roles that I half expect him to crack a joke any minute. But he did win me over over the course of the movie. Good job, there.

Also, the final scene felt a bit tacked on. The scene in the car with the picture and the exposition was a perfect place to stop and that last scene, apart from offering a moment of respite and cosiness, did not really have that much to offer.

As you can (hopefully) tell from my phrasing, these are nitpicks. This is a geat horror movie and I could be mistaking, but I'm starting to believe that we might be in the middle of a new golden age (with Hereditary, Get Out, A quiet place and a handful of others) and I hope that time and future releases will prove me right.

Ride Baby Ride 2023 ★★★½

The car salesman look a bit cartoony, but the clash with the car makes for a very entertaining, more body horror focused version of Christine. Yeah, obvious comparison. What of it?

Still fun, though.

Pruning 2023 ★★★ Watched 09 Apr 2024

An interesting "humans are the real monsters" short on the rise of a pundit (probably inspired by Ann Coulter, Tommi Lahren and the likes). The horror is in the hallucinations - again, probably meant to go with her ideas spinning out of control.

The "vomit" scene makes for a disturbing visual that earns this short its third star.

[FryeDwight]

SUPER DUPER ALICE COOPER (2014). Another winner from Banger films-their METAL;A HEADBANGERS JOURNEY and BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE (about Rush) are also recommended. This focuses on the singer/performer Alice Cooper AKA Vincent Furnier from his early bands to mega stardom with The Alice Cooper Group. Afterwards, his solo career and while doing well initially and finding enduring love (wife Sheryl who is still with him and performs in the show), his addictions begin to take hold and threaten more than his career-it's a miracle He didn't pass away. I knew about the alcoholism, but it's revealed for the first time that He was also addicted to Crack cocaine-News followed slower in the early 80's and I remember being shocked at how cadaverous He looked while appearing on THE TOMORROW SHOW. He managed to recover and return to performing in 1986, where the film ends. And while I thought it was odd to leave it at that point, it's explained it had been eighteen years since Vince "became" Alice Cooper and it ties in to the lyrics of their first big hit called "I'm Eighteen". Also showing how the man has learned to live peacefully with the stage character.
Lots of good music clips and audio, what makes Me enjoy SDAC more is there are no "Talking Heads", ie, no present day person sitting and talking about past events. Use of photos with the VoiceOver as well as clips from THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI and the 1920 DR JECKYLL AND MR HYDE, which sort of make sense. Also, someone OTHER than Alice alone talks about the earlier days with thoughtful insight from Drummer Neal Smith and bassist Dennis Dunaway as well as other important people throughout the story.
And while I've enjoyed much of Alice's solo work (and also wondered what He was thinking on some of them) and He's been good every concert performance over the last 35 years or so (Eight times), it has to be stated that He will NEVER top the music He made with the group and while He seems to get along with them and praise their musical chops, He seems to often imply that He and He alone thought of the majority of their ideas. I'm also not happy that original Lead Guitarist Glen Buxton's 1997 is not included in the film's wrap-up and even more pissed off that R guitar/Keyboard Michael Bruce is not mentioned ONCE throughout the whole film-if You look at the credits on the albums, MB had quite the hand in almost all their songs. I know He and Alice have had differences , but "It was difficult to find him" just doesn't wash.
So while I'm not 100% happy with SDAC, I still quite enjoy it and think even a non-fan might be compelled to check it out. ****