[Tommy Jarvis]

The Found Footage Phenomenon 2021 ★★★★

What I appreciated most about this movie, was the completeness of it. Personally, I only missed the Dowdle brothers and Paco Plaza. But in the who's who in the genre portrayed, this really feels like nitpicking.

This serves both as a good introduction and as a continuation. The newbies get a detailed history of the genre, while more experienced viewers are still likely to pick up titles they had not seen before.

I also liked how, in spite of the (lack of) technology, it always comes down to the same things: good characters, a good story, pushing the envelope,...

Does this mean it was perfect? No.

For one, I did not really completely agree with the stance it took on budget and recognizable actors. Thus dismissing/disrespecting Joe Keery's performance in Spree.

Also, it seemed very focused on the directors' point of view. I would also like to have seen some of the actors, like Manuela Velasco or Joe Keery for that matter, talk about how they compare this style to some of their other work.

In closing, I would like to play Devils advocate for a second and throw one more stone in the puddle. Since a lot of found footage scripts are improvised, well... Imagine Robin Williams in a FF? We know he was a master at improvising and movies like One hour photo and Insomnia proved he could be scary. Put those things together and...

How's that for a what if? :-)

Limbo 2021 ★★★★

The good people at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival always seem to have a keen eye for good Asian films. This one is a Hong Kong cop movie about an investigation into a serial killer, who has the trademark of chopping off his victims' left hand.

The whole movie is filmed in black and white, adding to a bleak and somber atmosphere, not unlike Seven. Some shots literally reminded me of Mills and Somerset. Without getting into ripoff territory, though. The way Cham Lau got the Japanese migrant documents was reminiscent of Somerset's dealings with the library cards, but it never became on the nose or super obvious.

The actors do a very good job. I completely buy Ka-Tung Lam as the rough around the edges rogue cop with the troubled past. Especially since I saw a picture of him later that night that reminded me of Johnny Depp. Mason Lee sports a pair of glasses that give him a Clark Kent-like vibe. Which somehow fit the more by the book cop he portrays. More of a character in its own right. While Cham Lau has some small hints of David Mills here and there, the difference between Will Ren and Somerset could not be much bigger. And Yase Liu acted her ass off. There are only few scenes where she is not crying or running or being scared. Or taking punishment. Holy moly. In only two hours, she got beat up more than Alex Krycek in a whole season.

The movie has you immediately in, with good storytelling and keeps you there until the very end. I don't want to spoil it, so I will not get into it, but based on the comparisons you can imagine it will not be very joyous.

Four stars well deserved.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula 1992 ★★★

An overall enjoyable adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic novel. Which is not to say that it does have not flaws.

For one, I was not caught in the tone which somehow did not fit for me. One thing pulling me out was Keanu Reeves' attempts at a British accent. They are both adorable and hilarious at the same time. Gary Oldman shows his range as the classic count Dracula. Though sometimes a bit over the top for my liking. That said, his scenes with Winona Ryder are filled to the brim with sexual tension.

Studio 666 2022 ★★★½

Watching this with a rowdy crowd definitely helped. It got you in the right mood to enjoy this.

It is no masterpiece for the ages. Sometimes the pace sags a bit and you can tell that the band members are no natural born actors.

But it succeeds in being cartoonish fun and the kills more than deliver. And that's enough for me.