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Reviews
Heat (1995)
Near-close to perfect
Heat is a intriguing adrenaline rush crime drama with a history making shoot out between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. It's a classic cops and robbers story at its core but the everyday lives of all the characters is the real heart of the story. As cops & robbers movies go this is pretty close to perfect. I didn't think so at first as the first 30-45 minutes moved at such a frantic pace between a large number of scenes of a bunch of guys muttering plans and threats and moved so quickly that by the time I had caught up to the current conversation it was on to the next one. But after that first act, I managed to put together what was going on and what everyone was doing and after that, it was smooth sailing. The rest of the movie turned into a pulse-pounding thriller that not only had an excellent cat-and-mouse dynamic but also explored interesting concepts like the similar effect being a dedicated criminal and cop have on their personal lives and the heavy sacrifices they must take in order to do what they do best.
Talk to Me (2022)
Aussie Horror Delivers the goods!
This Australian horror offering centers on Mia (Sophie Wilde), a grieving teen hungry for connection in the wake of her mother's death. A wall of silence has grown between her and her father. Her best friend, Jade (Alexandra Jensen), while loyal, has been distracted by a new boyfriend (Otis Dhanji). So, when possession parties pop up promising the thrall of escape, Mia's perhaps overeager to bound into the unknown. At first, it's all fun and twisted games. But when the game goes on too long, Jade's sweet little brother Riley (Joe Bird) pays a gruesome price. While his fearsome mother (Miranda Otto) searches for easy answers, Mia and her friend must look into the abyss of limbo to pull Riley back from it.
Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism (2023)
Fascinating & Disturbing
Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism is a fascinating film, It showcases disturbing suspense, one with a definite tone. The story is based on the the tragic events of a real life exorcism performed in a rural Australian community in the early 90's. Ron, (played by Dan Ewing) is a devout presbyterian, who believes his wife (played by Georgia Eyers) is showing signs of demonic possession. Slowly but surely the film ramps up the tension. The acting is fairly spot on with Georgia Eyers and Rosie Traynor personal standouts. It's genre blending approach to the subject matter is quite novel and kept me intrigued right up to the brutal climax.
Bones and All (2022)
'Natural Born Killers' for a new generation
This is going to be a new Natural Born Killers or something. Ehm No it is not. Well I was very surprised where the blood was actually coming from. There was a slight taste of predictability when it comes to the very intensely creepy Sully character and him snapping. But the Love Story will sweep you off your feet. The two protagonists struggle through their unusual circumstances and trauma just to stumble across each others paths and cling to a slither of hope for a better life. Beautiful, devastating and gory. Bones and All is the kind of movie that can very easily be taken out of context by average movie-watchers in lieu of the grotesque nature of the film. However, for those of us who consider the act of "watching a movie" more like the act of "viewing a cinema," Bones and All is sure to be a major, major hit. The film is, in truth, a love story - and perhaps one of the most riveting and tragic love stories to be told in cinema so far. The film tells of coming of age, learning to find yourself, and learning to love someone to the fullest extent that one possibly can. Bones and All tells of the type of love that one can only obtain when they finally learn to love themselves. And yet, it tells of the most horrible pain one can possibly endure upon finding one such love. While there are many reasons to love the film, from the actors' true prowess and perfection in casting, to the symbolism and thought put into the cinematography and storyline, Bones and All is such an impactful story because of the way it leaves you feeling incredibly disturbed and disconnected for days after viewing. For those of us who love cinema as an art form, we know that this is a good thing. Good art makes you feel something. Bones and All leaves the not-so-casual viewer hungering for another taste of something they did not know even existed before. After watching the film, I found myself flipping through countless streaming apps, starting a film and immediately ending it, searching for a similar feeling to what I had found in Bones and All. I will tell you, there is no similar feeling.
Drive (2011)
Thrill-ride nod to the 1970's style crime genre
There is a thrilling feeling surrounding the whole movie, you keep your full attention on it. It starts chill, and then the action comes, the main characters work really great together, and you can feel them even with a few words. The music and the lights help a lot to bring a melancholic vibe in a stylish way. I would only extend the end, I thought it deserved some 15 minutes more of duration. In this modern-day homage to a time when love ballads were epic, the shamelessly sentimental 1980s pads stole the cake. I found myself tapping along to Kavinsky's Nightcall after an initially musically sluggish but perfectly fitting pulse. The perfect song was chosen to emphasise the "feel good" vibe of the usual 80s montage. Perhaps to counteract the strange warm fuzzy sentiments that it landed on with Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan's characters, the overtly masculine movie could have gone for greater romance. Check it out now. Drive is unquestionably interesting to watch.