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alfitititamus
Reviews
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window (2022)
Defeats its own purposes
As a parody, it's seriousness, themes of mental health, depression, mystery, and suspense undo it's humour. And as a mystery thriller, it's self conscious genre mockery undermines and deflates any tension. So what is this show? Maybe the show started as a pure mystery thriller, then some tone deaf egomaniac producer insisted on the farce elements, and no one could say no. Or maybe the writers started writing a comedy but got caught up in the drama elements and took it in that direction, then handed the screenplay in without re-reading it first. Very strange show. It's going to stick with me as an oddity. Maybe that was the point. But I doubt it.
Saying that, it was somehow still consumable. I watched it all the way through. Mainly for the mystery, and the serious elements. And the performances. Thankfully the farce was only intermittant. But it was there, and it went too far with its sillyness, and consequently undermined the whole show.
Scream managed to be a believable genre bender. But this seems like it was trying to be Scream and Scary Movie at the same time.
It's a bit like that time in Friends where Rachel messes up when making a trifle that end up containing layers of custard and whipped cream but also beef, onions and gravy. You can't have all that in one dish and expect it to work. You just end up with a big old mess.
The Pentaverate (2022)
Refreshingly clever happy sillyness
I loved this. It seems that TV shows have forgotten how to tell a story. Entertainment today seems like manufactured products that are based on a concept, made quickly, have stunning visuals but have no actual story. And comedies tend towards being just chronicles of suffering. This show is playful and silly but you can tell that lots of thought has been put into the jokes, the plot has been properly thought through, and the themes give it meaning. It actually tells a story with a beginning, middle and end. It's like a small, perfectly built, sturdy boat in a sea of overblown, top-heavy, hastily bodged rafts. It has given me hope for the future of entertainment. Or maybe it's just a throwback to bygone times. Either way, thank you Michael Myers.
The Revenant (2015)
Why is the camera lens such an insistant presence in this film?
First of all, excellent camera work: impressive immersive long takes, and who knows how they managed to physically move the camera along with the action so cleanly? However, that effort and technical skill was undermined by the amount of lens flare and lens moisture. In river scenes there's water droplets on the camera lens catching the light, in snowing scenes there's specs of snow. At one point, a close up on Leo's breath fogs up the lens. And the lens used is some sort of fish eye lens, making many scenes look unnatural - like you're viewing the events through a camera. Every time this happened it took me out of the film. It made me aware that a camera was being used to capture actors acting. I could imagine a camera man scrabbling around in the snow and the water and the dirt waiting for the scene to end so that he could wipe the lens with his lens cleaning cloth. Maybe the lenses used were particularly good at capturing action, but the downside was the lens flare and walleye vision? Maybe the lens flare was a deliberate choice?
By the middle of the film I was engaged enough in the plot to forget about the camera, but in the last quarter I became aware of the camera/cameraman/film crew/acting again. So I must have enjoyed the middle bit.
Leo's character's surname is Glass and the camera lens is made of glass, and at the end Leo looks into the camera lens. Does that mean something? Is this irony? Are we all made of glass?
The Pissy Tits Street Gang (2017)
Fun, relatable and scenic
Good film. Saw it at High Peak independant film festival and it really stood out for the great acting, excellent cinematography and great production quality. The theme of bored teenage suburban rebellion was familiar but this film felt fresh and had it's own unique sweetness.
Coming to America (1988)
One of Landis's best, and one of Murphy's best.
So much going on. Conflicting perspectives used for great comedy. Fish out of water plus the rich/poor commentary and cutting satire. Dynasty, nepotism, spoilt brats, and all of them getting their comeuppance. Good build up, good slap downs. I'd forgot how spectacular Eddie Murphy and John Landis were in the 80s.