Favorite films

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Recent reviews

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  Spiral 2000

  ★★★★ Rewatched by karamashi 30 Jun 2022

  I’ve always adored this film. It was met with a general negative reception of Junji Ito-stans holding it up to the original manga—practically asking to be disappointed. What Higuchinsky does here is similar to the original Tomie(which was met with just as much negativity); it’s an interpretation of the material spun through a totally brilliant editing and visual style. Contextually, against the other long haired Sadako & Kayako clones and rip-offs—the film still feels original, compromises and all.

  For years I always…

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  The Black Phone 2021

  ★★ Watched by karamashi 28 Jun 2022

  This has the right elements but is severely undercooked. Derrickson’s direction really feels lackluster but Joe Hill’s script never rises to any occasion to be genuinely scary or tense. Ethan Hawke does what he can but his character isn’t more than a cartoon thin child killer. It’s not awful—just uninspired.

Popular reviews

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  Hereditary 2018

  ★★ Added by karamashi 36

  Okay A24--we're done. No more of these half-realized genre pics, technical exercise, calling cards. May Under The Skin remain the only great film you've released(okay and Spring Breakers).

  So what's wrong with Hereditary? It's cynical but not so obviously at first. The first half begins with quite an unexpected plot point and builds upon it with an eerie, grief felt, and almost at the edge of tears/laughter kind of atmosphere. It is refreshing that the film doesn't cheaply go for…

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  The Green Knight 2021

  ★★ Watched by karamashi 29 Jul 2021 1

  A24’s The 10th Kingdom

  Lacks any sense of emotional element with any of its human or non-human characters. Just an ornate, auto-masterbatorial collage of “one-perfect shots”, polished and scrubbed of any texture or grit. It’s modern assumptions on the reality of the glories of medieval legends is obvious. Really slacking in the pacing department and then when we finally get to the typical fantasy/anthology film set-pieces, they lack any real sense of wonder. Never weird or sexy or provocative or thrilling. Bog standard choir score and all the forced & whispery performances one could take. 

  Just watch Conquest. You’ve been meaning to anyway.