UNCUT GEMS: frantic chaos - like 2hrs of the final act in Goodfellas. Safdie brothers have a unique style, but would have benefited from ~20min of cuts. Cast are phenomenal; most scenes decend into incoherent screaming matches. Novel Sandler. Preffered Good Time.
SCORE: 6/10
A FLORESTA DAS ALMAS PERDIDAS (Portugal, '17): two-act film, the first of which is superb. Although padded out, the second part holds it's own. Black and white imagery adds a haunting quality, and the performances are solid. 70 mins of refreshing & original horror(?). Don't even read the synopsis! This one is differently getting an English remake. AKA: FOREST OF LOST SOULS.
SCORE: 7/10
HANTU KAK LIMAH (Malaysia, '18): hammy soap opera acting across the board. Well shot, and half decent effects, but it's put together with the cinematic language of a 40s caper - which makes it really difficult to watch. Turned off after 40 mins (with way over an hour left). Feels like it could be a national myth.
SCORE: 1/10
Kickboxer: potential lawyer takes up fighting to avenge his once cocky, now disabled, brother in a Muay Thai match against a monster. From the outset (Van Damme and his brother on a boat looking like child-molesting sex tourists) you know this is vintage 80s. The songs – and dance scene – are also criminally cheesy, yet perversely enjoyable. All bad guys passed their ‘villain 101’ course: stab dog, rape girl, fight dirty, kidnap a cripple… and no martial arts film…
The Host: creature feature from South Korea. Starts off like a trendy comedy horror, with awful over-acting, but gets more serious as the story progresses. There were a few awesome moments of suspense, but in general it didn’t seem to know whether to be funny or serious – ended up an eclectic mix. The music also conveys this, being spot on in parts, but totally ridiculous in others. The start and end are great, action-packed and when the film really…
