[JonE(vil)]

Nazarin. 1959.
7/10
A priest goes on a 'pilgrimage' due to hiding a murderer.
Directed by Luis Bunuel, it tells the story of a devoted priest, who even when he has everything taken at start of the film, because of he lets anyone in, and refuses to lock his door, just kinda shrugs it off and tries to help the next person.
When a whore kills another and seeks refuge in his room, he obliges, knowing this will cause him trouble. Forced to leave, the whore and another woman who sees him as saint tag along. He doesn't encourage them to stay but doesn't make them leave.
The film as a whole is dialouge heavy and kinda slow. But there is a very distinct parallel between the execution of Jesus Christ and the two crims either side.
One is repentant (the depressed woman) and one is scornful (the whore) he maintains a stoic manner of helping anyone, not being afraid to ask for help.
In the end he goes down for helping the whore. But maintains the peaceful trust of everyone even when he beaten.
Thought provoking film of what it means to be good person when you are surrounded by assholes you are trying to help, but are unaffected and believe in what you are doing.

[JonE(vil)]

My masterpiece. 2018. Argentina.
6/10
An artists career takes off due to his faked death.
Entertaining comedy with a little bit of drama. Set in Buenos Aires, it tells the story of a once sought after artist and his long friendship with a art gallery dealer. After an accident, they dupe everyone into thinking hes dead and reap the rewards of soaring prices for his paintings.
Somewhat predictable, but largely entertaining. Lots of humour in the first hour, then the drama sets in with the fake death happening near the end.
The artist character was very realistic. Driven to create, angry, but with a unique sense of humor. The gallery dealer/agent was his long time friend. Wanting him to succeed and create.
​Not a film that most people would watch, but one i found rather amusing.

[JonE(vil)]

Alexander Nevsky. 1938. Russia.
6/10
Prince Alex faces down the germans.
​Drama set in the 1200's. Prince Alex has to deal with the Mongols on the one side as well as a advancing german force. Uniting the workers and troops from another city, there is the inevitable show down from which they are victorious. The acting style is stoic, but not wooden. This gives it a sense of united force against the invaders. The war scenes at the end aren't as violent or chaotic as todays cinema. It doesn't distract but does lack the intensity.
Overall a solid historical drama.



Mission Impossible- dead reckoning pt 1. 2023.
4/10
Ethan Hunt and his mates are up against A.I.
Interesting concept, at least at the start. But with with a run time of two hours forty five minutes, it sets itself up for failure. With each film the ambition and scale of the stunts and concepts to push the plot have increased. This time they used the concept of a rouge A.I. but central to the plot is a human.
​So the main 'villian' doesn't really have any part. After and hour forty five i lost interest as it seemed to be going nowhere and getting bogged down in a relentless effort to add twists.

[JonE(vil)]

The pigeon tunnel. 2023.
7/10
Documentry conversation with John Cornwell aka John La Carre by Errol Morris.
Steady and interesting, it is only the two of them talking. Very well spoken. Cornwell speaks at length regarding his childhood and what lead him to eventually write his novels.
It mainly deals with his relationship to his father, there are slight deviations, but it seems to always circle round to that.
Slow with alot of reenactments and some scenes from tv shows or a film. He talks in a very philosophical way about his life, there are no exciting stories or dramatic events. Contrary to the stylized spy 007, the film does drag a little. But is a true look at a great, in his words 'artist'.

[JonE(vil)]

The outfit. 1973.
​Two men take on a criminal enterprise.
Robert Duval stars as Earl Mackin, a small time criminal whose last heist was a bank controlled by the mob, which lead to him doing time.
Wanting payback for the murder of brother, he teams up with another bloke who was also in the last robbery and a woman to get 250 grand from the mob.
Basicly a remake of point blank ​starring Lee Marvin, 1967, but instead of going up the ladder till he gets to the top. These guys rob illegal activities.
​Good 70's action with a running time of just over 90 mins. Used effectively, it builds a level of suspense intercut with violence.

[JonE(vil)]

The hunter will get you. 1976. France.
6/10.
A bounty hunter is given the task of tracking down a serial killer/robber that the police can't catch.
Sets up the hunter and the killer at the start of the film, but then the focus for most of it is a lad that survives doing a robbery with the killer. From there, the hunter gains his confidence via a prison escape. A sub plot with him involves a criminal group he stole money from sometime earlier.
Interesting film overall, kinda cheesy and aspires to be like Jean-Pierre Melville films. The fact it bookends the killer and hunter plot makes it confusing and somewhat lackluster.

No trailer.

[JonE(vil)]

When evil lurks. 2023. Argentina.
When evil lurks. 2023. Argentina.
9/10.
Two brothers give rise to pure evil.
Very good film from the director of Terrified. Written and directed by him, its a simple story that sets up the film with quite a dramatic start. From there is stays bizarre as little things are teased out. The horror is steady and the tension eases off in the middle, but only to develop the story some more.
Very grounded sense of possession and what it takes to be cured. Things escalate and little call backs tie the whole story together.
With a running time of just over 90 mins, its an excellent horror that isn't goofy, or retreading anything and uses a folk lore type setting nicely with a small cast.

[JonE(vil)]

Sewu Dino. 2023. Indonesia.
10/10
A possessed woman has to be taken care of.
Excellent film from Indonesia. Takes a homegrown story and stays true to itself. Set mainly in a remote hut with three women bathing a third. It delivers a atmospheric setting with horror and suspense mixed with a real sense of local culture. There are a few other characters that are set up nicely and contribute in slight be well fitting roles. The horror is not over the top and the violence is overly graphic. It relies on story telling and a sense of increasing dread, with a third act has a few twists that are well timed.

[JonE(vil)]

Weird. The Al Yankovic story.
3/10
Bio pic of the comedy parody singer.
Amusing, if your a fan of his music. Only the more popular songs were what i ever heard. The film is very much in his strange style of humor. No doubt is semi faithful to events but warps things to the point late in the film where he accuses Micheal Jackson of ripping of his song 'Eat it' to make his mega hit, 'Beat it'. Radcliff does a good impression of him, but it's kinda surreal in a stupid way.


Mark of the devil. ​1970. Germany.
7/10
​Brutal torture to get to the truth.
Similar to Witchhammer and other films that deal with 'possession' at the time. This film has a local witch hunter who seems to going around accusing whoever and thru torture getting a confession and then killing them. A higher power and his assistant come to the town, the assistant is skeptical of the torture to confess system. Fast paced, in colour, with torture a plenty. The plot shows the repressive nature of the church and the influence it had over people, with an extreme concentration of power in the witch hunters hands. Also shown is the nature of mutal attraction between men and women. Repressed in the W.H. and viewed as a sign of possession, there is a subplot of the assistant getting involved with a local woman.
​Just over 90 mins, it lays out all the ways things went wrong. Gets a little boring at the end, but a solid, but gory, drama.

[JonE(vil)]

The forth war. 1990.
5/10
An angry officer almost starts a war.
Roy Scheider stars as a commanding officer stationed at a camp on the border in west germany. Russian troops are on the other side.
​Things start to heat up from the beginning and he embarks on a one-man sabotage operation.
Laughably stupid and very enjoyable. Takes itself seriously, buts soo silly it actually a film that earns the 'so bad its good' title.
Harry dean Stanton is a general who gives a grounded performance and a epic speech blasting Scheiders character.
Other than that, its an entertaining film that is really funny, but doesn't seem to be, because of the way it portrays the seriousness of the soldiers.