[JonE(vil)]

Botched. 2007.
4/10
​A heist escalates into weirdness.
Comedy horror about about a small time crook that has to steal a ancient cross from a penthouse apartment in Russia.
Starring Stephen Dorff (Blade) it mainly follows him and some 'hostages' as they try to escape a sealed off level of the building. Starts funny enough, and has alot of quirky humour. Dorff is perhaps too stiff and his character is the least funny. After a while the plot opens up as to why they are there and what is in store for them. From it there it kinda desends to a low budget bore.
Still an interesting film for the most part.

[JonE(vil)]

The taste of apples is red. 2022.
10/10
A wounded bloke turns up a the house of a respected sheik in the Golan heights.
Excellent drama that has a real potency to it. Set in the Golan heights in a village that is on the Syrian side, but right on the border with Israel. It tells the story of a bloke who fled in disgrace years before, but has come back with a bullet wound. The film sets things up in parallel, a baby is born, the wounded man is said not to be looking good, the baby dies, he survives. Heavy on religion and loyalty to the regime. It has a compelling sense of dread that really kept my attention and the constant parallels that became obvious and very meaningful.
Not a easy watch, but one for people who want a strong realistic drama with not a lot going on but a strong grounded well shot film.

(Clip is not a trailer.)

[JonE(vil)]

The palace. 2024. Dir. Roman Polanski.
4/10
A hotel for the rich and famous on new years eve 1999.
Set in the alps of a exclusive resort host a party for the rich. As to be expected things don't quite go according to plan. An unknown cast to me except for John Cleese and Micky Rourke. It has a humour to it, albeit slightly dated. Filmed well, after a while it just seemed to blend into the background with no plot lines standing out.
Maybe not to the directors previous high standard, but interesting at least for 90mins of a two hour runtime.


Spirited away. 2001. Japan.
6/10
A little girl gets trapped in a spirt amusement park and has to save her parents.
Typical fare from this studio. Excellent animation with a simple storyline that has extra elements that give the viewer, who would typically be young, the grounding to be able to watch multi layered plot films at a later date.

[JonE(vil)]

Invalid. 2023. Slovakia
7/10
A angry bloke ends up a cripple and goes looking for revenge.
Museum janitor/handyman Laco gets robbed and dumped down a manhole by a bunch of mobster gypsies. Rescued by one who lives in a quiet community of them, he sets out on a path of revenge. Told thru flashbacks while the gypsy is being interviewed by two detectives. The film has a slow but steady pace, lots of things happen and it builds to steady and interesting finale. Sets out the local prejudice and corruption in a funny way with certain aspects of life that are relatable to anyone.

[JonE(vil)]

Ordet. (The word) Denmark. 1955.
8/10
A family goes thru a difficult time and their faith is tested.
Three sons, their father and the eldests wife who is pregnant live together in a house. The film is based around faith in God, a slow burn of a film, it has long takes with only slight camera movement left or right. There is alot to each character as each has a different attitude to religion. This allows the film to really establish a unique series of attitudes to life, community and death.

[JonE(vil)]

The pianist. 2002. Dir. Roman Polanski.
8/10
Based on a true story about a jewish musician living in poland.
Effective drama that is slow and kinda grinding. The characters are well written, even when their not given much they still add to whatever scenes their in. Violent and bloody, Polanski doesn't shy away from showing exactly what happened and the attitude of the time, with some people trying to help and others indifferent.
After a while it did become a bit of grind with not alot of tension combined with a two and half hour runtime.

[JonE(vil)]

The zone of interest. 2023.
6/10
Well paced and compelling film that show the daily life of the family, whose father was running a death camp next door. It has long takes focusing on little things, with the detail in the background a constant reminder of what is next door.
The film has a few scenes in the middle, more at the end, that acknowledge the scale of what the husband is running.
Decent film, but with so many films treading over this topic, it does seem to be simply choosing another view to tell the same story.

[JonE(vil)]

Dune part one. 2021.
10/10
A sci epic that benefited from the computer effects available, people talented enough to be able to make it look actually believable, actors that obviously took the script seriously, and director that was able to bring it all together.
Upon first watch it was alot to take in, but with the second out now, i rewatched it and was enthralled. The film has a scale that is immense but not confusing. Purely dramatic, it sets up the conflict to come with slow deliberate detail, with a plot that is steady and meaningful.
​With a run time of two and half hours it earns it and leaves the viewer in no doubt about the vastness of the universe and what it to come in the sequel.

[JonE(vil)]

Dune part two. 2024.
10/10
Picks up where the first left off. Paul and his mother are in the desert and he is learning the ways of the Freeman.
Same epic scope and effects. Little more action in this one as it builds to the finale. Centered on the characters from the first one, it only adds a few new ones, but hints at a much larger universe of 'houses'. Solid performances and a dramatic plot ensure that even with uch a long run time, the viewer will be entertained.

[JonE(vil)]

Turtles can fly. 2004
7/10
A group of kids in a refugee camp clear mines to make money.
Lead by one they nickname 'satellite' he helps the local men by organizing the kids. Into the mix comes a boy with no arms and a girl with a little child. The film focuses mainly on these four, it's a slow burn of a film, no real plot, just the brutal reality of their lives, as they try to find out info about the american invasion (2003).
Towards the end it takes a dark turn, but its suggested right from the start things don't end well.
Good drama that shows a reality of life that most people just want to ignore.