[JonE(vil)]

Late night with the devil. 2023.
6/10
Passable thriller about a failing late night tv show that uses a 'possessed' girl to show that afterlife is real.
Interesting in that its set in the '70s and for this end can use budget effects. The last act is good, but loses it a bit with a mish mash ending.
Very similar to History of the Occult from 2020. That film from Argentina, used a current affair show to try and prove a link between the current president and a group of Occultists.

[JonE(vil)]

Henry the viii and his six wives. 1972.
​6/10
King Henry lies dying and reflects on parts of his life.
Dealing with his wives one by one, the film obviously skips alot of other things. It does a good job of showing a older king desperate for a son, getting caught up with the fact that his time is almost up and taking a much younger wife can lead to more problems.
Well filmed, its a steady watch with a interesting amount of costumes and detail. There is some scheming of the lower ranks which add a interesting element.

[JonE(vil)]

Poor things. 2023.
2/10
The film takes the Frankenstein idea and places a woman in the creatures place. But instead of the creator abandoning her and the monster longing for acceptance in a unforgiving world. It has her bed hopping and using her innocence/stupidity and good looks to get her by as she increases her knowledge of the world.
The costumes and everything about the way its filmed are spectacular. But that doesn't in any distract from what is a simplistic film with no plot generated to appeal to a shallow image focused audience.


The long goodbye. 1973.
9/10.
The friend of a P.I. is found dead in Mexico and he goes on the hunt to find out why. Excellent crime drama that unfolds with a slow tension. Following the main character 'Marlow' it lets the audience discover what he does. Gripping and tense it comes together nicely at the end. No huge chases or bombastic actions scenes, just a well written plot that is funny and serious in equal portions.

[JonE(vil)]

Bumer. 2003. Russia.
8/10
A bmw is stolen and one of the crew lands in hot water with some gangsters. This escalates due one pulling a gun and opening fire.
From there they take the stolen bmw and leave Moscow. Things get more difficult from there.
Very russian crime drama that starts innocently enough, but slowly get worse for the group. A solid drama that is gritty and no nonsense. Showing police and local corruption as a way to make ends meet, or just because no-one really cares. At the one hour mark it slows down due to a injury sustained by one of the group. At some points there are flashbacks which show more of a particular situation, and the life of one character.
Centered on a the four blokes, it shows them nicely as individuals with their flaws and charms.
Trailer has no english subtitles.

[Caduceus]

Originally Posted by JonE(vil) ↗

Poor things. 2023.
2/10
The film takes the Frankenstein idea and places a woman in the creatures place. But instead of the creator abandoning her and the monster longing for acceptance in a unforgiving world. It has her bed hopping and using her innocence/stupidity and good looks to get her by as she increases her knowledge of the world.
The costumes and everything about the way its filmed are spectacular. But that doesn't in any distract from what is a simplistic film with no plot generated to appeal to a shallow image focused audience.


The long goodbye. 1973.
9/10.
The friend of a P.I. is found dead in Mexico and he goes on the hunt to find out why. Excellent crime drama that unfolds with a slow tension. Following the main character 'Marlow' it lets the audience discover what he does. Gripping and tense it comes together nicely at the end. No huge chases or bombastic actions scenes, just a well written plot that is funny and serious in equal portions.

I think when one realizes that the only emotions she can feel are during sex, it gives a better understanding of the movie.

[JonE(vil)]

The criminal life of Archibaldo De La Cruz. 1955. Mexico.
5/10
A rich bloke thinks that by thinking about murdering a woman while listening to a music box it will come true.
Interesting crime story by Luis Bunuel. Very conservative it tells the story via flashback while he confessing his crimes to a judge.
Slow paced it does have alot going on in the plot. The portrayal of the women in the film is not sleazy, but definitely stringing some men along. Not that this means there deaths are warranted, it also has the men as rich and lustful. With no obvious murders its interesting to see the film evolve and a quiet drama.

[JonE(vil)]

The contestant. 2024 documentary.
6/10
A bloke is left naked in a room with a load of magazines and has to enter competitions to win food or stuff in general to reach one million yen.
All the while his being filmed for a segment on a tv show show without his knowledge.
I heard about this years ago from a japanese friend of mine. He watched it and loved it. Much like most of the nation. This doco interviews the bloke and the producer as well as other people.
​Interesting doco that touches on all aspects of the show, how long it ran for and what the guy went thru. Its shows what happened to him after the show ends and what he did after. Also is his mother, sister and friends who had to sit thru it and what they thought. Overall there are some questions about how much money was made off this and what if any was his cut. But its entertaining for what is a snapshot in time of a pretty interesting show.


Exhuma. 2024. South Korea.
9/10
A grave is exhumed and evil is released.
Very good thriller/horror that has a group of shamans up against a ancient japanese spirit. The first half hour set up the core cast. From there the grave on the mountain becomes the main focus. It's kinda hard to follow due to my lack of knowledge of korean exorcisms. But it has a steady sense of dread and takes itself seriously. Really interesting plot that isn't hard to follow and a steady pace.

[JonE(vil)]

Abigail. 2024.
4/10.
A group kidnaps a little ballerina hoping to a huge ransom.
Interesting take on the genre, it has stereo typical characters. Some more lackluster or dumber than others. The main reveal is shown in the trailer, but takes a while to actually happen. This allows some character development, but it comes across as pointless when the viewer already knows whats going to happen.
When it kicks off, it is still slow to get going. It packs all the twists and real violence into the third act.

[JonE(vil)]

The gambler. 1974.
9/10
A gambling addict owes way too much.
James Caan plays Axel Freed, english college professor and hopeless addict. The film starts with him in a underground gambling den, and he's lost big. One the mobsters is angry he's still even there, by the time he's done and 44 grand in debt, he's worried about how Axel will pay.
The film then sets up different characters for Axel. Caan plays it well. No flash, just a gritty realism that one would expect from a 1970's film. It has a gradual tension, showing him teach a class but also justify what makes him gamble. Nicely paced with a well written script.
There is a 2014 remake with Mark Wahlberg, but it just looked like glossy shit.

[JonE(vil)]

Who is killing the great chefs of Europe?. 1978.
6/10
Quirky comedy about a woman and her ex husband from America, who keep getting caught at the scenes of the murders of famous chefs.
Big cast filmed in a number of locations. Interesting whodunnit from a era long gone. Some over the top acting make up for the long run time, while it does has some funny moments, it centers on the couple who just don't hold the attention like the supporting cast.


The coffee table. 2022. Spain.
5/10
Thriller about a dinner that unfolds after a major incident.
Good film with a solid script. Excellent acting and nice set up of humor. But after a while it just felt like things were being drawn out. There are alot of threads in the film, with different things happening that all pull together at the end. By the 40 minute mark i noticed the drawn out scenes and kinda lost interest.