[JonE(vil)]

The ladykillers. 1955
9/10
A group of robbers use a little old lady to pull off a robbery.
Timeless comedy caper with superb performances from all the cast. Wthin a run time of 90 mins, it delivers a sharp plot of intrigue, humour and slight menace. Could be said the little old lady character is dated, but her stoic, no nonsense manners and polite law abiding personality, make for the perfect character when things escalate. The robbers, except for the leader are slightly less formed, but still unique each in their own way.

[JonE(vil)]

Oddity. 2024.
9/10
A woman is murdered and her blind twin sister seeks revenge.
Excellent horror thriller that has a small cast in a limited amount of settings. The plot is simple enough. A blind physic wants to take revenge on the killer of her sister. With certain scenes cut and picked up later, combined with flashbacks. It makes perfect use of its 90min run time. Tension is created with the framing of long hallways in the building and sparse lighting.
Chilling escalation that all leads to a satisfactory ending.

[JonE(vil)]

The friends of Eddie Coyle. 1973.
7/10
Starring Robert Mitchum as Eddie, it tells the story of a aging criminal whose heading to jail for getting caught with stolen gear in a truck. He is making deals with a gun dealer to supply handguns to a group of bank robbers, along with a cop in the hope that he can get him a lighter sentence. Slow cooker drama that is made up mainly of conversations regarding deals. Good balance of deception and suspicion among the criminals, with a 100min run time, ensures the main characters are believable and their true motives are hidden.

[JonE(vil)]

Batman. 1986.
6/10
Tim Burton directed comic book film, has a plot of drama and very little effects. Still works as a semi decent film, Jack Nickleson is great as the joker. Keaton and Bassinger as Wayne and Vale are completely believable cut outs.

[JonE(vil)]

Big guns. 1973.
6/10
Crime drama about hitman trying to leave it all behind, but can't.
Simple but with a little more plot and less high action.
There a number of bosses so it gives the characters more dialogue and not a rushed sense. Typical 70's drama with a few well done car chases.

[JonE(vil)]

Escape from Mogadishu. 2021. South Korea.
8/10
(rewatch)
After the fall of the government in Somalia, the embassies of South and North Korea have to work together to get to a 'friendly' embassy.
Good action thriller that is paced well, when the north's embassy staff arrive at the souths compound, there'is a dramatic aspect that sees most the characters fully realized in their respective roles. From there is builds to a typical race to survive finish.
Nice to see a film that shows thru all the political nonsense and bravado of human nature, people at their core just want to survive and will help each other.

[JonE(vil)]

964 Pinocchino. 1991 Japan.
6/10.
A cyborg gets chucked out of a factory, adopted by a homeless woman and the corporation goes looking for him.
Came out 3 years after Tetsuo the iron man, and has a similar vibe. Starts well enough, but after they meet it veers off pretty wildly.
High and low camera angles, alot of stuff that is obviously filmed on the street with average people walking around, make the film interesting but distracting. The plot does get back on track after a while but by that stage its full bizarre. Worth a watch for the style of it. But its cult classic for a reason.

[JonE(vil)]

Two men went to war. 2002.
7/10
A couple of soldiers, sargent and private, go to join the war in France.
Lightweight comedy that moves along with a breezy feel. Based on a true story it has a characters that are kinda stereotypical. The gruff older soldier, the young one that kinda naive. With most of the film following them, and other characters their to add detail to the plot. It harks back to the comedy films of the lates 60s.

[JonE(vil)]

The substance. 2024
10/10
A aging star undergoes a treatment that enables her to live a double life.
Using a product called the substance, it creates a younger version of herself, out of her own body. But it can only last a week before there has to be swap in order for the original older person to regenerate a liquid that the younger one uses each day.
The film is full of 'body horror' with clear inspiration coming from the early films of David Cronenberg. Plot wise it deals with aging as a woman in show business and the rampant egos on both sides. Its shot in a hyped kind of way with lots of different angles, close ups of the body which could be described as 'erotic' but when taken in context of the film show a clear lustful shallow look.
Written and directed by a french woman its definitely a outsiders look at aging in a country that is obsessed with image, and nothing else.

[JonE(vil)]

The mark. 1961
7/10
A child sex offender is released and gets a job. but his past comes back to haunt him.
Dialogue heavy drama, it tells the story of a man who with the help of a doctor that got him released, tries to live a normal life.
The film goes about the subject in a interesting way, with the aid of flashbacks and some dreams. It shows the viewer how, in a limited way, it developed and his struggle to get thru it.
Straight forward kinda plot with no major surprises, the main characters are cross section of society that represent understanding and anger towards him.

No trailer.