[JonE(vil)]

Vadh. India. 2022.
7/10
Good drama about a middle class couple in India who sent their son to America, but in doing so had to take a loan which is crippling them.
Things take a turn when the old guy kills the loan shark. A solid drama that depicts two sides of modern times. A older devoted couple, her very religious and him a retired school teacher. Their son living in America is distant from them and seems not to really care that they still have the debt as he has a new life far away. The loan shark is operating under a higher criminal but also has something on the local inspector.
Slow burn but with a series of plot twists that keep a constant level of suspense. No flashy acting or humor, just a solid film that shows a slice of modern life.

[JonE(vil)]

Viking wolf. 2022. Norway.
4/10
A girl gets attacked by a werewolf.
After a initial interesting start the film plods along. None of the characters are very interesting and with the token 'bloke-whose-been-hunting-it-for-years' turning up with one arm missing it was about that point i just started fast forwarding thru it. There are a couple of action scenes with the were wolf, but it looks very cgi and about average.
It doesn't really push it as a horror film should and being that it was made by (sigh) Netflix, it has a generic quality that will sit nicely on their service and be entertaining to family audience.

[JonE(vil)]

Dr Petiot. 1990. France.
8/10
A doctor helps people 'escape' occupied France, but in reality he was murdering them and keeping their belongings and cash.

Slow to start with, but eased in to a suspenseful and colourful crime drama. The doctor in real life was a very complicated character.
Suspected of a number of murders before the war, he did make a point, as shown in the film of being helpful to people with few means. But when France was under German control, a prolific lair and thief, he was able to avoid detection he profited immensely. The film shows events of the last couple of years and how he went about deceiving everyone around him with a cheerful charm and endless lies that cover for his insatiable greed.

Low quality scene from the film.
No trailer.

[JonE(vil)]

Ordinary people. 2018. South Korea.
6/10
A new teacher at a school investigates why a student has gone missing.
Starring Don Lee as a gym teacher and student dean, he begins to investigate what happened to a young female student, her friend is looking for her.
Good drama that one would expect from S.K. Not a lot is given away and the story slowly unfolds. Steady and interesting, the flaws start near the end when there starts to be alot of flashbacks that are kind of lengthy. Essential to the story they kinda drag, what is a slow burn film, down.
Didn't finish the film due to that, but a decent example of passable Korean cinema.

[JonE(vil)]

Cronos. 1993.
6/10
A antique dealer discovers a gold device that transforms him into a vampire.
First film by Guillermo del Toro. Interesting story that has the dealer trigger the device with out knowing what it does and the wealthy man with the instructions. Slow but balanced story that has Ron Perlman as the assistant to the wealthy trying to get the device. Being a mid '90s film it has very little cgi and a 90 minute run time.

[JonE(vil)]

Veneno para las hadas. (Poison for the fairies) 1984. Mexico.
8.5/10
Two little girls practice witchcraft.
A new girl to a school aged about 10, befriends another little girl who has a very sinister streak. The film is from their perspective and any adults in the film are only generally seen from the back. The plot moves along nicely, one girl clearly dominant in the relationship and happy to lead the other into trouble.
The title of the film deals with a 'spell' she wants to cast, there is real innocence to the evil girl and a noticeable fear increasing in the friend as they get the ingredients.
Well crafted with a tension filled ending.

[JonE(vil)]

The people vs George Lucas. 2012.
5/10
A doco about the love for the original Star Wars film (trilogy) and the resentment for the re-issues and 'prequels'.
The film has alot of different talking heads and ALOT of different view points about what was good, what went wrong, what some people love, what some people hate. There are little points made at certain times that kinda explain things in a rational way, then it reverts to mockery.
Comes across as jumbled mess most of the time, but shows the devotion to a special film and then way big business saw that and exploited it.

[JonE(vil)]

Huesera. The bone woman. 2023. Mexico.
8/10
Rosemarys baby for a new generation.
Excellent horror thriller about a woman and her husband who are expecting their first child. The film sets up the idea early on the a entity has come into her house and therefore her. Little strange things happen that gradually get more intense. Set in middle class Mexico, it show spiritual beliefs that are still strongly believed. Economic run time and creative use of music and scenes kept me fully engaged. The last act seemed to level out before there was a very interesting, surreal ending involving a group of older women and the young mother.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jna8Q1AXt4

[JonE(vil)]

Cocaine bear. 2023.
Bootlegged a cam copy just to see it.
Based on very simple events, a 'story' is crafted into a film.
Forgettable characters and meanders along. 45mins in is when it really got going with the whole ambulance scene, but that was about the most interesting bit.
Clever idea with a catchy trailer, but a whole of nothing.

[JonE(vil)]

The nile hilton incident. 2017. Egypt.
8/10
A murderer is seen by a hotel cleaner, and things get messy.
Good crime thriller that starts off slowly and really gets to the heart of Egyptian society and justice.
Set just before the uprising that saw the overthrow of the regime, a police major is assigned the case of a murder of a famous local woman.
He gets a set of photos and negatives that show her having a an affair with a high profile businessman. The first half is kinda funny the way it shows how corrupt the system is, and how hard to it would be to investigate such a case. He carries on, even when it gets closed. The second half of the film is when it starts to get more serious as 'State Security' are involved and witnesses need to be silenced.
Realistic and gritty it shows how a corrupt police force functions. Echos of Chinatown,with a plot that is easy to follow. Even thou things don't end 'nicely' it by no means sells you on the idea it would have right from the start.