with e'liyah
失控玩家 (2021) TMDB 豆瓣 Eggplant.place IMDb 维基数据
Free Guy
7.1 (1829 个评分) 导演: Shawn Levy 演员: Ryan Reynolds / Jodie Comer
其它标题: Free Guy / 分身人
银行出纳员盖(瑞安·雷诺兹 饰)发现自己其实是开放世界电子游戏中的背景角色,于是决定成为英雄,并改写自己的故事。现在,在一个没有限制的世界里,他决心以自己的方式拯救他的世界,以免为时过晚。
2022年1月1日 看过
2022年1月1日 评论 a review of 失控玩家 - The thing that impressed me the most about Free Guy was its dedication to the concept of being set in a video game world. It's evident the people behind the movie actually had some idea of how video games work, which leads to the whole synopsis of an NPC somehow evolving beyond his programing and becoming self-aware make a bit of sense and feel believable to an extent. The filmmakers' insight into the medium and culture can be seen in other things as well, like the presence of a player avatar realistically glitching out in the background of a scene or the appearance of significant streaming icons like "Ninja" and "Jacksepticeye" commenting on the events. Those aren't the most significant aspects, but are stuff the kids will love and help prevent the feature from coming off as blatantly uninformed to anyone who has picked up a controller before. The plot itself is almost a direct copy of The Lego Movie in that it too tells the story of an average dude who's content to live out his mundane existence in a state of blissful ignorance until one day falling for a determined, brooding woman on a mission and inadvertently becoming the only hope of saving his world from a corporate narcissist. None of the characters outside of the protagonist and his best friend (as well as Channing Tatum in a HILARIOUS cameo) make much of an impression, and the romance component really shouldn't have centered around Jodie Comer and either of the two dudes interested in her, but rather Reynolds and Lil Rey Howery. A hill I will die on due to their perfect chemistry and already adorable platonic relationship that's practically begging to be taken further. Still, the writing does its job of acting as a vehicle for the comedy. This isn't the funniest picture out there, but is ultimately amusing enough for me to recommend it even as things like the action fall flat on their face. Reynolds is such a naturally charismatic star and while this does seem more scripted and wholesome than were used to from him, that snarky, off the cuff wit he's known for still shines through at points. So does his potty mouth unfortunately, so parents may want to make note of that well-deserved PG-13 rating. I'm not sure we're in desperate need of the already planned sequel, but I'd probably still turn up to watch it anyways. It's got that same affable, whimsical nature I've come to associate with Shawn Levy movies and is surely a crowd pleaser. This isn't the deepest piece of cinema around and is unlikely to blow anyone away. Sometimes all you need though is a light, enjoyable watch that can be easily moved on from afterwards, and Free Guy fits that bill perfectly. Plus, it comes with the added bonus of being the best film to make greater use of video games beyond just adapting them since the last Jumanji .
7.2/10 with e'liyah
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) 豆瓣 IMDb TMDB Bangumi 维基数据
Spider-Man: No Way Home
6.5 (1078 个评分) 导演: 乔恩·沃茨 演员: 汤姆·赫兰德 / 赞达亚
其它标题: 스파이더맨: 노 웨이 홈 / スパイダーマン:ノー・ウェイ・ホーム
在费了九牛二虎之力好不容易打败了神秘客之后,蜘蛛侠彼得·帕克(汤姆·赫兰德 Tom Holland 饰)却被濒死之际的神秘客揭露了真实身份。随后主流媒体对超能力者滥用权力造成普通平民生活无数困扰的行为大加挞伐,一时间彼得的生活乱作一团,甚至影响到了 MJ(赞达亚 Zendaya 饰)和好朋友内德(雅各布·巴特朗 Jacob Batalon 饰)的生活。备受困扰的彼得找到了奇异博士(本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇 Benedict Cumberbatch 饰),希望对方施展一条能够让世人忘记他真实身份的咒语。谁知乱中出错,这条咒语将其他宇宙中认识彼得·帕克的人陆续带来,其中包括章鱼博士、绿魔、沙人等其他蜘蛛侠的死对头。担心这些“对手”回到各自宇宙后迎来灭亡的命运,彼得决定拯救他们,却无意中带来让他无法承受的因果……
2021年12月18日 看过
2021年12月18日 评论 a review of 蜘蛛侠:英雄无归 - It's likely not too much of a stretch to say that Spider-Man could be the most widely marketed superhero of all time, with only maybe Batman giving him a run for his money in that department. I've seen the character in so many different forms and incarnations over the years that after Far From Home I honestly thought I was getting Spider-Man'd out. Upon finishing this however, I'm now wondering if instead I'm just not that much of a fan of the MCU's take. Seeing all the bits and pieces pulled from the previous silver screen adaptations of Peter Parker made me realize exactly how much I'd be down for a fourth Raimi movie or even a third Amazing . Another Tom Holland standalone though? Despite loving Homecoming and there being nothing inherently wrong with this or its other direct sequel, I'd pass in favor of seeing his story continue in one the universe's shared outings for a few reasons. The first might simply be Jon Watts. It's no secret that when you sit down to watch a Marvel flick you're in for lengthy ride. Their very best releases however are able to somewhat prevent you from realizing this in the moment by how well they keep you engaged with the studio's established mix of humor, heart, and action. Watts is using the exact same formula, but has been unable since his first entry to apply it a manner that's kept me from feeling every excruciatingly long second of the 2 hour+ running-times in either of his two Home ( Far From and now No Way ) follow-ups. Then there's the supporting cast. I don't care about the likes of Ned Leeds or "Happy" Hogan the way I have the Harry Osborns and Gwen Stacys of the past, while the original interpretations of returning staples such as Aunt May and MJ are nowhere near as endearing. An unfortunate fact given what a large role they all play in these films and probably the best example of how not every aspect of the MCU's unique vision for Spider-Man has been for the better. None of that is to say this isn't worth watching. It's just what kept the biggest MCU event since Endgame from hitting home with me personally. When it's delivering on all of its wildest rumors however, even I was elated. Not every of promise gets fulfilled as it turns out stuff like the mid-credits scene in Let There Be Carnage was a complete waste of everyone's time, but there's enough here to make for a longtime Spidey fan's ultimate wet dream. I particularly loved how it gave me the slightest bit of insight into what the lives of certain characters were like after where they ended up the last time I got to see them onscreen. The whole thing also serves as a soft reboot of the titular hero that takes him back to his roots so the future is as always open to a wide range of interesting possibilities. Whether one of those potential directions it can go in will cause me to finally embrace Holland the way I did Tobey and, yes, even Garfield is another matter, but at least my curiosity as to what may come next has cautiously been piqued following a period when it had waned almost entirely.
6/10 at the drive-in with e'liyah
超能敢死队 (2021) TMDB IMDb 豆瓣 Eggplant.place Bangumi 维基数据
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
5.9 (79 个评分) 导演: 贾森·雷特曼 演员: 保罗·路德 / 菲恩·伍法德
其它标题: Ghostbusters: Afterlife / 捉鬼敢死队:魅来世界(港)
一对年幼的兄妹跟随母亲来到了乡下,然而这个偏僻宁静的小镇,却发生了一连串奇异的怪事,一名声称研究超自然现象的神秘男子悄悄现身。
2021年12月12日 看过
2021年12月12日 评论 a review of 超能敢死队 - Only in attendance because my employers provided me, my family, and girlfriend with free tickets as part of an event to bring the company together outside of the workplace, I was unsure of what to expect going into this. All of the pre-release buzz made it clear even to somebody like me who didn't really follow it that this was made in an effort to restore the franchise to its former glory in the eyes of the fans who were angered by Paul Feig's admittedly mediocre 2016 reboot and provide a worthy continuation/successor to the original film they loved. An original film that at the time of this writing I still haven't seen yet. Because of my lack of prior exposure to the iconic '80s continuity I'm sure I missed a very big portion of what this movie was doing. I was also largely lost when it came to the plot and villain as the narrative is constantly referencing and forming connections to events I never witnessed. Perhaps this should have been called Ghostbusters: New Life though as despite my unaffiliated perspective its standalone content proved enough to thoroughly entertain me. I would gladly return for a sequel to spend more time with these characters portrayed by the likes of two of the biggest child stars currently working, the always charming Paul Rudd, and the extremely underrated actress Carrie Coon. That's because Jason Reitman manges to avoid pulling a J.J. Abrams by never leaning so hard into nostalgia pandering that the past outshines Afterlife 's present or potential future. Things play out exactly as you would expect them to with the cast stumbling onto the relics left behind by the old heroes before eventually taking up their fight against a returning force of evil. It works though because even in the face of all the homages and callbacks it's still THEIR story. The young protagonists carry the action entirely on their own. Yes, we do get appearances from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, but it occurs at the tail end of the running time to ensure that their presence never overshadows that of their successors. So all of the laughs, heartwarming moments, and exhilarating thrills come directly from the next generation of 'busters as opposed to the previous. Of course, nailing the torch passing element wouldn't have mattered if the adventure built around it wasn't any good. There are certainly some questionable aspects like the irritating loud shrieking noise that plays whenever the film tries to scare you or how nobody seems the slightest bit surprised when supernatural stuff starts occuring. Other than that though it's a hilarious blockbuster with a strong horror side (which I loved) that stars an instantly endearing group of eclectic oddballs that I can't wait to see again should this get the follow-up it deserves. I may not have been the target audience here due to coming in almost completely uninformed on the franchise outside of its lowest point, but that didn't stop me from having some of the most unexpected fun I've had all year. So while it was unable to charm me with its faithfulness to the tone, nature, and style of its predecessors the way it would a longtime member of the series' fanbase, it did manage to turn me into a new devotee.
9/10 with e'liyah
生化危机 (2002) TMDB IMDb 豆瓣 维基数据
Resident Evil
7.7 (712 个评分) 导演: 保罗·安德森 演员: 米拉·乔沃维奇 / 米歇尔·罗德里格兹
其它标题: Resident Evil / 2002恶灵古堡
为军方研究生化武器的安布雷拉公司在浣熊市地下设有巨大的研究中心——蜂巢,由于一次意外事故导致可通过空气传播的生化武器泄露,负责蜂巢安保的电脑系统“红色女王”启动应急措施,却导致数百名工作人员罹难……四小时后,蜂巢安保人员爱丽丝(米拉·乔沃维奇 饰)在蜂巢出口醒来,并且因为催眠气体而失忆。一支受命关闭红色女王的特种小队来到此处,与爱丽丝、自称警察的安德森,以及蜂巢工作人员帕克斯组队深入地下。一行人因任务目标与红色女王冲突而先后遭遇保卫系统和丧尸的连番袭击,而爱丽丝渐渐恢复的记忆揭示了她与同行者非同一般的联系……
2021年11月28日 看过
2021年11月28日 评论 a review of 生化危机 - While 1995's Mortal Kombat is about as perfect a representation of Midway's arcade fighters as you can get sans its lack of blood, Paul W.S. Anderson's approach to turning the Resident Evil franchise into a film is similar to the one Uwe Boll used for his video game adaptations, in that he took the property and did entirely his own unique thing with it. Not a single character from any of Capcom's survival-horror hits makes an appearance, and outside of the occasional reference made to things like Umbrella or Raccoon City there isn't anything here to differentiate this from what would have been an otherwise completely original zombie flick with heavy science fiction elements were it not for the name on the poster. In a way, its title has kind of been a double-edged sword. On one hand the massive popularity of the supposed source material brought the film a lot of attention over the years that it likely wouldn't have received without the brand association if the director's prior two box-office bombs are any indication, but on the other it's also earned the picture the ire of the series' hardcore fanbase for having next to nothing to do with the very games it's implied to be portraying. That's an unfortunate trade-off as it prevents perhaps the biggest portion of the movie's audience from being able to see that, while almost entirely unrelated to the works that got them to watch in the first place, they were given what is still to this day one of the most exceptional pieces of action-horror of the past two decades. The first thing that will stand out to you is the environment. The sterile imagery of the underground office/research facility location calls to mind both corporate malfeasance and unholy scientific experimentation while carrying a futuristic, ominous vibe that will be familiar to anyone who's seen Event Horizon . A variety of striking sights await you inside, and no I'm not just talking about the bared flesh of a particularly attractive Milla Jovovich who hasn't looked this good since maybe Chaplin . Undead scientists return with entire portions of their heads missing and infected Dobermanns snarl at their prey with heavily lacerated skin that came from breaking out through the wire mesh of lab cages. The latter of which is brought to life by stunning practical effects applied to real animals (in a manner that doesn't appear to harm them). A number of things are tried here that probably shouldn't have worked, but thanks to the meticulous crafting by Anderson were able to stick the landing regardless. Like how a plot that by all means should have been convoluted due to covering everything from surprise backstabbings and hidden agendas to amnesiac protagonists somehow manages to make sense by the end. The thrills definitely fall more on the B-movie side of the spectrum, what with the ridiculous story, little bit of skin, and the cheesy aroma given off by the bloody monster carnage, but the feature is made with such clear effort and vision that it's genuinely as exciting, sexy, and maybe even a touch frightening as it was intended to be. Still, the lack of fidelity will always be a tough sell for some. For them the saving grace could be the ending, where the lead-in to the sequel concludes on a scenario that makes the whole thing feel like some kind of elaborate prequel to the 1998 wonder that defined Resident Evil for so many. The later continuations rather derail this notion as anything after Apocalypse, which did try to pander to the angry fans with an increased level of faithfulness, strode out further into original territory. Yet, that is neither here nor there. So the one legitimate fault to be found is that the picture takes its sweet time getting going with a slow opening meant to build the tension and mystery, but instead only gives the impression of the narrative dragging its feet. This is not an authentic recreation of the games as you remember them. It merely borrows some vague semblance of their concept and a few creature designs to form its own distinctive entity that more accurately serves as a bold reinvention. I find it weird to be so accepting of that in this case when such deviations from what's experienced when playing that which these types of flicks are reportedly based on has left me irritated in the past. It's made sense in the context of something like Doom where there isn't really any narrative content for them to have worked with, but Prince of Persia for example, while ultimately still pretty good, turning out extremely different for no discernable reason was irksome. The reason for my overlooking of the many liberties taken here though fully stems from the quality of them. The new directions gone with its handful of familiar elements are genuinely thrilling to the point where it's easy to gather why it received multiple follow-ups that helped spawn a separate legion of devotees. Thus it has been able to appeal to a larger chunk of the viewing population than the collective of gamers it inadvertently ticked off and be remembered for its own merits.
8.9/10 with e'liyah
新生化危机 (2021) TMDB 维基数据 IMDb 豆瓣
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
4.4 (63 个评分) 导演: 约翰内斯·罗伯茨 演员: 汉娜·乔恩-卡门 / 卡雅·斯考达里奥
其它标题: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City / 恶灵古堡首部曲:拉昆市(台)
浣熊市曾是蓬勃发展的制药巨头——伞公司(Umbrella Corporation)的总部所在地,现在却是一个死气沉沉的中西部小镇。
该公司的大撤离使这座城市变成了一片荒地,地下蕴藏着巨大的邪恶。
当邪恶被释放时,镇上的人们将永远改变,一小群幸存者必须共同努力,揭开保护伞背后的真相,并度过夜晚。
2021年11月26日 看过
2021年11月26日 评论 a review of 新生化危机 - I was initially annoyed when I heard the news that the Resident Evil film series was going to get a reboot so soon after having dominated theater screens for about 15 years. You could hardly blame Sony Pictures and Constantin given how much money they made though. The one silver lining was that fans of the source material might finally get a movie with a little fidelity. It's no secret that Paul W.S. Anderson's hexalogy had almost nothing to do with the games it was supposedly based on. He might have borrowed a monster design or a name here and there, but for the most part created his own mutated beast complete with an original protagonist and everything. Well, upon having now watched this revival of the franchise's cinematic half I can state for certain that gamers have at long last received an adaptation that actually has something to do with the stuff they've played. The heroes are all familiar faces like Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, and Chris Redfield while the story sees them uncovering the secrets of Spencer Mansion and, of course, surviving the outbreak in Raccoon City. Both locations found in the original two PS1 classics. It even fully embraces the property's horror roots by going heavy on the scare attempts rather than just focusing primarily on the action like its predecessors did. Unfortunately, all this faithfulness is kind of wasted given that the feature presentation itself isn't very good. When the characters are shooting their way through the undead to try and escape their doomed town, it's alright. Things go straight down the toilet though the second someone opens their mouth, usually to utter a line of profanity, or the narrative tries to give an explanation behind the whole scenario. The writing is just so bad with the new takes on the cast turning some members of it into bumbling idiots for an intended comedic effect that feels wildly out of place, as well as there being elements that make no sense like how the entire police force is the only portion of the local population to be unaffected by the "Umbrella" pharmaceutical company's deranged experiment for some reason. There are aspects I can praise. The set design is fantastic with a lot of interesting little details to pick out in the backgrounds. Every environment manages to capture a vibe and atmosphere that reminded me of what terrifying Playstation gems I have managed to play, such as the first Silent Hill , and watching the survivors battle groups of great looking zombies in their cramped interiors can be genuinely tense as Johannes Roberts has a knack for crafting unsettling scenarios. The score is also fantastic. It's got some serious issues with the plotting and dialogue however, and they're enough to derail the entire experience. Perhaps this will go over better with someone who has a greater appreciation for the works that inspired it. Personally, I've only ever touched the 5th, 6th, and Revelations spin-off titles so I'm sure the majority of the Easter Eggs and parts recreated onscreen missed their intended mark with me. Still, even if you do manage to pick up on everything that doesn't change the fact that it's largely cheap fan service in lieu of legitimate quality. Not saying that isn't enough to provide a good time, but in my mind it can't save this from somehow being the worst Resident Evil flick. I'd be down to attend a sequel regardless.
4/10 with e'liyah
红色通缉令 (2021) Eggplant.place 维基数据 IMDb 豆瓣 TMDB
Red Notice
5.5 (313 个评分) 导演: 罗森·马歇尔·瑟伯 演员: 瑞安·雷诺兹 / 道恩·强森
其它标题: Red Notice / Aviso Vermelho
国际刑警组织发布名为「红色通缉令」的全球警戒,出手追捕全球头号通缉犯。一桩胆大妄为的劫案,却导致美国联邦调查局一名顶尖犯罪侧写员(道恩·强森 Dwayne Johnson 饰),杠上两位互相较劲的罪犯(盖尔·加朵 Gal Gadot、瑞安·雷诺兹 Ryan Reynolds 饰),这下事情会怎么发展,可就难说了。
2021年11月14日 看过
2021年11月14日 评论 a review of 红色通缉令 - Featuring three of the biggest stars currently working and a budget of $200 million, Netflix's latest attempt at bringing a Hollywood caliber blockbuster straight to your living room is their best yet, easily blowing prior efforts like Bright and 6 Underground out of the water. That's because it follows a more traditional action-comedy formula. Offering big heists and some Indiana Jones style globetrotting for ancient artifacts with plenty of quips along the way. It still has the same all over the place writing found in those aforementioned titles. The story flows smoothly from one exciting set piece to the next, but the characters are borderline schizophrenic with their ever-shifting allegiances and plans. This has more twists and backstabbings than a Mission Impossible flick. Plus, whoever wrote the script has some serious daddy issues. That all means very little however in the face of how funny and action-packed it is. Ryan Reynolds showcases his typical irreverent, sarcastic wit delivering an inexhaustible supply of off-the-wall lines, and Dwayne Johnson as the straight man proves to be the perfect foil while sporting that always indescribable presence that says "you must watch me." The adrenaline-fueled escapades they get up to are exhilarating with parkour chases, helicopter shootouts, and frantic prison escapes. A small touch I really appreciated was that given how our leads are technically the bad guys a lot of attention to detail was given so that we never see an innocent correctional officer or any other member of law enforcement found in the various countries visited get gunned down in one of the multiple firefights. In fact, the only thing I was bothered by was the ending. Not only does the final surprise development serve to cheapen the begrudging buddy aspect of the film, but it seems to have been included solely as a means of ensuring that each of three headlining names can return for a sequel, when to be perfectly honest the main duo are all that need to. Particularly since Gal Gadot's villain receives no development, largely serving as simple eye candy and a recognizable talent to bring in the viewers. Still, this is hilarious and thrilling. If you enjoyed the chemistry shared between "The Rock" and Reynolds during their brief time together in Hobbs & Shaw know you finally have a full movie of it. It feels like the kind of cinematic event everybody would rush to see in the days before Disney basically had a freaking monopoly on everything you can see in theaters and the MCU became the model for having any hope of achieving box-office success in the modern age.
9/10 with e'liyah
来玩 (2020) 豆瓣 IMDb 维基数据 TMDB
Come Play
5.7 (26 个评分) 导演: 雅各布·蔡斯 演员: 艾奇·罗伯逊 / 吉莉安·雅各布斯
其它标题: Come Play / 怪奇默友(港)
孤单的小男孩Olive(艾奇·罗伯逊 饰),他觉得自己处处异于其他人。他很想要交朋友,于是他花很多时间在手机和平版上。当一个神秘的生物想要透过Oliver的手机和平板来进入我们的世界,Oliver的父母(吉莉安·雅各布斯 Gillia nJacobs、小约翰·加拉赫 John Gallagher Jr. 饰)必须挺身而出,将儿子从神秘生物的手中救出。
2021年10月31日 看过
2021年10月31日 评论 a review of 来玩 - A wonderful allegory for the dangers our current technological age can possess to the strange and discarded. The parents of a young, lonely autistic boy have their lives turned upside down when a mysterious creature living in the world behind the screens of our tablets and cellphones (acting as an obvious metaphor for pedophiles) begins to pursue their son with the intentions of making him its "friend." Something that only begins to appeal to the child because he doesn't have any. The idea of most of the frights being viewed through the lens of an iPad camera is admittedly a pretty goofy one. Yet, the ways Come Play makes creative use of our always online, app-centric culture ensures that its jolts and jostles are consistently exciting, if not terribly scary. Then there's the monster itself to consider, which is freakishly designed in appearance and shows hints of some particularly compelling attributes that could be expanded upon in a sequel. The aspect I think most viewers will potentially take the biggest issue with will be in the film's representation of someone with ASD. It is a quality of the character that seems to have only been included to make the kid difficult to deal with. However, even if it was meant for nothing more than to service the plot by making certain interactions more believable it is at least effective in that regard. A big problem this genre typically runs into in movie form is that the actions of those onscreen can often come off as nonsensical to the audience even if the writer(s) had a good reason for them that was simply poorly communicated. Here though the presence of this condition allows for a constant sense of context or reasoning behind certain behaviors that would otherwise be questionable. So there's never a moment where you're forced to engage your suspension of disbelief. (Before you get offended, please note that all of that is coming from someone who has been diagnosed with Asperger's) While far from the nightmare fuel I was hoping for, there were enough thrills and a surprisingly emotional ending to make this the type of fun, feel-good horror I can appreciate regardless. It's centered around an original, interesting, and well executed concept that allow it to stand out from the crowd and give it a unique way to portray its themes. Overall creating a solid case for why this is worthy of being one of your next watches.
8/10 with e'liyah
致命感应 (2021) 维基数据 IMDb 豆瓣 TMDB
Malignant
6.6 (331 个评分) 导演: 温子仁 演员: 安娜贝拉·沃丽丝 / 麦蒂·哈森
其它标题: Malignant / 恶煞(港)
麦迪森(安娜贝拉·沃丽丝 Annabelle Wallis 饰)在梦中不断看到恐怖谋杀案现场的幻象,而这些幻象实际上是真实发生过的凶案,她决定挖掘真相和自己的过去,却发现这一切与一位名叫“盖博瑞”的魔鬼有关。
2021年9月17日 看过
2021年9月17日 评论 a review of 致命感应 - When the true greats of the genre weren't releasing the likes of Halloween or A Nightmare on Elm Street , they were making lesser known and more ridiculous works of horror that have only ever really been picked up by hardcore enthusiasts. Despite being nowhere near as iconic or well-received as their best efforts, these films were still made with a great deal of creativity and often with same level of passion. I'm talking about titles such as Deadly Blessing or Ghosts of Mars . That seems to be the style of movie James Wan was going for here. It's evident that the Insidious director made this one just to have some fun and is clearly having an absolute blast with his crazy premise, wild camera angles, playful soundtrack (which occasionally calls to mind Saw ), and ludicrous gory action. The results are one of the most insane things I've ever seen and it is AWESOME! Which you wouldn't guess right away due to what a slow start it gets off to. Malignant is actually kind of boring at first and had trouble maintaining my attention early on. Its characters, setup, and even worse the scares feel cliché and predictable. It doesn't take too long for things to get interesting with its mystery though, and when the reveals start coming it explodes into a delightfully unhinged rollercoaster of madness that left me gawking at the screen in disbelief and ecstasy. Wan's willingness to fully embrace the illogical and maybe even dumb nature of the material means this will never get the same level of respect as his two Conjuring entries. Yet, it will always have a place in the hearts of the real horror devotees, likely showing up on countless lists of underappreciated gems on websites like Bloody Disgusting in the future, and further cements his legacy as the Wes Craven/John Carpenter of this generation.
8/10 first time at a drive-in theater with e'liyah
糖果人 (2021) IMDb 豆瓣 TMDB 维基数据
Candyman
5.8 (71 个评分) 导演: 尼娅·达科斯塔 演员: 叶海亚·阿卜杜勒-迈丁 / 泰柔娜·派丽丝
其它标题: Candyman / 糖魔怪客(港)
影片改编自恐怖小说大师克里夫·巴克的短篇作品,聚焦“糖果人,传说你对镜子说5次他的名字,他就会在倒影中出现,把你杀死”引发的故事。
2021年8月27日 看过
2021年8月27日 评论 a review of 糖果人 - For 29 years Candyman fans have been waiting for the 1992 classic to get the sequel it deserves. It looked that was finally about to happen after all these years thanks to Nia DaCosta and, to a lesser extent, Jordan Peele. The social commentary that was largely absent in Farewell to the Flesh and Day of the Dead would be returning to add some much needed depth back into the mix without the white influence that, while well-meaning back then, would not have been met so warmly today, and maybe with the same kind of creative chills that made Get Out and Us so exciting. Unfortunately the wait goes on as despite the appearance of some incredible ideas this 2021 continuation falls short of its own lofty ambitions by backing itself into a self-defeating corner. The issue is that it's actively trying to be a sequel. It's clear that DaCosta and crew want to transform the titular character from the ghost of one African-American's suffering into an instrument of black vengeance. He's no longer just Daniel Robitaille. He's Eric Garner. He's Tamir Rice. He's George Floyd. At least until he's not anymore and becomes Daniel Robitaille again in an ending that contradicts everything the film had spent so long trying to set up and completely wastes Tony Todd anyways. This problem arises because in an effort to correct the perspective of its predecessor that came from it being a product of its time, they incorrectly wrote themselves into a position where he basically HAD to come back. A large portion of the running-time is dedicated to establishing connections and ties to the original, so we're constantly reminded of who the Candyman was there and eagerly await his return. Something that makes the appearance of this "Sherman" dude in his place rather irritating. It makes sense from a thematic standpoint, but man is it unfilling. Worse is that they could have gotten away with it had they not kept referencing what Bernard Rose had created prior. They made it so the past hangs over everything like an oppressive cloud that kills any enthusiasm for what's actually here when they should have gone the full reboot route and given their own ideas room to breathe. Speaking of room to breathe, this is one of those rare cases where a longer runtime would have been a good thing. A core component of the plot is the main character's gradual physical and mental descent into becoming someone (or something) in a way he doesn't seem fully aware of. Only it's not so gradual at all. He just seems to go insane from the moment he says the summoning words into a reflective surface, which feels unnatural and rushed. It's a cool body horror element that also never really comes into fruition. In fact, the horror side as a whole fails to deliver. DaCosta relies on cheap gore rather than truly effective frights to get the job done, kind of missing the point when it comes to what made the first Candyman scary. Most of the time though it's too caught up in its own dull plotting, unresolved threads, and hollow characters making the whole thing a bit of a bore. All of which might have been acceptable had there have been a satisfying payoff, but for the aforementioned reasons it shoots itself in the foot preventing that from being a possibility. While this may be a movie with a lot of ideas that don't come together, it only crumbles under the weight of one. It should have unshackled itself from the past entirely. Never mentioned Helen Lyle or brought back Todd for the few brief seconds he's in here. As by placing itself in the shadow of that earlier work, it has put certain expectations on itself that it feels the need to fulfill just as much as the audience needs to see them be fulfilled. This is not only a shame, but frustrating as well as it keeps the film's own bold and compelling reinvention of the property from ever taking hold when you can totally see how it could have succeeded if they hadn't of attempted the fruitless balancing act of fidelity and emendation. If there's one thing its flawed conclusion is good for though it's that it leaves the door still open for the possibility of this franchise not just being a one hit wonder at some point in the future, how ever delusional that hope may be. As of right now though, many will be left wanting for a while longer yet. This 2021 version, promising though it was and brilliant in brief instances, is (accidentally) counterproductive in the worst way.
4.9/10 with e'liyah