Stanislaus

Prophecy stands out as a horror film mainly due to the fairly well done monsters, considering the year it was produced, in addition to referencing the thorny issue of ecology in the form of the environmental impact of polluted water. The film doesn't lack tension in the scary scenes, but on the other hand there aren’t that many of them, which is a shame in a horror film. In short, an average film that can still appeal even in the age of computer effects because of its subject mater.

I saw Prey and Chaw at almost the same time, both of which are horror films with bloodthirsty wild boars that feasted on more than just animal flesh. When I compare them, they each struck me as something different. The South Korean Chaw mixes horror and (un)intentional humour and it shows the monster in its full glory and it looks decent. Prey, in contrast, doesn’t show much of the monster, it’s more hints and snouts, but it did get me interested in its story. Together with the dangerous animals, there are also family issues being dealt with, which at first glance doesn't lend itself to a horror film, but in this case it was also the driving force behind the plot, so it wasn't too distracting. I liked the music, which complemented the visuals perfectly. In short, a decently made film that benefits from atmosphere and a minimum number oi characters.

If you make a film that is full of religious themes, you have to expect negative reviews, and Noah is a prime example of that. I was used to getting powerful and evocative dramas that could tear me apart, were made on lower budgets, from Darren Aronofsky, so I was very excited to see Noah, which in many ways is a departure from the director's previous films. I'm a non-believer and only superficially familiar with biblical stories, so Aronofsky could have shown me what he wanted and I would have bought it. Personally, I was quite surprised by the presence of stone giants, which had a purposeful use in the story. The narrative was a bit chaotic at times as it jumped from topic to topic, but it wasn't that distracting. The cast was likeable, the visual effects were of a high standard, which is expected of a film like this, and Clint Mansell's music seemed to me to complement rather than stand out (like in Requiem for a Dream). All in all, a film that could have been better, I admit, but I personally enjoyed it, so as a viewer I'm happy with the overall result.

Conversations with an immortal and unsuspecting mother. Constant verbal fights, bickering and innuendo of the sharpest calibre. Reassurance about the condition of an ancient pet. Repeated introductions to an old girlfriend. I could certainly go on like this for a while, listing elements that appear in virtually every episode of this incredibly funny British sitcom. The cast is absolutely perfect – Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi are very convincing, Frances de la Tour is every inch the boozy and flirtatious comedian, and the hitherto unknown to me Iwan Rheon also pleasantly surprised me. This immensely likeable quartet is complemented by other funny supporting characters who entertain as much as the protagonists. For some it may be a repetition of the same thing, over and over again, but for me it works because I am royally entertained and laughing almost continuously. In short, an excellent, endlessly entertaining and very well cast sitcom that really sat well with me.

The South Korean style of acting can always take my breath away because I never know whether to laugh, cry or just roll my eyes. This is exactly the case in Chaw, however here I was more focused on the bloodthirsty monster in the form of a gigantic boar that attacked almost everything and everyone in its vicinity. The look of the beast was quite good, I must commend it, because many similar films portray all sorts of monsters in a terribly unrealistic way. As far as the story is concerned, it's average, but I liked the atmosphere, maybe also because of the wacky acting. In short, a horror film that is often balanced by comic elements, whether intentional or unintentional, but it’s nothing to write home about.

A-B-C-D... – so goes the nursery rhyme, but this bloody anthology film is definitely not for a young audience. The quality of the each story varies widely, from decent to utter garbage. I was most impressed by the letters S (Speed), K (Klutz) and T (Toilet). The worst, most embarrassing, or gratuitously gory stories were letters F (Fart), H (Hydro-electric Diffusion), and Z (Zetsumetsu). All in all, when I add it all up and scratched my head, it was a rather below average affair that I came to by sheer chance via a director whose short frankly disappointed me.

Along with the cult classic Jaws and Deep Blue Sea, The Reef is the best animal horror film I've seen featuring a white shark as the monster. I saw Andrew Traucki's Black Water, featuring a crocodile, a few days ago and was intrigued by it, so I didn't hesitate to reach for his next and very similar film. There are only six characters in the film, but the most important ones are the four who fight for their lives on the wide ocean with one very voracious shark that has an endless appetite to kill. The actors felt natural, the locations were well chosen and the music perfectly underlined the picture in the suspenseful scenes. At times I was a little bothered by the emotional expressions of the characters, but that's just a subjective opinion. All in all, a pretty decent survival film, in which raw authenticity was also achieved by using real sharks.

Black Water is one of those fine survival animal horror films that is, as mentioned here, comparable to Rogue from the same year and country, and next to 1999's Lake Placid, it's the best film to feature a crocodile as the monster. The first half of the film was weaker and less action-packed, but thankfully the second half made up for these shortcomings, so I was happy with the final product within the confines of the genre. I prefer not to criticize the behaviour of the characters, because I don't know how I would have acted in this situation. All in all, a pretty good film that benefits especially from the realistic (real) crocodile and well chosen locations.

When I was halfway through this film, I thought it was completely average and not exceptionally interesting. The second half, however, made up for it, as a sudden twist in the story lifted this film out of the waves of mediocrity and thankfully held the bar until the end. Another user has very aptly compared Monster Pies to Beautiful Thing, which is similar in many ways. All in all, a fairly unremarkable and solidly made film from an Australian production that caught my attention mainly because of the story, as well as the soundtrack, which I really liked.

Mr Hublot impresses especially with his visuals, I found the animation really imaginative. The story is simple, which isn't always a bad thing, but somehow I didn't feel any emotions during the ten minutes that tried to pull me more into the plot, which is already a bit of a problem. All in all, a pretty mediocre film that probably won the golden statue because of its looks.