Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

8/10 In a city of 10 million people Mika and Shinji keep on stumbling into each other. Is it fate or one of the meaningless coincidences of life? Mika is suffering from internal pain over the suicide of her mother and is obsessed with death. Shinji can barely see with his left eye and it gives him the impression that he can only see and discover half of the world. Can these two “damaged”people make each other complete?   Director Yuya Ishii has based this movie on a poem, telling the story of two different people who do not belong anywhere. The film is a vivid portrait of modern Tokyo, it is shown as a place of isolation, where even in the midst of a crowd, one’s individuality dissolves. For the characters of the film it is both a terrifying and a liberating feeling. During Q&A Ishii said that the first focus while working on the film was the sound, which is crucial to his work. In TOKYO images come first. They naturally transition into one another, and the short an...

7/10 Steven has everything a man could aspire to - he is a successful surgeon, is rich and he has a beautiful wife and two children. But when he strikes an odd friendship with the young son of one of his patients things quickly spin out of control, leading to terrifying results. THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER is an eerie piece of cinema that is designed to shock, and when you think you get over it, it throws you off balance once more.  It starts as a few awkward scenes between an older man and a young boy and, although their conversations seems quite innocent, it is easy to imagine the worst. Needless to say that where it’s all going will challenge expectations.  Director Yorgos Lanthimos applies his signature style of dialogue, previously seen in his feature LOBSTER. It is intentionally detached and expressionless, but somehow it makes the viewer pay closer attention. The way the characters deliver their lines creates a dreamlike atmosphere, similar to ...

7/10 The city morgue is flooded with new victims. A blood sample of a famous serial killer nicknamed Jigsaw is found under the fingernails of one of the corpses. While the law enforcement officers  are trying to cope with the idea that John Kramer came back from the dead, five people are fighting for their lives in one of the JIGSAW traps. Who is the new killer and who will survive? If it’s Halloween it must be Saw. For seven years I had seen a Saw movie on the first day of its release, and this time wasn’t an exception. JIGSAW is the 8th instalment in the series that boasts extreme violence and promises a great final twist. The new chapter does not disappoint. If you were hoping for a breath of fresh air for the franchise, JIGSAW will not deliver that for you, but it is a solid SAW movie the way some remember them. The gore is turned down a notch, and is shot with style. I personally believe that what you don’t see usually leaves a more lasting impression as one's...