Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

9/10 Vlad lives alone on a huge government property that is shut down for winter. With no soul in sight his only companion is a dog called Bandit. When Bandit disappears Vlad doesn’t seem to have anything left to live for... until two strange guests appear at his front door. Yuriy Bykov is probably the most fresh thinking and focused director in Russia these days. Always examining serious issues of Russian soul or certain ways of life (including major government criticism) he remains true to his entertainment roots, delivering a plot full of mystery and suspense. It is not surprising that his indie film MAJOR had been adapted to the Netflix series 7 SECONDS. He knows how to design an unmissable pitch!  Bykov’s skills aside, THE GUARD is probably the most personal film for him. While there’s still a crime or a criminal storyline typical of his films, it’s a theatrical drama where characters face ultimate choices and struggle with the consequences. Revealing just enough to k...

8/10 The life of Kyung-min is a work-home-sleep routine and rarely varies. But out of nowhere unsettling incidents start creeping in. The door handle to her apartment turns in the middle of the night as if someone is trying to enter, repeatedly dialling the passcode of her door lock. Is it possible that someone enters her apartment when she is out at work or worse, when she is fast asleep? And how all this connected to the disappearance of a girl next door? Kyung-min will not rest until she finds out, even if it may cost her her life. DOOR LOCK is loosely based on a Spanish movie SLEEP TIGHT which was rather a drama than a thriller. By changing the setting to a cold faceless suburb of Seoul the movie takes us into the heart of an urban nightmare where it’s easy to disappear and no-one will come looking for you. Kyung-min is an unlikable protagonist who is suffering from multiple phobias and is even ready to break certain rules to flirt with her clients, but she develops strength...

8/10 Norval is thirty something man who has grown up without a father. When he suddenly receives a letter from his one and only dad he will travel miles to see him for the first time. And when the terrors of the past come knocking at the door he will stop at nothing to help his daddy... COME TO DADDY is a surprising horror movie debut from Art Thompson who produces a lot of independent films, including my favourite New Zealand horror comedy Housebound. He has the skill to link the emotional and the grotesque, with the end result being something, and you can be sure of yourself when you say it, you had never seen before. The story is surprising by itself, holding plenty of twists, but it’s the beginning’s moody and slow pacing that will mislead you as to what’s to come... to say more will mean to spoil it.  Elijah Wood had taken on many quirky questionable roles  in the past decade, all to try to enhance himself as an actor and he does well. A very unglamorous and alm...

6/10 Remi and Melanie may be perfect for each other. They live in the same building, separated from each other by the thinnest of walls. They shop at the same convenience store and take the same public transport, pass each other on the street, but in a city of millions will these two have a chance to meet? Focusing on how it is to be young and single in the modern Megapolis, and in particular Paris, the city of love, the movie takes on the daily lives’ journey, that is as extraordinary as it is simple. The plot is easy to relate to, as so many of us follow the “work-eat-sleep” routine and rarely pay attention to the fact that something is not right with this arrangement, something is missing. Anxiety and depression in the film is seen as a part of the daily battles to be fought and are almost taken for granted. The leads by young stars François Civil and Ana Girardot are believable “girl and boy next door” trying to make their lives work and fight this desperate and lonely fee...

8/10 Lionel Easton doesn’t have many friends. The Tourette’s Syndrome he is suffering from, which compels him to say out loud all the nasties that are on his mind, has made sure of that. When his only friend, mentor and the director of a detective agency is brutally murdered, Lionel will leave no stone unturned in finding the culprit, even if it means going head to head with the most powerful men in NYC. Passion project by Edward Norton finally got its release and it’s not all bad news. New York of the 1950’s is a fascinating place and if Edward Norton did anything right with MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN it’s transporting us to the time and the place.  Rather designed for streaming services due to its lengthy run, the movie has been a box office failure, but it doesn’t mean it’s not great. Norton gives his all to the performance, we can just see here what an underrated actor he is.  The film’s original score by Daniel Pemberton has received a Golden Globes nomination, but it...

8/10 Fabienne  is a French movie star. Young no more she behaves as if the time has not touched her. Fabienne’s house routine is thrown into turmoil when her daughter arrives with her American husband, at the exact time Fabienne’s autobiography has been released. The book will hurt many of Fabienne’s acquaintances, past and present, but most importantly those close to her. When Fabienne and her daughter go head to head over their past, it becomes  clear each of them has their own version of the truth. And what is the truth when the eyes are clouded and the minds refuse to listen? Hirokazu Koreeda riding on his SHOPLIFTERS fame has  now addressed his passion project. Full of innuendo and suppressed emotions this is subtle French drama at its best. It is amazing how a Japanese director could shoot a uniquely French film, even capturing the widespread flaws of modern French moviemaking such as static camera and endless conversations about nothing. A full star e...

7/10 Welcome to the curse house, this time in America with very Caucasian looking ghosts. Detective Muldoon is grieving for her husband and trying to start her life anew. When a broken down car is discovered with a rotten corpse behind the wheel it all leads to a house where a terrible murder suicide had happened a few years ago. Muldoon enters the house unaware of its murderous nature and when she leaves a deadly curse will follow her wherever she goes...  Written and directed by Nicholas Pesce, an independent director, who made quite a splash with his horror flick The Eyes Of My Mother,  the new Grudge takes the franchise’s cinematography and storytelling to a completely different level, while keeping its legacy intact. Fans should have been pleased, although they were not, as this horror movie is designed to distress rather than scare. The original was gimmicky and cool. This one is simply sad!  That aside, the wonderfully creepy THE GRUDGE is a hallmark of h...

8/10 When a famous director writes and directs a movie about another movie director it is immediately perceived as autobiographical. This maybe partially correct. The real question is - which movie written by its creator isn’t? All characters tend to inhabit the certain feature of its creator. And this is the common theme of PAIN AND GLORY the latest movie from Pedro Almadovar. At its centre is the character of Antonio Banderas - a middle aged director who achieved certain fame, but is suffering from several painful conditions that stop him from making more movies. When the screening of his most famous film is announced he has to reconcile with some people from his past and find a way to get his creativity back on track. We get flashbacks to his childhood where his wilfull mother (Penelope Cruz) is trying to carve a future for him, and when, for the first time, he experiences sexual desire.  A Theatre piece rather than a movie (most Almadovar films are), decorated with bright...

7/10 Day is a young man with little money, lots of freedom and no plans for the future. His life is about to change as his girlfriend gets pregnant and wants to keep the baby. It is not a surprise when his mind is elsewhere that he stupidly gets trapped in an empty swimming pool, and shortly after his pregnant girlfriend ends up there with him. But worse is still to come, as there’s a party crasher - a ravenous crocodile. Let the fight for survival begin! THE POOL cannot boast a great budget or A class Hollywood performances, but having a man , a pregnant girl and a crocodile trapped in an empty swimming pool is an inspiring idea. What really goes for the movie is its relentlessness , throwing in one challenge after another just to show how our characters will cope. Interestingly the monster crock in the film is not really shown as a villain, but rather a dangerous opponent  and another obstacle to overcome. The setting is spectacular and the swimming pool and its surro...