Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

10/10 Vincent is leading a quiet life running a hairdressing salon and looking after his elderly mother when one day he meets Rosalie Bloom. Instantly he feels that he knows her from somewhere. The curiosity leads to an obsession. He starts following Rosalie everywhere, but the mysterious lady has a secret of her own… ROSALIE BLUM is the directorial debut of Julian Rappeneau whose previous credits were as a writer for some big French productions of recent years. His focused plot is the very core of this endearing film. ROSALIE BLUM is as original as it is captivating. Touching lightly upon the big themes of destiny and the reason for living, the movie focuses on the lives of little people and what makes them tick: their small victories and failures and how they survive in the modern world. Telling the story from three different points of view, ROSALIE BLUM is a curious combination of mystery, drama and romantic comedy. The story is constructed a certain w...

4/5 On a rainy night a young man is running through the streets of a small town. He is seriously wounded and loosing a lot of blood. As he collapses on the ground, a few meters away from home we rewind back to see what had happened and why. Who is to blame? A man? Or a heat wave, that threw everyone in this small provincial own to the edge of their sanity? HEAT WAVE is a story of a small town, what makes it tick, and what can destroy it. We are introduced to a handful of characters, simple country folk, each and one of them a hostage of their town, their land, and each other. At the center of the story is a young man Josheph Bousou, whose inadequate behavior slowly but steadily turns everyone against him and it is only a matter of time when one of the villagers will strike to eliminate the problem. HEAT WAVE is a drama and a mystery. Although the investigation part takes only one fourth of the film, we do wonder about the characters long before the eponymous crime...

4/5 INTRUDERS is a home invasion movie with a twist. Anna, a fragile young heroine, has a phobia of open spaces and cannot leave the house. So she is robbed of any chance to escape when the intruders break in, trying to steal her family fortune. But there's something else wrong with Anna, apart from her agoraphobia. She does not simply fight back. She begins a slaughter... INTRUDERS has nailed the main ingredient of horror - it is the atmosphere. There's also a fabulous sense of mystery, surrounding Anna's past and the answer to the question why she had turned out this way is  not one dimensional. Beth Riesgraf as Anna takes an interesting approach to her role. She remains the same vulnerable young woman and consistent in this image through the whole movie. When her dark side shows up, she does not transform into a demon, but sort of adapt it to her dorky personality, remaining that same girl we saw in the opening scenes. The end result is sort of... Terrif...

4/5 Eun-Ah is a crippled woman who lives her life consumed by revenge. Two years ago her husband and daughter were taken from her by a vicious killer. Realising that she could not execute her revenge alone she promises to donate her organs to four desperate  strangers. With the help of this team of the most unlikely associates,  she masterminds a plan to catch the killer, but who is hunting who in this chilling cat and mouse game? THE FIVE takes its time to unravel, and not afraid to be slow. The tension kicks in pretty soon however, giving us badly damaged heroine ready to do anything to achieve her goal. It is typical for Korean cinema to present a well balanced mix of horrifying  and sentimental, so you will be both moved and scared.  The script gives us a very unlikable mix of people, petty and disloyal, but as the movie progresses we see them change for the better. Their faults make them more real, but their transformation towards the end of the ...

3 1/2 /5 The year is 1980. Sixteen year old Angela (Emma Watson) claims that her father had sexually assaulted her. Detective investigator Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke), uses a type of hypnosis called regression to bring back the disturbing memories. Thus uncovered a terrible truth: there is a satanic cult thriving on the back step of their sleep away town. Dwelling deeper into the macabre and with the town (and America itself) drowning in hysteria, will Bruce be able to protect the teenage victim from whatever terror is hunting her? Alejandro Amenabare is a master of psychological horror, but in REGRESSION he puts too much emphasis on political underlay. There are genuinely scary scenes in the film, but they hardly relate to what might be at stake and the final twist, unfortunately, is too easy to guess. The films takes long to get going, but once it establishes the intrigue it is rather enjoyable for a half an hour or so, before spiralling down to its twisted but all to...

3 1/2 /5 It's been three years since Max had lost her mother in a car crash. To celebrate her mother's life, Max and a few friends go to see a slasher movie where Max's mom starred as a teenage victim. When the fire brakes out in the theatre our friends escape through the tear in the screen and find themselves trapped inside a horror movie. Will Max be able to rekindle her relationship with a cinematic version of her mom while the killer is on the loose and dead are bodies piling up around them? As friends take a stand against the maniac, they understand that in the slasher movies of the 80's there can be only one final girl. FINAL GIRLS is not really a horror movie, but is made for horror fans. Focusing on the relationship between the girl and the imprint of her lost mother the film gives us a surprisingly genuine drama. It is also a proof that Taissa Famiga as Max and Malin Akerman as her mother are fine actors. Their scenes together are believable and...

5/5 A cart pulled by six horses is driving thought the snow ridden frontier lands escaping the storm. It's John Ruth, aka The Hangman bringing the criminal Daisy Domergue to Red Rock town for the final justice. Thus begins the movie, that one may call a cinematic event of the year. It is long, brutal and unapologetic. It is a parody of a western and a love letter to it. It is a gore fest as well as an emotional roller coaster. And it's a "who done it " mystery Tarantino way. To sum it up - expect the unexpected. I was honoured (and it's a correct word for it) to attend a 70mm presentation at Astor theatre in Melbourne Australia, with an Overture, Interval and a souvenir program. This is a movie experience as special as a theatre event. And come to think of it, Tarantino's films have an impact as personal as a theatre performance. If you are not Tarantino's fan you will have to prepare yourself for a long ride. The film unravels slowly as a...