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Phoenix Project, The

Four scientists in a garage try to revive dead animals

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
08-03-2015
4.5

Experiment failed

This could and should have been a geeky mind bending gem like Primer. But it is achingly slow at times, the science is underpowered and the scientists behave unnatural. Especially that Carter guy, who single-handedly wrecks this movie with really painful, unwatchable and ridiculous overacting.
4.5

Phoenix incident, The

You know those 4 skatedude guys who went missing in Arizona? It was aliens man!

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-12-2015
5

Too shaky

Hurah! It's not just found footage; it's loud, noisy and restless shaky footage too. Which makes this mockumentary, shoving a conspiracy down our throat, rather tiresome and lame.
5

Philomena

A journalist and an elderly lady are on a quest to find her son who she had to give up for adoption fifty years ago

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
09-02-2014
7.5

Light hearted drama that is actually worth a watch

Sympathetic movie with a touching story based on true events (including the dubious role of the catholic church in child adoptions in Ireland), and very convincing acting by Judi Dench. Ideal movie for men who want to show their partner they actually have a sensitive side as well....
7.5

Phantom

Russian sub must carry a mysterious crew and device along on a mission

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
16-03-2014
6

Good intentions drowned in mistakes

Some fine actors and submarine drills can't compensate for a miscasted Duchovny and slow and insecure script. Most exciting scenes are destroyed when, in the heat of a moment, Duchovny asks "what are you doing now", and the captain actually pauses his command and starts to explain!!!!
6

Pet Semetary (2019)

A family man discovers a semetary that brings back dead pets. What else could it work on?

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
25-06-2023
6

not scary enough, too little to standout

While it has some good moments, like the backstory of his wife that is actually more scary than the main plot, overall I found it a bit plain and predictable. The scares don't go deep.
6

Perfection, The

Rivalry between two cello players leads to extremes

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
22-09-2019
7.5

competent

A competent mix of horror, thriller and drama that's different and refreshing, and has several satisfying plot twists on offer. The 'rewinding' sounds and sights seemed below the class of this movie, but that's about it.
7.5

Perfect Blue

Pop idol band girl switches to acting, which quickly turns dark and strange

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-06-2019
7.5

Great change of tone

With it's minimal animation, stiff voiceovers and Japanese girlpop power vibe, it took me some effort to get into this. But this beautifully contrasts with the dark and vile direction it takes on later, and then, when it starts to mess with time and your head as well, the effort had been worth it!
7.5

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Demigod kids confront Kronos because their precious summercamp is in jeopardy. No really.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
20-08-2014
6

I doubt even teenagers will really fall for it

It just - BAM- puts you in this fantasyworld with gods and magic without ever introducing us to anything, without building tension of mystery. There's some charm in the fantasy elements, but mostly it is a childish bunch of whining teenagers. There's also a lack of sea monsters.
6

Peppermint

When her husband and daughter are buraly murderedand the villains walk free, she seeks revenge on ther own

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-03-2019
6.5

Exchanging the sexes isn't enough

This really is the Punisher but with a female lead and lacking a dark costume. While this may give us an entertaining action revenge flick, it was too familiar, I was annoyed by the army of stereotype badguys and lead character's deep hatred inside (I assume there was) didn't quite come out.
6.5

Pearl

A farm girl wants to make it big in dancing. By any means necessary.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-01-2023
7.5

Good combi of drama and horror

An atmospheric flick that is in no rush to reach the horror, but instead gives ample space to lead actress Mia, who caries this movie wonderfully from the beginning until the end.
7.5

Passengers

On a hightech spaceship carrying 5000 cryosleeping persons to a new earth, one of them wakes up 90 years too early

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
22-04-2017
6.5

A flawed love story

If found the idea more interesting than execution, which suffers from rather flat, over-directed characters trying to deliver what is eventually a love story in space. The tech/thrills near the end felt rushed and lazy.
6.5

Passage to Mars

A documentary about an journey across the Arctic with a prototype vehicle (strangely a Humvee?) as a preparation for a journey to mars

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-09-2017
7

Good but relies on tricks

I have mixed feelings about the constant voice over. There are only so many ways to depict a driving car, so they desperately needed to alternate with the shots of Mars, which, while atmospheric, felt a bit like cheating. It managed to keep me interested though.
7

Particle Fever

Documentary about of the events that led up to the confirmation of the Higgs bosson in the Large Hadron Collider

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
05-09-2015
7.5

Interesting look at an incredible machine

There is a slight overload of scientific superlatives on how important and revolutionary it all is. But with a device like that, and theories like that, and findings like that, I suppose they are right! Quite fascinating.
7.5

Parasite

A poor family finds ways to infiltrate in the household of a rich family

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
13-09-2023
7.5

Varied, interesting and entertaining

A well-rounded and well made movie that has a little bit of everything, and remains fresh by taking multiple new directions. I liked it, but do not fully feel the 'masterpiece' status it has. People applaud it's 'social commentary' - but if they mean rich and poor - then well duh.
7.5

Paranorman

Not only does this kid see ghost, he is now trying to get rid of zombies and a witchcurse too.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-05-2013
8

Horror for kids, made with love and style

Unique stylish claylooks, a wonderful atmosphere, great effects and big heart.
8

Paranormal Whacktivity

Sexually frustrated couple is haunted by ghost (also sexually frustrated)

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-10-2013
3.5

A terrible movie that almost made it to being just bad

Amateuristic, improvised, messy and - worst of all - unfunny throughout. But: I think they had fun on the set, and the actors could have, in theory, pulled this off. Something actually funny was lurking in the shadows.
3.5

Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension

It's about ghostly activity all caught on camera

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
18-03-2018
6.5

Fresh in the wrong place

They invoke some more obvious, frequent and in your face material, which I can understand was necessary to breath some live into the formula. But the slow, nail biting chance of maybe catching a glimpse kind of was the point. So now it starts to er towards a regular horror glued by jumpscares.
6.5

Paranormal Activity 2

(mostly) securitycamera footage of a family being haunted

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
10-01-2016
7

Novel en successful idea approach to a horror flick

Probably a rehash of part 1, but since I have not yet seen that, I will honor this one for the brave, effective and chilling way of telling a horror story. The actual events and pacing are a bit under powered for it to become truly terrifying, though.
7

Parallels

A mysterious phonecall from a missing father leads people into a strange building that opens up to alternate earths

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-02-2017
4.5

Nice idea poorly executed

Love the basic idea, but it's executed poorly with rather annoying young adults delivering really bad lines and making everything seem hopelessly amateuristic.
4.5

Padington 2

The bear is saving for a perfect gift for his aunt, but he is not the only interested in it

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
30-08-2020
7

Warm and cozy

It's hard to fault this family-friendly, cozy, good looking and amusing comedy, as they balanced of of these things just about right for the target audience. Personally, I'd like some more edge, but this is probably the wrong movie to ask.
7

Pacific Rim: Uprising

The monsters have been defeated, but not for long

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-01-2019
5

Do you like robot fights?

Listen, I just came here for giant robots smashing huge monsters, and got what I wanted. Never mind that every person in this movie is a ridiculous Hollywood abomination and everything they say and do is stupid as can be, making this essentially a horrible Power Rangers movie with no soul.
5

Pacific Rim

To combat giant monsters from the sea, mankind built equally giant robots. Really GIANT.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
04-08-2013
7

Also a ferocious battle between great CGI and a great movie

Even a spectacle of this caliber, with such magnificent visuals, still would need a better story and characters to leave a lasting impression and score higher. But the dumb 'n fun factor sort of works here.
7

Oxygene

Woman awakes in a pod with only limited time to find out why... before oxygen runs out

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-05-2021
7.5

A bold idea done pretty well

A bold and interesting idea, but will looking at the same confined woman for an entire movie be interesting enough? During the first half I wasn't sure, but then it comes up with enough twists and some impressive shots to make it work. Not by a huge margin, but certainly enough.
7.5

Overlord

A ww2 squad lands into German-occupied France to blow up a tower, but encounter dark occult nazi experiments on their way

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
31-05-2019
7

Meaty mix

A mixture of war, action and horror, delivering a meaty and enjoyable watch. It is, however, not super exciting nor super scary, and it is let down by some cliches and annoying characters, especially that damn kid.
7

Outwaters, The

Found footage of 4 friends who went into the desert and encountered various hardships

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
30-12-2023
4

found random nonsense

First there's the usual get to know the annoying characters, then for a moment it's slightly interesting, only to then plummet into a mess of unclear, pointless, loud, endless and absolutely RANDOM events thrown at you because noone knew what this was about.
4

Outside the Wire

After neglecting an order, a drone pilot is send to join a mysterious supersoldier on a dangerous quest

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-01-2021
6

Tries to be something it's not

With military action and gun-toting robots, this ought to has been my thing. But I was quiet disappointed. Mostly because they talk tough and say deep things, but it all falls completely flat. It's just trying too hard to be cool and relevant without following up on it.
6

Outpost, The

Surrounded by high ground, US soldiers in Afganistan try to survive in this highly untactical basecamp

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
30-08-2020
6.5

Generic characters having an intense firefight

This is being applauded for it's realism, but unfortunately that meant for me that I remained somewhat indifferent during the long intense finale, because up until that point all they were were cursing, chit-chatting, anonymous soldiers. Armadillo WAS realism and had relatable, likable people in it.
6.5

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Family cons people with staged sceances for a living, but are forced to do the real thing when they are running out of money

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-10-2018
7

A little mainstream but not bad

It doesn't break any new grounds and is fairly reminiscent of mainstream horror these days. But it does manage to hold it's own with some decent moments, the 60's entourage and fine actresses.
7

Other Side of the Door, The

Devastated by the tragic loss of her son, the woman resorts to an indian supernatural ritual to speak to him one last time - and exectutes it wrongly

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
10-07-2016
6.5

Fair horror

I loved the Indian setting and the story had potential, but ultimately it keeps relying on familiar tricks and I thought everyone was overacting a bit.
6.5

Other Life

Scientist invents memory injections, but when it is used against her the line between real and artificial memory starts to blur

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-12-2017
4.5

Lifeless

Nothing wrong with the idea, but it is let down by the miscasted lead playing the cocky, cold emo-scientist. The story is also annoyingly vague, and not in the intriguing, mind-bending way I was hoping for. A few days after watching this, my wife asked how it ended and I had no idea what to say.
4.5

Other Lamb, The

A small cult with a single male leader herding only females lives in seclusion in the woods. Revolt looms.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-11-2021
7.5

Minimalistic but not

The cinematography is as sober and plain as the cult members live their lives. It's almost a collage of images and unspoken emotions instead of a traditional story, but you still can feel the revolution building up beneath the skin. Good.
7.5

Osmosis

Futuristic clinic develops an implant that will help people find their soulmate. But there are plenty of problems as the grand opening comes closer.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
05-03-2023
7

An original but sterile scifi drama

These series score with originality, a gloomy atmosphere and a couple of interesting storylines. However, the scenery, characters and atmosphere are so ice-cold and sterile that it is hard to empathize any with it - nor did I find everything very logical.
7

Osiris Child, The

Pilot must save his daughter from a planet overrun by vicious beasts

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
08-04-2019
6.5

Bits and pieces

At times this has some pretty graphics, some decent acting and some passable action scenes. But if also features some annoying characters to ruin things, and as a whole felt a bit directionless, and empty.
6.5

Orphan: First Kill

The woman who looks like a child infiltrates the first home to go for the kill

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-12-2022
4.5

Pointless and boring prequel

Many people were impressed bu apparent plot twist, but I was very bored with this empty shell, and found the acting was quite problematic. Adults acting like children is always so over the top, like they act like a caricature of a generic child. Weird and cringy.
4.5

Orphan

After a miscarriage a family takes in an orphan, but they take in a lot more than they bargained for

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
20-02-2022
7

Adult enough to avoid horror pitfalls, but doesn't add much either

For the most part it stays away from cheap scares, and has enough confidence to slowly but surely built up the tension and story, and reach a fairly creative reveal. But it fails to get under your skin as it remains slightly tame and suffers from some implausibility.
7

Orbita 9

Woman on a long solo space mission gets a visit from a mechanic, after which she learns the true nature of her mission

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
08-08-2021
6.5

Nice scifi with a twist. One twist - early on.

With a plotline that it's impossible to describe accurately without ruining it, this is a pleasant scifi done just fine. It's just that, after the big twist it's, sort of de-energizes a few notches. When the big reveal is almost at the beginning, it's harder to keep us hooked.
6.5

Oppenheimer

A biography of the father of the atomic bomb

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
11-08-2023
8

A fascinating drama disguised as an adrenline action ride

A very intense and splendidly shot, acted and directed movie. But part of me thought Nolan was cheating, by presenting what is essentially a drama as an pumping action movie, using all of his film-making prowess. There was a dissonance beween what was actually happening and how it was presented.
8

Open Water 2: Adrift

People on a yacht trip jump in the water to go for a swim, but forgot to put down the ladder first

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
15-11-2015
7.5

It will pull you in, too

I didn't want to go see this movie, but the terrifying story and suspense did keep me glued to the screen. The confusing ending with mixed memories from a past wasn't really necessary.
7.5

Open Water

Scuba diving couple emerges to find the boat not there

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
06-08-2023
8

A nailbiter that kept reeling me in

I wanted to do something else but I could not resist this movie. My complements for making the simple plot and scenery not a limitation but a strength. The natural, almost amateuristic camerawork and non-sensationalist footage of sharks is also a masterstroke making everything up close and personal.
8

Only God Forgives

Drug dealer in Thailand gets caught up a bloody circle of revenge when his brother is killed

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-10-2013
7.5

Bloodred

Dark, bloody and mesmerizing movie that views like a comicbook, the way it slowly serves it's mostly static scenes one by one.
7.5

Ones Below, The

Happy and pregant couple has dito neighbours living below them, but things get vaul when those neighbours loose their baby

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
07-01-2018
7

Good

A very decent, well acted and engrossing thriller with a good built-up.
7

Olympus has Fallen

Terrorists take over whitehouse, fallen security agent comes to the rescue

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-01-2014
7

The same old mistakes

A dark atmosphere and some hefty gung-ho warfare could have made this intense, were it not for the inevitable patriotism and flag waving, annoying Hollywood plot conveniences and stereotype terrorists (oh come on - nuclear launch codes, again?).
7

Older Gods

A man retreats into a house to study the mysterious legacy of his friend, involving something larger than us, even larger than God

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-10-2023
6.5

A decent cosmic horror, lacking some weight

These low budget movies have no choice but being a slow burner, but that need not be a problem if the story supports it. And well, I was quite interested to see where this was going and appreciated the ideas. Ultimately though, it was a little too thin and minimalistic to really leave a mark.
6.5

Oldboy

A man is held captive for 15 years for unknown reasons, and is out for revenge when he finally gets out.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-03-2023
7

curious revenge tale

A curious revenge tale that benefits from some surrealistic and disorienting elements. Highly original and quite brutal at times. But I must admit that none of it really stuck - i am having a hard time remembering it.
7

Old

People trapped on a secluded beach get old very quickly

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-08-2021
7

Attractive mystery let down by words and characters

I love Shyamalan's enticing and mysterious stories, as well as the way he floats the camera through them. So I will probably watch all of them, but unfortunately this one was let down by rather clunky dialogue, delivered unnaturally by odd characters. It felt like watching a play.
7

Offering (aka Abyzou), The

Man secretely wanting to sell his fathers funeral home, has to deal with cleansing it from evil first

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-07-2023
4

Waisted

Despite one of the scariest locations I know (morgues), tastefully lit scenery and a promise of creepy Orthodox Jewish reli-horror, this movie was unable to craft it into something scary or interesting. Instead, it has only really, really tiresome loud-noise jumpscares to offer.
4

Oculus

Brother and sister try to get even with a mysticial mirror that causes supernatural drama and terror in their childhood

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
21-09-2014
6.5

Some scares, a lot of annoyances

They sure know how to do good scares, and there's some nice ideas for the story framework as well. But the present-past alternations gets tiresome quickly, and I was totally put off by the analytical, cold and utterly unconvincing attitude and going-about of the (present day) sister.
6.5

Occupation Rainfall

On an alien invaded earth, humans and some alied aliens set out find a mysterious rainfall that can save humanity

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-07-2022
4.5

Tiresome scifi bonanza

There's actually some okay stuff here and there: some effects, some scenes, some concepts, some designs. But it's just so bloated and hysteric, like they wanted to include everything they could think of and barf it onto you in an endless stream. Very tiresome.
4.5

Occhi Chiusi

A woman is living isolated in the mountains with her daughter, and things get weird. Or something.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
13-02-2024
6

Not only hard to see, also hard to grasp

With dark and often very closed-up imagery, and depressing and slow flow, it certainly has a ominous and unsettling vibe to it. But I found the story too unclear and vague to make much of it. I am not sure what it was about, and that's not always a good thing.
6

Oblivion

Engineer is looking after droids doing their last business on earthbefore mankind heads for titan. But is it like that?

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
19-05-2013
8

pretty sci-fi mindmangler

Extremely beautiful and a pleasant SF mindbender. Some ideas we have seen before, and it maybe a bit sterile, but it blends very well.
8

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