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No Hard Feelings

A girl gets a car - if she dates an undatable

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-01-2024
6.5

Another fine romcom with not much else

It's good for a few laughs and some well dosed emotional depth. But that, unfortunately, seems to be the review I end up writing every freaking 'romcom' out there. I wish it would have found away to rise above this.
6.5

Bird Box Barcelona

A man and his daughter are trying to survive in a half-blind world, where seeing creatures means instant suicide

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-01-2024
7

A nice addition to the tale

My compliments for staying true to the concept, yet finding a story from a new viewpoint, instead of just doing the same movie again (in Barcelona). Overall, it is a pretty tense and entertaining movie, even if it slightly dozes off during the bits between the action.
7

May December

An actress parts up closely with the woman she is going to portay in her next movie, and with her secrets

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
26-01-2024
6.5

Great acting and built-up leading to nothing

A movie filled with a solid cast that are a pleasure to watch, and a story that has the sensation of slowly building up to a climax of some sort. But I don't think it did. Instead it left me with a feeling of being cheated, and wondering what I had been watching.
6.5

Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 2: Ghost Whispers

I think this is before the section 9 team assembled - and the major combats a hack of the entire traffic system

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
25-01-2024
7

Like always, a really mixed experience

I have a strange relationship with Ghost in the Shell. Most of it I don't follow, and I might fall asleep numerous times during the tech and political babble. But it is also so irresistibly cool and tasty, often with splendid music, that I keep coming back to it. Like this episode.
7

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Found footage from a Korean ghost hunting documentaryteam, who get what they are looking for

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
21-01-2024
5

Scares drowned in annoying team

There is a handful of chilling scenes near the end, but by that time I was too worn-down by the, once again, obnoxious team of selfcontent vloggers. I was getting really tired of the fullscreen close-ups of their sobbing faces, amidst a minimalistic and random story.
5

Unicorn Wars

Adult animation about colorful bears slaying their sworn enemy: unicorns

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
15-01-2024
6.5

Irresitable concept but hard to like

The bizarre story and bloody cartoon violence promised a unique experience, but I found the bears too unlikable and too annoying for this, so it was hard to live the moment with them. The finale partially makes up for it, offering something of a more profound experience.
6.5

The Free Fall

After a suicide attempt a woman recovers under the care of her husband. But the doens't remember him, or her attempt....

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
14-01-2024
6

Ideas were there, movie making skills were not

Near the end of this movie, it features some pretty interesting plot twists and scenery, suggesting that some creative minds were involved. But it contrasts starkly with the rest of the film, which feels very artificial and poorly made, like a cheap TV movie.
6

Babylon

The ups and downs of two actors in the days of the early Hollywood industry

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
14-01-2024
6

A loud movie about a world and people that only exist in movies

I probably should write something like "A daring expose of the decadence and ruthlessness of the inner workings of Hollywood", but frankly I found this a rather loud, unpleasantly over the top movie, with unlikable, unrelatable and exaggerated characters. Pretentious and Oscar hungry.
6

The Exorcist: believer

After a midnigth visit to the woods, two girls need exorcism

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
13-01-2024
4.5

Boring, messy, silly and not scary

I was already getting bored with exorcism movies, and this is one certainly isn't turning the tables. The only novelty is that there are two victims at once, and three people doing different kinds of exorcisms at once, which turns into a mess, looks ridiculous and none of it seems to do anything.
4.5

Leave the World Behind

A family on vacation find themselves cut off from the rest of the world, with an increasingly horryfying realization that something terrible is happening

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
09-01-2024
7.5

A thrillride

All in all a really satisfying movie that draws you in by feeding you small chunks of the puzzle without overdoing or spoiling it. Interesting characters, interesting and well paced story.
7.5

Battle in Space: The Armada Attacks

Several (unrelated?) scifi stories

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
07-01-2024
3

Perhaps if it had decent stories

The stories consist of computer graphics alternated with (amateur?) actors doing stuff, with no real sense of connection. It's all quite hopeless, even if if the clumsiness of it all almost makes it sympathetic. The truly unforgivable sins were the supervague stories and random sensationalist title.
3

Better Than Us

In the future, a precious humanoid robot escapes and finds shelter in a family with their own problems

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
07-01-2024
4

No drive

I probably shouldn't be reviewing this as I stopped after 3 episodes, but here i am. The core idea is decent enough, but there's absolutely no energy in the story or the way it was told. Cold and bland, the thought of watching 13 more terrified me. Perhaps the absence of music was part of it.
4

The Corpse of Anna Fritz

Friends violate the corpse of a celebrity in the morgue, then something unexpected happens

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-01-2024
7

An uncomfortable subject cleverly twisted into a decent thriller

Although there is obviously necrophilia, the movie manages to keep it watchable without wanting to take a shower afterwards. In fact, it turns into an original and really decent thriller.
7

When Evil Lurks

Two farmers encounter a 'rotten' demonic curse, and must race to stop if from spreading

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-01-2024
8

The best possession movie I know

The macabre folklore, while slightly weird, gave this a unique atmosphere. The characters are interesting and well acted, and it has some brilliant gut-punch horrorscenes. And finally, it has a constant high tension drive, making it feeling almost like an action movie.
8

À l'intérieur (inside)

A woman has a baby inside her belly and a stalker inside her home

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-01-2024
7.5

A very trilling home invasion flick, but not for the fainthearted

It's a unpleasant, painful, violent and - especially towards the end - quite gory movie that is probably too much for the most of us. But I have to say, as a home invasion movie it was very tense en gripping, and the feeling of desolation and hopelessness was very well done.
7.5

The Black Demon

A family vacation winds up on a decommissioned oilrig with a huge shark patroling the waters

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-01-2024
4.5

Lacklustre, even for a a shark movie

For some reason big shark movies get a pass for not being of much quality, but even so this one is a bit problematic. There was a lack of inspiration to do actual sharks scenes, so there's a lot of chatty fillers about the environment and vague folklore. Some subplots even seemed abandoned.
4.5

The Outwaters

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

The Moon

An ill-fated Korean moon mission turns into a rescue mission

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
30-12-2023
4

Looks okay, afwul kitch movie

Space rescue can be quite exciting, and this one looks snappy for sure. Unfortunately, it's filled with plastic characters, overacting and turns into a sludge of melodramatic kitsch with tears over piano music.
4

Cure

Detective investigates murders that appear to have come through hypnosis

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-12-2023
7

Moody but a bit too emtpy

With it's moody, grainy colors and images, and continuous dread of the unexplained, this had the potential for being quite an intense, under-your-skin thriller/horror. But unfortunately, the slowish plot and an overall empty feeling ment some of the scares were lost.
7

The OA

A missing blind girl one day returns with sight, and an amazing story about the afterlife she entrusts to a small group of people

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
25-12-2023
5

Problematic, but the premise may pull you through

Another Netflix endeavor with a mysterious story that is only just able to make you watch the whole thing, but requires you to sit through excruciatingly slow passages and episodes, flat one-trick characters, many dubious plot-points and even some crinche here and there. The twist felt uninspired.
5

Marebito

A lonesome filmaker descents into the catacombs of the city and finds an alienated girl whom he tries to care for

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
25-12-2023
7

Strong beginning, medium remainders

I liked the beginning the best, as it is quite creepy and unnerving. After that, it looses this and switches to mystery/drama that I found less compelling but quite interesting nonetheless. I read about all sorts of double meanings you could attribute to this movie, but for me it is what it is.
7

Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire

Peaceful farmers start a rebellion against a spaceorder threatining their way of life, starting of with recruiting members from across the galaxy

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-12-2023
6.5

Pretty but lacking interesting characters or plot

On the face of it an impressive epic with neat designs and visuals, but most characters are very flat comicbook archetypes, the story was lacking and felt overfamiliar at places. I'll watch the sequels, but probably won't remember this at all when they arrive.
6.5

Based on a True Story

A writer with writers' block and pending depression meets a new friend that helps her get through, but how deep can she interfere?

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-12-2023
7

A fine psychological drama but nothing spectacular

This movie was quite a departure from my usual scifi and horror picks, but I have to say it kept my interest all the way. This is mainly because of the strong lead actresses, and a subtle anxiety woven through the story. But a little bit more spice would have been welcome for me.
7

The Nun II

It's the Nun II

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
22-12-2023
4

Good looking borefest with no story

Much like it's predecessor, there is no shortage of very moody and nicely lit scenes. Also like it's predecessor, there is a serious lack of a story to drive it along, instead it features just people moving extremely slowly from one jumpscare to the next. Remarkably boring.
4

Dogtooth

A tale of adult children that may not leave their house and loving parents until they loose their dogtooth

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
22-12-2023
7.5

nasty and cold, but quite interesting indeed

A cold and surreal affair, the kind that pulls of showing rather expliciet sex scenes without being arousing in the slightest, with peculiar acting and dialogues that alienate even further. I found it quite intriguing.
7.5

The Wickerman

A detective travels to an island inhabited by a cult, to find his daughter

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
13-12-2023
7

Creepy cult not really creepy

Sure enough, these secluded cults with weird rituals provide some creepiness and anxiety, but I felt that Cage seemed disjointed from it all (running around in a suite for some reason), and the cult almost leaned toward being goofy rather truly scary.
7

Hippopotamus

With no memory, a girl awakens in a room with a man telling her she can't leave until she loves him

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
10-12-2023
6

A fair puzzler missing class

Nothing wrong with these low budget movies in a single location, where you'll grow eager to find out how it all came to be. The story is also reasonably well thought out and offers some layers near the end. But I found both the actors and direction missing intensity and depth.
6

Matriarch

After an overdose, a woman retreats to her mother and hometown. But there are strange things going on, and noone seems to have aged.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
10-12-2023
7.5

Nice small-town cosmic horror

A nicely done movie with some cosmic horror and mystery, a lovely 'something is off' vibe, good 'rural town' atmosphere and a lead actress who manages to gain sympathy despite playing quite a nasty person. A nice treat indeed.
7.5

In the Earth

Two scientists go deep into the woods to find a lost colleague, where they face mystical natural phenomena

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
06-12-2023
6.5

Could have used some more focus and excitement

I like it when things get sciency, and it goes well with natural presentation and some slow burning. But in this case, it can be a little too dull, and the story lacked a focus. It felt like it invented itself as it went on.
6.5

Killers of the Flower Moon

A tribe of Indians, wealthy because of the oil on their land, is overcome by of a plague of murders

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-11-2023
7

Oscar material and it knows it

A slew of triple A actors are seemingly competing for who has the most acting prowess, almost up to the point of overacting. The story is one of those 'little known story that needs to be told' affairs. Undoubtedly a good movie - but there is something very self conscious and Oscar hungry about it.
7

The Taking of Deborah Logan

Students want to film a patient with Alzheimers, but end up documenting something much more sinister

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-11-2023
6.5

Some good scares and ideas in a mediocre mockumentary

This movie captures the potential creepiness of elderly people doing strange things in the dark quite well, and certainly has some striking scenes to offer. But some of the other characters, and most of the unconvincing in-between found footage stuff, bored me.
6.5

The Mist

A mist containing monstrous creatures traps a group of people inside a supermarket

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-11-2023
6.5

Too much cartoon people to be scary

I think it has that distinctive style of Stephen King, featuring a group of various very talkative and exaggerated characters arguing and contemplating as they face this ordeal. Almost like watching a play. Somehow it drains most of the tension, and left me slightly amused rather than scared.
6.5

The Farm

Couple on a roadtrip ends up at a farm where they are treated like animals

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-11-2023
7

Unpleasantly piercing you conscience, but as a horroflick a bit thin

Seeing humans being treated like animals is quite a clever move, because it is shocking and vile, yet you can't fully condemn it because we treat animals this way too. It gives an unpleasant feeling. Too bad the move has little more to offer. Still, I suggest part II - the abattoir could be huge.
7

Delete

A woman and her secret lover get hold of a device that makes people disappear

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-11-2023
7

ok mystery, but sluggish and slightly dull

Mostly a fine mystery and crime story, that adds some layers as we learn more about how the device works. But like many series, it can be very sluggish, almost as if it is struggling to fill up 8 episodes. Most actors are kind of flat, too.
7

The Girl on the Third Floor

Man is revamping a house before his wife moves in, but the house has a sinister past

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-11-2023
7

A remarkably framed horror

The main protagonist is a remarkably cartoonish and over-the-top character, which reminded me a bit of the Ash character from Evil Dead. While this horror has it's moment's, this mostly makes it akin towards comedy. Refreshing and quiet amusing perhaps, but not really terrifying.
7

Play Dead

A girl fakes death to get into a morgue, where she needs to retrieve evidence against her brother. But there is unsuspected danger inside.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
11-11-2023
6.5

Maybe too long and too unlikely, but still a thrilling ride

The premise and story are far-fetched, and I thought the acting lacked finesse. But this still manages to roll out quite an exciting, pretty tense thriller/horror for the most part. Unfortunately it drags on for too long, becomes tiring and even more implausible. Still, enjoyable stuff.
6.5

V/H/S/85

Another batch off vaul horror story's presented and grainy and buggy VHS quality

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
08-11-2023
7

restless but satisfying horror and mystery in a distinctive format

The stories are dark and nasty but all have some have a pleasing element of mystery in them, really making you curious. Later on, some smart connections between the stories unfold, which shows they put in some effort instead throwing in random gore. The nervous presentation is a lot, but it worked
7

After Yang

A man tries to get his broken droid and familymember fixed, and finds out a deeper level in it than he realized

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
08-11-2023
6.5

Atmospheric but ultimately too thin

Saturated with a mellow and melancholic atmosphere that almost gets you in a dreamy state as well. I appreciative how it's more of a wandering, soul-searching sort of poetry than a clear-cut story, but ultimately I found it too thin on substance to make a lasting impression.
6.5

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

A surgeon befriends a boy who's father's life he could not save, which showly turns into a horrifying relationship

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
04-11-2023
7.5

A strangely presented and dark tale, that gets to you nonetheless

I needed some getting used to the stiff, strangely brought dialogues from some characters, but eventually this added to a uncomfortable, disconnected, but intriguing atmosphere. The boy's behavior really makes you anxious, as does the dark story as whole.
7.5

Blame!

In a world where strange entities keep building endless structures and annihilating humans, a mysterious man may be a saviour

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
30-10-2023
7.5

A cool anime deserving a better title

This oddly titled anime features some beautiful and moody drawings, exiting action, great music and snappy sound effects. On top of that, the story has some depth and interest, so this added up to a rather enjoyable package.
7.5

The Ruins

A group of beautiful people goes to a secluded mayan ruin, where doom awaits

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-10-2023
7

A pretty good and pretty original horror

This movie manages to overcome my allergy of horror movies with those witty, young, beautiful perfect people, and delivers a pretty solid and entertaining watch, with some gore, mystery and reasonably fresh ideas. I loved the mimicry concept in here.
7

Grave of Fireflies

A brother and his little sister try to make it through the bombardments of worldwar 2

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
22-10-2023
7.5

Honest and sad

A sad and sober story without much window dressing, instead focusing on these kids and their innocence, and heart shattering daily tasks of looking for shelter and food. I wasn't as destroyed by it as some viewers apparently were, but that's just because I have no emotions.
7.5

Gokseong aka The Wailing

A cop is facing myserious evil possessions of people in his village, not in the least of his daughter

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
18-10-2023
7.5

An eloborate and moody horror

All in all a pretty good horror with some interesting approaches and an effective gloomy and rainy atmosphere. I liked how the main protagonist is a bit dopy instead of an unrealistic superhero. The story is a bit allover the place though.
7.5

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

Suzume

Girl is on a mission to stop doors from releasing sky worms that cause earthquakes, together with her friend - who turned into a chair.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
11-10-2023
7.5

Why minds should be set free

Go see it if you don't buy that description. I really appreciated this wildly imaginative story backed up with spectacular animation. It is a testimony for what may come from unrestricted, unbound filmmaking... even if the result may be difficult to connect with emotionally.
7.5

The Creator

A man is after a new weapon from AI powered robots, but when he finds it it turns things on it's head

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
09-10-2023
8

Familiar elements blended into something exciting and new

A lot of elements and concept are quite familiar. It reminded me of Elysium for example, both in style, looks and story. But it manages to combine it's sources of inspiration into a new, exciting story, with gorgeous visuals, great performances and it even touched me emotionally.
8

Ahsoka

Ahsoka and apprentice must stop evil warlord from returning from exhile

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
08-10-2023
4.5

Pretty bad

I liked some of the spaceships, and some characters I like too. But unfortunately, the main characters, Ahsoka (with her unbearable smirk) and Sabine (look at me I am a rebel), were unbearable. Also, poor combat, poor plotline, slow pacing, and even more useless stormtroopers abound.
4.5

Khanzab

A girl tries to solve the mystery of her father's violent death, and black magic curse surrounding her family

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-10-2023
6

Good scares for some scenes, but not an entire movie

I was looking forward to experiencing the Indonesian take on horror. There are some moods and scenes that are quite intense, but they repeated until they loose their effectiveness. The story gets quite messy and the spirits pop in like puppets a haunted house at the fair.
6

Aporia

A widow gets her husband back by using her friend's machine that perhaps failed at time travel, but can kill a person in the past

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-10-2023
6.5

Slowish and sober, but still a worthwhile time puzzler

I am quite a sucker for these sober, intimate, low-budget movies that still deliver a clever story and time travel puzzles. This one did indeed fall into that category, although it was a bit lackadaisical and perhaps too minimalistic.
6.5

Talk to Me

Them kids play with a model of a hand that brings them in contact with ghosts

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
26-09-2023
7

An above average spirt summoner

Summoning the spirits and the inevitable consequences may be a familiar theme, but I thought this movie had enough ideas of it's own to keep it fresh and interesting. I wish it was scarier though, and that I liked the characters more.
7

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