bsonnenm Reviews

The Revenant (I) (2015)

A Masterpiece

[9/10 · 4 March 2016]

Let me start by saying that I love this movie. I don't recall another movie speaking to me this much emotionally in recent years. Under the Skin comes to my mind, but this I think is a more accessible film which touched me more. Another one that comes to my mind is Children of Men, which is a great film as well, in my opinion.

It's a story about humanity, really. About what's really important when the chips are down and we are reduced to our bare essentials. About closeness of individuals, about honor, about justice, about revenge, about survival. The film is beautifully shot and sports a beautiful score. The acting is very good, with an outstanding performance by Tom Hardy. Leo is pretty good as well ;)

If you like a movie that resonates with your deepest, rawest emotions, see this movie.

Species (1995)

Severely underrated

[8/10 · 6 March 2015]

Dennis Feldman's 'Species' is a severely underrated science fiction film from the 90s. The film touches on many themes, including the meaning of life, human desires, specifically procreation, human interaction, kindness/empathy, selfishness, fear, manipulation, intuition, following orders. It does so in a way that is mostly sublime enough that it comes across as genuine. For example there is a fairly believable romance buried in there underneath layers of alien slime. The dialog is mostly well written and to the point, the actors are great and there's lots of attention to detail. Combine that with some great and grotesque visuals, courtesy of the late Hans Ruedi Giger and some Cronenbergian body horror and you're in for a fascinating ride through Los Angeles.

The dialog doesn't always work, like when they're trying to track her down and are quickly jumping to conclusions about things that the audience already knows. Scenes vary in quality, some feel a bit rushed. While the effects are mostly excellent there are some subpar ones, too.

Overall I highly recommend it if you can get something out of sci-fi horror.