infoserfer Reviews

Intersect (I) (2020)

Intricate intersection of loose ends

[5/10 · 6 May 2024]

This movie is worth one-time viewing despite its semi-realised potential.

The plot has some perks and twists, its development seems chaotic at first, but after a while you get used to its reversed linearity.

The story is rather interesting, although it provides mostly emotional journey and the sci-fi elements seem secondary. The acting is decent, but it could have been better.

The main problem is that this flick has a lot of underdeveloped plot lines or more like plot shreds - mysterious/sci-fi/horror/psychological pieces that were never explained or continued to some reasonable extent or brought together nicely.

In the end, the three main characters' stories are combined into more or less sensible continuity, but the ending itself is very confusing or too "open".

So, to sum up my mixed feelings about this movie, it is nice, but it could have been much more thrilling, especially with the emphasis on a well-thought-out and detailed science fiction, not the drama.

So 5/10 at most.

P. S. Also in every live scene actors seemed a little like some kind of advanced CGI-based models, I think it was intentional editing in post-production but for what purpose I cannot apprehend.

Algorithm: BLISS (2020)

No algorithm, no bliss, just dull and crappy piece...

[3/10 · 14 March 2024]

The pace of the film is very slow, it's rather dull and predictable, "low-budget" seems really low in everything: script, props, sound, locations, even some acting.

It has no notable plot twists, it does not evoke any thrill, excitement, compassion, plain interest - nothing - thus this movie resembles rather unpleasant documentary which you force yourself to watch till the end, although guessing that it cannot end well.

The moral of the main character's story: don't let your passion outgrow to obsession that can consume you with very unfortunate consequences.

It would be a nice short film (20-30 min), but as a full-feature it sucks...

Although I must admit that acting of Sean Faris and Sarah Roemer was rather good and believable, compared to other actors, that is why I can give this flick 3 out of 10 stars (and not 0/10).

P. S. Interestingly enough, in the end of credits I saw a line "A film by Isak Borg and Dena Hysell. ©App Film, LLC 2014", so the question is: why is it marked by IMDB as made in 2020, and not in 2014?...

Rising Wolf (2021)

Despite the ascendant motives, the plot rapidly falls down the elevator shaft

[3/10 · 17 February 2024]

It's a weak movie.

Senseless and ill-conceived script, a lot of omissions, a lot of needlessly drawn-out scenes with the suffering of the main characters, whom you stop empathizing with somewhere in the middle of the movie (in fact, the whole movie is one such drawn-out scene of emotional and physical torture, that in the end it even begins to bore the viewer), a lot of flashbacks that often confuse rather than explain something, some unexplained and somewhat pointless manifestations of superpowers, an unnecessary cliffhanger, as if anyone would want to watch a sequel to this nonsense.

It would have made a good short film of 20 minutes at most, but the feature-length version - sucks!

3/10.

Something in the Dirt (2022)

Nothing in the dirt

[4/10 · 28 January 2024]

Interesting and mysterious at first, this film starts to lose ground somewhere in the middle and so tries, desperately and mostly unsuccessfully, to keep viewers in their sits only by throwing more and more unresolved mysteries at them without bothering to explain at least something. Yes, we observe development of characters and gradual disclosure of their stories, psychological tension and complication of their somehow frenemy relations, but still there is no logical or emotional resolution to the story whatsoever. The end brings one tragedy and no clarification to any of the sci-fi threads.

The more phenomena you get in the movie, the less they stick together, and the grand picture which you crave to compile becomes more and more blurry, despite the attempts of the filmmakers to convince you otherwise.

Also, those pseudo-documentary inserts of main or secondary characters talking to a camera about some movie episodes are more annoying than entertaining and does not enrich the plot but mostly cause more confusion to the viewer.

As to some documentary-like clips or photos inserted in different scenes to briefly explain background of a character or idea being discussed - at first they seem as helpful and interesting solution, but later you realise that they are being overused.

On the bright side the acting is rather good, VFX are descent and the plot is dynamic so you might watch it till closing credits without distraction or boredom (the bummer comes in the end: no sci-fi stuff explained, no plot threads combined to something bigger, just a bunch of cliffhangers).

So this movie presents worthy ideas in a crumpled up and torn wrapping, thus leaving the viewer with Nothing in the dirt.

The Vast of Night (2019)

The vast of night thrill

[8/10 · 21 September 2020]

An interesting, atmospheric, intense fantastic retro thriller. The events seem to be dynamic, but they take place in a measured way, in the style of the late 1950s, which are roughly depicted in the picture against the background of a small American town. During a school basketball match, which is attended by almost the entire population, a mysterious radio signal appears in the empty city, there are also power outages, messages about "something in the sky", calls to the radio station about secret military operations, etc., and only a few locals become witnesses to all this, including the main characters - an experienced skeptical radio host and a science-obsessed schoolgirl, who have to interview an old lady to try to understand everything... I liked a lot about this movie: the style, the acting, the montage. I watched it in one breath. The ending is not very optimistic, but fully corresponds to the atmosphere of the film. My score - 8/10. Highly recommend.

When the Trees Fall (2018)

When standards and trees fall...

[3/10 · 19 September 2020]

In general, it is a grey mix that alternates scenes of domestic violence and unjustified cruelty, seasoning it with the tragedy of a rural bleak routine, from which the main character cannot escape. The drama seems to be present, but for some reason sympathy for the main characters is not awakened, perhaps because of the chaos and, in some cases, the absurdity of events and actions. Sometimes it can be perceived as a documentary with elements of delusion or attacks of mysticism. The filmmakers do not seem to understand that the unspoken, ill-considered, or recklessness of the scenes is not yet poetic or highly artistic. Several allegorical-eloquent and not tainted with hopelessness scenes of childish, innocently-amazed perception of the world by the little girl Vitka, in particular her relationship with an almost fabulous white horse, do not save viewer from the feeling of life-cluttering, illogicality and depression that remain after watching this movie. Score - 3/10.