Emerald1972 Reviews

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Grabs hold and demands that you keep up.

[10/10 · 24 July 2023]

Before going to see Oppenheimer I would strongly advise looking up some background information on Oppenheimer's life beforehand. This film is not interested in hand holding or dumbing information down, nor is it interested in relaxing its pace so that those without at least some prior knowledge of the subject can catch up. This film moves at a cracking pace, effortlessly blending different time lines and events in a brilliantly crafted story that contains some of the best acting I've seen since Sir Anthony Hopkins took home the Oscar for The Father. Cillian Murphy is almost transcendental as J Robert Oppenheimer, so far does her disappear into the character. The rest of the cast is entirely on point as well, the cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking at points, and the soundscape is incredible. I kept waiting for the point where I'd feel as if I was watching a 3 hour film, and it never came, that is how engaged I felt with this movie.

10/10 without hesitation. What a fantastic cinema experience this was.

(Viewed in 70mm film print with DTS sound)

Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022)

Atomspheric drama dealing with complex issues through elements of horror

[9/10 · 18 May 2023]

If you're looking for a standard 'haunted house monster' style horror movie then this might not be for you. Michelle Garza Cervera, in her feature film debut, delivers a slow burn, atmospheric drama that deals with complex issues surrounding the experiences of motherhood and societal expectations and pressures placed on young women in a modern vs traditional society. The drama unfolds through the lens of horror elements and Mexican mythology. An excellent, and highly recommended first feature outing for this director, but one that you should go into with the understanding that this is not what might be described as your typical horror fare.

Candyman (1992)

Be My Victim

[9/10 · 22 November 2021]

I loved it on the first watch & it still holds up after (many) repeat viewings. Tony Todd is fantastic as the debonair, byronicesque Candyman who commits villianous acts to keep his legacy alive (an interesting take on the idea of the 'tulpa'), the social narrative is nuanced but still present and layered enough to add an extra note to an already great film (a note you could deep dive into for days), the neo-noir style filming is brilliant, & the soundtrack is damn near perfection. One star off though for the occasional cheap jump scare & horror cliches of people suddenly losing their ability to think. Aside from that, this is an absolute must see. Iconic!

Them (2021– )

Masterful in its handling of dark subject matter

[9/10 · 21 November 2021]

From the acting, to the characters & storytelling (rooted in truth), to the wonderful camera work, this is a must see series. The social commentary was woven organically into the story & raised issues that I, as an Australian woman, was not necessarily aware of (and I am glad that the series allowed me to further my knowledge of such things). This is 'woke' done right (yes, there is such a thing) and 'Them' comes highly recommended from this viewer.

Awoken (2019)

Did not do the research

[2/10 · 21 November 2021]

I've scored one point for the acting and one point for the cinematography, both of which are decent.

As for the rest, it's clear that the film makers did not bother to actually research or understand the disease they were using as a basis for the plot of their film. Fatal Familial Insomnia is a Prion disease, not a sleep disorder; someone in end stage FFI is not going to be sitting up having normal conversations, and actors saying lines like, "Well we know the barbiturates don't work is ludicrous (okay I get when loved ones are desperate they will try anything, but these are still med students & other medically trained persons, and FFI being resistant to things like barbiturates was already established by 1983 at the earliest).

Fatal Familial Insomnia is a very real and utterly terrifying disease, that could have fit the horror genre perfectly had the film makers decided to bother doing one iota of actual research. It's clear they didn't.

The Shape of Water (2017)

It is rare that a film truly deserves 10 stars.

[10/10 · 20 November 2021]

From the characters & storytelling, to the incredible skill of the actors & the wonderful way Guillermo Del Toro effortlessly works old film tropes and references into a movie about one misfit finding happiness in the webbed arms of what might be the biggest misfit of all (aided by other 'rejects' of conventional society who turn out to be more heroic than that which society holds up as the 'ideal'), this film is a pitch perfect joy to behold.

Magic (1978)

More people need to know about this gem of a film

[10/10 · 4 March 2021]

Powerhouse performance by Anthony Hopkins, brilliantly directed by Lord Richard Attenborough, a fantastic script adaption by William Goldman (of All The President's Men fame), and a genuinely creepy & fascinating look at one man's descent into increasing madness.

Jacob's Ladder (2019)

The words 'Abysmal Failure' spring to mind (Updated after an attempted rewatch)

[1/10 · 26 August 2019]

A pale, hollow mockery of the original and a criminal waste of actors' talent. The original was designed to be a modern day interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead with influences from a 19th century short story (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge), the artwork and photography of Francis Bacon & Joel Peter Witkin, along with philosophical and biblical references and imagery. The remake, on the other hand, is a dumpster fire of a bad PSA masquerading as a movie. The only credit I can give is to the main cast members who do their utmost to at least lift the film experience out of the realms of the unwatchable with some solid performances.

Updated 2022: I recently made an attempt to rewatch this film, on the off chance that perhaps my love of the original was clouding my judgement, and I have to be completely honest and say not only does my original rating and review still stand, but if anything I am even more disappointed in what this remake delivered. I will also reiterate that I do still think this film wasted the talents of the actors involved, and that the performances given were the only thing about this film that just managed to raise it from the quagmire of completely unwatchable (the cast here is definitely not the issue). Having also recently begun to dive further into a self study of topics such as film theory and film appreciation there is one thing I have realised, and that is I do tend to reserve my harshest criticism for those movies I believe had the potential to be far better than the half baked garbage they ultimately delivered to audiences; Jacob's Ladder (2019) falls squarely into that category of films for me. I don't believe there were too many fans of the original film, including myself who expected a scene for scene, beat for beat, carbon copy reshoot of the 90s version, but the fact that not only did the filmmakers here appear to have completely missed the very core element of the original film (one's ultimate acceptance of death, and the journey of 'letting go' that the dying brain/soul must go through in order to reach that state of acceptance), but that in doing so they also missed a myriad of emotionally powerful and socially relevant stories they could've told instead is deeply disappointing to me.