carlpiaf Reviews

All of Us Are Dead (2022– )

Terrible zombie series

[3/10 · 4 February 2022]

I really don't understand how anyone can rate this above a 5. It's awful: unrealistic script, bad acting, amateur directing. The zombies are pathetic with their contortions and clicking sound effects. Another reviewer said it should be called We are all stupid. Most poignant comment ever on this embarrassing series. The rotten tomatoes rating doesn't reflect the critics reviews. Don't waste your time.

Psychokinesis (2018)

Bland nonsense

[4/10 · 27 October 2019]

I think many of the reviewers may be influenced by some sort of national pride. This truly was not comparable to most of the Hollywood superhero movies. The origin of the hero is ridiculous. The characters are absurd and caricatures. The plot is pretty ridiculous and the ending is just pretty pathetic. The CGI is okay but nothing to write home about. This movie appears in lists of the best action movies of 2018 which is ridiculous or there werent many good action movies that year. It is a lightweight movie that I was tempted to switch off a few times but I persevered until the end but wished I'd not bothered. Dont waste your time.

Kill List (2011)

Raw and unnerving

[9/10 · 26 December 2011]

I am left so unsure how to write a review of this film. It IS a cult classic. Already I see posts from others that show where this film will be in a few months time. It is darker and more powerful than other cult classic horrors such as Wicker Man and Don't Look Now. Those are the closest films I can think of to this. The improvised dialogue (this is a British film so I'm spelling that word with the British spelling), the spontaneous violence, the stressed out near insanity of the lead character, and the instability that pervades this film, leave one feeling unstable and unsure. I did however think it slightly predictable. The shocks in the movie did NOT come as a surprise for me unfortunately. But then they very rarely do. But I can see that most viewers won't see them coming. The only other criticism I could think of (and maybe it is unfair) is that the female lead's Swedish accent really does not sound genuine when she is speaking on the telephone. But then I don't know how a Swede that has lived in England for a long time would sound when they speak Swedish (would one lose their Swedish accent?) I've lived in Sweden for ten years and I haven't lost my British accent. Other than this, the film is pretty flawless. An astonishing film that I wish I hadn't watched just before sleeping.

And Soon the Darkness (2010)

Extremely disappointing

[2/10 · 23 December 2010]

The only good thing about this movie is the editing, the camera work and the sound. The acting is okay, but the plot is shallow. The promise of twists is totally unfulfilled. It is predictable and rather pointless. What a shame. It is one of those movies that seems to have something, but you wait and watch and nothing happens. There is very little to say about the movie. I had to add this filler just so that the review could be accepted for having 10 lines of text. The characterisation is shallow. I suppose the scenery in some of the scenes is rather interesting. But other than that, this is a complete waste of your time.

Southern Comfort (1981)

A damning indictment of military arrogance

[10/10 · 26 June 2006]

The writers of this movie take war from an alien country and show how the stupidity of soldiers can wreak havoc when cultural differences are ignored. When contrasted with American behaviour in Iraq and other areas around the world, it reveals a perverted weakness that can backfire so easily on those with weapons in their hands. The escalation of fear between the soldiers and their unseen unknown combatants is deftly handled. The earlier comments regarding how the National Guard treat its own citizens is extended to the locals as the film progresses. The use of a foreign language by the captured local emphasises the lack of any education in handling cultural differences by the soldiers. They make a terrible faux par in using the possessions of the locals and playing a joke on them which culminates in the nightmare that extends throughout the entire length of the movie. The worst thing is that the intelligent innocents within the party are taken along for the ride and are captivated by their colleagues stupidity. An excellent portrayal of ethnocentrism.