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M-Sean-McManus
Reviews
12 Kilometers (2016)
A stunning short film... I want more!
I watch a lot of shorts and this stunningly shot twelve minute film truly feels like the introduction to a much larger mythology. The colors are sublime and the effects are terrifying; it's everything one could want from an innovative horror film. Director Pecci clearly drew inspiration from his favorite classic films and while elements may feel at first familiar, this tale sparkles with an originality seldom seen in horror shorts. I won't spoil the specifics but the storytelling is so well thought out you know there is much deeper tale here (pun intended). It's exciting to think what this talented director will do with a larger budget and longer running time.
Harbinger Down (2015)
Much better than it's one star rating on Netflix!
Did you see Alien or Aliens? Did you see John Carpenter's The Thing? Did you see Jaws? Have you watched Deadliest Catch? If yes, then you've seen this film, almost everything about it is derivative-- dialogue, plot, characters etc. That being said, this film is surprisingly much better than it's one star rating on Netflix would suggest.
I've recently made it my mission to see as many one stars as possibly and I can assure you this film is pretty well put together. If anything, it could use a more consistent and "big budget" looking color correction and I think the standard viewer's impression might raise their impression of this film up a notch.
Only God Forgives (2013)
Love it. I can't get enough of it.
I know everyone has different tastes... but this film is all of my tastes. I've watched it streaming on Netflix at least 15 times, and watched the same day on-demand twice the weekend it was released.
This film is artful, haunting, difficult, and simple all at the same time. I think it's underrated in the public's mind and overall is perfectly amazing in every detail. I sincerely wish more films were made with this much care.
People keep trying to compare it to Drive because for the most part it was the same creative team headlining the poster art- but in many ways this film is really the spiritual love child of Taxi Driver and The Shining. Like those two works, I think over time this film will eventually earn it's own "classic" status.
In my mind Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the living masters of cinema.