guillermobosque

Summary: Gerald's Game is a well-directed, beautifully shot thriller. The last 10 minutes may turn some people off, but those who don't care will enjoy every second of them, as I did. 81/100 (B+)

I waited for this film for so long, I'm glad it did not disappoint me. I haven't read the book but I had an idea of what the movie was about and I know Mike Flanagan really well. I really like the way he directs horror movies, Hush was awesome, Oculus is in my all time favorites and Ouija: Origin of Evil was fun. So I was very pumped for this.

I was surprised for how fast the first act went. It may seem a small scale movie but Flanagan managed to make this movie entertaining. The first 40 minutes went really fast. So moving on, the performances were really good, Carla Gugino as Jessie carried the entire film, she was perfect from beginning to end.

The film has many flashbacks and dreams sequences that I really loved. I was confused at first with the pessimist dead guy "Gerald" and the optimist Jessie, talking to the real Jessie. I felt the cringe during those scenes, but then I understood how traumatized and desperate she was in this situation that she started to see this hallucinations.

I love Mike Flanagan, he makes us care about the characters and their backstory. The entire eclipse sequence was so beautifully shot, and also disturbing in not a conventional way, I'm also happy to see Flanagan's wife Kate Siegel back in another movie from him even if she had very few minutes of screen time.

This movie had an awesome scene in which me and my sister screamed our lungs out (I'm serious). It's one of the most gruesome moments I've seen in a horror movie since Bone Tomahawk (2015). I do not know why so many people complain about the last minutes of the film, I thought the ending was fine and it did not ruin the whole experience, at least for me.

So in conclusion, I think this is a pretty good choice if you are a Stephen King or a Mike Flanagan fan. It's a small-scale, well- directed movie. I would have loved to see this movie in theaters. I hope Flanagan continues directing and writing more awesome horror movies. I can't even decide which one is my favorite now! (B+)

Summary: It was a pleasant surprise, probably one of the most memorable horror films I've seen in the past 5 years. 86/100 (B+)

First of all, it's great to be back with you guys after almost 3 years of zero reviews. So moving on, I was not expecting this movie to be good at all, the trailers did not convince me and it did not look scary at all to me. But holly hell! I did not do any research about this movie so when it started to get many attention and praise from critics I was interested. So I found out later that the guy who directed Mama made this. I liked that film in general, so I was even more excited. Anyway let's get to the film. This review will contain minor spoilers if you haven't see the film. I will not reveal anything too important.

I was really surprised with the opening scene, the movie introduces us to Georgie and his brother and then we move on to… that scene. Pennywise looks scary as hell and his dialogue is funny at the same time also the saliva coming out from his mouth adds a little creepy touch to that specific scene. Then we move on to the rest of the first act which introduces us to these kids and their bullies, this movie does a great job developing its main characters which are performed by many talented kids who did an excellent, magnificent work on their roles.

It was pretty cool to see the individual scary scenes with the red balloons for each kid, all of this moments packed many jumps and jolts which I found extremely well directed. I noticed that this movie still keeps the "Mama" flavor from director Andy Muschietti. Both films have similar creepy imagery and effects. Both movies look very similar in style, color and art direction, I absolutely loved that the movie kept that aspect. I cannot wait to watch more films coming from him.

The second act is slick, dreadful, a brutal explosion of blood (literally). I loved every second of it, my movie theatre was screaming and laughing all at once during this act. This is definitely one of the best movie theatre experiences I've ever had. The projector scene was so freaking good, (I will not spoil anything) let's just say that it is one of the best moments in a horror movie in years. Also, my favorite scene was the first bathroom scene with the incredibly talented Sophia Lillis (Beverly), her screams and overall performance during that scene was mind- blowing.

Another moment from the movie which involves a scary looking house was very intense too. It was one of the sequences who got the most gripping reaction from my audience. Muschietti directs with energy, it is a sea of memorable scares and surprises. Oh, man this movie has so many great moments! Also, the film does a great job mixing the comedy and horror aspects together. When the film is doing horror it's scary, and when it is doing comedy it's hilarious. Mainly because of the genius and sleek dialogue between the characters.

I want to stand out Nicholas Hamilton's performance as the bully guy (Henry). He did a fantastic job and he was very scary in every moment he was on screen. I actually felt very frustrated as the characters themselves. I also felt a great connection between the characters, there was good chemistry among them. That beautifully scary house sequence left me breathless, because it's the moment where shit's going down. The moment where everything goes to hell, amazingly orchestrated by Muschietti.

Third act is shaky but still fun. I wish it did not have all of that shaky cam during the final fight, it was very difficult to see what was going on. It was similar to what happened with the horror/action scenes in the movie Krampus, way too dark and shaky. But whatever it was still entertaining. The resolution of the film was very accurate, I was very happy with the ending and I cannot wait to see the sequel which I hope is as good as this film.

As with flaws I would say that it takes some time for the film to start the horror aspect. It takes a lot of time to develop these characters. But I don't complain after all, movies need great character development. Another minor flaw I have is some of the VFX used in the film, in a couple of moments they look kind of weird. But hey! It's from the same guy who directed "Mama" so I get why he decided to use that type of strange CGI in this film. Anyway, this is one of my favorite horror movies in the past 5 years. It is so extremely well directed, acted and shot. It has so many memorable horror moments and it definitely deserves to be the highest grossing horror film to date! (B+)

Summary: REC is scary as hell, well-acted and dreadful. 90/100 (A-)

Spanish is my first language and I just loved to watch such a good film in my language. It is hard to find a film like this one. REC is consistently frightening and well-executed. Each character is well-developed, and you care about all of them. Its running time is very short, but in those 80 minutes there are so much stuff to watch and you will be completely satisfied. The movie starts quickly, straight to the point. The best thing about REC was its final act, seriously the last ten minutes are mind-blowing. This movie is unique and surprising. It is a must watch, even if you are not a horror fan. It is one of the best found-footage films I have seen.

Everything looks so real, you feel a connection with the characters and its ending is just brutal. I watched REC at night with the lights turned on, but that did not help to decrease the horror. It delivers suspense, disturbing images and some bloody scenes. The performances were excellent: Manuela Velasco and Pablo Rosso were quite believable. The supporting cast was terrific too. Each character had something to contribute, and all of them were interesting. They all looked like average people, and this brought me an awesome sense of realism. It is extremely hard to make a masterful found-footage horror film these days, but REC nailed it. It is an instant horror classic. (A-)