Jacobsnemesis's reviews
This page compiles all reviews Jacobsnemesis has written, sharing their detailed thoughts about movies, TV shows, and more.
10 reviews
This is a really well paced, understated thriller that kept me on edge for the full running time. All three main actors are good, but a special mention needs to go to Peter Mullan, who yet again proves he's one of the finest Scottish actors of his generation.
No suspense. No Horror. A permanent stain on the franchise that makes you feel dirty after having watched it.
I had pretty much no expectations going into this film. I had avoided much of the marketing material beforehand and knew very little about it other than it being a sequel to Prometheus, which I actually thought was a half decent film and a worthy prequel to Alien.
I'm not sure what went wrong with this film, but it is no exaggeration to say it is one of the worst films I've had the misfortune of sitting through. There is not one redeeming scene. The story is disjointed and quite frankly a complete mess. The editing is horrendous, the score completely forgettable and the cinematography is weirdly terrible.
Even Michael Fassbender cannot save this awful dirge. The CGI xneomorph will haunt my dreams for quite some time. Not because it's an imposing and scary alien in this film, but because the CGI is some of the worst you'll see from a movie this year.
Alien and Alien 2 were as close to cinematic perfection as you're going to get. Please avoid this dreadful film.
I had pretty much no expectations going into this film. I had avoided much of the marketing material beforehand and knew very little about it other than it being a sequel to Prometheus, which I actually thought was a half decent film and a worthy prequel to Alien.
I'm not sure what went wrong with this film, but it is no exaggeration to say it is one of the worst films I've had the misfortune of sitting through. There is not one redeeming scene. The story is disjointed and quite frankly a complete mess. The editing is horrendous, the score completely forgettable and the cinematography is weirdly terrible.
Even Michael Fassbender cannot save this awful dirge. The CGI xneomorph will haunt my dreams for quite some time. Not because it's an imposing and scary alien in this film, but because the CGI is some of the worst you'll see from a movie this year.
Alien and Alien 2 were as close to cinematic perfection as you're going to get. Please avoid this dreadful film.
64 (six-four) is quite an ambitious film considering in total, the running time is around 4 hours. It was split into two parts with the first being released in May and the 2nd part being released a month later. I watched both parts back to back, so this review treats both parts as one film.
64 opens up with a kidnapping which takes place around the same time as the end of the Shōwa period as Emperor Hirohito has passed away. It draws you in from the beginning with a fast paced "wild goose" chase as the father of the kidnapped child travels from place to place under the direction of the apparent kidnapper who is giving directions over telephone.
The initial kidnap plays as the backdrop to the entire film. The majority of the film is set in 2002, 14 years after the events at the start, but the story consists of flashbacks which reveal more about the events in 1989.
Kôichi Satô plays the central character. He is a PR officer in 2002 but was part of the Investigation unit looking into the kidnapping in '89. He also has a personal anguish of his own, which becomes more significant as the film develops. Satô is one of the highlights of the film. You feel sympathy for the character as he tries to juggle his day to day work (which is proving difficult with the press to handle) whilst dealing with his own inner demons surrounding the case in '89 and his own personal circumstances.
Their is a large cast of characters, but they're all played very well. The PR crew are all likable and the motivations of the different units of the Prefectural Police Department are well developed. A special mention also has to go to Masatoshi Nagase for his portrayal of the grieving father.
The story develops well in the 2nd part, although my only criticism is that part one felt well paced but part two struggles a little with maybe too much attention paid in the first half to the disgruntled press and then the second half feels a little rushed as things draw to a conclusion.
Overall, I would highly recommend 64. It's a smart thriller with great acting. The 4 hours will go in quickly if you decide to watch both parts back to back.
64 opens up with a kidnapping which takes place around the same time as the end of the Shōwa period as Emperor Hirohito has passed away. It draws you in from the beginning with a fast paced "wild goose" chase as the father of the kidnapped child travels from place to place under the direction of the apparent kidnapper who is giving directions over telephone.
The initial kidnap plays as the backdrop to the entire film. The majority of the film is set in 2002, 14 years after the events at the start, but the story consists of flashbacks which reveal more about the events in 1989.
Kôichi Satô plays the central character. He is a PR officer in 2002 but was part of the Investigation unit looking into the kidnapping in '89. He also has a personal anguish of his own, which becomes more significant as the film develops. Satô is one of the highlights of the film. You feel sympathy for the character as he tries to juggle his day to day work (which is proving difficult with the press to handle) whilst dealing with his own inner demons surrounding the case in '89 and his own personal circumstances.
Their is a large cast of characters, but they're all played very well. The PR crew are all likable and the motivations of the different units of the Prefectural Police Department are well developed. A special mention also has to go to Masatoshi Nagase for his portrayal of the grieving father.
The story develops well in the 2nd part, although my only criticism is that part one felt well paced but part two struggles a little with maybe too much attention paid in the first half to the disgruntled press and then the second half feels a little rushed as things draw to a conclusion.
Overall, I would highly recommend 64. It's a smart thriller with great acting. The 4 hours will go in quickly if you decide to watch both parts back to back.
Marshland is a beautiful thriller set in Andalucía, Spain. There is a fantastic dynamic between the two leading men, Juan and Pedro, played by Javier Gutiérrez and Raúl Arévalo respectively. But the main credit needs to go to Alex Catalán and Alberto Rodríguez for the fantastic cinematography and direction. The aerial shots in particular are truly stunning.
The Franco legacy very much lingers throughout the film and this adds to the lingering tension and suspense that remains constant throughout.
The story is a straightforward one but the look of the film will stay long in the memory.
The Franco legacy very much lingers throughout the film and this adds to the lingering tension and suspense that remains constant throughout.
The story is a straightforward one but the look of the film will stay long in the memory.
I didn't really have any expectations before watching this film. I had a rough idea of the synopsis but other than that, I didn't know too much about it.
After having watched it, all I can say is that it is one of the best films I've seen that's been made over the last decade or so. It's intelligent, well directed and well acted.
After having a brief look at the user ratings, it looks like the film divides opinion. Some of the very negative reviews have mentioned plot holes. But that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this film. It pulled me in from the first minute to the very last and every minute in between was a blast.
10/10 and I can't wait to watch it again.
After having watched it, all I can say is that it is one of the best films I've seen that's been made over the last decade or so. It's intelligent, well directed and well acted.
After having a brief look at the user ratings, it looks like the film divides opinion. Some of the very negative reviews have mentioned plot holes. But that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this film. It pulled me in from the first minute to the very last and every minute in between was a blast.
10/10 and I can't wait to watch it again.
I was surprised to see that the average score for The Bourne Legacy on IMDb was around 6.7/10 and to me, it just reinforces the idea that people's opinion of a movie is defined by their expectation going into it. For me, this was the best Bourne film yet. It's arguably the most intelligent of the four, with great acting, believable characters and a great script (which has received some very unfair criticism in some of the reviews here).
It goes at a slower pace than the previous three films, which may be a problem for some people. The action scenes are not as frequent either, although when they come, they are outstanding. One particular chase sequence is up there with the best I've ever seen in cinema.
Aaron Cross is a good lead character and very well played by Jeremy Renner. Perhaps the film would have benefited from dropping the Bourne name in the title, but it's understandable that they kept it for commercial reasons. The way this film intertwines with the story of Jason Bourne is also very clever and well done.
Overall, a great film and worth watching.
It goes at a slower pace than the previous three films, which may be a problem for some people. The action scenes are not as frequent either, although when they come, they are outstanding. One particular chase sequence is up there with the best I've ever seen in cinema.
Aaron Cross is a good lead character and very well played by Jeremy Renner. Perhaps the film would have benefited from dropping the Bourne name in the title, but it's understandable that they kept it for commercial reasons. The way this film intertwines with the story of Jason Bourne is also very clever and well done.
Overall, a great film and worth watching.
The world of film is currently saturated with Horror films similar to Saw and Hostel. In fact, to the average cinema goer, films such as Saw probably define the Horror genre. However, it is currently Asia that is producing the most original, surprising Horror films that last much longer in the memory than anything produced and distributed in the States.
It is therefore no surprise that Hansel and Gretel continues the tradition of outstanding Asian Horror film with its aim to entertain the audience with a good story as well as shocks.
There have been many similarities with this film to some of Guillermo Del Toro's work such as Pan's Labyrinth or The Orphanage. Initially, these comparisons seem to be wide of the mark, but as the last third of the film unravels, the similarities become clearer. In fact, it is in this final third that the film is at its strongest as things start to come together and the final twists are revealed.
All of the actors are brilliant, particularly the three youngsters at the heart of the story. They are very convincing in their roles and add some emotional weight to the film.
Overall, I would highly recommend this film to anyone that wants to see an original story that is full of imagination. A credit to the genre.
It is therefore no surprise that Hansel and Gretel continues the tradition of outstanding Asian Horror film with its aim to entertain the audience with a good story as well as shocks.
There have been many similarities with this film to some of Guillermo Del Toro's work such as Pan's Labyrinth or The Orphanage. Initially, these comparisons seem to be wide of the mark, but as the last third of the film unravels, the similarities become clearer. In fact, it is in this final third that the film is at its strongest as things start to come together and the final twists are revealed.
All of the actors are brilliant, particularly the three youngsters at the heart of the story. They are very convincing in their roles and add some emotional weight to the film.
Overall, I would highly recommend this film to anyone that wants to see an original story that is full of imagination. A credit to the genre.
A good film that gives a very accurate portrayal of what life can be like for a young kid growing up in Glasgow. The film is set in the 70's but the main themes are just as applicable for youngsters in 2011 (trying to fit in, feeling like part of a group/gang).
The highlight of the film is the performance of Conor McCarron as a bright student who makes the wrong choices and finds himself part of a young gang. Peter Mullan does a good job of keeping the film at a high tempo and he avoids all the familiar clichés that are common in these types of film.
However, the last twenty minutes or so are a bit of a struggle as Mullan seems to find it difficult to find a suitable ending to the film. At just over 2 hours, it could be argued that "neds" is a tad too long. Perhaps omitting the "Jesus vision" would have been a good start.
The highlight of the film is the performance of Conor McCarron as a bright student who makes the wrong choices and finds himself part of a young gang. Peter Mullan does a good job of keeping the film at a high tempo and he avoids all the familiar clichés that are common in these types of film.
However, the last twenty minutes or so are a bit of a struggle as Mullan seems to find it difficult to find a suitable ending to the film. At just over 2 hours, it could be argued that "neds" is a tad too long. Perhaps omitting the "Jesus vision" would have been a good start.