Movie Thoughts Bundle (2016) #1

In this collection of short reviews, we’ll explore the year 2016 where witches became scary again, a blind man ends up becoming a modern age slasher villain, a small sci-fi movie presents itself as one long chase scene, and somehow Danielle Radcliffe infiltrates a gang of white supremacists. Yep, all of that happened in 2016 and we're here to briefly dive into every one of those releases. 

1. Imperium - 9/10

Imperium is a gripping and intense look into the life of an agent possibly getting in way over his head with an undercover assignment as well as the horrific and twisted perspective of racial superiority that dominates our reality to this day. The performances are amazing from the entire cast, but one has to shine a rightful spotlight on Daniel Radcliffe here for diving into a very raw and tension-filled role of which mainstream audiences has probably never seen him in. You have scenes displaying his character getting forced into life threatening encounters with the very same people who he's secretly assigned to win over with staged loyalty. I actually found myself at the edge of my seat legitimately fearing for his life as if watching an actual agent barely holding his cover in the worst of environments. 

Daniel does an incredible job at playing the idealistic employee with a passion for his job who essentially gets tossed into a sea of predators just waiting for him to slip up at any given turn. It's pretty fascinating seeing this seemingly kind hearted guy with a possible bright future in the FBI transforming himself into the most hateful soul just to blend in with a dangerous subculture for intel. Now, giving the subject matter of the story surrounding white supremacy, the movie does take a pretty bold direction in making the viewer feel uneasy with its constant flow of Nazi related imagery which is effectively utilized here. 

This is definitely a film that is not afraid of placing a giant magnifying glass on a controversial global topic that audiences may or may not feel comfortable watching. The irony here is that it works perfectly with the anxiety that flows through the main character's situation. "If you're uncomfortable watching, imagine how he's feeling" is the immersion factor statement that I think is almost masterfully executed in the direction. So with nail biting suspense, stellar performances, and a great deal of tension that will keep your eyes glued to the screen during a smoothly paced runtime, Imperium is definitely one of the most impactful and gripping character driven films of the year.

2. The Witch - 8/10

 

The Witch is one of those rare horror films that actually impacted me more on a psychological level as oppose to the more traditional reaction from the visual experience itself. The Witch plays out as a roller coaster ride into mystery, suspense, tension, and several horrific scenarios resulting after said built up tension. The performances are great from the entire cast and the attention to building a sense of atmosphere is on full display throughout. The actual horror element never came across as mere shock value for the audience to react to but instead an organic part of the story through the situations being presented.

Without giving away any spoilers, there is in fact an evil force in this film. When said force of evil eventually takes over, the audience becomes trapped in a claustrophobic scenario witnessing the tearing apart of a family brought upon by fear. This is definitely not a film where a "hero" rises to the occasion in the end or perhaps a monster is slain in some climatic battle. Instead, this is more of a look into the dark and unforgiven world of a family struggling to survive through both natural and unnatural obstacles while attempting to stand strong in their religious beliefs.

In the end, I highly recommend checking this film out, but I do caution eager horror fans that this isn't your typical scare fest event for a fun movie night with a crowd. The Witch is in fact something much more grim and dramatic with a few terrifying moments that's closely tied to the escalation of the story itself. If you're going in expecting a supernatural spectacle involving witches then you're likely to be disappointed. However, if you walk in with the anticipation of watching an unnerving and performance driven period piece revolving around the evils and paranoia of witchcraft existing, then you may just walk out satisfied as I did. The Witch reminds us why the many folktales of witches have terrified people for many generations and can still have the same profound effect on the world today.

3. Midnight Special - 7/10

Every now and then, as film fans, we're treated to something refreshing in the limited release window and Midnight Special is one of the more recent gems in that bundle of potential. Here we have a small science-fiction film with an intriguing concept that satisfyingly delivers on its mysterious lore building. The story sets itself up as essentially one big chase scene with a few pitstops of interesting sci-fi spectacles and character drama along the way. The visual FX are very well executed with a few stand out moments that are truly worth the price of admission. The performances are pretty decent across the board with everyone working effectively enough with the material that they're given.

As far as negatives go, the overall pacing did feel like a task to stay awake through during the beginning portion with a slow enough burn that resulted in a somewhat dreary-like experience. Things do eventually pick up later on but never to a point that elevated the entertainment value enough to balance everything out. The main issue that I had really comes down to the overall presentation that was given to us in comparison to the grander scale thrill ride that was implied in the marketing. I do feel that there is in fact an amazing science-fiction thriller here somewhere that simply didn't present itself onscreen due to the overall direction being used. Instead, we're occasionally offered some intriguing science-fiction ideas while there's an exciting and rather intense ongoing chase happening outside of our focus. 

In the end, I had to ask myself whether or not I truly had fun watching this film which honestly didn't result in a strong enough "yes" despite liking some of the concepts that were explored. Midnight Special is what I'd like to call a nice one time watch for anyone looking for something unique and disconnected from any massive franchise brands. Despite my issues with the movie as a whole, I still do recommend checking it out if you're a huge fan of science-fiction as there are genuinely intriguing moments to enjoy (especially towards the end).

4. Don't Breathe - 8/10

After months of built up anticipation, I was finally able to catch Don't Breathe which ended up being possibly one of the most thrilling horrors that I've seen in quite some time. Leaning towards the category of being a strong horror/thriller specifically, the performances are serviceable all around (with a huge spotlight on Stephan Lang as "the blind man"), the actual horror elements are well delivered, and the direction style is to be admired considering the very small scaled setting of the film. My biggest praise however goes to the overall direction and editing for beautifully exploiting the central concept in order to deliver on the few highly effective jump scares needed. 

The attention to sound (or lack of in many cases) and a few visual elements littered throughout the film truly does bring the audience into the shoes of the characters attempting to survive this foreign and dangerous environment. Speaking of which, the fact that this mysterious blind man's home is being presented as sort of a predator's territory in which our character are completely unprepared for, really tied together the heavy suspense that can be felt once everything begins to escalate.  

Overall, Don't Breathe was a rightfully short, quickly paced, and tension driven horror/thriller that I would easily recommend to moviegoers looking for something more adrenaline pumping with violent twists and turns around every corner. Although I didn't consider this film as being particularly "scary" personally, there is a joyride of pure terror being presented here that I feel many genre fans and casual audiences alike will certainly enjoy.