AfterLife movie review (2010)

After.Life (2010)

"After.Life" tells the story of Anna, who after a horrific car accident, wakes up to find the local funeral director Eliot Deacon preparing her body for her funeral. Confused, terrified and feeling still very much alive, Anna doesn't believe she's dead, despite the funeral director's reassurances that she is merely in transition to the afterlife. While lacking in execution, Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's "After.Life" is a smart, dark and twisted story, that forces you to think and guess while watching it. It's actually so smart, you might struggle to figure it all out, and you'll find yourself think even harder, after you leave the theater. The point of "After.Life" is to provoke conversations and debates, and it certainly succeeds. Much of the clues they put in the movie were illogical and misleading, but they were there for just that reason - to make you wonder if Eliot Deacon was a crazy psycho killer, or if he really could talk to dead people; and to make you question, if Anna Taylor was actually dead or alive?! Another important question concerned is "Do we really deserve this life?", as most of the people just waste away their days on monotonous and pleasureless tasks, and don't spend enough time with people they love care for, and things they like to do. The acting in "After.Life" was top-notch. Liam Neeson did a good job as the funeral director, and Christina Ricci was excllent in her role as the terrified and largely confused Anna. Justin Long gave his all as Paul - he acted with such care and passion, and showed so much emotion, he managed to outshine both Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci. Technically, "After.Life" was nothing special. The atmosphere was mysterious and creepy, but the low budget was noticable, at times obvious, and the CGI effects, while minimally used, looked poor and cheap. Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's direction was average at best. Perhaps in different hands, this film might have been a masterpiece. Although, it has its flaws, "After.Life" is nicely-acted, smartly-scripted, unpredictable and thought-provoking psychological thriller, that will tease your brain. Solve this mysterious puzzle yourself!

• My Rating: 6.50/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 26% (4.5/10)
• IMDb: 6.4/10

Saw D movie review (2010)

Saw [3D] (2010)

OK, so first things first... I'm an absolute "Saw" hater! I gave the original "Saw" 4.5 stars out 0f 10, as I thought it was poorly-shot, horribly-acted, dull, drab and visually-ugly torture porn flick, with one of the most laughably ridiculous twist endings in film history. I gave the second installment 5 stars out of 10, as I found it slightly better-crafted, yet still pretty mediocre. As for the other four installments in the series, well, I've rated them even lower than the previous ones. Anyway, I've seen all "Saw" films, just because I was curious to see how much worse this franchise can get. Surprisingly for me, the 7th and hopefully the final entry wasn't as terrible as I expected it to be. Picking up where the 6th film left off, "Saw 3D" details the exploits of serial killer Jigsaw's surviving victims, who seek counseling from a self-help mentor, played by Sean Patrick Flanery, whose past as a previous victim figures directly into each one's fate. The story is weak and all over the place, which is very typical for a "Saw" film, but the pacing is kinda smooth and steady, and the editing is decent, which makes it surprisingly easy to follow. Acting-wise, "Saw 3D" is a pure and utter crap. Sean Patrick Flanery is somewhat good-looking and he physically reminds me a lot of Edward Norton, but he is literally the worst actor ever. Seriously! His acting is so fake, stiff and wooden, it's embarrassing. Costas Mandylor as Hoffman is cold-faced and lifeless as usual, but I didn't bother me. Betsy Russell looks great for her age, but she has zero acting abilities. Tobin Bell as Jigsaw barely shows up in this installment, and thank God for that. On a positive note, the traps are extremely well-designed and well-staged, especially the one in the opening scene, since it was the first-ever 'in public', and the trap in the service-station sequence, which is probably the nastiest and the most creative death scene in the entire series. Gore geeks will have plenty to cheer about, as "Saw 3D" offers gobs of gore, guts, blood , nasty and repulsive deaths, and it's so graphic, it leaves nothing to imagination. Director Kevin Greutert blends very well practical with digital effects during the traps and the death scenes, and in terms of that, the film really succeeds. This is the first and probably the last of the installments 'shot in 3D', and I have to admit, that the 3D effects are surprisingly good and pretty effective, and they make the tortures and deaths look even more brutal, gruesome and nasty. The final twist of the series isn't the most shocking or the most unexpected, since many fans guessed it a while ago, but it's still a somewhat satisfying conclusion for all "Saw" admirers, and even for the haters, like me. Atrociously-acted and illogically-plotted, yet fun to watch and quite entertaining, "Saw 3D" offers some pretty cool and creative death scenes and excellent 3D effects, but nothing much else. It's mediocre like the first two, but notch better then the previous four.

• My Rating: 5.00/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 08% (2.9/10)
• IMDb: 6.4/10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie review (2011)

The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Brief review: Based on the first of three novels in the best-selling trilogy, "Millennium", David Fincher's version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is every bit as compelling as the Swedish original, even superior in some ways. The director's love for the story is written all over the film, and despite the 158 min running time, and fairly slow pacing, he keeps us involved with flawless storytelling, quiet tension, mesmerizing visuals and intriguing characters. Fincher's exquisitely masterful direction makes "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" not only a true masterpiece of subtle mysteriousness, but also one of the most wonderfully crafted and atmospherically captivating films of 2011. The wintry and, yet beautiful Swedish scenery provides the perfect backdrop for the unsolved murder mystery, and the washed-out color palette, the low-key lighting and the fuzzy, yet refined cinematography create a darkly enigmatic atmosphere that adds to the grim beauty of the film. Daniel Craig is fully dedicated to his character, Mikael Blomkvist, giving a far more believable and engaging portrayal than Michael Nyqvist did in the original movie. Rooni Mara is no Noomi Rapace, but she still delivers a sensational, career-defining performance Lisbeth Salander, whose vulnerability is hidden behind a dark mask of tough grittiness. The supporting cast does a fantastic job as well, with Stellan Skarsgård being the standout.

Overall summary: With its pitch-perfect narrative, sophisticated visuals, polished direction and outstanding performances, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is another cinematic jewel in Fincher's crown, and easily ranks as one of the best remakes of foreign films ever made.