• Argylle (2024)

    Do you know the difference between the movie Argylle and the song Kingslayer by Bring Me the Horizon and Babymetal? The former is tame, predictable and appealing while the latter is experimental, energetic and challenging. Argylle tells the story of a spy novel author who is suddenly torn into genuine secret agent business upon being attacked by strangers on a train and helped by a mysterious protector who seems to know her very well. This movie mixes slapstick situation comedy with mild romance. It combines dynamic action scenes with tense thriller elements. The film tells its intriguing own story yet makes numerous connections to the King's Man franchise.

    Let's get the negative elements out of the way right from the start. This movie asks for a complete suspension of disbelief that goes even further than most fantasy and science-fiction movies in recent memory. That overwhelming element of constant exaggeration makes even the film's more serious scenes and tense sequences look inappropriately light-hearted and unintentionally funny. The connections with the King's Man franchise diminish the qualities of this movie and uncomfortably push it into an exhausting bigger picture. Especially the film's ending feels flawed and rushed in that regard just for the sake of promoting potential sequels.

    On the positive side, this quirky movie provides energetic entertainment from start to finish. The characters are complex, intriguing and profound. The acting performances are convincing with Bryce Dallas Howard excelling as multi-faceted lead actress and Samuel L. Jackson oozing with charisma in his memorable role as former secret agency deputy director. The settings of this movie are particularly appealing and transition from the snow-covered Rocky Mountains of the United States of America to the urban density of London in England and sunny vineyards in southern France. The story comes around with multiple turns and twists, some being predictable while a few being genuine surprises. Lighting, sound and special effects have been executed with an impressive budget and great care as they are best enjoyed on the big screen. The film's soundtrack finds a balanced mixture of well-known classics and a few new tunes.

    As you can read, Argylle has a lot more positive elements to offer than nagging downsides. Just be aware that this movie is connected to the King's Man franchise and that you should be familiar with said film series in order to enjoy this feature to the fullest. Furthermore, please understand that this movie is supposed to be the start of a trilogy and that watching this feature might make you feel obligated to view upcoming sequels as well. On its own however, Argylle finds an excellent mixture of humorous tones and serious sequences that should appeal to a wide audience from curious teenagers to seasoned genre experts. This movie thus offers wonderful entertainment for the whole family.

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  • Orphan: First Kill (2022)

    Orphan: First Kill is a prequel to family drama and psychological horror thriller Orphan that was released to positive acclaim thirteen years earlier. If you haven't watched the first film yet, don't bother because it actually makes more sense to watch the prequel first and then the original movie.

    Releasing a prequel after thirteen long years is a risky affair. The most stunning decision is that actress Isabelle Fuhrmann retakes her role from the original movie, meaning that she is now playing a younger character than in the original film released thirteen years ago. Even though reviews have been rather mixed regarding those decisions, I must admit that the filmmakers have pulled off this stunt quite spectacularly. With intelligent camera angles, excellent make-up and stunning visual effects, Isabelle Fuhrmann looks indeed stunningly similar to the character she incarnated one and a half decades earlier.

    This film's story revolves around the origins of villainous antagonist Leena Klammer, the patient of a mental facility called Saarne Institute in Estonia. Even though the patient looks like a female child, she is actually a woman in her thirties who is considered particularly dangerous to herself and anyone around her. One day, she manages to escape from the facility by manipulating other inmates and murdering her art therapist. She then takes on the identity of missing child Esther Coleman and gets transferred to her family in the United States of America. Leena Klammer tries to make everyone believe that she is indeed Esther Coleman but while some people like the family father are rather gullible, others such as an investigating police officer remain suspicious. Soon enough, the web of lies that the antagonist has been building up is falling apart and leading to a dramatic series of events.

    This unexpected prequel convinces on numerous levels. First and foremost, the locations have been chosen with care. The isolated snowy landscapes, the creepy basements and narrow alleys in Estonia are very efficient. The dark, elegant and spacious settings in the United States of America provide a different sort of atmosphere.

    Up next, the special effects in this film are particularly outstanding despite a modest budget. Lead actress Isabelle Fuhrmann looks at least two decades younger than she actually is. This movie also includes some truly creative paintings with hidden special effects. The final sequence is also worth being explored on a big screen.

    The story deserves much praise as well. Even though viewers who are familiar with the original film might already know a few elements that might reduce this film's tension, this movie still comes around with a few fresh ideas. The way the antagonist breaks out of her mental asylum is quite spectacular. The sections where the antagonist desperately tries to develop efficient strategies at convincing her surroundings that she is a mysteriously vanished teenager are quite intense. Most importantly however, this film comes around with a major unexpected twist in the middle section that will leave a lasting impression.

    Finally, the acting performances are also stellar. Rossif Sutherland convinces as broken, gullible and inspired family father. Julia Stiles shines as cold, intelligent and manipulative family mother. Matthew Finlan delivers the goods as arrogant, pitiless and superficial teenager. Needless to say that Isabelle Fuhrmann is the greatest actress in this film and shines as dangerous, intelligent and pitiless psychopath who is equally intriguing and repulsive.

    At the end of the day, Orphan: First Kill is a prequel of a surprisingly great quality thanks to fitting locations, clever special effects, fresh plot elements and convincing acting efforts. This movie is therefore much better than its average reputation. It's entertaining from start to finish and certainly everything but tedious. If you haven't watched any of the Orphan movies thus far, please make sure to watch Orphan: First Kill initially before concluding with Orphan. This new film has actually been so inspiring that I'm now hoping for another prequel explaining how Leena Klammer ended up at Saarne Institute in the first place.

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  • Orphan (2009)

    Orphan is an emotional, gripping and tense psychological thriller that has aged very well and has ultimately even got a prequel thirteen years later. The film revolves around a little family consisting of mother Kate who has just lost her stillborn baby daughter, her empathic but gullible husband John, their slightly arrogant and hostile son Daniel and their intelligent and sympathetic daughter Max. After the loss of the stillborn daughter, the parents decide to adopt nine-year old Esther who impresses the father with her outstanding painting skills and the mother with her seemingly mild manners. While Max starts seeing her older sister as her new best friend, son Daniel finds her old-fashioned dresses strange to say the least. Mysterious events start to occur when Esther joins the family such as the brutal injury of one of her classmates or the stunning disappearance of a sister who had been working at the orphanage. While John thinks that those strange occurrences are mere coincidences, Kate starts having doubts and begins her own dangerous investigations.

    This movie convinces on numerous levels. First and foremost, the acting performances are absolutely outstanding. Isabelle Fuhrmann incarnates Esther with much authenticity, depth and mystery as she qualifies as one of the greatest child actresses of all time. Among the adults, Vera Farmiga convincingly plays a tormented mother suffering from the loss of her stillborn daughter and her alcohol addiction while she is progressively being judged and abandoned by everyone around her. Her excellent acting skills add elements of the drama genre to this tense psychological thriller.

    Speaking of the covered genres, this movie might be halfway between a family drama and a psychological thriller. It explores convincingly how a seemingly happy family is gradually falling apart while facing more and more shocking and traumatizing challenges and incidents. On the other side, the film also portrays how an extremely dangerous psychopath creates an environment of distrust, isolation and ultimately relentless violence. The movie starts on a relatively innocent tone but gets more tense with every scene as it culminates with a shocking finale. There is also an alternative ending that might be even more surprising that is worth being discovered for sure.

    The story of this movie is certainly very interesting to follow. It's obvious from the start that something is wrong with adopted daughter Esther. She speaks strangely, she dresses weirdly and she has sudden violent outbursts. The movie progressively reveals more details about her that make viewers realize that she is more than a troubled child having issues adapting to her new environment. The movie's final twist is quite haunting and memorable in that regard and should keep viewers on the edges of their seats until the credits will start rolling.

    As you can read, Orphan offers a wonderful combination of a family drama and a psychological thriller with a clever plot and outstanding acting performances. The only reason why this movie doesn't get the perfect grade is because the final twist shouldn't be too surprising for genre fans. Nevertheless, anyone appreciating tense slow-burn dramas or thrillers should definitely give this movie and its surprisingly convincing prequel a shot.

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  • L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone / The Killer Reserved Nine Seats (1974)

    The Killer Reserved Nine Seats, originally titled L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone, is a giallo that combines elements of a psychological thriller with mild softcore pornography. The plot is closely inspired by the works of Agatha Christie which should certainly please genre fans but has prevented the movie from leaving a mark upon release.

    The movie revolves around Patrick Davenant who invites a group of family members and friends to visit an elegant theatre in his lush villa. However, there are tensions among the nine visitors who are consumed by greed, jealousy and resentment. Patrick Davenant only just survives an attempt to murder him but can't prevent one of his visitors getting stabbed to death upon the theatre stage. As the survivors attempt to get help, they realize that the telephone lines have been cut, that all the windows and doors have been shut and that the set of keys that helped them entering the theatre has disappeared. What started as a short visit following a party has now become a fight for survival.

    This giallo convinces on several levels. First and foremost, the movie takes its time to introduce the nine different characters in a detailed way as viewers learn about their strengths, flaws and convictions. Up next, the ways the different characters meet their grisly fates are quite diversified and keep the film's tense atmosphere elevated. The different locations inside the claustrophobic theatre have been chosen with care and vary from colourful dressing rooms over dusty attics to sinister basements. The moody soundtrack blends in perfectly and has an amazingly nostalgic vibe. The movie convinces with fluid pace as it entertains from start to finish. The plot is solid and will keep you guessing until the very end. The conclusion comes around with surprising supernatural elements that make this film stand out among similar genre films.

    On the other side however, there are significant reasons why this film has been overlooked and forgotten for such a long period of time. Except for its quirky conclusion, the plot lacks creativity and shamelessly copies the works of Agatha Christie. Up next, the negative traits of the nine characters are quite predictable, similar and by the numbers, making it difficult to empathize with any of them. The acting performances are at times wooden, slow and exaggerated, especially in the first third of the movie before atmosphere, pace and tension take a much better turn.

    At the end of the day, this obscure giallo convinces with interesting characters, gloomy locations, excellent pace, diversified killing techniques and a surprising ending that pardon for an overall weak plot, predictable negative character traits and a somewhat slow start in the first third of the movie. Genre fans should certainly appreciate this rediscovered gem that oozes with atmosphere and entertains from start to finish.

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  • L'arma, l'ora, il movente / The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive (1972)

    The Weapon, the Hour & the Motive, originally titled L'arma, l'ora, il movente, is a giallo from the early seventies that mixes thriller elements with inspirations from the drama genre and a few mild softcore pornography sections. While this Italian movie isn't creative, gripping and surprising enough to have stood the test of time, it's still a very decent film that entertains from start to finish and impresses five decades later with its charming nostalgic vibe.

    The story revolves around charming young priest Don Giorgio who has two secret romantic and sexual relationships. Upon celebrating his fortieth birthday, Don Giorgio has a change of heart and decides to break off his two relationships to dedicate his entire life to serving God. One gloomy night just after the witching hour, the young priest is murdered while atoning for his sins. Proactive Inspector Boito and his clumsy assistant Moriconi start very difficult investigations as they face denial, silence and superstition. The only potential eyewitness is an orphaned boy who has been traumatized by the brutal events. Things take an even more complicated turn when the dynamic inspector slowly falls in love with one of the two suspects and risks compromising his own investigation.

    This giallo convinces on several levels. First of all, the locations in and around the nunnery have been chosen with care and ooze with gloomy atmosphere. Up next, the camera and light techniques increase the mystery and tension of this very good film. The characters have sufficient depth such as the tormented eye witness, the emotional investigator and the friendly but clueless assistant. The acting performances are also very decent and involve an experienced cast with great chemistry.

    However, there are specific reasons why this movie has been overlooked and forgotten for such a long period of time. The idea to introduce sins such as sexual intercourse, murder and blackmail into a secluded, religious and conservative setting has been used time and again. A significant mistake is that one of the two suspects dies halfway through the movie, making it obvious who the person behind these crimes must be. The film's ending feels pulled out of thin air and asks for a complete suspension of disbelief regarding certain irrational decisions.

    Despite its obvious flaws, this movie still oozes with atmosphere and is entertaining from start to finish. Anyone who likes both thrillers and the vibes of early seventies should certainly appreciate this film a great deal. Giallo fans will be pleasantly surprised by the recent releases by Arrow Films that might be rather expensive but that have been crafted with great care and attention to detail.

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