POMO

A metaphorical bit of indie bizarreness with the parameters of an amateur film, with retro stylization, musical interludes, flashbacks from the Second World War, poetry about the devil and killings with high-quality masks. You have been warned. [Sitges Film Festival]

For a directorial debut, Last Straw is an entertaining thriller with the mediocre yet pretty blonde Jessica Belkin in the lead role. Some viewers will find her nervous character irritating and will thus all the more enjoy her suffering at the hands of masked adolescents. The film is capable of being surprising and horror fans will enjoy the blood and the generally simple, satisfying premise. But the beginner’s mistakes, especially in the editing, are all too obvious.

A family Christmas comedy with elements of horror. You know how it is – ominous music plays to give us a sense that shit’s about to get real, but the scene is laced with jokes and it’s clear that nothing is going to happen to anyone. And the humor is more along the lines of a pissed-off Chris Columbus than Tommy Wirkola, who could have made a proper dark comedy out of this. Magnus Martens merely deals in familiar clichés for mainstream viewers, who will most likely be satisfied – the film is flawlessly crafted, the plot moves along at a brisk pace and there’s plenty of action. And what even I found pleasing were the apt jokes about the difference between American (shooting) and Norwegian (drinking) culture.

Late Night with the Devil is a fine treat with an original concept – the film is like a recording of an episode of a 1970s talk show in which paranormal things start to happen. And it gets serious. The excellent David Dastmalchian plays the talk-show host and the supporting characters are also well cast. The film has a feeling of authenticity and nice visible effects. Though we have to wait quite a while for them, the moments of horror are impressive. Viewers who actually believe in the paranormal, i.e. those for whom this isn’t merely an attractive film motif, will be satisfied with them. However, I think it’s a shame that the screenplay didn’t further develop the motifs of the deceased wife and the forest with tall trees, which could have enriched the film. [Sitges Film Festival]

The Childe doesn’t offer the best fight scenes like we’re accustomed to from Asian filmmakers or the best car chases. What it does offer, however, is a more surprising and funnier plot that is more and more entertaining from one scene to the next. Until the middle of the film, we don't know why the protagonist is traveling to Korea or what role all of the supporting characters equipped with guns and fast cars will play in his journey. Not to mention that one of them eventually becomes more important to the story than the protagonist, surpassing him in terms of acting, charisma and humor. A pleasant, darkly funny diversion. [Sitges Film Festival]

The visuals of a ’90s TV movie, two sexy blondes, a bit of dully simulated sex and a drop of blood. And a plot that’s exactly as “riveting” as you would expect. [Sitges Film Festival]

Teen activists armed with paintball guns break into a big-box furniture store and things go terribly wrong, because one of the security guards is an ardent hunter. Wake Up is a slasher flick without suspense. Rather, it’s easy-going with dynamic – and of course bloody – killings. In terms of craft, it’s high-quality fun, but the screenplay is unimaginative and doesn’t play around with the clichés, which could have made it memorable. [Sitges Film Festival]

The Seeding in an OK variation on sectarian dramas set in the wilderness. It’s a bit predictable, though entertaining. For a film with such a simple subject and limited setting, it’s sufficiently engaging and arouses curiosity as to how the main character will be dealt with. Dark music and a presentiment of bad days to come. Scott Haze turns in a good performance and is the only truly top-tier element of the film. [Sitges Film Festival]

Over the course of its two-hour runtime, Saw X first attempts to be a drama about dying of cancer and later wants to knock us out with sophisticated twists, but it’s all for nothing due to the pervasive imbecility of the screenwriting and directing. By imbecility, I mean the stylization of the sadistic serial killer into the role of martyr and judge, with whom we are supposed to sympathies when he seeks a life-saving treatment, and whom we are then supposed to root for in the slaughter of those who screwed him over. The punishment of the main antagonist is the least “satisfying”, even though we spend the whole film waiting for it. By imbecility, I also mean the comically overwrought scene with intestines and the fact that it doesn’t occur to the characters to turn their heads to the side so that the blood doesn’t run onto their faces as they are being “waterboarded” with the red stuff. And I’m not even going to get into the abilities of one of the victims in performing surgery on himself. I like HORROR more than most viewers, so it bothers me all the more when it’s handled like a genre for idiots.

Nowhere does a fine job of making its protagonist’s life difficult. Though it superficially goes overboard in some respects (e.g. the birth scene), it otherwise stays within the realm of believability. It just could have spent a bit less time inside the container. Other than that, it’s a well-crafted aquatic survival flick that – though not as respectable as All Is Lost – is sufficiently entertaining, as it makes good use of the possibilities that its small setting has to offer, as well as the props that the main character has at hand. The cold-blooded brutality in the first part of the film is surprising, but the B-movie impression of the of the depicted totalitarian world brings some relief from it.