Speak no Evil (James Watkins: 2024)

 

Not knowing that this was a remake of a Danish film from 2022, I went to see this thriller without any expectations, especially after watching the trailer that played in the cinemas that seemed to show all of the most relevant plot points (something that usually ruins a movie experience before one gets to see the actual movie).

However, in this case, I managed to enjoy the movie and some of the surprises it still had in store. One of which is mainly the atmosphere of constant foreshadowing that something is going to go wrong: it was not a matter of if, but when. But is impossible for me to review this movie without spoilers.

One of the quotes that came to mind while watching it was “I’m just a man who can’t say no”, spoken by Jack Lemmon’s character in 1960’s movie “The Apartment” by Billy Wilder. That is because the characters that are invited to a weekend in the country seem to just be unable to say no to the invitation, despite the “red flags” that are raised by the couple that invite them.

The main couple, played by incredibly well by Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy seem to be on the brink of danger, especially their daughter Agnes, played by Alix West Lefler. Agnes is afflicted by anxiety and holds on tightly to her puppet rabbit in times of crisis, but not always so, which is a source of conflict between her parents. The couple that invites them always seems to be on the brink of outburst of violence, especially Paddy, played masterfully by an unhinged James McAvoy, not always physical, but also verbal. The victim of this abuse is their apparent son, Ant, who is mute.

Soon the plot that revolves around the friendship between both couples’ kids reveals that Paddy and his wife have been murdering couples with children and replacing their own kids with the children of the owns murdered, and then removing their tongues as a way to guaranty their silence. Slowly all goes to hell, with Agnes’ parents and herself struggling to survive their “hunters” and saving Ant in the process.

The ending is as pleasant as one can get in this type of scenario, but the scars that afflict the children will remain as evident by the final shot of a blood soaked Ant weeping as they flee the ranch. This movie reminds me very much of a masterpiece of disturbing movie, “The Vanishing” a Dutch movie from 1988 (directed by George Sluizer), which has a disturbing atmosphere that keeps the audience one their toes, never knowing what will happen next. “Speak no Evil” always has you either feeling nervous or uncomfortable, and can also make you laugh at the awkward situations that take place, but never lets you feel safe.

Alien Romulus (Fede Álvarez: 2024)

 

I have to begin this review by mentioning that I enjoyed all of the past Alien movies, with the exception of Alien: Covenant, which seemed to me a lost opportunity to expand on the story that began being told in Prometheus. As for the original tetralogy, I enjoyed, with varying degrees, all of the movies even the fourth entry into the franchise (for the purpose of this review I’m excluding the Predator crossovers).

            As an Alien movie, Romulus is competent, for it takes all of the elements of the previous movies and basically ties all of the loose ends of the franchise story wise, at least on the surface level. However, it lacks the atmosphere of the first movie, and a definitive signature by the director which could be felt, on different levels, on all of the first three movies. But being a competent movie is lacklustre in a franchise from which one expects at least to be either scared or entertained.

In other words, although Alien Romulus is a decent science fiction movie, the lack of atmosphere and characterisation of the characters makes one feel rather distant after you’ve watched it. The best actor present is David Jonsson, who plays a defected android, as he is able to switch between personalities due to the events that befall him. The main character, Rain, portrayed by Cailee Spaeny, lacks the presence necessary to carry the movie, in my opinion.

However, the relationship between her and her “brother” is one of the strongest points of a movie that seems so want to achieve many things, but fails to do so, for the most part. It is an enjoyable movie, but I doubt it will have the lasting impact of the previous movies of the Alien franchise, due to the lack of a stand out story and atmosphere to make it memorable.

Metal Evolution – Extreme Metal

            It's been three years since I've written a review of a music documentary, so I've decided to stop numbering these entries from this point on.

            One series that focus exclusively on metal as a genre from an historical point is BangerTVs’ Metal Evolution, with Sam Dunn being the mastermind behind it. The episode that was released for free on Youtube, hence the one I watched the most focuses on Extreme Metal. Here, extreme metal is an “umbrella genre” (or term) that encompasses death metal, black metal and grindcore, as well as the many bands that were part of these three main types and then went on to create even more subgenres.

Bands such as Darkthrone, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Enslaved, Emperor and Gojira, just to name a few, are the focus of this episode, as it follows the evolution of this “umbrella genre” from the late 1980’s to the present day.

Musicians from these bands are interviewed throughout, as Sam Dunn, the interviewer, who mapped metal’s many subgenre’s in his Metal Evolution documentary series, explores the evolution of extreme metal as an “umbrella term” that encompasses many subgenres of heavy music. Thanks to it documentary I was able to learn more about extreme metal, what it encompasses, the music and the bands that are a part of its’ dev
elopment and growth.

There are many high points in this episode, mostly the interview to Dany Filth from Cradle of Filth, the members of Carcass and Alex Webster from Cannibal Corpse, one of the genre’s most impressive bass players. It shows how much of the evolution of extreme metal was about “pushing the envelope”, as one of the people interviewed says at one point.

However, the pushing of boundaries by these musicians isn’t to everybody’s taste, even metal listeners, but it is an interesting avenue to explore, if one feels daring, and this documentary’s episode is one of the best entry points one can find.

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Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoHOgfEoTlc

Patreon BangerTV: https://www.patreon.com/BangerTV