Всем привет! (Hey everyone!)
I’m Marianna, this is Impression Blend, and I am back with another Weekly Blend.
As this is somehow the last weekend of October already, it’s only appropriate that I would talk
about the spookiest releases of this week, and let you know if they’re worth your time.
Let’s get started!
I’m going to cut to the chase here and say, if you only see
one new horror film this Halloween weekend, there is no doubt in my mind that it should
be “Last Night in Soho” - the latest film from the wonderful Edgar Wright.
Here the director treats his audience to a vibrant celebration of music,
60s nostalgia, and genre cinema. Told through the eyes of Eloise (played by Thomasin McKenzie),
a young girl studying to be a fashion designer, “Last Night in Soho” fuses past and present,
reality and fantasy, as dreams start bleeding into Eloise’s life.
The girl rents a room in London to get some peace and quiet away from school,
and every night finds herself transported to the 1960s, following an irresistible young blonde,
Sandie (played by Anya Taylor-Joy). She loves it at first, but soon
things start getting a lot more sinister, as her dreams turn into nightmares.
I had an amazing time with this film, and in a way it’s the most Edgar Wright movie to date.
“Last Night in Soho” is the type of movie that takes you on a ride,
and by the end you’re going to be in a completely different place from where you started.
As you’re watching the first act, it feels like a beautiful coming-of-age story about a shy,
young girl, trying to find her way in life, embarking on a new adventure in the big city.
Plus, she’s having all those dreams where she essentially time travels to the 60’s and as she
follows in Sandie’s footsteps, she starts bringing those experiences into her work and everyday life.
Of course, there’s also plenty of wonderful music, and beautiful costumes - it’s a great time,
and if I had to pick an Edgar Wright movie this is the closest to, I would say “Baby Driver”.
But of course, we know this is a horror movie, so by the third act
we are in full-blown nightmare mode.
I don’t want to spoil any of the specifics,
but just know that the opening is 100% giving you a false sense of security.
Now, I understand that this transition is going to seem a bit too much for some,
and it’s true, the third act of the film has its weaknesses when it comes to logic,
but considering what this movie is going for - it makes sense.
We don’t just get the “Baby Driver” Edgar Wright here - we also get the
one who directed the Cornetto trilogy. After all, he did say he was inspired by
“Don’t Look Now” and “Repulsion”, and I will add that this movie is a lot more “Repulsion” than
“Don’t Look Now” - both of these are enigmatic horror movies that address perception of reality.
However, I can agree that the very ending of the film felt a bit tacked on,
considering everything that led up to it.
Still, there is so much that I loved about “Last Night in Soho” - it’s a gorgeous,
vibrant film with a very distinct look and style that easily stands out
next to so many other movies that came out earlier this year.
It’s the type of movie where I find it easier to overlook the flaws because
it has personality, and it has a vision.
It also features a stunning cast. First of all, Anya Taylor-Joy - you just can’t take your eyes
off her because her charm and charisma are off the charts, she steals the whole show.
Thomasin McKenzie delivers a beautiful, gentle, wide-eyed performance, just like she always does.
Matt Smith as the villain feels very appropriate, though I do wish we got
to learn a little bit more about his character. And finally, Diana Rigg in her, unfortunately,
last performance, but what a fun role this must have been for her.
Is this a perfect movie? No, it’s not, but it’s an unforgettable, ambitious,
wild ride that deserves to be seen, and I can easily see myself watching this again.
While it plays with a few different,
relevant themes, I particularly found the idea of the dangers of romanticizing the past,
and being consumed by nostalgia represented in a very interesting way here.
Also, the movie takes a look at the whole “expectations vs. reality” scenario,
especially when it comes to following your dreams.
“Last Night in Soho” is a story that’s simultaneously charming and haunting,
beautiful and terrifying, and I applaud Edgar Wright for just going for it here.
The two hours I spent with these characters flew by, and I was enthralled the entire time.
Now look, as for the rating, I think you can definitely pick on certain elements of this film,
and it would be fair to say that it doesn’t quite stick the landing.
But, and this is why I always say that my ratings are very much personal,
I think the experience of this film overall is greater than the sum of its parts, and I
loved it. I love when horror is approached creatively like this, when it’s gorgeous
and seductive, and a little bit crazy, and so I am going with a 9 out of 10 for “Last Night in Soho”.
See it in theatres, let Edgar Wright take you on this ride.
Now, “Antlers” is a supernatural horror film that I feel like has been delayed forever - it’s
been about 2 years since the first trailer was released, and it looked very promising.
I know quite a few of you have been looking forward to this one - I have
been really looking forward to it as well, and it is finally here.
“Antlers” is set in a small town in Oregon, and revolves around a young boy, Lucas,
whose family is, let’s just say, not alright. If you’ve seen the
trailer - you know there are supernatural things involved, and it’s quite disturbing.
His teacher, Julia (played by Keri Russell) notices something is wrong and is trying to
convince her brother, the sheriff (played by Jesse Plemons) that
something very strange is going on and that he needs to get involved.
I found this film to be a little bit frustrating because it had so much potential,
and it started off with a lot of promise, but it just didn’t deliver on a lot of it .
As you can clearly see from the trailer and the marketing,
this is a take on the Wendigo mythology, which is a fascinating topic. It’s an evil and very hungry
spirit, the idea of which is pretty horrifying - I encourage you to look into this, if you’re not
familiar with what I’m talking about. This seems like a great concept to explore in horror, and it
has always surprised me why there weren’t more movies made addressing this creature or spirit.
And maybe this is why, maybe it’s harder than it seems because
“Antlers” doesn’t really do much with it.
First, let me talk about what works here, because there are things to
appreciate and like about this film.
I would say the most successful thing about it are the horror elements. There are some
really effective, disturbing, graphic scenes in here, which is why “Antlers” is rated “R”.
There is also an excellent atmosphere of dread throughout the whole film - it just feels ominous,
and you know that nothing good can come out of this whole situation.
It also sets up a couple of interesting themes. In the beginning it’s clear this story wants to
be an allegory that addresses humans abusing nature, and the resistance between the two,
trying to address how the system doesn’t really care about the struggles of
people within the community, and how it’s inevitably going to fail certain people.
And you might be thinking, well, this sounds great. What’s the issue?
The thing is, the movie doesn’t go anywhere with all of this.
It sets these things up, and that’s it.
Perhaps “Antlers” needed more time because it does feel like the story is almost too simple.
It develops in a very logical way, it doesn’t surprise you or subvert
anything. It just feels underdeveloped, and it’s particularly frustrating because
it promises to be a lot more interesting in the beginning. Why set up these themes
if you’re just going to abandon them and never address them properly?
It’s not that I needed it to be preachy, but when you draw these
clear parallels in the beginning, when you state the ideas behind the story,
it then sets up the expectation that the movie is going to have something to say about all of this.
It doesn’t.
This is very unfortunate because there clearly were interesting elements in here,
and even aside from the themes, the story itself could have been so much more.
But “Antlers” desperately needed more work because as is, it just feels underdeveloped.
It’s not a bad film per se, but I just hate seeing all of this potential wasted,
especially when they had the tone and the horror elements working so well.
So that’s where I am with this film, and I am giving “Antlers” a very frustrated 5 out of 10.
It’s fine for what it is, but it could have been so much better.
Now as for what’s new and thrilling to stream on Netflix - there are
two movies I want to talk about, the first of which is “Hypnotic”.
And by the way, if you're looking for some old favorites recommendations - I have
plenty of videos recommending horror films, particularly recommending horror films you
can stream, so I will link that playlist right here and in the info box below.
Back to "Hypnotic". I don’t know how many people were really looking forward to this film,
but I suspect Kate Siegel fans, of which there are quite a few out there,
have been considering streaming it just for her. My advice is… don’t.
Look, I get it, I fell for it too, the idea of an evil hypnotist manipulating women really lends
itself well to a horror movie premise, but this is easily one of the most cliché, predictable,
and poorly written films I’ve seen all year. Even Kate Siegel’s wig is bad. If you want to
watch her in all of her glory - just re-watch one of the Mike Flanagan films or series she’s in.
Most of them are on Netflix, and all of them are a much better choice than “Hypnotic”.
That’s it. That’s the review.
3 out of 10. Moving on.
Finally, I want to talk about “Army of Thieves”, which is the prequel to Zack Snyder’s “Army
of the Dead” - the zombie action heist film that came out on Netflix earlier this year.
I have a review for that one, you can check it out right here.
“Army of Thieves” however is not directed by Zack Snyder,
but is also a heist film, minus the zombies.
Well, the zombies are mentioned, they’re in the background somewhere.
It doesn’t really matter for this story, they’re not involved.
“Army of Thieves” is essentially the origin story of the best (in my opinion) character from “Army
of the Dead”, Ludwig Dieter, played by Matthias Schweighöfer, who also directed this film.
Here he is still a shy bank teller, Sebastian, but in an unexpected turn of events he gets involved
with a crew of bank robbers because he is also a brilliant safe cracker.
This is a modern take on a classic heist thriller, and for what it is, it’s actually pretty
entertaining. You have this team of misfits, each with their own quirks, coming together,
trying to pull off a series of robberies. You have this fun addition of lore behind the safes that
are being cracked with connections to Wagner’s operas and Norse mythology. There is a good
balance between the heists themselves, the humor, and the heart of the story.
It’s definitely an entertaining, light thriller you can watch and enjoy.
Matthias Schweighöfer once again shines in this role - he just has so much personality and charm
to him. He’s really not your typical, cool hero you would expect from a movie like this - he’s
a little bit awkward, he’s a little bit insecure, he’s kind of a nerd, but he is so passionate about
what he’s doing you can’t help rooting for him. Also Nathalie Emmanuel, whom you probably remember
from “Game of Thrones” is lovely as Gwendoline and Ruby O. Fee as Korina also really stood
out to me - both of them are members of this crew and definitely bring this story to life.
And in case you’re wondering, the story itself is pretty separate from “Army of the Dead”,
and doesn’t require you to know anything about that movie to enjoy this film.
So, even though there are quite a few tie-ins, if you haven’t seen “Army of
the Dead” - it’s not going to be an issue, you can just go for this one.
Look, “Army of Thieves” is not going to be your new favorite movie of the year,
but if it’s Halloween and you’re not really into all of the spooky-scary stuff - this
is definitely a light, fun thriller, with a good amount of heart and humor
that you could watch on Netflix and have a great time with.
Is it enjoyable? Yes, absolutely, though it does lack some sort of spark, something to really make
it stand out, and the chemistry within the team doesn’t always work as well as it should. It’s
the type of movie you have fun watching, and then probably never think about again.
But, it’s entertaining enough for me to give it a 6 out of 10. I had a pretty good time with it,
but unfortunately it’s just not going to stick with me.
Let me know what you’re watching this weekend. Have you seen any of these films already?
Are you looking forward to any them? Let's talk in the comments below.
As always, a big thank you to all of my Patrons for supporting me on Patreon,
with an extra special thank you to the Patrons whose names are on the screen
right now, and a thank you to everyone for watching this video.
I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you’re having a wonderful day.
I will see you very soon in my next one.
Всем пока! (Bye everyone!)