REC 2 (2009)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza
Starring: Manuela Velasco, Jonathan Mellor, Óscar Sánchez Zafra
Running Time: 84'

Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗⊗

It's how it usually goes with zombie films; if at least 2 people, other than the director, watched the movie, it's gonna get a sequel. Well, thousands of people watched REC, so of course it's gonna get a sequel. Now, at first I was very skeptical about this movie for a number of reasons. First, zombie sequels never work out. Second, Quarantine was a failure (I know it was a remake, but still). Thirdly, the original presentation from the first movie won't be that original. Granted, REC 2 loses it's element of surprise after REC and Quarantine, doing the same claustrophobic setting (in the same house, actually). But nevertheless, it's still very effective as a horror film, one of few these days. Movie starts with four SWAT-like (only Spanish) team members coming to the house. Three armed with weapons and one with camera. I guess recording everything is more important than staying alive. The movie switches between more perspectives. For a time, it follows a group of kids who have entered the house, despite it's quarantine. The movie makes a very strange turn when it starts explaining zombie infection with demon possessions and suddenly it's not a zombie movie anymore, but an exorcism film filled with action scenes. And yes, the movie manages to pulls it off and even make possession scenes very realistic. This sequel is also presented with claustrophobia, great acting and effective scary scenes, even though it's theme suddenly changed.

Rokin

Snatch (2000)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro, Jason Statham

Running Time: 104'

Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗⊗

Guy Ritchie was brilliant to come out with that kind of scenario and he made some amazing film with good actors. Snatch is fantastic movie which demonstrates that the British movie industry is capable of rivaling the best of what Hollywood can offer. It's a movie with great plot, hilarious lines and amazing cast. Everyone in the film puts in an excellent performance, but Pitt stands out as a charismatic gypsy boxer. He shows that he is far more than a pretty face. All the way long the movie kept going and there were not a single moment when I was bored. It's pretty rare that you see a movie like Snatch! This movie is definitely worth a viewing! The word "fuck" is used all the time so it's not recommended for children.

Mika

The Machinist (2004)

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Brad Anderson

Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John Sharian

Running Time: 102'

Verdict: ⊗⊗

I've never been very impressed with Christian Bale's acting, but after this movie I'm definitely impressed with his dedication. He lost more than 27 kg for the role, because his character needed to look drastically thin. He portrays Trevor Reznik, a man who didn't sleep for a year due to a chronic insomnia. The Machinist is a psychological thriller, following Reznik that starts going through some confusing stuff. You should probably watch the movie for the "psychological" part instead of the "thriller" part. The movie keeps you interested for a while, but towards the end (that is not so satisfying, and even might be disappointing) it gets too mixed up and doesn't leave much room for unexpected twists. But, thanks to it's visual part (which includes very good combinations of blue filtering, dark moods and slow pace), the movie feels very unique. Although it's on English, the movie itself is Spanish, and is filmed in Spain (despite it's setting in the US). That gives you a constant feeling that something is off, and in my opinion contributes the visual part in a good way. Still, with all that "uniqueness", The Machinist is not so entertaining or interesting to be a good film.

Rokin