Reviews – Page 11 – The Nerd Corps

‘Ghostriders’ Review

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Raúl Alejandro Mendoza in Reviews

A new restoration of the ’80s horror film Ghostriders has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray!

I was sent a review copy of this newly restored version of this horror film from the late ’80s, Ghostriders. I had never seen this movie or heard about it to be quite honest. I read up on it and it is really hard to overlook the staggering amount of negative reviews. Of course, I am a lover of physical media, so I had to give this a shot and see how much they improved the picture and audio quality of this film. Therefore, I took a shot in the dark and decided to experience this film for what it is.

Ghostriders is directed by the late Alan Stewart from a script by Clay McBride and James J. Desmarais. The film is shot by Thomas L. Callaway who helped on and supervised the restoration process. The film stars Bill Shaw, Jim Peters, Ricky Long, Cari Powell, and Arland Bishop. Alan Stewart is known for directing Ghetto Blaster and his work in the editorial department for the Disney film, Planes. How does this film stand after a staggering 35 years later?

Ghostriders is an entertaining watch even though it does not work most of the time. Its premise is a bit silly along with its execution but that is where the entertainment comes from. I found myself laughing and intrigued to see how much more this film will do. Its performances are not the best and it definitely is not meant to be a grand masterpiece of horror. It carves its own space and leans really into the ridiculousness of itself. For a film that does not even touch 90 minutes, it drags while also moving too fast towards the end. Either way, I cannot say that it is the worst experience I have had watching a film, but it definitely is not the best. It is just okay and I am satisfied with that assessment.

The restorative work done on this film is interesting. There is a definite increase in picture quality. It is easy to tell especially if you watch the original and new trailer included in the bonus features. The colors pop a lot more and the night scenes don’t look as grainy even though there are parts where you can tell that more work could’ve been done. I am not sure if it was because you sacrifice some of the elements of the negative while doing the restorative work. Either way, there is a clear distinct difference in this new restoration and it is a major improvement for sure. I wish that more of this detail and care was given to the audio because the mix seems to be what was the most complicated to work with. You hear dead noise in the background and some dialogue can barely be understood. I feel as if it will be given a good enough visual restoration then just as much care and attention should be given to the audio tracks too. Overall, it is an impressive restoration, and fans of this film will definitely be satisfied with the increase in quality.

You can purchase the Blu Ray/DVD of Ghostriders by visiting Verdugo Entertainment’s shop and thank you to Verdugo Entertainment for sending out this review copy.

SFF22: ‘You Won’t Be Alone’ Review

Posted on February 15, 2022February 17, 2022 by Raúl Alejandro Mendoza in Festival Coverage, Reviews

Goran Stolveski’s folk horror film is one of nuance and captivating visuals.

As I proceed with my coverage of the Sundance Film Festival this year I am stumbling across another of the films from the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. This film was one that interested me outside of it being an international flick. I was drawn by the horror aspects and plus it was being distributed by Focus Features. I looked into the film and found its premise interesting, so I decided to give this film a chance and I was pleasantly surprised as to what I watched!

You Won’t Be Alone is written and directed by Goran Stolevski in his feature film debut after working on various short films and television episodes. The film is set in 19th century Macedonia and follows the life of a woman who was kidnapped at a young age by a witch. The woman tours along by taking the shape of people after accidentally killing a peasant and taking their shape first. We follow along this journey of self-discovery and what it truly means to be alive. Along with existentialist themes, we also explore various characteristics of different experiences within the people she takes shapes of. A nuanced horror movie that is grounded in human connection, You Won’t Be Alone transforms its premise into a surprisingly captivating film.

You Won’t Be Alone was conflicting for me to say the least. On one hand, I think the film is poorly paced and its story drags way too much into the second half. On the other hand, I was mesmerized by its visuals and thematic elements that we analyze throughout the picture. I found myself enthralled by the way that scenes are lit, the camera moves, and its choice of angles especially when we get into our extreme close-ups. All of that was also helped by its 4:3 aspect ratio. Its writing is not the strongest but the film has a lot to say about motherhood, femininity, sexuality, and existentialism. Even though the film has its fair share of problems it still makes for a compelling watch that will definitely find its audience upon release.

Watch You Won’t Be Alone when it releases in theaters on April 1st.

SFF22: ‘Girl Picture’ Review

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Raúl Alejandro Mendoza in Festival Coverage, Reviews

Alli Haapasalo’s coming of age film shines bright as it displays the complexities of sexuality, love, and growing up.

As I reach the end of my Sundance screenings, I must continue with my coverage. Staying in the style of my last review of The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future, I will be reviewing yet another title from the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Girl Picture caught my attention for a multitude of reasons. The film is a coming-of-age story that partly deals with exploring one’s sexuality which interests me especially given how this film decides to tackle that. This is also a Finnish film and I have yet to have the pleasure of exploring Finland’s cinema. Overall, I was excited to watch this film and it did not disappoint in the slightest.

Girl Picture is directed by Alli Haapasalo from script written by Ilona Ahti and Daniela Hakulinen. The picture stars Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, and Linnea Leino as three girls looking for a formative change in their life in the span of three separate Fridays. They embark on a journey of self-discovery, figuring out their sexuality, finding love, and confronting the imbalance of their family dynamics. A poignant story is crafted that is enriched by its visual component shot by Jarmo Kiuru. Thus, we end up with a fabulous film that tackles multiple themes coherently.

Dare I say, Girl Picture is the hidden gem of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film is compelling in every way imaginable. The characters are so interesting and it is hard to not root for them during this journey. Its visual language is one of an aesthetically pleasing nature. The lighting and camera movements craft a sense of wonder and almost a sort of nostalgic feel to this story of self-discovery. The story is an intimate well crafted journey that takes you through its ups and downs even though it can be off the pace a bit it always manages to pull you back in. I found myself invested and thoroughly impressed by the filmmaking and messages conveyed through this film. It had everything going for it and it does not leave anything on the table left to desire.

I am not sure when this film will be released because at the time of me writing this review it has not been bought at Sundance. Whenever this film is released, I highly recommend watching it or if it wins any awards it is well worth spending 20 USD on a single ticket to watch. I promise you, Girl Picture is one of the best films of this year’s Sundance Film Festival!

SFF22: ‘The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future’ Review

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Raúl Alejandro Mendoza in Festival Coverage, Reviews

Francisca Alegría’s film is both a transformative experience and an impressive directorial debut.

Credit: Leonor Varela as Cecilia in Francisca Alegría’s The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The
Future. Photo by Inti Briones.

I have for the last week been covering this year’s Sundance Film Festival for The Nerd Corps for the very first time! I was so excited for this opportunity when first notified and did not think it was real. I swear I have been dreaming about this day since I started to interact in this space of online film criticism. Now, one whole week into the festival it has been a surreal experience being able to watch so much cinema. Even though the festival is held online this year because of the ongoing pandemic it has been a wonderful experience. There were a lot of films that caught my eye but of course, having to stay on course with what I reviewed on the site I had to watch all of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. This part of the program includes films from so many parts of the world like Eastern Europe and Latin America to name a few. While looking through the program this Chilean directorial debut caught my eye, so let us commence my coverage of this year’s Sundance Film Festival by discussing, Francisca Alegría’s The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future.

The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future is the directorial debut of Chilean filmmaker, Francisca Alegría. Written by Alegría, Manuela Infante, and Fernanda Urrejola, the film’s cast consists of Mía Maestro, Enzo Ferrada Rosati, Benjamin Soto, Leonor Varela, and Frederique Gudelj. The film looks at a family that is in a distress after finding out that their patriarch has seen his wife again who has been long dead for some time now. The mother returns from the dead and sets on a journey of recollection and rediscovery. The film takes elements of magic realism and incorporates them into a narrative surrounding climate change, family dynamics, intersectional feminism, and grief.

Francisca Alegría constructs the most impressive directorial debut that I have seen at this festival. It is almost impossible to believe this is a debut when this feels like a third or fourth film. The control over the style and narrative of the film radiates through the screen as you watch this tender but heartbreaking story. It was hard to not cry over how every person approached their feelings to see their mother/grandmother again. What makes this film so impressive though? There are multiple layers at work here that if one pays attention they can realize they are all working with each other. The commentary on environmental issues through the cows, family dynamics through the arrival of the mom, and also about the repression brought by the oppressive Chilean government. It all tremendously works together to construct this magnificent film that has left such a long-lasting impression on me.

The film is aided by such exquisite cinematography from the use of natural light but also because of its poignant camera movements. There is also not a single bad performance but it was truly Mía Maestro and Enzo Ferrada Rosati’s performances that tugged at my heartstrings. First of all, Maestro does not speak a single word of dialogue but her facial mannerisms and body language express everything that could be said with words. Rosati on the other hand playing a trans woman who is forced to keep it a secret plays their heart out and you feel every second of it. By the end of the film, there is no room to say someone carried the film because every performer gave their all and it reflects in the final product. I am equally excited for everyone’s career to come after this film.

It is unknown at this time when this film will be released to the public, but get used to learning the name of Francisca Alegría. Alegría has built an explosive first feature that will lay the groundwork for one of the most impressive filmmakers to come out of Latin America. Whenever this film is released please do seek it out. I know my life is better because I watched this.

Spider-Man: No Way Home: A Detailed Review (Spoilers)

Posted on December 19, 2021August 12, 2022 by luigonword in Reviews

BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

10/10

A brief introduction, I viewed this film on Dec 16 at the earliest IMAX screening. Spider-Man: No Way Home is going to be in my top 3 films of 2021, having seen the trailers near the end of Oct – mid-Nov, the anticipation for the film was to die for. In honor of keeping articles short, I will place all my thoughts into a couple of paragraphs.

Overview

Now, Spider-Man (2002) has been one of the oldest comic book movies that I’ve seen when it first came out [in 2002] with the first iteration played by Tobey Maguire. Through the years we received two other actors to play this character, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland. The recent one is Tom Holland, and although he has received criticism for the way he has been made to portray this character in his two movies, excluding this one, it definitely had its different directions than the other ones, but Spider-Man: No Way Home really takes the cake!

This film does an incredible job at mixing the tones that the other franchises had to them, and as the trailer below holds no secrets the villains that returned also bring their respective film’s way of moving the story along. It’s a beautifully orchestrated MCU entry that doesn’t feel like an MCU film aside from its cheesy jokes which aren’t necessarily bad. Tom Holland really steps his game up during this film and we can see a sudden change from the boyish charm of the other two films [Homecoming and Far From Home] to this new more mature interpretation, which leaves an incredible want to see how his story continues. Not to mention, the return of Alfred Molina as Doc Oc and Willem Defoe as Green Goblin, who both absolutely killed their role once again putting on one last show before they say an official goodbye to reprising their roles.

Review

Now, as I mentioned this is a film that doesn’t hide its big bad. Having it is clear that it has both Tobey Maguire villains Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) as well as Andrew Garfield’s Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Lizard (Rhys Ifans). It’s clear that the film will have the cross-over of the year, even updated to beating Avengers Endgame‘s crossover event.

As I mentioned, Tom Holland crushed his role in this film not just being a good Spider-Man and Peter Parker, but going above and beyond at performing his character’s development.

Tom’s rendition of the hero has always had its criticism with the fans as being only a good hero because of Tony Stark’s tech, but in this film, he shows he is more than that. Growing up from his kid-like attitude and wishful thinking, we see his maturity multiply by the end of the film. A major part that adds to this is because of his Aunt May dying, but before doing so receiving the speech of “With great power comes great responsibility.” Not to mention, meeting the two other legendary Spider-Men points of view and help of guidance. The sudden change needed to be molded to make the toughest choices, and with that Tom’s character needed to do the adult and difficult decisions. His performance in this film all throughout really leaves me teared up to the brim of emotions, and honestly leaves an insatiable desire to see more of him as Spider-Man on the big screen.

Now, we can’t forget to talk about the big reveal I mentioned before, yes, all three Spider-Men come together near the end to fight the big bad’s and although they aren’t on the screen for the entire film, their impact is astronomical. Hearing the crowd cheer for this one wasn’t as bad as other times, as I can genuinely agree with the reactions. It was a nice and warm feeling to have these two other Spider-Men be on screen one last time as the character really was a sight for sore eyes and an amazing way to have closure.

Now, we can’t forget about its villains, having five characters back but only three actually performing. Alfred Molina reprised his role as Doc Oc, Willem Dafoe returned as Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx played Electro once again. These three come back with arms up ready to throw you out of the ring. Their performance took your breath away when they had screen time, and each in their own ways of outdoing their last acting chops from previous films.

Alfred Molina gives his all to give the best as Doc Oc even coming back to his pre-arm self as sort of an anti-hero or at the very least becoming a hero at the end, in a way making amends just like he did in Spider-Man 2. Jamie Fox even came back as a better version of Electro than in his time in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, although a little underwhelming to say the least as his character seemed not like the one he played in the original manner, which isn’t bad just takes out a sense of knowing who this guy was in his world. Going over to Willem Dafoe’s performance as Green Goblin, which I have to say was my favorite part of the film. His ability to switch between Norman Osborn and Green Goblin is uncanny and honestly makes me question if he does have another personality like the Goblin on screen. By far the one part that shocked me the most is when Peter’s sense was alerting him of the oncoming trouble and Green Goblin taking over and “coming out to play” only to change his facial expression in front of Peter.

Now to keep this article short, I will say that these villains made it a blast to watch the film and made Peter change with so many deaths and all the suffering they brought.

All in all, the film is a solid 10/10 for me and I imagine for you and others as well. I’ll definitely go and see it once again in IMAX before I am able to preorder my copy of the film. I hope we are all able to see more of Tom Holland as Spider-Man in the future as this film was an incredible stepping stone for his career. Nonetheless, let me know what you thought about the film in the comments as there is still much to talk about that I didn’t include on here. Check the film out now and let me know what you think, till next time peace.