Skulls Ain't Dead

Really dangerous misinformation documentary, that manages to propagate the mistaken belief of grieving family members that their daughters haven't 'just' died of hypothermia (after going out in the cold, drunk, with no cold weather gear) & somehow they think they've been abducted and murdered (no evidence of this). Very uncomfortable to watch so many people denying the simple, albeit uncomfortable truth, that these poor girls died from their own misadventure. In these 3 cases, there's no scary white man involved in their deaths, just the bitter cold. Then the doco has the audacity to air claims that one of the deceased girls made a claim, with her mother (who was in a bitter dispute with the dad) that he'd been abusing her on a restraining order application. Again, no evidence of this and tbh, incredibly reckless and prejudicial of the director to include such a slanderous accusation, with no foundation in truth. I'm the kind of person that says 'believe the victim - but - maintain the presumed innocence of the accused until more evidence comes out'. There is no evidence here, just the word of an angry mother who may have used the restraining order as an opportunity to air what appears to be false allegations. Jeez, makes you rethink some of these 'Missing and Murdered Indian Women' cases could just be hypothermia, but the families don't want to believe it.

Compulsory viewing for all teens looking to get into org. crime. What a great dissuader. A truly brutal show. It maintains this perfect balance between the violence of their actions and their complex, otherwise redeemable personalities. Choosing between killing family or friends. This doesn't glamorize the street life, it's ugly, anxiety-inducing and ultimately, unprofitable for everyone but the top boys. Seen only Netflix's Top Boy S1&2, which picks up the story after Top Boy: Summerhouse S1&2 was cancelled in 203 by Channel 4.

How does this get good reviews?! So absurd I was sure it'd all be a dream. Also, unintentionally funny (the 'reveal' about babies is ridiculous). I have many questions. Why are they in a train (go underground!)? How do they get energy to move the machine? Why do they even keep the bottom dwellers alive (alluded to at the end, but you can assign middle/top tier women to breed)? Why keep a gaol at all (kill the prisoners)? Why don't they just kill the rebels? Why are they allowed to breed? How could they have been so stupid as to not realise the drugs could be used as an explosive? How have they not discovered fire outside of matches? What were they going to do once they'd taken the front (top tier people won't want to give up their luxuries & there's no men to control them). Why are polar bears suddenly mountain dwellers? How did the fat black chick get fat? I also kind of hate the main character. Its trying to be Mad Max or Metro, but with no world building. Baffling.

Its ok, mild horror, I like that it doesn't take itself seriously, there are some jokes here and there, really the only bit of originality. Pretty ordinary plot and the sound mixing is irritating. Too quiet & too loud. Fun when its 1am and people are trying to sleep. I'd recommend Brotherhood of the Wolf over this, its much more compelling.

Never has madness and despair been captured so well on film. I saw this when I was 16, it changed the way I look at the world. It's the best film ever made. The director, Elem Klimov, was a child when his city, Stalingrad, was attacked by the Germans. In an interview, he recounted travelling across the Volga in a boat with his mother as he watched the water burn. This was his last film.

Simultaneously tries to be Melancholia and Black Swan but with contrived plot devices that just make you angry. Evan's character is unlikeable and unrelatable (dancing when you're starving?), it does a disservice to people suffering with depression. I'm sick of plot devices: unwanted pregnancy from one sexual encounter; perfect dad dies suddenly; car boot left open so now we're stranded; Page's character thinking solar panels work at night (maybe she's not far off because they surely don't work during the day); petrol suddenly being combustible when soaking wet... Ugh. Listen to Google reviews, not the critics. Country is pretty though.

Ludicrous. Unbelievable. But compelling. Plot holes left, right and centre. They were 13, it was only 20 years ago. SHE WOULD OF REMEMBERED HIS FACE! I remember the faces of kids in primary school who I haven't seen since I was 12, which was more than 15 years ago! And the whole premise of revenge gone so awry that the revenge-seekers end up murdering the innocent because they can somehow justify it - NO. Please stop. The psychology makes no sense, people commit revenge out of a desire for justice not murder! SPOILER: There's also no way that anyone who was made an orphan would do that to their own child, it'd disgusting. Further evidence the writers haven't familiarised themselves with true crime, nor psychology. Disappointing, because its an otherwise interesting story. Motive was pretty weak too (the lottery tells random people the names of winners?), as was the likelihood that all of the '97 adults would keep it a secret and not spend everything immediately, nor kill each other for greater winnings...However, if you can get past the (many) plot devices, you'll love it.

Chernobyl 1986 (Netflix)/Abyss or "How to make a Chernobyl firefighter unlikable". It's competent cinematically but don't bother, stick with HBO's Chernobyl. (SPOILERS) The main character is a self-serving philanderer and sexist. His poor ex-GF is continually harassed by his sexual advances. I think we're supposed to think it's 'romantic' (gags). I just don't care that he dies, plus it's obvious that he will anyway (despite there seemly being no evidence that any divers died irl). I'd guess the redemption angle is: his behaviour is OK because he had a kid and after seeing said kid throwing up his guts, he decides now is the time to care about the future of humanity/his child (i.e. he remembers he didn't use a condom 10 years ago)? Yeah. Worrying scriptwriting.

A shallower version of The Terror & Revenant. Worth it if you're keen on 1800s whaling history. Lacks characterisation, horror and despair (had to skip the seal/whale killing scenes, but that didn't detract much). A tired ending (that polar bear symbolism again). The environment is sublime, the score is good too (they went as far north as any drama film crew ever has). Characters motivations are muddy & I don't care enough about them (e.g. is the surgeon gay? did he hurt an Indian boy himself, or does he just feel responsible?). Why not show real opioid withdrawal: diarrhoea, vomiting, sweats, aches? People usually don't feel 'stronger' after, it can take 6-12 months for the brain to reset. The plot line with the cabin boy wasn't logical (why hide evidence on board? wasn't the rapist carrying a disease?). It supports the surgeons flashbacks & make him empathetic, but there wasn't enough scenes between them (or between him & the gay sailor he defends) to make the surgeon truly decent. Acting is pretty good (from Farrell as deadly Drax, O'Connell as the addicted surgeon, Moller as the wise Norseman and Mullan as the purpose-seeking priest). I have massive problems however with Drax's existence, someone so evil simply would of been killed many decades ago. Grahams native Scouser accent appears on too many occasions (he's supposed to be from Yorkshire!). I predicted what was going to happen, well before it did. In contrast, even knowing the history of Franklins expedition, I was still guessing at the turns Terror took. I never felt that O'Connell was in any real danger (they should dispose of the 'dreams as premonitions' thing).

Truly a brilliant, empowering film. If you are lucky enough to have a friend as dear to you as Cassie and Nina are to one another, then count yourself lucky. SPOILERSl Thinking back on Ryan (Bo's) character, all the warning signs are there, they're just more nuanced than with the more blatantly grotesque, sexist men in the film. He asks her out at work, where she's required to be polite. He returns to her work after she gives him a fake number, ignoring her autonomy and decision-making abilities. He diverts their walking route to 'pass by' his apartment, thereby requiring her to turn down an invitation upstairs. He compliments her looks when it benefits him (i.e. they're in bed). I think you can pat yourself on the back if you were suspicious of his niceness and apparent sincerity, not that anyone should be ashamed of believing his extremely cunning disguise. Men are adept at feigning kindness, it's encouraged in our society. Its wise to remember throughout all of human existence, men have dominated women. Only in the past century has this even begun to change. Expect resistance, but fight. Her death was a price worth paying. For all the women who have made that sacrifice, be it standing up to sexist comments, enduring sexual abuse or even dying, thank you.