suspense

Dial M for Murder - 4/5

This film is a deft illustration of the Hitchcockian principle of letting the audience in on a dastardly secret, rendering the ensuing mundane scenes rivetingly tense. The most simple and natural occurrences become plot twists and Alfred Hitchcock effortlessly ushers the story along to its nail-biting conclusion. By beginning with letting the audience know that a man wants to kill his wife, he imparts a morbid curiosity and sense of impending doom into every word and gesture. It’s standard Hitchcock fare, and as such it’s superb.

Closest comparison: It’s like an episode of Columbo as told by Alfred Hitchcock.

Setting: Drama
Plot: Mystery
Tone: Suspense

Sunshine - 5/5

Not only is this movie gorgeous right out of the gate, it also has a top notch slow burn thriller pacing. The musical score is definitely pulling its weight here, bringing both the weight of grandeur and a beautiful framework for the story, all the while digging its spurs into the tension. This movie is solidly character-driven and never loses sight of the mission, but keeps practicality always in the forefront of the story. For solidly tense sci-fi that’s also fun to watch you can’t do much better than this.

Closest comparison: It’s like a cross between U-571, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and parts of The Fountain..

Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Disaster
Tone: Thriller

A Quiet Place - 5/5

This is one of the easiest ratings I've ever given. This movie is on par with the best of Hitchcock, Shayamalan, or Stephen King. The sound editing easily deserves an Oscar, and John Krasinski is amazing both as an actor and director. All the performances are deep and heartfelt, making the tension that much greater. The tension never really lets up for the duration, which would normally be a detriment but in this movie it's perfect. Very scary, very good, definitely worth watching if you like that kind of thing.

The Shape of Water - 4/5

It's very good, but there's a lot of nudity. Not pointless and in fact used maturely, but I also think ultimately the movie would have been better without it. On the whole the movie's beautifully shot and the story is beautifully told. Of Guillermo del Torro's other works it's closest to Pan's Laybrinth in the sense that it's a fairy tale told in a harsh world. If you like his other works and you are prepared to look away a few times, this movie is great, for the unparalleled set design and costume design at least.

Stanger Things: Season 2 (Netflix) - 4/5

The Duffer Brothers did it again! Season 2 is really good in so many of the ways the first one was: cinematography, writing, acting. The pacing wasn't as good (one episode, though iconic, didn't have a lot to do with the rest of the season), but they managed to subvert my expectations over and over again which is always important. The main flaw comes in the form of what they did with a certain character's story arc, which was just not ok (at the lab). All in all there's lots to like and it is a surprisingly good follow-up to the first season.

The Visit - 4/5

This is Shayamalan's second film after the Last Airbender fiasco. It's a return to his light horror and small, contained story roots. The acting and script were good, and combined with the hand-held mockumentary conceit it felt very real. If you like Shayamalan movies and scary movies about crazy old people, give it a try.

Life - 3/5

This is a fascinating mix of interesting ideas and problematic elements. It's very well filmed and acted, and it's a great new(ish) concept they explore. All the deaths are very painful-looking and there's lots of suspense (and a surprising amount of blood). So if those elements aren't really your thing, then definitely skip this one. I was expecting it to feel like a cross between Alien and Sunshine, but it just ended up feeling like The Mist.