POMO

Blind Spot is a cool idea turned into an unfortunately boring drama that gives up on developing any of its potentially intriguing plots and remains a small-scale, mournful portrait of an outsider in a depersonalized urban environment. [Sitges FF]

It’s not that I wouldn’t like to be called Pupi Pomo, but these 98 minutes of talking, talking and yet more talking, all in the name of solving a mystery that doesn’t really affect the main characters, were just too much. The horror scenes are done and over with in about three minutes and there’s zero gore. I did enjoy the retro stylization and atmosphere, though. [Sitges FF]

Judy & Punch is an example of a badly written and directed film, whether due to the failed mix of different genres, the inability to fill the second half with something interesting or the unsatisfactory conclusion of the story. Two stars for the relatively interesting black-and-white start, but in the context of the remaining part, its bizarreness seems rather to be proof of the creators’ lack of skill rather than an intended feature. [Sitges FF]

A family in the Colombian countryside. In the woods they find a cassette recorder with eternal batteries and a recording of Mozart, in the goat’s pen they find a silent, detachedly staring Aryan boy... and a Terrence Malick-style meditation on the connection with nature and God and the Devil begins. Luz is packed with scenes and thoughts about everything and nothing that may or may not mean something and may or may not be related. In the theater, I was sat in the row right behind the film’s creators and seeing how thoughtfully and with utmost seriousness they watched their work while other viewers were rising from their seats and leaving was even more bizarre than the film itself. Further proof of the Bible’s importance to humanity. One star for those nice image compositions. [Sitges FF]

Widescreen opulent locations, Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata" and a storyline worthy of a naïve short film. Or a horror film for children, but without Guillermo. Even the point offered in the epilogue, which is supposed to add something to the story, is hopelessly contrived. [Sitges FF]

A thousand things could have been done a little differently in The Room, and it wouldn’t have worked as well as it did. This is a perfect game with the audience that starts out (deliberately?) with the most overused “haunted house” plot, continues as a case of transparent moralizing along the lines of “be careful what you wish for”, and eventually develops into ... (Shhh! I’m not going to spoil it for you!). It is sophisticated bordering on overly contrived, but in terms of logic, it is a beautifully functional and multi-dimensional film, moreover with a strong social message and some light existential undertones (the loss of a child, aging, the inability to change one’s fate). This would have been admirable even if it had been a book. And Volckman told it flawlessly through filmmaking! [Sitges FF]

Bodies at Rest is a fast-paced action thriller set in a modern Hong Kong mortuary with some well-done fistfights. Though it brings nothing new to the table, it is reminiscent of the good old days of McTiernan/Harlin’s action flicks. But I could do without the super-cheap soundtrack. [Sitges FF]

Paradise Hills is a pleasant alternative to Disney’s grand tales about beautiful princesses and evil queens, enhanced with sci-fi themes from genre classics or Bay’s The Island. Though it is admittedly visually cheesy with downright childish costumes (without being explicitly intended for children), it is amusing, and I personally find Emma Roberts with pink hair rather electrifying, not to mention Eiza González’s lesbian affection for her! [Sitges FF]

The Shed is an above-average amateur production with a bunch of clichés, annoying classmates, a pretty co-ed and a monster in a shed. In the end, it loses even the little seriousness it had before. The whole theater was rolling on the floor with laughter. [Sitges FF]

X-men on the other side of the law. A dime-a-dozen theme technically well-crafted into a sci-fi B-movie without any screenwriting inventiveness or memorable acting performances. Who was this made for? Fans of the genre like these kinds of things done on a grand scale or at least imaginatively (Upgrade). Even the music shamelessly steals from Martinez's Drive and Fiedel’s Terminator. [Sitges FF]