The following is an editorial and does not represent the views or opinions of The Drury Mirror.

Throughout 2019 I’ve made it my mission to watch at least one film a day in order to broaden my horizons in the art of film making. I invite you to join me on this journey, as I both watch and share my thoughts through bite sized reviews on the vast array of films the world has to offer. My goal is to introduce you to a variety of films, some you have heard of, others you might not have, watching them throughout the weeks as I do from the comfort of your own home. Enjoy!

Scoring System:

• Highly recommended
• Recommended
• Enjoyable enough
• Decent watch with friends
• Take a look if you’re bored
• Not recommended

“The Balled of Buster Scruggs”

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is a 2018 anthology western directed by the Coen brothers following six stories in the backdrop of the Old West.

I love how the film is set out, being told as if it is a book, and prefacing every story with colour plates that give you a snapshot from the story about to be told. The cinematography is great, lots of long panning shots of the landscape so that you really get a sense of how vast the land is, and I mean it’s a Coen brothers film so it’s going to look good.

However, the highlight of the film has to be the extraordinary writing, which manages to convey so many emotions throughout the film with a great sense of humour at times but suitably dark at others. The writers manage to get you to care about most of the characters that each of the stories follow, keeping you engaged in some, while not so much in others. Even though it tells six different stories they all feel connected purely by the setting of the Old West and how harsh it can treat the people in it.

The sets and costumes all look great, with a lot of effort clearly having been put in to make them as authentic as possible. As with most Coen brothers films it is quite slow at times, even with the fairly quick pace to fit all of the stories in as well as having quite an abrupt ending. Despite that, it is a very well made film, delivering a variety of interesting tales with fleshed out characters and some truly great writing.

Recommended.

“The Transfiguration”

“The Transfiguration” is a 2016 drama/horror following a 14-year-old from the outskirts of New York City as he deals with his obsession with vampires. Without giving away any spoilers, this film has a relatively strange sounding concept, but it gets better as the plot progresses, almost growing alongside the main character.

The film nicely conveys the feelings of the protagonist with the sparse use of dialogue reflecting how little the protagonist speaks. Not a word is said for the first five minutes. The use of environmental storytelling and “show not tell” is on display to great effect, respecting the viewer’s intelligence and letting them work things out for themselves. All of the acting is well done with natural performances that give the film a grounded feeling, which is further emphasised by how naturally the characters talk with one another.

However, there is quite a noticeable use of shaky cam that broke my immersion into the film a bit. As the film progressed, I noticed it less and less but it was still distracting. I can see they were going for a more realistic look for the film, but it didn’t entirely work. There is a good use of music that conveys the feeling of anxiety well in tense scenes, but surprisingly relaxing in calm scenes, a nice contrast between the two.

Overall “The Transfiguration” is a great hidden gem with a strange but unique premise, very nice natural performances, and a plot that left me thinking about it long after I finished watching.

Highly recommended.

“Polar”

“Polar” is a 2019 action film directed by Jonas Åkerland following a soon to be retired hit-man as he is hunted by the very company that employed him for so many years.

The tone of “Polar” is perfectly encapsulated by the title of the film itself, sometimes wanting to be a dark, gritty action film and other times deciding that “Suicide Squad” was a good film.

The writing and direction in general is pretty bad. It seems exceedingly childish, shooting objectifying shots of many of the women that would make even the “Fast and Furious” films ashamed and attempting humour that even a 12-year-old wouldn’t find funny. However, the style of the film itself is fairly appealing with the fonts used for the titles and the occasional neon aesthetic. The setting of the Montana wilderness is also appealing with its peacefulness acting as a nice contrast to all the violence that occurs.

The music is great, managing to build excitement for the ultimately disappointing action scenes and calm you in-between. Talking of the action scenes, “Polar” wants to be “John Wick” so very badly, having a similar premise but with none of the execution. The action scenes have a lot of jump cuts in them, robbing them of any excitement the music managed to build. This isn’t helped by the strange editing choices with lots of cuts in flashbacks that just make them hard to follow, as well as occasional scenes colour palettes being obnoxiously over saturated.

Overall “Polar” is a pale imitation of “John Wick”, with childish writing and direction that even the stellar soundtrack can’t save.

Take a look if you’re bored.

“The Witch”

“The Witch”, stylised as “The VVitch,” is a 2015 horror directed by Robert Eggers that follows a New England family in the 17th century as they become increasingly paranoid that a witch has cursed their home.

The oppressive atmosphere of “The Witch” is undeniable, with a bizarre plot that keeps you engaged as you feel the same rising fear that the family are subject to, only being able to watch as panic takes them over and they blame each other for the horrors that fall upon them.

The actors all give great performances, truly immersing you into their fear and panic. The script is also impressive, managing to consistently keep to speaking old English throughout, even if at times it becomes hard to understand.

The film has a strange aspect ratio, not quite 16:9, which distracted me at the beginning but I quickly ignored it. The cinematography is great, at times showcasing how isolated the family are, with long shots of the forest and fields around them, but at others focusing close to the characters, giving it the feeling of claustrophobia which only adds to the panic as it starts to set in.

It manages to keep the ominous atmosphere even in broad daylight, helped in no small part to the great music, which gave me chills whenever it played. The music also plays at times where nothing happens, making you feel constantly uneasy, even when seemingly nothing is going to happen. Overall an incredible horror film, with an oppressive atmosphere that managed to fill me with dread throughout.

Highly recommended.

“Eight Legged Freaks”

“Eight Legged Freaks” is a 2002 comedy horror directed by Ellory Elkayem. It follows a sleepy American town as it is taken over by giant spiders.

The plot is hilariously bad, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. At times it even has cartoon physics, making spider shaped holes in the wall when one crashes through. There are many “so bad its good” scenes such as a motorbike chase with the giant spiders whilst early 2000s techno rock plays, and it’s just so absurd it ends up working.

The film harkens back to the old 50s creature features, such as “Them!”, which at the time served as a warning to what nuclear power could bring after the end of the of World War II. The spiders themselves look pretty awful. Even for 2002, the CGI is bad but this ends up helping the film achieve a more cartoon-like tone, which helps to smooth out everything else. The acting isn’t great, but it doesn’t feel too out of place due to the cartoonish nature of the film. The music has a light-hearted tone as well. Though it sometimes feels out of place, it again it fits the tone of the film.

Overall, whilst nothing in the film is inherently good, everything fits the B-movie tone the film is going for, and so long as you go in knowing what to expect, “Eight Legged Freaks” can be a ton of fun.

Decent watch with friends.

“Only God Forgives”

“Only God Forgives” is a 2013 crime drama focusing on a drug trafficker whose mother sends him to take revenge on those who killed his brother in Thailand.

There is a striking use of red which adds a constant sense of danger to each of the scenes it is in, but unfortunately this tapers off around halfway through the film which is disappointing. However, the lighting manages to stay consistently great throughout, capturing the tone of each of the locations. Some are rough and grimy, while others are clean and sterile, keeping certain elements in the dark until needed. The cinematography is really good with meaning behind each of the shots, as well as looking great when coupled with the striking lighting.

The music is also great, with a lot of tribal drums that nicely raise the tension of scenes whilst still fitting the tone of the film, as well as suiting the location of Thailand. It is interesting to see a film set in Thailand, as I feel there are not many films that are. With a decent amount of the dialogue being in Thai, it means the film has a much more more authentic feel.

However, the plot is messy and rarely kept me engaged, even being incoherent at times with some scenes where I just had no idea what was going on, and others that just felt completely pointless. The strange dream sequences in particular just made no sense to me and although there was clearly a meaning, it went straight over my head.

Overall “Only God Forgives” is very much style over substance with a plot that barely scrapes by to keep me engaged, but with visuals as striking as these it somewhat makes up for it.

Enjoyable enough.

“Her”

“Her” is a 2013 sci-fi romance following a writer who starts to fall in love with his sentient AI operating system. “Her” is well shot, using angles that are relatively simple but effective, with no stand out shots or imagery whilst still being good to look at.

The music however is great, giving the film a nice calm tone, and making me often quite emotional at the relationship between the two, really getting me invested. It makes you feel so many different emotions, wonder and amazement at some scenes, with the silence in others only serving to showcase how raw some of the emotions on screen can be.

The writing is also extremely well done. It really complements the emotional impact that the music and story bring, making the characters really feel human; they are complex with an emotional depth that makes them relatable. Samantha, the AI, is so well done. At times she seems as intelligent and advanced as a future AI would, whilst at others she seems incredibly vulnerable, almost like a child, experiencing so much of the world for the first time and describing emotions she’s never had before. It’s ironic that a film about the relationship between a man and an AI can feel incredibly human, especially in a genre that often feels sterile and unrelatable.

Overall “Her” is a touching film with characters that feel fleshed out, music that delivers an emotional kick and writing that truly makes these people feel human.

Highly recommended.

Written by Jack Goodman.