Film Review #6: The Hidden Face [2011]

This was high-scoring on IMDB and I was confident from reviews that it would be a humdinger.

No.

The problem is you cannot read reviews of a film like this because you don't want to hear anything about the plot.

So how can I warn you?

Well - notice how nothing much happens in the first half an hour? Although salient it borders on dull so it's okay to do your knitting then.

It's not actually bad. Performances are good. It's not long.

The main problem I found , thinking with the writers hat on, was there were too many ways the story could end, and they'd all be equally fine.

I thought of 4 or 5 including the one they  went for which was not my preference.

It was played kind of safe in the end.

I recall a similar end device in a 'Tales of the Unexpected' which they nailed.

I've been spoiled by some Spanish thrillers recently, so I was disappointed with this one, mildly annoyed even

Should have been right up my street.

Satisfaction - Not guaranteed

Rewatchable? Not rounded enough for that accolade

One-line review: Spanish suspense - there's not a lot of anything other than coincidence in the script and it pulls its final punch to a tap on the shoulder

Lesson learned: Seeking films in the same vein as ones you loved – always a risk.

5/10

Film #5: Enter Nowhere 2011

Now I have fallen into this trap before.
Looking for exciting mystery thrillers, finding something interesting that nobody's ever heard of.
And then, of course, regretting it.
Scott Eastwood echoes the looks of his Dad remarkably, but that's about it.
This looks like a film made because somebody needed to make a film.
If you see it classed as horror I would take issue with that.

But if it was delivered as a one-hour fringe play, I possibly could go for it.
Or even written as a short story.
But a movie scripted functionally somebody with no flair for the written word. No, thanks.
Thanks. And everything.
But no.

The final sequence of the walk along the sand in the same footprints they made in their rehearsal shows the sort of sloppiness that made the film tedious even when watching it at 1.75 speed which is the one way to slog through if you need to know the twist

I've since learned the film had two titles (always a good sign!), the second with a cliche formula of The Haunting of....
I don't think it's haunting anymore then it's a horror movie.
A mystery movie in need of some better scripting then.
But damn,  he does like Clint

Satisfaction - Not Guaranteed  
Rewatchable? Jesus, no
One-line review: a serviceable short story formulaically put on film for the wrong reasons, best watched with subtitles at double speed.
3/10

FIlm #4: Julia's Eyes [Los Ojos De Julia] [2010]

Guillermo Del Toro directs Oriol Paulo's mystery script in 2010

Hints of the supernatural hide in the textured script of a complete thriller.

Blindness is a thriller trope of course but I won't refer to the medical "explanatory difficulties" as inconsistencies or plotholes because guess what… it's a thriller and an entertainment. Of course, there are convenient plot decisions (the stool, the CCTV). But I don't want to watch somebody in rehab for nine months. I want them to tell their story at  pace. 

And there's plenty of story. 

And  plenty of pace. 

It drips atmosphere.

Scriptwise it does lever in a jarring line  (three times it came, three times it made me wince - rule of 3).  Perhaps the line sounds better in the romance of the Spanish language than in the translation that a poetic Yorkshireman reads to himself. But at least, as with everything on show here,  there is a purpose to it (even if I don't fully approve of the closing situation).

It took two of us to piece it together just before the close and still there were surprises.

The universally convincing Spanish actors make me lament about English actors I see cast on TV, picked for features other than ability.

Who would enjoy this? Sunday night mystery lovers who are OK with a healthy dose of horror.

One-line review: Super Spaniards showing us again what mystery thrillers are. 

9/10

 

Film #3: God's Crooked Lines [2022]

Add a sweepingly classic psychiatric setting to a twisty plot and sit forward in your chair to pay full attention for 2.5 hours

This time I watched an English dub on Netflix  which was a good dub.

The Spanish cast look great as does the Gothic cinematography.

Caution: Worry when the story is neatly wrapped up and there are ten minutes to go  because your filmmakers intend to entertain you right in the end.

Satisfaction - Guaranteed

Rewatchable? A bit long to watch twice but not too long to watch once

Who would enjoy this? Fans of Shutter Island

One-line review - Oriol Paulo's repertory theatre with Mario Casas in more top-notch Spanish suspense. 

9/10

 

I may have to track down everything Oriol Paulo does -  I see there's a Netflix series called The Innocent which may have my name on it ....

Film #2: The Invisible Guest (2016)

Oriol Paulo directs a twisty Spanish thriller. I watched,  in Spanish with English subtitles, Mario Casas in a visually marvellous beautifully-appointed mystery.

Even to describe its genre would be a spoiler. So here it is…. I have an earnest respect for cat and mouse thrillers.

I have never seen this kind of twist done better.

Satisfaction - Guaranteed

Rewatchable? You'd know the twists of course but maybe, as an exercise. It is damn good

One-line review: Spanish suspense - are they the only ones doing it so damned well?  

10/10

 

I tracked down more of Oriol Paulo's movies .... to come

Film #1: Gran Torino [2008]

It's taken me 16 years to get round to seeing this. I remember that it was billed as possibly Clint Eastwood's last film but I think he is making that now in 2025. Good old Clint. It's not an easy name to carry off.

This is a fairly simple movie of redemption with elements of the Karate Kid, and that's no bad thing. Clint Eastwood makes it five times as watchable as it could or should be. Cast that role badly and I would have been tuning out.

The villains are irritatingly but satisfyingly nasty.

Having seen it a week ago now, what I largely remember is that plot points are mentioned rather than telegraphed and often not even mentioned, just hinted at. I'm sure this enhances the movie in the eyes of critics but it means the rest of us have to work a little harder so we don't miss anything.

It continues to surprise me how failing to concentrate on just one line of the movie can make you miss a whole connection.

There is a way out - watch movies with somebody else and discuss the points that could occur to you - particularly when it comes to my favourite kind of movie - the twisty turny thrillers. It's like two people doing an escape room. It helps to have friends.

But if you're guessing (aloud) a twist in a thriller or surprise ending/reveal then you may find out who your real friends are sooner rather than later.

So take care.

As always, Wikipedia to check the plot (don't read it first)

And there's usually YouTube videos to explain the ending (and define some things you missed)

If you understood everything and it's sci-fi, there are probably Easter eggs (you-tube, Google)

 

All these things take the pressure off following a complex plot.

You shouldn't have to work that hard after all. It's an entertainment not an SAT.

 

Gran Torino (2008) One line review: A complete drama with a magnetic Clint.

Satisfaction - Guaranteed

Who would enjoy this? Clint-lovers and anyone who is patient. I don't remember it having the quickest of starts.

Rewatchable? No, not really. The choice of conclusion always limits my interest in seeing a film again.

 

My Film Reviews

A great gift you can give is sometimes a simple recommendation.

When you have excellent taste as I do, that is the greatest of gifts.

And free!

I'm working through a little FOMO  about not seeing enough movies

 

I am not sure how to collect my own film reviews  - and so I am going to use my old blog for now.

I can see a website called Letterboxd  - might use that later. Might not.

I have picked some criteria that I may share later when perfected (like I am going to continue doing this!)

But for now let's get started with 

Film #1.  Gran Torino [2009]