peter-night Reviews

After.Life (2009)

Astonishing Debut

[9/10 · 10 November 2009]

Caught the pic at AFM and was astonished to find out that this was the director's debut feature. She was very assured during the Q&A and her film shows a maturity beyond her years (how old is she? I'm guessing late 20s). But later, thinking about the film (and having a major argument with my friend as to whether Christina Ricci was really dead or not) it's clear the film is a debut - there's a freshness and originality to the vision that marks it as a first feature. There were flaws (which is why I gave it a 9 rather than a ten). Some scenes seemed rushed and I missed seeing more of the world Christina Ricci inhabited, but I'm guessing that's probably more due to limited budget than limited film-making. The film was also very unsettling, not just because of the scares (although they added to the overall creepy mood) but also because of the world the director created inside the funeral home: there was something not quite right (old rotary phones, 50's clothing, decor etc.), something you couldn't quite put your finger on, that made me feel slightly uneasy throughout the film. I highly recommend this film when it eventually hits the theaters.

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Enjoyable but not great

[6/10 · 10 November 2009]

I guess I must have had high expectations coming into this film because although I enjoyed it I was left with a sense of "it could've been much better." The soundtrack was amazing and some of the acting left me smiling (but not laughing!). There were some great moments and some classic situations but I think the problem is that it's a one joke movie and sustaining the comedy for nearly two hours was too much.

All the usual suspects put in frenzied performances, but again I felt they were trying to hard. Don't bother to go to the theater. Wait for it on DVD. You'll enjoy it much more (rather than keep thinking about the 11 bucks you just spent!).