Penroze

Perhaps the movies I end up watching tend to follow themes, because this film reminded me a lot of the last Spanish film I watched, The Occupant, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Some similarities were more specific, but some more general, mainly the idea of intensely pursuing a goal and having to face the consequences that come with your actions. This movie is more of a display of morality and the dynamics of meddling with the criminal society than a story where you 'follow the good guy getting what he wants in the end', so keep that in mind when watching. Very impactful and left me shocked but satisfied by the credits.

The only Stephen King movie I had reviewed and rated prior to this was 1922, a movie that really disappointed me with its bland, drawn out story. I expected a story where the protagonist is chained to a bed for almost the entirety of it to be even more drawn out, but it's ended up being my favourite movie I've reviewed so far. It's very graphic, but uses that skill well to tell a twisted tale of abuse and trauma, paired with the phenomenal acting from all parties involved, especially the main character. Not a single moment in the film is unmemorable, nor is it ever unsatisfying. A damn great experience.

This was the first movie I'd sat down to watch in a while, and I ended up liking it quite a bit. The main character is acted incredibly well and her conversations with the AI in the pod are very engaging as she attempts to find a way out. The film gets more and more tense as the oxygen continues to deplete and you keep wondering how she could possibly save herself with the time remaining, or if she even will. Overall quite great, worth a watch. Also MILO is my bro.

As someone who isn't normally a fan of religious horror, this movie was very satisfying and had me invested at every turn! While the premise of 'travelling to a secluded and primitive mini-society of people who operate in ways considered immoral by the majority of humanity' is done a fair bit (surprisingly), this movie offers its own unique take with its own mythology. The cast of characters is very engaging, in both acting and writing, and it's shocking to see what happens to some of them. I might have cried at one point? I'm actually not sure, but it felt like it. Of course, being a horror movie, it also offered some nice scares, mostly through the crazed cult members as usual but sometimes through some fairly stranger characters. The Grinder is an example of the latter. I have no idea who they were as it was never explained, and I won't spoil them by going into detail, but they were always so uncomfortable to see on screen (in a good way), and the unsolved mystery surrounding them helped greatly. If for nothing else, watch Apostle for The Grinder. They're so weird.

Should say if I could give this a 5.5 rather than a full 5 or 6 then I would. The story of this movie is bland and forgettable, the basic plot of killing someone and being consumed by visual representations of guilt is done to death (haha) and was not innovated upon much here. I did like the story of the son but the film would have been far more interesting if that plot were focused on more. Although the designs of certain '''hauntings''' are pretty impressive and the acting definitely has talent behind it, I'm sure this tale would have been better kept in the books.

The Occupant is a very unnerving but interesting and somewhat understandable story of a man who will do whatever it takes to return to his best life. The ways he goes about this are extremely calculated and horrifying to view from the beginning, and crescendo dramatically up until the ending. I couldn't help but mentally compare protagonist Javier to similar characters taking drastic premeditated measures to get what they want, and I like Javier for being a protagonist that gets things done quickly and efficiently (those who have seen the movie will know what he does when blackmail is taken too far). The film is a rollercoaster of conflicting emotions right up until the chilling final shot. And I completely disagree that it's unbelievable. I think every event in the movie makes perfect logical sense. And is also cool. So watch the movie if you want to see a man coldly tear his way to the top! (You should want to see that.)

I don't care what anyone says in an oddly high quantity, this movie is fantastic. The acting is great almost 100% of the time, it visually looks very nice especially certain displays of bodily harm, and the dissonant soundtrack makes tense scenes tenser. The plot is a fantastic and thrilling mindscrew that will satisfy anyone that wants one, although I suppose if you don't want a mindscrew it might make you mad... but that's just unfortunate for you then. 8.5/10.