Tag Archives: Thriller

Berlin Syndrome (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A captive tourist girl in Berlin

Posted on July 11, 2017 by

Decidedly unnerving and uncomfortable, “Berlin Syndrome” calmly examines the disturbing relationship between its captive heroine and her twisted captor. Reminiscent of “The Collector” (1965) and many other similar thriller films, the movie is often very unpleasant to say the least, … Continue reading →

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Get Out (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Guess who’s coming for weekend…

Posted on May 19, 2017 by

Reminiscent of those sinister paranoid thriller films made during the 1970s, “Get Out” is willing to unnerve us as providing a fair share of suspense as well as the biting sense of black humor. During my viewing, I could not … Continue reading →

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Split (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Shaymalan and McAvoy going way over the top

Posted on February 24, 2017 by

Among a bunch of books I have kept since my elementary school years, Daniel Keyes’ nonfiction book “The Minds of Billy Milligan” is one of more notable ones I still remember quite well. Its real-life story of a man struggling … Continue reading →

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Personal Shopper (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Shrouded in odd, nervous ambiguity

Posted on February 12, 2017 by

Shrouded in odd, nervous ambiguity, “Personal Shopper” floats around several different story elements as alternatively baffling and fascinating us. While it is basically a ghost story, the movie also works as not only a clinical character study but also a … Continue reading →

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Elle (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A twisted mid-life crisis thriller from Verhoeven and Huppert

Posted on December 5, 2016 by

The opening scene of Paul Verhoeven’s new film “Elle” is so striking and disturbing that you cannot help but admire how firmly and effortlessly he and his lead performer Isabelle Huppert establish the overall tone of their movie without any … Continue reading →

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Missing Woman (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her babysitter is missing…

Posted on December 1, 2016 by

South Korean film “Missing Woman” begins as a seemingly conventional mystery thriller and then reveals darker elements which later turn the story into a sort of social horror tale which is often frighteningly realistic to me and other South Korean … Continue reading →

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Victoria (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A crime thriller presented via a single continuous take

Posted on November 23, 2016 by

Although I do not think German film “Victoria” intends to be a cautionary moral tale, it can be said that there is a familiar moral to be learned from its heroine’s unfortunate plight during a few hours: Be discreet about … Continue reading →

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