POMO

These two guys know what they’re doing. The joy of their films also lies a bit in finding your place in the target group of open-minded viewers who like to think about alternate realities and explore how far a film firmly anchored in its genre can go. Synchronic has an insane theme that would end up as total inanity in the hands of a lot of purely commercial Hollywood filmmakers, because they would attach importance primarily to the visual wow effect. Moorhead/Benson keep the visual effects simple, purely as a means of telling a story with a strong atmosphere and meaningful interactions between characters. And those dialogue scenes! [Sitges FF]

With its original concept, Patrick is a playful study of an unlikely film hero and his “conflict” with a group of people in an unusual environment. But the film’s denouement could have provided a better depiction of the impact that all of this had on the protagonist. [Sitges FF]

Obviously, Behram has a BIG problem with the dictatorial political system in Turkey, given how intensively he deals with this subject in the film. In any case, he is able to work decently with both the exteriors of the “housing estate without a soul” and the corresponding interiors of the residents’ apartments, as well as with the aptly allegorical symbolism, which is in tune with the story’s development. Rather than a horror film, The Antenna is a dark parable for festival audiences. [Sitges FF]

After an excellent, psychological and mysterious start with all the cards thoroughly hidden under the table, this film turns out to be a cheap murderous game with poorly distributed sympathies between the characters and the stupid plot development. And the by far most interesting and best played character is the first to exit the game. [Sitges FF]

This wonderful low-budget flick features sincere dialogue, sober acting performances and a great idea of how to play with the genre experience of the audience and their hearts. It’s all about the screenplay!

Is Vivarium a cardboard wannabe-art allegory of the cycle of society’s consumerist functioning? Probably. But most of the time it just thumps awkwardly to a rhythm it doesn’t understand and doesn’t know what to do with. [Sitges FF]

It’s probably all made up; its creators would otherwise (among other “otherwises”) never have chosen a Hungarian cinema (which allegedly burned down) as supposedly the only place where the film was ever screened in 1988. But it’s a good (and not badly executed) idea to turn old trash material into an appealing genre movie with an occult demonic aura. Unless that old trash material wasn’t also filmed the day before yesterday. [Sitges FF]

Blind Spot is a cool idea turned into an unfortunately boring drama that gives up on developing any of its potentially intriguing plots and remains a small-scale, mournful portrait of an outsider in a depersonalized urban environment. [Sitges FF]

It’s not that I wouldn’t like to be called Pupi Pomo, but these 98 minutes of talking, talking and yet more talking, all in the name of solving a mystery that doesn’t really affect the main characters, were just too much. The horror scenes are done and over with in about three minutes and there’s zero gore. I did enjoy the retro stylization and atmosphere, though. [Sitges FF]

Judy & Punch is an example of a badly written and directed film, whether due to the failed mix of different genres, the inability to fill the second half with something interesting or the unsatisfactory conclusion of the story. Two stars for the relatively interesting black-and-white start, but in the context of the remaining part, its bizarreness seems rather to be proof of the creators’ lack of skill rather than an intended feature. [Sitges FF]