Film: Undertone

Perhaps I'm getting a bit old, but I'm of the opinion that horror movies need to be more than just a series of (even excellent) scary set pieces. This is as opposed to certain other genres - an action or fighting movie can probably still be entertaining even if the plot is non-existent. But a horror movie needs the background engagement of its audience in order for them to suspend their disbelief. Just being good art or leaving things overly implied or ambiguous harms that.

Undertone was a series of excellent scary set pieces that did very little to progress a plot. It's especially unfortunate, given how novel it otherwise was - using some great sound tricks and the limited cast to really bring out the creepies. This made the lack of any payoff even more jarring, enough to overall cause the movie to fail to reach its potential.

It was a good timepass I guess, but overall undertone is one to watch at home. 

 

Film: Project Hail Mary

The whole book vs adaptation conversation will always be a paradox. A film was never going to be as good as the book it was based on, and yet the book would never have been as good if read after watching the film. As such there is no perfect set up where you can enjoy both to the maximum, and such is the case here.

But it's more than the reasonable expectation that a lot was going to be cut out. The film itself seemed very rushed and pacey - a bit like a 2h40m extended trailer for a better film to come. As such a lot of the ingredients that made the book magic - the charm, the science, the story.

My only hope is that the film pushes more people to the book, so that they can experience the more fuller and rounded story. Whether that experience will be as good as having read the book first, well we'll never know.

Book: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Aainst This, Omar El Akkad

Apart from being wonderfully written, brilliantly concise and amazingly clear, the real value in this book isn't how well it is put together, but as medicine for those who perhaps struggle for articulating the feelings and positions they have over current and recent world affairs. In that sense it's a bit cathartic, a welcome release valve for us to realise that, no, we are not mad nor alone.

It's a short book and I recommend everyone to read it.