CinemaClown

The standalone version of the titular TV series pilot with 20 additional mins that also provides a closure to the Laura Palmer case, Twin Peaks didn't dazzle me as much as I expected but it still intrigued me enough to check out the first season at least which I plan to do in the coming days. While riveting for the most part, this self-contained story unfortunately doesn't work as a whole.

Co-written & directed by David Lynch, this feature-length episode borrows elements from soap opera & detective fiction but presents it in a wicked, uncanny & offbeat way that the director is known for. The setup is quick, the tone & atmosphere has an unnatural feel to it, and character introductions are interesting to say the least, for almost everyone has some strangeness about them.

For the most part, it works as a perfectly good starting point to something a lot more promising but the alternate ending that brings closure to this narrative feels hurried & unearned. The only thing we get about its eccentric set of characters are first impressions which isn't enough for a satisfying conclusion. Performances vary from effortless to campy while Angelo Badalamenti's score stands out.

Overall, Twin Peaks features segments that strike an impression right away but the last 30 mins or so sways far from the road and ultimately fails to deliver the goods despite tying up the loose ends. I'm curious to find out what's different about the original pilot that leads to more episodes but there is enough in here to keep the audience invested in the mystery even if the ending feels rather underwhelming.

A provocative & politically charged drama that also serves as a scathing critique of oppressive rule through the devastating account of a family's unraveling, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is an increasingly incendiary story that takes its time to acquaint us with the family dynamics before seeds of paranoia & mistrust take root in the household and turn the whole thing into a familial nightmare.

Written, co-produced & directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, the main incident that sets the story into motion takes place over an hour into the picture but in that time, it does familiarise us with the volatile situation & civil unrest taking place outside the house that complicates things a lot more within the household. Rasoulof is patient with his narration and provides sufficient space for the characters to breathe.

From the director of The Night Comes For Us & May the Devil Take You comes a vicious, violent & vengeful action thriller that delivers on the action front with its no-holds-barred approach yet is undermined by its needlessly overlong & half-baked story that actually could've done without a whole subplot. Within its bloated 145 mins runtime, there is a lean n mean 90 mins action film that would've sufficed.

Written & directed by Timo Tjahjanto (Killers & Headshot), The Shadow Strays concerns a young assassin who goes on a killing rampage to save a boy from a crime syndicate. Tjahjanto's direction is lot better than his writing, for the action set pieces & fight choreography are utterly impressive but the dramatic portion is weak, character bits lack depth, storytelling is mediocre, plus it piles up extra baggage for no reason.

The picture would've been thoroughly gripping if it was solely focused on a single tightly-knitted plot instead of branching out in multiple directions and didn't need to be as long as it turned out to be, for it unnecessarily complicated a simple, straightforward premise. Performances are fine when it comes to the physicality of the roles but isn't compelling on the emotional front. And the journey also gets repetitive after a while.

Overall, The Shadow Strays is packed with bloody, intense & gruesome scenes of carnage but there is also a much better film buried beneath all the insipid attempts at creating a sprawling crime drama at which it fails. The story is at its most gripping when it features our protagonist slice, dice, stab & slash her way through endless bodies and yet every time the film decides to take a breather, the interest fizzles out and it all comes to a standstill.