EVE OF DESTRUCTION - It's always nice to take a jaunt back to the days of the clamshell with a movie that captures the essence of your local early nineties video shop. Did I ever clock this one on the shelves? If I didn't then maybe I really should've. It's basically a 'Terminator' rip-off with Rene Soutendijk doubling as a computer scientist and her android replica; Gregory Hines runs around with a walkie-talkie, mostly looking angry. Well, I like my rip-offs badly made and preferably Italian, but this is more upscale, modestly budgeted and tastefully done, pinning its aspirations to sweeping pans and an orchestral score. It even strikes a slightly thoughtful pose with its theme - if you could live out your fantasy life in the form of a killer cyborg, what would it be like? It doesn't have the imaginative wherewithal to go anywhere with even that dubious idea and also, despite a couple of nice set-pieces, falls short of being gritty or kick-ass enough for my liking, but it still has all the charm I hope for in B-movies from its time. Solid.
DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY - Luis Javier Henaine's 'Disappear Completely' follows the descent of a cynical photographer hobbled by a curse that, little by little, strips him of his senses. Reviews have framed it as a kind of paranormal 'Night Crawler', though it lacks the reptilian brilliance of that film and is going for something very different anyway, being less a character study in icy detachment than a rehash of 2010s-style supernatural tropes that just happen to befall a fairly wretched camera wielding opportunist. It's very smooth and well done, with lush cinematography that tilts its visual atmosphere towards the spectral, plus a central conceit that's pretty fascinating and scary in its own right - the slow ebbing away of the self as it thrashes around, grasping at the straws of any potential recue. For me, a couple of missteps might include an exorcism and a backstory exegesis that played a bit clunky set against the bleak tone, dissipating the energy and the vibes with their awkward contrivance. But overall, 'Disappear Completely's rendition of ghostly trappings is convincing and immersive and gets fairly intense at the end. I wasn't quite as won over as the many who've been singing its praises, but this film is more than solid and well worth a watch.
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