THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME
When Satan refuses to get behind you.....
PRAISE: Based on The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock the film version of the story of disparate characters in post-World War II Southern Ohio and West Virginia.
The performances from the entire cast including :Tom Holland,Bill Skarsgård,Riley Keough,Jason Clarke,Sebastian Stan,Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen,Mia Wasikowska
and Robert Pattinson,are haunting,intense and sometimes downright sinister !!
I liked how it's an examination of twisted faith and the darkness of the human spirit.
How faith which can be a good thing sometimes blinds people from what's right and from dealing with personal trauma.
Sometimes darkly amusing with visuals that are stunning and some that may not be for the faint of heart.
I have to praise the make up artists because a few of the cast members are unrecognizable.
I really enjoyed the narration by Donald Ray Pollock.
PROBLEMS:At times the film pushes pretentious to the limit.When i paused the film i couldnt believe i still had 78 minutes to go so i really felt the pacing was slow and then some.But what's crazy when it ends i shrugged and said that's it?
If you like a slow burn with a semi Stephen King feel definitely give this a watch.
Scale of 1-10 a 7½
ANTEBƎLLUM
Just another exploitive film about slavery?
PRAISE: This story of a succesful author Veronica Henleywho finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality that forces her to confront the past, present and future -- before it's too late stars Janelle Monae who not only turns in a terrific performance but the camera truly loves her and her curves which i also loved !!
Gabourey Sidibe gratefully adds doses of humor.
The rest of the cast including Eric Lange,Jena Malone,Jack Huston and
Kiersey Clemons bring enough to the table to uplift the script.
Definitely not as terrible as some critics made it out to be and the scenes of slavery are harrowing but definitely not as brutal and lingering as the scenes in 12 Years a Slave.I actually found the film moving here and there.
There is a lot that works in this i didn't even mind when the film shifts gears a few times.
I do understand problems people have with the imagery i mean how many times are we supposed to accept slavery in films as entertainment and pay for it?
On the other hand will we or future generations slowly forget the horrors of slavery if films like this aren't made? Maybe we still need these images in films like this especially for people that say : well slavery wasn't that bad.
I wouldn't say this film is really horror but there are horrible characters in it.
PROBLEMS: There is a lack of character development so much so I think this would have worked better as a series. The back stories of certain characters are barely spoken of and it was actually frustrating.
The plot twist is mixed bag for me because some of it has been seen in half a dozen streaming shows and movies but the film does weave in some unique threads.
ANTEBƎLLUM is not great but not as over the top exploitive and bad as i thought it would be.
Scale of 1-10 a 7
Just got done watching this wild ass shit. The acting in this movie was bad.