Spring

I have to admit that I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about it, (not even the summary) and that is why the turn that the story takes at the 25 min mark literally knocked me off my feet (I had to get 5 stitches). There is absolutely nothing in those first 25 minutes that suggest that twist. I mean, it's a guy who spends the spring in Italy drinking with Brits, working at an olive farm, and falling in love...and then, holy WTF! It's moments like that which make me love movies.

It's a love story that mixes in elements of a monster movie. Actually it's a movie with a romantic entanglement that never resonated with me coupled with creature entanglements that were awkward and then explained away in a dissatisfying way. If I wanted a romance involving a woman transforming into a monster...No. I love my wife too much to compare her to this movie. Oh, she's a monster, but more along Possession lines. God, I'm glad she doesn't read these. Next few reviews written from couch.

Obviously a very low-budget film which, even though it has an unsubtle, studenty feel to it at times, displays lots of ambition and an impressive grasp of structure and pacing. This film has a refreshing tone. It contains moments of humour but they're not played for big laughs; horror-esque visual effects but it avoids all the usual tropes of that genre. Even the young American hero is quiet and reflective, showing how much Benson & Moorhead want to tear up the rulebook. A big offbeat surprise.

There's a turning point in this flick, where the set pieces can finally converge to make a legitimately novel and compelling movie. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Instead of following Lovecraft, B&M opt for an all too familiar Beauty and the Beast parable. And while the dialogue never ceases to be sharp and entertaining, the narrative quickly devolves into cloying, saccharine territory. Something of a wasted opportunity here.

A unique and refreshing blend of romance and lovecraftian horror genre spiced with some Sci-Fi. Showing the triumph of love over nature occurs to me as only a romantic thought. We are not witness to an intense love brewing between the leads, on the contrary, it looks very casual, which forms the premise of the previous line. But what do I know about love? Interesting film. It kept me interested mostly because of it's uniqueness, but looking back at the film, the flaws stare right back at me.

Most of this film attempts to be like "Before Sunrise", documenting a budding relationship through a lot of dialogue. The main difference is that films dialogue is very engaging, this film's is not, so it has a tendency to drag while you wait for the horror elements to return. When they do, they act as kind of an odd offhand intrusion to the poorly done romance. It's a beautiful looking, well-acted bit of tedium.

Before Springrise.

worth a watcxh

Spring is as interesting as it is entertaining. The first 15min are a chore but this meek introduction is redeemed by a film with eerie tones, mythical intrigue and a romance that isn't nearly as insipid as those offered by the plethora of YA adaptations. Pucci brings innocence and naïveté to a character that seems purposefully bland, while Hilker shines as the mysterious, magnificent monstrosity. The ending is a tad conventional, but this film is really about the journey, shallow as it may be

Very unique. More of a romantic drama with a supernatural overtone.

"Before Sunrise" meets "Species". It's an odd "splicing" of two genres/ideas...but it works.

Some good ideas and scenes, reasonable dialogue and it looked very nice, but despite everything it ultimately ended up rather more uninterestingly conventional than perhaps the filmmakers intended. This is signified symbolically, also unintentionally no doubt, by the fact that there is quite a bit of Ikea merchandise to be found scattered around the frame. I even noticed an Ikea blanket, sorry, I mean a "throw". Benson and Moorhead do seem to have promise, but just slightly missed the mark here.

Two people romantically negotiate differing worldviews and forms of life. Spoiler alert: In the end she converts to his more conventional existence and ideology so they can have and raise the child the way he wants, and, though she has foreshadowed regretting such a decision, her love means this isn't really a choice at all. (Her side doesn't accept converts and he shows no such interest anyway, despite the attractions of her less conformist existence.) Good to see Jeremy Gardner again.

Benson&Moorhead delivers as I hoped they would ever since I watched Resolution and was grandly surprised. Very atmospheric (it seems like it's becoming a trend), sort of original take on what's been done in movies, like Linklater's Before Sunrise. Women are the jews of the world!; the movie goes from hilariously creepy to awful sweet. I hope this directorial collaboration continues in the same direction.

The two leads and their chemistry sells the borderline ludicrous horror element but it's strong enough that I sort of wish it was a simpler relationship movie with no genre trappings.

2022'de #IzlediğimFilmler ; 221. Spring (2014) #BensonMoordhead ikilisinden bu sefer romantizm soslu "body horror" filmi.

This movie had unlimited potential and it fucking whiffed harder than I did in college, but I can't blame adhd for this shit ending. Weak ending. Weak as fuck.

The directors had proven themselves worth following with their first film. Now watch them cement it with this surprisingly sweet Lovecraftian story. The acting is wonderful and the lore is interesting. Thankfully it doesn't use all of its runtime bogging us down in specifics, and just lets the emotion carry us through.

It's always refreshing to discover a concept that might not be entirely new, but which is used in a creative and different way. The chemistry between the characters is there, and it's obviously important for a romantic story. There's also a lot of interesting stuff from myths that is borrowed here and it's utilized in such a way as to keep you wondering. A really nice mix of horror/drama/romance. If you want to watch something different, it's worth your time.

Оценка - 78 Общая - 69 Нарратив - 6 Сценарий - 7 Постановка - 6 Целостность - 7 Монтаж - 7 Выполнение своей цели - 8 Флоу - 6.5 Жанр - 7.5 Личное - 7 Атмосфера - 7.5 Эмоции - 7 Актерская игра - 6 Саундтрек - 7 Синематографи - 6 Визуал - 6 Звук - 6 Продакшн дизайн - 8 Костюмы - 7 Эффекты - 6.5 Скидка - 1

Benson and Moorhead sure do have the WTF? element down, and they do great work with meager means, but I haven't yet seen a completely compelling culmination of all of the elements in one of their movies--they just don't come together in the end.

Didn't hit it greatly with me as the Endless series did, I didn't like the scientific turned supernatural part that much, as I am used to much more sci-fi from these guys. It had good atmosphere and a decent air of suspense that just turned into romantic jumbo that I didn't enjoy. Not a bad one but not their best.

The first two-thirds are a deftly executed slow-burn mystery. The final third overstays its welcome and overexplains itself, although the final scene was really good. Smart dialogue throughout, and good, likeable performances from a low-budget production. I had heard good things, and the movie delivered.

weird thing about this is that although the intrusion of genre isn't inherently that bothersome, it causes the movie to start shitting the bed all over. the script, which i thought was terrific for a while, seems to peak early before sliding all the way down to an eyerollingly awful final speech about how Life is something you must Live or whatever, i forgot already. thank god the performances shone through (shoutout for the hilarious francesco carnelutti, who died a couple months ago).

There's a Cat People (the original) vibe to this I really like. Wouldn't have killed Benson & Moorhead to tighten it up a bit, the photography and the romance aren't quite original enough to propel it through the slower bits, but the final shot is amazing and between this and the (even better) Resolution I really want to see where they go next.

Very pretty, but also pretty dumb & the ending was hugely disappointing. Mostly enjoyed it but what a letdown.

78.500

A promising first act leads to some of the most unconvincing character reactions I've seen. I never thought I'd say this, but this movie would have been much better off without the horror elements.

A pretty strange movie. Not a bad one, not memorable either. The best part is by far that older man, what a cool dude.

More freaky than I anticipated, touching and funny at times. Overall a good movie I enjoyed watching.

Thought provoking romantic horror/sci-fi. A genre we don't see enough of! Kinda sweet too, in a Lovecraftian kinda way. #Netflix

30% softcore porn 30% backpacker travelogue 20% italian tourism commercial 20% horror. This isn't even the unique weirdness like something Cronenberg, Lynch, etc.. would come up with. This is just tedious all the way through with a completely unsatisfying payoff at the end. This recent trend of art house horror is getting old fast. When you see the love interest transform into a tentacled squid/werewolf monster along with her explanation it's more hilariously stupid rather than interesting.

A fantastic love story with the kind of 'The Man From Earth'esque subplot that, instead of turning it into yet another science fiction gimmick, makes it more sincere and beautiful. The best I've seen in quite a while.

Has trouble deciding what kind of film it wants to be, and suffers heavily as a result. If they had committed to being a horror film, there was certainly potential. The main character's reactions to certain major events are thoroughly unbelievable.

Beautifully shot, wonderful scenes of a lovely part of the world tie together a romance story. It has an odd dark sense of humour which I quite liked for the most part but strayed rowards being a bit too creepy at others. The romance itself is pretty meh, the fmeale lead is funny and likeable but the male lead is just a depressed loser mess.

Likeable main characters, beautiful scenery and an interesting premise sets one up for a very intriguing movie watching experience.

Who's ready to go to Italy? I know I am! The way this movie jerks you around is kinda enchanting -- from moments of desperately clinging to life, to outbursts of rage, to tenuous bromances, to witty repartee between would-be lovers, to the--whAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING? Linklater cross Lovecraft, indeed! And that ending is just tremendous. Movies like this take complete ownership of me on an atmospheric level. This isn't the best movie of the year, but it might be the most memorable. See it now!

Not your average horror/sci-fi flick, which is a good thing. I really liked the story around the girl. At first I tought; Oh no, not another werefolf movie but then it took an interesting turn. The ending was predictable.

This is a messed up version of Before Sunrise but I really enjoyed it. The chemistry between the leads is a little off (she is great,he is not quite good enough) however you can argue this is the point in - continuity.

An incredibly odd romance combined with horror images. It's interesting, thoughtful, and kind of sweet. Beautiful cinematography -- it would be hard for the film not to be beautiful, given that it is set in Italy -- and strong performances. Good little movie.

It's clear Louise is far more fascinating and way cooler (and hotter) than Evan, which makes the story run the risk of becoming some kind of male fantasy. Also, it's a good deal longer than it needs to be. However, in spite of these problems, it has some unexpectedly heartfelt moments, and Louise's one-liners are worth writing down (ex: "Mention WW2 and every American becomes a historian"). Plus, the horror aspects are startling and the mythological feel towards the end is enjoyable.