Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 21:46:26

Heartless

I'm sick of these movies where everything just turns out to be in somebody's imagination.Your led to believe what your seeing is actually real,then at the end it all mostly ends up being in his mind.This movie would have been better if it was a straight up horror,rather than a psychological thriller.

2012-05-24 12:12:20

Weird, scary & yes, it does have heart...

Watching Heartless I couldn't help but be reminded of Angel Heart & Jacob's Ladder, 2 other occult horror masterpieces. This is not to say that Heartless imitated those movies in any way. I just think that there is a very short list of quality supernatural horror movies and this is certainly one of them. The acting was excellent and Jim Sturgess shined as the tormented main character. The special effects were subtle but effectively grotesque and horrifying. The take on Beezelbub was very well done and a nice companion piece to Robert DeNiro's version of Satan in Angel Heart. I won't go on and on giving a play-by-play of what happens in the movie because that will only spoil it for anyone considering watching this for the first time. I will only say that this film makes an interesting argument that good people are sometimes capable of doing very bad things. I found myself sympathetic towards the main character and hoping that he would somehow find his way out of his horrible predicament. If you like intelligent, psychological horror that leaves some things open to the viewer's interpretation, this might be a film that you really appreciate. Great stuff for discerning horror fans.

L-Powell-1994 2012-05-20 06:19:40

Almost there

Philip Ridley is primarily a play write, and this is without doubtpresented in Heartless. You can almost see in every moment of dialoguethe preachy speeches, the moral values defended by Nikita Mistry'scharacter - Belle, almost acting like a chorus. I liked this, but itgrew tiresome for me because I like reality within film. For those who don't know, this is briefly based around Marlow's DoctorFaustus, or the German Faust folklore. It is the idea of a polymath, arenaissance all rounder who wants to transcend earthly limitations byselling is soul to Lucifer for 24 years of a life of necromancy. Visually, considering the budget, it's a masterpiece that I admire forbeing bold and exceeding my expectations, however, it was hard to seepast this considering the 'hit and miss' aspect of the story. I'malmost at a loss for words so I can only call it 'corny.' It tries tobe a horror, yet there is an underlining dreadful moral aspect thatwould be okay, but it's far too forward, and far too off putting toenjoy. My main criticism is the pace of the story, paired with the severe lackof ability to empathise or sympathise with the lead character, or anyof the other characters. Yes, it's meant to represent the downfall of aman, brought upon by himself, but who is to say we can't admire thecharacter, enjoy the road they take us on, and enjoy their ability torealise their wrong doings. I respect that some people did enjoy it, some didn't, because it trulyshows the diversity of the audience and how some people can see what ismeant to be seen, and some can't, almost like a reflection of the maincharacter, he see's what he wants to see.

2012-05-19 15:54:12

Things that people discard on church stairs, Volume 1

(movie review) It becomes hard to love yourself when you can't even look at yourself in the mirror. That is the problem one man is having, not to mention the oddities taking place around him. Gangs are starting to wander the roads and odd things seem to follow in their wake, and the more they are seen the more some are convinced of there horrid ways. There has even been a demon of some sorts that seems to be inhabiting those dark byways, and people are disappearing and it all seems connected. this is where a man that cannot face himself might find a way to do that provided he doesn't have to pay too high a price for confidence. a woman, self-love, family; what is it all worth in the end?I saw this on Movies on Demand, wathcing it on the Before they hit Theatres option. I add this because i know people add in comments before the movie's release, but I have not do that and I did likethe movie. Half of it is sad and half of it is terrible, and the atmopshere that owns it is bleak and filled with darkness. Couple that with the fact that the shadows seem to be taking shapes and you have yourself a tale in which Jim Sturgess finds the devil and has to decide what is important. And, really, how would you have amovie it we always made good decisions?As far as the movie goes when it comes to overall appeal, I have to say it was really entertaining. I did not know what was happening when the devil and the little girl with him met with jim, and I did not know what would happen to that face when he had the devil's word. It is shaped just like a heart, good looking and on the face, and it has an appeal to it that makes Sturgess seem cursed because of the way he carries himself and frail - really frail. People from the main characters to the love of his new life and the brother do well, too, and I liked all of it. It was surprising in the end.This is not a straight horror and it is not a tale that comes out easily. i like it for that and I give it a 4.8 or so, rounding it to a 5 because it is good. i like this a lot more because everyone seemed to become part of the story, and i did not feel like I knew the ending until - well, until.Thanks.

2012-05-16 21:59:03

Failed British faustian fairy-tale

Heartless is simply incomprehensible. Although intriguing to begin with and supported by strong visuals, thenarrative strays off from it's desire to be considered a Britishfaustian fairy-tale and enters the realms of just not making sense. Attimes it's almost as if they movie we are watching is not actually themovie we are supposed to be seeing - all the narrative forward motionhappens outside of the protagonists actions.I am told that the director is a bit of a cult favorite but i reallycannot understand why? Has someone recently changed the meaning of theword cult to crap?In fact, i give up trying to find good in it... it's simply terrible.

Manohla Dargis 2012-05-16 18:25:51

It doesn't go anywhere special or much of anywhere, though it goes there in appreciably icky style.

2012-05-12 06:48:42

Needs Clearer Direction

They held a good hand here. They just didn't know how to play it.Jamie lives with his mom in London's East End. His face is blemished with a large, heart-shaped birthmark. His being self conscious about this has led to suicidal depression in his past. Something is afoot in the East End. He's seeing reptilian featured demons in the shadows, and there are reports of people being set fire by by men wearing lizard masks. It seems someone has an eye on him and sets up a meeting with him and the Devil to get rid of the birthmark and make him a happy man. But there's a price.There's a lot to like about this movie. It has good atmosphere and a lot of creepiness to it. Things only partially seen. Things rumored about in the press. A goodhearted but vulnerable hero. The problem is that it is not focused well. It seems to begin as a social commentary. Society is breaking down. Gangs are killing with impunity. Guns are entering the picture. The city is going to Hell. Then it turns into a Faustian moral tale. Jamie wants to look and love like normal people, but how far will he go to achieve this. Will he kill for it? Then the end comes and I'm really confused. How much was real? How much imagined? What actually happens to him in the end?Jim Sturgess does well with the Jamie role. He's good enough looking but wears a hint of vulnerability. Eddie Marsan has a small roll but is his usual great self. All the others do stand up jobs. It's shot and cut well with a decent musical score. There is also good use of leitmotif. Had the writer/director Philip Ridley had better focus this could have been a home run. As it is, it's still a good ride for a mature minded horror audience.

Matti-Man 2012-05-12 00:29:33

Heartless explores difficult territory

I really liked the idea of a horror movie set in East London - where,coincidentally, I live. Seeing Jim Sturgess' character Jamie moochingaround streets that I walk on my way to work was a lot of fun. And Philip Ridley attempts to do something different with the genre,trying to mix supernatural and social conscience. It kind of almostworks, but like so many movies in this subject-space, it all goes a bitto hell-in-a-handbasket in the final reel.For me the ending is too much of a cop-out. I was hoping Ridley wasgoing to come up with a better solution to the story than what we got.Very disappointing for the "demons" to be just hoodie, ASBO thugs afterall. So I was left thinking that Papa B and Belle were just figments ofJamie's imagination. Now maybe that wasn't what Ridley was trying toput over, but that was what I was getting.What we're left with is a Scooby-Doo type story, where the demons ofBethnal Green just turned out to be "old man Clanton, the creepycaretaker in a mask."And, Philip, you'd have gotten away with it, to, if it hadn't been(etc, etc) ...

Tony Heck 2012-05-05 20:04:45

A slow moving movie about getting what you want, and regretting it. First half slow, second half better. Just OK. I say C-

Is beauty truly only skin deep? A man (Sturgess) born with a largebirthmark on his face has spent his life dealing with stares. After astrange attack the birthmark disappears. With a new found confidence helives his life like he's always wanted. His life changes again when heis visited by a stranger. The first half of this movie is very veryslow and I had to struggle to get through it. It picked up somewhat,and actually parts of it are really good, but it is very drawn out. Theending has a neat twist to it, but it's a struggle to get there. Thesecond half made up a little for the beginning, but this is not what Iexpected. I wasn't paying that much attention to this movie because itwasn't holding my interest the entire time, but the last half isactually pretty good. I give it a C-.Would I watch again? - No, I barely made it through the first time.

Matthew Turner 2012-05-05 08:49:06

Intensely weird and extremely dark, Philip Ridley's long-awaited third feature is a future cult classic waiting to happen, thanks to powerful imagery, an intriguing script and terrific performances from a superb cast.

Shadene Marie Lewis 2012-04-27 01:52:56

Face Value.

Trying my hardest to not give anything away I can simply say that'Heartless' is a deep, dark and ingenious film, that is extremelyunderrated.It is reminiscent of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus but depictedin a 21st centenary light. The film provides an ensemble of emotions,highlighting societies flaws, displaying the current cultures desirefor beauty and how we perceive anything less as different. However inthis case it is more a desire for social acceptance with the centralcharacter, Jamie lusting for a better life, one where he is free of hisfacial flaw. Jamie was born with a heart shaped birth mark on his face.Going trough life with no confidence and feeling little self worth hewould give anything to be considered normal. But perhaps the price fornormality was more than he bargained for...The combination of drama and horror make the film all aroundentertaining, but what really must be credited is the fantasticperformance from Jim Sturgess(Across the universe, Fifty Dead MenWalking)He brings forward so much in his performance it's almostimpossible to not sympathise and relate to the character.

nickniggler 2012-04-26 16:12:57

the forever changing idea

what a shame, this movie had all the potential to be somethingdifferent within the horror genre.. unfortunately it failed utterly tocreate any kind of empathy for the characters. the script has moretwists than 10 sherlock Holmes novels together and fails to create anykind of a realism therefore... now some would say , hey: but Davidlynch's films don't make any sense either and are full of symbolisms,yes, however this movie is not like that, it even lacks consistency init's inconsistency so : this movie is a bloody mess of a storybasically...i only recommend this to people who have some sort of an emotionalattachment to shoreditch, nice to see the ditch on cam...yet, respect to the people who made this it "looked" great. 7.5 out of10 for production...i'd love to see another movie made by the same people with a betterscript..the script was aaaaaaawwwwwwffffffuuuuuullllll

2012-04-22 21:00:20

Birthmark is making this kids life a living hell.

Birthmark is making this kids life a living hell. People stare and mock Jamie for his birth mark and never seem to accept him for who he is. Jamie's passion is for photography and he spends his spare time shooting his dark and depressing world, that's when he captures the image of what seems to be a demon and his life is changed for ever. The acting is good and the film making is on par with that it is the story that had me wanting more something just did not pull me all the way into this movie. Maybe my problem with this whole film is the English accents, as they are hard for me to get through. All and all this is a good movie that is worth a look so give it a chance for at lest not having any sparkling vampires or having some one strapped to a chair having something chopped off or mutilated.

Laura Clifford 2012-04-21 22:54:08

Writer/director Philip Ridley has created a visionary world where beauty falls way to a Kingdom of Hell that strongly suggests the work of British horror author Clive Barker.

Tim Evans 2012-04-19 23:12:01

It doesn't always work but when it does it brings a refreshingly original spin to genres deadened by formula.

patrik stash 2012-04-19 08:08:14

soulless,plot less,pointless,gutless.

I'll keep this short as i could rant for hours about how awful thisfilm was.If the director had any sense this would have made for a verygood short,there was only 15-20 minutes worth of plot padded out withscenes of Jim Sturgess walking slowly around London and showing off hisone acting face(its a half grin that he wears for almost the wholeruntime).With crap like this still being funded and praised it is small wonderthat the British film industry is on its knees.P.S heartless drinking game....take a shot every time someone says "oldson"and you will be dead before the credits roll.

avedicg 2012-04-15 00:31:01

A vision of a dark abyss

Philip Ridley brings us a new style of horror. Mesmerizing and twisted,Heartless tries to appeal to our deepest senses - fear simply being oneof them - by means of psychology. The "monster" in this so calledhorror drama, is not a monster at all but an inner pattern of whatmakes us humans; of what our feelings may turn us into.Perhaps the movie is slightly underrated because the point of view thatshould have been used to look at this movie was not from the outside ofthe box but from the inside.The performances were pretty good especially from Joseph Mawle(Papa B)whom i have only seen in Merlin, Eddie Marsan("Sherlock Holmes") andhis charismatic flavor and of course Jim Sturgess who proves once againthat he is a British star on a dark sky. However i expected somewhatmore from Clemence Poesy("War and Peace", "In Bruges) other than alovely accent.Overall, i give "Heartless" an 8/10 for the feelings they tried tobring up but failed in a small measure. I do believe that concentratingeven more on the feelings and less on the horror part would've broughtthis movie a greater rating. Nonetheless, it is worth two hours of yourspare time.

Travis 2012-04-14 15:28:02

Questioned my roommates for walking out....

on me during the film very early in its stages. But this proved all-toointelligent a move.Having recently met Jim Sturges after a screening of his newest work, Idecided to take a look back at some of his filmography. 21--good filmuntil it got TOO "Hollywood." Yet, overall, I'd say that "card countinggenius" film is worthy of a repeated viewing.Heartless? This is another matter entirely.Yikes. Being the film auteur I pretentiously scheme to be, I gave the flick achance. A very, very long and lost chance. Sure, Jimmy did a solid job;kid's a natural, and only improves by the film. Heartless ends up anindy-art-infused, many-genre-confused London slodgefest. The scriptappears to be written by 5 different people with not one on the samepage. Horror? Drama? Roger Corman-ode? Unless your taste in film is bashingALL that is Hollywood, steer clear. My roommates said enough just walking away.

miss-puppy 2012-04-10 05:32:30

A dark surprise

This movie wasn't what I expected. I am a huge horror fan, which is thegenre Netflix tucked this gem under. Normally I'm annoyed when I'mwatching something and it doesn't totally suit the genre I was after,but this movie was a pleasant surprise.The beginning genuinely had my nerves jangling due to the creepy-vibe,which is extremely difficult to do anymore. The saying 'less is more'really applies here: the growing horror is ominous, skulking, slow atfirst, and then slaps the viewer in the face with the true aberrationof the first real act of on-screen violence.After this, the tone and motivation of the movie seems to changeentirely. Though I prefer the more horror genre-appropriate beginning,the middle and end of the movie truly compliment the transformation ofJamie - our 'protagonist' - and create an interesting and enjoyablearc.I know that some viewers have not enjoyed the conclusion with itstwist-ending, but I believe that it suits. There are hints throughoutthe entire movie, and watching it a second time I found that they wereextremely clear, but not so obvious as to slap the viewer in the faceand ruin the epiphany moment. This movie is extremely subtle in manyways, and to me that makes it all the more enjoyable.Finally, the music... is absolutely amazing and compliments the movieextremely well. I noticed the soundtrack on the first watch-through,and now know that it was composed specifically for the film... This is(again) subtly obvious by the way it mirrors the actions and tone ofthe movie so very well. I would recommend this movie for horror fans that don't mind a bit of atwist on the genre, as well as fans of suspense, mental thrillers, andof unique movies. As long as you don't mind the dark tone and violence,this is an excellent watch.

Brian Orndorf 2012-04-09 17:43:14

It's a wicked film with convincing nightmarish imagery, but there's no story here to cling to, making this abyss of torment rather easy to disregard.