Death Note (Adam Wingard)

[Philip J. Fry]

https://pre15.deviantart.net/8b17/th/pre/f/2017/088/3/c/death_note_netflix_poster_by_w rathvenom-db3zszr.jpg

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5iOGZ1-oZs

IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1241317/) / wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Note_(2017_film)) / RT (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/death_note_2017/) / Metacritic (http://www.metacritic.com/movie/death-note)

Official website (https://www.netflix.com/title/80122759)

[Skitch]

Another Wingard win for me. I had a ball with this. General thing I'm seeing online is nonstop hate from fans of the manga or anime, and plenty of love from people who are unfamiliar or don't care about the changes.

I only know the two Japanese live-action films, so I didn't have a lot invested in the lore of DN. I like Wingard's style applied to this property.

[Dukefrukem]

Yeh mild nay for me. I was pretty big into Death Note in the early stages of match cut. it was my avatar for a long while. I didn't care about the source material when watching this though.

There' something wrong with the pacing here. There's no sense of time. Acting of Lakeith Stanfield is questionable and subpar at times. Mia's motives are way off and unrealistic. OK, I get it. She wants the power. But you're REALLY going to try and convince me the desire for that power is so great she's going to suggest kills Light's own father? The whole unknown name subplot was SUUUUUUPER dumb.

The only thing I REALLY enjoyed was Willem Dafoe's voice is perfect for Ryuk.

I wouldn't be bringing up the lack of realism about a movie with a demon that kills people when you write a name in a book- but would a principal really be that dense to ignore the fact that a student was on the ground unconscious? Or a teacher overlooking this observation to rummage around the student's things that are sprawled out onto the floor?

Then there was this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPulAk0nuT4

[transmogrifier]

Another Wingard win for me.

Really? He's getting worse and worse. You're Next is leagues beyond anything he has done since.

Death Note is horribly structured, poorly acted, and lacking depth.

[Skitch]

You're Next is my least favorite from him.

[D_Davis]

Three things completely ruined this for me.

1. The actor who played L. It's like he was playing a live action version of a poorly dubbed anime.

2. No sense of time or geography.

3. The female character's complete lack of motivation for doing what she does.

Like I said in the earlier post, I have no special feelings either way for the source material. The movie starts strong, and I was getting a little bit of a Darnie Darko vibe - and for me that's a positive thing. But with each passing moments I enjoyed it less.

[Dukefrukem]

You are next is my least favorite from him .

Mine too- though I haven't seen Blair Witch yet...

[number8]

I thought this movie was very funny but for some reason a lot of people don't think it's supposed to be.

[Skitch]

This movie was very funny. I haven't seen the anime, but I assumed that's one reason the super-fans I've read and talked to hated the movie. My neighbor HATED it.

[Skitch]

Mine too- though I haven't seen Blair Witch yet...

I really liked Blair Witch. Unashamed.

[megladon8]

Yeah I found it very funny too and definitely thought that was intentional.

My Wingard ratings:

You're Next - 8
The Guest - 8
Blair Witch - 3
Death Note - 6

[number8]

I didn't care much for You're Next.

The Guest is absolutely fucking great.

[Skitch]

Yep, The Guest is my favorite from him.

[Dukefrukem]

Me three. Top 10 of 2014 too.

[transmogrifier]

I thought this movie was very funny but for some reason a lot of people don't think it's supposed to be.

I assumed it was trying to be funny, but it really, really is not.

You're Next - 70
The Guest - 58
Death Note - 34

Part of me wants to watch Blair Witch to see if the trend of each movie being worse than the previous is true, but I think I'll just live in suspense.

[Ivan Drago]

You're Next - 8
The Guest - 9.5
Blair Witch - 8

Big fan. Eagerly looking forward to this.

[Dukefrukem]

Speaking of horror directors I like that haven't improved their craft- when the fuck is Brad Anderson going to make another feature?

[megladon8]

I creamed my pants a little when INXS's "Don't Chnage" came on.

One of my faves by them.

[Peng]

Taking a step back and looking at the overall story structure without the actual execution, I quite like how it reconfigures the original manga into a tidy story of its own (I rarely watch any anime because the kind that I'm interested in is already in manga form that I have read), and actually almost love how it ends. But... all the tonal whiplashes, some intentional silliness, and hilarious song choices tell me that this version's execution has high camp potential, but just doesn't lean into it enough. So the seriousness around those moments just clunk all the harder. It's kinda trash, but could have afforded to be trashier, which is a shame. MVP: Margaret Qualley, who somehow fits all these weird aesthetics and whiplashes all the way through (getting the feeling this is a minority opinion though). 4/10

FWIW:
You're Next - 6.5-7/10 (it's been a while; could go a bit higher)
The Guest - 8/10

[TGM]

The Guest
Death Note
You're Next
Blair Witch

[Pop Trash]

The Guest was quite good. I liked it better than John Wick which came out the same year I believe.