Mo-view: The Eyes Diary.

by - Tuesday, November 25, 2014

So I came up with a new word called the Mo-view. Which is a combination of Movie + Review, LOL. I think I should start categorising all my movie reviews under this label from now on, so that my posts don't go all over the place. XD

Anyway


Caught Chukiat Sakvee, which is one of Thailand's most talented's filmmaker's latest production, The Eyes Diary special preview this evening at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard. So much thanks to Clover Films for the tickets! It felt like a different style of Thai horror to me. Maybe because I don't really watch much Thai horror films. My last Thai horror was ..... what...... 4bia? LOL. How long has it been?! And not forgetting the fact I was sitting at the first row because it was free seating, *facepalm*

Okay ignore that. The Eyes Diary added a new dimension to your usual Thai horror movies. Not only do they not focus on visuals, there is also minimal usage of CGI which doesn't make the entire movie look super "fake". Instead, they made use of more sound effects and design to emotionalise the entire movie. But of course, you have to have a kickass storyline to begin with.

My rating? 7.5/10
Scare level: 4/10

Here's a short trailer.




So you have the dead girlfriend, the guilty boyfriend, 4 good schoolmates with 1 being stuck in a similar situation, and lastly 1 colleague who can see ghosts and is somewhat like a ghost whisperer.
The Eyes Diary is a romance-horror film that tells about a guy finding ways to meet his dead girlfriend again. Even if it means he would have to sacrifice part of him just to see her to tell her things he didn't manage to say.




I really like how the entire film was portrayed. Every scene was well composed, every soundtrack used sounds appropriate. I almost cried at one point, but I guess the emotion gauge just didn't hit. It was heart wrenching to see the protagonist, Nott, suffering on his own, attempting to see his dead girlfriend, Pla. This movie is slightly different in this sense, everyone but Nott could see the dead. But I feel that the actor could have shown more emotion in portraying his character. I think the guy acting as John did a better job. I was actually quite sad when he died, *cries* He was such a nice guy.........



John is the one on the right!

The flow of the story was well structured too. You have parts where you jump to flashbacks and suddenly back to reality again, and some parts that just fast forward to the future, waking up to a whole new setting. It's quite a waste because they have quite a bit of side stories to the movie, but they were not shown. I was, and still am really curious how did those people die. I wish they covered at least one of the main side stories, like maybe... what happened to Modta's(The 1 stuck in similar situation) family.



Look out for this doll!!

As much as they have jump scares once in a while, and extremely loud sound effects(due to the fact I was sitting at the first row right next to both the speakers and it was a small theatre), I really enjoyed the movie! It's pretty amazing to see how they managed to deliver the movie to tell a story without much usage of CGIs/visual effects. I think there was only, 3 scenes(?) with visual effects? That also helped retain the realism of the settings, keeping everything grounded. It didn't feel like, 'oh that's definitely fake.'



He's a nice guy. He really is a nice guy, :(

Everything felt so real, I was so engrossed to be honest.. It didn't scare me at all. Okay, maybe some parts. Because the sound was extremely loud, it gave me a shock.
Don't worry too much about that, cuz' most of the jump scares are during the first quarter of the movie. Just survive through that, you'll love it. Also, DO NOT SIT AT THE FRONT ROW.

Not forgetting that slight tinge of humour too. You can also expect the classic Thai cheesy humour in it. How can that ever be gone? I mean, it's there to make you feel at ease before they scare you with something totally contrasting, HAHA.


The humour was pretty good actually. It fits in well with the storyline at the same time keeping the horror level there. There are parts where it was so funny it kept the audiences laughing for a good 1 minute. You don't get that often in horror movies!


It is also amazing because the entire story didn't occur at too many different locations!! The whole set-up revolves around 4 major locations. And trust me, to make 4 different locations look different every single time you are there is pretty dang difficult. So I was really awed to see how this entire film was made!!

The Eyes Diary is like a household horror movie that will replay at least 2 times every year on your TV. You know those kind of Hong Kong films which they re-screen all the time? The Eyes Diary is pretty similar. It is not your usual keep-your-butt-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-getting-ready-for-a-scare kind of movie, but it is definitely a movie worth watching. You get your fair share of scare, but not overdone!

Of course there is room for improvement, but with such a simple set-up, it is a pretty good movie I'd have to say. Kudos to Chukiat Sakveerakul! Thank you so much Clover Films once again, I really enjoyed the show!!

If you love drama, romance and horror, what are you waiting for?


The Eyes Diary will be in cinema from 27 November onwards.
Book your tickets at Cathay Cineplex and have your dose of well-done movie-steak!

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1 comments

  1. For once, I'm reading a really good review from a blogger.. I like it. :)

    ReplyDelete

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