My problem with Smile was that the film would be much more intense and scary if the characters were allowed to just smile normally. That’s a frightening concept, someone you love smiling at you but you don’t know if it’s genuine or caused by a sudden impulse to commit violence. Instead they force this goofy CGI-looking smile on all the actors and it kills any fear factor the story could have had and turns it into a meme.
Are the smiles digitally enhanced tho? The only movie i know that did that was the truth or dare movie but ive read somewhere that the smiles in these movies are real so idk
@@ahjayzThese are actors exaggerating their smiles. I'm pretty sure the before the first movie came out the director or someone said that they learned from Truth or Dare looking so goofy
When you talked about Mars Express: that is exactly why I watch your rundowns of films you saw on this channel. I lost hope with films for a while, but you were a part of bringing me back by helping me find films that are actually good.
03:34 Smile 2 16:02 Memoir of a Snail 26:54 Joker: Folie á Deux 36:57 Strange Darling 41:56 Mars Express 52:25 Revenge (2017) 56:09 Uzumaki 01:01:45 ルックバック “Look Back” UPDATES: 01:05:33 Lumina Digital Release Date ?
For me, it's not even just Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet is my favourite of Adam Elliot's. It has a lot of sentimental value for me. Memoir of a Snail made me so fucking sad but so happy all at the same time. My mom and I found Harvie Krumpet randomly on RUclips when she visited me my first semester away from home at University when I had an awful flu, and we sat and watched it together. My mom is now going through an agonizing terminal illness and watching Memoir of a Snail was just such an impactful film for me because of everything going on with my Mom. I got to see it by chance in theatre here in Edmonton, Alberta, our local indie art house theatre was able to screen it a few times, so I'm very glad I saw it. 100000/10.
In regard to Smile 2: There is definitely a valid critique to be had in terms of the villain's omnipotence and the predictable format of the plot. One can make the argument that, in order for there to be sufficient terror or horror in a particular scene, the perceived threat must actually pose a serious danger at that moment. Otherwise, especially if the plot is familiar, the movie is completely disengaging as a horror concept. We know, due to the plot's predictable format, that the entity/antagonist will not and can not severely harm the main character until the end; therefore, why would we be scared? Once we know that there is nothing to truly fear, the scenes in question become almost comedic. I object to this point on the grounds that these scenes have merit due to the particular nature of the film's conflict, and that its representations of trauma give the scares greater fear and meaning. I respectfully disagree with this assertion due to its first premise. That being, the lack of immediate threat the antagonist poses during most of the scenes in the film. I believe that there is an unfounded assumption within this premise, that the danger has to be immediate in its potential lethality to be scary. Rather, I believe that this danger is prominent and worthy of fear due to its distinct nature. The entity/demon in this movie seeks to mentally break down the protagonist's will through an efficient and (in my personal view) terrifying utilization of the protagonist's trauma. This concept is unique in that it often requires an extended period of time within the film. Films like Hereditary and Midsommar, I believe, are examples of this (spoilers to follow regarding these films). The core conflict of Hereditary is the daemon Paimon's attempt, through aid of a cult, to weaken Peter's will until Paimon can usurp his body. Likewise, in Midsommar, a cult takes advantage of the main character's trauma, period of isolation (boyfriend was very distant) and vulnerability to gradually indoctrinate her into the cult throughout the film. The danger to the main characters was not immediately felt in every scene, but this is due to the fact that the damage was done gradually through psychological means, which I personally found terrifying. Smile 2 has the same core conflict, in my view. The main character is suffering from trauma due to a harrowing car crash and is also battling addiction (not to mention having to watch the death of another character at the start of the film). Both of these factors place her in a very vulnerable state and explain the efficacy of the demon's tactics in breaking down her will. The terror lies in the deterioration of her mental state and the collapse of her sense of reality as the entity gains more and more strength. Due to this, I found the jump scares to effectively combine with the overall direction in creating an oppressive and relentless atmosphere. If we understand the Smile movies as allegories to cyclical trauma and the downward spirals by which some may succumb to them, then the scares gain a deeper, symbolic value. For instance, the mother's supposed death in Act 3 is, in my opinion, an effective exploration of the main character's feelings of isolation with respect to this parental relationship. The entity, posing as the main character's mother, preys on the actual mother's cold disregard for her daughter's mental state in favour of making sure she that does not fail her perceived obligations, damage her public reputation, and cost money. I know, while watching this scene, that the main character is not in any risk of dying to the entity and, with hindsight, no one could actually be harmed at all. Yet, the lasting terror (upon a rewatch) lay in the psychological damage inflicted on the protagonist and the general feeling that there was no where left for her to turn; also, I believe that the gore was very well done. The jump scares within this movie are often based on the protagonist's trauma; they primarily utilize the protagonist's forced witnessing of a s****de and the car crash for which she was partly responsible. I personally believe that the movie and the antagonist within were capable of depicting these in a terrifying manner. The tone set effectively related me to the protagonist's situation and escalating anxiety as she bore the brunt of her traumatic history alone and isolated from support. The jump scares can be linked to traumatic triggers that pose no tangible harm, but are nonetheless horrifying to experience for the protagonist, and, I found, myself as I watched the film. This is not to mention that tone itself can be incredibly effective within a horror context without there being any actual danger. Going back to Hereditary as an example, the scene in which the mother finds a dead body in her car is harrowing and an essential aspect to the efficacy of the entire film as a horror movie. Smile 2's car crash aftermath scene works similarly. The trauma and pain depicted in these movies add depth to the characters' struggles and elevate the depth/horror to the scares within the films. I apologize if this argument perhaps rambled a bit, and I hope that I did not inadvertently straw-man your review in any way. In summary of my objection, I believe that there is artistic and practical merit to the jump scares and scenes within the film, despite the lack of immediate danger they may represent for the vast majority of the movie. As an aside, I also thought that Smile 2's soundtrack was very well done. Edit: Uzumaki was an absolute tragedy. The Junji Ito adaptation curse lives on.
This was super well written, thank you for expressing what is unique and interesting about this film (despite the derivative elements inherent to the concept). I personally thought the first movie was pretty bad and ineffectual, but found myself pleasantly surprised by Smile 2 in its execution and way the concept was applied to this high-profile pop star character. (Frankly, the execution was all the first one had going for it, which it more or less squandered by the end.)
In smile 2 the scientist character was real, and the demon kept creating phone call hallucinations to separate them. That night the demon took control of her body and brought her to the stage while mentally tormenting her.
In almost every horror movie, we know the protagonist will survive for the majority, if not the entirety of the film. The risk of mortality is not the only, or even the most effective way to unsettle or scare the audience.
Yeah, but in the film the "entity" literally does nothing except f**k around with the protagonist, it's not threatening in the slightest, since it doesn't actually do anything. A good comparison is It Follows, where the villain is also something only the protagonist sees, but that film actually is able to make the villain threatening and create suspense, since the villain can actually hurt the protagonist, and will kill them if they are caught. And it's not even like the Ring, where we know the villain isn't going to kill the protagonist for a while, but that movie at least gives us a ticking clock, which is used to create suspense. Yes, people, including Adum, are aware that the protagonist isn't going to die for the majority of the movie, but you need to at least pretend that their life is at danger at any point during the movie. It's similar to the issues Adum had with Sucker Punch; early on in a fight scene in that movie, the protagonist is seen to, not just live, but be completely unaffected by strikes and punches from these giant samurai guys, which gives off the idea that she's essentially invincible, which in turn makes all the fight scenes lose all tension, since we know she's f**king invincible.
@@eamk887That's why with a supernatural entity like IT they created a justification for wanting to play with the victims since fear makes their meat more tasty. But a spooky demon screws with the protagonist for an entire movie for what reason exactly?
While it's very unlikely that the protagonist will die before the end, you can still create tension from worrying about the how, what the protagonist would do to survive, or how much they'd ruin their life in the process. Without any sense of the limit of what the threat can do, the suspense starts to feel very arbitrary.
@@meciocio i'm assuming this isn't spoilery since it's a fairly popular horror concept: it's basically a trauma demon. and much like trauma irl, it can wreck your life but not necessarily kill you (unless you reach a breaking point). that concept can work, though i understand if people don't think smile pulled it off. that type of monster might lend itself better to subtler and more ambiguous horror.
I watched memoir of a snail at the festival in Annecy this year, Adam Eliott was there too and got an at least 5 minute standing ovation, it was absolutely fantastic and heartwarming; this movie took so long to make because him and his team had to finance it mostly by themselves, pls go and support it!!❤️
I don't always agree with Adam but his assessment of Smile 2 sent me. I thought everyone giving this movie a positive review was on a completely different planet
In response to your health issues - I'm not a doctor but I just totaled my car and broke my patella and they gave me meloxicam an some oxys. The meloxicam helps with inflammation and apparently is a treatment for tendonitis as well I'm not sure if you've had that one. feel better soon 🖤
Completely agree on the Smile 2 ending twist. Made the entire third act act utterly pointless and I walked out of the theater wondering why the hell I wasted my time.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on "it's what's inside" for me a fun watch that carries out it's premise though some of the editing felt like style over substance and the twists were far too predictable
@@DylanLCutshall its for the real joker fans who actually understand the character and the character’s history. And when i say joker fans i dont mean the first film i mean actual comic book readers who have followed the characters many interpretations. Folie a deux is a genius joker story.
@@DylanLCutshall there is no definitive joker. And labelling him “pathetic” is a bit unsympathetic considering his severe mental illness and trauma. But yes , most of the time the joker is pathetic why woulsnt he be? He’s a mass murdering psychopath who only wants to create chaos - the film basically makes this point very clear with the ending He is killed by a pathetic evil man/joker / Arthur however wasnt evil more of an anti hero Its awesome how he is the origin of the joker as his backstory is incredibly relevant to what that character/persona represents The real pathetic ones are the people who disregarded arthur and his struggles and only cared about joker , exactly like all the haters of this film crying because he didnt become full joker the world turned a tragedy into a spectacle and entertainment , so arthur did the same in his head to cope Because no one cares about arthur they just care about joker You want to be entertained by watching a pathetic mass murdering clown kill people and cause chaos? Then the jokes on you , but arthur basically wins int the end by dying as his true self - while the rest of the world (evil) continues on and will basically embrace this new joker. Thats entertainment is a song in the film for a reason.
For me the ending of smile 2 felt like the entity understood its days were numbered, that one character who knew how to kill him I think was a turning point to make it more involved in keeping the host in a state of hallucinations. It felt like the reason why a lot of the movie felt like nothing was because while he did torture her it also took over much sooner to get into a position to infect another person I don’t think it can infect more than one but now that it did it in such a wide audience the character who understood it was a parasite won’t be able to find it. It can only take one person it’s not a virus it’s a single entity so only one person was taken in the crowd
Think about it, everything after she met that guy was fake but there was a legitimate way to kill it and if she had agreed right there it would have died
"You get 200 million dollars to do whatever you want with a sequel and your plan is to just fart on everyone?" I can't believe the guy who made the Hangover movies would do this.
Smile 2 was uniquely frustrating to me. I've had a lot of different reactions to a lot of different horror entities over the years but the smile-demon got my first "ugh just fuck off already I'm trying to watch a movie." Ignoring 90% of the movie being fake, defusing scene after scene with :D gotcha :D this :D person :D is :D just :D the :D demon just completely ruins the character drama I was actually engaged in otherwise. I think I would have liked it a lot if it had just been about a recovering addict popstar and not a horror movie. Hope the main actress goes on to better things with the publicity from this, at least.
Yeah Look Back is fantastic. Maybe just maybe the academy gives it a chance since is short and give it the Oscar just because it’s short. That would be funny, but a justified win.
I love all your reviews, but I totally disagree with smile 2. But it only works if you fully connect with the character and her trauma, which is hard to do because she's a pop star, but I fully felt the dread and the pain and the horror she felt the whole time. Yeah most of the jump scares suck. I'm very confused why they chose to lean on those the way they do. But cinematography wise, I right it was beautiful. It constantly had me looking to the edge of the screen, and if you love music videos like I do, it is shiny and glossy like one. I saw the ending from a mile away, but imagining being surrounded by a crowd of people, and it's standing over you, and taking you over, but not a single person can see it but you? Terrifying to me. So yes lots of flaws but as a horror fan, I enjoyed it a lot. (Not a movie critic, just a fan)
I get what you are saying but they don’t really do a good job of connecting the viewer to her trauma or making it very meaningful. To be honest it sometimes feels like some modern horror movies use the “it’s actually a metaphor for mental illness guys” as an easy cop-out for having actual substance.
Wanted to say I'm glad you're not showing the stream chat in the videos like these, it's a very small note but I appreciate it when the creator doesn't have a bunch of random peoples messages going through the screen
I think you misunderstood Smile 2. Sky Riley was not hallucinating the whole movie or even the last 90 minutes. The only part that was a hallucination was from the scene where she was being surrounded by her backup dancers in her apartment on. It was maybe the last 30 minutes. If you're going to hate 99% of all movies, at least hate them for things that actually happened and not things you imagined.
tbf there is no clear point where the hallucinations began. You could say it's from the dancer's scenes onwards, I took it they began from the Pizza hut fridge till the end. I've seen reddit posts saying the hallucinations began when she tried her outfit for the first time. And fwiw, having the climax of the movie (mom d3ad, car chace, pizza hut fight) happen in a hallucination it's still very much underwhelming...
@@kunyoruyo it's implied in the film language that the moment the hand is shoved down her throat is when the demon takes full control of her mind. It visually implies it with the hand entering her body as well as the scene cutting to her waking up after some time has passed with no explanation how it ended. This contrasts all the other hallucinations which she eventually shrugs off and moves on from. This guy often goes on solipsistic rants based on misunderstandings. If you're going to break down what is essentially a subjective art over semantics and petty grudges you need to in the very least understand the movie you're criticizing.
So, Adam seems to misunderstand Stange Darling when it comes to the cringey scene with the cops as well as the couple. If you remember at the beginning of the movie, it mentions that this is a dramatization of events. So, we are essentially watching a movie within a movie. They were going for a sort of Unsolved Mystery type effect with the cringe dialogue/acting.
Look Back is based on a one-shot (single volume) manga by the Chainsaw Man artist; the director followed the manga really tightly, stuck to a lot of the same framing from the panels, but also enhanced it at really meaningful moments (like the skipping scene). Every frame of the animation was loving and unique. It was an amazing adaptation of a manga that was already a masterpiece. It's really interesting comparing it to the animations based on Junji Ito and how badly those directors misunderstand what's important in his works and seem fully disinterested in them. Ito has such amazing timing and framing to emphasize the horror of each situation, but every adaptation seems to feel entitled to completely toss up the timing of the horror scenes, adds NOTHING to them in terms of sound and motion, and doesn't seem to understand at all what's scary about the originals. It's terribly sad because his works are so interesting and have so much potential in a film. The director of Look Back read the manga and GOT it.
will the regular quickies come back or is this the new format from now on? because it's hard to sit through, I get you have your streaming audience who's chill with anything but I'd like to have a bit more scripted reviews
Some tidbits about Look Back for Adum in case he sees this comment 🫡 (spoilers): 1. It's an adaptation of a single volume manga of the same name, hence the runtime. The director also expressed that they really wanted to be respectful of the integrity of the original work, so they didn't want to add too much to the film just to make it longer. 2. The attack at the art university is based on a real life tragedy - the 2019 Kyoto Animation Studio Arson Attack. The manga even released on the 2 year anniversary of the tragedy. The killer in both instances wrongly accused the School/Studio of plagiarizing their work. 3. The author of the manga, Tatsuki Fujimoto, is a big movie buff, and he's especially a huge fan of Tarantino's works. In the final page of the manga, a copy of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is shown lying on the floor of Fujino's office. Both films show a what-if scenario where the characters are able to prevent the the tragic murders of the victims. 4. The story is also fairly meta, taking a lot of inspiration from the author's actual experiences. The 2 main characters' names even form his name - Fujino + Kyomoto = Fujimoto. So yeah, really glad you enjoyed the movie 👍 I'm huge fan of it, so I'm really glad you were able to talk about it.
i was going to be mad at him for not liking smile 2 cause there were some good moments in that movie but then i remembered how much i didn't like the ending and felt like it ruined the movie
As someone with misophonia, do audio setups allow for omitting certain unnecessary noises? I tried to listen, but the constant swallowing of spit between sentences was too triggering.
If you ever figure out how to fix your tendonitis let me know. I have a persistent thumb pain. I think it’s arthritis, but I’m only 31. I don’t think tendonitis is supposed to last years and years like yours has. My condition has lasted for months.
10:41 lol SPOILERS: not the "last 90 minutes didn't happen", everything after the "choreo crew" appeared in her apartment and IT shoved its hand into her mouth was in her head. Rather, what WE saw was in her head, what she thought was happening, but in the real world the entity was in complete control of her perception and movements, so to her crew she appeared normal. The entity allowed her to see the real world only on stage at the end. Before the "possession" in the apartment the entity was just creating minor hallucinations to disturb her and send her off the rails, once the choreo crew grabbed her, it was over. Her one and only chance to beat it was when she was talking to that guy who offered to kill her temporarily: you see she was getting phone calls from everybody while he was talking, but he never acknowledged the phone ringing, that is done to signal to the audience that it's not ringing in the real world, only she can see it because it's the entity is freaking out and trying to distract her from the only thing that is a (possible) threat to its existence. We get foreshadowing of that in the drug dealer's apartment when he is freaked out when he sees her IN HIS apartment already and says that he doesn't remember texting her. She and we, the audience, assume it's because he's high, but it's because the entity made the arrangements for him, to have a witness for the final stage of the act, while presumably distracting him with hallucinations, like it did with the lead in the last third of the film.
13:00 I disagree. I genuinely thought the last few moments of the movie was gonna have the MC die and the news was gonna say she went crazy, killed her mom and died of drugs (that was a huge theme of the movie) 🍿
no surprise memoir of a snail is good, you can tell the guy behind those movies takes his time with them, i trust him to not churn something out that sucks, my only complaint with his movies is that for me animation style is really off-putting, i love stop motion, but his characters just aren't nice to look at for 90 mins
i went to see smile 2 because it was only $5. i wasn't expecting much. there were definitely better moments, but the ending was so painfully predictable that i can't even give the film any credit. also, the main character's best friend was such a bad actress... it was actually distracting!
A predictable ending is fine. We all knew Frodo was going to get that ring into Mt. Doom, but it was how he got there. Smile 2 completely missed on that opportunity
@@flynnjaman that's what i meant by not giving the film credit. the audience is already aware that the monster can manipulate reality, so the film just dwindles down to watching scare after scare until we get to the ending we already know is coming. missed opportunity for sure!
Am I the only one that thinks the Joker movie was intentionally bad? It was a dull musical and they killed the main character in the end, the whole thing feels like a 'This movie shouldn't exist and I don't want anyone making another one so I'm going to do my best to make sue it never happens'. It's more of a sequel to the Matrix remake in spirit than it is the first joker movie
Hey Adam, after seeing you some time ago trying to 1v4 a bunch of web nazis about Critical Drinker, I wondered if you saw Jose's excellent video exposing him as a right wing hack liar
Smile 2 Spoilers - 10:56 Nah, you're just wrong again lol. There's a pretty clear part you can pick where everything from there on didn't happen, certainly not "the entire movie" or last 90 minutes. Pay attention. Why do you watch horror movies if you clearly just dislike them? RUclips views? It detracts so much from your other valid points when you show that you weren't paying attention over and over... subbed years ago for movie reviews, but I'm just getting someone that doesn't even pay attention to what they watch... gotta unsub at this point man :/
The idea of a court room drama with the joker sounds enticing. It could have been something. But instead we got a bore fest with really boring dance choreography and bad singing from Joquain Pheonix. I hate saying what was the point, but really what was the point.
Joker folie a deux is an excellent film. Nice to know you’ve sold out adum and didnt pay attention to the film you were watching. Sheep mindset going into it just like everyone else. If you genuinely appreciate good films and understand the joker theres no way you wouldnt appreciate or admire the direction the film took. fake joker fans everywhere who’ve never even read killing joke pretending like they know what the character should be. Todd phillips and co deconstructed the character and gave a genius origin story thats relevant to the character itself and in pop culture.(and relevant to arthur from the first film) Its literally like 20 times better than the first film. And what a stupid point to make about todd phillips “pretending” to be artsy now or whatever you said - thats a non critique and barely makes any sense - just because he made comedies doesnt limit him to what he wants to do as a film-maker and it doesnt mean he’s dumb either. Disrespectful as always adum. Expected though from a gay furry to be an angry sheep. No one apparently wants actual films anymore that are art , you’d rather praise and clap like seals at garbage like alien romulus or deadpool and wolverine. The fact everyone hopped on a hate train for folie a deux is proof to why we will only continue to get safe studio garbage and not actual big budget films that are real films If your a person who praised joker 1 but not 2 then you just dont get it and dont understand the first film.
My problem with Smile was that the film would be much more intense and scary if the characters were allowed to just smile normally. That’s a frightening concept, someone you love smiling at you but you don’t know if it’s genuine or caused by a sudden impulse to commit violence. Instead they force this goofy CGI-looking smile on all the actors and it kills any fear factor the story could have had and turns it into a meme.
Are the smiles digitally enhanced tho? The only movie i know that did that was the truth or dare movie but ive read somewhere that the smiles in these movies are real so idk
@@ahjayzThese are actors exaggerating their smiles. I'm pretty sure the before the first movie came out the director or someone said that they learned from Truth or Dare looking so goofy
It's not possible to look at it and not think of the "Under the Sea" bit
Too late Adam, I already formed my own opinion about smile 2 🙂↕️
Can't believe Adum gave it a yellow flannel
I just watched Look Back last week. Really love it, subtle and memorable story- and visual-wise. Glad you gave it a brief review and recommendation.
I like how every time Adum talks about HBO Max, he has to say Max in the (weirdly seductive) Goofy voice.
When you talked about Mars Express: that is exactly why I watch your rundowns of films you saw on this channel. I lost hope with films for a while, but you were a part of bringing me back by helping me find films that are actually good.
Timestamp guy, I summon you 🙌
Rahhh wtf no time stamps ;~;
Where is he!!!
03:34 Smile 2
16:02 Memoir of a Snail
26:54 Joker: Folie á Deux
36:57 Strange Darling
41:56 Mars Express
52:25 Revenge (2017)
56:09 Uzumaki
01:01:45 ルックバック “Look Back”
UPDATES:
01:05:33 Lumina Digital Release Date ?
Liar😖
Please. I'm not watching this rambling moron longer than needed.
If I made a movie, and a critic said in their review that they would rather be watching Blumhouse's Truth or Dare, I'd kms
I got to see an early screening of memoir of a snail with a q&a with the director! Was a great experience.
In Perth? Because I did the same, it was great.
you guys should kiss :3
For me, it's not even just Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet is my favourite of Adam Elliot's. It has a lot of sentimental value for me. Memoir of a Snail made me so fucking sad but so happy all at the same time. My mom and I found Harvie Krumpet randomly on RUclips when she visited me my first semester away from home at University when I had an awful flu, and we sat and watched it together. My mom is now going through an agonizing terminal illness and watching Memoir of a Snail was just such an impactful film for me because of everything going on with my Mom. I got to see it by chance in theatre here in Edmonton, Alberta, our local indie art house theatre was able to screen it a few times, so I'm very glad I saw it. 100000/10.
In regard to Smile 2: There is definitely a valid critique to be had in terms of the villain's omnipotence and the predictable format of the plot. One can make the argument that, in order for there to be sufficient terror or horror in a particular scene, the perceived threat must actually pose a serious danger at that moment. Otherwise, especially if the plot is familiar, the movie is completely disengaging as a horror concept. We know, due to the plot's predictable format, that the entity/antagonist will not and can not severely harm the main character until the end; therefore, why would we be scared? Once we know that there is nothing to truly fear, the scenes in question become almost comedic. I object to this point on the grounds that these scenes have merit due to the particular nature of the film's conflict, and that its representations of trauma give the scares greater fear and meaning.
I respectfully disagree with this assertion due to its first premise. That being, the lack of immediate threat the antagonist poses during most of the scenes in the film. I believe that there is an unfounded assumption within this premise, that the danger has to be immediate in its potential lethality to be scary. Rather, I believe that this danger is prominent and worthy of fear due to its distinct nature. The entity/demon in this movie seeks to mentally break down the protagonist's will through an efficient and (in my personal view) terrifying utilization of the protagonist's trauma. This concept is unique in that it often requires an extended period of time within the film. Films like Hereditary and Midsommar, I believe, are examples of this (spoilers to follow regarding these films). The core conflict of Hereditary is the daemon Paimon's attempt, through aid of a cult, to weaken Peter's will until Paimon can usurp his body. Likewise, in Midsommar, a cult takes advantage of the main character's trauma, period of isolation (boyfriend was very distant) and vulnerability to gradually indoctrinate her into the cult throughout the film. The danger to the main characters was not immediately felt in every scene, but this is due to the fact that the damage was done gradually through psychological means, which I personally found terrifying. Smile 2 has the same core conflict, in my view. The main character is suffering from trauma due to a harrowing car crash and is also battling addiction (not to mention having to watch the death of another character at the start of the film). Both of these factors place her in a very vulnerable state and explain the efficacy of the demon's tactics in breaking down her will. The terror lies in the deterioration of her mental state and the collapse of her sense of reality as the entity gains more and more strength. Due to this, I found the jump scares to effectively combine with the overall direction in creating an oppressive and relentless atmosphere.
If we understand the Smile movies as allegories to cyclical trauma and the downward spirals by which some may succumb to them, then the scares gain a deeper, symbolic value. For instance, the mother's supposed death in Act 3 is, in my opinion, an effective exploration of the main character's feelings of isolation with respect to this parental relationship. The entity, posing as the main character's mother, preys on the actual mother's cold disregard for her daughter's mental state in favour of making sure she that does not fail her perceived obligations, damage her public reputation, and cost money. I know, while watching this scene, that the main character is not in any risk of dying to the entity and, with hindsight, no one could actually be harmed at all. Yet, the lasting terror (upon a rewatch) lay in the psychological damage inflicted on the protagonist and the general feeling that there was no where left for her to turn; also, I believe that the gore was very well done. The jump scares within this movie are often based on the protagonist's trauma; they primarily utilize the protagonist's forced witnessing of a s****de and the car crash for which she was partly responsible. I personally believe that the movie and the antagonist within were capable of depicting these in a terrifying manner. The tone set effectively related me to the protagonist's situation and escalating anxiety as she bore the brunt of her traumatic history alone and isolated from support. The jump scares can be linked to traumatic triggers that pose no tangible harm, but are nonetheless horrifying to experience for the protagonist, and, I found, myself as I watched the film. This is not to mention that tone itself can be incredibly effective within a horror context without there being any actual danger. Going back to Hereditary as an example, the scene in which the mother finds a dead body in her car is harrowing and an essential aspect to the efficacy of the entire film as a horror movie. Smile 2's car crash aftermath scene works similarly. The trauma and pain depicted in these movies add depth to the characters' struggles and elevate the depth/horror to the scares within the films.
I apologize if this argument perhaps rambled a bit, and I hope that I did not inadvertently straw-man your review in any way. In summary of my objection, I believe that there is artistic and practical merit to the jump scares and scenes within the film, despite the lack of immediate danger they may represent for the vast majority of the movie. As an aside, I also thought that Smile 2's soundtrack was very well done.
Edit: Uzumaki was an absolute tragedy. The Junji Ito adaptation curse lives on.
This was super well written, thank you for expressing what is unique and interesting about this film (despite the derivative elements inherent to the concept). I personally thought the first movie was pretty bad and ineffectual, but found myself pleasantly surprised by Smile 2 in its execution and way the concept was applied to this high-profile pop star character. (Frankly, the execution was all the first one had going for it, which it more or less squandered by the end.)
happy for u. or sorry that happened
I aint reading all of that so congratulations or my condolences.
Smile 2 was too much like Smile 1.5 for me to ever truly get on board
In smile 2 the scientist character was real, and the demon kept creating phone call hallucinations to separate them. That night the demon took control of her body and brought her to the stage while mentally tormenting her.
shame you have to do so much legwork to understand an awful film
@TheShapeShifter20 if understanding this is "legwork" to you, then stick to transformers.
@ not a transformers fan. but I am a fan of good films, which this is not.
In almost every horror movie, we know the protagonist will survive for the majority, if not the entirety of the film. The risk of mortality is not the only, or even the most effective way to unsettle or scare the audience.
yeah this
Yeah, but in the film the "entity" literally does nothing except f**k around with the protagonist, it's not threatening in the slightest, since it doesn't actually do anything. A good comparison is It Follows, where the villain is also something only the protagonist sees, but that film actually is able to make the villain threatening and create suspense, since the villain can actually hurt the protagonist, and will kill them if they are caught. And it's not even like the Ring, where we know the villain isn't going to kill the protagonist for a while, but that movie at least gives us a ticking clock, which is used to create suspense.
Yes, people, including Adum, are aware that the protagonist isn't going to die for the majority of the movie, but you need to at least pretend that their life is at danger at any point during the movie. It's similar to the issues Adum had with Sucker Punch; early on in a fight scene in that movie, the protagonist is seen to, not just live, but be completely unaffected by strikes and punches from these giant samurai guys, which gives off the idea that she's essentially invincible, which in turn makes all the fight scenes lose all tension, since we know she's f**king invincible.
@@eamk887That's why with a supernatural entity like IT they created a justification for wanting to play with the victims since fear makes their meat more tasty.
But a spooky demon screws with the protagonist for an entire movie for what reason exactly?
While it's very unlikely that the protagonist will die before the end, you can still create tension from worrying about the how, what the protagonist would do to survive, or how much they'd ruin their life in the process.
Without any sense of the limit of what the threat can do, the suspense starts to feel very arbitrary.
@@meciocio i'm assuming this isn't spoilery since it's a fairly popular horror concept: it's basically a trauma demon. and much like trauma irl, it can wreck your life but not necessarily kill you (unless you reach a breaking point). that concept can work, though i understand if people don't think smile pulled it off. that type of monster might lend itself better to subtler and more ambiguous horror.
Remember the way Doomguy smiled when he picked up the bigger weapons for the first time?
I watched memoir of a snail at the festival in Annecy this year, Adam Eliott was there too and got an at least 5 minute standing ovation, it was absolutely fantastic and heartwarming; this movie took so long to make because him and his team had to finance it mostly by themselves, pls go and support it!!❤️
mary and max was so heartbreaking for me idk if I'm prepared for another Adam Elliot film
I don't always agree with Adam but his assessment of Smile 2 sent me. I thought everyone giving this movie a positive review was on a completely different planet
Smile 2 does become monotonous by the end
I watched King of Comedy on a whim, and I was like, dumbfounded by how much Joker took.
agreed I heard it was inspired by King of Comedy and decided to check it out and was shocked to see it was basically a remake lol
@mimimoon9313 a remake where they missed the point lol
In response to your health issues - I'm not a doctor but I just totaled my car and broke my patella and they gave me meloxicam an some oxys. The meloxicam helps with inflammation and apparently is a treatment for tendonitis as well I'm not sure if you've had that one. feel better soon 🖤
I'm glad you talked about mars express. I loved that movie.
I should check the snail movie. Btw imma be real Look Back is my favourite movie of the year so far.
With the bright eyes shirt!
I asked the 2016 question. The Handmaiden is a very respectable answer!
Don't forget that Jérémie Périn is the director from Truckers Delight by Flairs. The most cursed video on RUclips.
Completely agree on the Smile 2 ending twist. Made the entire third act act utterly pointless and I walked out of the theater wondering why the hell I wasted my time.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on "it's what's inside" for me a fun watch that carries out it's premise though some of the editing felt like style over substance and the twists were far too predictable
29:43 it was for all the non-joker fans apparently
@@DylanLCutshall its for the real joker fans who actually understand the character and the character’s history. And when i say joker fans i dont mean the first film i mean actual comic book readers who have followed the characters many interpretations. Folie a deux is a genius joker story.
@@anonymous4k4k didn't know Joker was pathetic in the comics though, but if so, that makes sense 👍
@@DylanLCutshall there is no definitive joker. And labelling him “pathetic” is a bit unsympathetic considering his severe mental illness and trauma. But yes , most of the time the joker is pathetic why woulsnt he be? He’s a mass murdering psychopath who only wants to create chaos - the film basically makes this point very clear with the ending
He is killed by a pathetic evil man/joker /
Arthur however wasnt evil more of an anti hero
Its awesome how he is the origin of the joker as his backstory is incredibly relevant to what that character/persona represents
The real pathetic ones are the people who disregarded arthur and his struggles and only cared about joker , exactly like all the haters of this film crying because he didnt become full joker
the world turned a tragedy into a spectacle and entertainment , so arthur did the same in his head to cope
Because no one cares about arthur they just care about joker
You want to be entertained by watching a pathetic mass murdering clown kill people and cause chaos? Then the jokes on you , but arthur basically wins int the end by dying as his true self - while the rest of the world (evil) continues on and will basically embrace this new joker. Thats entertainment is a song in the film for a reason.
My gf is the biggest joker fan I know and she loved It, maybe its a skill issue from you
For me the ending of smile 2 felt like the entity understood its days were numbered, that one character who knew how to kill him I think was a turning point to make it more involved in keeping the host in a state of hallucinations. It felt like the reason why a lot of the movie felt like nothing was because while he did torture her it also took over much sooner to get into a position to infect another person I don’t think it can infect more than one but now that it did it in such a wide audience the character who understood it was a parasite won’t be able to find it. It can only take one person it’s not a virus it’s a single entity so only one person was taken in the crowd
Think about it, everything after she met that guy was fake but there was a legitimate way to kill it and if she had agreed right there it would have died
I'll spread the gospel of Mars Express to anyone who will listen
Memoir of a Snail is coming out in the UK in Fenuary, I'll check it out then.
"You get 200 million dollars to do whatever you want with a sequel and your plan is to just fart on everyone?" I can't believe the guy who made the Hangover movies would do this.
More like a longie
Smile 2 was uniquely frustrating to me. I've had a lot of different reactions to a lot of different horror entities over the years but the smile-demon got my first "ugh just fuck off already I'm trying to watch a movie."
Ignoring 90% of the movie being fake, defusing scene after scene with :D gotcha :D this :D person :D is :D just :D the :D demon just completely ruins the character drama I was actually engaged in otherwise. I think I would have liked it a lot if it had just been about a recovering addict popstar and not a horror movie.
Hope the main actress goes on to better things with the publicity from this, at least.
like this new room setup
Yeah Look Back is fantastic. Maybe just maybe the academy gives it a chance since is short and give it the Oscar just because it’s short. That would be funny, but a justified win.
I love all your reviews, but I totally disagree with smile 2. But it only works if you fully connect with the character and her trauma, which is hard to do because she's a pop star, but I fully felt the dread and the pain and the horror she felt the whole time. Yeah most of the jump scares suck. I'm very confused why they chose to lean on those the way they do. But cinematography wise, I right it was beautiful. It constantly had me looking to the edge of the screen, and if you love music videos like I do, it is shiny and glossy like one. I saw the ending from a mile away, but imagining being surrounded by a crowd of people, and it's standing over you, and taking you over, but not a single person can see it but you? Terrifying to me. So yes lots of flaws but as a horror fan, I enjoyed it a lot. (Not a movie critic, just a fan)
I get what you are saying but they don’t really do a good job of connecting the viewer to her trauma or making it very meaningful. To be honest it sometimes feels like some modern horror movies use the “it’s actually a metaphor for mental illness guys” as an easy cop-out for having actual substance.
her trauma felt so shallow. and the fact it was all a hallucination made the events completely irrelevant. (also the cringe hair pulling. good god)
Wanted to say I'm glad you're not showing the stream chat in the videos like these, it's a very small note but I appreciate it when the creator doesn't have a bunch of random peoples messages going through the screen
I love you man you’re the best
Wait, Adum didn't see Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy until prepping for the Joker? wtf?
I think you misunderstood Smile 2. Sky Riley was not hallucinating the whole movie or even the last 90 minutes. The only part that was a hallucination was from the scene where she was being surrounded by her backup dancers in her apartment on. It was maybe the last 30 minutes. If you're going to hate 99% of all movies, at least hate them for things that actually happened and not things you imagined.
tbf there is no clear point where the hallucinations began. You could say it's from the dancer's scenes onwards, I took it they began from the Pizza hut fridge till the end. I've seen reddit posts saying the hallucinations began when she tried her outfit for the first time.
And fwiw, having the climax of the movie (mom d3ad, car chace, pizza hut fight) happen in a hallucination it's still very much underwhelming...
@@kunyoruyo it's implied in the film language that the moment the hand is shoved down her throat is when the demon takes full control of her mind. It visually implies it with the hand entering her body as well as the scene cutting to her waking up after some time has passed with no explanation how it ended. This contrasts all the other hallucinations which she eventually shrugs off and moves on from. This guy often goes on solipsistic rants based on misunderstandings. If you're going to break down what is essentially a subjective art over semantics and petty grudges you need to in the very least understand the movie you're criticizing.
"So she and her friend are chilling in bed...and then the friend turns into a car."
LOL WHAT
So, Adam seems to misunderstand Stange Darling when it comes to the cringey scene with the cops as well as the couple. If you remember at the beginning of the movie, it mentions that this is a dramatization of events. So, we are essentially watching a movie within a movie. They were going for a sort of Unsolved Mystery type effect with the cringe dialogue/acting.
Adum I love you with all of my heart
Look Back is based on a one-shot (single volume) manga by the Chainsaw Man artist; the director followed the manga really tightly, stuck to a lot of the same framing from the panels, but also enhanced it at really meaningful moments (like the skipping scene). Every frame of the animation was loving and unique. It was an amazing adaptation of a manga that was already a masterpiece. It's really interesting comparing it to the animations based on Junji Ito and how badly those directors misunderstand what's important in his works and seem fully disinterested in them. Ito has such amazing timing and framing to emphasize the horror of each situation, but every adaptation seems to feel entitled to completely toss up the timing of the horror scenes, adds NOTHING to them in terms of sound and motion, and doesn't seem to understand at all what's scary about the originals. It's terribly sad because his works are so interesting and have so much potential in a film. The director of Look Back read the manga and GOT it.
will the regular quickies come back or is this the new format from now on? because it's hard to sit through, I get you have your streaming audience who's chill with anything but I'd like to have a bit more scripted reviews
I loved Smile 2 personally
Hell naw
Same it was a fun time and I thought it had a nice style I was into it. Enjoyed it Way more than smile 1
Miss Scott 😢
Some tidbits about Look Back for Adum in case he sees this comment 🫡 (spoilers):
1. It's an adaptation of a single volume manga of the same name, hence the runtime. The director also expressed that they really wanted to be respectful of the integrity of the original work, so they didn't want to add too much to the film just to make it longer.
2. The attack at the art university is based on a real life tragedy - the 2019 Kyoto Animation Studio Arson Attack. The manga even released on the 2 year anniversary of the tragedy. The killer in both instances wrongly accused the School/Studio of plagiarizing their work.
3. The author of the manga, Tatsuki Fujimoto, is a big movie buff, and he's especially a huge fan of Tarantino's works. In the final page of the manga, a copy of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is shown lying on the floor of Fujino's office. Both films show a what-if scenario where the characters are able to prevent the the tragic murders of the victims.
4. The story is also fairly meta, taking a lot of inspiration from the author's actual experiences. The 2 main characters' names even form his name - Fujino + Kyomoto = Fujimoto.
So yeah, really glad you enjoyed the movie 👍 I'm huge fan of it, so I'm really glad you were able to talk about it.
Does nokyo or kyono mean anything?
Awesome bright eyes shirt
Somebody message me when there’s timestamps
No
Still the most boring reviewer ever... No loss in not returning.
Look at the description bro.
@@motionoftheocean7524 Why are you here then.
@@everettvonscott I left ! Stop commenting to get me back!
Yo the comments on the smile 2 ending videos are cringy as fuck lol
We're doing Joker 2, but this time it has 2 bad guys. 🤪
Smile 2 is more like promotional video for main actress.
i was going to be mad at him for not liking smile 2 cause there were some good moments in that movie but then i remembered how much i didn't like the ending and felt like it ruined the movie
As someone with misophonia, do audio setups allow for omitting certain unnecessary noises? I tried to listen, but the constant swallowing of spit between sentences was too triggering.
So, is Memoir of a Snail a sequel to Uzumaki? :P
I liked Smile 2...😔
you're getting slimmer 😮 👏🏻 healthier lookin boy
i thought "smile" and "truth or dare" were the same movie
They butchered Uzumaki but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was fun kind if bad
If you ever figure out how to fix your tendonitis let me know. I have a persistent thumb pain. I think it’s arthritis, but I’m only 31.
I don’t think tendonitis is supposed to last years and years like yours has. My condition has lasted for months.
10:41 lol SPOILERS: not the "last 90 minutes didn't happen", everything after the "choreo crew" appeared in her apartment and IT shoved its hand into her mouth was in her head. Rather, what WE saw was in her head, what she thought was happening, but in the real world the entity was in complete control of her perception and movements, so to her crew she appeared normal. The entity allowed her to see the real world only on stage at the end.
Before the "possession" in the apartment the entity was just creating minor hallucinations to disturb her and send her off the rails, once the choreo crew grabbed her, it was over. Her one and only chance to beat it was when she was talking to that guy who offered to kill her temporarily: you see she was getting phone calls from everybody while he was talking, but he never acknowledged the phone ringing, that is done to signal to the audience that it's not ringing in the real world, only she can see it because it's the entity is freaking out and trying to distract her from the only thing that is a (possible) threat to its existence.
We get foreshadowing of that in the drug dealer's apartment when he is freaked out when he sees her IN HIS apartment already and says that he doesn't remember texting her. She and we, the audience, assume it's because he's high, but it's because the entity made the arrangements for him, to have a witness for the final stage of the act, while presumably distracting him with hallucinations, like it did with the lead in the last third of the film.
joker 2 is a solid movie
A solid piece of crap, you mean
@CrashingWaves-dm6oi a solid 7/10*
@@teratoma. i took a fat fucking shit at work, thing looked like a football. It's much more appealing to the eyes than anything in Joker 2
11:37
Is that a jab against Aliens?
But seriously, I can't actually think of great sequels to horror movies.
Has anyone edited the scene from Smile to make it more comedic (maybe change the soundtrack, ect)? That would be great!
13:00 I disagree. I genuinely thought the last few moments of the movie was gonna have the MC die and the news was gonna say she went crazy, killed her mom and died of drugs (that was a huge theme of the movie) 🍿
Is that a Michael Haneke book set?
As a self-made musician only making music for yourself, could you ever use someone else's vocals rather than your own?
I loved smile 2 adam, Im sorry to inform you that your wrong.
no surprise memoir of a snail is good, you can tell the guy behind those movies takes his time with them, i trust him to not churn something out that sucks, my only complaint with his movies is that for me animation style is really off-putting, i love stop motion, but his characters just aren't nice to look at for 90 mins
27:15 is there a god...
Smile 2 is fucking awful but the old lady being body slammed into the table was so funny I nearly forgave the movie
Have you tried keto for the inflammation you’re experiencing?
I liked smile 2
22:52 Undertale be like
Damn I liked smile 2, to the gulag I go
i went to see smile 2 because it was only $5. i wasn't expecting much. there were definitely better moments, but the ending was so painfully predictable that i can't even give the film any credit. also, the main character's best friend was such a bad actress... it was actually distracting!
A predictable ending is fine. We all knew Frodo was going to get that ring into Mt. Doom, but it was how he got there. Smile 2 completely missed on that opportunity
@@flynnjaman that's what i meant by not giving the film credit. the audience is already aware that the monster can manipulate reality, so the film just dwindles down to watching scare after scare until we get to the ending we already know is coming. missed opportunity for sure!
Smile 2 was such a let down
Am I the only one that thinks the Joker movie was intentionally bad? It was a dull musical and they killed the main character in the end, the whole thing feels like a 'This movie shouldn't exist and I don't want anyone making another one so I'm going to do my best to make sue it never happens'. It's more of a sequel to the Matrix remake in spirit than it is the first joker movie
smile 2 was so good though 😭
I haven't seen either Smile movie, but I already know that the movies would be infinitely better if the characters didn't have that stupid ass smile.
Hey Adam, after seeing you some time ago trying to 1v4 a bunch of web nazis about Critical Drinker, I wondered if you saw Jose's excellent video exposing him as a right wing hack liar
I liked Joker 2.
for me, the stumble at the end of strange darling felt like someone saying, unprompted, that "the metoo movement went too far" and ruining the vibe
it did go too far, enjoy trump as president.
@@ch4rm4 you sound actually insane
Smile 2 Spoilers - 10:56 Nah, you're just wrong again lol. There's a pretty clear part you can pick where everything from there on didn't happen, certainly not "the entire movie" or last 90 minutes. Pay attention. Why do you watch horror movies if you clearly just dislike them? RUclips views?
It detracts so much from your other valid points when you show that you weren't paying attention over and over... subbed years ago for movie reviews, but I'm just getting someone that doesn't even pay attention to what they watch... gotta unsub at this point man :/
you got lazy bro... not even yms reviews anymore... not even quickies?
I walked out of Smile 2, I was baffled to see how well it was received online
i absolutely adored Joker 2. i don't understand the hate.
Me too
It sucked.
Bait
Its very easy to understand the hate. You just choose not to.
@@uyeah1234yeah I definitely get the hate, I just think it’s dumb
The idea of a court room drama with the joker sounds enticing. It could have been something. But instead we got a bore fest with really boring dance choreography and bad singing from Joquain Pheonix. I hate saying what was the point, but really what was the point.
Such lazy content 😢. Bummer
Bad taste
Grrr, I hate when a person has different opinions to mine! Everyone should agree with me, otherwise they have bad taste!
good movie. "I kick ass for the lord!"
Joker folie a deux is an excellent film. Nice to know you’ve sold out adum and didnt pay attention to the film you were watching. Sheep mindset going into it just like everyone else.
If you genuinely appreciate good films and understand the joker theres no way you wouldnt appreciate or admire the direction the film took.
fake joker fans everywhere who’ve never even read killing joke pretending like they know what the character should be. Todd phillips and co deconstructed the character and gave a genius origin story thats relevant to the character itself and in pop culture.(and relevant to arthur from the first film)
Its literally like 20 times better than the first film. And what a stupid point to make about todd phillips “pretending” to be artsy now or whatever you said - thats a non critique and barely makes any sense - just because he made comedies doesnt limit him to what he wants to do as a film-maker and it doesnt mean he’s dumb either. Disrespectful as always adum. Expected though from a gay furry to be an angry sheep.
No one apparently wants actual films anymore that are art , you’d rather praise and clap like seals at garbage like alien romulus or deadpool and wolverine.
The fact everyone hopped on a hate train for folie a deux is proof to why we will only continue to get safe studio garbage and not actual big budget films that are real films
If your a person who praised joker 1 but not 2 then you just dont get it and dont understand the first film.
it sucks ass, get better taste. garbage movie.
Genuinely the most pathetic comment ive seen in a while.
Cool story bro
Thing long
Me no read
@@CrashingWaves-dm6oi takes 30 seconds to read if you have a normal functioning brain