Drácula (1931) directed by Enrique Tovar Ávalos & George Melford

 I suppose I can come through with a Halloween movie review this year. This is the interesting Spanish-language version of Universal Studios' Dracula adaptation. The original English-language launched the career of horror actor Bela Lugosi, but many people note that the direction, set, and costume design of this version is superior. This is widely regarded as the "hotter & sexier" version that is more closer in that sense to the original. The gothic atmosphere played-up more and some of the acting is done better, but not much. Carlos Villarías does his best to try and match Lugosi, but that is what the English-language version has on this one, otherwise this would be 100% better rather than 80% better.

My Review of Chez Jolie Coiffure (2018) directed by Rosine Mbakam

 What a beautiful little documentary this was. Chez Jolie Coiffure is a cinéma vérité documentary about an undocumented Cameroonian hairdresser named Sabine and her salon that she runs in an underground mall in Belgium. The film is done totally in the salon and it documents the daily life of Sabine, her employees, and her customers and it commentates on the wider community of African immigrants in Belgium. For me, it is an interesting look at how immigrant communities outside the United States deal with the issue of immigration, trying to get citizenship in a system that tries to make it impossible, and how folks deal with their everyday lives in the meantime. This is the first film I have watched by the film-maker Rosine Mftego Mbakam, but it won't be my last.

My (short) Review/Impression on Squid Game (2021) directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk

 I suppose this will be a partial-continuation of my previous review in relation to the survival-horror genre. Squid Game has become the premier Netflix title and while it ain't bad, I don't think it is the greatest thing: basically it's a'ight. I suppose to me this serial does not really do anything new, but does a lot old. For me, it is the fact that it relies so much on stock-genre tropes and lazy stereotypes. The actual action parts are entertaining and interesting, but once the show gets into its rhythm it becomes too predictable and by-the-numbers for me. Even the "twist" was seen a mile-a-way. It's still better than As the Gods Will, but this would work well for someone who is not use to these kinds of shows. Teenage me would have liked this more than 30-something me. 

I guess the moral is that Battle Royale was the first and possibly still the best of this genre. I did get the commentary on the wealth disparity in South Korean society. I felt like this was ok, but had more potential than was delivered.