 Thanks for checking out this movie review video. So this is for the 2019 release Bliss and thank you very much to shutter for handing me out a screener for this film I believe this is going to be a shutter exclusive As in it's like exclusively streaming on shutter on the 30th of January Which should be when I'm putting this video out So same day now no spoilers on this because it's just hitting shutter and it's a pretty new film And I don't want to spoil anything with this if people want to see the film So up front I will say for me personally I Definitely see this as a film that that some people are gonna really love and some people are gonna really hate and I was a little Closer to the hate side although I didn't hate the film I was on that spectrum. I'm saying I'm a little closer to this side than this side So it's just not my thing now if you're big time into like visual Experiences films that are just mainly about the visual experience and kind of light on story Then this might be for you think maybe something like Gaspar Noe's Enter the void which honestly it seems like this film is Aesthetically pretty pretty heavily inspired by enter the void. So With that in mind you can kind of make an informed decision on will I like this film or will I not like this film And like I said like I could see some people just really loving this film I really can't but for me. It's not it's not really my thing. I want more story to it I feel like it was light on story very heavy on the visuals It's all about the visuals and the kind of immersive visual experience for the audience member And there's a place for that in film especially in horror I've seen plenty of films like that before so let me talk about this It was written and directed by Joe Begos who did the film almost human the mind's eye and Vfw which released the same year as bliss 2019 now I've heard good things about Vfw and I am planning on checking that out I have not seen the mind's eye which I heard pretty good things about and I have watched almost human But it's been a long time since I saw that so I don't like I remember enjoying it But I don't remember to what degree and I don't fully remember what it was about So I might have to revisit that one. We'll see so it stars Dora Madison Who also worked with Begos in Vfw so I guess they were kind of a concurrently working on these two films both of them So that's kind of cool And she was also in eight episodes of the show Dexter just so people know I love that show I think Dexter was great Especially the first two seasons and then as everyone says the season with the Trinity killer is outstanding as well What a ridiculously demanding role I put down Dora Madison She did an unbelievable job for the role that she was given with this. It had to be so demanding. It was physically demanding It's emotionally demanding. I Can only guess that she was exhausted after every day of shooting pretty much Except maybe the stuff in the very beginning of the film Which is a little more sedentary for what it is because this film once it ramps up It just goes and goes and goes and does not slow down barely at all And I just like while I was experiencing the film I was like she's doing a great job with what she's supposed to be doing and It's exhausting to watch her do this acting and I cannot imagine how she felt at the end of every day. It's crazy So the intro of the film gives you the idea of a crazy upbeat party environment It's kind of when they're doing the opening credits It's you know like flashing lights a lot of different colors heavy music loud heavy music with like a lot of bass to it So it kind of sets the tone of what you're in for it's like party mode in a way, but this is not It's not like a great party in the film, you know The dialogue seems pretty natural I do have to give kudos for the script writing on that Joe Vegas because the yeah the dialogues felt real It felt like the way people interacted with each other It felt very natural and just like okay. I could see people having these conversations I could see people talking like this. There's so many times with scripts that it feels so stilted It feels so unnatural and this especially when the delivery happens with the actors. You're just like But this film doesn't have that so good writing on the dialogue The film plays heavily on the age-old relationship between drug usage and creativity That's kind of one of the main things fueling the whole film is What happens when you're a strong creative person you need to create and you get a creative block I know a lot of people experience that whether it has to do with music art Film which I think kind of falls into art, you know Even something like this like me doing these YouTube videos or I do a beer craft beer podcast same thing like it's creativity So whenever you get like a block having to do with creativity It can be a big problem and this is kind of about that and then what happens when someone who has that kind of block seeks to unblock themselves with drugs and Partying and you know everything that ensues It's truly a movie of sex drugs and rock and roll not as much sex as the drugs of rock and roll But it's in there just so you know and there is nudity in it So I know some people just love to have nudity in their horror films I don't really carry the way so whatever There's so much strobing of lights in this film, especially earlier on when it gets crazier So you just need to know like going into it They even have a warning in the beginning that if you have epilepsy be careful because there's lots and lots of lots of strobing in this And it's not only that it's a lot of strobing. There's also a lot of shaky camera work and a lot of faster camera movements So if you're watching it you it could make you a little bit queasy to watch I actually was okay with it sometimes with a lot of camera movement It can make me really queasy kind of like the original cloverfield film, which I actually have somewhere over there Which I'm not really a fan of but the the camera movement with that was just too much This kind of gets up to that line for me But doesn't quite cross it but just know if you get queasy easily with camera movement This could do it for you. There's lots of slow motion that's used in this as well And that you know when you start seeing that paired with all the camera movements paired with all the physical acting that goes on in The film paired with the light strobing It's it's very very apparent that the film was mainly driven by visuals It's all about the aesthetics and I know plenty of people out there who like they love films like that like it Doesn't matter that much what the story is all about as long as they can sit down for hour and a half two hours However long the film is and see a cool visual representation on the screen. So The film is just stocked with characters that are crap human beings who think a lot of themselves and just live for excess That's what became pretty apparent to me about this film and for that reason. It's actually very hard to like anyone I'm not sure that you're supposed to really feel for anyone or like anyone It it more feels like you're observing a bunch of terrible people doing terrible stuff and You just I don't know for me for me It doesn't work with the film because I like to feel someone invested in the movie like have someone that I can kind of on some level relate to or Feel for when things happen to them or when they get into a bad situation be like Oh, no, but it was kind of more of like while I'm watching this I'm just this observer just being like Don't care what happens to any of these people and when it does happen. I'm just like, okay Doesn't matter to me right now. I feel like there are low stakes because they sucked anyway terrible people and You know, I mean there's something to be said for for forcing people to kind of watch a film with with no nice characters or relatable characters like it's it's a way of doing film and I appreciate it sometimes but with this film I was kind of like well, there's like nobody so Although George went isn't it and then how can you not just feel like you you want to like George went whenever you see him in anything So that's a plus He doesn't have a huge role in it though There's a moment where the situation is amped up Like way amped up and it's kind of like, okay, so where are we going from here? It just kind of goes it makes a big jump not in a bad way and then you're just like whoa, okay We just got super amped up. I felt like things were already getting kind of crazy Where's it going from here? So it kind of grabs your interest at that point but then it kind of feels like it really stagnates because It feels like they just start to replay some of the exact same type of stuff over and over and over again and just kind of Beating the same thing and that kind of made it feel like they were really trying to stretch the runtime Because this film is only an hour and 20 minutes. So when you sit down and you're like, well, there's not a whole lot of story It's all about the visuals and it feels like they keep repeating a lot of thematic stuff It just feels like they stuck a bunch of that, you know repetitive stuff in there just to pad the runtime Which sucks because honestly and this is always a bad thing for me The movie's an hour and 20 minutes. It feels much longer than that And at an hour and 20 minutes, that's on the shorter end. So It feels like they draw out a bunch of the crazy sequences a bit too long and I'm like, where's the story? Yeah, like I said, it's super super light on story. There is a story there, but it's unbelievably Simplistic and I just wanted more honestly Even though things are happening, it feels like the film is stagnating and consistently stagnating once you get past the initial portion I don't know definitely when you're a half hour into it Maybe when you're like 20 minutes into it It just kind of feels like there's not a whole lot of new anything going on It's just like, okay, we're doing this and we're still doing this and still doing this In a way the film depicts creativity is a very raw and primal thing I thought that was kind of an interesting take on it It's not like some films portraying creativity and art as this kind of high-brow like oh I'm such a awesome creative person and I you know pinkies out type deal. It's more of a It's very like primal and raw and just like a visceral thing To be creative and to get your creativity down into whatever medium it is whether it's a canvas or paper or video or You know a film reel or whatever So I like that portrayal a clear statement I'm sorry. I messed with my notes clear statements made that drugs are the devil or at least unlock the evil in people which You know, I'm sure everyone knows that that's actually a thing that you know either you know of someone or you've heard of someone who When they do drugs or even when they drink they become a totally different person and they become a very bad person And it feels like this film kind of plays with that and amps it up a bunch. So It's just a observation The film gets points for some really good gore scenes. There's some good violence good gore in it and I always like good practical effects and there's good practical effects from what I can tell they did not go the CG route So big thumbs up on that one So overall the film is about excess and the film is also that in and of itself The overly emotional acting the violence the strobing lights the shaking camera heavy and constant loud music and once it starts It doesn't really slow down. So really the events of what's happening and happening in the film and the construction of the film itself is excess the story is excess the film in its In its the way it was made is excess as well So it's in it's an interesting Observation that they kind of mirror each other like that. It's just not something that I enjoy to be honest The biggest issue with this film is that I care about nothing and no one having to do with it You're just observing with no feeling and no feeling of being invested And that's kind of the issue I was talking about for with all the human beings in this film are crap And it's only human beings in this film pretty much. So Yeah, the point is most likely this the point in this film most likely is about the inner hell of being a creative person and the painful struggle when you can't get it out of you and You know, I can kind of relate with that because I definitely have times where I Just feel like I need to be creative and there is that kind of block that's hit me But once I actually get past that and I'm able to either you know Put it on paper put it on canvas put it in film. However people do it It does feel like a release like getting a creative something out of you is very much like a release And I feel like this film kind of captures that pretty well And so I feel like I could kind of relate to that about the film just not any of the people in it And in a way the main character puts her whole self into her art and People who have seen the film and are watching this know what I mean People who have not seen the film yet and are watching this you will know what I mean because it's kind of like a you know It's a little veiled comment. So anyway, thank you everyone for checking this out Please give me your thoughts on this if you haven't seen bliss yet. What have you heard? Are you interested in watching it excited about it? Comment down there. Also. Also. Sorry. Are you one of those people who really just likes visual journeys with films? I kind of find like enter the void or like a film like Mandy That's another one that I know a lot of people really like because it's all about visuals I don't like it so much because it is just all about visuals. It's very light on story But are you one of those people and and why you know, like why does that appeal to you so much? I know that's kind of a stupid Stupid question to a bit to a certain point because people would just be like just because I like cool visuals But maybe it's a little bit more put your comments down there. So let's talk Please help me out. Give me a subscribe. 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