The Mill

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The Mill-360P

The Mill-480P

I have no idea why this film was even made because it is/was truly dismal entertainment that did not entertain me. The films subject matter and the one place scenery setting, does however serve the dismal story very well. I think perhaps that a good many people will not last through this film as it will remind them all too much of their own dismally dreary working lives, in a similar lack-less blood sucking company's that employ them. That is the only thing about the film that is a good point but, it could have been told in about 40-60 minutes. You don't need an overly long drawn out film to show you how working for a company or corporation is bad for your health, family life, social life and your well being. We are all slaves to the system because nobody has the guts to fight the system in one outcry of millions of voices and, this film kind of points it out to the viewer!

The dialogue written for this movie is atrocious. This feels very much like the writer finished his first draft and decided it was good enough. The language is repetitive. There are curse words thrown in nonsensically, which is the hallmark of a terrible writer. It's not done in a Tarantino way that blends naturally with the work. Instead, it's as if the cursing is supposed to do some heavy duty dramatic work, which it doesn't. People talk like no one talks. They act like no one acts. Everything is just a setup for the plot to move, realistic human responses be damned. The acting is some of the worst garbage I've seen in a long time. Let's start with the next door neighbor. I get that he's not on camera, but it was a really dumb idea on I assume the director's part to have him record it alone in a sound booth. It sounds like someone in a sound booth running lines. And is this guy an audiobook reader in real life? Because he super enunciates everything, removing him even further from the scene he's supposed to be in. Then the main character. This actor didn't convey a moment of honesty in the entire picture as far as I could tell. Much like the script told him to, he acted like I can't imagine anyone acting in that situation. Motivation seems so divorced from the human experience, I couldn't wrap my head around what he was trying to portray. The cinematography was right up there with the poor acting, writing, and directing. Dark and moody is cool. Dark and I can't see s damn thing isn't. Pink colored lights completely unmotivated made me take notice of the color and took me out of the scene. The inability to let us get s good look at the main character was an odd choice. Shooting a face in almost complete darkness while having eyeglasses practically glow was unhinged. Yeah, we're supposed to not know what's going on and be disoriented, but being unable to connect with the main character whose journey we are on is just another element that lead to total disengagement from this film. This is a must miss.

source: The Mill

The Mill (2023)

I'd no prior knowledge of this film but I was blown away by the concept and delivery. Its full of metaphors, but I love how they work. The way it's shot is dark and depressing and for a lot of people who struggle unless there's a load of mindless violence or gore it probably isn't going to be your thing. If however, you have a brain, then I would suggest some of what it is trying to convey should give you serious food for thought. It's like an outstanding movie length episode of Black Mirror and I came away feeling I'd seen a movie that had actually stimulated my curiosity and desire to question the point of our being. Excellent!

This movie basically portrays the future of AI for dumb people. It's like a really bad version of The Platform or Squid Games where a bulky Kevin Hart who claims to be super intelligent, fails at every turn to try and convince the audience he's a thinking human being for 1 hour and 46 excuciatingly boring minutes. For these kind of movies to work, they either need to bring something new or display a level of intelligence. Squid Games wouldn't work if it was just cow slaughter. I mean, what's the point of cheering for someone to survive if they're just going to do the same mistakes all over again? This is as bad as a train wreck could be!

The mill in 2023's The Mill is a form of manual labor for a businessman trapped in a workplace prison cell. If said businessman can't push said mill in a circle enough times, he fails to make his emblematic quota and dies. Yup, I couldn't make this up if I tried. I mean what sicko would put a dude through this torture when his wife is at home pregnant? Yeesh. Anyway, The Mill is indeed a demented and often psychologically bruising thriller. Why? Because it takes hostile work environment to an almost figurative level (figuratively). "Mill's" director is Sean King O'Grady, a guy who obviously watched the first Saw from 2004 and Oldboy to fortify his surly, captor vision. Providing lessened gore but fashioning enough black hat remorselessness to make your blood curdle, O'Grady may not be the most stylish of helmers when it comes to placing the camera but his dustbowl look and eye-in-the-sky villainy make The Mill the scarring trainwreck to end all trainwrecks. It's only in the last act when the twist comes that "Mill" loses a little dramatic momentum and becomes rooted in visual reality as opposed to well, actual physical existence. I mean just because a flick does a one-eighty doesn't mean it keeps the viewer fully engaged. If that were the case then everything released in theaters would be all things surprise, surprise! The Mill stars Lil Rel Howery as trapped employee Joe and Pat Healy as Joe's would-be corporation boss. Howery overacts a bit but has enough discipline and foaming enthusiasm to carry "Mill" with aplomb. As for Healy, well he shows up near the end, basically doing what he does best which is 25-plus years of solid character actor stuff. They are both in a pic that substitutes psychosomatic horror for generalized empathy. Edge "mill".