RinoTheBouncer Reviews

The Handmaid's Tale: Liars (2019) Season 3, Episode 11

The Show's Absolute Best Episode to Date!

[10/10 · 2 August 2019]

This is hands-down the best episode to date. Not only because I'm happy to see Fred arrested, but it's an episode where big things happened, there's June going places, old plotlines continuing like the five Marthas she rescued, killing Winslow, Fred and Serena talking about him being sterile, showing some form of affection towards one another and their complex relationships and how Fred took away what she loved most, being a writer.

We also got to see June work with an established resistance of Marthas, showing the complexity of Lawrence as a character and his struggle to choose between risking his wife's safety and keeping a promise. There were things going on, not just random flash backs that we can do without, not just internal monologues, not the same house or street and store for 45 mins, not the same hospital. That's what I love. I love the different scenery and the things that make me tense, not just torture and submission.

The Gracefield Incident (2017)

Entertaining

[10/10 · 9 August 2017]

I watched this with little to no expectations and the early parts played out in a pretty predictable and cliché cabin in the woods kinda story, but it surprised me towards the end. It's nice. I don't think these reviews and ratings are fair. I've seen so many horrible found footage horror and sci-fi movies but this one's good.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016)

A Masterpiece In Pixels

[10/10 · 5 September 2016]

Video Game-based movies do not often turn out as good as they promise to be, and this always made me think that CGI is always the best way to bring video game stories to the big screen.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is great example of how CGI does a brilliant job in capturing the world of Final Fantasy XV in the best way possible. The cast is what's most remarkable to me. Most Final Fantasy games present a cast that is very much inspired by Japanese culture and Anime. For the first time, we see a diverse cast that feels rather universal than from one specific culture.

To me, the cast surpassed the ones presented in the video game by miles and miles. I wasn't really into the cast of Final Fantasy XV from the beginning, except for Gladio. But here, the cast was wonderful by every mean.

The world is absolutely amazing, the CGI is top-notch, the story is very interesting and sets the foundation of what could be a brilliant trilogy, or more.

My only complaint would be that I was hoping to see more of the world, instead of being restricted to few places, but I believe the game will handle that.

All in all, the movie is a brilliant work of art that critiques couldn't be more wrong about giving it such low scores. Try it for yourself and judge.

Carrie (2013)

A Great Film with Little Imprefections

[10/10 · 6 December 2013]

Carrie is an important film to today's generation. Forget the supernatural elements and look at it as a message. Today, bullying have become a serious case for many people and now that irresponsible teenagers use social media as a way to attack anybody they desire without facing any consequences, not to mention how some students physically bully their 'different' classmates just because they're different and eventually get away with it because of their 'powerful' and defensive parents or by teaming up with other students to justify the act or cover up or candy- coat the truth.

Another side of the story is the victim's parents. Sometimes life at home can be really difficult for a misunderstood teenager. When the parents have completely different beliefs or ideas from you and they end up forcing you to become what they want you to be and it ends up hurting your image at school, among your colleagues or your own perception of yourself and self-confidence.

In this film, Carrie is a beautiful young lady with an religiously-insane mother who considers a lot of natural and normal things to be sinful and forces her daughter to pray and beg for forgiveness even for having her own menstrual cycle!

The complete difference between life at home and people at school makes Carrie torn apart between two worlds in addition to her special supernatural, telekinetic powers that she's born with, creates an atmosphere of tension, insecurity and seclusion for the beautiful young girl. She is not a criminal and there's indeed nothing wrong with her. She is a victim of her mother and her society. The mother who pictures the world to her and her own existence as a sin that she should forever beg for forgiveness for and society and specifically several classmates of hers who broke her psyche apart and creating a monster out of a beautiful young white flower.

The film portrays how something so innocent and beautiful can be pushed to their limits to give birth to a monster who cannot differentiate between the kind and the cruel people around her.

If we try to translate this film to a more realistic version of it, it can be easily understood. Let's say the real-life Carrie is a lonely girl at school, some sort of an outcast with parents who have high expectations for her, students bullying her and her need to be normal with other people who cannot accept her among them that she can no longer believe that any form of kindness is sincere or out-of-love and thinks that behind every action there's a conspiracy and that's of course, not her fault but her environment's fault.

Now talking about this film in comparison to it's previous versions, do not compare. Watch this is a new, original movie. You will not be scared of this one more than the old one because when you saw the old one, you didn't know what to expect, let alone being much young with much less experience with the horror, psychological, supernatural thriller genre. It is also not a film about a girl that kills people, nor a girl that has special powers. It's more about a girl who is victim of her society and the effect of bullying and society on an innocent being.

Watch it with an open heart and mind.

The Box (I) (2009)

A Thrilling Masterpiece

[10/10 · 6 December 2013]

First of all, this is my very first review. I was encouraged to start writing reviews because I was shocked to see that this film got this shockingly low rating.

The film is one of the most remarkable and thrilling films you'll ever see. Though, I admit that despite the extremely interesting premises of it, the story doesn't quench the thirst it gives you in the first hour of it. However, there aren't many movies that offer such an intriguing plot, very good acting and an idea that can be interpreted in a religious or a scientific way.

The film isn't the typical conspiracy theory flick nor the predictable thriller that you've seen tens of other films like it. It's not perfect but it's remarkable and definitely worth watching. I've watched it in cinemas when it came out back in 2009 and I think I've watched it about 5 times afterward, the last time being yesterday, afternoon.

Do not pay attention to the ratings and do not expect the greatest flick of all time. Just watch it with an empty mind and let the film fill you in with it's story and again, the film is quite symbolic so don't be quick to judge it. It's one of those films that you'll watch and immediately go online to read what other people had to say about it's story. I don't want to reveal much here so you can enjoy it yourself.