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Reviews
The Breach (2022)
Natalie Brown shines in a film that is dull
The breach had all the makings of an excellent cult horror feature, but likely will not reach those heights.
A trio of small towners go to explore a house on the other side of a river to get insights into the grisly death of a scientist. What they find gets progressively worse until things all come to a head.
Unfortunately for the film nobody can act, save for Natalie Brown who does the best she can in the thankless role of the scientists estranged wife looking for both her missing husband and their daughter.
I was about to turn the film off until she stepped into it and elevated the film while she was on screen.
The special effects are decent, but they don't save the film from feeling unbearably hokey and melodramatic versus tense and scary.
The writing itself leaves a lot to be desired, I wanted to like this movie, some of the plot was interesting. Occult underlinings, physics, dimensional travel, I feel maybe reading the book would have been a better experience.
The music, is not great to put it kindly, it feels very out of place and far too melodramatic at times, detracting from the film instead of adding to it.
Perhaps Rue Morgues second attempt at a film will be better. Sorry guys, this one's a miss.
5 stars for Natalie Brown and the effects.
See No Evil 2 (2014)
Better on a rewatch, but not saying much
This is not gonna win any awards, but it is a decent film to throw on if you have nothing better to do.
A sequel to See No evil, picks up the same night after the first one ends, a young mortician (harris) is working a night shift on her birthday when her friends (Simmons, Isabelle, Holt & Madjoub) surprise her to celebrate her birthday.
What begins as a friendly little mixer for Amy's coworkers (Erickson, Ecklund) and her friends, turns into them attempting to escape for their lives when Jacob Goodnight (Kane) rises from the dead and begins to blandly murder the unlucky few who he has since trapped in the overwhelmingly large 10 story morgue, after they placed all their phones in a locked vault.
Split up and fighting for their lives they are all killed off in a very beige manner before the film comes to its eye popping conclusion.
The film is hit or miss for sure, and many times it's a miss. The music is dreadful, with the exception of a chase scene which pretty much involves the entirety of the cast, the only real moment of tension.
The gore is barely there, save for 2 kills, and the eye gouging good time from the first film doesn't happen until the films last 20 seconds.
Isabelle is the best character, once the killing begins, before that she is absolutely dreadful in her role. But she becomes a Mia Goth "I'm a Starrrrr."
The film is fun, albeit forgettable.
This reminds me that you can have one of the best horror casts out there and still fumble the ball.
On rewatch it wasn't as disappointing, but don't expect a 3rd one, the quality diminished dramatically between 1&2.
Danielle, Chelan and Isabelle deserve another go around though, one where they can be utilized properly!
The Idol (2023)
Euphoria lite -- minus the redeeming factors
The show stars the weekend and Lily-Rose Depp in a series about an aspiring pop star who falls in love with a nightclub owner and willingly degrades herself for him.
I see why Seimetz left the series, she has far too much integrity to be part of a series that was initially imagined with a more feminist view point, now it definitely has the opposite pov.
Let's be clear: the weekend can not act, in any sort of capacity, and Lily-Rose can only kind of act, am I interested in continuing the show, no, it took me a while to get into Euphoria but this show had no redeeming qualities except for Jane Adams. She can act and is always excellent, however the show she is situated in.. isn't good.
I'm only rating it 1 for her.
Skinamarink (2022)
Simply.. not great
If you like long, unnecessary linger shots of walls, carpets, and especially strange ones if ceilings, than this film has it all for you.
Two children in a house experience something spooky.. but the audience does not. Despite a couple of jump scares that are so loud you may feel your soul leave your body, this film was so boring my friend and I wanted to shut it off.
Can't speak much on any of the acting, there is very little in the way of dialogue, or story.
A child falls and many interpretations are that he is dying after being put to bed, or is in a coma. The kid must have watched the movie he was in.
Honestly the aesthetic was interesting in the film, but there was almost no plot, and far too many shots of walls and ceilings, almost the first 25 minutes are random shots or walls and ceilings.. I've read many pretentious reviews of this film hyping it up.
Sadly it's as disappointing, if not more so, than the outwaters.
The guy who made it was from my city so it's the sole reason I watched it all.
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Evil dead forgettably rises from the grave
Now, don't let the title mislead you, the film has a moody vibe, Sutherland and Sullivan are very capable leads and the editing and sound is solid.
The film itself centres on two sisters who find their family up against a rising evil that's possessing its way through the high rise apartment of Sutherland's character.
Sutherland and the actress who played the youngest daughter deserve the most credit as they carried this film, whole heartedly. While Sullivan was good for her role, she was not a standout as her character is rather blasé.
The good, is the first 25 minutes of the film, after that it becomes a series of shots that the trailer skimmed out of the film and you realize you've essentially seen the whole film.
While there are scenes of strong violence, it is NOT a the gore fest that other reviews are telling you, it's a major back step in that category from the the 2013 reboot/sequel.
The problem is, you honestly have zero investment in anybody. The film goes straight to the point but that leaves you unconcerned for anybody.
The deaths are kind of laughable even and the conclusion of the film, uses an homage line from the original series and it does not pay off.
The film was at its best before Sutherlands character returns to her apartment after going to do laundry and begins to falter from that point onwards.
A badly CGI eyeball evoked a lot of laughter in the film, and beyond Sutherland, the deadites have no personality, and evoke no fear from the viewer. Though I do applaud the film for taking out the kid characters, doesn't happen often, and it is onscreen for the most part. They didn't shy away from that.
It is beautifully shot, and tightly directed but it's sort of like a no name ice cream in the summer, it hits the spot but it's definitely no magnum and the hype alluded to it being the magnum.
Lower expectations and you'll have a good time, but a time you will forget pretty quick.
The Night Agent (2023)
For what it is, it's great
I'm not sure what everyone expected with this show, it was super enjoyable. Fleshed out villains who could blur the line, solid actors, characters you could root for.
The action begins 1/4 through the first episode and doesn't conclude until 3/4 into the last episode. Once it starts going it does not let up.
The series held my attention through out, and it was a fun, entertaining ride. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this series as I tend to enjoy more cerebral series'.
This won't be for everyone but if you are seeking an action packed conspiracy thriller that leaves no stone unturned and thoroughly entertains, then look no further.
Highly recommend!
The Devil Conspiracy (2022)
Entertaining and enjoyable
This was a strange one, but in a very fun and entertaining way, it takes itself very seriously as a biblical horror scifi feature, except there are moments of levity peppered throughout with the occasional oddly placed joke, but in truth I quite enjoyed that.
The acting is hit or miss, the actress playing Liz is the stand out of the entire film, the major antagonist, even more so lucifer himself.
The film centres on a university student who attends a viewing of the shroud of Turin who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time where she witnesses several murders and is taken hostage by a crew of lucifer worshippers, looking to bring him back in a mortal container using dna from the shroud of Turin itself.
An archangel, Michael, assumes the body of her dispatched friend who is looking to hunt down the people who have the shroud and put a stop to whatever luciferian shenanigans they are up to.
Of course the student is a perfect match to host the fertilized egg and soul of lucifer crossbred with Jesus' dna. And while that sounds ridiculous don't worry, that is an important plot point but it doesn't get spoken of so so often.
The film is serious in tone but it is not frightening, there was one successful jump scare the rest is more action flick in tone. There's some good gore scenes and kills, and it is a film I found worth watching,
Some of the cgi is a bit off, but mostly it is a beautiful film to look at, the score itself is also a massive step up for the film.
A strange, entertaining flick about absolute good versus evil, it's rated a lot lower than I feel it ought to be.
Usually when a film is rated a 4.4 (between 4-5) I find it's because the film is very hit or miss. For me it's a hit and I'd reccomend it to people who enjoy that specific the devil wants to rule the world while god tries and stops him sub genre of film.
The Order (2019)
Decent enough series hampered by its lead
Let's state the obvious: Jack, and the actor portraying him, brings nothing natural or genuine to the series or the role.
His acting is what brings the show down in every single scene.
The rest of the cast tries their best, with the standouts being Katharine Isabelle and Adam Dimarco.
The plot of the show is not dissimilar to that of the magicians crossed with underworld. New college student is inducted into a secret society.
There's monsters and magic and a lot of fun to be had however, Jack is not a character worthy of rooting for or investing in which detracts from the show in such a massive way.
I have started this series post cancellation and after finishing season 1 I am unsurprised it got the axe.
It's entertaining, but don't expect more than that.
Servant (2019)
A captivating headscratching what is it?
The servant is an excellent series, but what the heck is it about? Is the best way to surmise Shymalans Apple TV original. Four seasons in, I still don't know what it is about and yet I love the journey it's taken us on.
Each character is wonderfully crafted and never does anything out of the norm for the character and even when nothing is happening, a great sense of dread looms over every shot and every line.
Its premise is about a nanny moving in with a husband and wife to take care for their baby, and since then the plot has become blurred. They seem to live in a world where nothing makes any sense.
Leanne is such a weird character, the nanny, but you're somehow on her side. Even in season 4 where she seems to perhaps be the actual antagonist, or is she? Nothing is concrete.
Even if the show ends with no answers, I will leave satisfied having enjoyed every moment of this mysterious series.
Very well done.
That '90s Show (2023)
Exactly what you're expecting
This sequel series would have been much more welcome should it have been an actual reunion series with the core cast of the original, as the scenes involving those characters are the only ones that are watchable.
You know right from the moment Leia, the new lead, enters the foreman's front door, that her acting is going to be an issue. With the series centred around her, the show begins to falter immediately.
The introduction of the characters is all very stiff and unnatural. The only new character that doesn't come across too forced is their "token" Asian friend, who has betting acting chops than the others.
The show tries so hard to be funny and it's a shame because you want it to be funny too, but you find yourself listening to the laugh track versus laughing alongside it.
Seeing Kitty and Red again is always welcome, unfortunately it's those all around them who let this series down in a massive way.
Comes across as an unfunny Disney esque sitcom.
Gossip Girl (2021)
More like awkwardly uncomfortable girl
For a show that shows the audience more, it gives its viewers much less. Despite amping up the sex/nudity and drug use, this is a routinely boring and lacklustre take on its predeccesor.
A series about the upper east sides elite teens and their problems, should be glamorous, snarky and riddled with problems the viewer cannot relate to.
This is not the case for this slow moving, terribly acted sister series to the early '00s hit series. The largest problem lays in the writing and miscasting of the majority of the principal characters.
If they didn't continually tell us how good these friends are, the viewer would think they are merely acquaintances.
Julien, the actress tries but was not ready for such a large role, and this is evident every episode, it does not help that they have given her character such A BPD plot. One week she wants to be good, the next she wants to be bad, the problem is the cannot play either role convincingly and constantly back and forth between the two sides of her character has given her next to no time to even develop the acting chops to continue on as the character.
Whitney/Zoya who is arguably the series' strongest actress is caught playing a character so annoying and unlikeable you don't really want to root for her which, it seems the show wants you to do.
Max is the second best actor in the series and he handles his role efficiently, caught between the tedious throuple with Aki (the worst actor in the series) and Audrey (not a bad actress but the most boring role on the show). These three actors have been doing the same song and dance since episode 3 and it has gotten very stale. They have progressed nowhere between one and a half seasons, so how can we be expected to care for them?
This brings us to Monet and Luna, two characters on the peripheral of the series, who are the characters most befitting of being apart of the show. Luna had the most depth and delivers her lines convincingly. Monet is a great Blair wannabe, but unfortunately the contrived manner in which she suddenly wanted to become queen in season 2, was ramped and hyped up for it to dissipate rather quickly.
I'm forgetting some characters but that's with intent, you don't even realize Obie isn't onscreen until it's pointed out because his character was never given any sort of importance beyond being a plot device for the two sisters, Zoya and Julien.
The teachers, aka gossip girl, should remain nameless as they are the biggest blight on the series.
When this series inevitably gets cancelled it will come to the surprise of nobody who has seen this series and we won't even argue that they shouldn't.
This was a massive swing and a miss on behalf of HBO. They sucked the essence out of what Gossip girl and turned it into a wannabe euphoria without compelling characters.
You know you love me, xoxo
Gossip girl
(Except this time, we don't love you)
Sweetbitter (2018)
Late to the party, but stayed past close
What a good show, very character driven. Believable performances by the entire cast. Follows Tess a young naive woman who becomes a waitress at a hot restaurant in NYC, and the dynamic between her and the rest of the staff.
Very true to life, captures the behind the scenes rapport of a kitchen/wait staff. Lots of drinking, lots of swearing, lots of drama but also that family feeling.
It's a shame the series didn't get beyond season 2, I binged both seasons in one day! Simone and Tess have such a good dynamic, even if the former is mysterious and her intentions are very ambivalent.
Jake and Tess... the guy she's in love with, is a mess as he's one himself.
Ella Purnell is a wonderful actress, only agreed to watch the show after seeing her performance in Yellow Jackets, the show didn't disappoint, so good! Sad it is over!!
Sissy (2022)
It's the humane thing to do....
I admit for some reason I kept putting off viewing this film, but when I finally made my way around to seeing it, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it.
Aisha Dee steals the show as A mentally unstable influencer, which is where the movie really shined for me, as a scathing commentary on the artificial persona's influencers create to sell themselves, their world and their little white lies.
The film isn't outwardly horror till the final third of the film, it isn't necessarily gory or scary but it is a film where you become invested in the films antihero.
You find yourself sympathizing with Cecilia aka Sissy, despite her murderous ways as she kills her way through the hen party she has been invited to, due to her mental health coming untraveled when a former nemesis' presence triggers her psyche to fracture.
The film does what it does well, and despite a dodgy scene of cgi, the film surpasses its limited budget and puts on quite a show.
Well done to everyone involved.
Halloween Ends (2022)
Halloween Ends.. with a guffawing whimper
The opening to Halloween Ends is a study one, unfortunately it is an opening for a film that should not have been the concluding chapter of this new trilogy.
What follows is a completely out of character Laurie Strode. An angsty romance between Allyson and a would be psychopath, and the origins of a new serial murderer.
Now Corey being a lead figure in this film would have been ok, if it wasn't a Michael Meyers film, unfortunately this does not have the feel of a Halloween franchise film, but comes across like a low budget independent slasher, which isn't bad, if it was it's own film.
The under utilization of Michael, reduced to a sewer dwelling, weakened recluse, is just one of the films jarring problems.
There are some interesting kills, however they are at the hands of Corey as an act of revenge against the, believe it or not, band geek town bullies.
Meyers really only comes into actual play in the last 20 minutes of the film and that was a fatal flaw as when he returns he is weak and incapable.
I wanted to like it but even JLC performance is completely laughable, when her granddaughter returns home to find her boyfriend dead and Laurie holding the knife, Laurie's reaction is almost comical.
This film didn't need to exist, the last 15 minutes could have, and should have, been tacked onto the conclusion of Halloween Kills, which ultimately is looking pretty good right now as a result of this sorry film.
The score is good, couple of good kills and a strong opening earned this film a 3, the rest of the film is why it remains it a 3.
Unsatisfactory conclusion, and not because it tried something new, but because it tried something new, badly.
Hellraiser (2022)
Surpassed the majority of the sequels
Now remaking Hellraiser, that's a daunting job considering the quality of the original film.
Hellraiser (2022) is by no means a 100% amazing film, however it is a 70% great film. Solid acting, effects and cinematography do not let this film down, some feel it drags in the first hour but for me I found the film solid in its entirety.
The lead character is rather unlikeable but the actress is great in her role, the supporting players are similarly strong in their performances.
The score is good, the cenobites have a decent amount to do in this film, and the new Pinhead is neither amazing or terrible. Jamie did as good a job as anyone else could have in my opinion, and I would not be against her returning in this role at all.
The only negatives for me was the rather tacked on second climax of the film, and that's really about it.
The film was overall one I could watch again, something that I could not say for the other sequels.
Go in with no expectations and you will likely enjoy the film truthfully. I was surprised we liked it so much, but truth be told, we did!
I hope the same writers and directors come
Together for a sequel.
Death Park: The End (2021)
The cast has fun, the viewer may not
If you take this movie for what it is, it is watchable at best. You can tell absolutely nobody is taking their roles in this film seriously, though the newscaster tries, bless her heart.
The movie is bad, but it transcends the realm of comically bad and almost reaches levels of offensively bad.
It has a few decent kills, but there is no tension and the blood is over the top, the acting.. is indeed what you'd expect of a film of this budget. This is more of a 3 star movie than a 7.1.
But the cast had fun and the filmmakers must have as well and that's what counts, for them, but as a viewer you're often left shaking your head at the nonsensical lines, characters and behaviours in this film.
X (2022)
Over hyped, under whelmed
Do not believe the hype around this movie, I loved most of A24 films ventures. This was a dud.
Mia Goth was great, she always is, But the film itself was really uninteresting, it takes too long for any actual murders to occur, and what comes before really isn't all that interesting, I appreciate slow burn but this one was more of a slow fizzle.
The gore is also super overhyped.. what movie did the others watch?
A guy gets his neck stabbed repeatedly, and a girls finger is cut with a knife and then a woman's head is ran over by a wheel.. idk, wasn't that gory lol.
I like Ti's other films too, so I was surprised to dislike this one so much.. but I really did.
Scream (2022)
Scream (2022) AKA scream 4 redux
Scream had a lot going for it, nice cinematography, beautiful sumptuous score, iconic killer and returning legacy cast. So what was wrong with the film?
Everything else. They tried so hard to make the kills edgy that they regurgitated kills from other films, one in which being one of the killers dying in the nearly exact same manner she had in her previous film where she happened to play a killer.
The star actor here is the aforementioned Mikey Madison who doesn't a stellar performance as Amber, but is ultimately underutilized in the films runtime.
The legacy cast are basically given cameo roles, there was in fact almost no need for Sidney or Gale in the film at all, that's how unimportant their roles truly are, despite inserting themselves into the action in the films 3rd act.
There are very few moments of tension or scares to be found in this film, the comedy is just ok, but everything else just falls flat on it's face. The film wants to be something grand but ends up diminishing itself by trying so hard to be meta and edgy, that it becomes rather dull and listless.
The franchise is on life support at this point, bar wes craven returning with Williamson from beyond the grave, it's best if scream becomes an echo.
Yellowjackets (2021)
fantastic pilot episode
The show has solid cinematography, acting and so far writing. The opening had me hooked but it would take nearly the entire episode to fully wrap back around to a similar scene.
Melanie Lynskey is great, as always, the music is well placed my only issue was the amount of sex in the first episode alone, I'm not prude but a few of the instances were highly gratuitous, with only one possibly being plot related.
The dynamic between the younger cast is solid, and there were many tense moments in the episode, while the plot unfolded naturally.
I will definitely be checking out the next episode to see if it can continue to remain this quality, if so then it's gonna be a good season :)
if you're debating checking it out, I recommend you do, I also didn't think this held interest to me but it surprised me in a great way!
Them (2021)
Solid series
Ignore the politics of the reviews being left, if you can't watch a series that depicts accurately the way individuals were treated in the past based on the skin color then skip this one and don't downvote it merely because of that, those are stories people are allowed to tell, it existed and in fact racism still exists in many ways still so people can speak on that via their art if they choose to.
It's not an easy watch at times but it's a well crafted, tense tale surrounding this family with characters you will root for and some you will root against.
Way better than anything AHS made, so give it a shot and you may be surprised, it's a very solid production! Good job to all involved!
Emergence (2019)
Excellent Sci fi series, solid first season
From episode one and onwards Emergence has thrilled, surprised and entertained thoroughly both my fiancee and myself.
The writing for Tolman's character is very fitting for her seeming personality and adds a different type of police chief lead then we are used to seeming, and Tolman's acting is just as dynamic. Incredibly pleased at her star turn here in this series.
Swinton is born to be a star, or born for this role it seems, her character development was well done and her acting hits the head on the nail for the character of Piper.
The supporting cast is also well rounded, diverse (in a natural, non contrived manner), and creates a steady base for the series' plot points to be carried on. You like almost all of the characters including the ones who may or may not be nefarious, with one exception and even that role is played expertly.
The plot is familiar but well updated with enough twists to keep you guessing, as well as anticipating the next episode. I rarely write out a full review for a series but i feel many are being misinformed by the reviews ive read on this site.
Emergence lays out questions and is always quick to answer them, in a way that is both surprising but youre glad they did. The only negative i have for this show is that some plot points definitely could have been held out for longer, but thats little to complain about.
Tonight is the season finale and i am just hoping it will remain that and not a series finale.
Great job to all involved.