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The Menu (2022)
Ostentatious Dinner Theatre At Its Finest
Business Insider ranks Chef as #9 on their list of professions with the most psychopaths. The Menu is a brilliant little film that encapsulates that fact as its mission statement. The cinematography and attention to detail makes the whole movie beautiful to look at, and the actual restaurant menu itself is delightfully interesting.
It's both funny and scary. There are some disturbing parts in this film as this is of course a literal take on the commonly known phrase: "Hell's Kitchen." This film provides an excellent idea for immersive dinner theatre and all of the actors pull it off wonderfully. Great writing, great twists, and a very fun watch.
The Fallout (2021)
Skipped through half of it, didn't miss anything
I reserve 1 and 2 star ratings for movies that should never have been made and unwatchable films. There is barely a plot, just feels like it's all about exploring the emotions of a school shooting which isn't even accurate for the majority. Only some people are affected like this. Most people bounce back fairly quickly, actually disturbingly fast because kids are desensitized.
The entire thing is written in teen-speak! It's a Family Channel movie that Family Channel can't even air 'cause there's ecstasy and gay sex in it. The music montages were stupid. Really, the whole thing felt very lame and boring. So, about 30 minutes in, I just skimmed through the next hour and was surprised to find that nothing was happening. Not a single thing was missed- every line continued to make sense, not a single hindrance of my comprehension of the movie. That's not normal! Usually when I watch a movie, if I go to the bathroom and come back, I'm confused.
Sure, the acting was good, the production value was great, I also think the school shooter re-enactment was 100% perfect. But that's all WASTED on a stupid movie. Reserve your talents for better scripted material please... Tip for screenwriters: Never have characters say L-O-L or LAWL that's not even how kids speak! That's how an adult THINKS a kid speaks.
I just need people to know that this movie is made for a very small audience which is girls ages 16-19. Any one older than that should be a bit above this sort of movie. It's like watching High School Musical or something. There's probably something more age-appropriate you can watch...
Pearl (2022)
Pearl's 9-Minute Monologue Ruined The Movie
This had a lot of tropes from a lot of stuff that I really like. It had the vibe of American Horror Story: Freak Show and sometimes even The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The fame part of Pearl's story reminded me of Ellen Burstyn in Requiem For a Dream, and the dad's wheelchair story reminded me of Run.
All of this made for a pretty cool movie but to be honest, it didn't really cash in on anything. It could have been a 5-star movie if it just picked a lane. The way it finished, I could never recommend watching this movie. It needed one more kill to be properly classified as a "slasher flick." It's barely a horror movie.
The world-record length monologue at the very end of this movie doesn't really do it any justice at all. It's just long.
Nefarious (2023)
Predictable
The acting of the main role ranges from impressive to downright awful. During the first few scenes, it all felt unwatchable... The script is lame! Honestly, I'm a right-wing Bible-believer and I've heard all of this before. I've even said all of this before. It didn't feel creative at all; it felt like a church-level skit, and in a church, I might have applauded.
The writing was bad. They actually tried to sneak in what used to be a funny YouTube meme as if it were something serious? Like on YouTube, there's a running joke in the comment section where someone asks you if you want one of two things, but you want both, you just say "yes." In the film, the doctor says, "Is hell a physical place or a state of mind?" and the demon just responds, "Yes..." like it was supposed to be dramatic. That annoyed me. At one point, the demon writes a book about the protagonist and the protagonist looks at the book for a total of twelve seconds and says. "There's stuff in here even I don't know about me!" They don't even explain it at all. It's just a rushed scene with bad writing and bad directing. Later, he is literally strangling the protagonist and three police officers come towards him and the demon says "Back up!" and they all do? Since when does a prisoner have authority over police? I know what you're thinking. It's not supernatural. Like, at all. It's not even indicated anywhere that this thing has supernatural powers outside of psychic abilities and now I'm starting to think that light shattering in the trailer actually WAS a coincidence.
There is a sort of reference to the biblical Judas story when Jesus says, "You will deny me thrice." When the demon says, you will kill three people by the end of the day, it feels like a pretty good buildup to something actually happening. But again, it's just lazy writing and just so happens the doctor is euthanizing his mother and his wife is having an abortion on the same day? That's the laziest attempt at writing I've ever heard. And why should I care? Oh yeah, it's to tell us that those things are sins.
I actually liked the framing and the underlying premise of a film shot in one room with a psychiatrist and a death-row inmate, but the underlying plot doesn't even make sense! If the demon is trying to get this guy executed, why not just appear sane? That would have made the movie 15 minutes. "Hi, I'm Edward. I'm sane. You can kill me now." Doctor says, "Okay, great." Signs the paper. Roll credits!
Yawnfest. I will hear these things from my Pastor, not a DEMON!? It should be illegal to make a movie this predictable. I won't spoil the ending because I don't have to. If you've read the Bible, you know that any time a demon exits one body it enters the other. If you haven't read it, you will hate this movie.
Oh wow, and a HORROR? LOL! Not even close. It's clearly a thriller, so you can change the genre on every streaming and ratings platform there is, because this is nothing like a horror. I thought I was walking into a good horror movie based on the reviews and the poster. Last time I checked, lying was a sin.
Poor Things (2023)
Poor Things Is a Daunting Look Into The Life of a Sex Worker
Poor Things is The Shape of Water meets Big; terribly funny with excellent cinematography and overtly sexual themes, albeit Poor Things is more of an erotic film compared to The Shape of Water. If you are not looking to watch a pornographic movie with a fundamentally sexual plot line then don't watch Poor Things. The story itself is of course exciting while it explores gender differences in both love and sex, as well as giving a daunting glimpse into the life of a sex worker.
Exhilarating landscapes throughout, great performances from Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, and unique choices that paid off in terms of the use of grayscale and themes of past and future. Overall an enjoyable film but not one I'd want to watch again.
American Dad! (2005)
Funniest show on television, animated or otherwise
The writing and character devlopment in this show surpasses any other comedy I've seen in the last 10 years. Bought all 20 seasons. From Season 1-Season 20 there's never been a downslope which is unheard of in any series, television or film.
Roger is one of the funniest, most unique characters because he can be something new in every episode, so that never gets old. Expounding on the idiocracy within the Central Intelligence Agency will never not be funny to me. It's also one of the most re-watchable shows I've ever seen. The casting is perfect, every actor knows their role so well and performs so well.