Change Your Image
LoveEmGutEm
Reviews
Amber Road (2022)
Close up gore, small space horror
This movie is not for everyone. It has a very specific audience, and, I just happen to be in it.
As a former critic (with an actual paying job now) I've started leaving reviews on IMDB as long as people keep sending me screeners! I'm happy to make AMBER ROAD my third official IMDB review!
This is a low-budget movie that manages to get some well-known actors and the movie makes the most of its limited budget in every way possible.
Most of the story follows an imprisoned husband and wife played by William McNamara and Janet Wang. McNamara was big star back in the 80s and 90s. He was fantastic in the horror-mystery COPYCAT opposite Sigourney Weaver. It's really great to see him back at it here and performing wonderfully in this role with limited space to do so. In fact, he and Wang barely move throughout the movie. Wang, a relative newcomer with a lot of movies coming out soon, is solid as well.
I don't know if this movie is big enough to really get noticed beyond people like me, but McNamara's performance is worthy of career revival.
Tom Sizemore, who seems to live in these types of indies these days, also makes an appearance in a few scenes with the always interesting Robert LaSardo. Their roles are a little confusing but get explained toward the movie's end.
The primary leads are lesser known but all the performances are incredibly strong. Rachel Riley, who has extensive credits, but this is the first time, I've seen her, is exceptional and creepy as the mortician turned torturer - not a spoiler as this is revealed pretty quickly.
Elissa Dowling is a low-budget horror mainstay who has a solid performance. And Jed Rowen who is probably best known for his role in the so-bad-it's-entertaining, THE AMAZING BULK, also has a good performance.
The movie borders on torture porn with its close up slashing and hacking throughout, and much of it is very graphic, and very believable. There is enough mystery and story, to keep the movie propelling forward, with some interesting surprises too.
It's a movie with budget limitations that are easy to look beyond and simply enjoy for the pure shock and gore factors.
X (2022)
Well worth the watch!
X has pretty much everything you might expect - sex, nudity and gore.
It is heavily influenced by classic horror slashers, especially THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.
No spoilers here, but if you're reading this you likely already know the basics. A group of pornographic filmmakers go to an isolated farm house to make a movie. Yes, that kind of movie.
The sex scenes put the X in the title and they don't hold back. All three of the leading ladies engage in a soft core version of the hardcore porn!
Probably the most surprising thing, is that what PITCH PERFECT'S Brittany Snow ends up wiping off her back in clear view of the camera.
It is a bit of a slow burn before the slashing starts happening, but when it gets there, it is unexpected and wild fun.
Smile (2022)
My very first IMDB written review
I've been on IMDB and rating movies for a long time but I don't usually write reviews. However, I saw a few movies recently that inspired me to get on here and put my first one down.
SMILE is commercial horror. It's never too scary. It's never too bloody. And it is just predictable enough to keep us interested and guessing.
This is a fun movie that surprised me and kept my attention throughout, albeit nothing original.
SMILE is basically a redux of movies like THE RING or VHS but a lesser version of each.
The basic plot is that there is an entity taking over bodies (making them smile creepily), and if you witness this action, it happens to you, and your days are numbered.
There are some good jump scares, some fun moments of horror, and plenty of mystery, with a fairly predictable ending.