nicholasfarinola Reviews

Pearl (2022)

Visually appealing with very little substance

[6/10 · 16 September 2022]

Pearl should be praised for its visual presentation. It likens itself to that of Wizard of Oz and movies of that time, and very faithfully sticks that overall aesthetic. I also really loved the political undertones of the war and the Spanish Influenza and their influences, but not much else can be said to praise. Mia Goth is amazing as usual, and Ti West continues to prove that he is a talented voice behind the camera. The same can't be said for the writing and pacing.

In the end, it just felt very dragged out and extremely predictable. I get that it's a prequel, but nothing felt shocking or surprising. It just felt...boring, which is more of a sin than anything for a "horror" movie. I wasn't too crazy about X either. I'm glad Ti is getting the attention he deserves, and I am looking forward to see what he does next with this trilogy in Maxxxine, but I was very disappointed with Pearl. Horror is best when you go all out. This one felt very safe.

If you're looking for something exciting and unpredictable, go see Barbarian.

Crimes of the Future (2022)

I've walked out of one movie in my life. This almost was the second.

[2/10 · 3 June 2022]

Awful. Such a drag throughout the entire runtime. Go see Cronenberg's son's movie "Possessor." That was awesome.

Nothing gross here. Nothing interesting here. Please avoid.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018 Video Game)

My Favorite Game of the Year

[9/10 · 24 September 2018]

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a great ending to Lara Croft's rebooted, mature origin story. Once again the visuals are absolutely stunning, and the voice acting is top notch. I never play games until 100% completion, but I had to for this game. My only gripe with the game is the controls. More than once I had issues where I would press a button and it wouldn't register, or Lara would jump in a different direction than I intended. Also, the combat is pretty straight forward: hide, use killer instinct to see if enemies are not being watched, then stealth kill (or go guns blazing, but it's not as fun). The game has many side missions, tombs, crypts, and other collectibles to find and beat so there is more of an incentive to jump back in after the main campaign (or dive into new game +). Excellent game that I couldn't put down. If you're not a fan of the series, this won't change your mind, but damn is it fun.