helencatherinetaylor Reviews

The Bad Batch (2016)

I enjoyed this, maybe it's my kind of weird

[7/10 · 18 April 2024]

After reading the reviews I expected the dialogue to be really bad, but, in my opinion it isn't, it's just minimal. In a mad Max kinda way, which I think helps make this more atmospheric and bleak.

I agree with the comments about the why and how people got there, I had to watch the beginning again and even then felt this could be set up better. This girl doesn't look like a hardened criminal, just a party chick. Is that the point? The scene in the car at the beginning is odd and leaps ahead to much (to "that" scene).

The rest is executed pretty well in my opinion, loved Jim Carrey's mute character, feel like Giovanni Ribisi was sadly underutilised.

As for Suki Waterhouse and her character I felt like she held the balance between kick ass survivor and optimist really well.

Feel sad for the rabbit though 🤣

Did it wrap up the story in a nice bow? No. Was it unbelievable? Yes of course! But this is sci-fi dystopia, what did you expect?

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Since when was there character development? 😂

[7/10 · 24 January 2024]

I find the reviews here quite amusing, as if there was ever major character development in the previous films.

And that's not a criticism, I love that you have minimal plot and character development beyond a bunch of teenagers in a cabin that quickly descends into hell/madness. That's the whole point.

If anything the smushy aunt/niece character plot line was what made it "Disney" for me.

For me this film delivered in the hopeless terror horror plot that quickly ensues in an evil dead film, since borrowed by the likes of Hereditary.

And so many nods to horror greats like the blood lift scene near the end (the shining).

Leave your pretentiousness at the door and just enjoy.

Oh and the chainsaw scene at the end...

Midnight Mass: Book VII: Revelation (2021) Season 1, Episode 7

Aside from the terrible monologue this is a stunning finale

[9/10 · 25 October 2021]

Strip away the supernatural element of this show (which I actually like), this has so much to say about religion, acceptance and judgement.

The way it depicts people from all sides of religion (atheist, Christian, muslim) as neither good nor bad and shows the ugly side of being pious but also the beauty of true belief really rang true to me. So rare for film or TV to tackle this in such a balanced way. Bravo!

Joy (I) (2015)

Why so underrated?

[8/10 · 6 December 2019]

Ok I get if you don't like quirky then this might not be your thing. But this was funny, well acted and heartfelt. If you like Silver linings playbook it's likely that you'll like this. The plots are totally different but the cast and humour are very similar. It's really not about the story of how she got to where she did, but the characters are so rich and bizarre this is truly worth a watch. And JLaw nails the performance.

American Woman (2018)

Insanely Good, Sienna for an Oscar, surely?

[9/10 · 4 October 2019]

So if you like fast paced action, don't bother. If you like sublimely acted, well paced, brilliant character development, please give this a watch. This isn't a film about a mother trying to find her daughter, this is about an incredible journey of one woman and watching Sienna Miller's character develop over the course of this film is breathtaking. I cried. A lot. And I rarely, rarely cry watching films. There is something incredibly authentic about this film that draws you in and leaves you feeling as if you were some way involved in the lives of these characters. Bravo

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)

Hmmmm, not sure what all the good reviews are about

[3/10 · 16 August 2019]

If you loved the original then I guess this is for you on some weird nostalgic level. Personally for me the whole thing felt like some terrible TV movie. The trombone scene was ridiculous. I don't think this is going to win any new fans and I feel like the people that gave this a high score are trying a little bit too hard. Heed my words or waste 90 minutes of your life finding out for yourself. You've been warned

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Great actors, great start, good finish, what happened in the 1.5 hrs between?

[6/10 · 26 July 2019]

I was really looking forward to this, loved the look of Tom Holland from his appearances in the avenger films so far and from the trailer. Also loved Ned the sidekick, and let's be honest, when does Michael Keaton ever put a foot wrong? So it started well, but honestly most of the funny/good bits were in the trailer. Then it got boring. I mean really boring. How did they get this so wrong? Also big shout out to the wonderful Marissa Tomei, who was as good as she could be as Aunt May but really didn't have enough to work with. Sounds like a sideline comment but Aunt May has always been the big moral compass for Peter in the comics and films past. Like I say, it ended nicely. But all in all? Meh

The Signal (2014)

If you like indie SciFi like Moon give it a watch, if you don't, don't

[8/10 · 14 July 2019]

Slow paced? Yes. Over use of pointless CGI? No. Good character development? Yes (particularly the male buddy of the trio, the female lead could've done with a little more). It's definitely not wrapped up in a nice bow and leaves you guessing at the end, but I like that in a SciFi film. If you don't expect conventional or fast pace and like your SciFi there's a good chance you'll enjoy this film.

Vox Lux (2018)

Best bits were in the trailer

[4/10 · 21 June 2019]

Pretty much nothing else happens, what a waste. And how confusing that the adult Celeste had a stronger accent / affectation than teenage Celeste? Felt like all actors did as well as they could with this, except Natalie Portman's performance really verged on pantomime at times. But it was really unclear what this film was trying to say, and by the time we got to the pop bit, Portman was downright unconvincing. Which is surprising for an actor that trained so hard / convincingly for Black Swan.

Penny Dreadful: The Nightcomers (2015) Season 2, Episode 3

On so many levels...

[9/10 · 9 November 2018]

Even if you're not into the gothic noir theme of this series you can't overlook the powerhouse acting and sublime feminist undertones of this episode. Brilliantly executed and wonderfully acted, tv really doesn't get much better than this.

Oldboy (2003)

Brutal but well worth a watch

[9/10 · 3 November 2018]

This is not for the feint hearted but incredibly rewarding to watch. It's refreshing to go back to a time when films surprise you, not in a shock factor way but genuine surprise from an original plot. Enjoy!