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Reviews
Krampus (2015)
Great Horror Film with Some Christmas Comedy
Going into this movie I expected it to be a horror comedy with more comedy than horror. I was wrong.
Like many horror films this film starts out light and then becomes continually darker. The start is a great parody of modern day Christmas and rather funny. The movie gets darker fast and the middle produces a great mixture of light comedy and dark horror. The last third is surprisingly dark. The end you'll either hate or love.
Horror fans will be glad they have a movie to watch every holiday season. Those seeking more comedy will be disappointed but not by much.
The cast is excellent and the performances by Scott and Koechner stand out. Ferrell and Tolman provide great side characters. The rest of the cast provide good performances with none making me wish there was another in their place. Characters are well written and the development is one of the best in a horror film. Characters are supposed to mimic family and much like many Christmas stories the family is more likable as it progresses.
The plot is decent. A warning to commercialism like most Christmas movies and specials these days except much darker. The horror in the film plays like a home invasion. There are pure comedic moments that don't ruin the tone of the movie. There are pure horror moments that sets the tone. There are only a few horror/comedy mix moments allowing a dark tone for the movie without being too outlandish.
The only problems I had was with the lack of subtitles and need for Max/Tom to translate for the German grandma and the ending will give you mixed feelings.
Come for horror and stay because Krampus leaves you with a nice present under the tree.
Akame ga Kill! (2014)
Excellent yet Unbalanced
I heard about Akame ga Kill! in an anime in 2014 review. Labeled "the edgiest anime ever", the show had my curiosity.
The show is extremely dark and sad while having comedic moments and lighthearted fun. These themes aren't exactly well balanced and some may have trouble taking the who serious after it turns from extremely light to extreme dark. This is really the show's only major flaw.
The best feature of Akame ga Kill! has to be the characters. A wide variety of characters is presented. Each character, protagonist or antagonist, is giving a healthy amount of development and each is easily enjoyable. No antagonist is "too evil" and mostly of them are in the moral grey area. Most characters are given special powers. There is a decent amount of balance in powers, but some are weak while others could be considered overpowered.
The action sequences are masterfully done and simply beautiful and progressively get better as the show goes on. Romance is mildly touched on, but certainly not a major theme. The plot and the setting is great. The setting matches the plot and characters well. The pace of the show speeds up as the show progresses which some might welcome while others might not.
The show's imbalance might not agree with some, but the show is certainly worth the view. Prepare for dark and violent themes, extremely sad times, and a good helping of your typical comedic anime moments.
The Babadook (2014)
A Horror Movie for Those
I read some reviews about this movie and they made it sound like an amazing physiological horror. First, I must praise the movie on its interesting filming techniques such as how to pass time and the general lighting and colors used in the movie very much complimented the theme.
The setting was great. Also, the characters were pretty well acted and decent characters, but nothing too special. They made me feel empathetic at times, but failed to at other times.
The one thing I felt was lacking in this movie was real horror. This movie provided a certain creepiness during parts of the movie, but failed to consistently give. A psychological horror is supposed to keep you on the edge at all times and this failed to do so for me. I feel horror buffs will applaud its uniqueness, but certainly not the horror aspect. Jump scares are rarely present and generally well done. Certain amount of cheesiness in things just as the child is flying around seemed too unreal to be taken serious.
The movie has a great theme of overcoming especially the ending which leaves on a happy note. The mother and son finally overcome the loss of their husband/father in a mix of inspiring yet overly cliché. Horror buffs will like the uniqueness, yet be disappointed by the hits or misses in the horror aspect. Non-horror buffs will enjoy the creepy tone and the feel good ending of the movie.