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Reviews
Dune (1984)
Should've just been called "Dull".
While I can appreciate the casting, set pieces & attempts at visual effects, this movie was just straight-up BORING. The acting, dialogue & story are very telegraphed. There's just too much exposition, nothing is left to the imagination; no mystery... It's like Lynch couldn't trust the audience to figure out what was going on. While this is definitely the case of trying to fit too much into a small run time... Wow, this movie dragged!! I couldn't wait for it to be over!
Having seen Denis Villeneuve's part 1 & 2 I can honestly say that the slow scenes in his versions are more exciting than the action scenes in the '84 movie. They are a total of about 3 hrs 15 minutes longer than the 1984 one, but they felt like a shorter watch altogether.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Watched the 1st 3 episodes... Lost interest.
I figured the 1st episode was just slow-burn material, introducing the characters & the premise, then it'd pick up a little more with each continuing episode. The tone & pacing remained the same, which made it a bit of a chore to watch. While the main characters do have mildly entertaining chemistry with one another and there are some interesting & moderately humorous scenarios, the episodes overall just aren't that engaging or interesting.
I think I'd rather see them doing missions as experienced professionals than as somewhat bumbling amateurs trying to make things up as they go along. Even the action sequences are a bit lackluster... Not terrible, but just kind of by-the-numbers.
Just not for me.
Malum (2023)
Not a bad remake, just an unnecessary one.
Last Shift (2014) actually happened to be my favorite horror movie of that year. It was a huge surprise watch for me going in completely blind, not having even seen a preview... Malum is a remake/reimagining of that movie by the same writer/director, Anthony DiBlasi. I questioned the existence of this remake after I saw the trailer since it's only 9 years after the original, and I still question its existence after watching it.
Don't get me wrong, it's a decent watch & a solid horror movie with improved production, graphic gore and an expansion of the cult premise. With all of the added aspects it's strange that it's only 4 minutes longer than the original. But I feel like this is an example of "less is more" where the ambiguity of Last Shift worked more in its favor, while the expansion of the lore regarding the cult makes Malum feel more derivative. There is a particular creepy "jingle" that is used in both movies, but I feel it is over-used in this movie. Also, there are certain aspects of Malum where it can't seem to decide what it wants to be. There's just too much here that reminds me of Hereditary (and other movies), which is somewhat ironic since the same evil entity is mentioned in Last Shift, but not in Malum (if I remember correctly).
However, I can recommend this movie whether or not you've seen Last Shift, but you may enjoy it more if you haven't seen it. It manages to be effectively creepy like the original while being more polished. For streaming, maybe wait for the rental price to go down.
I gave Last Shift (2014) a 8/10. I give Malum (2023) a 6/10. A solid effort with improved production, but it overall falls short of the effectiveness of the original. It's definitely not a bad remake, just not a necessary one.
Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
An Effing Atrocious Attempt!
Wow, this is one of the worst movies I've seen this year and possibly ever! The dialogue was absolutely atrocious & lazy (the F-word every 5-10 seconds) and there was no one to root for, including robotic Santa! The music, synth score & horror movie discussions do NOT save this mess! The more I watched, the more annoying it got... I can't believe I actually finished watching it.
I think the concept is cool, some of the kills are descent, there was some good action in the last act, and I like the way the movie looks overall, but none of those things were enough for me to really enjoy what was going on or any of the characters.
It should've been about an hour & a half shorter... 2 F's to give out of 10!
Scream VI (2023)
Fun movie? Check! Characters with Wolverine powers? Check!
I saw it last night & really enjoyed it overall. The beginning sequence, the settings, the style, the pacing, the viciousness of Ghostface, and the main characters were all on point! Also, the motivations for killer(s) makes more sense in this than in 5.
However, it lost quite a few points for me with the 3rd act even though they did something I was hoping to see in the last movie. All of the Scream movies require a suspension of disbelief for certain things that happen, but I think VI is the worst offender.
The return of Kirby was also somewhat of mixed bag. While I loved to see her in the movie, she was a bit of a shell of her old character in Scream 4. Also, what she & Gale does for a living introduces a plot-hole regarding the identity of the killer(s).
I land at about a 6.75/10. I like it better than 5 and 3. #Severeplotarmor.
Sissy (2022)
"Carrie" for a new generation (but works for an old one also)!!!
This was such a pleasant surprise! It was on Shudder, but if I had seen this in the theater it would've been money well spent!
I loved this movie from beginning to end! There is something about the style of it that just had me from the get-go while it has plenty of substance. It's very well-shot, well-written & well-directed. Amazing cinematography! I also loved the fact that all of the typing shown on screen (text messages, etc.) are very easy to see. It also doesn't hold back on the gore even though it seems like it might as times.
Aisha Dee as Cecilia excellently portrays an unhinged character who's constantly being pushed over the edge... Loved her! Yet everyone's acting was solid all around.
Although this definitely has humor, I wouldn't refer to this as a comedy/horror since it leans more on the dramatic & disturbing elements than it does comedy. Despite that, for me it's a favorite new slasher and my 2nd favorite horror this year!
A strong 8.5/10 for me and I can't recommend "Sissy" enough!!!
The Green Knight (2021)
A middle-of-the-road journey.
While I don't get all the hate that this movie receives (and it does get quite a bit of hate), I also do not understand all of the praise it gets either... I'm truly vexed! This was simply a middle-of-the-road journey for me. It did have some nice visuals, interesting moments/ending & I feel that Alicia Vikander stole the show, but for the most part I just didn't care for what was happening even though I wanted to. In the end I'm glad I finally saw it, but it has no rewatch value for me, 5/10.
Fear Street: 1994 (2021)
Entertaining in a guilty-pleasure sorta way!
It did kinda feel like a Scream-clone (at first) & most of the characters acted like they were on coke, but I did enjoy it overall. The gore & added story aspects really helped. Looking forward to the next one.
Justified (2010)
One of the best shows ever!!!
I just finished watching the entire series yesterday and WOW, what an amazing show!!! The writing dialogue was sharp & witty, the characters - whether protagonists or antagonists- were amazing (& you can easily root for any of them), and just great storytelling & acting!!! Everyone was believable!
Never a dull moment, but plenty of shocking & sometimes hilarious moments of "DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!??"
Loved it! 9.5/10 for me!
À l'intérieur (2007)
What a twisted "Christmas" movie, LOL!
I honestly have mixed feelings about this: On the one end, I loved the tension, creepiness & graphic gore of this movie! Very effective & will stay with me...
On the other end, I feel there were stupid, unbelievable decisions made by quite a few characters, including the lead, that kind of took me out of the movie and required more suspension of disbelief than I was ready to give. Not to mention the graphic gore was way over the top & completely unnecessary at times (i.e. gore simply for the sake of gore, not to drive the story/plot in any way).
I'm sure there are other French horror films (I haven't seen), but I can't help but compare it to "High Tension" (2003) & "Martyrs" (2008). One has graphic gore, but is too over the top, and the other has graphic gore but each violent scene has a purpose & drives the overall story, respectively. The violence of "Inside" is like a combination of the two, but is closer to "High Tension". The French seem to love their women serial killers!...
Overall, I liked "Inside" more than I didn't & I'll mildly recommend it, especially for gore-hounds! A soft 6 out of 10 for me.