lindo-julet Reviews

The Equalizer: Chinatown (2022) Season 2, Episode 11

Homage to Robert?

[10/10 · 12 March 2022]

This episode has a special topic. I love the evolving character development. I recommend it. Also, check out what Robyn is wearing. Her shirt is looking a lot like Denzel's Robert from the film. Gotta love the creativity!!!!

Queens (2021–2022)

I was waiting for this

[10/10 · 28 February 2022]

Already in love after the first episode. They had me wheeled in at Brandy and Eve, but the rest is exactly what I wanted. Grown, beautiful, powerful black woman trying to tackle success again, this whole genre, I want it. I hope this keeps going season after season.

Judge Steve Harvey (2022– )

So crazy idiotic but I keep watching

[8/10 · 29 January 2022]

It's so nonsensical, I wish the cases were a bit more serious. The folks seem to be acting or trying to match Steve's demeanor.

But I keep watching every episode cause Steve is Steve and I love it.

So I'll say I hope this keeps going cause I a good comedy relief in court tv. He just needs better plaintiffs and defendants.

Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021– )

Get Stabler a better team!!

[9/10 · 5 April 2021]

Love, love, love. Die hard L&O will probably not like the newer approach (new in a sense that it differs from L&O). But I love how this built on the current police show aesthetics and it's finding its own style. Being inclusive will always get a few folks mad, but THIS is a great direction. I hope the continue to be bold and give Stabler a solid team. Lol.

The Hoarder (2015)

Dumbest movie and I am not exaggerating

[1/10 · 21 March 2021]

A NUMBER of terrible things wrong with this movie. Screenwriter/director forgot about story. I mean it's horror, right? Who cares about that and character development. But when there is 0 story other than group of people in a storage run into a killer, that's very underwhelming. What's with a storage unit nightmare anyway, did he not realize how nonsensical that is? Took itself waaaay to serious for a silly idea. And got the most non intimidating, don't-know-why-she's-running-from-him, enemy (don't wanna drop a spoiler) that should've taken this to a comedic level, not a serious horror.

Random actions, and I mean random. Not the serve the director thought it would be. I don't care about ANY of those characters that did nothing to move the story. Absolutely nothing.

The ending? If you make it that far, you'll wish you hadn't. They don't show the deaths for a reason. Not for suspense folks, but because it'll be that much more unbelievable if you knew who it was and how in the world it did it.

You can't be this idiotic to write this. Like, really?

Blood Hunters (2016)

Story got lazy

[3/10 · 14 February 2021]

Liked the filming and performances. Even thought the creatures were decent (not great at all). But that story. Oh that writer got lazy. Don't know why a woman who is desperate to get back to her son would not be focused 100% on the priest with the card that can close the gate, as he's clearly gone mad. KNOWING the priest left the techy woman for death (which that got completely swept under the rug), HE should have been the focus. Not sure WHY they'd let an elderly dude do all that he did and let him walk past them after all said and done.

They pleaded with the priest to not turn off the boiler instead of using the flashlight to go to him and give him a shove and let the monsters have dinner (by this point, she knows she has the power to kill the creatures). I don't believe the mother is truly fighting to see her son again, cause no one with such high stakes would just plead instead of taking action. If not her, then the man she was with.

Characters are useless when they shouldn't be. Tech girl doesn't even know how to close the gate/lock it up behind her after turning the power back on. Like, really?

They've established that these creatures cannot die but have the idea to set explosives. So does the drug do it only or explosives too??

Yes, there are the details like the underground facility not entirely being underground, but what kills this movie is the lazy story.

The Grudge (2019)

Pretty good, don't listen to the bad reviews

[9/10 · 20 July 2020]

Don't know why this movie is getting so much hate. I am very picky about my horror flicks but this is not bad. If someone is comparing it to the films before, then perhaps this is disappointing? Not to me. This stands on it's own. Love how the story is told. Love the acting. Love the cinematography. Let go of preconceived thoughts and opinions. It's another "not bad" horror movie. Only real critique, I could do without some of the jump scares. Either bring on the kill or don't. But the actors carry the scene so I got over it.

Lake Artifact (2019)

Token Black Guy

[1/10 · 5 July 2020]

To be honest, I was incredibly distracted the entire time by the token black character. SO CLEARLY there for a comedic relief and effort to make the white stars look better. You know, the job of the token. He appears so....out of place in this friend's circle, i wonder if the actor felt the same way (but of course glad to have gotten cast). As a black woman myself, I HATE seeing tokens. SHAME on this director, please be more mindful next time. When there's only one black guy in the group having the comedic relief, silliness, this is offensive. And corny. And pointless. That one black dude didn't make your movie diverse or a nod to diversity at all.

Us (II) (2019)

Creepy and thought provoking

[9/10 · 18 March 2020]

Loved it and it's not that hard to follow. While it may seem confusing and raise plenty of questions, too bad for people without common sense enough to get it. Don't care for needing every single answer. If you do, then pass on this. Loved the acting, Red moved so disturbing and talked extremely creepy. Lupita did a great job of separating the two characters. If you're a Peele fan, this will not disappoint.

Marc Maron: End Times Fun (2020 TV Special)

Maron is awesome, period.

[10/10 · 12 March 2020]

This is that raw dark humor with social commentary that I love. Unapologetic and honest to every funny bone, if you didn't know who Maron was before this, well now you know. He's gonna get a lotta hate and a lotta love. I'm with it. Just watch.

Hide in the Light (2018)

Director just wanted to film SOMETHING

[2/10 · 17 December 2019]

This is filled with so many halfway efforts, I'm convinced the director just wanted to make a movie that looks good. Vague story (which is so unoriginal, therefore it hurts the film to be that vague), random characters with fake problems (sister's issue with her brother seems so forced. I literally don't know why she cares so much, the actress is playing more of a disgruntled ex girlfriend than a caring sister. The stakes should have been MUCH higher for me to care about that sibling issue. The mother wasn't mentioned as being bothered by the marriage of her brother and the fact that i don't know why the sister needs to play "mom" when they have a mother already in the picture is confusing. Again, the stakes aren't high enough, comes off as "oh yeah, I need subplots and stuff").

I think we already know these characters have 0 personality. Any one of them could say each other's lines and it would've made no difference. Unbelievable dialect, the director/writer doesn't seem to know how a group of friends talk. Not to mention, the intro to this friends group was so in your face "can't you see we're friends?!" No individual personality that the actors could draw from cause I bet the director didn't write it for them.

Talk about stories unwritten, the little girl, invisible monster is a story given little thought. I mean, think this through!!! Don't hash out some vague imitation of other ideas and expect us to buy it!

If the director wanted to film a good looking movie, he did. It looks good for the horror genre (aside from the CG gaseous thing). But that's all it has. Direct other people's stuff, not your own writing.

Too many minor details to go into how many holes the movie has, but just know it gives 50% effort aside from knowing how to look decent.

The Dead (2010)

Awful

[1/10 · 10 December 2019]

The reality is this movie is awful. HOW it reached 5 stars is beyond me. Was this considered good eight years ago???

Redundant slow-motion, unnecessary effects to create a dramatic moment. Basic and boring lighting. Special effects done to the max.

Talk about blaxploitation, white guy becomes a savior in Africa? The villagers literally touched him like he was Jesus himself, despite their own people already being heroes, for whatever reason, the white guy gets the praise from total strangers. That made no sense.

Africa was used for the sake of it's setting. Then brought in a white savior. Why did the Ford brothers think that story was okay?

And hey, even saves a baby. Isn't he just so great?

This movie is weak and anyone who likes it (and I love zombie movies, that's why I sat through this garbage) loves the same offensive story. Awful.

All the Devils Are Here (2014)

Not bad at all

[8/10 · 14 November 2019]

Don't be fooled, this isn't a bad movie. It's not great but it's not nearly as bad as it could've been. Most of the acting was decent, where the script was lacking, the actors carried the dialogue with clear POVs and choices. Can't say that for most novice undead movies. The story was decent as well. The composition and angles make it clear the director knows what he's doing, so I was happy about that. And knowing the director wore several hats, I think this was a not bad movie. I mean, what more are people expecting from undead horror splashed with comedy? It's enjoyable. Actually liked the ending. It was unexpected. If you want a good "college students undead flick", watch it and move on. It's decent.

Breaking In (2018)

Ignore the bad reviews

[8/10 · 24 August 2019]

Just ignore the nonsense on the movie. Fact is, you KNOW the type of movie coming in. Momma bear saving her cubs. Who expects depth story and characters in a thriller/action? Because seldom do we get it, and this movie is not terrible! Not even bad, I follow the characters. Feel for them. It works. Whoever said the acting was bad knows little about acting, they just know what they like seeing. Those with the semi racist comments? Ignore it. It's always harder to relate when the main action hero is a black woman. This movie is what I wanted out of it and Gabrielle Union killed it, as I thought she would.

Only thing I was annoyed about was the useless husband. Seems like movies with strong female leads have weaker males in it. It's weird.

A Quiet Place (2018)

Have critics lost their minds???

[3/10 · 24 July 2019]

It baffles me how critics are seeing this movie as something great. It's okay. Waaaaaaay too many flaws and that distracting out of this world. I don't want to repeat the obvious issues because they've all been stated. But I will point out the ones that were bugging me the most: Not camping near the river, not grouped up as a closer nit family in the face of danger (I felt there wasn't an amount of urgency to stay close considering the danger. The daughter wasn't checked in on enough for me to buy that they believed danger could strike at a needle drop. I mean, they did accidentally knock over the little lantern thing, so any thing could happen, right?). The little boy in the beginning walking so far behind the rest? Are you serious? Is danger not right around the corner?? This ain't no camping trip. I feel like there were too many "I just want this to happen" instead of actions logically happening. It seemed like there were the staircase step was marked out in the house but the nail was not noticed to be marked up? Or a pillow put there as a reminder/warning whatever? The use of candles to do what? Preserve the electricity? That wasn't made clear.

So those creatures. My biggest issue. They appear not fully thought out. They can hear certain sounds but not obvious ones. Feet pounding on the floor are obvious sounds. There has been amazing creatures in the horror world. These creatures don't strike me as "they destroyed mankind" creatures due to their heavy reliance on sound. I get that we don't know what the situation is concerning the military, but I can't help wondering if they figured out the clear weaknesses and set easy traps for those things. Because....they aren't that hard to catch on to. I mean, the family did.

So I guess since I've seen tougher creatures, these selective-hearing, blind-non-smelling-but-know-my-way-around-houses, can't hear people moving and breathing heavy but hurt from high pitch frequencies, creatures don't come off as "we can end the human race!" to me.

Saying this movie is amazing is a stretch. It's a good thriller, but oh boy, definitely wasn't thinking about making sense. Which is a shame. I'm curious about what will be focused on in the sequel.

Girls Cruise (2019)

LOVING this so far

[10/10 · 20 July 2019]

Finally a show that's not based in petty drama!!! Black women bringing each other up, queens. For someone wanting a "premise" or a storyline..um..not only is there a point to this, it's a reality show. Antagonist? Someone clearly doesn't know how reality shows work.

Lil Kim comes off as so freakin likeable and friendly, I believe when she says she wants to encourage and praise women. She's not centering herself around drama. We need more of this.

Love watching them take on activities and really want to see them opening up more (which that looks like where the show is headed). I only wish the confessional booth shots weren't so heavily blurred, or whatever that post production effect is.

This is a quality reality show that's needed among black women wanting more than cat fights. I get to see the behind the scenes of music artists talking about their experience. And it makes everything so much more real and heartfelt. I know this review may be all over the place but I'm excited to see more episodes!

Awaiting (2015)

Not that bad but...yeah.

[6/10 · 18 April 2019]

It's not that bad. The actors commit to the characters and I believed it. Not a terrible script but not as good as it could be. The ending, the very last scene prevents the movie from getting more than a 6. I mean... The writer/director didn't need that part. It would have been less cliche without that last "she's crazy now too!" bit. Would have been more powerful to have her end on the suffering note and not knowing how to live in society. Also, it was a forced ending. Why did she go in the freezer??? Why in the world, after all that would she go back to the traumatizing shed? And look in the freezer with no hint that there's something in it that she couldn't have guessed (more body parts and such) would be inside. So that last bit was cheap compared to a fully fleshed out sequence of events.

Butterfly Kisses (2018)

Still pretty good

[7/10 · 22 February 2019]

Yes, it's been done before. However this is clearly a movie for fans of this category, not for people expecting something new. I mean, the trailer makes that obvious so don't watch it without that common sense or you're just looking to complain about a movie.

It's not the best found footage style, but it's still good. I like that the themes challenge what's real and what isn't. Do you believe something so badly you're willing to ignore possible contradictions? If you're an artist, are you telling a story for the sake of educating, inspiring, or forcing the story to go a direction it shouldn't (like Gavin)? I like that the main character was determined to foolishly pass the tapes off as real instead of letting the audience view and enjoy it as whatever they decide it to be...like this film overall! The creator/director isn't attempting to pass it off as real, at least not in the movie credits. Don't know about imdb credits.

If you're a fan of this stuff, it's not bad. Wouldn't say it's a 10, but you'll enjoy it.

Inhuman Resources (2012)

Worth the watch!!!

[7/10 · 23 October 2018]

Who ever says this movie isn't original has an odd outlook on what's original and what's repetitive. Okay, no it's not 100% different. What is 100% original nowadays???? But this film is inventive enough in the story to be different, familiar enough to peek interest, and executed well enough to keep you staring at the screen.

There are some movies that takes itself so seriously when it shouldn't, but this movie is not one of them. It's humorous (in a dark way) at some points and gory when it needs to be.

Fantastic acting, just wonderful. All I can say about that.

Yes, you may be reminded of Saw a bit, there is that "correct the wrong" air about the killer's motive. But the story is not at all like Saw.

Maybe you'll have a problem with the pace?? Wasn't slow to me but maybe some people have gotten use to quick kills thanks to movies like Saw and slasher films. This movie has more to offer than quick kills and it doesn't have to work so hard to keep my attention.

If you want a quick-kill-from-the-start thriller gore fest, you might hate the build up. But honestly, it's fine. Watch it, don't take it more seriously than the production intended it to, and you'll smile (or look away, the gore is great) the whole time.

Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

Quit whining, it's decent (with obvious mistakes)

[6/10 · 10 August 2018]

Wow. It's not that bad. People should chill out. But anyway, yes, the middle to end falls short from following the basic horror flick annoyances. But it isn't unwatchable. People are acting like it's freakin sharknado stupid or something. I implore potential viewers to ignore that rating and the thumb downs people like to give reviews the disagree with (as I'm sure this one will get a lot of those). Boo hoo.

The movie will have you wanting to see what's around the corner and behind that door. It's really good on suspense. That is probably its strongest point. As a horror freak, I actually loved the amount of suspense. Whoever complained about it being too dark, just, no. It wasn't too dark. You could ALWAYS see the characters when you needed to. The production did not have poor lighting, I'm guessing that reviewer doesn't like surprises or something. I don't know.

The slightly Rec 3 ending was not that great. Seemed a little lazy compared to the suspense that was given throughout.

The found-footage-but-not filming style is not distracting. If that annoys someone, I'd say you're being faaar to picky. We all know it's not found footage. The director knows that too. Just watch or don't.

Acting is a little annoying in the beginning, it just is. I've seen worse, but I was not entirely convinced of their relationship to one another.

Any way, it's not perfect, or at the top 10 or 20, or 30 of the best horror flicks, but it is worth watching.

The Summoning (I) (2017)

When writing makes ZERO sense

[1/10 · 4 May 2017]

This movie is a clear example of when a writer really, really, really wants a scene to happen, but doesn't give a reason for it. Therefore, the audience is left wondering "Why doesn't she just do this?" or "Why don't they just do that?" The lead character, Rachel (Leila Almas), comes off as unemotional. My guess is the actress believes 'less is best' for acting, and therefore dulls down every expression possible and believes that's what acting is about. She's wrong. The acting suffers because of it.

Anyway, the writing is filled with side devices that don't add to the overall story. It's like the fluff that the writer/director believed would make the film cooler and more 3-dimensional, but forgets that it all must add to the story in some way. The back story about the detective doesn't add anything vital to his character behavior (which could be partially the actors fault. His acting wasn't the best either), or the situation itself.

Also, we all cringe when we're forced to believe she can't get out of that factory with all those windows around.

In the end of the film, Rachel, for whatever reason, invites the son of who she's accusing into her home, it's late at night, tells him to 'make himself at home', does not turn on any light. FACT is...this does not make sense. This is the writer/director's attempt to force this scene to happen. Why would Rachel invite this stranger in her home late at night with all that has happened to her? Especially someone who does not have her in his best interests, which she should know that? She doesn't trust her colleague, but she'll trust this stranger late at night with the lights off? I'm forced to believe that she really did just discover that he's the killer, because she doesn't act like it (but then again, her emotions are so dull, I have to force myself to believe everything she's doing). The guy never gave her reason to be trusting, yet she trusted him.

I find it interesting that the haunting comes from the dead white wife...NOT from the black husband of whom you think would have the most interest in this topic, not the DEAD SLAVES. The victims who have been forgotten and well hidden have nothing to do with the haunting and gathers absolutely zero sympathy. Just the white wife. I stress the race because in such a movie where the opportunity to make something matter can be done, we're instead following the ghost of the white woman that has nothing to do with the dead slaves (oh yeah, the whole slave thing threatens the business owner and his son. That's where that issue comes up. No where else.). I just feel like the attention was given to the wrong victim, almost purposely missing a BIG point.

This is not a good movie. It's just not.