renee-williams-893-592930 Reviews

The Beach House (II) (2019)

A slowburn cosmic sea story

[7/10 · 12 July 2020]

I dont know that this movie was really marketed properly if I'm being honest. I caught it on Shudder, but if you're a horror fan just in it for the viscera, you may be disappointed.

I really liked this film, the acting and direction were mostly great, and the cinematography really shines. This is a spooky slowburn suited for fans of movies like Color Out Of Space who are more interested in an eerie mood than gobs of guts. There is some body horror but it isn't overdone.

It may not make my list of top ten movies of the year, but I'd say top 15 for sure

Deliver Us from Evil (I) (2014)

Mostly Good

[7/10 · 18 February 2015]

You know back in the early days of the internet, those "stare at a spot on the screen until you see it...AHH Scary Face!!" videos? Everyone fell for it once. Well imagine that for an entire film. So many out-of-nowhere jump scares. And the worst part is that they were utterly unnecessary. It would have been pretty creepy without them.

Deliver Us from Evil actually delivers on most fronts. The scares were scary. The effects intense but often subtle enough to be just off-putting. A sense of dread and a few real eerie scenes. Developed, albeit formulaic character tropes (you've got your hard cop, buddy cop, hot wife, priest with a past, the whole shebang). They were likable enough. Joel McHale carried a good half of the movie with his charm.

And say what you will, that was a great exorcism. Familiar enough, with a few new twists. And a hilarious random onlooker who really makes the whole scene. Give it a go, it won't floor you but it has one up on most of the big-budget horror I've seen recently.

Obvious Child (2014)

Honest, hilarious and heartbreaking

[8/10 · 12 October 2014]

This movie was incredible. Jenny Slate is wonderfully relatable and real, and the film somehow managed to dodge every romcom trope I had expected of it. The premise didn't really grab me, a young female comedian finds herself pregnant after a one night stand. Meh, I assumed it would avoid any real commitment into discussing the reality of abortion, or the terror that can often come with the discovery of having a potential human inside of you.

But man, this was a really honest look at what it would be like to have to make this kind of decision. And somehow, while being frank and beautiful and impeccably acted, it is also hilarious. In a way that some people you know are hilarious, not in a joke-joke-punchline-punchline Seinfeld episode kind of way. The stand-up scenes fit seamlessly instead of feeling forced or tacked on. The relationships feel established and multi-faceted, and there are some real emotional themes without it ever feeling too heavy.

And let's face it, the "Rom-Com Abortion Dramedy" isn't exactly an established genre, it took some guts to make this kind of movie. It's a gem, truly, and in my opinion, a really important film.

Lord of Tears (2013)

Jarringly Horrid

[2/10 · 18 September 2014]

Wow. Just. Holy cow, what a cringefest. I mean, I am pretty tolerant of cheese you guys, but this stinks. It stinks. What a tremendously awful film. Almost everything about it just assaulted my senses. To be fair, the scenery was beautiful and the setting deserved a better movie. But they don't get credit for Scotland being cool.

The writing was awful, the plot boring, the acting - dear god. Who are these people? Why are they in a movie? Who let this happen? These characters are zero-dimensional, and these actors should stop. Just stop now and pursue other career choices.

You know when you are watching a movie and it's so bad you are embarrassed when other people walk in the room? Like you have to have an excuse for why it's so awful? This is that. They are lucky Scotland is eerie, or this 2 would have been a 1.

Black Rock (2012)

Does anyone here even like good films?

[8/10 · 10 January 2014]

I literally just created an account so I could review this film. I am floored by the very notion that it received, as of right now, a 4.7 on this site. Are you serious? 'Oz the Great and Powerful' got 6.5 for pete's sakes. Have you seen that tripe? Unbelievable.

These women aren't special, that's the point. They aren't strong, they have no means to fight back, they're believably terrified of the situation. If you're waiting for them to retaliate against their attackers with a slew of clever traps, you may prefer such torture porn as I Spit on Your Grave. This is a thriller. No one promised you guts. In fact, I was a little confused by the nudity. I didn't think this would be one of those movies.

So yes, the notion of several beautiful women on a camping trip from hell has been done. The revenge flick has been done, the "female empowerment" horror movement is one we all know. But I felt Black Rock was different, it had heart. It reminded me a bit of The Descent, in that it built characters I truly liked, they had dimension, I cared what happened to them. They fought back because they had to, and it was hard, and they didn't magically gain superpowers to do it. It built suspense, and threw a few thriller clichés out the window with the way things turned out. And maybe a little bit of female empowerment never hurt anybody.