siyamau Reviews

Hell House LLC (2015)

Genuinely surprised at how good this is

[8/10 · 10 April 2024]

I went into this with absolutely no expectations and I was really impressed with how great this movie is.

It lacks any of the usual OTT gore and effects that modern horror has. It's pretty much entirely psychological. But it's the first film I've seen in years (perhaps decades) that genuinely creeped me out. (The only other recent one I can think of is Caveat). Found footage/mockumentary films can often be very patchy, but this one I found actually believable. The actors are convincing. The 'footage' from the night of the incident taken by 'customers' is genuinely quite disturbing. There's one scene in the basement that pops into my mind occasionally unbidden..! The storyline has a lot of loose ends that are tied up in the sequels which I think are still definitely worth watching but are nowhere near as good as the first one (mostly due to one element getting a bit silly) and the motivations and relationships between characters I find very believable. This one deserves much more attention than it gets, I think. It's definitely up there with the likes of Blair Witch.

Army of the Dead (2021)

Action-packed zombie fun with plenty of twists

[9/10 · 10 April 2024]

How is this getting so many 1 star reviews from people saying it's dumb? What were they expecting from the poster, the premise, the trailer?! Yes, it's dumb, and it's one of the most entertaining films I've ever watched. There is a zombie tiger. There is inexplicable (I'm sure it's explained in some review somewhere, I've not looked) zombie pregnancy. There are (apparently) robot zombies(?) There's nods at a weird time-slip/time-travel plot in the making. There are a ton of plot holes and inconsistencies that if you look too hard at them make the narrative fall apart. But you know what, I do not care. It's total glorious action-horror escapism with loads of tongue-in-cheek humour. I love all the characters - I dunno what people are talking about 'no character progression' because for a daft action flick I'm for once really invested in the characters. I'm sad when any of them die and, unusually for this type of film, the other characters actually seem affected when a member of their group dies too. I've watched this one over and over again. It's also nice to see an original franchise (I realise all zombie movies are fairly similar, but this one stands out) rather than just endless remakes and reboots. I really hope this one gets the sequel that's promised and that it ties up some of the more mysterious premises set out in this movie.

Our Flag Means Death: Pilot (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

Utterly charming

[9/10 · 16 January 2024]

I went into this with absolutely zero expectations other than I've loved Taika and Rhys's work before. I didn't expect to fall instantly in love with this entire cast of characters. The humour is gentle, silly but deceptively smart. The costumes alone make it worth watching for! It's rare that I find a laugh-out-loud show, but (I won't spoiler) I laughed out loud more than once during this first episode. Instantly fell in love with Stede. I also especially did not expect for both me and my partner (both grown men!) to end up in tears over the final shot. A really solid opener for a properly lovely TV show.

Firefly (2002–2003)

Excellent space Western

[8/10 · 13 January 2024]

Firefly is very, very good. It's a space Western, which could be cheesy and is in fact cheesy (with tons of delightful details like holographic saloon windows that remake themselves every time someone's thrown through in a bar brawl). For some reason, everyone dresses like the Old West, and there's a distinctly steampunk vibe that is totally at odds with the advanced technology, but for some reason it doesn't matter a bit. The characterisation is phenomenal, the characters are loveable/likeable/despicable as required. The writing is fantastic, tight, excellent dialogue. The costumes, sets, everything looks gorgeous. The 'space western' aspect is all just tongue in cheek enough, and the comedy is actually hilarious. This is just a really wonderful, quality sci fi.

That said, and I'm only gonna say this briefly, Firefly is also very problematic. I have such an issue with the whole 'Companion' thing. I think I see what they're trying to do with it, I am pro sex worker and sex positive, but the idea that the most valuable thing that a woman has to commodify is her body really sits awkwardly with me. I think it would perhaps have worked better if there had been male companions shown too, but you get the distinct impression that it's a female-only trade. And despite how we're repeatedly told that it's a high-ranking, respected, desirable profession, we still hear Inara called a 'w**re' repeatedly (especially by Mal, who is supposed to be her friend). There's a lot of this kind of casual sexism in Firefly, directed against all of the female characters. I just think it's a shame that that's a main 'nope' for me in an otherwise really well-realised show. I also personally find Firefly's diversity a bit lacking. It's nice to see they tried, especially back in 2002 (which is not long ago, but somehow feels like ancient history in terms of representation in fiction), but whilst there's diversity up to a point, there's not enough and it can come across rather appropriative. They have something that could be great, with the Chinese influence on a future homogenised society, but despite that, the cast are still mainly white and there's not a single major character who is Chinese. It just feels off.

But all that said, it's an excellent, well-made, fun show that should never have been cancelled.

M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994–1995)

Better than a lot of stuff out now!

[7/10 · 13 January 2024]

This is a Sam Raimi production so that's a good start. It's weird to think 1995 was so recent because it feels like it was a lifetime ago in terms of how different everything is since the internet. If I'd seen this in 1995 it could have had a big impact upon me - it's definitely ahead of its time, in the best way.

This was an easy, fun watch and it's an obvious point to make but it is just so good to see so many POC in lead roles in a thing from 1994/5. It's well done, I just really enjoyed this. It's actually pretty hardcore in theme if you think too long on it (mind control, light vs dark, near death experiences), although the entire thing is an exercise in high camp, like really good, oldschool Dr Who. It's fast-paced and engaging and I immediately cared about all the characters.

I will say though that I need to rewatch it to work out what some of the plot was. It's absolute bananas, with stuff appearing and disappearing, people bursting into flames through telekenisis and getting booted into pits of fire in the spirit realm. All good stuff.

Dollhouse (2009–2010)

Fast action series that raises a lot of interesting points

[6/10 · 13 January 2024]

This is pretty much the most Whedon series to ever Whedon. As in, it is sharp, interesting, absorbing, thought provoking, full of witty dialogue but also intensely convoluted and problematic. I could talk at length about the themes and implications of this show - suffice to say, it's never boring. And the fact that it's creepy af is, in this case, kinda the point - so I'm inclined to give it a lot more passes than say, Firefly, which is also creepy and problematic in places, but needn't be.

Dollhouse raises a ton of interesting points regarding identity, truth, beauty, consent, the nature of happiness, free will, reality, humanity, trust, relationships, control, how we're manipulated by society and the media - I mean, it really is a fascinating premise, and whilst the execution sometimes misses the mark, it sometimes hits it dead-on and some of the episodes are actually pretty moving and affecting. (Some, however, are really daft.) Saying that, despite having a 'badass female protagonist' it feels pretty male-gaze and there's a ton of cringey damsel-in-distress stuff, and the mind-control aspect (if manipulation and abuse storylines upset you, maybe skip this one) can get a bit heavy. It makes me wonder how it would have been received if it had been a vulnerable, hot young male protagonist with a capable female handler instead of the 'obvious' vice versa.

All in all, it's kinda an exploration into what makes us human;what makes us us.

Soldier of Fortune, Inc. (1997–1999)

Of it's time, but still lots of fun

[7/10 · 13 January 2024]

SOF is what it is. It's a 90s American Jerry Bruckheimer show about special ops soldiers, so don't expect it to be particularly forward-thinking in terms of 'foreigners' or equality and diversity. It also covers some pretty dark themes, although most of the really bad stuff (torture etc) occurs off-screen. That said, it's actually a lot better than most shows of the time period in terms of, well, not being complete garbage. Whilst there are some huge nope moments (lesbians as a punchline, some really choice racist dialogue, numerous rape threat storylines, I could go on) it's an easy watch, it's fun and fast and has a cast of really likeable characters who you'll grow to love (yeah, even Benny Ray, who's a total dudebro.) It's also cheesy af, which ups its fun quota by a huge amount. I enjoyed it a lot.

Doom Patrol (2019–2023)

One of the best shows made in recent years

[10/10 · 13 January 2024]

Doom Patrol is SO GOOD. Guys, it's just SO SO GOOD, it is CAPSLOCK GLORIOUS. I can't really do it justice in a paragraph, but suffice to say it made two grown men cry repeatedly during more than one episode, the character progression is absolutely top-notch, the casting and acting is perfect, the writing is some of the best I've seen in recent years and it is hilarious, weird, meaningful, moving and tackles the subjects of mental health and ageing with humour, grace and compassion better than any other show I've ever viewed. I'm so glad it got to actually play out to the end of the full storyline. It's a dumb superhero action adventure full of toilet humour and swears, and it's also a beautiful and moving exploration of human relationships, fragility, hope and healing.

Leverage (2008–2012)

Smart, witty, compelling and full of heart

[9/10 · 13 January 2024]

Leverage is awesome. It's not only fast, witty, awesomely scripted and plotted, and full of characters so characterful you are just guaranteed to fall in love with every one of them, it's also really feel-good. I think it's the feel-good aspect that hooked me so much. Even the best dramas I find tend to wallow in angst quite a lot, which I have a limited tolerance for. The whole point of every Leverage plot is the fight for justice, and I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that pretty much every episode has a nice, satisfying, happy ending where justice is served.

The plots and schemes for each job are intricate and clever. Every episode is fast paced and funny and there is never a dull moment. It can be cheesy at times, but in a thoroughly charming way, and I've caught myself tearing up frequently at how genuinely sweet this gem of a show can be.

The characters and their relationships are all very well-rounded and realised and just incredibly likeable. That's it. This is just an incredibly entertaining, smart, funny and likeable show that will leave you feeling better for having watched it. It's also mercifully free of 'oh, boy' moments regarding gay/trans/sexist jokes (although there's quite a lot of honey-potting that goes on with the female characters I guess) In fact I think I only had one or two cringes throughout the whole series.