Larsii90 Reviews

Wonka (2023)

Missing that Oomph

[6/10 · 17 December 2023]

Listen, I liked this movie. It was good, I just wished it gave me more. Felt like there was some underutilizing of potential, so it felt s little hollow for me.

It didn't tug on my heart strings or emotions ever, but it made it chuckle and Timothee was great as Wonka. A lot of unecessary singing. I can fully get into a good musical if the songs are good and properly placed and spread out, but I can't stand it when they sing songs just to sing, when they could just... talk. Some of the songs the movie weren't really catchy or even good, and felt pointless.

Positives: great casting, funny, beautiful sets and costumes. Could watch it at home just to watch a cozy movie (if you're into musicals), but not worth seeing in the theaters like I did.

The Little Mermaid (I) (2023)

A magical adventure!

[8/10 · 26 May 2023]

I have been waiting for this movie for years, and yesterday I finally got to see it in 3D! It was overall just a great time and I was not disappointed.

This movie stays very close to the animated one, which I was hoping for. A couple iconic scenes have been changed/cut from this one, which was a shame, but overall they included everything we loved and just made scenes longer or added scenes and a couple songs.

The cast is perfect IMO. Everyone does a great job, but the highlights are without a doubt Halle and Melissa as Ariel and Ursula. Halle is absolutely beautiful inside and out and you can see that go into Ariel. And her voice... MY GOD it gave me chills. Absolutely incredible, I had tears in my eyes every time she sang. Melissa camps the hell out as Ursula and it works perfectly, down to the singing and her manerisms. That's not an easy challenge! Surprisingly, Sebastian is a main scene stealer. His voice and accent is perfect, and Scuttle worked pretty well too. Flounder is there. He's cute. I was happy with Prince Erik too. They gave him more of a backstory and motivation, and the chemistry between him and Ariel is impeccable.

Songs are great and visual effects are stunning. All in all a great time, and the best Disney live action movie since Beauty & The Beast. I only took a couple points of for a couple missing scenes that I really wanted to see.

Sex and the City (2008)

A good follow-up, but should have ended here

[7/10 · 14 February 2023]

Let me just start with I love the SATC show, and I like this movie. The show is obviously better than the movie. The movie has a slightly different tone, is more colorful and doesn't have the same great writing as the show. This movie almost seems like it's a short, final season of the show made a few years later than the original seasons wrapped.

However, there is a lot to enjoy here. It's fun seing the girls back and all the characters. The chemistry between the girls is as strong as ever, and there's plenty of comedy. The story though is quite thin for a movie this long, so after 2h you might be more than ready for it to end. The focus put into fashion compared to the show is a little ridiculous. Fashion was more of a backdrop to the story on the show, while in this movie it's such a big part. They could honestly call it fashion and the city. The times the women are in luxury stores just hanging out and shopping, walk around carrying 5-10 bags from luxury boutiques is insane. The one scene were Samantha walked out of Chanel (I believe it was) in BH with a bunch of men carrying the bags into her already luxury bag filled trunk was just beyond stupid, it looked like it was a campy dream sequence. It's obvious that every designer wanted their clothes, purses and shoes wanted in on the movie, but this was just way too much.

All that said... it's enjoyable enough to make time go by on a plane or for a girl's night, and it will make you laugh plenty because the actors are still very good and funny, even if the writing is lacking. But I do believe they should have wrapped the saga her, because the ending is the perfect conclusion. The second movie is just BAD and unecessary, and don't even get me started on And Just Like That, or as I call it: Woke And The City.

Girls (2012–2017)

Great show with terrible people

[8/10 · 13 January 2023]

First off, this show is definitely not for everyone. I absolutely loved it from the jump, and I tried to get a few friends into it that didn't get it at all.

The characters are mostly unlikeable, so you watch this to kind of laugh at the mess and chaos, and there is some very good comedy and drama here. The writing is clever and cast is good. One of my absolute comfort shows, it always makes me feel good and makes me chuckle. The only think I think is really unfortunate about Girls is that the main girls are hardly ever together as a group. At most they are 2-3 together, and it's too bad because when the four girls are together it's always hilarious. I guess it's realistic for girls at that age, but I'd love it if they were together more.

Falling for Christmas (2022)

Worst Christmas movie I've seen in years. I loved it

[5/10 · 20 November 2022]

Look, this movie is a bad movie. Just expect that. And not just in a typical Hallmark/Lifetime movie way, it's in a way purposefully made to be super over the top and bad/cheesy, while being a bad Christmas movie that takes itself too serious sometimes. But there's definitely nothing new to see her.

Lindsay looks fresher than she has in years and she still has that sparkle which we haven't seen in years, so happy for her about that. Otherwise it's very over the top, and it just has you laughing by how ridiculous and cheesy it is. Don't know if that was on purpose or not, but regardless it was hilarious.

Just go into it with zero expectations. It's a good day movie on a Sunday in December, let's say that.

Disenchanted (2022)

Wonderful and magical

[8/10 · 18 November 2022]

I thought this was a really solid sequel. I've never been a massive fan of the original, I think it's fine and cute and has a great concept, but this one took it to the next level, which paid off IMO.

Amy Addams and Amy Rudolph in particular carries the movie through and through. They're both playing their roles with the upmost camp, and it's hilarious. The movie overall is pretty funny as they make many gags about fairytale clishés with tons of easter eggs which is fun for fans like me, and the special effects, costumes and sets look amazing. It also had plenty of heart. They really went all out with the Disneyfying.

The supporting cast is good too. I really liked Idina Menzels character, and she has the most beautiful and by far the best song of the entire movie. Like I was blown away.

The only critisism I have is that the movie about 15 minutes too long, and that they spread it on with a little too much unecessary singing. No bad songs, but just a little unecessary and some good but a little too long. I alsowish Giselle had a more emotional and impactful change back from the wicked stepmother to herself, as it happened very quick and we didn't really get to see her have an emotional change, just a physical one from a distance.

All in all it was a very good sequel IMO. They took some chances and made the even bigger and bolder, and I had a lot of fun with it. Recommend for all Disney fans!

Black Adam (2022)

Better than I expected!

[7/10 · 6 November 2022]

I expected nothing more than a fun, action filled popcorn movie. Wasn't expecting great movie at all, especially because The Rock was the lead, but I gotta say I was positively surprised!

The story was pretty intruiging, there was non stop action and suspense and the perfect amount of comedy.

Great visual effects (as one can expect these days) and very good writing, as they brought something new to this. It wasn't just about the good guys vs the bad guys, where the heroes always have to do the right thing. No, this was about a man struck with godlike powers that did what he wanted, and brought some solid questions to the table, like why can't he kill the bad guys when they are trying to kill him and are going to hurt more people if they're set free? What's good and what's evil was very layered, and the setting and premise was new for this genre in live action. It wasn't about brave American superheroes saving America or the world from a big baddie. It was about a neglected, poor country living under the control and power of bad people, and how superheroes with into that. Solid work on that one. Doctor Fate was especially a pretty awesome character with great and rully realized powers, and Cyclone was good too.

The only criticism I really have is Dwayne The Rock. He's just not a good actor. I like him just fine and for a silly comedy, action flick or disaster movie he can work well. But for movies like this that require a higher level when it comes to acting, he can't really separate the characters he plays from eachother, because they're all just slightly different versions from himself, and he struggles to portray different emotions. It's mostly just the look at me I'm a beefy hunk smolder. I guess he must be very bankable since Hollywood insists on casting him as big roles, but I just feel like there were many good and better choices for Black Adam than him. He honestly cheapened the movie slightly.

That said it didn't exactly bother me, there are just moments where I kind of rolled my eyes at him because he was cheesy at times. But overall I was very satisfied and I'm glad I saw it in theaters. A fun time!

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Interesting idea, failed execution

[5/10 · 5 November 2022]

I've been a fan of Halloween for many years. I never bothered to watch this for real because I read so many bad things with it, but my boyfriend and I watched H20 and got very into it, so we wanted to watch some of the others as well. That journey ended with H6.

I thought it was an interesting new idea to bring in the cult and the curse, but it was so poorly written and wasn't fleshed out at all. It was like they tried to do something new with that, but then they also wanted to make it a typical Halloween movie with some slashing in Haddonfield, and also follow up on Tommy from the original. And also they should be ashamed of what they did with Jamie. She was an incredible character that actually managed to keep Halloween going for 2 movies after the original two with Laurie. That's not easy, and she did it! Then they replace the actress with a less than good one (to say the least), that looks nothing like Danielle Harris?! There's no character development with her and she barely gets to do anything before they just kill her off. Jamie deserves a hell of a lot better than that!

And what's up with Loomis magically getting tattoo with the cult's symbol at the end??

Very obvious why they would scrap what this series had come to and semi-reboot it with Halloween 20 Years Later with Jamie Lee (which was great), but then they had to go ruin it again with Resurrection.

This film series is just a whole mess in general, but this definitely is a weak entry.

The School for Good and Evil (2022)

Not a masterpiece, but a great time

[7/10 · 23 October 2022]

I kinda loved this! The overall premise, setting, visual effects, adventure level and action on for the most part, casting was great.

In some parts it does come across kind of silly and at times way too woke for this type of film IMO, but at the same time it was an interesting choice of making this a campy, modern dramedy meets old school adventure/fantasy film.

The runtime was a bit too long, but all in all I had a good time and it kept me engaged the entire way through, and had me laughing and feeling my feelings towards the end.

The one thing I lacked however, was the absence of Theron and Washington. They had interesting characters and a nice build up, but then they were absent from the rest of the story until the very end. These characters had so much potential, so sad to see them waste it like that.

But anyway, recommend as a fun, easy, exciting time with a bunch of magic, action. I had fun!

The Road to El Dorado (2000)

Surprisingly good

[8/10 · 8 October 2022]

I'm ashamed to say tonight was the first time I watched this, and I have watched just about every popular animated movie there is. For some reason this one just never appealed to me as a kid and I never felt an urge to watch it later in life either. Tonight I tried it, as I am in a phase of rewatching a bunch of 90s/early 2000s classics, and boy was this a wonderful surprise.

I didn't know a lot about the plot besides it being about two guys on a quest to find some place called El Dorado, which it is, but that's just the beginning and the movie offers so much more.

The story is solid (very modern Disney-esque), the main character are funny, charming, sweet, very likeable and developed. The animation is stunning! I don't know if it's been retouched over the years, but the animation by far held up, it was terrific. There's also some musical numbers that are fun.

All in all it's just a great time for any animation fan, and I can't believe I've never seen it before. I honestly loved it and now I realize why I keep seeing it in lists about underrated animated movies lists. Highly recommend!

Thumbelina (1994)

Doesn't hold up

[5/10 · 5 October 2022]

I saw this movie again today the whole way through for the first time in many years, because I loved it as a kid. But, honestly it far from impressed me, and wasn't nearly as good as I remembered. I kinda wish I left it in my past.

The beginning is pretty good and hooks you in, and the main premise is fine enough. The problem for me was the absurdity of Thumbelina meeting the fairy prince and they immediately plan to marry eachother after the first introduction and a duet, without really getting to know eachother at all. This was weird to me for a movie released in 1994. Compared to Disney's female protagonists around that time were becoming far more independent and modern, while Thumbelina comes across like a 50s Disney princess. I get, she's probably been very alone since her creation and is desperate for love, but they should still work a little harder at building that relationship before jumping straight into wanting to marry.

Another «problem», or very annoying thing about this movie is that she literally just stumbles upon villain after villain after she's kidnapped and pretty much just goes along with what they want instead of trying to escape or find her way home, because she gets attention. Oh and not to mention Jacquimo... from the getgo he could easily just have flown Thumbelina on his back to her home and the movie would be done, yet he never even tries or offers until the very end, when suddenly they realize that he can just fly her away. There's just so many opportunities for her to find her way home during the movie, but she doesn't because then the story would end.

Besides all these points the movie just felt hollow. It didn't tug on my heart strings at all, the music is.... ok, and I honestly stopped caring half way through. Too bad, because on paper this could have been a beautiful and funny animated movie, but it just wasn't. It was bland, and it definitely doesn't hold up against many other amazing animated movies from around the same time.

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Bette, Kathy, SJP and the special effects delivers, but that's about it

[6/10 · 30 September 2022]

So I went into this with low expectations as I knew it would never live up to the original, despite the main three actors coming back. And I was right. The sisters are still good and it was fun to see more of their backstory and childhood, and the special effects were great. But, after that we get the new characters and the new story...

The story is hardly there, and none of the new characters left an impact or where really likeable (there's pretty much no backstory or character development) so it's pretty hollow, and there's less comedy in this than the first one.

Fun to see the sisters again, but definitely won't be a reoccuring Halloween rewatch like the original. I did really like the ending tho, it was nice. Biggest disappointment is that they couldn't live up to the first's musical numbers. The group song is good, but Sarah doesn't even sing her Come little children song, and that was very sad cause it's my favorite part of the first one.

Orphan: First Kill (2022)

A smash!

[7/10 · 29 August 2022]

Great, late prequel with an awesome twist!

I went into this movie with an open mind. I LOVED the first Orphan so I know it would be very hard to top, but I wanted it to be good. I figured they would simply rehash the same premise as the first one, and I was a little sceptical about Isabelle Fuhrman again playing Esther since she is now a full on adult and it would be hard to have her convincingly playing that same character in a movie set before the first movie, made about twelve/thirteen years later. Man was I wrong...

They did a great job with this. Casting is superb (awesome that they got Julia Stiles), the practical effects they used to make Esther still look like a kid was impressive, it's creepy as hell, they went in another direction with the story. If you watch the two movies back to back it's obvious that Fuhrman looks more adult now, but on the flip side, It was actually an advantage having a now adult Fuhrman playing Esther, since she could now to more adult things when people weren't looking, like smoking or drinking. It really added to her character and scheme she was truing to pull.

I was really enjoying myself, and then midway through we get this completely unpredictable twist that really gagged me and changed the direction again.

Really well done and I had a great time with it! Gave it a 7/10 because they didn't wrap it up as well as I would hope, but still a very solid prequel to a movie that was so groundbreaking to begin with.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022– )

Positively surprised!

[8/10 · 31 July 2022]

I have to admit, I was really skeptical when I heard about this show. I was like really... ANOTHER sad attempt at a PLL show? But then I saw a TikTok video where this horror fan was praising it, saying it leaned into the slasher genre and was pretty good, so I got really intruiged and had to try it out.

I was really positively surprised. It starts with a bang with the new opening credits. Super creepy and obviously inspired by horror movies and shows that came before it, like MTV's Scream and American Horror Story, WITH a great and creepy new version of the original opening song.

From there it was just a great mix of character and story introduction, and they get right into it. I was hooked immediately, the main girls are all good and for the most part likeable characters, and the setting, sets and locations all have a dark tone to them which help build the suspense and overall creepy feeling.

Lots of nods to classic shasher movies, and I am really excited about where this show is heading. I hope they just keep leaning more and more into horror, because it suits this new show really well.

Delirium (I) (2018)

Pretty good!

[6/10 · 12 June 2022]

Decent thriller with horror elements. The premise was pretty good and I really liked to see Topher Grace in this role. Towards the end it didn't go anywhere I thought it would, which was a pleasant surprise.

I do however wish there would be a lot more suspense and horror elements, because there was only a few and the pacing felt pretty slow at times. Would definitely not classify this as a horror, but it should have been because the setting and situation with him being on house arrest is a great setup.

Would recommend a watch, it was decent enough.

House on Haunted Hill (1999)

Pretty great... until the last act

[5/10 · 31 May 2022]

I was fully hooked to this movie. For the first hour and ten minutes or so I was loving the cast, characters and premise. It was exactly the type of half cheesy 90s horror romp I wanted to see. It had some comedy and I was really intrigued to see where it was going.

When the spooky stuff and murders started to happen I was invested. It was gorier than I thought but I didn't mind it, and when the one female character got the ghosts of the crazy doctor and nurses on camera but couldn't see them - that was really creepy and a highlight. This is where the movie started and where it should go - the ghosts of the horrible staff, patients, perhaps the overall evil of the house and to which degree Famke Janssen's character was involved. Instead they dropped all that for some kind of evil shadow made with TERRIBLE CGI. It was so bad it was beyond laughable and completely took me out of it and severely damaged the otherwise exciting premise.

The movie just got worse and worse from there, and the ending was terrible and made no sense. So the two remaining characters «won» all the checks for several million dollars. But in reality, the female character wouldn't even be able to cash hers because she gave a false name for the check, and none of them could have cashed out the checks written for the other people, yet they acted as if they got all the money. Why not just have... cash?

Very disappointed at where this movie went, because I thought the first hour at least was great and it was really going somewhere. It was almost like they brought in all new writers and a new director towards the end, because the setup at the beginning and the ending has close to nothing in common. Too bad.

I Know Who Killed Me (2007)

It's bad, but could have been great with a couple adjustments

[5/10 · 28 May 2022]

Ok, so this movie overall is kind of a bad one, I get it. I don't think it is AS BAD as the rating says, but it definitely lands somewhere in between an ok thriller/horror and a bad B-movie. Props for it being pretty stylish and having a clear visual sense and point of view, and I appreciate seeing Lindsay in a darker and more artistic movie like this.

The main story itself is interesting enough, and the acting of all characters is pretty solid IMO, especially Lindsay does a better job than she gets credit for. However, the writing (such as the kidnapping of Audrey), storytelling, pacing and editing is all over the place/lacking. It's a little hard to follow the story and timeline, and some important details are skipped over, so the story makes less sense.

It's unnecessarily brutal and bloody at times which really isn't for me, but the part that just makes absolutely no sense and makes the whole movie stupid is the stigmata thing. It's completely unrealistic that the exact same physical thing that happens to Aubrey happens to Dakota. I would be very much into it if Dakota would experience a level of pain on the same places at the same time as Aubrey, because I believe that twins can tap into eachothers feelings in a similar way and it would make for an interesting story, but to the level of actually losing her leg, arm, finger etc is just plain stupid. Also the reveal of the killer is beyond predictable. I really wish they went with a more surprising character, or even a stranger.

Overall it's not a movie I recommend, but it would be a pretty solid one if they changed up the things that made it stupid. It would be so easy not to make it THAT stupid!

The Cellar (2022)

I really wanted to like it...

[5/10 · 25 May 2022]

First I wanna say that I rented this without hesitation because I'm a big Elisha Cuthbert fan. She is definitely the best part of the movie and about the only lead even though she has kids and is married. She does a good job with what she has to work with, but the problem is what she has to work with.

The plot itself is interesting enough for a decent horror flick, but it ends up as just squandered potential. We've seen all this before, but at the very least they could go all the way with their ideas. Nothing shocking, no twists, very few actually scary moments, and the actor playing her son was so bad it was honestly distracting.

It's an OK watch, but nothing I would say is worth spending money on.

Please Like Me (2013–2016)

My favorite comfort show

[10/10 · 12 March 2022]

I absolutely love this show! One of the best dramedies I've ever seen and I have rewatched it several times. Probably the best and by far the most realistic among all shows I've seen about twenty somethings trying to figure out their lives. The cast, writing and dry comedy is just terrific, and even though the show tackles a lot of sad topics within the mental health realm they still do it in a way that's funny, relatable and heart warming. And the main characters really are screwups in life. They live realistic lives as young people stuck in life and with little money, which is refreshing.

Overall the show just makes you feel good. It's incredible bingable, so you're likely to finish the whole thing within 1-2 weeks with it only having four seasons.

Being gay myself it's easy to love as a lot of the show is about being gay, so if you're not gay perhaps you wouldn't love it AS much as I do, but I definitely recommend it anyway for a great, easy watch that makes you feel good and will give you some good laughs.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

Not horrible, but far from great

[6/10 · 21 February 2022]

Watched this last night, and it was a fun enough time. The story and characters are... ok. It's very bloody, gory and brutal and the characters are terribly and annoyingly stupid just for the purpose of driving the story along. Nothing new for a slasher, but it's very annoying.

That said, it is very creepy and intriguing, and the cinematography is decent. I found myself hiding behind a pillow a lot, mostly because the kills were so brutal, but also because I was terrified at certain times.

A good enough watch if you're a horror/TCM fan, but don't expect a great movie. Would never pay to watch it outside of a streaming service.

Worth a watch if you.

The Pyramid (2014)

Great potential, terrible execution

[4/10 · 7 February 2022]

What a dissappointment of a horror film. Too bad, cause I was really intruiged in the beginning. I was hoping for a new As Above So Below type film, with the same kind of claustrophobic feeling and maybe some terrifying mummydemons, but that's far from what we got.

The acting is pretty bad besides the guy playing the Dad. I recognize him from AHS among other things, and he's great. The rest are annoying and bad, and I didn't care if they lived or died.

When you finally see this creature that is after them you start seeing more of it for the rest of the film, which ruins it because it becomes silly and the creature often is just terrible and cheap CGI.

The first half is pretty good and it has some really good and scary jump scares, but besides that it's terrible. Go watch As Above So Below instead.

Get Over It (2001)

Great, 2000s silly teen comedy

[7/10 · 22 January 2022]

I absolutely love this movie, and has ever since I was a kid. The cast is great, there plenty of genuine funny moments and characters and it's pretty absurd, which adds to the comedy for me.

The core plot is also about a school musical, and it's a great backdrop for the overall premise, and the play itself at the end is a major highlight with super fun musical numbers. Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Mila Kunis, Shane West and Colin Hanks are all really good, so casting is also a highlight.

Highly recommend for a nostalgic, fun and easy watch.

Single All the Way (2021)

Cute, but it's been made hundreds of times before

[6/10 · 5 December 2021]

As a gay man I needed to see this for the representation and J. Coolidge. It was kinda what I expected, but I have to be honest... if you switched the gay lead characters with straight lead characters, you'd have any other general Christmas romantic comedy on Hallmark. Maybe slightly above that, but really nothing new here other than the gay main characters.

I did really like most of the characters, but the writing was so generic and beyond cheesy and predictable. It also should have had way more comedy with that great cast.

BUT, a cute Christmas movie nonetheless, by all means. A nice daytime or Sunday night Christmas movie.

90210 (2008–2013)

Is it bad? Absolutely. Is it also enjoyable? 100%

[7/10 · 8 November 2021]

I have a deep love for this show. I remember it aired at the same time as Gossip Girl, which was huge in comparison. Granted, it was a better show, but something about 90210 made me love it more.

The positives are: it's witty, the actors are good and there's tons of drama, even though it gets very teeny and overdramatic a lot of the times. On the flip side, it's often very intruiging with some juicy and dark storylines, scandals and plot twists. The negatives are that so many of the problems the characters have are often based soly on really stupid misunderstandings, and some storylines are beyond ridiculous you end up skipping them. Some storylines don't even have a conclusion, and it's pretty annoying.

To me, Annalynne McCord is the absolute star of the show, and she's honestly too good for it. Her character, Naomi Clark makes the whole show worth watching for me, she's incredible. I also really like Shenae Grimes aka Annie. They both have the most character development and are the most interesting characters with a great chemistry and very entertaining feuds that comes and goes.

The show has a rocky first season, still with some great moments, but season 2-3 is when the show really found its footing and shined. Then it kind of goes off the rails again with really stupid storylines, but my favorite characters are still worth watching.

It is what it is, it's teeny and ridiculous and soapy, but they really lean into it in a way that it doesn't take itself too seriously, so you can just have fun with it.

Gossip Girl (2021–2023)

Way better than I thought it would be

[7/10 · 29 October 2021]

I'm only two episodes in, but I'm surprised at all the negative reviews here. The original Gossip Girl is absolutely iconic and one of the most influential teen shows of all time. No reboot can ever top that.

BUT, I actually thought this modern take on it was really good. You can see parts of the original characters spread across all the new characters, while they're also doing something new. The way they also solved the identity of Gossip Girl is completely new and I actually really liked it. I wouldn't want a new round of «who's gossip girl??» every season, we all know how that turned out last time...

You can also tell that there is a certain quality level with the HBO stamp on it, which it needed to be anywhere near as good as the OG Gossip Girl. They kept a very similar tone and visual style as the original, but I would say the original was wittier and did rely more on dark comedy. So that's maybe one thing I would like to see more of. Blair for example was really funny, and I'm not seing that part in this reboot.

Watch is as its own show and don't compare it to the original, and you might enjoy it. I'm 31 and I swore to never start a teen show again (because I should be watching adult stuff and I get so addicted), but I guess I fell off the wagon with this one.