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Reviews
Pearl (2022)
psychological creepy
I can understand why Pearl receives the highest rating in this trilogy.
The movie ends with her creepy smile, a klnd you know the person is mental when you see it.
That says the acting is brilliant. Not that kind of ending and kick that you generally see in most horror.
The color of the file is weirdly vibrant as if it was a dream. It could be someone's brutal reality and the way they look and hope for how things should go, in their possible world.
It's creepy in a way that you can totally get it. Even thought the setting/background is early 1900 but what Pearl portray is the cruel reality of many families nowadays. There might be a Pearl living two blocks from your home and you have no ideal until the you someday bump into her/him and an "unbelievable" story starts.
MaXXXine (2024)
entertaining for sure
For those who have not seen the other two in the X trilogy, I would say it's very entertaining. For those who have, it is worth watching.
The setting is the Hollywood in the 80's. They did a good job protraying and describing how it felt back then. The pace is not slow. 5 minutes into the movie you would sense one of the elements waving through the whole move: pron business.
Another element is "making a movie" and the female produce describing the moive-inside-movie "a b movie with an A idea" which is exactly what MaXXXine is about.
It is not fair to compare MaXXXine to the other two siblings since each carries a specific tone with pron as the major background but each also is entertaining. And each is more entertaining some other recent horror films, like the deliverance (which is a total disaster in comparison).
We really enjoyed MaXXXine!
In a Violent Nature (2024)
Even a slasher movie needs proper acting
Just a rewrite of Jason the mask killer without strange sound effects.
But this movie seriously needs better actors; the acting was horrible.
For instance, the old guy who got killed first has horrible acting; his scream sounds like he was joking and making fun with the killer.
The guy who told the story about Johnny can't enunciate clearly.
The movie is not fast either. The first kill happens 15 minutes into the movie, and the second 30.
The only good thing is the way they shot the film. The spent a great amount of time shooting the film right behind Johnny which sort of gives the audience a first-person perspective.
It's slow. It's boring.
That '90s Show (2023)
do they really need the fake/synthesized laugh after every 2 sentences?
Not that funny. Not really hilarious.
Just dry jokes. Dry.
Two good things about the show is 1) they look like 90s and 2) they don't over act. Some (in fact many) comedians just act too much to the point where everything feels so fake. Even genuinely funny things can be ruined by over acting. That '90s show is safe in this regards.
But this show is not funny. The fake/ synthesized laugh makes the show so miserable. Whoever came up with the ideal should watch some really comedies.
Go to watch Hacks and you will see what is really funny and what is not. And you won't want to go back to this show.
Jongmalui Babo (2024)
Just no climax
To be honest I don't think it's bad.
It just lacks climax. A really confrontation.
The series really emphasizes people's relationships.
For instance:
A priest blindly follows his predecessor.
A young sister secretly works with a corrupted government official's son to uncover the secret of the church.
For another instance:
A group of friends willing to sacrifice their career to back up their friends' back.
The series describes the near-apocalyptic world; the asteroid has never been the focus; you expect to see bright side of humanity like empathy, and self development but you ALSO expect to see dark side such selfishness, and greed.
Problem is: we all know these ingredients but the production fails to put them in an intense way. It's like reading a headline one after another. You start with wonder and then soon after you don't see something keeping you watching. It's not an execution problem nor a problem of massing ingredients, making the series dull. It's a story telling problem. The story is not told appealing as it should be. Meanwhile there are too many storylines to be told.
The last episode is the worst. It tries to tie EVERY knot. It wants to add variety since everyone faces the end differently. I can see why. But it is just like reading a diary: boring as hell.
Arcadian (2024)
They need to fire the cameramen
Don't watch this move right after you eat something. The super shaky camera work could make you sick. 5 minutes into the movie I could not bear it. Just too uncomfortable.
The story line is easy and straightforward: people try to stay alive after some sort of apocalypse.
What is missing from the movie is the horror and the family dynamics. You either make the move very scary or you focus on the family and the bonding. Or make both the focus. However, this movie does not have enough either. Turns out the movie becomes boring and losing focus. So people can easily predict what's to come in the next 3 minutes.
It could be much better if they add some mysteries to the creatures. What causes the apocalypse is not that important to me.
The Mosquito Coast (2021)
Bad parenting
The mother is an enabler who enables and admires what the father has been doing. The father is a total narcissist who only thinks of what is right and wrong in his own ideal world. He is very manipulative. The son is a follower who almost never questions. The daughter possibly is the only likable character. The two agents and cops simply reinforces what the father stands against. Pretty much everything they do and how they behave make the parents look good and exemplars to the children.
Lots of people do not like the daughter. But the character is the most realistic. Imagine you being in her position and you were 15, wouldn't you ask why? Wouldn't you wonder I lives like a fugitive on the run while my friends are learning and enjoying their 15 which everyone can only enjoy one time of their life time.
I hate the mother so much. She is so fake. Wherever she feels bad about not telling the truth to the kids, he changes her mind immediate after he talks to her and her guilt just disappears into thin air. She looks at him as if he is the savior of the world with a face looking like oh yeah let's rock and roll and shutter the world.
Especially when the father asked her "are we not good parents?" Well no you are not.
People are struggling with giving no reason why they are on the run. Well if you shift your attention from why to how to move on then you will feel better about the show. But yeah it is still not a good way of presenting the show.
Tee yod (2023)
This is not a Thai horror movie
Not scary at all. Not at all.
Most Thai horror/ scary movies are either scary as hell or scary and fun at the same time.
This one is not scary nor hilarious.
The only good thing about this movie is the main actor because he is handsome and cute.
The storyline is plain, the acting is normal to low, the plot is predictable. The sound effect is too loud and I have to adjust the volume constantly which is very annoying but not scary.
No visual effect pretty much.
The ghost is a girl with smoky makeup. The possessed one just talks through a voice transformer. The ghost group is just a group of teenagers flying. The blood is so fake.
Het gouden uur (2022)
Bad scene shots
The series opens with some mystery about a detective and his past. That sounds cliche but it's what it is. I guess the focus is on the detective but we can also see how things are handles in Europe. The story also is kinda predictable. It has tension, suspension, action and hatred.
The problem is not about the story and how it is told. The really issue is how they shot the scenes. I tried to love this series but the scenes are so broken and unsteady.
Sometimes I can't even focus on one item in the scene.
The acting may not be the best but the way they shot the series is really bad, worst.
Normally I don't watch series with dub but I would rather listen to dub than watching. It's a torture.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
The Exorcist: Believer Review
I don't understand why they want Regan's mom to be part of this. What's her role in this? Just a connection to the former? Her part is completely not necessary. A phone call to her asking for suggestion would be suffice enough.
Good part stats at the last 30 minutes. It doesn't mean the rest is not important but it means they didn't do a good job on the first 1+ hours.
The moves opens with a slightly odd interaction between a father and his daughter. Very soon it goes to the missing of two girls. Up to this point they just do a mediocre job.
The return of the two girls should be the first climax. No not at all. The girl has an episode in the church; it should be very dramatic. No at all. Just like the trailor. The director and the writers screw it up making what it supposed to be very disturbing and even graphic extremely insipid. Just dull.
It is just one of many mistakes they make.
Another example of they screwing up the play is the conflicts between believers and nonbelievers. The two families stand for one of each but the conflict is not there. They should cut off the Regan's mom's scene and use the time for conflicts between the two families or some demonic activities in the believer's home.
There's definitely something new in this move that was not included in the previous pieces. For instance, the woodoo woman.
Invasion (2021)
Slower than snails
It's probably the slowest alien scifi I've ever watched. Lots of irrelevant things fills up the first three episodes.
Also, they pay too much attention to personal things to the extend that it is not a scifi but more of a drama.
I feel like it could have been better but the director put the focus on something else than the "invasion".
Leaving mysterious and inexplicable crumbles for the audience is one of the common ways to make people hooked. But the crumbles of each story line in each episodes is too trivial, scattered and overwhelmed by the life of the characters. For instance, episode 2 spent 5 minutes on the soldiers life and it has nothing to do with the development of the plots. Again, episode 2 spent another 6 minutes on school bullies but it does not influence how the plots develop. Removing these meaningless clips does not really change how the audience perceive these characters nor how the audience feel when the invasion happens.
They should finish the story line one after another until there is a convergence where all the story lines meet.
The Artifice Girl (2022)
It's a podcast
I spent more than 20 minutes watching three people talking and arguing and I just can't see where the conversation would take me to. The topic is about AI. And even though they appear excited but I am not.
Yeah what they are talking about seems interesting and exciting potentially but hello !? This supposed to be a movie not a podcast.
There is no such a thing of bad acting because there is no acting. Of course if you think hand gesture that you have daily counts toward acting then there's some acting.
Also there is no sound/music neither. Boring on top of boring.
For the first time I found the IMDb rating so far off.
Make My Day (2023)
Seem altruism but in fact very selfish
The worms take a huge part in the series. They are the key that makes this series interesting. Some may think the worms are just a form of evil in other series/moves of the same kind but consider everything else is so predictable. What makes this series less appealing is the personality of the leading actor. A weak, self-doubting, but a bit chivalry person saves the world. So classic. Parts of the series touch upon the selfish side of humanity but did it in a very shallow way. Once you have these ingredients for the series, everything just simply falls out. Noting really shocks you. That is, a mediocre script. Typically, in this type of setting, the lame actor grows through unfair treatments, self questioning and challenges. Eventually he learns confidence and how to fight back. He may still have his righteous sense of morality and I-can-save-everyone naive. But this series is a bit different: he just wants to stay conscious clean. Seems a great man but deep down still for himself.
The Wonder (2022)
Slow burn but power narrative
This movie opens with a very unique way that raises the audience's interests and questions.
Don't skip the first half or simply jump to the last part of the movie, for you will lose lots of crumbles hidden inside the conversation. Even as small and childish as a children's game.
To me it has two climaxes. The first one is how the nurse saves the girl by giving her a thought about a girl who hasn't done anything wrong. Actually I think the girl leads her to this idea even though the nurse doesn't sound like/act like she does not know the new name. The second climax is when the maid reads the newspaper. Basically it's an accusation of the society and the church, be it ancient or present.
Don't think of it as a cult. Don't ignore the power of religion and beliefs.
The bridge between the two climaxes is the moment when the sister patches the nurse up and asks her about a vision that the sister saw. Look closely at the sister. That's great acting; she formulates the sentences in a way that you know she knows the truth but she can't say it out loud.
The movie ends where and how it begins. Really nice and rounded.
The Northman (2022)
Dark, mythical and barbaric
By no means this movie is mediocre. It is dark, mythical, barbaric and symbolic. It's dark because of the theme. Mythical because of its culture and faith. Barbaric because of the era. Symbolic is something man made. Many elements are very metaphorically symbolic. The sword taken from the skeleton. He said " I will hide you well, night blade." The blade is a symbol of his fate and determination. "Night blade" on the other hand, could literally mean the sword can only be used at night which echoes how he got it. But also it could metaphorically mean a weapon murdering his uncle. Let along with the ravens in the chamber when he is hang from the ceiling. If vengeance is the only thing you aim at, you miss a good show.
The script is good. The shooting is nice and smooth. Some long shots make the scenes more engaging. In the end you may want to ask: do we create our future or do we just walk on the path of fate set by gods.
Old People (2022)
To be honest it's not too bad
In general it's not too bad. I don't understand the hate. There's lots on tensions about family, love and humanity. Yes the mother has some wired facial expressions, especially in the beginning. Yes the father is incredibly naive and trying to take some sense into the old people, which is somewhat unbelievably stupid. The nurse creates another layer of tension and makes it more watchable.
And there is another cliche: a young boy with ansthma and it happens when the inhaler is gone.
It's not a zombie move. Do not simply replace zombies with old people; zombies do not plot but the old people do; zombies do not scheme but the old people do; zombies don't walk in daylight ur the old people do.
And music has a strange healing power. AGAIN. Yes the killer just hear you sing; it's not logical and that's the worst part of the movie.
The movie is really not bad; if you put it in a bigger picture, it tries to reflect on several in-progress issues: the aging society, the necessity of euthanasia, the retirement and life, ect.
Ich seh, Ich seh (2014)
Not really predictable
Some people say the story line is predictable. Well I think not. It becomes a bit predictable after 2/3 of the move.
There are a few leads leading you to believe what they want you to believe and those leads are very much real. It is not until 3/4 of the movie you realize what happened and what caused whatever is happening.
The ending is kinda predictable. Or not refreshing and boring I would say. But I think the ending can be some kind of beginning, like 24 Billy.
Naomi's acting is great, as usual. One thing does not fall into the lines is the father. He literally has two seconds of scenes. Just like "hey you have the kids not my problem anymore".
It's more than 7 but lower than 8.
Midsommar (2019)
Just too slow and not wired at all
A lot of relatively unrelated noncontributing scenes can be cut off. With or without them the creepiness is not affected. You just need the first 20 minutes for background setting and skip to the last one hour. What happens in between is not weird and terrifying.
It is closer to a documentary rather than a horror or thriller.
Very disappointed especially after watching heredity.
Moon Knight (2022)
Reminds me of the iron fist
Overly naive setting makes me hard to love this series. It just reminds me of the iron fist when he first returns to NYC. A good sci-fi still needs to build on the real world. There are multiple scenes where he could have made things less chaotic and more straight-to-the-goal (such as saving someone or fixing something) but he didn't simply because he follows the good/humanity side of the heart. What's wrong with that is, on one hand, for the development of the series, it becomes so formulaic and tedious simply because how to make what would happen between now/the current to the status where he finally accepts the truth creative and eyeball catching should be the key for the popularity of the series . On the other hand, for the audience, since we all know that eventually the world will be saved, those self-exploring process is really too redundant. Even not knowing should not be the reason for stopping you from becoming stronger and fighting for survival. To simply put, he whines too much.
The Lake (2022)
Just too much. Superficial jokes
The theme is simple and straightforward. To some people it may be a bit boring and lack of freshness. But that's fine. What really ruins the show is the main character Justin. I don't know what's wrong with the writer and the director, but it seems that they intentionally make the character extremely unfit the social setting. They make the character so unnatural and weird for the environment as if Justin is very incapable of interaction and relationship. Who would introduce himself as a 'birth father' to a total stranger? An openly gay becomes a stammer before a cute boy? So unrealistic. Jordan Gavaris overplays the character in many ways, making almost every joke/funny scene unbearable to see. Half of the time I wonder why he portrays the role in such a dramatic way. Justin talks like a nonstop nagging 48 year old person who has a screw loose or something and talks in high pitch.
42 Días en la Oscuridad (2022)
Horrible story telling
The director does not know how to tell and to organize a story.
I don't think the acting is that bad. The storyline is okay. It's not boring even though you can predict some plots. The real question is that there is barely coherent link between scenes. One scene ends and it jumps straight to a random scene. Perhaps the director wants to follow the German series DARK but did a bad job. Since it's 42 days of darkness, it's reasonable and helpful to indicate which day.
Catching Killers (2021)
Some just don't learn from own mistakes
Podcast level narrators/ story telling
Even though the stories are mostly brutal but the way it unfolds diminished the violence. What's left is more of story telling and some emotional release.
If you are a detail seeker, this series won't satisfy you. But it works as a good foundation if you want to dig into the case.
The last episode "happy face killer" really bugs me. The DAs did not do their jobs well and were misled by a grandmother but later furious about her because (the DAs believed) the other death could have been stopped.
I mean, what the hell? This DA did not do his job well and still do not face the responsibility his owned.
The later-confessed killer did not appear in the first case. With or without being misled, the DA had zero chance finding the true killer.
The DA's job is to find the truth, no matter how deeply it is hidden. Clearly he thinks he did wonderfully but in fact he did not.
Wonder if he also put other innocent people behind the bar.
Jigeum uri hakgyoneun (2022)
Teenager directors?
I am a fan of zombies and Korean movie industry has built some good reputation in this matter. BUT this series may have pulled down the reputation because this series is so bad such that I wonder if it was directed by teenagers.
Bad acting!
Good thing is that the mystery got explained very soon in the second episode (if you can go that far).
Those creepy/zombie scenes are totally predictable and common in a zombie-themed series/move so they can't be constituted as a reason to give applause to this series.
Too many scenes are not logical at all. For instance when Onju was pressed against the floor by a infected male student, what should be expected is she simply can be bitten. But no, apparently she holds the fight and get away with the zombie. But wait! One second ago she is too terrified to move and next second she fights back the zombie.
And the extinguisher can also defeat zombies?
It just a tip of iceberg showing how bad this series.
Bulgasal (2021)
Extreme slow pace
I gave 6 stars because of the acting and the story. Otherwise it would have been 4.
It is extremely slow. Almost every episode repeats the same elements from episode 1 because the basic concept is simple.
Find the women, kill her before anyone else does.
The sound effect often does not match the scenes too.
No intense at all.
I fell asleep several times before finishing a episode.
Definitely not something I can finish at one shot.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Missing details
To be honest I think it would have been better if the director had been James Wan.
What makes the conjuring 3 less scary is it lacks the scenes that make people upset and thrilled.
For instance, in the conjuring 1, the clapping hands from the closest.
The conjuring 3 also has a scent of sci-fi. For instance when the picture of the guy cursed fell onto the ground, the way it flies is not natural, as if something you would see in a low budget sci-fi or aliens stuff.
Some scenes could have been more frightening, and more importantly, logical. For instance, when the possessed guy is floating in the air, the prison guards are seemingly doing nothing, as if they really did not know what to do when shooting.
Another example is the scene when Lorraine was trying to destroy the alter. She could have destroyed the setting e en if she could not overturn the table. It should be explained.
As a consequence, the way that wakes up Ed from the hallucination is love. Again, it is extremely cliche, lacking freshnesss.
The conjuring 3 os okay but not my first recommendation.