travispetrillo Reviews

Cryo (2022)

It was alright

[5/10 · 16 June 2022]

The film begins with a team of 5 people just awoken from cryostasis, dazed and confused, with difficulty remembering who and where they are. This is probably where the movie is at its worst, as the actors are extremely wooden in the opening scenes, going beyond the awkwardness their situation should call for, though that does improve as the film goes on and they somewhat settle into actual personalities.

The idea itself was nice, not particularly original, we've all seen it played out in plenty of other movies, this one just included the actual product. It's a game of Clue. Kinda. Stories like this can be very entertaining for those that like to guess at the ending, and I feel like they did a fair job of it here, with plenty of hints and distractions for the audience. The final twist though was a stretch, and just made the story seem arbitrarily cruel and nonsensical, with the reasoning as to why remaining a vague and disappointing mystery.

Otherwise, setting and camera work are both passable, with all shooting done seemingly in the one location. Not a film I'd watch again, but not terrible for a low budget production. Some heavy editing to bring down the length with a bit more clarity at the end, and it might actually be enjoyable.

Night of the Animated Dead (2021)

Not the worst I've seen, but it seemed to try

[3/10 · 21 September 2021]

It's been forever since I've seen the original, but this film did seem to try and remain faithful to the original plot, though I can't say that's a good thing, given that the story is so dated, and can no longer be sold simply for its unique concept.

Where this movie really lacked though, was the animation and art. I may have enjoyed the story for the nostalgia factor alone, but I couldn't help but be distracted by the characters choppy and awkward movements, and just how bad they looked in general. With animation that would have been subpar even in the early 90's, this movie seemed more like a parody that forgot the funny, than a remake.

Incision (I) (2020)

Not that bad

[5/10 · 23 August 2021]

Horror movies always have the toughest critics, but really when compared to many of the lower budget or "no-name" horrors to have come out recently, this one was passably entertaining.

The story wasn't particularly good or unique, and the acting ranged from acceptable to downright awful, but a couple of the cast seemed to at least kind of know what they're doing, and there were moments when I might actually call it scary, though the plot was still pretty weak and predictable, and I can't say I cared for any of the characters either.

I wouldn't recommend this film, but I can't say I entirely hated it. It was pretty half-baked, but I've folded laundry to worse.

SurrealEstate (2021– )

Adequate show turned meh

[5/10 · 1 August 2021]

The first episode had my curiosity, it wasn't great or amazingly original, but it seemed to have a decent idea and I was hopeful that some of the cast would step up and start carrying the show.

Sadly, the only notable performance here is done by Tim Rozon (Luke), but not for good reasons. The man looks like he's taken serious acting queues from Zoolander, the facial expressions at least are dead-on. I'd love to have more of an opinion of the show, sadly anytime a character or piece of story starts to seem slightly interesting, it comes back to him with that dumb look, and ruins whatever tension or drama that actually managed to build. Again and again.

Might stick around for another episode or two, see if some of the supporting characters get more development, since a couple seem to actually be talented, but as it stands, this show is losing me. Might consider also staying, if they show us what Luke is always staring at.

Knifecorp (2021)

Equal parts dumb and fun, with a sprinkle of horror

[6/10 · 14 July 2021]

The plot is ridiculous, the characters are ridiculous and the script is plain silly. This is not to say the movie was bad, but it's beyond me how it's not listed as a comedy/horror, since that seemed to be the intent.

The acting was kind of mediocre, but some of that might be due to how exaggerated their characters were, like their dumb jock and wimpy kid characters were each dialed up to 100, with a mysterious foreigner being somewhere near 1000.

I may have a slight bias, since I almost became a knife salesman myself when I was younger, and the film did a good job at the start showing how silly it felt sitting in one of those rooms, hearing the promise of riches from selling miracle knives door-to-door.

As a horror alone, it was a failure, but as a comedy with a horror theme, it was at least moderately entertaining, keeping me interested enough to finish, and even laugh a few times along the way.

The Unholy (2021)

Entertaining, but that's it

[5/10 · 28 May 2021]

Yet again Jeffrey Morgan throws a story on his back and carries it to the end, but even his charisma staggered under the weight of this films sins.

From the unashamed overuse of cliche horror tropes (Im looking at you blood-crying-statues), to the corny CGI effects, to the cartoonish characters, this movie was just simply not scary. To put it in another way, it was like watching Supernatural, except minus Sam, Dean and rock music.

Come True (2020)

Mixed feelings

[7/10 · 12 March 2021]

Excellent idea and solid acting, but ultimately a haphazard plot, that ends on a slightly disappointing final twist.

Sensation (2021)

Good, but disappointing.

[5/10 · 28 February 2021]

I really would have liked to rate this higher, since the beginning was actually pretty good, but due to a mediocre middle and horrible end, I just can't.

Psycho Goreman (2020)

Interesting

[7/10 · 31 January 2021]

It's like the writing staff from Evil Dead met up with the production crew from Power Rangers, to make a new episode of Goosebumps.

Synchronic (2019)

Pretty damn good

[8/10 · 12 January 2021]

The only real misgiving I have about this film, is it was too short for the world it only just started to explore, and probably would have been better as a mini-series than a movie.

Otherwise though, there's some great emotion in it, and the chemistry between the 2 leads is phenomenal, though this is largely centered around Anthony Mackie's character, he does a fair job of keeping the story compelling.

Most of the other characters are sadly left with minimal development, Jamie Dornan's character being the only other one to really get fleshed-out, and a few ominous events are just swept under the rug, or just forgotten completely. It doesn't seem like they intend a sequel, so maybe they just didn't have the creative juices or budget to build more upon the world, which is too bad.

All-in-all, this movie was worth the time and money. Though warning to any medics, you might want to just glaze over most of their scene prep and patient assessments/treatments. These dudes were like cowboys as paramedics.

Shortcut (II) (2020)

You could do worse

[5/10 · 22 December 2020]

It really wasn't all that bad of a movie, not particularly great, or horrendously awful either. At best it's a Goosebumps-level horror, and at worst it's a half-baked "IT".

Come Play (2020)

Pretty damn scary

[8/10 · 1 November 2020]

This movie may be rated for 13+, but I know many adults that would be thoroughly spooked by this one.

There's really very little that I can say I disliked about this movie, it was well-shot, the acting was good, the pacing kept me interested throughout and the idea is fairly fresh.

If there's one misgiving I have about the film, is the audio. The show jumps back and forth, between using almost inaudible whispers to extremely loud bangs. Something I usually expect from horrors, getting the audience to lean-in and listen before a scare, but it was a little overused here.

Overall though, fantastic film, made my Halloween much more spoopy.

Becky (II) (2020)

The kind of strong female lead I can get behind

[8/10 · 31 October 2020]

If there was one thing this movie didn't lack, it was competent acting. Kevin James and Joel McHale, despite being better known for their work in Comedy, do a fair job here, James especially. The real star of the show though is Lulu Wilson, playing Becky, a girl pushed past the edge and then some.

The story itself was interesting, not completely original or incredibly imaginative, but well done for the most part. If I were to fault it in any one area, it would be the vague motivations of the antagonists. They are very insistent about getting what they want, but at no point really explain what it actually is or does, that would inspire their apparent fanaticism. It's only really said that they've put nearly a decade of planning into getting it and it'll somehow help in their neo-nazi endeavors.

Overall though, very entertaining flick, would recommend to others. 7.5/10

Blood of Zeus (2020– )

Better than I expected from a Netflix animation

[8/10 · 28 October 2020]

This show does a lot right. The art is beautiful and the story is interesting, if a bit cliché and underdeveloped.

Where it lacked, was in animation and editing. Beautiful looking characters were almost completely static in each scene, until they're required to speak or make an action, and when they do move, the animation can be pretty mediocre at times.

In regards to editing, they could have cut their time "setting the scene" in half, and easily taken >5 minutes off each episode. There's so many pauses between story, where the show does long-panning shots of the scenery, or some other absurdly long dramatic pause. The time could have been much better spent fleshing out some of the side-characters backstories, or just been cut-out completely.

Overall, I give the first season a 7.5/10, hopefully a second season brings a little more character development, and less orchestral pauses, if so I'll happily recommend the series to my friends.

The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

Perfectly... mediocre

[6/10 · 14 October 2020]

If I rated this film solely based on it's merit as a horror, it wouldn't even crack a 3/10. So if that's the kind of show you're looking for, look elsewhere.

As a drama/thriller though, it's somewhat passable. The production value is pretty good, scenes and camera work always look nice. The actors do a fair enough job, but the characters themselves are just annoying and predictable, and same goes for the plot.

I really can't recommend it, but I can't fully condemn this series either. It's watchable, but not memorable, at least in any good way.

Max Winslow and the House of Secrets (2019)

Passable as a family flick, if your kids are under 13

[6/10 · 28 August 2020]

When I watched this, I was reminded of the typical family channel type movies, I used to see as a child. It's a simple/safe film, turn your brain off, and let the kids enjoy the pretty lights.

Max Reload and the Nether Blasters (2020)

Not bad for a cheesy B movie

[7/10 · 8 August 2020]

Right out the gates, when you see Kevin Smith, you know it's going to be a cheesy film full of silly jokes. He may not have wrote or directed for this movie, but this in a way still feels like one of his creations, though maybe tending towards a younger audience than usual.

The acting is pretty good, though the scripts over-reliance on dated gaming memes was a little over-the-top corny at times, and some references just came off awkward. There's not a ton of depth to story, but it was funny and enjoyable nonetheless, and I'd say it's worth a watch if you're looking for a simple easy flick.

Ghosts of War (2020)

What the heck

[6/10 · 5 August 2020]

So much promise in this film. Good acting, great setting and location, pretty much everything a quality film needs, just to fall off at the end.

Everything was looking good, the final "twist" was a little outrageous, though they lead up to it pretty well, littering little clues here and there, letting the audience know things weren't quite what they appeared. It just fell off short of any real resolution though, leaving the story open-ended.

Would have been a 8/10, but had to dock points for not properly finishing an otherwise good film.

Proximity (II) (2020)

If you can suspend your disbelief, this may entertain you

[7/10 · 15 May 2020]

This movie was in no way bad, so much as just progressively more and more ridiculous, but being a sci-fi I guess I can forgive it. It may not satisfy a more mature audience, or those looking for scientific accuracy, but it's a decent popcorn-flick for the family, and had a cute charm to it. 6.5/10

Light from the Tower (2020)

Not the worst indie I've seen, but it sure seemed to try

[3/10 · 5 May 2020]

This movie at moments seemed to find its feet, just to stumble into the next scene again. The beginning was terrible, you can skip the first 5 minutes and miss almost nothing aside from opening credits, and it doesn't get much better for quite awhile, even after things to start to happen. Once you wade through the first half of the film, it does improve a tiny bit, but really not enough to redeem itself in any way.

The Wretched (2019)

A pretty good horror overall

[7/10 · 5 May 2020]

This movie had a little bit of everything, which resulted in a fairly well-rounded flick. If you're looking for pure scares, you may find it a little lacking, but there was a few creepy moments and plenty of tension. With a nice little twist towards the end, which had some subtle, but insistent foreshadowing throughout, made for a cool little surprise for those watching. The only thing that kept me from rating this an 8, was the very end, which was just a bit of an eye-roll, but maybe that's just me.

The Assent (2019)

Not bad, but not great either.

[6/10 · 11 January 2020]

The movie starts out with all the right stuff, it had good atmosphere and decent enough acting, other than some fairly 2-dimensional supporting characters, but it was watchable. It had some creepy parts, but none of them are necessarily very scary. so it was a little weak on the horror. There's mystery as to what is actually going on, and some subterfuge throughout, but the foreshadowing was a little too obvious, leaving the end to kind of fall flat, instead of being surprising or shocking, which left me a little unsatisfied. Overall, it was a good movie. I've seen much worse in the horror genre, but not something I'd watch again, or suggest to others as more than popcorn flick.

Cosmos (I) (2019)

Not bad for a low budget flick

[6/10 · 9 November 2019]

This movie was an overall good watch, as long as you understand that it's definitely not some Hollywood blockbuster, and it doesn't pretend to be either, which is a redeeming factor, at least for me.

The story was a tad bit silly/corny at times, especially the "action" scene(s), but given the characters and situation, I believe it worked pretty well, and that the actors did a fair job. A few plot-holes here and there, and it could have used a bit more editing to tidy up the run-time, that runs a little long. Still an enjoyable and wholesome watch though.