solid-rock800 Reviews

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)

It's still funny every time!

[10/10 · 27 November 2022]

K, obvious caveat here, but not everyone's sense of humour is the same, so your milage may vary here.

I saw this movie back when it first came out, and to be honest, and the time it was like 1 am and I was tired and didn't catch half the jokes. Which is a lot, this movie is like basically non-stop jokes! But I gave it another shot when I was more awake, and my word is it funny. At this point I've seen it probably like 15 times, and it's just as funny every time. It's full of jokes, even just little things that you don't always notice the first time around. It's ripe for one-liners that you can reference in your daily life at random times, too! Definitely one of my favourites in general.

The concept for this is so creative and fun, to dub over an old movie with their own dialogue and insert themselves into it bus green screen. Very clever.

The humour in this movie is absolutely ridiculous and silly. It's really absurd. If you like that kind of thing, then give this movie a go, you won't regret it! I still remember my sister laughing so hard at one scene she was red-faced and crying, and I still constantly reference this movie to this day. I don't give out 10-star ratings out often, but this one deserves it.

Underwater (2020)

Decent bit of scary fun

[6/10 · 30 September 2022]

Sure, this movie isn't exactly a masterpiece, but I wasn't really expecting one other. It's a bit of scary fluff that's more or less in line with what you expect, based on the movies concept/trailer.

There were a few things I really enjoyed a lot in this movie. Little things, like the juxtaposition between the action and the automated messages and workplace posters. That was a nice touch. I enjoyed the newspaper clips at the beginning and end that help with the setup and epilogue to the main story. The ones at the start even select off my mild thalassophobia (yes, I watched this movie with a pre-existing fear of the deep ocean lol), though once the movie got going you kind of lose the sense of depth a bit so the edge came off that. I enjoyed the conspiracy-style take at the end.

Also, although very little time is given to characterisation, I still found a few of the characters to be distinct enough and even likeable. Kudos to the actors for pulling that off when basically zero time is given to setting things up before they get into survival mode.

There were some nicely-dome claustrophobic scenes that made my skin crawl. Good job there. The boss monster was cool too.

The downsides - some of the scenes made me feel like I was watching a video game with good graphics I stead of a movie. The concept wasn't super original or anything. The use of disorienting camera work and darkness was good in terms of setting, but also made it a bit hard to follow at times.

Overall though, it's a good popcorn flick and worth watching.

Body of Proof: Lost Souls (2013) Season 3, Episode 3

Ugh. Talk about jumping the shark.

[1/10 · 25 September 2022]

This was easily the worst episode of the entire series, for a couple of reasons, really. If you're like me and are sick of the whole "weirdo Christians" tripe, then give this a miss because it's chock-full of it.

I usually give shows/movies with devil posession & "weirdo Christians" a miss, but I didn't this time, which brings me to my other issue - the reason I gave it a shot is because this show typically deals with straight murder mysteries, so I figured that probably, it'd look like a spiritual thing but would turn out to be something else, that ultimately it would be about forensics & not *really* about anything spiritual. It's not the X-Files, lol. But, let's just say that's not *quite* how it goes. It's like it was trying to be a Halloween episode, which was just stupid & way out of line with te rest of the show.

Lastly, it was full of little plot weirdnesses that made the whole thing feel cobbled together on top of it.

Give this episode a miss, for sure.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Not bad, not bad at all

[6/10 · 20 September 2022]

So, full disclosure here, I've always been a bit lukewarm about the original Ghostbusters movie. But I did enjoy it overall, so I thought I'd give this one a go. And in my opinion, this one is very much in a similar vein as the original movie - so if you're wondering whether you'll like it, and have seen 1984 Ghostbusters, then you can probably gauge how much you'll enjoy Afterlife based on how much you liked the old one.

For me, the pros of this movie are: the acting is overall good and the characters are mostly pretty likeable. I liked the rural setting. The storyline was good overall. And the callbacks to the older movie were placed well. There were a few really sweet and funny moments in it as well. I felt it had more continuity with the original, compared to the 2016 movie.

The cons: the last point of the pros is actually a con for me as well, haha, because - without getting too much into the specifics - there were elements of the original that didn't sit well with me (mainly the ghost-sex elements and possession) that pop up in this one as well, and I just dislike that stuff a lot. Also, something about the pacing felt kind of laggy at some points, like it wasn't flowing as well as I would've liked.

Overall though, it was a fun movie and I enjoyed it well enough.

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

Wished it was more mystery and less drama

[6/10 · 14 August 2022]

For context, I haven't read the book for this one.

It was a pretty good movie in a lot of ways - I liked the ending, and *loved* the cinematography; I found the pacing and acting to be good too.

But the big reason I'm not rating it higher is that from the trailer, I thought it'd mainly be about the murder trial & prejudice she faced, but... it's not, lol. I mean, those things are certainly there, but overall the movie is much more about her personal drama that relates to it.

That dramatic story wasn't *bad* for what it was, but it just wasn't what I expected from the trailer, and some of it was kinda disturbing (I should've read the parental guide first lol). If you like a lot of serious personal drama with some romance thrown in, then you probably will enjoy this. But if you mainly want a mystery or crime drama, it's just less what you might like. I would've preferred the ratios there to be reversed, haha.

That cinematography, though... *Chef's kiss*

Prey (I) (2022)

Exactly what I was hoping for

[7/10 · 14 August 2022]

I was pretty keen to see this when I saw it was set in settler times - I thought, what an interesting take on the story, to have it set among Native people fighting with their traditional weapons and the like. And it did not disappoint! Great action, lots of cool scenes, good actors, it's just what I was hoping for. Very entertaining.

My only real criticisms were nitpicky things about the setting (eg pretty sure the Comanche lived further south than that, the dog looks like a dingo rather than a wolf/coyote type of dog which would've been more realistic, that sort of thing). Really though, it's just nitpicking cos I'm a nerd lol, most people probably won't notice and it's not even important to the story.

Also, just fwiw, if anyone worries about woke things - this one is a-okay.

The Phantom of the Open (2021)

A real feel-good movie!

[9/10 · 16 July 2022]

I don't often give a 9/10 to movies, but this one deserves it. It's such a feel-good movie! It's very funny; we weren't the only ones laughing out loud in the theatre! The acting, writing, everything is fine really well. I don't think I could nitpick a single thing about it. And me and my husband both enjoyed it a whole lot. The fact that it's based on a true story makes it even better. And I'm not even usually one for sports moves, either. I'd definitely recommend giving it a watch!

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

Pretty decent!

[6/10 · 23 June 2022]

I'd say this is a solid 6/10, 6.5 if I'm feeling generous. It's got some really good funny moments, some good action, and a decent enough storyline (for a comedy of course, realistic expectations haha). I enjoyed it overall! Also, for what it's worth, I'm not one for woke stuff so I'll say that despite Kate whatserface being in it with a lot of feminist stuff, the jokes actually work pretty well and aren't annoying - a few of them made me laugh, even. So if you're like me on that one, I'd say there's not much to worry about with regards to that. It does have a little, well, bloody violence and a tad of raunchiness in it, but again nothing too overboard - I'd say the rating for it where I live (16+) was pretty appropriate. So yeah, I'd say it's worth a watch, I'd be happy to watch it again sometime.

I Care a Lot (2020)

Just okay

[5/10 · 17 May 2022]

The good: the acting and production quality are good, the story has an interesting premise. The ending is better than I thought it would be, too.

The bad: around halfway through or so, there are several major plot points that just don't make any sense. It's annoying.

Also, for those who hate wokeness (like I do): it isn't as bad as it might seem from the earlier scenes. I just say this cos I know it can ruin a movie for me (depending on the degree) and at first it might seem as though this movie has a ton of it, but if you keep watching, it really isn't that bad.

Turning Red (2022)

Really funny

[8/10 · 1 April 2022]

Man, I heard there was a lot of controversy over this movie, and I just don't get it. I thought it was hilarious, and really entertaining. Me and my husband were both cracking up the whole way through it. The teen girl cringe humour is solid in this one, and after the movie I sat there reminiscing about all the dumb things me and my friends did as tween girls and having a laugh at that. The voice acting was good, and I just enjoyed the design of it all as well. I'd happily watch it again.

Encanto (2021)

Excellent movie!

[8/10 · 1 April 2022]

This was just such a good movie! The themes were super relatable, and they did a great job with the story, music, designs, everything. Well worth watching.

Still Standing (2015– )

Really great show

[9/10 · 14 March 2022]

I loved Jonny in Murdoch Mysteries so that plus the concept had me curious! And it's so good! It's pretty fun to learn about these random small towns in Canada, the histories and communities there. And the jokes are pretty funny! Just some good, silly, self-deprecating humour. Me and my husband have been belly laughing the whole way through the episodes we watched. It's definitely worth a watch!

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (2022– )

Very good, pretty faithful reboot

[8/10 · 12 March 2022]

I grew up watching the original Fraggle Rock, and it's got a bit of a special place in my heart. I have the first 2 seasons on DVD and watch them sometimes as well. So when I heard they were rebooting it, I had mixed feelings - I was happy to think of seeing more Fraggles, but then again, there have been so many bad reboots lately! But it was well worth giving it a go. I still like the original better - the original is more episodic in nature (my preference) while the reboot had more of an overarching story, and I thought some of the messages were a bit on-the-nose for my tastes, lol. But they did a really great job with the reboot. The sets were lovely, the chara years were pretty faithful with some minor tweaks that I mostly liked, and I enjoyed seeing the new Doozer stuff. Junior and Sprocket were.adorable in this one as well, and the new Doc was pretty likeable. A good job all around.

Spice World (1997)

A decently fun bit of nothing

[5/10 · 16 October 2021]

Y'know, usually when a movie has basically no plot, that's be enough to totally knock it down. Spice World has a plot that's like, thinner than paper thin - and this might sound like I'm giving you a spoiler here, but trust me, I'm not, haha - it's basically that you've got the Spice Girls, and they do some stuff, and it kind of all strings together somehow. But because the girls are so fun to watch, and there are some pretty funny jokes and random humour in it, it manages to keep its head above the water despite having no plot to speak of.

So y'know, if you want a fun bit of nothing that doesn't make a ton of sense but leaves you feeling kinda good nonetheless, this is a good movie choice.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Good action movie

[8/10 · 4 July 2021]

I really enjoyed this one. The acting was really good, the characters were relatable and entertaining, the action was good, the monsters were really cool and intimidating. It had some really interesting plot elements as well.

My criticisms are that I had a few times where I was like, "for future soldiers, these guys don't have a great sense of tactics", which led to a few "WHY are they doing that?" moments. Including a bit near the end where there's a pretty big flaw, imo, in how they track down certain monsters (hopefully not giving away too much here). So it loses a couple stars for logic flaws in the story.

But that said, if you want a good action movie with cool monsters and no politics, this is a solid choice and very enjoyable. I'll be recommending it to a few people I know!

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Not bad

[6/10 · 21 June 2021]

I thought this was a decent movie. It's definitely not the best I've seen; I feel like the story seems a little bit just-so, like everything gets wrapped up with a nice little bow, probably in order to make it fit the format and a reasonable amount of time. It's not enough that it makes it a bad movie or anything, and I wonder if any kids would notice these little holes and dangling questions, but as an adult I definitely notice them. Also, it had some kind of cringey moments in it, and I wasn't a fan of the baby thing (I won't say much more than that to avoid spoilers).

But that said, it's got a lot of good qualities too. The animation's nice to look at - I didn't care much for the dragon design from the trailer, but it was better than I expected when you watch the whole thing. I really liked the environments and cultural touches of the different tribes. The music is actually really quite good, minus the cliche initial end-credits song, but otherwise I just think the music is actually of a much higher calibre than the movie overall, haha. The story itself is pretty interesting, even if a little predictable, and has a really nice message to it. I got a little misty-eyed here and there (keeping in mind that I cry easily and was home sick when I watched it).

So yeah, it's a decent movie overall. Not a bad choice to entertain yourself and/or your family with.

Oh also, for the record, I *really* don't get the comparisons to Avatar: the Last Airbender or Legend of Korra. About the only thing they have in common is Asian inspiration for the aesthetics & world-building, and that a group is built up for their quest as the movie goes along. That's honestly about it.

The Lost World (1999–2002)

Cheesy, but entertaining

[6/10 · 13 May 2021]

This show is often pretty cheesy, with iffy special effects, somewhat frequent eyeroll-worthy subplots or moments, & actors who can't keep their accents straight. That said, it's also pretty entertaining, and good if you want something light, interesting, and fun.

DuckTales (2017–2021)

Sets the bar for what a reboot should be

[9/10 · 11 November 2020]

I was a massive fan of the original series when I was a kid, but I was a bit skeptical of how good this reboot would be, given that most reboots suck to varying degrees.

But I'm really glad I gave this a chance! It's a really good show, & it's very funny! And it nails it as a reboot by being true to the source material without being a clone of it. I definitely recommend this one.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

A solidly enjoyable movie

[7/10 · 3 August 2020]

Is it the best movie ever? No, but it sure is enjoyable. The main characters are really sweet and likeable, and I was definitely rooting for them the whole way through the movie. The final song was gorgeous. It has a good emotional core, and leaves you feeling pretty darn good afterwards. And it definitely captures the essence of Eurovision well.

I'd happily watch it again, and definitely recommend it. Me and my husband give 10 points to it lol

Superstore (2015–2021)

Decent enough comedy

[5/10 · 29 June 2020]

So I've watched 4 seasons of this show now - and I find it funny enough to have watched them all. There are definitely some great jokes in here, and some very funny characters.

It can be a bit crass but often even those jokes land alright. They definitely set up some pretty good scenarios that have me and my hubby cracking up on the regular.

That said, I do have some gripes about how obviously left-wing the show is. Particularly all the racist jokes against white people. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy racist jokes and can take it as well as I can dish it, but it only works if nobody feels singled out - you make fun of everyone, or no one. I don't think this show has caught on to that because after a few seasons of only hearing white people jokes, particularly about how racist and ubiquitous we all are, it definitely wears on you, and I'd definitely call that racist in itself. It put a real damper on the show by the end of season 2, for me.

Same goes for Christians. One can't help but notice that every Christian is portrayed as pretty dumb, but the only Muslim guy in the show is pretty smart and well-respected among the other characters. They have no problem letting him pray at work, but won't let the Christian character express any religious sentiment even in his breaks, which hit a sore spot for me cos I know a few people who've had that happen in real life. It definitely picks favourites and makes no qualms about letting you know who they are.

Also, sometimes the characters are quite unlikeable, and so stupid that it's painful, but not in a terribly funny way.

But despite all that, it does have enough funny moments that I think it's worth watching overall. But if you're irritated by that stuff as I am, maybe don't binge it, cos you could end up feeling a little worn out.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020)

Both good and bad

[5/10 · 21 May 2020]

There are some plusses and minuses to this show, which is why I gave it 5 stars overall. It does some things well, and some things ... meh.

Some of the characters are really well-written (like Catra, for example). And the core story is interesting enough that I watched the whole series and got somewhat invested in the story.

However, other aspects were not so good... the animation was pretty mediocre. The character designs were often kind of weird (like She-Ra's outfit for most of the series made her look like she's wearing bike shorts, not exactly heroic; or Glimmer's body proportions were super weird for a lot of the show, & this stuff doesn't improve much til the last season). Jokes often were just not funny, and were often just kind of weird. Almost every character comes off as some immature person with mild anxiety issues. And there are lots of throwaway episodes, pacing issues, and plot holes.

I'm a big fan of "friendship is awesome" stories, but they really didn't nail the emotional angle of all that friendship very well.

And lastly, I really hated that they paired up Catra and Adora. I get that this is essentially a queer fanfic version of the story, and so I was aware that this was a possibility from the start, but it's kind of gross - I mean think about it, the two of them were essentially raised as sisters, by their only mother figure, Shadow Weaver, for their whole lives. It'd be like if I hooked up with my brother. It's weird and kind of gross.

But, that said, despite its many, many flaws, that core storyline really is pretty interesting and kept me watching the whole thing, and some of the characters are pretty darn likeable, so I think that's worth 5 stars.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020)

Very watchable

[5/10 · 20 November 2018]

I binged this over a few days, haha. I never saw much of the original so I won't compare the two, but this is a pretty good, very watchable show. The voice acting and writing are good; quite engaging. My only criticisms are that the animation leaves much to be desired (it's very basic) and I could do with less of the "teens with damaged parent relationship" stuff, though that seems to improve by the end of the season.

Reminds me a bit of the Avatar/Korra series, but it's not too much, and in a way it's a good thing - Adora reminds me of Korra, but better, since I found Korra to be quite a letdown.

Disenchantment (2018–2023)

Just okay

[5/10 · 10 September 2018]

I watched the whole first season. So I guess you could say it's good enough that I did actually watch the whole thing, and probably would watch the 2nd season. The show starts off a little slow but the storyline gets interesting about halfway through the seaon.

I would say the biggest flaw with the show is the humour, which is why it only gets 5 stars from me. A lot of the jokes are a little tired, some are just kind of gross and weird but not funny, and they seem to think that moral corruption is inherently funny on its own. Maybe part of it is down to taste, but just the fact that they like to drink, do drugs, etc isn't actually funny in itself, and they seem to miss that you need to actually DO something with that in order to make it funny.

That said, the storyline is interesting enough, the music and voice acting is pretty good, and there are a few good jokes that land (I particularly like the ones involving the Elves and Elfo, and Oona is pretty funny in a more subtle way, at least compared to most of the jokes in the show).

Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017– )

Equal parts action, comedy, and romance

[9/10 · 6 August 2018]

Me and my husband watched this recently, and we both totally loved it. It was so funny! The characters are good, and the storyline is interesting. I loved the mix of genres - it was REALLY funny, and the romantic parts were sweet, while also having some pretty cool action in it. It had a bit of a comic-book-y style that reminded me of Scott Pilgrim vs the World, but toned down more. Definitely worth watching.

A Quiet Place (2018)

Really good scary movie

[8/10 · 4 May 2018]

Saw this with my husband, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. It had a lot of well-placed jump scares and tense moments... without getting too spoiler-y, things that I never would have even thought of in a "monster survival" type of story come up and play out in interesting ways. I loved the strong family relationship shown as well; it's actually really nice to see such a positive portrayal (rather than the "humans are the real enemy" approach you see in a lot of horror these days). The characters are largely very likeable and very strong. The pacing and acting were great as well.

I would say this is well worth a watch :)