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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)
Wayyyy better than I imagined.
I have put hundreds, maybe thousands of hours into playing Skyrim. Time well spent! And I have always been intrigued by Oblivion, had heard the music multiple times and loved it. However, the little I saw of the game turned me off. It's true that the graphics are inferior to that of Skyrim BUT it is still visually impressive, beautiful at times even. I was quite surprised by how good it actually looks. I was also surprised by how dark and twisted Oblivion can be, like some serious Hellraiser vibes at times. The NPC's however, are ridiculous, like the worst I've ever seen, but at the same time, enjoyable! And funny and awkward and a bit creepy. Last night I accidentally mounted my follower's horse and he went absolutely ballistic on me. I also get annoyed by the repetitive battle with animals which is annoying in Skyrim as well. But I'm glad I finally decided to give Oblivion a chance and explore magical Tamriel in a different time/ place. I might get really crazy and try Morrowind next!
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018)
Wonderful gaming experience.
I was researching 'best immersive games' and this came up, and it was on sale for like $5 so I thought why not?! I wasn't immediately hooked but it definitely grew on me. I noticed a few flaws along the way but big deal. It looks great and it is super fun! I've noticed that people compare Kingdom Come to Skyrim. No. Skyrim is an epic fantasy world filled with magic. Kingdom Come is based off real places and a real time in history. There is magic of a different sort - it transports us to the medieval times! And how fascinating to be immersed in such a time. The music is wonderful, relevant to that period. Gorgeous RPG and Henry is such a likable character, despite his constant hunger issues. Give Kingdom Come a chance, and may God be with you on your quest!
And I learned that the sequel is coming out later this year so now is the time to play Deliverance!
Come to Daddy (2019)
Open your raisin eyes and give it a look.
The first half of Come to Daddy is dark comedy gold - Elton John, rat humper, drunk Elijah, raisin eyes, poo pen...so many great and hilarious bits. Then it goes a bit downward, but all in all, it is a highly enjoyable viewing experience. Elijah wood is really perfect for this role, both him and his mustache. Love him and everything he is in! And the actor who plays "daddy" was absolutely hilarious and was really the heart of the dark comedy in this film. This might be a stretch but I could see Come to Daddy becoming a cult classic. I for one will return to it again and again and have already seen it multiple times.
Gold (2022)
Zach Efron, I'm officially a fan.
For the longest time, I had like zero interest in watching anything starring Zach Efron. Well, after seeng The Iron Claw, I was like "Huh." A very impressive performance indeed. And after seeing his raw performance in Gold, I am now officially a fan. He was amazing in this! The film itself is a slow burn thriller/ survival flick and I was engrossed the entire time. This film really captures the harsh and deadly environment of the Outback like nothing else I've seen, except for maybe The Proposition, which Gold gives a subtle nod to ;) And like The Proposition, it ends with a Nick Cave song, I think. However, these are two massively different films. Ignore the low rating. Gold is an epic survival film that feels disturbingly real. I hope Zach continues to take on more serious roles!
Immaculate (2024)
Sweeney shines
I would have given this film a lower rating if not for the brilliant performance by Sydney Sweeney. At the beginning I was thinking "Do I like Sydney Sweeney? There's something about her..." By the end of this film I was like "Yep, I'm officially a fan." She brings the shock and awe in Immaculate. Raw and brutal performance. The film itself is a bit silly at times, over the top, and has a bit of a B movie feel in places. On the flip side, there is some great atmosphere, a great score, and some genuinely creepy moments and splendid gore. But Sweeney's performance was the real brilliance of this film and I would watch it again for that alone. I look forward to seeing what this rising star does going forward.
Case 39 (2009)
A hidden horror gem on Paramount+
I went into this film with little knowledge of the plot, and I avoided reading negative reviews (recommended). I am surprised by how old this film is as I had never heard of it till now (2024). It had been a looong time since I last saw a movie with Renee Zelwegger. She was solid in this. And I was surprised to see Ian McShane and Bradley Cooper as supporting cast members. Basic plot: Zellwegger's character is an overworked social worker who has just taken on her 39th case. With this particular case, she investigates a family because of reports of possible abuse to their daughter. And you quickly realize that there is more to this situation than meets the eye. This a horror/ thriller that is worth at least one viewing. It is dark and twisted, but I found the ending to be a beautiful metaphor and I loved the song that played during the ending credits!
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Insanely cool
This was probably the best movie I've seen in the theater since Return of the King. If you can, please see it at IMAX. You will shake, rattle and hum! So intense. The casting is nearly perfect. Timothee Chalamet owns his role as Paul Atreides and is very convincing. Powerful performance. The same goes for Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, and everyone is just AMAZING! I did find Christopher Walken to be a bit miscast but he grew on me. I could hear his accent come out at times and I found it to be a bit distracting and out of place. But this a tremendous film, an epic not experienced in cinema since The Lord of the Rings. Bravo, Denis Villeneuve!
Poor Things (2023)
Simply Marvelous.
What an experience, not what I was expecting at all. I laughed so hard and so often to the point of tears! The dark humor in this is rich and so very satisfying. I did not see that coming. The acting was just...wow. Emma Stone sparkled w/ brilliance. Best actress of 2023 all the way. And the legendary Willem Dafoe, a much more prominent role than I was expecting, was terrific as always. Mark Ruffalo gave a surprisingly great performance as well. His character was hilarious to me! I had never been much of a fan, until now. All excellent performances by the supporting cast. I also loved the score, and visually, everything was stunning. The first film I've seen on the big screen in 2024 and it was an absolute joy to behold!
The Boys in the Boat (2023)
Total snoozer.
Ugh. Out of all of the movies I've ever watched in the movie theater, this was the dullest and most boring of them all. I would normally not go to the cinema for such a film but it was part of our Christmas Day outing 🙄Both my mom and my niece fell asleep. They were the lucky ones. The score sucked. The dialogue is wooden and uninteresting. Zero character development. The love story is pointless and dull. Joe Edgerton, who I really like, was the only somewhat interesting presence in the film. Why he ever chose to do a movie like this is beyond me. To work with Clooney?? Surely that can't be it. He is certainly destined for more intriguing roles.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Boom.
My goodness, what a disturbing film. I found the first hour to be very slow and a bit hard to follow. I definitely want to give it a second look so I can obtain a clearer understanding of all the different characters and moving parts. But once the intensity begins, it does not let up and it builds and builds and builds until the breathtaking conclusion.
I am so grateful that I didn't watch this with my elderly parents as there is some nudity and a couple of unexpected sex scenes within the first half. But I must admit, seeing Florence Pugh naked did not suck.
I was quite surprised by the performance of Robert Downey Jr. He plays a wicked dude and plays him very, very well. So convincing. Bravo performance, perhaps his best??
Cillian Murphy, my dog. He was stunning. How he could transform into Oppenheimer and capture his conscience and internal struggle the way he did. Just wow, I felt all of that. It was heavy on the soul. When the film ended I literally gasped.
Christoper Nolan, simply genius. He created a film here that rocked me to my core. It excites me to know that he is just in his early 50's and has many projects ahead of him 🤞 He is a rare gem in Hollywood.
We completed Barbenheimer today. We started with Oppenheimer and then it was on to Barbie. I recommend that order if you decide to go through with it. In Opp you contemplate the terrifying darkness we humans are capable of. It is true horror and an all to real and unsettling look into our nature. Barbie is a fun little movie with some surprising depth. There were some profound moments where Barbie marvels at the beauty that is present within humanity. Kind of healing and balances things out nicely. What an interesting time in cinema!
The Chosen (2017)
A spiritual experience.
I have always found "Christian" entertainment to be incredibly lame and cringe and poorly crafted/ acted (think Kirk Cameron films). So you can imagine how hesitant I was to watch this. I literally scrolled past it multiple times on TUBI, out of all places. But I decided to give it a shot. Ten minutes in and I was like "Yep, this is everything I thought it would be - cheesy!" I was contemplating turning it off but I stuck with it. I'm so grateful I did. Let's just say that I was literally in tears by the end of episode one. This is a real heart opener which captures the spirit and Love of Jesus like nothing else I've seen. Nothing has humanized him so brilliantly either. And the character of Nicodemus, played brilliantly by the actor, just wow. Some of the dialogue involving him was just so inspiring and engaging. I looked at him and I thought "Now that's true spirituality. That's a man who truly loves God and longs for Truth." I also dig the score, an eastern/ India sort of vibe. I feel like I could write a short novel about how this series is effecting me. It's kind of messing me up lol. It has reawakened me to the Truth, that Jesus/ God is Love - unconditional, Divine Love.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Not great, but very entertaining.
It's fun and entertaining, but how you can go from the greatest sci-fi/ horror film ever made (imho), to this...I have no words. Resurrection is nothing more than a cheesy, over the top, mind numbing, obnoxiously loud action flick. No soul. But very entertaining! I loathed the majority of the crew and it was just so pleasurable to watch them get ripped apart. But the "child" or whatever that thing was in the end...truly hideous. Gross. Cringe. Its death was frigging horrifying though with some pretty spectacular gore. Poor thing. I'm rewatching all of the Alien films right now, onto Prometheus, which I love!
Alien³ (1992)
Not a masterpiece, but better than I remembered.
And I didn't remember much as it had been 20 years or so since I last saw Alien 3. It flows nicely from the previous film - Ripley and the surviving crew from "Aliens" were homeward bound but tragically crash on a barren planet which is being utilized as a prison for hardcore criminals. What luck! And it is a prison which holds nothing but cheeky white Brits and...Charles S. Dutton. Hilarious. The CGI in this was pretty terrible at times. However, our alien friend generally looks great and is pretty terrifying, and the action is quite a lot of fun. Alien is a masterpiece. This is not, and 7 stars is being quite generous. It's more like 6.5. I'm in the process of rewatching all of the Alien films. Onto Resurrection and the very cute Winona Ryder.
Witness (1985)
One of my favorites from the 80's.
I do believe I saw this film in the theater with my parents when it first came out. At the very least we rented it on VHS. I am the same age as Lucas Hass to give you an idea of how young I was at the time (we really took the rating system quite seriously back then). I remember this film being an intense experience and the memory of it has never left me, and it is still a great watch after all this time. What I really find to be striking now is the score. Wow, how do I describe it?? A lot of 80's synth, ambient, just love the mood it captures. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Ford and McGillis (who was quite stunning as an Amish woman). I just learned that this was Harrison Ford's only Oscar nominated role. And fun fact, Viggo Mortensen was in this!
Vampire's Kiss (1988)
No "BOO-HOO" here.
I have heard about this movie for years but just saw it for the first time. Wow. The most bat #%?! Crazy performance from Nick Cage that I've seen yet, and I loved it!!! His character is dark and creepy and completely unhinged and bloody hilarious! Poor Alva, I genuinely felt sorry for her character :p I really liked the cinematography, some great shots of New York City with some haunting images of the World Trade Center. This is a vampire film like no other. I will definitely be watching it again for Nic Cage's performance. Ten stars for that alone. The range and massive talent of this guy! Gotta love him.
Hereditary (2018)
Toni Collett's performance is terrifying.
I recently watched Hereditary for maybe the third time. What always stands out to me is the acting of Toni Collett. Man, you can really feel the intense pain and trauma that her character goes through. Her performance is just brutal, raw. Did she get an Oscar for this?? She should have been nominated at the very least. I have not been able to get her out of my head since my last viewing, so many disturbing scenes with her. Anyway, Hereditary is brilliant. A well crafted horror film that will most likely stick with you. I just recently learned that the director, Ari Aster, also did Midsommar (which I loved) and Beau is Afraid, a film I very much want to see!
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Trippy fun!
This was without doubt one of the trippiest, most hilarious movies I've ever seen. I mean wtf was that?? It all feels like a dream now. Many people are not going to get this and are going to die of boredom and confusion. How very unfortunate for them. But those who get it are going to have a blast. I had so many gut busting, laugh out loud moments during this film, which brought me to the point of tears! I never imagined that Pedro Pascal could be so dang funny! He was unbelievably great and I loved the chemistry between him and our beloved Nic Cage, who was simply.....Nic Cage! The one and only baby ;)
The Last of Us (2023)
HBO delivers once again.
I can't speak for the game, but I REALLY like this series so far. It is probably to my advantage that I never played the video game, but fans seem to like it as well. Both the first and second episode were great. I love how they ended the first one with "Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode. That moment officially hooked me. Pedro Pascal is fantastic as Joel but Bella Ramsey shines! I love her wit and sarcasm. I thought this was going to be another Walking Dead/ zombie type kind of series but "The Last of Us" is quite unique. The monsters in this feel way more terrifying and it has a much more unsettling feel, and the cast is fantastic up to this point. I'm excited for the next episode as we'll get to see Nick Offerman! :D.
Smile (2022)
One of the better horror films of 2022.
I must say, this film was quite a lot better that I thought it would be. And the famous scene from the trailer (the smiling patient) was so much more brutal than Imagined. There were some very unsettling scenes in this film. I took a star away in honor of poor "Mustache" and because of the ending, so depressing. The movie as a whole is a fairly disturbing look into a woman's fast descent into madness. Someone mentioned that it was influenced by "It Follows" and "The Conjuring." I can definitely see that, yet it is unique. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, despite the fact that it was well done. It was such a dark story and I guess I was hoping for a more enlightening conclusion. Far from it. Very dark film and a pretty good one at that.
Severance (2022)
Not what I was expecting!
When I first saw this advertised I was thinking, "Oh, another dark comedy about life in the workplace, and it stars Adam Scott. How delightful!" There is certainly an element of that, but I came to find out that it is much, much more. Drama, Sci-fi, dark comedy, whatever the genre, it is completely original and it totally blew my mind. Adam Scott was just terrific and perfectly cast for the lead role. I hadn't seen anything by Britt Lower till now but she is so funny and terribly cute! John Turturro is also crazy good. And the guy who played their immediate supervisor (Milchick) nailed his role, and drove me completely friggin' nuts! The same goes for Patricia Arquette, yikes! Amazing cast. Slow and interesting character development. A definite mind bender that was a bit challenging to process at times but thoroughly enjoyable the whole way through. Excited for season 2!
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Farrell and Gleeson = great chemistry
This was such an amazing film to experience at the movie theater, a total joy! The synchronicity of laughter was just so much fun. I imagine that most of the audience were In Bruges fans and were there to see Gleeson and Farrell together again. Such AMAZING chemistry between those two! This was a beautiful, beautiful film. The cinematography of the Irish landscape was awe inspiring. I loved all of the images of Celtic crosses, high sea cliffs, green rolling hills, etc. All accompanied by a heavenly score. The acting was phenomenal on all levels. I think this was Farrell's best role to date. He was simply amazing in this film. I would have to say the same for Gleeson. What a duo! I can't wait to give this a second look. Like In Bruges, I will be visiting The Banshees of Inisherin again and again. Classic!
The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015)
Deliciously Dark and Magical.
I suck at writing reviews, but I just have to give props to one of my favorite horror films, The Witch. I just recently watched it for like the 4th time and I still find it to be masterful. The mood, the atmosphere, the score, the acting....just amazing on all levels. Spoiler alert: That shot of the parents standing over Caleb's grave is so haunting to me. In such a powerful way, it captured the isolation, hardship, and hopelessness of their environment. The dread and trauma in this film feels so heavy and real at times. It's a slow, wicked burn with an out of this world conclusion. Magic. Robert Eggers has created 3 masterful films and I will be first in line for whatever he does next!