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KarebearAngel21
Reviews
My Favorite Girlfriend (2022)
Awful movie
There really isn't much to like about this film. The acting is stiff, the pacing is weird. I'm not sure if the directing was off or if it was the writing (leaning toward the writing). The overarching voice goes for funny, but it's just annoying. I didn't believe any interaction in the movie. It felt very much like a student film, which - maybe it was?
The leads were frustrating and unlikable. When you first meet the guy I think they're going for him being a himbo, but you have to be likable to be a himbo. The first time we meet the woman, Molly, she is rude and self absorbed and it's supposed to be cute? It's not. The dialogue was super odd. I don't know if the writer knows how anyone actually talks - because no one speaks like that.
"You're lucky I don't condone violence."
"You're lucky I didn't drink milk growing up."
Hahahahaha......... no.
Honestly, if you're on the fence about watching this, it's completely passable. You aren't missing a single thing. I would give this a 0/10 if I could.
Scream (2022)
Lazy writing and continuity errors plague this installment
I went into the new Scream incredibly excited. I liked a lot of the cast and the directors said it would be a love letter to Wes. It wasn't. The writing was lazy, the pacing was off, it was overall unrealistic for a Scream film.
The first issue was the constant continuity errors. This mostly revolves around one of the killer duo - Amber Freeman. The actress playing her is only 5'3" and we see her character under the mask coming up against Kyle Gallner and David Arquette. Both taller than her, in the Ghostface outfit she miraculously grows several inches to be taller than one and almost taller than another.
Second was Dewey's death. It felt cheap and unearned. Even Neve Campbell told the directors they should shoot it a second way where Dewey lived. They didn't listen to her and they should have.
Third, the deaths of Wes and Judy Hicks felt extraneous. There was no point in killing them. While this did feel like a nod to Principal Himbry's death - a death added to the original because they felt they had gone too long without deaths - they had already done with with Kyle Gallner's character so it felt unnecessary.
Fourth, the character of Sam. She wasn't a strong character to begin with. Her acting was the weakest of the film, which is weird because I have seen her in things before and she did fine. Tara would have been better suited for a final girl. The reveal that Billy was her father felt forced and the conversation she has with her sister about it is painful to watch - not in a dramatic way.
Fifth, and this is a petty one, let's just stop making horror scenes in hospitals. As someone who has stayed in hospitals a lot with chronic illnesses - they are never that empty.
Sixth, and this one is the one that got me the most, is the laughable and shallow motives for the killers. Were the writers and directors trying to take a look at toxic fan culture? Yes. The Scream franchise is not the place to do that.
The motives of the killers from all 4 other films followed a formula. There is a surface motivation, a red herring, which blamed movies. Then a deeper motivation which was a connection to the past and personal to the killer in some way. Dewey even lays that out in the film - there is always a connection to the past. Sam tries to say it's because she's Billy's daughter. Amber claims, during the movies final act, that she knew Billy was Sam's dad because her mom is a drunk. It's a lazy explanation. Especially because Tara never knew. If their mom was that loose lipped, then you would think it would have gotten back to her daughter. Also, in the scene where Sam tells the assembled group of friends who her dad is, none of them know. It's too convenient that only Amber knows.
The motives for the other four movies can be boiled down to this:
Scream - Billy and Stu don't need a motive - it's the Millenium, but movies helped. The real motive - Maureen cheating with Billy's dad and making his mom leave. His anger at Maureen and her family.
Scream 2 - Mickie wants to make a sequel because sequels can be better. The real motive - Mrs Loomis is getting revenge on Sidney for the death of her son.
Scream 3 - Roman got to make his movie. Real motive - revenge for his mother abandoning him.
Scream 4 - It's all about the remakes. The real motive - Jill is jealous of Sidney's fame and is tired of living in her shadow.
Then we get to Scream 5. The singular motive - they didn't like the movies and wanted a remake. Nothing deeper than that.
It feels a little bit like a slap in the face to Wes Craven. Wes went on record as saying violent movies don't create violent people. It's one of the reasons that movies were always a red herring for the killer with a deeper personal motive behind it. This threw that concept out the window.
There were a few funny or decent moments of the film. Dewey nailing who the killer is when he first sits down with Sam. Seeing set of Stu's house. Jasmin Savoy Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin and Mason Gooding as Chad Meek-Martin lived up to Randy's legacy. Their acting was great, they were awesome, and one of the only parts I would watch Scream 6 for. Finally, Neve, Courtney, and David. The legacy characters. It is always great to see them.
Overall, the film was a complete let down for me. If you like the movie rock on. Enjoy it. There were just too many problems for me to overlook. I can only hope they shell out enough money to hire Kevin Williamson back to write 6 and change directors.
Roadfood (2021)
Wonderful
Roadfood not only explores amazing food and cultures throughout the country, but also tells a beautiful story about people. Misha is relatable and funny, getting to see new foods and learn stories of the people in those communities is great to watch. I hope this is on for many more seasons!
Rebecca (2020)
Decent, but weird additions.
Overall this was a decent adaptation of the book "Rebecca". I will start with the positives. In small ways it actually was more true to the book than Hitchcock's famous adaptation 1940 film of the same name. The cinematography was fantastic, and the shots were stunning. A lot of gorgeous views.
The acting was okay. It going to be difficult if you have seen the original and are expecting Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. While Armie Hammer and Lily James are fine, they don't match up. The stand out is easily Kristin Scott Thomas. She steals the whole film, which isn't surprising - it's Kristin Scott Thomas!
This version actually sticks to Maxim shooting Rebecca, as he does in the book, rather than her falling and hitting her head. So, points for that. Though, they added extra scenes like Mrs. Danvers throwing herself into the water to commit suicide rather than dying in the fire. It wasn't needed.
The reason this isn't getting higher stars from me has got to be the very end. We see a changed Lady de Winter smoking cigarettes with an ominous crashing of waves as we cut to black. Neither the book or Hitchcock's version took this dark turn. It takes away from what the character had to overcome in the film. It changes the whole story - and in a bad way. Had they left that entire scene on the cutting room floor, this would have been a better movie.
Hangman (2017)
A fun movie.
I won't claim it was the best serial killer film ever made. However, the acting was really good - especially from Karl Urban. Joe Anderson is pretty creepy. Al Pacino and Brittany snow both turn in good performances. Good one to watch if you like serial killer mysteries.