orbcardinal Reviews

Free Guy (2021)

Overall Enjoyable

[8/10 · 11 December 2021]

I went into this movie knowing nothing about the plot. I can happily say I was impressed. While it is not the absolute best movie I've ever seen, it was very enjoyable and I got a few laughs out of it.

The plot, while it reminds me a lot of 'The Truman Show', was pretty unique as it tells the story of a NPC finding out that he's just a background character in a much larger world than he thought. He has good character development throughout the movie and I think Ryan was an excellent choice to play the part. He gave the movie a light-hearted feel while also delivering on some more intense and emotional scenes. I found myself not only rooting for the main character, but also the rest of the 'good guys'.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for a light-hearted movie for either yourself or your family.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Incredible

[10/10 · 13 July 2019]

It saddens me how little credit this movie gets. It is perfectly done. It is raw, blatant, and even manages to get a little bit of humour into the mix. The similarities found in this movie from the '60s to today's world, it is a stark reminder of how far we have fallen backwards. The ending was very unexpected as well. You see at the end that the main character gets back at the KKK leader in the best way, and for a second you believe it will end on a happy note (as much as a movie like this can be happy), and then you see the footage of the Neo Nazis and white supremacists of today, and it is heartbreaking to see how little we have learned. It hits you hard knowing that the riots where people are being beaten and even killed are actual footage.

Overall, this is a must watch. Even if one does not enjoy it, it is important to know what is still occurring in our society and to know who really is running America. It is much less the 'land of the free' that we all assumed it would be.

The Open House (2018)

Writers just gave up

[2/10 · 20 June 2019]

I think horror movies these days should be able to have a little bit of slack when it comes to plots due to the fact that even though most things have already been done, the thought of your home, or what many see as their only save place being dangerous is a very terrifying thought. HOWEVER, when you take almost every cliche in the book and couple it with just weird characters and a slow plot, I think the hate is totally fair. What really disappointed me was the entire movie leading up to one of the laziest endings in history. And not just the laziest, but it felt as though the ending was made up in a day to meet a schedule or something. It was completely thoughtless and revealed NOTHING about all of the questions you're bound to conjure up while watching the movie. Moral of the story, if you're looking for a compelling, well thought out and acted horror movie, skip this one.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

Essential to learning about Ted Bundy

[9/10 · 20 June 2019]

From all that has recently been brought back to light about Ted Bundy, this was a story I thought was essential to tell. For most people interested in learning about him, much of the media we are given is about how he killed and how he acted as a serial killer. We have very little insight into how he was still able to blend into society, moreover how he was even seen as an attractive and accomplished individual. This movie does a really great job at showing his "humanity" (choice words) as he was in a relationship and seen as a father figure to his fiancé's daughter. This overall is important to Bundy's story as what make him exceptionally dangerous was his ability to be seen and act as a normal person in society. That's more often than not what makes a serial killer even more terrifying, which is there ability to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Many other serial killers often were not seen as normal within their communities and were more easily distinguished from the "normal, everyday" person.

Mermaids: The Body Found (2011 TV Movie)

For what it is, it's good

[8/10 · 20 June 2019]

A lot of the people who don't like this film don't seem to understand that the purpose of this film isn't to convince anyone, but to create something that would be pretty cool if it were true. The creators are aware that this is science fiction. I think making a fake documentary was a good idea to present the idea of mermaids being real because it is something that has been debated for thousands of years. One thing I really appreciated from this film was their depiction of mermaids wasn't anything like the stereotypes (looking completely human from the waist up), but it showed the creatures as having features that once would have echoed a human being. Overall, it was enjoyable to watch. It made the fairy tales more "believable" in a way because they provided "scientific" evidence and a realistic idea of what mermaids would look like if they were real. I think it is an under-rated film.

Dunkirk (2017)

Incredible

[10/10 · 26 July 2017]

As someone who is a huge fan of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, a lot of war movies, in my opinion, have fallen short of a good and accurate portrayal of what happened during the war. This story was not a commonly recycled one, which was very refreshing. It told a story not many tell, where the good guys ultimately lose in the end. This movie was also very straight to the point and didn't glorify anything. In the first five minutes, we see six or seven soldiers. By the end of those five minutes, all but one have been shot dead in an extremely intense scene of just watching the lone soldier run for his life from extremely loud and terrifying gun shots. It was raw and to the point for the rest of the movie as well, which was very well done. The movie was told from three different perspectives as well, which admittedly was slightly confusing to keep track of. However, you see the three perspectives seamlessly come together in the end to tell the ending of the story which I thought was a very well executed idea to go with. Without spoiling too much more of the movie, overall I am giving this a 10/10 because I truly believe this movie deserves the hype is gets for the story it's telling and how well it did it.

A Haunted House 2 (2014)

Decent

[8/10 · 2 January 2017]

For someone who really does not enjoy any sort of comedic movies at their best, I genuinely enjoyed this movie. I was laughing all throughout the movie, a lot of the humour was just too stupid not to laugh. This definitely isn't one of those solid comedic movies, however some of the jokes were pretty clever and well thought out. And coming from someone who loves horror movies with a passion and has seen the best and the worst of them, this movie did a good job of incorporating a lot of the big names into this movie and making fun of them with some playful humour. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who is just looking for a dumb, funny movie to watch when you're bored scouring Netflix, especially if you are a horror movie fan like myself.

The Conjuring (2013)

Amazing

[8/10 · 16 August 2016]

This is by far my favourite horror movie because there are so many components about it that make it actually believable. First of all, this is being based off of a true story already set the precedent. I'm not one to believe in demons or anything of the sort, but the fact that this is based off of two real demonologists really sold it for me. Second of all, one thing I really liked and really appreciated about this movie is that Ed and Lorraine (the two demonologists) weren't the kind of people to interpret every little thing as a haunting or a demon. There's a scene where we see the couple completely debunk a 'haunting' at a house, and they even explain that most cases aren't legitimate hauntings. So with that in mind and the fact that Lorraine even states in the movie that this case stands alone as one of the scariest really helped to sell the story. Finally, just the the movie in general was very well done. The scares weren't too overdone, the suspense wasn't very predictable, and there was that little bit of humour sprinkled in that I always appreciate. So, in summary, a very well done horror movie that I think and horror fan should watch.

The 'Burbs (1989)

A favourite go-to movie

[10/10 · 26 July 2016]

I'm a sucker for Tom Hanks movies (him being 1/2 of my favourite actors). My parents showed me this a few years back and it's definitely become my go-to movie when I'm doing anything or just bored. Sure, it has it's creepy moments and there are some visuals that can be disturbing to some like blood and skeletons. However, it has some very well-written humour and great overall acting. The movie is serious when it needs to be and genuinely funny when it can be. Also the overall plot (and rather weird one at that) in my opinion was pretty good. Weird neighbours move in, no one really questions it but the odd friend. Other neighbours are intrigued, do all these ridiculous but funny stunts to find out more, eventually uncover a doctor to be a murdered. Sure, may sound stupid to some, but I thought it was very, very well done with a great cast. Overall I would recommend this to anyone who wants a funny/slightly creepy movie to watch.

Mirror Mirror (I) (2012)

Decent.

[5/10 · 26 July 2016]

It's a good family movie with humour that both kids and adults can appreciate. However, for someone who remembers the Snow White Disney classic movies as a huge part of their childhood, the movie doesn't seem to take the tale all that seriously. Jokes aren't just sprinkled here and there throughout the movie, the film is basically built off of them. Serious moments are usually ended quickly when either the evil queen starts being her very clichéd stuck up self, or her right hand man somehow messes up and gets punished in a weird way (like being turned into a cockroach for some odd reason). Also, the queen's attempt to seduce the prince being foiled by a 'puppy love' potion that makes him act like a literal dog and then this being solved by true loves kiss was frankly just badly written in my opinion. All in all, if you're trying to find a good movie for your kids and yourself to enjoy or to just get a few laughs, this is not a bad movie. If you're looking for a serious spin on a classic tale, maybe just stick to the Disney version.

Coraline (2009)

Better than expected

[10/10 · 26 July 2016]

I went into this movie knowing that it was creepy. I had avoided the movie for years, having one or two friends who loved it and ten other friends telling me it was creepy and to stay away. And for a while, this kind of animation freaked me out. I avoided any movies like this for the longest time, but in the past few years some of my go-to movies are ones like the Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas. And 30 seconds into the movie I was absolutely blown away by the amazing animation. It really does bring the creepy atmosphere of the movie together in a visually stunning way. And being one that goes into a movie quite biased before even watching it, it was actually totally cool to be proved wrong about a movie. If you're wanting to show this to your kid, it might have to wait until they're a bit older depending on how they deal with terrifying skeletal-like creatures pretending to be parents. However, if you're looking for a wonderfully animated, creepy movie, this is it.

The Walking Dead (2010–2022)

Favourite show

[10/10 · 5 July 2016]

This show has been my absolute favourite for years now. This is the first TV and even movie that has ever made me cry my eyes out and feel ridiculously angry at some of the characters. I will also mention that this is the first time I have ever disliked and even hated a lot of the characters. However that just goes to show how well the acting and script is. I will also say that if you're into gore, this is your show. It never misses the opportunity to show a good head-smashing scene with a few intestines on the side. When you first start season 1 it may gross you out somewhat (like it did to me), but by the most recent seasons you won't even be paying attention to the copious amounts of blood because you'll be focused on the plot that never disappoints. There's always twists and turns in the show that are rather hard to predict and it's no surprise that so many people keep up with the show. Adding onto that, the character development is absolutely amazing. There are characters that are polar opposites of how we first saw them, but there are characters like Rick (the main character) that have managed to change completely but stay the at the same time. Rick is a very good example because he's always been a leader figure to the group, but throughout the seasons you can see his personality changing in a way that is hard to explain. There are so many other characters who have gone through amazing character development, but I don't think this word count can fit it all in. So, overall, this is an excellent show that doesn't hold back on the guts and gore with amazing character development and plot. HIGHLY recommend.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Stupidly brilliant.

[10/10 · 5 July 2016]

I'm giving this movie 10 stars just because it is stupidly hilarious. Firstly, my initial reaction to this movie was pretty much one of those "What did I just watch" moments. I didn't really enjoy it at first because I just didn't get it. But watching it a second time sold it for me. It's just funny, I don't care how bad the humour got it just never failed to make me laugh. There are those few funny lines that just stick with you and you end up quoting them (it's especially funny when you quote it around people who have never seen the movie.). I would recommend this for anyone who just needs and easy laugh, or needs a movie to weird their friends out with.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Incredible movie.

[10/10 · 5 July 2016]

This movie hit me hard with emotion with just the first 15 minutes. The infamous opening scene is something you can never truly prepare for. Sure, gore isn't the worst for many. However, I remember when I first saw it at a young age I cried because I knew that ever injury you see happened to a real person at one point in our history. The thing I appreciated most about this movie is that there was not sugar coating anything. The people in this movie are mirroring true events, meaning that people do die and people suffer. You go back and forth on the reasoning behind the plot, which is sending a group of men to save just one life. It really plays with your mind. A group of men are worth more than just one, right? But what about that one man's mother who already lost three of her four sons? There is no right answer in a situation like that. Someone has to suffer. And that's what happened in the war to so many real people. This movie is a great reminder to appreciate where we are now. There are people out there to this day who are still suffering because of this war, while we live our everyday lives. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone (maybe not the younger ones out there considering the gore) because it is a great portrayal of history.

The Kite Runner (2007)

Amazing book, good movie

[7/10 · 5 July 2016]

I read The Kite Runner for my English class and loved it so much that I went out and bought myself a copy. I'm not one for reading, and I could not put this book down. The characters and their development was very well thought out and so was the plot. It really hit you on an emotional level with some of the twists and surprises, and I liked how the ending wasn't a full resolution rather than a bittersweet compromise to what the main character would have wanted. The movie however was a little disappointing with a few things. First, Hassan was not accurately portrayed in the movie compared to how he was described in the book, which wouldn't be too much of a problem if it wasn't as important to the plot as it is in this book/movie (this was the biggest thing that bothered me about the movie). Second, the movie just in general missed some important details from the book that sometimes stood out, but if you haven't read the book, obviously you don't need to worry about that. However, in general I did really enjoy the movie. It had some very beautiful scenes, and for the more serious and sad scenes it did a good job at encompassing the emotion. I'm also a big fan of soundtracks, and the opening titles for this movie sold me immediately. This movie is certainly not a light-hearted one, but it does impact you on an emotional level and I would definitely recommend this movie.

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Disappointed.

[5/10 · 5 July 2016]

I have very high expectations when it comes to any Disney/Pixar movie. I never watched any of the trailers, so when I first watched this I went into it blindly. I had high hopes for the first two minutes of the movie, but was disappointed rather quickly. I didn't like how the characters were designed. The animation overall was amazing (as usual for Pixar), however the characters seemed so out of place. The plot completely disappointed me and the events early on in the movie surprised me, but not in a good way. Less than 30 minutes into the movie, we see the first death. This isn't unusual for any Pixar or Disney movie, but it was shockingly graphic. The main character's father is scene being engulfed by a flash flood, but the camera didn't pan away or make it more subtle. You see everything. Afterwards, the plot seems rushed. We see the main character at home for probably another 5 minutes before he too gets carried away by a river. Predictably he hits his head, wakes up, has no idea where he is. The rest of the movie is just a jumble of random characters that all creeped me out to be honest. All in all, not my favourite Pixar movie. However I do watch it from time to time because even though it wasn't amazing, I wouldn't call it bad.