micheleroncarati Reviews

Ready or Not (I) (2019)

A hidden gem of mediocrity and cliches (not it's not funny)

[3/10 · 25 December 2020]

I've heard people stating, "this film is a hidden gem and if you don't get it, it's because you do not understand the comical side of this film, which is silly and light on purpose." In my opinion, it's a film that falls under the category of "silliness for silliness sake. I am smart because I can enjoy brain-dead silliness". Also, a film can be silly and light, but it doesn't need to be corny and stupid.

I think that this film is not funny, not even funnily silly. Let's start with the plot, it's quite simple (which isn't always a bad thing): this film is about a young beautiful woman that in the beginning of the film is weak and stuck in a relationship with a moron. Thus, the story becomes a ride that empowers the woman as a strong independent character that fights of the greedy and messed up family of her partner. Weak woman -> bad partner + greedy family -> bad stuff -> strong woman. I get that there are people who do not want to put much effort in what they watch, but it doesn't mean that this film is a hidden gem.

As many have said, the plot is pretty silly yes, but it's not the main issue, the main issue is that the comical scenes and the jokes are very corny, almost cringy. I feel that only a first grader might find some scenes funny, and not all of them. For example, something that happens often is a character doing something and then making and edgy remark. It is not even a good edgy remark, it's just crap. This film takes loads of scenes and phrases from other films and mixes them up and it pretends that it's a witty silly film.

I also find quite annoying the corny trope of the weak woman stuck in a bad situation that overcomes her fears and shows to her partner and his family that she is a strong independent woman. If I was a woman, I would like to see more complex and well-rounded characters even in film that is purposely light and comical. Being a dark comedy with an absurd plot does not mean that the film needs to go down the road of trashy clichés with edgy phrases and scenes. I have enjoyed other films that are in the same category of this film, but this one made me only cringe. Most of those that liked this film are either fanboys/girls of the main actress or simply enjoy braindead cringe. If you are not a teenager and you have left your puberty behind, then this film is a waste of time.

Color Out of Space (2019)

Visually great but the plot is meh

[6/10 · 25 December 2020]

As many who have watched this, I like Lovecraft. Nevertheless, I wasn't expecting a perfect adaptation or a masterpiece. In my opinion, the biggest issues with this film is that it is bit slow at times and the plot is lacklustre in more than one instance.

I have enjoyed some scenes; I have enjoyed the visuals effects and I have enjoyed the acting especially Nicholas Cage's acting (even though I'm not a huge fan). I think there were some nice ideas behind this film and I was interested in the plot. BUT by the end this film doesn't do anything great. I can't bring myself to rate it more than this simply because I think they could have explored much more interesting aspects than wasting a lot of shooting time on visions and supposedly weird images. I know Lovecraft is a lot about fear of the unknown and confusion, madness and frantic emotions, but I think that many scenes were too long and didn't have much verve. Maybe I am biased as I have read Lovecraft extensively, but I believe that people that rate this film 8 or above are either Lovecraft fanboys and/or people who did not have watched a serious film about cosmic horror.

I would say this film is worth watching even if it could have been much better than what it is.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Lackluster at best

[4/10 · 25 December 2020]

It's not that it's a bad film per se, but this film feels so empty. Nothing really interesting happens and the plot seems quite sketched not really defined.

The actors are not bad at all, but the script is truly lackluster. There is honestly nothing philosophical about this film. It's not deep, it's mediocre at best. I did not expect a sci-fi film with aliens, I expected a solid well-rounded plot, which clearly is missing here.

They're Watching (2016)

I'm not sure what I watched, but it wasn't that bad

[6/10 · 26 August 2020]

I will give it a 6 for the originality even if I am not sure it deserves it. So this is a dark comedy (kind of) and while a couple of scenes are actually nice, some are a bit cringy.

It's a bizarre experience for sure and I guess it deserves to be watched, even if I feel like the plot was a bit meh. I mean I get it is supposed to be a dark comedy, but there wasn't much in term of actual plot. Of course they used many tropes from different typical horror film since they wanted to ridicule them, which I understand, but the overall experience was a bit disappointing. The last 5 minutes of the film are somehow quite interesting, but overall I think it's also a bit mediocre here and there. Some scenes are not really needed and it feels like at times this film doesn't know if it wants to be serious or not (and not in a good way).

Again, I think it's original and it's better than most trashy B-Movies out there, especially other dark comedies that fail miserably. Don't expect much from this film and you might get amused.

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

Behold the incredibly powerful hackers

[4/10 · 24 August 2020]

While I like some ideas behind this film, I'd say it's rubbish. The messages are hard to read and the main protagonists are dumb beyond belief. But most importantly, the hackers are god-like, they hack everything in a matter of seconds, think ahead with a hundred of different plans and are able to make it so that all these plans are 100% accurate and perfect.

I wasn't expecting much from this film, but it's a charade based on misinformation, it's the typical stuff that you would hear teenagers talk about in school. Stories about hackers able to kill you in a matter of seconds just because. This entire film is based on one concept: the hackers are god-like and nothing you can do can change it. Furthermore, the hackers are silent killers, strong and capable hitmen and also quite lucky people considering that nothing ever goes wrong for them.

It's a shame because I think it could have been done in a far better way, this film could have been quite original in many ways instead of delivering this narrative, where hackers are basically the gods of the modern era. There is literally no bound to what they can do, to what they can plan and how easily the can manipulate the world. 10/10 if you are enthralled by childish myth-like narratives about the dark web. Otherwise spend your time in better ways.

Nightcrawler (2014)

A solid and enjoyable film

[8/10 · 24 August 2020]

The Nightcrawler is a good film, it is also a film that manages to be original in many ways, despite the fact that it is based on topics that have been already used before (as often happens).

Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job in delivering a character that is despicable in many ways but it is also fascinating in others. I was more interested in the development of the character than the actual plot (which wasn't bad at all). By the end of the film, you will see a character that has gone a long way but that hasn't really changed at the core.

It's an enjoyable experience, there are some scenes that are particularly interesting and I would say that it's probably one of the best films of this genre. I would definitely recommend watching the Nightcrawler at least twice because it's one of those films that deserves to be watched more than once in order to be fully appreciated.

Cell (I) (2016)

Waste of time

[3/10 · 24 August 2020]

This film is plainly bad. The acting isn't great nor horrible, but the plot is mediocre and corny.

I didn't like the premise of the film, but I went along with it, I thought I would give it a chance. People go crazy when they receive a phone call because aliens are messing up phone calls. Yeah this is basically the plot, I'm not joking.

I decided I would give it a try because of the two main actors, Samuel Jackson and John Cusack, but the script was honestly awful. The plot isn't interesting, there are no scenes that catch your interest fully and by the end you're just bored. The worst part is the ending. It's pointless and makes the entire film pointless. Therefore, when you get to it, the only emotion you have is anger for having wasted your time in a pointless film. It's not even funnily bad, it's just bad.

The Ruins (2008)

Corny and predictable

[3/10 · 24 August 2020]

This film had some interesting ideas. I was quite interested in some aspects of the story but in the end it turned out to be quite a waste of time.

The plot is simple (which isn't always a bad thing) and doesn't deliver much. The characters are quite flat and useless to be honest. They fall under the category of "horror protagonists that can not do anything but complain and scream".

Overall, there isn't much to say about this film. It's not entertaining and even the monster of this film is barely enjoyable the first time it is revealed. The ending is mediocre at best. I would not recommend this film, there are better "bad" movies to watch.

Killing Them Softly (2012)

Enjoyable film that doesn't pretend do be what it isn't.

[8/10 · 24 August 2020]

I liked this film. It's entertaining and well-paced. It is also a film that doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't set off to be what it isn't. It's a simple film. The plot is simple and there's isn't anything amazing about it, but it works well. The characters are solid and so is the plot.

Brad Pitt's performance is solid and the others actors do a fairly good job as well. I don't think this is a masterpiece, but I have rated 8/10 because I like the fact that the director created a simple plot that works. There are no weird and fancy motives, or some messed up plot twist. I think it's a honest work.

There are some things that could have been done a bit better, but overall the result is satisfying and it is worth watching.

Sputnik (2020)

A bit disappointing

[6/10 · 24 August 2020]

I enjoeyed some scenes of this film. I found some characters interesting and I was genuinely interested in the alien species. Nevertheless, I think this film doesn't amount to anything great. The acting isn't bad and in the end the film is watchable, but I would also say that this film doesn't do anything new.

Furthermore, the whole debate about political power dynamics and authorities is a bit of a cliche and quite frankly corny, I understand this film was made in Russia, but it's not an excuse to forward a corny picture.

I would say it is a film worth watching once, but it's not a film I will rewatch any time soon.

Blood Vessel (2019)

A B-Movie that could have been better

[5/10 · 24 August 2020]

This movie isn't awful, but it's not good. Its a B-Movie and it doesn't set itself to be a masterpiece, which I can respect.

I think that the acting was a bit awkward at times, but passable and some scenes were even good. Also, the plot isn't original, but it isn't also as cliche as many other horror films. I think the setting was interesting and it had potential. Nevertheless, I must say the film fails to reach a good level simply because in many ways the director played it safe and followed cliches and tropes from other films. The ending is worst part of all, it falls under the category of "super cliches" and it is also the result of a quite big plot-hole. I think they wasted the potential to have an entraining film, the protagonists are luckluster and most of them die in stupid or anticlimactic ways. Therefore, I can't bring myself to rate this more than 5.

Love, Death & Robots (2019– )

Some episodes are great, some are not so great

[7/10 · 24 August 2020]

This is a difficult review. I would rate some episodes higher than 7, but I would also rate some episodes lower than 5.

The bad: The point here is that some episodes are extremely cliche. For example, the second episode is a cluster of cliches regarding women and it is really mediocre. Some episodes are meant to appear smart and critical of reality, but they don't do anything new. They re-use topics from other series and films (in a worse way) and embellish them with new animations. Finally, maybe the comical episodes are not for me, but I didn't find them entertaining at all. I skipped them because I found them cringy and corny. Thankfully there aren't many of them. But the comedy in such episodes is probably more appealing for kids (I'm not saying this in a derogatory way), it shouldn't be really entertaining for an adult.

The good: some animations are good and others are very good. Some plots are good, some plots are very good. There are a couple of episodes that I really liked as they delivered an original and interesting plot and I found myself wanting to know more about what was happening. Some episodes manage to re-use topics that are already widely used nowadays (aliens, monsters and so on) but they manage to do so in an entertaining way.

Overall, I would say it is definitely worth watching. But since each episode isn't related to the others, I would also say some episodes aren't worth watching.

Midsommar (2019)

So much misplaced hype

[4/10 · 23 August 2020]

Many people like this film, it's somehow understandable. It is in certain ways fascinating and I like the camera work. The acting isn't also bad. Initially, there is an interesting and I dare to say original intake regarding the fading of a relationship. So why did I rate this 4/10?

The answer is the plot holes and the silliness of the protagonists. Near the beginning of the film, the protagonists spectate a shocking event (or it is supposed to be shocking) and yet, just a few scenes after that cathartic moment, everyone is acting normal. After having witnessed something that would have thoroughly shaken any normal person, these characters go about their day as if nothing happened, they barely mention it in a couple of scense. I had to rewatch that part twice to see if I lost something in the plot. After that scequence, you have plenty of scenes where the protagonists act like stupid people unaware of the fact that their actions have consequences. The "horror" in this film spawns from the unbelievable careless behaviour of the protagonists. I say unbelievable, because no one in a fairly decent state of mind, if put through the scenes the protagonists experience, would act like them. Not even a child. This isn't the case of characters not realizing that their actions might carry consequences, this is the case of people going around a place where bad stuff happens and act like idiots.

I've read reviews were people prized this film to be predictable, stating that it was a smart move by the director. When being predictable became a good quality in a film that sets itself to shock the audience? By the end I wasn't shocked, I was bored and bothered.

The premise of the film doesn't make any sense. There is a cult that does bad stuff to people. A cult that everyone can trace. A cult that makes people disappear and yet no one does anything about it? The police is oblivious. Family and friends of the victims are out of the picture. There is no big secret, there is nothing brilliant behind this. I'm sure someone would argue this isn't the point of the film, or the cult can hide itself. But in the end, it doesn't make any sense.

Finally, as someone that studies Scandinavian culture and folklore, this film is hardly interesting. I'm aware that especially horror films are not required to be incredibly accurate, but this film sets itself as if it was a serious and accurate film, when it isn't. It's full of cliches on Scandinavian lore and when it's not, facts are twisted to serve a sense of horror that is based on creating senseless plot. If you're interested in a film with a taste for Scandinavian lore, I suggest you to watch the Ritual. It's not a masterpiece, but it's better than Midsommar.

Overall the film is very mediocre. It falls under that category of modern films that employs a good camera work and atmosphere so that the plot doesn't need to be solid. It also arouses the kind of viewer that finds pride in saying "I liked a film that didn't make much sense because I am special and I can see the vision of the director." I can understand some people liked the atmosphere and camera work, I can can understand some people like some scenes, but the fact that this film is plagued by plot holes is undeniable. And the fact that it is a highly predictable film doesn't make it original, it makes mediocre in my opinion. There wasn't a single scene where I was thrilled and the ending was the most predictable part of all.

The Lodge (2019)

Another "it's all in my head" scary film

[3/10 · 23 August 2020]

As many have said it, this film is slow. It's the kind of slow that is supposed to arouse a certain kind of audience, people that think they are special and can go beyond what is clearly not brilliant. This film is not brilliant. It's a fact, not an opinion. The plot is guessable and really cheesy at best. The acting is meh and there is hardly any scene that is memorable.

The plot is plagued by holes, quite many things are stupid at best and the all premice of the film is really corny. I wanted to give this a try, but I wish I hadn't. This film could have been wrapped up in maybe 45 minutes. And it can be summarised with maybe two sentences.

People who call this a good film are either taking the piss, or haven't seen a good film in a while.

A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

Plot holes everywhere

[3/10 · 20 August 2020]

This film made me laugh so much. In some films you have to take a few things for granted in order to follow the story. Here, you have to take for granted a stream of incredible events that add up to a chain that is hilarious. One example is that the bad guys can reach any place in a few scenes, while the good guys struggle, run and sweat to get there.

I think that somewhere in the plot there might have been some not so awful ideas, but it looks to me that the people behind this film wanted to add a chain of unlikely events to astonish the audience. The result is a plot that is shaky at best, mediocre acting and hilarious scenes (even if they are supposed to be serious).

Mercy Black (2019)

Usual Mediocre "Horror" Film

[2/10 · 25 March 2020]

As it often happens, Mercy Black is a horror film with some nice ideas. The problem is that the plot is really inconsistent. Acting isn't even that bad. But towards teh end the entire film is just a mash-up of poorly written tropes and teh ending is quite ridicolous. Not even unexpected. Overall, there are far better "bad" horror films to watch.

Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020–2022)

Decent, but not great glorification of the Ottoman Empire

[6/10 · 1 March 2020]

First off, the docu-series has some good actors and it's visually pleasing with a lot of accurate minor historical facts. But as someone that does study history, I can't help but to feel a bit disappointed with the high grade of subjectivity in this series. True enough, it is hard to obtain full objectivity when talking about history, even more so if you're making a tv series about it, but this series is in many instances a glorification of the Ottoman Empire.

I am quite fond of the historical period and I'm very interested in the history of the Ottoman Empire, the issue though is that a lot of what is presented here is meant to show that the Ottoman Empire was amazing and Mehmed was this tactical genius. The truth is different. Many aspects of this series intend to show the sultan as a great and unique man that managed to achieve what others couldn't and there is little stress on the fact that he managed to do it because there were many helping facts. At no point, we are told the reasons behind the failure of other men that tried to seize the city. We are just presented Mehemed, the only amazing man that could pull this off. More than once, details regarding the dire situation of Costantinople (even before the arrival of Mehmed) are often mentioned quickly and not in an accurate and objective historical way. There is little focus on the shady tactics employed by the Ottoman and the reason for that is because the series tries to show the Ottomans as valiant warrios that took the city thanks to their great qualities. Anyone that has some knowledge of history knows very well that this is hardly the case in most case and for most historical periods. One thing is to show history for what it is (good and bad), another thing is to show only the more legendary and appealing side of facts. This kind of "historical" representation has been quite common for many centuries I'd say, but it can't be called historical in fact.

What we see in this series is a glorification of the man and the empire (and the reasons for this are quite clear considering where this producion comes from). What Mehmed achieved was indeed a great feat, the problem is that all the "bad" aspects of Mehmed are almost forgotten and in many ways there is this focus on the idea of Mehmed defeating the Roman Empire, which is by all effects an anachronism. By the time Mehmed conquered Costantinople, the Eastern Roman Empire was barely an empire and even less "Roman" in the sense that this series wants to forward.

The character of Giustiniani seems to piss of many viewers, but for the wrong reasons. This character gets a lot of screen time, but his main purpose is to be a puppet to show that there was a tough enemy for Mehmed to fight. By the end, there is a morbid focus on the fact that Giustiniani reatreats like he is a coward, but the amazing thing is that he was gravely wounded, so it is really pitiful for historians to be so biased with their reports.

I believe that there is worth to this series, but it is hardly historical. Netflix offers series that are far more accurate if you're after historical docu-series/dramas and so on. You might like this series if you're after a biased depiction of the Ottoman Empire that wants to glorify aspects that are still important in modern Turkey. I don't want to get into politics, but one should definitely ask himself what is the real purpose behind this series, because the aim wasn't to bring to the public an accurate historical account of the fall of Costantinople.

Dark Was the Night (2014)

Decent Horror B-Movie until the last 30 seconds of the film.

[5/10 · 11 February 2020]

Dark Was the Night is a fairly decent horror film with low expectations, which is fine and something I can appreciate. A lot of the features of this film are clearly typical of the horror genre, but that isn't always a downside. The plot isn't exceptional, but the actors are decente. My problem is with the very ending of the film, which is honestly quite stupid and ruins most of the plot that the film built till that moment.

I am not going to spoil the last 30 seconds of the film, but let's say it is a typical corny horror b-movie ending. I would have gladly accepted something simpler rather than that. Is it worth watching? Meh, I guess if you don't have anything better to do, this will do, it is not terrible.

Dragged Across Concrete (2018)

Mediocre at best.

[4/10 · 21 December 2019]

This film is somehow interesting at times. It's a crude and violent movie and it's not a bad thing itself, the problem is that behind these features there's a lackluster plot.

The plot orbits around a gold heist, but the heist itself is not explained and it's pulled off VERY easily and it's clearly an excuse to show violence and to use the gold as the starting point of the plot that is based on greediness and need. Now, the characters...they are very mediocre, like cliche mediocre, like characters you have seen plenty of times.

I think it was interesting at first, there were some interesting features to this film. The violence was somehow enthralling (as it often happens), but in the end it was just a show of blood and death, nothing really different from what you would see in a film about gangs, corruption and so on.

Even if I'm not a fan, I suggest watching The Departed, which is similar under many aspects but the quality is way higher and Dragged Across Concrete just tried to take many of those features and make its own new appearance. The result is pretty lame. There were some good ideas, but toward the ending you find yourself seeing so many things that are quite nonsensical. Everyone involved in this heist does not seem to be able to think ahead of time and everyone is just shooting guns often for the sake of it. The first half-hour of the film is good actually, the problem is that by the end the film loses its good features and aims at impressing the viewers through violence, blood and some times racism.

The Open House (2018)

Man...this is bad

[1/10 · 1 December 2019]

I've seen a lot of bad reviews. And I mean a lot. This movie is so bad that can even enrage you because you'll get to the ending and you'll have just one question: "what was this?" Still today I consider this the worst horror/thriller film I have ever watched. There's not a single good thing that could redeem this title.

The plot starts with a cliché, not uncommon for horror films, the problem is that basically every scene is a cliché, UNTIL you get to the part of the film that is so rushed that very little makes sense: things happens randomly, characters appear but you are never explained why they're there, characters die like morons, and the the ending. The ending should be used in universities as an example of one of the most horrific way to conclude a film, it should become canon to explain what you need to avoid doing when making a film.

The main characters are dumb beyond belief and at some point you'll just give up trying to get what they're doing. This film is lazy, poorly written, and disappointing to the point you'll feel like someone has just insulted your intelligence.

Prey (V) (2019)

Pretty pointless

[2/10 · 27 November 2019]

I think this movie has some very few interesting moments and that covers all the good I can say about it. The biggest flaw is that the story itself is sloppy and quite mediocre. The ending, as others have pointed out, is pretty bad, but it's no surprise as you can literally figure out the entire plot after 30 minutes of watching this film.

I think it could have been quite original and somehow interesting. It's a shame that it turned out to be an awful film where the plot is just a mediocre blur. There are a few plot holes, but the real problem is that this film is unable to bring something scary and meaningful to the audience. It's a waste of time and you'll forget about it very soon.