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Reviews
Aranyak: Episode #1.5 (2021)
What was the song during the wedding scene?
That wedding scene was beautiful and I liked the song but I can't find what it's called. Any help!
Otherwise a fun episode and I love seeing all the ladies dressed up.
The Creature Below (2016)
Good Lovecraftian Film
I heard nothing about this and just watched it on Prime, and although there's some plot holes it's still very enjoyable. It's notably hard to interpret Lovecraft on film, but this one did a good job. Scientist brings home only what I later interpret to be a baby Cthulhu, and gradually goes nuts as she melds with it physically and psychically. The film has the quintessential Lovecraft ending with the lone survivor ending up in the mad house; and a great final scene with more baby creatures washing up ashore and a big Cthulhu thing popping out of the ocean. Bring on more creature films please!
Gokseong (2016)
Decent, but Could Be Better
Let me start offy saying I did like this movie, I just think it lost momentum and suspense in parts and that took away from its mystery. It started off great - viewers don't really know what's causing this ailment (is it the Japsnese guy or is that just superstition? Is it that weird fungus the cop finds at the first victim's house?). The dreams of the Japanese guy with red eyes is also cool. Again - you could chalk it up to a smal town's fear of foreigners. But then as it progresses, it turns out it IS the Japanese guy, and the main guy spends loads of money on a shamanic ritual to save his daughter, which appears to be working, until he cuts it off halfway thru cuz his daughters freaking out. Here I started to get a bit bored. The plot shifts to just plain superstition and it's no longer about the mystery of finding out the root of the true evil. Let me also say there's a lot of scenes of the cops being hysterical and screaming. I get you're scared, but you're supposed to be the order in this town.
In the apparent crescendo of the film, cops go get the (now injured from the ritual) Japanese guy. He gets away... apparently overhearing the man crying about his daughter (you're led to believe he actually feels remorse here), and then is mundanely killed by either accidentally or on purposely running in front of the cop guys truck. Daughter gets better, hallelujah everything appears saved. Pretty anticlimactic after the very mysterious, supernatural beginning.
Luckily, here it gets better again. Turns out Japanese man is NOT the cause, he was helping, and it's the mystery woman you suspected was helping earlier in the film that's the real evil. The real denouement ends up being quite good, in the plot twist at the end. So overall, good film. Just loses a bit of its suspense in the middle. Some minor changes could've kept the tension and mystery up throughout.
Still great production and effects and overall high-value film. Just wish it added a little MORE scare factor or mystery to give it a 9 or 10.
Colossal (2016)
Confusingly Lovely!
I had no idea what to expect watching this, but I loved it for being unique and weird. It's kinda funny, like two people playing Godzilla but with more humanity and conflicting emotions about it. It's unique! I love a monster movie too. I'm not sure why the nice guy turned into such a psycho, nor how she came up with the idea to stop him, but it's a cute story.
All the Devils Are Here (2014)
Bad, but could've been saved if...
The funniest part about this movie was the black guy and the occasional redneck quotes. The acting and story was uninspired, and I was bored the whole time. However - this could've been saved: The 80s music, shrooms, and funny quotes were the only humorous parts. (Oh and the "baby" monster/zombie birth? Lol. Gotta be joking!) They could've just accepted that the film is bad, then exaggerated that to make fun of itself. It could've been funny as a horror comedy. Now it's just boring.
There Are Monsters (2013)
Really Liked it! With Some Weak Spots..
Overall I really liked this, good creepout factor and a lot of "jump" scares. A kind of modern Invasion of the Body Snatchers, found-footage style, with monsters reminiscent of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun Video from the 90s! It was a cool, fun, scary adventure to watch, and they did a great job on a low budget.
****WARNING --DO NOT READ MORE UNLESS YOU'VE FINISHED the FILM!******
Good pacing, and good steady suspense throughout. Starts off with the typical mundane, goofy college road trip; the group gets slowly creeped out, with some bigger scares.... but just enough to still write off with logical explanations; then it descends suddenly into a straight-up run for survival against the onslaught of monsters chasing them.
The monsters themselves are nicely eerie. Besides the Black Hole Sun effect, people just acting awkward, facing walls, and staring at you is unnerving in itself (imagine if that happened in real life?). Toward the end more is revealed, that it's some kind of weird parasite-alien thing on the inside, and you actually get to see it in later phases.
At the end a couple come back home, hoping to be in the clear, but the monsters have even slunk back into their family and neighbourhood.
Overall a cool journey of (disheartening) discovery with the characters. It's fun trying to guess who's turned (and when) and who's still normal.
What I didn't like - when they first started running from the creatures, there was what felt like 5min of just blur and camera shake where you can't see a thing cuz the protagonists are running. I get that it's "found footage" and these effects are meant to make it seem more"realistic," but I'm so over the found-footage idea. This film uses it inconsistently - a lot of the quality is quite good throughout, almost like a documentary (I can deal with found footage then), but then the parts that are bad are really bad and go on far too long. Should be used sparingly - we are watching a movie afterall, and NOT a poorly-shot home movie.
Also when they sat in that dark closet and you couldn't see for what also felt like 5min--this part was black a bit too long. It annoyed me that they're trying to "hide," yet whisper loudly enough for the whole house to hear, and take flash photos of the room--apparently to try and "see something" (subtly????)---blatantly broadcasting the monsters their location. Why hide at all then? Just use the flash to get outside into the daylight and run as fast as possible instead!
Also, he was using a smartphone, yet it had the shutter sound and photo-development time of like a full size camera... smartphones are instant and quiet. I get that it was used to build tension and allow for jump scares, but it just wasn't believable. Wish they'd found a better way to do that.
Finally, there was one scene/line (when they were all in the car in the beginning), that they repeated like 3 times. They were using that and the other part to kind of "foreshadow" before the movie started, but it was unnecessary to show it in full the 2nd time again. Just do a snippet so people know "oh this is that scene I saw before."
At first that I thought it ended too abruptly, but then you have to watch the credits--as the real ending is woven into those. I did enjoy the ending afterall.
In summary - despite my annoyances for those few things - I really liked this movie a lot. Fun watch, deliciously creepy, and even though the base story concept is not hugely original, I love all the elements used and how it was made. Good job on this! Hope they make more unique creepy creature films. :) was still an odd adventure!
Bates Motel (2013)
Excellently done!
This was a really good show. It had an interesting progression into Norman's psychological deterioration... he started off quite normal and sweet in the first season, and by the last he was completely insane. But it had an ending that worked. It was well acted the whole way through by everyone. Overall great show.
Gypsy (2017)
Dropping it after 4th episode.
I find this pretty boring, and I don't find myself caring for any of the characters. How has she not gotten caught already by... someone? Anyone? Before she messes her life up more. Anyway, this was just a drama and I didn't get much "thriller" out of it. Overall not much accomplished so I think it's lost my interest.
Crimson Peak (2015)
Brilliant from Start to Finish
Not only is it scary and well-acted, but the storyline is good, and the overall cinematography and set is artistically well done. I wish there were more movies this good out there!
Hjemsøkt (2017)
Very good acting and interesting story
Although you can predict the little girl is a ghost from the get-go, finding out what happened to her is still a mystery. Well acted, nice snowy set.
London Spy (2015)
Slow buildup but really good
This is quite intense and a bit slow to build all the pieces together, but what a great ending!
Personal Shopper (2016)
Not Much Going On Here
This wasn't a BAD movie, just boring and kinda pointless. It seems like the creator couldn't decide whether or not to do a supernatural film, a drama, or a stalking film about someone with a glamorous job. The result ends up a mish mash of all 3 without any of the potential intrigue or suspense. Kristin Stewart is a personal shopper for some famous lady in Paris, and she just wants to make her rent... ok except she doesn't seem the glamorous type for this role here. But ok. There's got to be done reason for her daily routine. She's also got some personal issues about who she wants to be, what she wants to do, and she's wrestling with some personal grief about losing her brother. Ok, drama storyline here. Aaaaand she also happens to be a medium.... walks into a house and someone asks if she can "feel a presence." What? Talking about shopping at Cartier and getting in touch with the spirit world in the same movie just didn't work for me. Plus she gets phone stalked and we spend half the movie just having to read her iPhone texts. I can read my own iPhone texts if I want to hear the typing and swoop sounds. Anyway, all this wouldn't be so bad if it was at all interesting and coherent, but it's boring and nothing ever gets resolved. So, I don't get this one.
American Horror Story: Election Night (2017)
Loving Season 7 so far!
I'm only on the 3rd episode, but I'm loving this one, esp. since I really didn't like the last season. This one's a bit of a different spin on the traditional horror as it has a political element, but the purpose of horror is to prey on people's fears. No matter what side you're on, the changes in the political climate causes fear and anxiety in many people, so AHS is just preying on that insecurity and taking it to an extreme level! Add to that killer clowns, and you've got a recipe for true horror! Good mix of classic horror; political fears; and people's tendency to pick sides, point fingers, and panic. I think it's done brilliantly.
As with every season, the scenes and cinematography is beautiful, and the acting is top-notch. Evan Peters is amazing, and Sarah Paulson is great. Scary twisty the clown is back - prob one of the scariest characters of the whole series (for me anyway!), next to that creepy guy with the Minotaur head in Coven. I especially appreciate this one, because I was so disappointed with the last season. Hope it stays this good throughout the whole season!
Sherlock (2010)
Great show still true to Sherlock Homes vibe with a modern, entertaining twist
I love this Show. It seems true to the historic feel of Sherlock and Watson, but with a modern twist. It has amazing acting and great stories, high production value, and quite entertaining at times. I love the episodes that play up on Sherlock's annoying quirks and the bickering between the two characters. Quite fun!
The Alienist (2018)
I loved it!
I love dark, Victorian murder mysteries. This was well acted, beautifully acted, and has nice gruesome murders to solve using modern serial killer style profiling. It's similar in style to shows like this set in London, but the slight twist is that it's in the US this time. Anyway, very cool!
The Limehouse Golem (2016)
I absolutely loved this
Maybe it's because I love this style, but I absolutely loved this. It's well-written, visually stunning, great acting, and a great murder mystery set in dark Victorian London. What's not to like?
Wynonna Earp (2016)
I'm half-half on this one.
I don't love it, and I don't completely hate it. A lot of the characters are very one-dimensional and there's not much development (e.g. the main characters Wynnona and the cop), and the acting's kinda cheesy. However, it's entertaining enough to leave up in the background. I think Waverly's adorable. Doc Holiday is a bit overacted but entertaining. Plus I think Doc Holiday and Bobo Del Ray are both really hot, so I haven't turned it off yet. So give it a try and see if you like it.
American Fable (2016)
Dark Events Told Through Innocent Eyes
I really enjoyed this movie! I expected a fantasy movie, which was only a tiny element of this story, so it was a different sort of game than I thought it would be! Overall the mood is very warm and innocent, since it's told through the naive perspective of a little girl. However, the events are kindof dark: family holds a man for ransom in their silo, and their "cover" gets blown when their daughter befriends him, thinking he grants wishes. In the end, her friendship saved the messy situation from becoming much worse. Anyway, and interesting take on a dark tale told through a sunny perspective!
Hemlock Grove (2013)
I could not get into this
I love everything supernatural and weird, but I just could not get into this whatsoever. It was too slow and boring, and despite watching the first half of the season (and rewatching several episodes), i can't honestly say I remember shit or knew what happened. It just failed to grab my interest so I stopped watching it.
The Killing (2011)
Good, tho a bit drawn out
I liked this; however, I really wish they'd concluded the first case - completely - by the end of the first season. I loved watching it unfold, but it got to the point where I felt it was OVERstretched. I would've rather seen it wrapped up, then watched them solve more additional, mysterious crimes in a similar fashion. Otherwise it was really good, dark, and with great acting and scenes :)
The Following (2013)
I got really sick of Joe Carrol
How many times can someone "come back" and get so many idiots to "follow" him on some ridiculous quest? Not to slate the acting - James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon weere great, and the show started off really interesting. But it got kindof unbelievable and irritating. That being said - I still watched the whole thing, just got a bit tedious. I think the writers just ran out of unique ideas beyond the pilot (which is the best episode in my opinion). It's got high production quality and good acting, so give it a watch and see what you think.
The Resident (2011)
I liked it. Not my faborite, but good scenes and acting.
It was kindof predictable, but I liked it anyway. I liked the scenes, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan did an excellent job seeming both wholesome and kind in the beginning, and super creepy later. I had to LOL when he borrowed her toothbrush and licked her fingers in her sleep. Def major creepo factor! But funny. Give it a watch if you're just in the mood for a thriller.
Killing Me Softly (2002)
I kindof liked it!
It was definitely very camp and totally unrealistic, but I still liked it in the end. It managed to keep my interest. Some parts are totally dramatic and silly but it had some passion and intrigue, so give it a watch if you just want a mindless thriller.
Stag (2016)
What a Stag Do!
I absolutely loved this. The hangover meets black comedy - love the deadpan esp when the Aussie shows up. Carry on. Joy if you love comedy horror