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In case you haven’t seen the intro from my entry dated
1/26/19 (it’s in my archives whenever you want to read it), I’m no longer going
to review every single movie I see. I’m
going to review one, with the occasional bonus, and just give ratings for the
rest from now on (unless I decide to pick it up again in the future). You can always ask me why I gave the ratings
for the films without reviews though (via comments or the e-mail addresses
under the ‘About Me’ section).
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Anna and the
Apocalypse OK/G
Another zombie movie?
Yes, indeedy. It’s also a
Christmas movie (at least it takes place during the season, but that absolutely
makes it count). It’s also a musical
(some songs wouldn’t be out of place in a Disney tween musical; some catchy). It’s also a teen movie. It takes place in Scotland. So who exactly is this movie for? It was marketed towards horror fans as a
zombie Christmas musical and I imagine horror fans are rather open-minded in
terms of the genre (I know I am, to a degree).
It’s ultimately a zombie movie, but there’re enough songs to make it
just as much of a musical. It’s fun and
gory (there’s a bowling alley too), but it is a fairly standard zombie movie in
that regard (aren’t the majority of them, if not all, anymore?). I will let time dictate whether this becomes
a cult classic though, especially during the holiday season, and I might like
it better a second time (or third) if so.
For now though, I will say it’s the best Scottish zombie Christmas
musical teen movie I’ve seen. 10/2/2019
Bonus reviews:
Scooby-Doo! Return to
Zombie Island EH/OK
I did watch Scooby-Doo
growing up and I do remember enjoying it.
I do think the cartoons are a rather tame way of introducing youngies to
the horror genre (sort of). As for the
animated movies, I haven’t even seen half of them, if that. The ones I have seen I don’t expect much and
take them for what they are; most being nothing special but decent if you don’t
mind and are familiar with the Scooby-Doo
paradigm. However, my favorite
animated movie, and the one that stands out, is this film’s predecessor, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, which I
doubt I would’ve even seen had I not come across its title in a book I own
called Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Glenn Kay. I hate to say it, but, like most sequels,
this wasn’t as good as the first one.
Not nearly as good at that. It
was actually unnecessary in the sense it appeared to be a typical cash grab since
fans of the first one and/or Scooby-Doo
fans in general are expected to, and likely will (yours truly included), tune
in. There’s a twist halfway through that
actually ruins the movie and made me lose interest in the remainder (barely 80
minutes altogether though). There is a
quick refresher as to what happened in the last film for those that may have
forgotten or haven’t seen it, but I suggest you just watch Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island if you haven’t already and then watch
this only if you absolutely feel the need to and/or have a free Redbox code
like I did (I’ve noticed animated Scooby-Doo
movies are rarely ever free On Demand). 10/2/2019
Two Sentence Horror
Stories: Season One OK
This is an anthology series that somehow bypassed me when it
premiered on The CW at the beginning of August.
I guess it won’t be advertised for the channel as much if it’s not Riverdale or a superhero show. Or perhaps no one but people like me really cares
about anthology shows, especially horror, anymore. Each one of these 9 episodes (the last one
consisting of three separate segments) begins with a sentence and another
sentence is added to that one at the end, hence two sentence horror stories.
Since it was an anthology series, and to be in line with the concept,
I’ll give each episode a two sentence review:
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Gentleman
Neat twist at the end.
Rather lame relationship story before that though.
Squirm
A bit of suspense in the first three-quarters. Kind of a lame comeuppance conclusion in the
vein of Tales from the Crypt.
Legacy
This one actually had a few creepy moments, making it one of
the better episodes. There’s a twist and
sort of a sappy-ish conclusion, although still not entirely a happy one when
completely over.
Hide
This had a Strangers
vibe. I still kind of enjoyed it though.
Scion
Rather unoriginal tale involving a cancer treatment center
containing a staff with a sinister agenda.
Still decent though, I guess, and points for representation.
Tutorial
Lame entry in which characters aren’t who they initially appear
to be. Too satirical (ineffectively at
that) and stale for me.
Only Child
Nothing special about this one involving demons and Haitian
voodoo, nor is there really any satisfying payoff. I didn’t realize we live in a time where
people side with their kids over their parents either.
Little Monsters
No, this isn’t a remake of that Fred Savage movie. Instead, it’s a simple (and just okay) story
involving resourceful kids protecting themselves from adult cannibal demons in
their urban environment.
Trilogy
a) Ma
Bland tale reminiscent of Carrie and Psycho. Just watch those two movies instead; the
originals of course!
b) Guilt Trip
So-so entry initially involving modern issues before
throwing a curveball. I was slightly reminded
of “The Hitchhiker” segment in Creepshow
2, as well as a Masters of Horror
episode (Incident On and Off a Mountain
Road) towards the end, even though this wasn’t really like those at all.
c) Singularity
I was glad the transgender community was represented, but
this one perplexed the shit out of me and left me feeling 100%
unsatisfied. Probably my least favorite segment
of this season.
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In conclusion, it wasn’t the greatest anthology series I’ve
seen; none were exactly phenomenal, many were just okay, but at least they were
only a half-hour (even less without commercials; they’re all currently
available on Netflix already) with the exception of the last one obviously since
it was three tales in one; there’s a very diverse cast in regards to race,
gender, sexuality, and gender identity too.
If more seasons are made, I will keep tuning in despite having low
expectations. What can I say? I like watching anthology shows (and movies),
especially horror ones. 9/28/2019
Other
movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):
Aladdin (2019) >>>OK
A.M.I. >>>OK
The Dark Side of
Midnight >>>OK
Hide and Go Shriek >>>OK
In the Shadow of the
Moon >>>OK/G
(Netflix)
St. Agatha >>>OK/G
---Sean O.
10/3/2019
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