The Wrath of Becky/No One Will Save You

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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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The Wrath of Becky                                                     OK

This takes place two years after Becky and is more or less the same movie (you can read my review for the predecessor here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2020/07/becky.html).  I watched Becky at least two more times after I penned that review.  I still don’t love it, but did enjoy it more the subsequent times, it being a lightly diverting revenge thriller with worthy violence.  Whereas the titular character battled neo-Nazi prison escapees the first round, this time she (played by Lulu Wilson again) takes revenge on a group that are part of an organization labeled Noble Men (akin to groups arguably synonymous with neo-Nazis) whom killed someone she grew close to and kidnapped her dog.  I wouldn’t say this was an unnecessary sequel, the performances are top-notch and the violence is passable (despite feeling insufficient), but it ultimately seemed nothing more than merely standard.  The end definitely alludes to another one (there are talks as of now), we still haven’t been told what the sought-after key from the first film is needed for, but I hope they don’t make this an endless franchise wherein Becky pretty much does the same thing in each movie (á la John Wick-type flicks).  I can deal with at least one more entry though…9/23/2023

No One Will Save You                                                 OK/G

I really thought this new alien invasion flick from the director of Spontaneous (a film I enjoyed; you can read my review for it in here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2020/11/bill-ted-face-music.html), available on Hulu, was going to be great based on the first half.  It is 99% dialogue-free, which I thought was going to be 100% dialogue-free because it effectively eschewed moments that were about to call for dialogue up until the five words spoken towards the end.  In it, a young woman named Brynn (revealed to be in her early twenties) lives alone in a house in the woods in a small town; her mom passed (don’t remember hearing about daddy), and she lost her best friend ten years prior (you will learn how).  One night, an alien enters her house and it’s a fight for survival from then on.  Now, I had a love/hate relationship with this film; well, more love/dislike.  The pros definitely outweighed the cons (it has a very tense set-up and does manage to be suspenseful throughout), but the cons really did disappoint me.  I liked how the aliens weren’t friendly (for the most part), they looking like stereotypical extraterrestrials; obviously they are CGI, but I didn’t hate them, nor did I love them (they actually looked passable given the circumstances, although they eventually made me like the film a little less).  What truly ruined it for me was the, what I thought, weak ending (clichéd even) which might’ve rendered the once-menacing aliens to appear less so.  [For another evil alien flick released this year, check out Kids vs. Aliens; my review is in here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2023/01/kids-vs-aliens.html].  9/24/2023

Bonus review:

Cypress Hill:  Insane in the Brain                               OK/G

Cypress Hill are one of the first rap groups (I told myself) I was a fan of.  Even when I told people I hated rap back in the day, I would always follow it with ‘except for…’ and Cypress Hill would be one mentioned.  Long advocating for the legalization of weed since their heyday in the 90s, even getting away with lighting up on their tours, they are the first hip-hop group to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  This documentary covers how the members all met and various tours they went on, among some other tidbits (like those just mentioned), and will probably be just fine for fans.  While I, being enough of a fan (as well as a fan of biographies, literary or visual), did enjoy this for a decent portion, also felt like it ended too soon (it was roughly 90-minutes) and wasn’t a definitive account on the group.  9/22/2023

Other movies and TV show(s) I’ve seen and their ratings (see above):

The Immaculate Room  >>>EH

I’m Totally Fine  >>>EH/OK

Jury Duty (Season One)  >>>OK/G

            (Freevee; 8 episodes)

You Are Not My Mother  >>>EH

---Sean O.

9/24/2023

The Third Saturday in October Part V

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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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The Third Saturday in October Part V                        OK/G

The Third Saturday in October takes place in the late Seventies in Alabama and begins with a serial killer getting the electric chair.  In true slasher fashion, he wakes up before being put into the ground and begins another killing spree.  Now, the aesthetic of the film gets a passing grade since it actually looked like it came out in the decade it occurs; something about films in that time, particularly horror, look so appealing to me.  As for the content?  Meh.  The characters are fine, but it’s nothing particularly special (I know, how original can you be with slashers, now or in the past?) and the majority of kills weren’t exactly noteworthy.  You did read the title of this review right; this is titled Part V as there are no parts two, three, and four (although they do exist in this cinematic universe and we’re given clips to those films in a “flashback” at the beginning).  This one takes place in 1994, both films made to appear as if released at their coinciding times (both released on the same day this year).  This one was more fun; the kills were definitely an improvement (although still not grand) and I wonder if that was part of the whole gimmick in that slasher films usually try to one-up their predecessor(s) in terms of violence (these aren’t parodies either; definitely homages).  The killer dons a passable skull mask this time too as opposed to seeing his disfigured mug before.  Even though I liked this sequel better (although flawed), the first one makes a good companion piece and you should probably still watch both (this one just has more substance whereas the other was strictly style).  The end of the credits indicate there will be a sixth entry (third for us), but I wonder if that was just another part of the gimmick…9/18/2023

Bonus review:

Wreck (Season One)                                                    EH/OK

[POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW]

British TV series released last year containing six episodes ranging between 40 and 50-minutes each.  It takes place on a cruise ship and begins as a decent slasher, or what seemed could’ve been a decent slasher, even though the killer was dressed in a benign duck costume.  Most of the characters appeared to be likable too.  Slasher films don’t need to be more than 90-minutes, if that, let alone a roughly 5-hour series.  The reveal, however, which wasn’t until the end of the fifth episode(!), made it more akin to something like Hostel; not exactly like it, but it reminded me of it.  Much of what occurred between the first and last episode seemed like filler, often times being a slog to get through, feeling like I forced myself to continue (never a good sign); I finished because it was only six episodes and I read about it in a horror magazine (which is how I heard of this in the first place).  Perhaps if they condensed this into a feature film comprising of the first and last two episodes with a rewrite, it might’ve been better, or at least okay.  The parts of this that did work were merely just okay anyway (not much was done once the big reveal came and nothing felt too original when all was said and done; there were at least two worthy deaths though, one involving a chainsaw).  I read that there was a second season planned to be released this year, but I honestly don’t think I want to do another round.  9/17/2023

Other movies and TV show(s) I’ve seen and their ratings (see above):

Blood (2023)  >>>OK

Jagged Mind  >>>EH

            (Hulu)

The Other Black Girl (Season One)  >>>OK/G

                        (Hulu; 10 episodes)

Slayers   >>>EH

The Third Saturday in October  >>>EH/OK

---Sean O.

9/18/2023

The Bear (Season 2)

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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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The Bear (Season Two)                                              G

During the first season it did take me a bit to get into due to its crazy energy, but I did end up becoming addicted.  For those of you that desire working in a restaurant, particularly behind-the-scenes, shows like this will inform you that it isn’t exactly glamorous.  I’ve worked in a restaurant and this is really how it is---people yelling, losing their shit, scrambling over everyone and everything (sure, movies like Waiting… may show what it’s like when a restaurant gets busy, but they went for more of a comical approach).  Never thought it would be entertaining to see such drama, but I was hooked, and, as they may say, drama is always more entertaining when you’re not involved (hence why we watch entertainment).  This series takes place in a restaurant in Chicago and retains much of the first season’s tone, in addition to displaying more human sides of the characters (although arguably it always showed a human side since people are really crazy in life, especially in this business).  Another thing I liked was that you never knew what you were going to get each episode (enabling me to always look forward to each one), as they all focused on different people.  [I’m not particularly a fan of reality cooking shows, but I do like seeing food prepared in fictional entertainment (me being a foodie) whether I like the particular food being prepped or not (trust me, there’s a lot of food this foodie isn’t fond of).  Seeing shows like this make you appreciate how certain dishes are presented in restaurants, particularly desserts structured a precise way that look too damn good to eat; hell, I’m even fascinated by watching an omelette being made (the one made here looked really good too)].  There are ten episodes this time (as opposed to eight last time) ranging from 30-40 minutes each, one being a little over an hour, said episode also being a Christmas one involving a family dinner that maintains the manic spirit of the show.  As of now, there is no season three confirmed, but I’ll welcome at least another one (I did want more after the finale).  This and Reservation Dogs are the best Hulu currently has to offer (the latter currently on its third and alleged final season).  9/12/2023

Bonus reviews:

The Little Mermaid                                                      EH/OK

I love the 1989 animated film; it’s one of my favorites.  Remakes are inevitable anymore and curiosity always gets the better of me, so I had to see this recent live-action update (now available on Disney+).  There was another live-action Little Mermaid film a couple years back (you can read my review for it in here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2018/12/mooby-reviews-121518.html), but that one was even worse than this one directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha).  I didn’t hate this film (the performers are fine and some of it is well-made), but, like many a remake, it just made me want to watch the original the entire time.  As with the majority of live-action Disney remakes, you know what’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of anticipating it and how it will look (the only scene I don’t recall adapted here was when Sebastian was trying to escape the chef in the kitchen).  I don’t think it needed to be over two hours either, although it didn’t necessarily feel like it.  Was this yet another unnecessary remake?  I’d say so, but my opinion is subjective, needless to say; my tween nieces loved it, for one, they probably being the primary target audience.  The only Disney remake so far I thought was decent was Guillermo del Toro’s version of Pinocchio (you can read my review for that here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2022/12/guillermo-del-toros-pinocchio.html).  9/11/2023

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Here are links to my reviews of other live-action Disney remakes:

Beauty and the Beast---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2017/06/mooby-reviews-62117.html

Dumbo---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2019/04/dumbo.html

The Jungle Book---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2016/09/mooby-reviews-9112016.html; Mowgli:  Legend of the Jungle---same as The Little Mermaid one in the review above

The Lion King---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2019/11/morbid-storiesthe-lion-king.html

Pinocchio---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2022/09/snapperamerican-horror-stories-season-2.html

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Elemental                                                                    EH/OK

The newest Pixar movie wherein the elements (earth, air, fire, water; earth portrayed as trees, air as clouds) live in a city, fire living separately.  I remember thinking it reminded me of Inside Out upon first seeing ads for it.  Well, get that comparison out of your head, because this is nothing like Inside Out.  Not.  Even.  Close.  Inside Out was the last really good Pixar film to me; I’m actually looking forward to the sequel scheduled for next year, simultaneously dreading it since it has a whole lot to live up to.  Anyway, this film contains the same old message about how we’re all not so much different and we should look past those differences.  Blah, blah, blah.  A girl made of fire meets a boy made of water and of course they “shouldn’t” mix and there’s dissension at first (not only amongst them, but the parents and so forth), but do you think they eventually end up together?  Well…this will be the first film that many young’uns will see, so of course there needs to be a positive message.  Sure, the themes will always be relevant as long as we are all different, and they can always be touching if you want them to be, but for those of us that have been around and seen lots of movies already, it could likely be yawn-inducing.  Sorry Pixar, I just wasn’t that impressed with this release, in substance or general style (I actually thought some of the character features were distracting initially).  9/13/2023

Other movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):

Alone at Night   >>>B

Bottle Rocket  >>>EH

Clock  >>>EH

       (Hulu)

Door Mouse  >>>OK/G

Enys Men  >>>EH

The Good Neighbor (2022)  >>>EH/OK

House of Darkness (2022)  >>>OK

Hypnotic (2023)  >>>OK/G

Mummies  >>>EH

Piggy (2022)  >>>OK

   (In Spanish with subtitles)

Something in the Dirt  >>>B

10/31  >>>OK

10/31 Part II  >>>OK

Wildhood  >>>OK

---Sean O.

9/15/2023