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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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Saw X OK/G
Did we really need a tenth Saw film? Especially after
the seventh one was titled The Final
Chapter? And there’s an eleventh entry coming out later this year! I’m fine with the first seven entries, the
first, second, and sixth probably being my faves, the other four being ‘take
them for what they are’---I don’t dislike them, they’re simply passable. The eighth one, Jigsaw, wasn’t necessary (my review for it is in here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2017/11/mooby-reviews-11917.html),
and the ninth one, Spiral, was even
worse (review in here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2021/07/spiral-from-book-of-saw.html);
both released after “the final
chapter.” This one, helmed by Kevin
Greutert (also behind Saw 6 and 7), allegedly occurs between the first
and second film as we follow John Kramer (Jigsaw) to Mexico in hopes of curing
his cancer after receiving promises.
Initially, I thought we were going to watch a character study (which one
doesn’t expect when watching a Saw
film), but, trust me, after John realizes he was duped by con artists, all
those involved are captured and it becomes exactly what you expect from one of
these movies. This sequel may not be
perfect (how can it be after ten films though?), but it was better than the
previous two installments, making it another passable Saw entry; most of the violence is notable (one just being a
fantasy). I didn’t think it was over
when it ended, even at almost 2-hours, thereby making the upcoming eleventh
entry seem a bit (ahem) welcome; let’s just hope the franchise doesn’t overdo it…again! 1/20/2024Bonus review:
Ted (Season One) OK
New series on Peacock that’s a prequel to the two films
created by Seth MacFarlane (also the creator of Family Guy); more of an in-between-quel since you do see when Ted
comes to life in the first film (set in the Eighties). This seven-episode installment (as it’s
labeled), ranging from 33-to-50-minutes each (only the pilot is 50-minutes),
takes place in the early Nineties (the main human character is played by Max
Burkholder). Now, I did somewhat enjoy
the two films, they being fun and funny
at times (a foul-mouthed live-action teddy bear is kind of hard not to be funny
though), but I still wouldn’t call myself a devotee. I was
curious enough to check out this series.
I basically feel the same about it---it was fun and funny at times, but
it’s merely just satisfactory as a whole.
Some of it just wasn’t funny, like the two parents (I just couldn’t see
Alanna Ubach as a submissive housewife after playing other roles like a thug in
Freeway and a crabby server in Waiting…, but that’s why it’s called
acting). That’s not to say I’m
indifferent towards it; I never felt like I forced myself to continue (you’d
think I’d give it a higher rating because of that), and any fans of the two
films are sure to enjoy it somewhat. I
read nothing of any plans to take this series further, just that it was a
prequel to Ted and Ted 2, but I think we may have seen
enough of the titular potty-mouthed stuffie (I wouldn’t be surprised if we
eventually see a spinoff of another inanimate object made sentient here though). 1/17/2024
Other
movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):
The Abandoned (2023) >>>OK
(In Mandarin/Thai
with subtitles)
After Midnight (1989) >>>OK
Bliss of Evil >>>EH
Candy Land >>>OK
The Deeper You Dig >>>OK/G
Killers of the Flower Moon >>>EH
Satan Wants You >>>EH
Where the Devil Roams >>>OK
---Sean O.
1/21/2024
