I Like Moobies

Thursday, March 26, 2020

The Hunt

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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 Hunt G

This film’s initial release date was pushed back because I guess some people were offended by it whether they saw it or not. It does pretty much knock both sides of modern America’s divisive political spectrum. I personally don’t consider myself falling on either side of that spectrum, although I’d probably agree more with the liberals than conservatives for obvious reasons (if you know me well enough), but both groups have irritated me (I hate politics in general even though I shouldn’t, blah, blah, blah, spare me any lectures). For those that haven’t heard anything about this film, a group of apparent conservatives wake up gagged in a field and are provided weapons before those that don’t agree with their ideals begin offing them. The concept is very derivative---Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, The Condemned, and a recent title called The Furies are just some of the titles that came to mind---but it was fun, not great; its comic bits never felt out of place (especially for a theoretically ludicrous premise) and it doesn’t shy away from delivering the gory goods. 3/22/2020

Bonus review:

ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas OK/G

New documentary available on Netflix featuring “that little ol’ band from Texas” consisting of three members, two of which renowned for their lengthy beards (before those Duck Dynasty people); ironically, the only member without a beard (the drummer) has Beard as a surname! ZZ Top was never a band I truly got into, the first time hearing of them was seeing their name on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack in the Nineties, but I do like some of their songs. Oftentimes with bands/artists, even if I like them just a little or sometimes not at all, biopics and/or documentaries are always nice in giving them a human quality (also why I’m a big fan of reading interviews in magazines or on websites). I remember when I first heard a ZZ Top song (don’t ask me which one), I thought they had kind of a country sound while they’re really just “blues-influenced” via rock ‘n roll. This documentary details the band’s beginnings before they all met up to the release of their likely most famous record, Eliminator, which contains hits like “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” and “Got Me Under Pressure.” While it states the band is still making music today and are still together (obviously since they’re all alive and giving interviews here), I kind of wish they would’ve included a bit more after Eliminator to the present day (unless a second part is planned). I did learn some things, such as how the band name came about (something I always wondered) and what lead to their iconic facial hair coming to be, as well as a certain musical genre having an influence on their later work. Decent albeit incomplete documentary on that little ol’ band from Texas. 3/25/2020

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

Birds of Passage >>>OK/G

Bumblebee >>>OK/G

Jojo Rabbit >>>OK

Knives Out >>>EH

---Sean O.

3/26/2020

Sunday, March 22, 2020

The Outsider: Season One

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The Outsider: Season One OK

Ten-episode series available on HBO based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King involving doppelgangers and a demon called different names in different cultures. I did read that book less than two years ago according to an Instagram/Facebook post and I do remember liking it. This series was largely faithful to the reading material from what I recall, many scenes returning to mind as they were shown. Is that a good thing or bad thing for this series? In this case, I actually liked the book better and that may be because I read it before watching this (as is often the case). Given the ten episodes were all roughly around the hour mark (give or take), many parts of this miniseries dragged. I also didn’t feel fully engaged with the characters as much as I did in the book (one of the qualities Mr. King excels at---characterization). I didn’t dislike this series at all, not one bit, but it wasn’t one of my favorite adaptations of his. I also remember being more satisfied with the book’s conclusion even though I don’t recall it exactly (I’ve seen and read lots of stuff since), but I wasn’t dissatisfied with the ending here. As I’ve said before, if you are more of a reader, read the book; if you’re more of a watcher, watch the series; and if you like to do both, like yours truly, read the book first. I’m always going to watch anything with the King’s name attached and I’m going to watch it all the way through even if it doesn’t start out that great (Kingdom Hospital being the only time I recall stopping). Not a fair assessment, no, since I wouldn’t give someone I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the same chance, but I’m a lifelong King fan, so what can I say? 3/21/2020

Bonus reviews:

The Back Pages: Season One EH/OK

I would’ve never heard of this (initially web) anthology series had their Instagram page not liked one of my posts. Seeing that it was a Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror anthology series, and that it was inspired by The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Tales from the Crypt, I had to check it out. It is available on Tubi or Amazon Prime (Tubi is free, with ads, for those unaware). There are only 7 episodes totaling 110 minutes (the shortest segment being 12 minutes and the longest being 20), so think of it as one anthology film, I guess. As with any anthology series/movie, there are bound to be misses as well as hits, some overpowering the other, and this series, unfortunately, had more misses. The first, “Dust to Dust,” was a fairly lame doppelganger-ish tale involving a prisoner on Mars that reminded me more of The Martian (with Matt Damon) than anything else. My favorite one, “Pique Par la Mort,” depicted what goes on in the mind of a comatose patient and could’ve actually worked as a longer feature. “To Belong” would’ve also been better fleshed out since it ultimately felt underdeveloped with potential; the ending reminded me of a Tales from the Cryptkeeper episode (one involving sea creatures). “Innocence Escaped” was too much of a Western for my tastes, while “Jing” was a simple relationship tale that could’ve passed as a barely average Twilight Zone episode. “Hairwolf: A Were-Removal Story” was a bit outlandish for me (and not in a good way) and contained a not-so-subtle nod to a traditional story involving a wolf and a little girl. Lastly, the longest and not-that-great segment, “The Woman from the Water,” reminded me of The Little Mermaid at first before revealing that the titular woman isn’t exactly Ariel. So, as you can gather, this wasn’t my favorite series as a whole (2 out of 7 and the 2 could’ve been better). You won’t waste too much time with it though if you feel you must give it a shot and who knows? Maybe you’ll like it better than I did being everyone is their own critic, as I always needlessly say. A season two is planned according to the Instagram page and, sure, I’ll check it out. Who knows? It might have more hits than misses. 3/20/2020

Upstate Story G

One of the perks of social media is the occasional message I receive about reviewing a film, such as this instance where I was sent a personal message on Facebook from Shaun Rose, the star/writer/director/etc. of this feature available on YouTube. I always hate when I end up not liking the movie though, even though it’s not my fault I didn’t like it, and I always tell the message sender before I watch their film that I’ll be completely honest in my review (no ass-kissing here). Here is one that I actually liked! In this existential independent film, we follow the life of a 20-something year old named Ellis (played by Mr. Rose) in the span of one week. The ‘upstate’ refers to Saratoga Springs, New York. Ellis lives with a roommate he’s not too fond of, hates his job (cleaning houses and such on Monday through Friday), looks for other work to no avail, and is only happy on the weekends (which you’ll see why when the film cleverly transitions from black & white to color). This shit is real life as depressing as it may be and we all have a bit of Ellis in us from time to time (yes, some more than others, but “bullshit happens to people and that’s life” as he states at one time). It is only an hour, so it won’t take up too much of your time, and I feel that was just enough time to get to know this Ellis character. Perhaps with an actual budget (this film worked perfectly fine with an apparent zero budget as well) and judging on this product, I think Shaun Rose has the potential to make an indie gem alongside the likes of Clerks, Duck Season, Pieces of April, and others. In the meantime, you can watch this on YouTube and tell as many people as you can to watch it and have them keep telling people since Mr. Rose just wants exposure which I feel this film rightfully deserves. 3/21/2020

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

Cake >>>OK

Last Christmas >>>EH/OK

Level 16 >>>OK/G

Teen Spirit >>>B/EH

Transit >>>EH/OK

---Sean O.
3/22/2020

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Bloodride: Season One

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Bloodride: Season One OK

New horror anthology series available on Netflix? I hate repeating myself but, in case you don’t keep up with my reviews or know me that well, I was in given my love for anthology shows/movies (particularly horror). This 6-episode series comes from Norway so, yes, that means subtitles for those not fluent in Norwegian, but if you don’t like reading subtitles nor mind poor dubbing, you can set it up where the audio is your preferred language (I personally can’t stand dubbing, especially when its poorly done, and find it distracting; I always use the same example, but High Tension was much better the second time with subtitles). “Ultimate Sacrifice” shows what some would do for fortune and it does come easy for these people living in the countryside as long as they’re willing to do something drastic; PETA wouldn’t be too happy with this segment. “Three Sick Brothers” starts off promising before finishing with one of the oldest twists in the book (or film, in this case) that wasn’t too surprising anyhow. “Bad Writer” felt largely derivative, feeling more fitting for a kiddie horror anthology series like Are You Afraid of the Dark? or Creeped Out (which there’s absolutely nothing wrong with), but it was still okay. “Lab Rats” involves a group of workers accused of stealing something valuable from their boss and was fairly straightforward (read: standard). My favorite of the bunch was “The Old School” which begins as a typical yet intriguing ghost story that takes an unexpected (yet not altogether shocking) turn at the end. Lastly, there’s “The Elephant in the Room” about an office costume party wherein more and more revelations come to light in regards to a tragedy involving a previous employee. All in all, the episodes were generally just okay (I didn’t necessarily detest any of them). They seemed to be more of the psychological thriller variety (which isn’t a criticism), although I was reminded most of an underrated Eighties anthology film, Chillers (which I recommend), during the intro showing all the characters in each story riding a bus (the “bloodride”). You can binge the entire series in roughly 3 hours (the longest episode being 32 minutes, the shortest, 27), so if you’re bored and looking for something new to watch, there’re worse ways you can spend 3 hours, like wasting an additional half hour watching that overrated snoozefest, The Irishman (which luckily, and rightfully, didn’t win best picture)! 3/14/2020

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

Autumn Blood >>>EH

Cutting Class >>>EH/OK

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors >>>OK

Dogman >>>EH

Midnighters >>>OK

Pledge >>>OK/G

---Sean O.

3/15/2020

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

The House That Jack Built

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The House That Jack Built VG

Most recent film from Danish filmmaker, Lars von Trier (Dogville, Antichrist, Melancholia), in which Matt Dillon plays a serial killer (Jack) and we’re shown five “incidents” of his killings. It may sound like a simple premise and I initially thought it wouldn’t be able to sustain watchability given it’s 2 ½ hours, but I actually enjoyed it and wasn’t bored once. Of course “enjoy” may be a highly subjective as well as contentious term to describe such a picture most sane people wouldn’t label “enjoyable,” but I guess it comes down to that already argued notion that films are different than reality and us fans (the majority of us) are sensible enough to know the difference (Alfred Hitchcock once said something along the lines of cinema being voyeuristic and we, the viewers, are the voyeurs). So, I guess it was enjoyable in the same way other films like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, I Spit on Your Grave (both versions), The Last House on the Left (both versions), Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox (a.k.a. Make Them Die Slowly), The Devil’s Rejects, and others I felt were “enjoyable.” I can see this film being compared to American Psycho and the aforementioned Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, although it’s not as sardonic as the former and not as harrowing as the latter. This guy Jack is truly a psychopath, not holding back from offing men, women, or children; there’s even one flashback scene in which he does something to a small animal as a child that undeniably made me wince a little. After the five incidents, the film takes another somewhat dark turn, dark in the sense it made this critic smile with glee. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this 151-minute film. 3/8/2020

Bonus reviews:

Into the Dark: Crawlers G

Into the Dark is a Hulu anthology series wherein one episode is released monthly and they all take place during a holiday coinciding with that month’s release. Even “holidays” like International Women’s Day (“Treehouse”) and Father-Daughter Day (“Pure”) are represented. It’s more of a franchise than a series since all the episodes are feature-length. I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed with the series as a whole, my primary criticism being their lengths as I didn’t feel many needed to be feature-length, and also that many just happened to take place around a holiday and could’ve taken place any time of the year. That being said, I do think this series would’ve been better had the episodes been 30-45-minutes. This is the first “episode” I’m reviewing and the last one I’ll be seeing for a while since I’m all caught up and my free trial of Hulu ends soon. This one also takes place around St. Patrick’s Day (a.k.a. Eradicate the Pagans Day), so I figured ‘tis the season (blah, blah, blah), and was one of the few I actually enjoyed. The only other “episodes” I gave G ratings for were “I’m Just F*cking with You (April Fools’ Day, season one),” “Culture Shock (Independence Day, season one),” and “Pilgrim (Thanksgiving, season two),” but even those I didn’t think were that great. This one, involving aliens/doppelgangers and set-up like a zombie movie at times, may have been a bit corny, derivative, lacking overall and somewhat too short (a rarity with this series, as I implied above), but I had generally had fun with it and didn’t feel like there was too much filler like the majority of the series so far (hence why I probably felt it was lacking and too short). 3/9/2020

What We Do in the Shadows: Season One OK

I had no initial interest in checking out this spinoff series that originally aired on FX and is also available on Hulu (which I currently have a free month of), but gave in when I saw it was only 10 episodes all under a half hour. I re-watched the movie in the midst of it, which apparently I gave a good rating for when I first saw it in 2015, and I did enjoy it the second time. Horror-comedies have to be done right (of course that’s always subjective) and I’ve usually never been the biggest fan of ones that lean more towards the comedy. In all fairness though, I don’t think the movie or this series was meant to be strictly horror, more comedy-dramas by way of mockumentary, simply containing traditional horror characters (vampires as the main characters and there’s also werewolves and zombies, at least in the movie for the latter). While the movie does have its tongue-in-cheek moments, I think it simultaneously had more of a serious tone than this series that definitely felt more comedic. While the characters in both the film and series are aware of being filmed by a crew, more attention was definitely brought to that aspect in the series. Although I mentioned this was a spinoff series, that may not exactly be the best word since the characters here are different and the location moved from New Zealand to Staten Island, New York. Whatever, you don’t really need to see the movie before watching this series based on the differences I mentioned, specifically the tonal changes. This series was decent, a bit of fun generally, occasionally bloody (like the film), and none of the short episodes really felt like they overstayed their welcome, but I, personally, liked the movie better. Season 2 premieres next month (maybe I’ll watch, eventually). 3/7/2020

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

Into the Dark: Midnight Kiss >>>EH/OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: My Valentine >>>EH/OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work >>>EH/OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: Pilgrim >>>G

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: Uncanny Annie >>>EH

(Hulu)

Rabid (2020) >>>OK

Snatchers >>>OK

Trespassers >>>EH/OK

---Sean O.
3/10/2020

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Knives and Skin

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Knives and Skin OK

This is a different kind of teen movie (kind of). It’s also a mystery and kind of a musical (kind of; you have to see it to understand). All the characters appear to be in a daze and there’s definitely a David Lynch vibe (Twin Peaks comparisons are highly likely). A teenage girl goes missing in the beginning and a decent amount of people in this small town have secrets (as is common in such film environments and even reality). The film may be well-made and mesmerizing to look at, but it ultimately lacks in substance. I felt there really was no mystery aspect and the conclusion was rather dry. 3/5/2020

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

The Beach Bum >>>B/EH

Into the Dark: Culture Shock >>>G

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: Pure >>>OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: School Spirit >>>OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: They Come Knocking >>>OK

(Hulu)

The Nightingale >>>OK/G

Thunder Road >>>OK

Wrinkles the Clown >>>G

---Sean O.
3/5/2020

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Color Out of Space/Lords of Chaos

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Color Out of Space G

I wanted to see this film ever since reading about it in Fangoria and then Rue Morgue (two of my favorite magazines). Seeing that it was going to be theatrically released at the end of January, I forced myself to finally get around to reading the short story (“The Colour Out of Space”) by H.P. Lovecraft in preparation. I really liked the short story and couldn’t wait to see the movie, actually hoping it would be a faithful adaptation. Well, the end of January comes around and the movie isn’t playing anywhere near me! I was bummed, as you can imagine, but saw it was being released on video (DVD/Blu-ray) at the end of this month, so I said I could wait as much as I didn’t want to. I put it on the top of my Netflix queue this week and it wasn’t sent to me, so I went to rent it at Redbox (I waited too damn long). Was it worth the wait? Yes and no, ultimately yes. I wasn’t a fan of some of the special effects, namely the ones involving alpacas and a mother/son hybrid, but I still didn’t hate them and both were practical (they reminded me too much of John Carpenter’s The Thing, a movie I think is highly overrated and I seem to be in the minority with my opinion, especially in the horror world). The effects were a combination of practical and CGI, some naturally had to be CGI (like the colors) and many of those I forgave (although there’s a CGI cat I wasn’t a fan of). Ultimately, I liked it better on paper (as a short story), but I was still mesmerized by much of it, as I hoped I’d be, and satisfied enough by the time it ended despite my aforementioned misgivings. I’ve never seen any other adapted versions of this story, except for maybe The Curse, but this was more of a direct adaptation. This is also Richard Stanley’s first feature film in over 20 years (not counting documentaries and a segment in The Theater Bizarre), having been fired from 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau (if interested in the entire story, just Google his name or there’s a documentary titled Lost Soul which I haven’t seen). I am a fan of his first film, Hardware, and finally got around to seeing Dust Devil (it was just okay) not that long ago after reading about it in conjunction with this film’s article in Rue Morgue. He’s mentioned plans on adapting another Lovecraft work, The Dunwich Horror, and I’d definitely be interested; I just have to make sure I get around to reading that short story beforehand. 2/26/2020

Lords of Chaos VG

Mayhem. That infamous Norwegian black metal band in which one member committed suicide and another was murdered by another band member. I always knew the story surrounding the band, as any metalhead or open-minded music historian likely would, but that’s all I ever knew about them. Black metal was never my favorite metal subgenre, but I have listened to bands like Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Chthonic, and, probably the most famous of them all, Cradle of Filth, Mayhem not being one I ever truly got into. I am definitely fascinated by the subculture surrounding the subgenre though (as with most metal given it’s been one of my favorite music genres since 7^th grade; I’m 37 now). The beginning stated this was “based on truth, lies, and what actually happened,” but as with any work based on “fact,” I’m sure there were parts to this story that may have been slightly fabricated. As with anything based on history though, I viewed this as its own entity and whether it entertained me or not. It did. I enjoyed this movie as should any open-minded metalhead, music historian, or just historian, but I can certainly never speak for anyone else, especially if they know more about the overall story than I did (that being said, I’d be curious to hear what Mayhem fans think). It ultimately gave the members a human quality, if that’s even the right description for a group of misanthropic, church-burning musicians in which some are actually violent, even going so far as labeling other death metal bands (particularly Swedish death metal) as “life metal” since they appear to celebrate life (their words, not mine). It is fairly brutal at times for sensitive viewers, as can be expected given the subject matter (I even flinched once or twice), but I personally recommend it, highly. 2/24/2020

Bonus review:

Brahms: The Boy II OK

I wasn’t originally planning on seeing this sequel right away, but after seeing it received a low rating on Rotten Tomatoes (11% out of 36 critics as of this writing, but even less when I checked a day or two ago) and that I still have a Cinemark gift card, I decided to go during bargain times! What can I say? I love when I like critically panned movies just as much as acclaimed movies (strange mentality, I know), so I went in hoping I would like it. Also, upon hearing of this sequel, it made me wonder how it could be effectively done considering the twist at the end of The Boy (I won’t reveal it in case you haven’t seen it). Speaking of that twist, I felt it was a bit of a letdown that ruined an otherwise pretty good movie. [By the way, there’s another movie called The Boy released in 2015 directed by Craig Macneill that I recommend!] So did this sequel (directed again by William Brent Bell) manage to be effective after the first film and did I end up being one of its few fans? Well…they did manage to make it work after the previous film’s twist and the revelations in this film made me dislike that twist just a little bit less (just a little bit), enough to maybe give it another viewing. And while this film may be largely flat, it does look good (much like its predecessor) and isn’t the worst sequel I’ve seen, let alone movie. That’s about as nice as I can get which is probably nicer than what many others would have to say. It was free too (for me) and not too long, so…2/25/2020

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

Hotel Mumbai >>>OK/G

Into the Dark: All That We Destroy >>>EH

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: I’m Just F*cking with You >>>G

(Hulu)

Rocketman >>>OK

---Sean O.
2/27/2020

Monday, February 24, 2020

The Lodge

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The Lodge OK

A lodge in the middle of nowhere during the winter in I’m guessing Massachusetts based on the license plates (at least set there). What a great location for a horror movie, no? Two kids that just lost their mother to a tragedy go stay at said lodge with their father’s new fiancé around Christmastime while he goes on a business trip. This new fiancé has a pretty shady history in which any movie, let alone reality, would tell you to steer clear from. There’s a twist towards the end, which isn’t even entirely shocking, that actually makes the film less effective, silly even despite still maintaining a very somber tone up until it ends. It’s a shame too because, in addition to anticipating it for a while now, I had high hopes for this film in which the location and atmosphere are superb and I actually liked where it was going before the twist. 2/21/2020

Bonus reviews:

Castle Rock: Season Two OK/G

Round 2 of this Hulu series taking place in the titular fictional town created by Stephen King. It is an anthology series, not show, meaning each season, not episode, involves a different story and different characters, much like American Horror Story or Channel Zero or True Detective. Therefore, you don’t necessarily have to see season one before this season, there being just a very few references to the first, but I would assume most people have OCD like me and wouldn’t want to watch part two of anything before part one. I did like the first season, enough to be my favorite TV show of 2018 (you can read my review in the archives at www.abcreviewarchive.blogspot.com and check out any yearly ‘best of’ list at www.bestworstarchive.blogspot.com). Stephen King is apparently only an executive producer for this series and didn’t write any of the episodes for either season (nor is either season based directly off any of his works). Without Mr. King’s fictional works though, this series would’ve never existed (like I mentioned in my review of season one). This season appeared to be a prequel of sorts to Misery being that it contained a younger, non-Kathy Bates version of Annie Wilkes from that story as one of the main characters, although I think the season overall was more of an homage to Salem’s Lot. There are no vampires, just souls possessing bodies, but King fans, or at least those that have seen or are familiar with that vampire tale, will understand my comparison. This season (containing ten episodes with the longest one being an hour and the shortest being 35 minutes) wasn’t as good as the last one, but is still decent enough to check out and I will definitely keep returning to any seasons made in the future. I never felt like I was forcing myself to continue with this season and that’s usually a good sign. 2/22/2020

Pen15: Season One G

Hulu series involving two girls starting 7^th grade in 2000. I was starting my senior year in 2000, but I vividly recalled some of the stuff featured here---Instant Messenger (AIM) being the social media before Myspace, Facebook, and such; VHS still being the only way to watch movies at home; landlines being the way to vocally communicate other than face-to-face before cell phones became big. [Speaking of 7^th grade and the title of this series…I remember being tricked by the “cool” kids, or popular more appropriately, to join the Pen15 club before realizing it spelled Penis after one of them wrote it on my hand. I hated 7^th grade and the majority of people in my class (not just in 7^th grade either)…whatever.] In typical visual teen entertainment, the two main characters, Anna and Maya, are much older than 7^th graders, allegedly playing versions of their younger selves (and somewhat passing as looking much younger than their actual age), but the rest of the 7^th graders looked like they were actually that age. I felt it could’ve been more raw aside from certain instances like Maya being voted UGIS (watch and you’ll know what that stands for) or when those girls were real mean at the dance in the last episode, but this generally fun ten-episode series (all under 30 minutes) does get a lot of stuff right and was better than many a recent teen film/show without ever really feeling like it was overstaying its welcome. 2/22/2020

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

Dora and the Lost City of Gold >>>EH/OK

Into the Dark: Down >>>OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: Flesh & Blood >>>EH/OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: New Year, New You >>>OK/G

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: Pooka >>>EH/OK

(Hulu)

Into the Dark: Treehouse >>>EH

(Hulu)

Little Monsters (2019) >>>OK/G

Teorema >>>B

Villains >>>EH/OK

---Sean O.
2/24/2020

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Wounds

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Wounds OK/G

Having recently read the short story, “The Visible Filth,” in Nathan Ballingrud’s collection, Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell, I wanted to watch this film based off of it. I was interested in checking out that collection upon reading a review for it Rue Morgue Magazine (putting it on my ‘to-read’ list) and even more so after seeing it voted one of the best books of 2019 in said magazine (finally enabling me to check it out). “The Visible Filth” happened to be my favorite story (out of 6) in Wounds and this adaptation is pretty much 100% faithful to it. Back in the day, I likely would’ve praised it for being so faithful, but now it makes me question what the point would be to watch a film adaptation in which you know what’s coming (vice versa for those that read after watching). Now, did I like it, the movie and/or book (just because I said it was my favorite story in the collection doesn’t mean I liked it)? Well, since the film was largely faithful to the story, I pretty much felt the same way about both. I did like them, for the most part, but still felt both were missing more to the story. As for what I should tell anyone reading this? If you are more of a reader, read the story in the aforementioned collection. If you are more of a watcher, watch this movie. If you like to do both like me, I would suggest reading the story first to avoid having the film’s visuals in mind (especially since they’re both identical), but do what you see fit. Regardless of which source you do decide to go with though, don’t expect any easy answers regarding the twisted (as fuck) ending. 2/17/2020

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

Blanketyy >>>B

(short film; Shudder)

Into the Dark: The Body >>>OK/G

(Hulu)

Seoul Station >>>EH/OK

---Sean O.
2/18/2020

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Locke & Key: Season One

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Locke & Key: Season One OK/G

I do remember reading the comics in which this 10-episode Netflix series is based, but I can’t remember a damn thing from them. I do remember liking them enough to continue borrowing them from my local library though. According to Wikipedia, there are 6 collections with a total of 37 issues and I’m not even sure I read all 6. Since I forgot what I read in the comics, I basically went into this series blind. A family of four move from the West Coast to New England after a tragedy and discover several keys with different powers in the house they move in to (one can look inside your mind, one turns you into a ghost, one can start fires, etc.). I liked the characters and the setting (I want that mansion in the middle of the woods!) and loved the first couple episodes, but it unfortunately does lose steam somewhere in the middle and seemed to include a lot of filler during the last half. It’s a shame too because I really thought I was going to love this series judging on the first half. It is more fantasy than horror (although it gets dark at times) despite the comics being written by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son, if you didn’t know by now) and there being references to the legendary [special effects guru] Tom Savini, who even makes a cameo (as does Mr. Hill). With said names involved, it makes me wonder why it wasn’t more of a horror series. Anyway, it is still a binge-able show (episodes ranging from 40 to 57 minutes), even though I was disappointed with the second half, and I would be willing to tune in for at least another season (preferably with less filler). 2/15/2020

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

Anna >>>OK

Catcalls >>>EH

(short film; Shudder)

Dust Devil >>>OK

Gwen >>>EH/OK

(Shudder)

---Sean O.

2/16/2020

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Itsy Bitsy/The Death of Dick Long

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Itsy Bitsy OK/G

Confession: I’m not afraid of spiders as much as a large percentage of the population is. I mean, if I happened to be in an Arachnophobia scenario, of course I would be, situationally; or, if I happened to be near any deadly spiders in areas known to have them, that goes without saying, but as for seeing any kind of spider that’s likely harmless? Nah, they don’t bother me too much. Anyway, this creature feature is no Arachnophobia (the best spider movie I’ve seen); it features just one spider (main one more like it) that continually grows inside a house that a family of three just moved in to (yes, there is a reason for the spider’s appearance). The arachnid design appeared to be practical although it may have been both at times, I’m not sure, but they did a pretty swell job of making it look practical if CGI was involved; I’m sure someone with arachnophobia will be frightened regardless of how it looks. The movie itself wasn’t bad, as far as these particular creature features go, and the effects were decent (not excellent), but the ending felt tacked on and also seemed to suggest one possible scenario that might not have actually been what you thought. Not bad otherwise. 2/10/2020

The Death of Dick Long G

Alabama-set film in which two men try their hardest to cover up the death of the titular character. Once you do find out what happened to said titular character, it is deeply disturbing and I can see specific stereotypes being mentioned. The performances are surprisingly good; it felt like I was watching real people; for one thing, the characters were aware of pop culture. It may go on a bit longer than it should, but I still don’t recall ever not wanting to watch it and it’s likely a movie you won’t forget as much as you may want to. 2/10/2020

Bonus reviews:

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts: Season One OK/G

Ten-episode (20-plus minutes each) animated series available on Netflix set 200 years from now in which most humans live underground (in burrows) and mutated animals with the ability to talk (amongst other things) live aboveground. This would only work in animated form; it is quirky, generally fun, satisfactorily animated, and definitely unique (the only thing that came to mind thematically was Planet of the Apes, but this was its own beast). Raving bees, driving frogs, snake musicians, rapping wolves (I sensed a Wu-Tang influence), and exercising raccoons are just some of the characters you’ll meet. As unique and adventurous it may be though, it did sort of start to overstay its welcome towards the end and I never felt the urge to binge the series (as short as the episodes are), even taking breaks for days in between, and that’s usually not the best sign. Judging from the end of the last episode, it seems a second season might be in the works and I really don’t think it needs to go on anymore. Still, if you’re looking for a different, progressive too (there’s a gay character), kind of post-apocalyptic tale to invest in that the entire family can enjoy, why not give it a whirl? 2/10/2020

The Whistler G

(haiku review)

Eleven minutes.

Atmospheric fairy tale.

Wish it was longer. 2/8/2020

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

Girls Nite Out >>>OK

Like Me >>>EH

Mikey >>>OK/G

Neil Gaiman’s Likely Stories >>>EH

(Shudder)

Night School (1981) >>>OK/G

Prey (2019) >>>EH/OK

The Stranger: Season One >>>OK/G

(Netflix)

Where’d You Go, Bernadette >>>EH/OK

---Sean O.
2/11/2020

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Doctor Sleep

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Doctor Sleep OK

Direct sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining made almost four decades later. Stephen King, the author of this and its predecessor, has been very vocal about his dissatisfaction with Kubrick’s adaptation but apparently did like the 1997 TV movie remake. I do remember liking that remake enough, but I love Stanley Kubrick’s version. I did read the book too and remember it being different, as many King adaptations and their sources tend to be. I didn’t read this book, even though I do own it (no excuse), but there’s actually a few (not many) King books I never got around to reading despite owning them; therefore, I had nothing to compare to while watching this. It is different than The Shining instead of feeling like a remake/reboot/whatever, and does contain King trademarks (multiple characters from different locations that are all connected somehow), but it still had the feel of a TV movie (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that either, but this was theatrically released). It was decent for a sequel (regardless of being based on an actual novel), especially since it was made almost 40 years later (as I said), and it didn’t seem like it was actually 2 ½ hours, but I can’t say I was entirely impressed. 2/4/2020

Bonus review:

The Gallows Act II B

The Gallows (2015) was a much maligned film, having received only 1 out of 5 stars on All Movie and 15% out of 114 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, even being voted the worst film of that year in Rue Morgue Magazine, but I actually didn’t think it was that bad. No, it wasn’t great, but it had a lot of atmosphere going for it; I mean, an empty high school at night? Kind of a creepy setting, no? It also kind of, sort of reminded me of a “Goosebumps” story (Phantom of the Auditorium). For those of you that hated the first one, I think you might have a little more respect for it after this drivel of a sequel that rightfully received 0% out of just 13 critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The victim/villain (Charlie) does return here as well as the same directing duo, but this film is an entirely different beast than the first, a much worse beast if I haven’t made that clear. It doesn’t get good until the very end, but even that kind of negated everything that came before it. I am willing to give an Act III a chance if it’s much better than this Act. I hated this movie…if I haven’t made that clear. 2/5/2020

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

Abominable (2019) >>>OK/G

Bad Moon >>>OK

The House That Dripped Blood >>>G

Nothing Bad Can Happen >>>OK/G

---Sean O.
2/6/2020