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The Lucky One (2012)
This was painfully bad.
To keep it short and sweet: I've been a fan of some of previous adaptations of Sparks' works, so I entered into the movie with moderate hopes of enjoying myself.
Hopes that plummeted within minutes. The characters had no chemistry and barely any emotion showed in their eyes. The best acting came from the Grandma and the little boy.
The dialogue, tropes, and general chosen scenes were horrendous.
Done right, a good romantic-themed movie can restore the soul. Done badly, with a poor script, poor acting, and poor directorial choices, you get this forced hot mess.
Do not recommend.
It Came from Below (2021)
First half showed promise, last half fell to pieces
Disclaimer: I received a screening link of this movie from the publicist. This in no way influences my review.
I was surprised when I first started watching It Came From Below. I was expecting, well, all the negatives that can come along with a low-budget film. However, the sister and brother won me over fairly quick and I found myself actually interested in the film. As it went on, even though the elements were all too familiar from various caving movies out there, I was still fairly invested in the film. This, I thought, might turn out to be a hidden gem (a low-quality gem, but still a gem.)
And then we hit the last half of the movie and things went to pieces. Thing after thing happened that didn't make sense. Some of the logic of reality gaps were atrocious. And the end had me absolutely scratching my head and wondering if they'd really went there. (They had.)
The dialogue was decent. I've seen far, far worse camera work and lighting. The creature was delightfully gooey. But overall, I just can't recommend this.
Sea Fever (2019)
A beautiful film, but it could have been better.
Sea Fever was a truly good film that is also quite timely. It is the battle playing out in large scale brought down to just a handful of people. It is science against human willfulness. And the danger is obvious, but so without fan-flare that it catches everyone by surprise when the strangeness finally starts (and it goes from minorly weird to "Oh fiddlesticks!" with delightful speed.
I enjoyed the aesthetics of the film as well. Everything is soft and dark, and the first manifestations of the creature are delightfully wet and slimy. The crew's accents are a delight to listen to. It wasn't until I was watching a second time that I noticed that the lead character (played by Hermione Corfield) had her hair in a fishtail braid. I thought it was a cute touch for a on-the-water movie.
There is not much gore in film, so it seems especially shocking when it happens. I actually sat back in my chair and said a word I can't repeat in polite company. (Well, that I shouldn't repeat, at least.)
The creature that gets discovered is simple and stunning. The first full shot of it is gorgeous. You would never expect the beauty from the first experience with it.
The only thing I didn't really care for about Sea Fever was that the male characters were largely hard to tell apart. It wasn't until people started dying that I was able to identify them. They blended together too well, with very little personality to set them apart.
Overall, Sea Fever is beautifully shot, wonderfully paced, and has a plot I quite appreciated. The fight of the one scientist as she tries to save as many lives as possible was completely believable and I was rooting for her from the get-go. She is not your typical scientist as is frequently displayed on the big screen, and the film is a pointed observation of the fight that we see playing out - especially in America - right now, but it doesn't feel preachy like that. It's just a good story.
Favorite exchange:
"Your bloody 36 hours."
"It's not mine. It's your family's. It's your husband's. It's your baby's."
Disclaimer: I received a screener from a publicist for review consideration.
The VelociPastor (2018)
Pure ridiculous cheese
This was glorious. Pure batsh** cheese. So much better than I could have even hoped for.
Brendan Steere, Alyssa Kempinski, and Greg Cohan are a dino-mite team in The VelociPastor. Pretty much everything about the movie was perfect; if you're a fan of low-budget horror-comedies, it's a must-see. It has everything you could ask for - perfectly timed, groan-worthy lines, props that look like they came from a school play, and actors that embrace every bit of the cheese potential.
This had me roaring with laughter several times. It's the type of movie that, honestly, if you don't look at the poster and go "Oh, my God, I need this" then you need to just back away slowly. It's crude, loud, and ridiculous and amazingly good. Steere manages to bring the feel of the 70s to the screen in the best way. And when you add ninjas and a VelociPastor, really, there's nothing else you dare ask for.
Part of (okay, most of) what makes The VelociPastor so great is that Kempinksi and Cohan (a better-looking version of Benedict Cumberbatch) act the hell out of it. It's stupid cheesy, and yet they manage such solid performances that you can't help but admire them.
Overall, this is a near perfect movie and I (and Sam, who also watched and gave her input here) recommend it to everyone. Lots of action, lots of laughter, lots of fun.
Disclaimer: I received a screening link to this movie from the publicist for review consideration.
Hover (2018)
A lot better than most of the big budget sci-fi I've seen lately.
Disclaimer: I received a free screener of this movie from the publicity company. This does not affect my review.
Hover is one of the best sci-fi films I've seen in a good while. Done in the style of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, the near-future realness of it sinks under your skin. Cleopatra Coleman both writes and stars in the film, and she did a great job on both accounts. Her acting was solid in basically every scene. I got the feeling she could handle whatever was throw at her.
The subject matter isn't precisely anything new. Drones are becoming more of a presence than ever, and it definitely twigs even the non-conspiracy theorists to imagine what they can track. Even without taking drones into account, Big Brother already strongly exists in a few forms. It's been acknowledged for some years that the situation we're heading toward is not sustainable. Maybe that's why Hover works well, because it only goes a little bit further than where we currently are.
Hover left me extremely uneasy, but it was a pleasure to watch on all points. The acting was solid and the cast wasn't made up of all white people with a token POC. The soundtrack was actually mostly enjoyable (coming from me that's saying something). It wasn't filled with unnecessary explosions and melodramatic dialogue that makes one's ears want to bleed.
A truly enjoyable movie that even managed to tear me away from my books, Hover is worth the watch.
Winchester (2018)
It's alright.
So, when I saw the trailer for Winchester, I was a little intrigued. Not a lot, but a little. A bit more so when I realized that Helen Mirren was in it. Though I can't say I could name anything else she's been in off-hand, I did recognize that she had a bit of weight behind her name. Her presence, combined with Jason Clarke (who I recognize more as a "Hey, it's that guy" than actually recognize) gave me some hope for the movie. Hence stealing away on a Friday afternoon, paying entirely too much money for a ticket and popcorn to get the big-screen experience.
Winchester could have been good, if it didn't feel like they were scared to go outside the realm of jump-scares. (Though, I will give the directors credit for surprising me and putting a different spin on the typical scare at one point.) Most of the acting was decent-to-solid, but the actors were sorely limited by a distinctly yawn-worthy script.
In regards to the Winchester cast: Clarke has an undeniable charisma. The way Mirren portrayed Sara Winchester, she had that haughty, truth-speaking old lady thing going on that I appreciated and thought I was in for a treat. I was wrong, unfortunately. I felt very much like Mirren's heart wasn't in her role at all, and hiding her behind a veil was sometimes the only way to disguise the blue cardboard of her eyes. Sarah Snook reminded me a bit of Maggie Smith, and she had a way of keeping your attention on her. However, Henry, played by Finn Scicluna-O'Prey was barely worth noticing. Scicluna-O'Prey's ability to command attention on the screen was pretty much solely limited to the well-light scenes featuring his brilliant red hair. (I feel really mean saying that about a younger actor, but it's the truth.)
The pacing was middling. I definitely got the fidgets a few times during the movie. The dialogue had it's moments. (There's a scene between Mirren and Clarke that'll have you snickering.) The action, such as it was, was bland and cliched. The ending scene had me rolling my eyes.
Overall, Winchester wasn't god-awful, but it wasn't something your average horror-movie watcher hasn't seen 999 times before. It's one to rent at your local Redbox, or when it his Amazon, but not worth paying movie theatre prices for right now.
Demon (2015)
Interesting movie - not sure if I liked it or not, but interesting!
Itay Tiran, who played the bridegroom, did a fabulous job. His transition from happy-go-lucky to (not so much) was better than any acting I've seen in American horror lately. He had me on the edge of my seat at times, and sitting back to admire the job he did at others. Covered in sweat and crushing a glass in his hand, or curled against a wall bleeding vulnerability, he sold it all. I can't say I'll deliberately go out of my way to look up films from this area again ('cause I'm lazy), but if I see his name in anything, I will check it out.
The supporting actors all did a fantastic job as well, with Wlodzimierz Press giving my second favorite performance. He doesn't have a huge role, but it is a pivotal one. Every time the camera came to rest on his face you knew what he was thinking and feeling. It was in his eyes, the tilt of his lips, and his body language. I wanted to hug him.
Acting, location, direction were almost spot on across the board in Demon. Not perfect, but great nonetheless. It was definitely a film that demanded your full attention. I just wish I knew what in the world had actually happened! Seriously. If you like Inception type endings, you need to see this film. It's been a ridiculously long time since we were able to walk out of a movie completely baffled (in a good way) about how something wrapped up. There were a lot half-started sentences, hand-gestures, and whuffed breaths involved in the hashing out of that ending on the ride home. All that, and no resolution either.
I will say that Demon is not your typical possession film. If you're expecting pea soup and head rotation, you'll need to look elsewhere. There are no dramatic scenes involving levitation, dramatic invocations of god's name, etc. It's an atypical take on the subject that is completely refreshing.
I have a theory, of course, but I can't say because I don't want to spoil it for anyone! Now, if only I could figure out if I actually liked the movie or not
Realive (2016)
Unexpectedly fantastic
REALIVE was thought-provoking, deeply moving, and delicately handles sensitive subjects with a deftness one doesn't typically expect from a Syfy film. I was hooked basically from the very beginning. The conversation between the doctor and Marc/Lazarus was so very well done. It was grave and serious without being overly dramatic. I like how the guy asks "Why?" and the doctor is just kind of flatly states "It's cancer." Not to be morbid, but that was probably one of my favorite scenes in the movie. The expression on the doctor's face says so much even as he just says "It's cancer." Actually, the whole way they portray Marc dealing with this diagnosis in the beginning all feels very real and true as well. Enough so that it put a hitch in my throat watching it.
The cinematography in REALIVE was nice. The movie is filmed in two time lines. Before re-animation and after re-animation. The 'before' is done in soft, warm colors with movement and laughter and light. The 'after' in cold blues and sharp lines. The facility in the future is conveyed as state of the art and, er, 'futuristic' without being over the top. Its crisp, stark, and rather effective even without a bunch of wires and monitoring equipment everywhere.
To be honest, I had no real desire to watch REALIVE. From the stills and the trailer, I thought 'eh, not my type of movie' and didn't give it a second thought. But then I was offered a chance to do an interview with one of the actors, so I decided to give it a go. REALIVE really isn't my type of movie. I prefer blood, guts, and shoot-em-ups. Spaceships, aliens, and planetary exploration. I don't do feels or thought-provoking flicks as a general rule of thumb. I appreciate that they're around for the people who like 'em, but they just don't get my motor running. This is, I thought as I was starting it up, the type of movie where I'm going to end up picking a book up halfway through it. Sweet baby Cthulhu, I was wrong.
One of my favorite things about the movie was how it handled the subject of cryogenics and reanimation. This isn't one of those movies where it's like "Yes, you are alive again and everything is perfect" It was one that actually looked seriously at how reanimation would actually work. While I don't want to give anything away, let's just say that this is the most believable approach to reviving someone from cryostasis that I've ever read or seen. From the actual reanimation itself to the body's adjustments afterwards.
The love story is also well-handled in REALIVE. It isn't typical, and it isn't super-mushy. It's got an element of star-crossed lovers to it, but not quite that bad. It was there, but it wasn't what the story was all about (to me, at least.)
The ending of the movie was deftly handled as well. It was one of those deals where you were pretty sure you knew how things were going to end up once you were past the halfway point, but you still couldn't look away.
Overall, REALIVE was a fantastically done movie. It put tears in my eyes. That's a fairly difficult thing to do. From the script to the editing, there's very little I would have changed. (Literally, there's like one scene involving two of the doctors that was a bit much. That's it.) I'm happy that I decided to watch it, and definitely highly recommend it to all my fellow sci-fi lovers out there.
Disclaimer: I received a screener of this movie free for review consideration.
It (2017)
Big fan of the original, but loved this It!
IT is one of the best horror movies I've seen this year. The only other one that stands up with it is Get Out. It was extremely well- done, from the directing to the acting. It was a perfect mix of moments that make you laugh, and scenes that make you cringe. They did a great job on not relying on jump scares for every little thing like almost every other horror film released recently. It is dark and sad and hopeful and fierce all at once.
Really, there were only a few things in IT that I didn't care for. Some of them can just be attributed to the fact that in comparison to the original IT, they come up lacking. Mostly, the actors. The main one being Pennywise himself. Bill Skarsgård had his own version of Pennywise, and I thoroughly approve of that. He did not try to imitate Tim Curry's version. His Pennywise was much darker, and rang true as an insane evil. However, I honestly believe Curry's version was scarier. (My partner commented that if they would have had a guy dress up in the suit and let Tim Curry be a voice-over, it would have been perfect.) Curry's Pennywise was all the scarier because he could appear so weirdly evil and funny one moment, and be deadlighting you the next. Also, the Richie character seriously lacked Seth Green's charisma. I know Richie is supposed to be an obnoxious snot, but Seth Green made Richie a funny obnoxious snot, and therein lies the difference!
On the other hand, I absolutely loved Sophia Lillis as Beverly. She did an amazing job. Lillis practically glows on the screen, and is completely believable. I couldn't take my eyes away from her when she was on screen. I cheered (mentally, because movie theater!) for her on more than one occasion. I also applaud the choice to not overly sexualize her. Even the scenes where the boys were ogling her were very tame. This was a fantastic move in an age where people feel the need to push the envelope with sexuality in young girls. Whereas in the original IT movie, Bill was my favorite, Beverly definitely shines brightest this time around.
Speaking of Bill, Jaeden Libeberher does a great job. His performance is on par with Jonathan Landis' in the original. The acting is spot on, and when Bill is openly hurting, I hurt with him. Likewise, Jeremy Ray Taylor did a great job as Ben. He was as believable as Sophia Lillis was. You just knew that Ben was a sweet kid with a good heart. This version of Eddie was better, as well. Mouthy little hypochondriac.
One of the only other things I didn't like about IT was the way they shot Pennywise. The rapid-jerky-fast forward movements are overdone. Every flipping horror movie with a ghost/demon/evil does them lately. It wasn't a deal-breaker, obviously, but the movie would have been great without it.
Overall, I really liked IT. It was considerably darker than the TV version, with far less camp, and left me curled up in my chair. At one point I had to consciously take my fingers away from my face because I was afraid I'd walk out of the theater with big fingerprints on my cheeks! I went into the movie trying to be open minded, but still fairly biased towards the original version. By the time I came out of the theater, I realized that this IT was just as good as the original, but not in the same way. I think fans will be able to appreciate both versions for what they bring to the table.
Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Much better than the original, but still nothing original.
Annabelle: Creation was significantly better than it's predecessor. Yet, it still somehow managed to be completely unoriginal and almost completely reliant on jump scares. That doesn't really seem like it should be possible, but
Lulu Wilson, who stole the show in Ouija: Origin of Evil, is likely a big part of what makes Annabelle: Creation a decent film. Her role in this movie is a bit different than in Ouija (which I'm glad of). She's a charismatic little girl, and can communicate quite a bit with just the widening of her big blue eyes. She's almost completely believable in her role. I hope she avoids being typecast as she grows up, because I'm looking forward to seeing her refine her skills. I have a feeling she's an actress worth paying attention to. Talitha Bateman's performance wasn't as captivating as Wilson's, but she still did a decent job.
It was directed by David F. Sandberg, who gave us Lights Out in 2016. I didn't recognize his name going in or I would have had higher expectations. Lights Out wasn't exactly groundbreaking film- making, but it did give us a very powerful ending and an intense atmosphere. Both of which are absent in Annabelle: Creation. The director of photography was Maxime Alexandre, whose work we've seen in Silent Hill: Revelation, The Crazies, and the Hills Have Eyes. And if you've seen any of those films and can't remember anything special about the cinematography in them, you won't be surprised by the lack of any memorable work in Annabelle: Creation.
One of the things I did like about the movie was the reveal of the couple's story. It's sad, but touching, and I definitely empathized with them. It would be very easy to do what they did. I can't blame them at all, even if it was extremely stupid. And I do like the way they tried to fix things. But, once that type of evil has made itself known, I'm pretty sure you can't permanently fix it. I should note, though, that yet again there was nothing original here. I guess that means extra kudos to the actors for still making me feel for them.
Annabelle: Creation ties very neatly to the beginning of the first Annabelle film. Not as well done as Insidious 2 to the first Insidious film, but it works. It also includes a nod to the original Annabelle doll (hint: Looks nothing like the movie Annabelle). Overall, Annabelle: Creation is forgettable, but not horrible.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Fun popcorn flick with a good message
Overall, taken at face value, Wonder Woman is better than the average superhero film on a few levels.This was refreshing to watch simply because nothing in it felt like they were trying too hard. The movie flowed smoothly from start to finish, and the ending was (if over-dramatic) definitely the pay-off you were waiting for.
It's a fun popcorn flick that has the ability to make any little girl watching it feel empowered.
Busanhaeng (2016)
A Must-See.
I adore this movie. I've watched Train to Busan a couple of times now, and it keeps my attention on it every time.
Zombie movies are almost as numerous as zombie books, it seems. You get to the point where it's like "Okay, been there, done that." So it takes a certain kind of zombie film to make you want to watch it more than once.
Train to Busan starts off a bit slow, but it's necessary. By the end of it, I was rooting for the surviving characters, and cheering for the director and some of the choices that they made. The ending is wonderfully done. The last 15 minutes or so of the film are almost impossible to look away from.
I normally go for Norwegian movies for my foreign film fix, but South Korea is definitely start to get my attention. Train to Busan is a must watch for any zombie-movie fiends out there.
Teo-neol (2016)
Surprisingly good. Kept my attention.
Tunnel surprised me. I had barely glanced at the cover when we picked it up, and put it on figuring it would be good background noise for reading my book.
Well, the book didn't get read, but the movie did get watched.
I liked how quickly it leaped right into things. No real build up, no explaining things, just suddenly this person is in a horrible situation, and now you've got to watch to see how it unfolds.
There were a few humorous moments that injected some needed levity. Only one of them actually felt forced, and that was toward the beginning of the film so it was pretty easy to overlook.
Within minutes of getting into this, I found myself texting one of my friends and telling her what was happening in the movie. Then texting my partner and telling him that Tunnel was one of the better movies we'd rented in a long time.
This is a well-shot, well-acted movie. While it didn't blow me away, it did manage to get me completely wrapped up in it. Definitely worth watching!
It Comes at Night (2017)
Fantastic post-apocalyptic drama. Not a horror, though.
It Comes At Night was a great post-apocalyptic drama that tried too hard to give itself a false-horror feel. It was that trying to add horror that wasn't already there portion that made it fizzle a bit. The movie just outright felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be.
It Comes at Night was well-acted. The cinematography was fantastic. The dialogue was sparse and fitting. There were moments of quiet that really set the atmosphere. While there were a few lulls, it was for the most part paced well. I will note, however, that part about the pacing is from my partner. I, personally, was bored to near tears frequently, but as that's more because I have the attention span of a flea, I'm not going to take it out on the movie.
Basically, if it had promised what it actually was, instead of trying to be something it wasn't, I think the reception would have been a lot more positive. It Comes at Night had so much going for it. From the aforementioned cinematography to the excellent actors, it scored a lot of high points. I loved the fact, too, that the family was multiracial and... well, the family was simply multiracial. The husband was white, the wife and son were not. It was simply there, and it never played into the story. Not even one tiny bit.
It Comes at Night had moments of delicious ambiguity. We left the theater with a lot of questions, and no good answers for them. It wasn't really clear how long the problem had been going on. I initially thought months or years. But then it made it sound like it had only been weeks. I liked that. And, for once, I can't even gripe about the ending! It was pretty much perfect. It didn't spell things out, but you knew what was going to happen. Lovely, really.
I loved the red door in It Comes at Night. It wasn't subtle, it wasn't even necessary, but it made for very striking imagery. Especially since one would think they didn't paint the door red just when the feces hit the fan, but that it was probably already that color. And it says so much. You know when the danger comes, wherever it comes from, that door is how it will get in.
I felt like this movie was set up to fail, though. From the misleading marketing of It Comes at Night, clear to the fact that it was only receiving extremely limited screenings at the theaters. Our local theaters only showed it once a day at 4:55 pm. Who exactly rushes to see a 'horror' movie at 4:55 pm? Nobody! We had to arrange our schedule specially just to go see it!
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Was literally at the edge of my seat!
THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS, but honestly nothing more than I'd already gathered from Twitter and talk /reviews on various other forms of social media. Still, you have been warned. Read no further than the following first paragraph if you don't want to risk mild spoilage.
10 Cloverfield Lane was surprisingly entertaining. I'm not really a huge fan of movies shot in an enclosed space because, in general, how often does that work out well? (Remember the Ashley Judd movie about bugs? Mmhmm.) However, it worked, and worked well in this. Part of this, no doubt, belongs to the fact that John Goodman put on a freaking amazing performance. That man just OWNED this movie. You knew something wasn't right with him. It was obvious he had some crazy going on. The way he was able to yo-yo between affable and scary, though, was fantastic and kept you guessing as to just how crazy his crazy was. Everything was nailed, from the look in his eyes to the flexing of his hands when he was struggling to keep himself under control. Top- notch!
The other two, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr, also brought good performances to the table and perfectly complimented Goodman's acting. Winstead, who has one of those "I knowwww you..you're
you were in something I've seen!" faces (she's actually got quite the list of acting credits to her name), did a great job as a solid female lead. She sold her confusion, wariness, intelligence and strength to you with considerable skill. Great job by Winstead. She didn't shine like Goodman did, but she never faltered either.
This movie quite literally had me on the edge of my seat leaning forward, tips of my fingers near my ears at one point because I was expecting bad loudness. Trachtenburg delivered. From the absurd to the affable family moments, and from the crazy-scary to the Cloverfield freakouts, the only weak part of the film really seemed to be the fact that the ending they gave it wasn't really necessary. It would have been just as strong if they'd ended it before it went full Cloverfield. It might have even been stronger. It felt like Trachtenburg gave in to ever-present "Action! ACTION! WE NEED ACTION!" push that seems to present in Hollywood now, even if its unnecessary, and then wanted to put everything in a basket with a pretty bow. But ending it right before it went BOO! would have left people walking from the theaters, feeling vaguely disturbed, and talking only about the fantastic performances by the three actors.
Overall, great job by all involved and it was definitely worth the price of the tickets, beer, popcorn, and mnms!
Gremlin (2017)
A decent popcorn flick.
Gremlin, a story about a rather dangerous box, was surprisingly entertaining. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting, although since it was listed with a comparable movie of "Gremlins", I was at least expecting a few more giggles. There were a few giggles to be had, but Gremlin doesn't try to be anything other than a horror- movie you rubberneck at. And that is to its credit. The exact premise is one that I don't actually think I've come across before. It's amazing how sometimes just a small tweak can add a new dimension to something.
Adam Hampton proved strong in the male lead role, and I found myself rooting for him even when though he wasn't really a particularly likable character. His wife, Julie Thatcher, was played by Kristy K. Boone. Boone's performance had moments when it was fairly strong, but wavered frequently. I think if Katie Burgess, who played the daughter, did a good job, but wasn't able to bring out her full potential. The rest of the supporting cast, apart from the brother and the main detective, were unmemorable. Catcher Stair, who played the young boy, Charlie Thatcher, gave the weakest performance of the lot. It felt like the child had no real desire to be in the movie, and his character was almost a cardboard cutout as a result.
Gremlin had a surprisingly high production quality with some solid cinematography for their budget. Unfortunately, it was hampered by some regrettably bad special effects at some points. Thankfully, the special effects were relatively few, and most of the on-screen magic was a CGI 'Gremlin' that wasn't horrible. I've seen, much, much worse. It looked interesting, and watching it go after the various actors was a good bit more entertaining that you would think.
The main problem I had with it was that some of the decisions that family members make are just flat-out stupid. And not only stupid, but stupid stuck on a loop. I found myself yelling at the screen at least twice when watching it. (Upside, I was involved enough in what I was watching that I actually did yell at the screen?)
Overall, Gremlin was a pleasant surprise to watch. I've got the attention span of a flea, and I found myself wanting to see how things ended. It wasn't a great movie, by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't bad. I don't regret watching it, and might even tune in for a re-watch at some point!
Disclaimer: I received a screener of this film from October Coast Publicity for review consideration. This did not influence my review in any way.