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The Creep Tapes (2024)
Tapes aren't meant to be recycled.
This literally feels like a compilation of (rightfully) deleted scenes from the other two movies. A very, very, very long one.
We know the end goal of this character, and we know the shtick: you never know when the real thing is coming, and the guys deranged. We did not need dozens of other barely tweaked iterations.
I liked the other movies because you really did not know who you were dealing with or what was ultimately going to go down.
Guess what's on the tapes?
Exactly what you'd expect.
If you aren't convinced this is a vanity project, consider this: do you seriously need an entire opening credits song with animation if it's just your 3 names shown 10 different ways with different titles?
I'm willing to say that this works really well if you've never seen the movies.
Then again, if you're subscribed to Shudder, you've probably seen them, and this is streaming exclusively with Shudder. My sense is they wanted this big name for an original and Duplass got to do whatever he wanted.
In summation, Duplass should probably spare us any more of this and directly unpack his deep rooted issues with videographers.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
"Not Since The Exorcist..." is totally unearned.
"Not since The Exorcist have audiences responded this way in theaters" is what Terrifier 3 desperately and deliberately wants you to think....based on the 'walk outs' and reactions from a tiny handful of people (maybe 12 total, it seems) at a single screening.
The Exorcist phenomenon was an organic response-one that the media ran with, yes, but nonetheless, it was an authentic and unplanned reaction.
The "Terrifier 3" crew instantly saw marketing potential in the concept of people walking out (and one person getting sick) and wanted to exploit it as much as possible, trying way too hard.
They also used the mere existence of its very worst scene (it's the WAY it happened to the kid) as a gimmick, and are extremely eager to make sure you know that this is the most disturbing movie to ever hit theaters.
And it is.
But the fact that so few unrated movies go into theaters at all instantly reduces the sound of the fanfare around this latest installment of torture porn.
And unfortunately, scrollers online-of all ages-who did not ask to be exposed to this are now being faced with a flood of GIFs and Memes from this movie. That would have traumatized the crap out of me when I was a kid (or teenager, or frankly, an adult). They know, one again, what they're doing: rhere are zero alternative "GIFS" for this movie without Art's face in it. Making this so available to the public globally is going to result in a lot of careless parents and traumatized children (and honestly, I think, adults too. There are scenes just stuck in there forever as nightmare fuel.
The sub-storylines and 'character/plotline' aspects dragged and dragged, and somehow made this even more challenging to sit through.
The horrific implications that this movie drew global attention and ultimately did break those records are much scarier to me than anything in the movie itself...which is a mess.
Chucky (2021)
Remind Anyone of Little Shop of Horrors?
"Some folks deserve to die" !
I'm only 3 episodes in but this feels like a total allegory.
Chucky is "the plant" to Jake's "Seymour" , who brings him home after getting him at a bargain at an outdoor sale. Both unknowingly brought an evil inanimate object into their lives.
Chucky tries to convince him, in several sequences, to consider that some folks deserve to die. That's a verbatim line.
In the movie/play, Seymour gets amped up create a justified killing of a dentist. Who's a sadist. Kind of like a bully. Like Lexy.
It's not an Emmy winning series, but it's light and fun, if you like a little gore with yours!
Hoping the rest doesn't disappoint.
The Deliverance (2024)
WATCH THIS ONE. Above and Beyond Exorcist: Believer
What exactly were people going into this expecting that they didn't get? Clearly something fascinating is going on here when the New York Times actually loves a horror movie-that's compelling enough to begin with-and I'd advise you to read that review before deciding whether to watch. The sub-storylines and their characters felt complex and dark, and even when the theme of "personal/supernatural demons" hits you over the head, this is a more original possession story than most that contains depth. Along with moments of intensity and revulsion, if you're a true horror fan looking for a gripping watch, you're most likely not rating this less than a 7.
The Cleansing Hour (2019)
This one REALLY goes for it. WATCH IT.
I freaking love the Shudder original movies because they can really freaking go for it. They got great actors to do crazy stuff and just went for it. They went extra all the way and kept things moving so quickly that instead of being jump scared you're just so intensely drawn in it's hypnotic ;) Do you see the reveals coming? I mean...if you're even watching Shudder, then most likely yes, but it doesn't matter-it's gripping and unpredictable in other ways. If you're hardcore and like your demonic possession mixed with gore and an ominous ending, you won't be disappointed. I was left with zero hanging questions and an eerie feeling afterwards, making this one of the best out of hundreds I've seen in the last several years next to evil dead rise.
The Midnight Club (2022)
Explanations for Everything (+ thoughts)
I went back to this a year after I stopped watching when it first debuted. I love all of Mike Flanagan's work, the acting is always phenomenal. It's not his best, but it may be worth it for you.
If you haven't caught Flanagan's blog post about what Season 2 was supposed to look like-or the article about it-spoilers are below (more like explanations). BUT. A few thoughts first:
1. I'm seeing a lot of "who is this for?" on streaming platforms with movies and series trying to somehow appeal to both YA and Adults, so it dips into each, and just creates confusion, frustration, boredom and likely manages to traumatize some teens.
2. Midnight Mass was 7 episodes. Man do I wish this were the same. So much repetition: Stories about not being able to change your fate, stories about what happens after, stories about what's going on between characters.
3. It felt like with these 'midnight' stories, he was trying things out. What if Mike Flanagan did a sci fi story? What if he did a detective story? Le Sigh.
3. Did anyone feel like they were literally watching his film Dr. Sleep/the Shining? The old music, the scary old lady in the bathroom, the long hallways, the redheaded woman in the woods who's very earthy but secretly has an agenda thats not great (this was so on the nose I couldn't believe it)....and on and on and on. If you need confirmation of this, the episode end that keeps zooming in on the photo of Julia James is a direct duplicate of the ending to the Shining. To be fair, if YA's haven't seen the movie, they won't catch it.
4. None of these kids look sick, they're bouncing around, leaving the hospice....did anyone in production know what a hospice was? It's pretty fast in terms of how long you're there, too. Why not just call it a residence?
5. There are so many repetitive stories and sentiments that you wonder if he was contractually obligated, and had to fill a bunch of stuff in. It's not always the director/writers fault-studio execs will flub stuff up.
6 . When you reach the halfway mark, you really have to decide if you're going to stay with him for an entire other half.
7. Again, not sure if he thinks he's catching anyone in confusion, but I always knew when it wasn't real and when it was a dream, or a fantasy, even when he wants you to think it's real, for ex, with a cold open.
8. The male janitor and the doctor-the only other adults there, it seems-really stuck out to me as being important characters, like in the Shining, almost like Smitty. I did notice that the janitor was only seen there after someone died.
9. Oh gosh, the sick kid porn. Please. Can we leave this behind with the handful we had thrown at us a decade ago? 10 years is not enough distance, and yet, we get it for 10 episodes, pretty much.
OK, here's where explanations and spoilers start!
1. Julia-do you really not think this identical woman living off the land like a gyspy is Julia Jayne? Who wouldn't know off the bat? Is it meant to be that obvious to us, but not to her? Thats just frustrating.
2. As soon as I realized only Ilonka and Kevin could see the 'Cataract Woman' and 'Mirror Man' , I realized they'd both been there before. There was the confusion about 'he and she' that also shows its hand. The visions of the old hallway, the old music....again, with so many Shining tip-offs, this is inevitable. But why are they scary looking!?
SO. Turns out, they are the reincarnated souls of the people who built the hotel which was turned into a hospice. His soul is in her, her soul is in his, and they meet each other as soul mates and know they'll find each other. Why that means the visions are terrifying, I'll never know. Here's what I did know: Flannel nightgown, you guys. Kevin wore it, the Cataract woman wore it-its easy to put together, and I was also glad it was validated with more context. The backstory they were going to share in season 2 would have explained the heartbreaking reasons why she's wondering around and saying she's hungry, why she's in the basement, why her eyes are how they are: she got dementia in her older age, and would forget to feed herself, refuse to leave the basement, etc.
3. What the heck happened with the Julia storyline? I felt like she was just cut out, but, the explanation is actually there-she wasn't really cured when she was younger, just misdiagnosed (convenient) and got sick again, so she needed to go back to perform the ritual, which, if you observed the bloody thumbprints on her own forehead instead of Ilonka's, is a giveaway-however, whether or not Julia did intend to also heal Ilonka is unclear, and I'm fine with that. I love her diabolical deranged smile as she goes up in the elevator. And in a way, we know what happens-the ritual won't work or her this time.
4. The shadow actually isn't a bad thing-apparently it's there to reassure you that you'll be ok...because it's you? Okey dokey. I'll take 'comfort in death.' It showed Anya what her life would have been, and it was depressing. I knew it wasnt real because if you had a zest for life and survived, it would either be the existence of a lifetime, or just as depressing. The shadow showed her this and so she felt ready to go.
5. Dr. Stanton is the daughter of the crazyyyy cult lady-the original-and helped everyone escape. She is a good guy. The tatoo shows she was there, and the bald head is the irony of her going through chemo for cancer as well. AND-looks like she was supposed to beat it and live, creating complicated feelings around what she does for work.
6. Yep, the janitor is the angel of death, only there when people die. Not sure what's up with the orderly/nurse, but, I did wonder if there was a time loop situation going on where the Janitor was an older version of him. The hourglass symbol offers a lot in the way of possibility.
My only lingering questions: in her Healer story, why would Ilonka's mom have saved a strange girl's life if she knew it meant abandoning her daughter!? What! We didn't know enough about this for it to make sense, only to later set up a scene where she saved Anya. But still. Why?
I assumed this was self contained, as all his other series were-I think we all got that same sinking feeling when we realized there were only 15 minutes left on episode 10: we weren't going to get any answers.
Which means, as always, please stop leaving things for an assumed Season 2, or a sequel, that never happens. Do your strongest work in a contained series or movie, which I've loved each and every one of, but cutting a few totally uneccessary episodes and replacing them with an episode that can deal with allllll of the above would have been the way to go.
I kept with it as a compelling binge watch, but was slowly dragged through a ride that had some great moments, but abruptly stopped before the best part-but because there is so much else offered here-here but not here? ;) - it's not a waste.
Reptile (2023)
Predicted entire last 40 min, still liked it
Some people may not guess it, some may, and some may just watch a movie without thinking about all the possibilities the whole time (lol).
At the end of the day, this was really about Benicio, Del Toro, who I've never liked before, but who somehow carried this entire movie, with his quiet demeanor, expressionless face, and calculated movements.
I also love how realistic it felt, police interrogations are slow, interrogation rooms are plain rooms with no windows, the morgue, etc.
The beginning definitely keeps you guessing: there are tons of suspects, and the rule is always, "who are they taking attention off, who's in the movie that's not quite being explored or considered, and as soon as he wrapped that tape around the coke, I knew something shady was going on...
We knew there was drug money being funneled, we also knew Allen was somehow rich despite his job, we've seen his house, and then, of course we see the Chrysler, right after I told my husband, he's funneling money to him as well and that's how he can afford the operation.
When he handed the hard drive to the chief, I knew, oh man, he wants to see how high up this goes...
The thing I wasn't expecting was for Allen to tell him to leave, then get shot himself. I wouldn't say it was a shock, but I still enjoyed the acting and tension afterwards-what were they going to do in these final minutes?
I would've loved to have things tied up a little bit more with Michael Pitt's character-how did he know all of this, and why was he being such a lurker- but mostly I just can't believe I recognized him from Hedwig (lol), he looks like a different person and did a great job.
From the beginning, I said, "I hope they're not gonna go with " the husband/ lover did it, and I'm glad that ended up being more complex.
Also: nostalgia overload, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, the mom from Titanic, I felt like I was in the 90s again watching all these people as a kid.
I also love how it ended, there's uncertainty, but you still know what's gonna go down. And I always wonder, how are you gonna have to deal with this mess, that's gonna be a pain in the ass with IAB, how do you get evidence of what's going on to prove you're not in on it.
It was extremely smart to keep Wally alive...you need some sort of proof when it's you and three extremely decorated respected members of the force shot dead.
Nicely done.
Shiva Baby (2020)
Amazing psychological thriller, comedy is a bonus
This was seriously incorrectly categorized as comedy, and that must be frustrating for such a talented filmmaker! If you send people in expecting comedy, it's instantly disappointing.
The laughs are intense when they hit...but this is a movie that moves through a familiar setting like it's a haunted house full of scenes of the subtly grotesque. There's intense claustrophobia, a constant guessing game at subtle nods and possibilities (who's hiding what? How did who meet who)? Craziest of all, you feel trapped there with them. You don't care if they're likable or good or bad people. You just want her to get out of there.
I really didn't know what this was about and went in pretty much blind, so I was waiting at every turn to see what was going to be revealed next.
BTW, I wish my mom was 1/20th the mom in this movie was in literally almost every scene, especially the end. If you have a mom like that, you are seriously lucky.
Excellent acting, gripping suspense, almost painful tension, massive suspense, and a touch of relatability.
I literally was captivated.
Shiva Baby (2020)
Amazing psychological thriller, comedy is a bonus
This was seriously incorrectly categorized as comedy, and that must be frustrating for such a talented filmmaker! If you send people in expecting comedy, it's instantly disappointing.
The laughs are intense when they hit...but this is a movie that moves through a familiar setting like it's a haunted house full of scenes of the subtly grotesque. There's intense claustrophobia, a constant guessing game at subtle nods and possibilities (who's hiding what? How did who meet who)? Craziest of all, you feel trapped there with them. You don't care if they're likable or good or bad people. You just want her to get out of there.
I really didn't know what this was about and went in pretty much blind, so I was waiting at every turn to see what was going to be revealed next.
BTW, I wish my mom was 1/20th the mom in this movie was in literally almost every scene, especially the end. If you have a mom like that, you are seriously lucky.
Excellent acting, gripping suspense, almost painful tension, massive suspense, and a touch of relatability.
I literally was captivated.
Bottoms (2023)
Hysterical Moments Amid Total Disaster
I like dark humor. I like Raunchy. And this movie had a lot of promise and the laughs peppered in were big ones for me-I just wish that there were more of those and fewer problematic tropes and references that weren't worth the risk.
Every time I burst out laughing, it wasn't long before something totally not ok happened, like a joke about school shootings (this is "sometimes" set in the early 2000's, and sometimes the 70s? Wtf?), another about terrorism, and ongoing plot points around homemade bomb making. Nostalgia doesn't extend to trauma, at least not in a comedy who's key demo is teenagers, and especially not in 2023, at a time where the country is facing a gun control/mass school shooting crisis.
Beating a girl almost to death (btw, where are the faculty and/or any sort of law enforcement literally at all throughout this movie?) in front of a stadium full of teen spectators is disturbing, and so is the message that calling people "ugly gays" is harmless (Teens really do imitate what they see in these movies). I don't enjoy seeing girls being abused, no matter who's doing it; even if they're doing it to each other.
Thanksgiving (2023)
We've seen this movie, literally. Twice. Still fun-ish.
Look, it's entertaining, it's gross, and it keeps you guessing-IF you want to ignore the obvious. If you do, there are lots of potential killers and motives. If you're a real horror fan, you know Patrick Dempsey was in Scream 3....and also, you guys, it's Patrick freaking Dempsey alongside a bunch of no-name kids! What part do you think he's playing!? He was also super calm throughout the whole movie while investigating what would be one of the most gruesome public cases to hit any town anywhere. He's not only calm, but gentle, sweet, pretty even-keeled, i.e. Not so much like a top cop looking for a serial killer. Also, gotta love that last year's Scream 6 (or Scream 2, whatever they're calling the "starting over" installments) also featured 'the sheriff' as one of the killers. And, as In Screams 1-7, the killer/s always tell you, to your face, "Don't trust anyone, don't trust the love interest, dont trust me' and it's always (#sorrynotsorry for the pun) dead on.
Murderville: Heartless (2022)
Joyless, humorless, poor Will.
What a nightmare.
This should've been scrapped.
She doesn't even pick up what he's putting down half the time-short answers, flat out no's...the episode is a cold violent jolt out of the deliriously funny high carried created by the episodes that preceded it.
Joyless, humorless, except for Will, who's trying; it's very hard to bring down a room he's been working, but somehow she manages.
There are even moments where she's captured just gazing off, almost weary, maybe dazed?
If you have to rely on dog poop jokes as your best material...there had to be legal or logistical reasons this was kept in.
X (2022)
Say what you want, but it's different and creepy.
Okay guys. Stop with "nothing new." Same old? Same old slasher film where a lurking, terrifying looking old lady craving things we've probably never seen in this type of character before shows up in the CREEPIEST places bugging us the F out? Same old where she dances that haunting dance during THAT scene?
The killing isn't random and done for the sake of it. The juxtaposition between the two female leads is even moving at one point and quite sad. She has clear motive and at the same time she doesn't, because really, can you rationalize most of what's deranged? The ending does beg certain questions, but this was so bat s**t crazy that for the first time ever, having seen pretty much almost all of the horror movies IMDb has logged starting in 1959, I didn't feel it mattered. They REALLY go there. Typical slasher film sex scenes? I don't think so-wait til the end, my friends. Never seen THAT sex scene before. This one's staying in my head for life.
The old woman's origin story as a prequel handles many questions about motive, and with a third installment on the way, I can see this being a successful franchise that hopefully stops at its peak.
And, it's full of various thematic meaning and elevated tropes....along with great acting and some visual stunners...if you missed it, watch again.
Joshua (2007)
Ending darker than people realize
Nobody has mentioned this yet, but stop reading if you don't want to know the end.... I think Dallas Roberts, his "uncle" is actually his father. He sings it at you right at the end and looks meaningfully at that kid, the only one who understands him. That's why he understands him. Vomiting, messing up at the recital, acting out are symptoms pointing to ptsd in a child. He also acts unusually affectionate towards his sister in the beginning which I flagged. I think Joshua is actually his son and that's why the last time we see Sam Rockwell he's telling Michael McKean that he doesn't know the full story. Especially if with that song...they tried to love me and save me but they should've saved themselves....who was abusing Joshua? If we're to believe that conclusion, it's entirely possible the incest continues between him and his uncle or that his mother was abusing him but we don't find out. That's because the abuse runs deeper. Anyway that's my take.
Abandoned (2022)
One Star For Michael Shannon & His Weird Reveal
Even in a piece of garbage, you can't help but watch Michael Shannon be Michael Shannon. Every other review on here just about covers it-slow paced, lots of crying, confusing scenes and storylines without any explanation, unbelievable characters and unrealistic scenarios, a dangerous slew of implications about postpartum-but here's what really got me: the toys disappearing and the wardrobe she wasn't supposed to open were because 2 boys, who turn out to be Michael Shannons brothers? (dude always looks like he's 60 years old, for the last 30 years) who were 'left out of the police report' were taking them. I mean first of all, that's a neat trick, with only 3 children left after the murder suicide. Why were ghost kids left out of the report? Obviously if this happened 40 years ago they wouldnt still be kids, as they appear to Emma Roberts. So, in summation, the one star goes to Michael Shannon taking care of ghost kids. Thats my best guess. Epically failing to land the Brahms in the walls (The Boy) storyline. Emma Roberts is not cut out to be a producer, just an actress playing unlikeable characters. The best thing she did was 'Unfabulous' on Nickelodeon when she was a kid. Anyway, what a mess.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Yikes.
I love Disney. I love the ride. I love a good, fun, silly and mindless movie. The first 30 minutes land, the rest is just a confused and bland mix of recycled plot lines and scenes pulled right out of The Mummy, Moana, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I expected some charm and cheesy jokes, setting a super low bar for this one, and I truly couldn't wait for it to be over. The dynamic between Blunt and Johnson was forced and bland. It was a downhill cringe-fest that didn't know it's audience (Kids? It's got some pretty violent and intense moments.) There were a lot of good reviews on here, so I thought it'd be fun, but I kind of couldn't wait to get off the ride-I guess I should have taken the emergency exit through one of the plots gaping plot holes.
Fear Street: 1666 (2021)
Watch the end credits scene: another twist
Everyone has varying opinions here, about what does or doesn't hold up, what did or didn't work, and all of the plot holes. But nobody mentioned this key second "twist," which the filmmakers shouldn't have stuck in the credits: a pair of offscreen arms snatches up the book from the "crime scene." If you think about it, Sheriff Good's brother is still alive, and therefor the curse could continue...uh oh, here we go again! Although, it would have made sense if his brother was the one in the car that randomly got hit by a truck at the end... for seemingly no reason, right? Sadly this is unclear. Ah well.
Behind Her Eyes (2021)
Anyone else actually see this all coming by Ep. 4?
Not sure how much more obvious it could have been. The lines like "I could stay here forever" and "I would swap places with you" and his clear infatuation with David. She hovered hesitantly in the same archway Rob did the day before when David approached in the car once again so "she" could tell him "Rob" was dead. Episode 4 is called Rob, you guys.
All you need to know to cement this theory once you realize they can leave their bodies is that she's suddenly doing heroine all the time.
Of course there's also the constant lament by David that she hadn't "been herself in years" and that she changed after he was done with university. And anyone who didn't see it coming towards the end when the "soul" leaving Adele's body was blue like robs instead of purple like hers wasn't paying attention.
Here's what's problematic, which you notice when you're no longer waiting for the answers that come at the end: Is it just a coincidence that Adele knew Louisa could Astral project? If not that, can everyone just be taught to do this by counting on their fingers? Why did Louisa leave her body to watch Adele commit suicide? Why was Adele even at rehab? Why is she on all those meds? Is she meant to have been hiding heroine use for 10 years!? Or, are they treating "it" with this medication that really isn't meant to be used to test heroine? Rob seemed to really love Adele, suddenly he's evil, and in love with a dude he's known for a half a day?
Double sigh.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
Honestly, it's pretty cute.
Bearing in mind that this is intended for teens, and that all time loop movies are going to have missing pieces and their own sets of rules, this movie is totally watchable. It's even enjoyable, if you take it for what it is. The acting is good, and the story, while predictable, is easy enough to like if you're in the mood to like it. It's easy watching, and sometimes that's just what you need.
Chemical Hearts (2020)
Toxic Movie, Guessing Book Was Good.
This is one of those movies where towards the end I realized it had to have been a book, and that book was probably pretty good and made a lot more sense. What happened here was a nightmare.
It was painful to watch Lily stumbling around and sulking for minutes that felt like hours. She's also somehow navigating parkour-level hiding places while shouting orders and spewing venom at this poor, nice guy. She was borderline emotionally abusing him.
The 2 stars is for his evolved but flawed character and his performance as a teen deeply in love for the first time, and highly evolved, actually, for a boy his age. She is a nightmare. Also, let's check a couple of facts:
1. She has/had no friends who care about her and her mom shows up once, then flees like she robbed the place. No explanation. Oopsie poopsie?
2. This tragic event happened in their town but neither he nor anybody else seemed to know or tell him what was up.
3. She lives with her dead boyfriends parents who send this other boy right up to her room alone.
4. She is allowed to snap at and insult teachers who just take it.
5. She had a wedding dress and was going to marry him...while still in high school? On graduation day? And they were friends since they were kids, then romantically involved? Okey dokey.
6. No therapists or guidance counselors ever intervene when she is clearly spiraling to the point where she's calling him by a dead guy's name.
So many times it attempts to touch at something greater and almost does, but totally falls through a hole in the script.
Locked Down (2021)
Yikes.
It took me three days on and off to try to get through this. The characters are unlikeable, we have barely any reason to care about them as they're presented to us (whether it's like or dislike), all backstories are vague and you could break your neck tripping over all of the holes in the plot that just exist because "the story has to happen." Awful, even in an age of the anti-hero and the ambiguous ending. Perhaps the biggest disappointment is one particular set up to defy and challenge a cultural stereotype that a character decides to go ahead AND PROVE RIGHT WITH THEIR CHOICES. What?! You know who the extra star goes to in the two stars? The three minutes of Dulé Hill.
Last Christmas (2019)
The Horror. The Worst. Here's Why.
This is like a George Michael fever dream that never gels in any way that makes sense as it turns into a disturbing nightmare. The protagonist is unlikeable, (and is later revealed to be clearly mentally ill, as there is not enough in the plot twist to justify a solid metaphor or any thoughtful, meaningful symbolism), and spends the movie giggling her way through what we later realize are delusions. Set to different music and pacing, this could have been a horror movie quite similar to the one they ultimately ripped off at the end. The "twist" is so full of gaping plot holes I'm surprised we didn't all twist an ankle navigating them in the "revelatory flashback" sequence. The political subplot thrown in here is sloppy and insulting, and I'm left feeling deeply uncomfortable about what felt more like a mediocre SNL spoof trailer that lasted two hours. Hearing "Last Christmas" sung at the end with the reveal now in plain (grotesque) sight made me literally grab my own face in horror and shout "Nooo!" as I realized that the title lyric was literally the basis for...this. I'm going be trying to forget "this" for weeks while forever trying to still enjoy this song that I used to love.
The Prom (2020)
It worked on Broadway, epically failed here.
I'm so disappointed in Ryan Murphy and, frankly, most of the cast. As a huge fan of everything he's done in every genre, I almost can't believe he had a hand in this. The cheese level worked live and loses its charm here and then some. I am a huge fan of movie musicals, especially ones that adapt existing Broadway shows. This movie wasted its potential to add more poignant plot elements, opting for unnecessary, less-than-charming camp and boring filler scenes. Kerry Washington is insufferable beyond what her role calls for, James Corden's portrayal of a homosexual actor is offensive, and the writing is lazy. Such a bummer that folks who didn't get to see it live are getting this instead.
Marianne (2019)
Different, disturbing, intelligent, so close to perfect.
This series was certainly different. Disturbing climax-like moments unfold within the first 20 minutes of episode 1 and jump scares surprise us in unpredictable places without the typical sense-assaulting sound effects we're used to. It's overall unsettling, perhaps because it's willing to "go there" to some places that American movies and series never do. More information is revealed as you go along that really does help connect the dots you're hoping for. It took me longer to get through the first four episodes than the final five, and at times it dragged a bit. It also felt like some people were unlikeable just for the sake of it. However, if you want to be unsettled, disturbed, and to even have to look away at times, give it a shot. For true horror fans who have seen literally everything out there, this is a breath of fresh air. I will say that did feel a little too convenient to me that somebody just conveniently didn't show up for the climax of the final episode; I won't say who, but if your mind isn't trained to notice those things like mine is, you'll be truly "gotten" by the ending. This works whether or not there's a season 2, which I liked a lot as well.
Marianne (2019)
Different, disturbing, intelligent, so close to perfect.
This series was certainly different. Disturbing climax-like moments unfold within the first 20 minutes of episode 1 and jump scares surprise us in unpredictable places without the typical sense-assaulting sound effects we're used to. It's overall unsettling, perhaps because it's willing to "go there" to some places that American movies and series never do. More information is revealed as you go along that really does help connect the dots you're hoping for. It took me longer to get through the first four episodes than the final five, and at times it dragged a bit. It also felt like some people were unlikeable just for the sake of it. However, if you want to be unsettled, disturbed, and to even have to look away at times, give it a shot. For true horror fans who have seen literally everything out there, this is a breath of fresh air. I will say that did feel a little too convenient to me that somebody just conveniently didn't show up for the climax of the final episode; I won't say who, but if your mind isn't trained to notice those things like mine is, you'll be truly "gotten" by the ending. This works whether or not there's a season 2, which I liked a lot as well.