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Reviews
The Night They Knocked (2019)
Pretty bad
Being a huge fan of the horror genre, I don't mind watching b-horror movies, and I have found many of them to e quite enjoyable.
I saw the cover of The Night They Knocked, watched the trailers, read some decent reviews and decided to give it a watch.
Ugh. I wanted to like this one, but unfortunately there are so many things I disliked about this movie.
First, the acting is really bad. The characters are flat and for the most part, unlikable. It's tough to root for characters when you don't care about them.
Clowns can definitely be creepy but because there is no backstory as to who these people are or why they are terrorizing home owners in the mountain, I found the killers to be somewhat cheesy.
The pacing in this movie is a bit slow and overall, much of the movie bored me. And just when it started to pick up, the movie was over.
And that brings me to the end of the movie. What the heck was that? The ending here definitely could go as one of the worst endings ever. It was like the writer/director ran out of time and/or money and just stopped filming. So disappointing.
There is some decent gore and a couple scares which I appreciated. There is one death scene that was quite original and not easy to watch. So I will give this movie props for that. Other than that, I can't recommend this movie at all.
Run Hide Fight (2020)
Good but not Great
So I have read a lot of praise and seen quite a few 10/10 in here for this film. Being a teacher and member of of my school's crisis committee, I had some problems with the way teachers, school security guards and the police are portrayed in this movie. I found myself cringing at times with how events played out throughout the movie.
Now if this movie was taking place in the early to mid-90s before Columbine or any of the other major school shootings occurred I could maybe have found this believable. But to see a school and police force be so clueless how to react in this today's world was a bit absurd.
I know this appears to be a remote rural town, but I have a hard time believing that the school and police would not have had better training to prepare for this. Teachers reading a manual in the middle of the crisis telling them what to do? The school security guard urinating himself and running away to change his clothes? Law enforcement not having a clue with how to enter the school to take down the shooter(s)? And leaving a high-powered rifle out in the open for anyone to pick up? I also find it hard to believe that a school allows these "senior pranks" that are apparently repeated from year to year. I mean really...a giant slip n slide down a sloped hallway?
My school, like just about every other school in the country, has lockdown drills 2 times per year. Local police are a part of those drills and have all been well-versed on what to do if an active shooter were to enter our building. To see Larkins view on school personnel and law enforcement was disheartening and made this movie unbelievable to me at times.
However, I do think the content of this movie is important and sadly, relevant in today's society. It is important for people to remember that violence in schools is real. We've seen it too many times. Once I put the ridiculousness mentioned above aside, I appreciated the movie for what it was supposed to be. I also liked that Larkin put the focus on the heroine rather than the youthful terrorists.
This movie has enough substance and validity to make it worth the watch. However, it has too many flaws for me to give it higher than a 7.
Shortcut (2020)
Deserves Better Rating
I don't understand the incredibly low scores at all. Okay, is this movie a huge blockbuster? No. Is it a great horror movie? No. I suppose if one was going in expecting either or both of those things, they would be disappointed to say the least. But this is not a bad movie. Yes the monster is a bit animatronic looking and yes, some of the decisions the characters make are a bit questionable. Let's be honest here, I can't think of too many horror movies where bad decisions are made. For me, this movie had the feeling of "It", "Stranger Things" or even "The Goonies". With the exception of the language and the sexual references made by one of the characters, this could have been a fun, family horror movie. Is it going to satisfy major horror fans? Most likely not. But for those who don't want to take a movie too seriously and don't want to be overly scared, this is a decent monster/adventure movie.
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Worth the watch
This one may not be as good as the first, but plenty of action and some laughs in between. I thought this movie was a good addition to round off the trilogy.
Gerald's Game (2017)
I liked this one!
I will start out by saying that I did not read the book. I will admit that I didn't go into this one with high expectations. However, being a based on a Stephen King novel and starring Bruce Greenwood, I thought I'd give this movie a shot. I'm glad I did. Greenwood was good but I actually thought Carla Gugino was even better. This is a good psychological thriller that provides plenty of suspense and a few chills along the way. At first, at the start of the movie, I thought I was going to disappointed not having more of a backstory. But this movie does a great job providing plenty of details as the movie plays on. I had no idea what coming at times. I really enjoyed this one.
Spontaneous (2020)
Disappointing
I didn't know anything about this movie going in. I saw the Blu-Ray cover at a store and thought it looked like a fun coming-of-age comedy. Boy was I wrong. From the first student who blows up to open the movie to the handfuls of other students who follow after, I was just like what the heck am I watching?! I know or at least I think it was all a metaphor. That's fine. However for me the movie lacked substance, humor and I guess in the end, I just didn't get it. I liked the closing scene as I understood the message the movie was trying to sell. But too much leading up to that end was very disappointing to me.
Butchers (2020)
Nothing new. Not good. Not Bad
This movie had the feel of Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even a hint of Hills Have Eyes. It's not a bad movie. I can't figure out why cars keep breaking down in the same area. I could understand if it was a flat tire (like in Hills Have Eyes) but engine troubles in both cars? I also wish we were given a little more back story on the family and/or the teens. But the movie held my attention and I was interested to see how it would end. If anyone wants to enjoy a nice little gory slasher film that pays homage to the bigger titles listed above, you might get some enjoyment from this one.
Hacksaw (2020)
Pure Trash
I love horror movies. I have seen more than I can count. Within those movies I have seen many low-budget movies, some of which I have felt were done well and really enjoyed. My point is, low-budget shouldn't be used as an excuse. I know people have give praise for the shock value in the opening scene with the drill. I will admit I have never seen anything like that before, but it just seemed pointless to me. Complete waste of an hour of my time. You've been warned.