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lenndy21
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Something for everyone
I'm loving this new style of animation that seems to be flooding the movie scene. The combination of classic 2D animation with the new age 3D is something to behold.
This is how you make a modern animation that is good for both children and adults. The teenage turtles actually feel like modern day teens, and it isn't filled with dialogue such as "gang gang" or "lit" that today's youth have come up with.
The story isn't anything new but the pacing is perfect!
A great watch for all ages, these is something in here for everyone.
I don't find myself laughing much at these types of films but did chuckle a few times.
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
Watch this before dying please
I watched this years ago as a young kid (probably like 8years old) and have plenty of nostalgia. My first watch was the English dub, which I still think holds up today! Now watched both versions I have to say this is a nearly perfect film.
An easy 5 stars, whether it's the trivia about the film, how it came to be or just the pure technological achievement that changed animation till this day. This will always be a masterpiece!
So many aspects of this film come together to beautifully tell a story that we can all relate to in some way.
Sprited Away is a must watch. I truly believe you are a better person after seeing this.
Talk to Me (2022)
WOW WOW WOW.
WOW WOW WOW.
This one completely blow me out of the park, down the street and into next year. I would describe this as a cross between elevated horror/jumpscare horror.
First a want to talk about the movie then about the background surrounding the film.
Has a good run time of 95 mins and great pacing, this film flys by. The title card/first jumpscare - absolutely chilling, the first 'jumpscare' in this film is brilliant. I wasn't expecting it and sent my body into a temporary hot flush.
Sophia Wilde is something else. I haven't seen this level of acting in awhile and she hits every note with ease. Can't wait to see where her acting career takes her. Two other notable characters were Joe Bird and Chris Alosio, the energy they gave off was spot on.
I love how the directors decided to lean more towards practical than CGI because it shines in this one. The Kangaroo was mostly animatronic which made it feel more grounded in reality. Plus the symbolism was very well done!
I wish we got to see some more spirits or the world they live in as I thought it was very cool but left wanting more.
I still have some unanswered questions about the film but knowing they are making a sequel doesn't necessarily give me any relief. I wish they either left the film as it or decided to make a new movie.
Barbie (2023)
Hi Barbie, Hi Ken
I am clearly not the target audience for this one but I still enjoyed it.
Went and saw in the cinemas which of course added to the overall experience.
Yea this is made for a younger audience and is slightly directed towards women but that doesn't mean it is one-sided or lacks depth. The character arch of Ken (Ryan Gosling) was is most enjoyable for me, he is the real star of this film. I felt the heavy anti-patriarchy angle for Barbie (Margot Robbie) was a bit ham-fisted.
I will say that they couldn't of picked a better person to play Barbie, Margot Robbie just encapsulates the over-the-top nature, 'perfect look' and clueless attitude that we expect from Barbie.
The only jokes I laughed at were either from Ken or Weird Barbie, I would say 90% were Ken. This isn't a bad thing more of a lack of interesting and funny characters.
The cinematography and settings are amazing and stunning to look at. They did a great job at grounding Barbie World in reality but also not taking itself too seriously - very self-aware.
This is a fun watch for all, lets just hope they don't bring out a sequel (pre sure they already are)
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
Had potential
I really really wanted this to be good. Florence Pugh is one of my favourite actors, but even her strong acting couldn't save this one!
I had quite high expectations for this one after seeing the trailer, it presences as this trippy cult-like utopian community that is grounded in reality but after watching it I learnt two things:
The trailer shows way to much and almost is like a summary of the movie instead of a teaser
That what is actually happening is a classic horror trope done over and over (Not is all as it seems *wink *wink)
The production design, costume design, score, cinematography, and Wilde's direction is amazing but wooooow this was a bore. I basically predicted the ending by the third-act, and speaking of - what a laughable attempt at trying to trick viewers when in reality this is just a copy-paste of other movies.
Such potential in this one but it fell short. Chris Pine and Florence Pugh are the standouts in this, as much as I love Harry Styles as a person his acting is okay.
The drama surrounding this film was more interesting than the film itself!
Side note:
The over sexualisation of Florence in this felt weird. Not sure if this has been talked about but worth mentioning.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Good but not great
First movie I have watched out of the The Hills Haves Eyes film series.
Being a re-make I plan to watch the original so this review won't be in comparison to Wes Craven's film.
Just under 2 hours, this film isn't a long one but feels longer than it is, the reason; it's a slow burn. It takes half the runtime to start to get interesting.
The cinematography and setting are spot on. You feel like the characters are out in a barren desert, with an ever looming presence of the mountains taunting the characters and the viewer.
For a film about mutant cannibals, there is a lack of gore and cannibalism. You do get some pretty gnarly and gritty scenes but they are cut short. The lack of these and the focus on the main character being the hero takes away from the story.
I enjoyed the narrative, but still felt like there were holes. When you finally get some backstory about the mutant cannibals it comes in the form of information vomit, from what I can only describe as the 'leader' of the mutants. Which again is cut short for the progression of the story. Leading up to the information vomit I was interested to know how the mutants came to be, but was bitterly disappointed when the reason was empty.
I will have to watch the orignal to see how this holds up against it!
Renfield (2023)
The double (Nicolas) Nicholas Combo!!
This would get a 1.5 or 2 star if it didn't have Nicolas Cage as Dracula. You could say I'm slightly bias when it comes to Nic, but god damn it just does everything right when it comes to acting. I love his acting so much!!
I did enjoy the original idea, of Dracula being Narcissist and his familiar coming to terms with this through group therapy.
The story wasn't anything to ride home about but my main man Nic takes the show. Every time he is on screen its very entertaining, when he isn't its just a very mediocre comedy.
I get big Vampire's Kiss vibes from Nic's acting in this one and hopefully he was allowed to just act without any restrictions as this is how you get the good stuff out of Nic.
The ending is the biggest disappointment, I see what was trying to be achieved but it just left me wanting more/unsatisfied.
Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) does an excellent job at playing the role of Dracula's familiar.
Smoothing to note is the editing in this can be quite janky and if you pay too much attention the film falls apart.
Overall is you like Nicholas Cage for Nicholas Cage this is a must watch.
#Nicholascageclassic.
Deadstream (2022)
"Over-the-top, goofy, self-mockingly horror-comedy"
This film isn't for everyone, some will appreciate the beleaguered actor and the personally that follows, other will not.
I understand what Joseph Winter was trying to achieve in this film and he did achieve it, but the story that it's based on is poor.
The main plot of the film is weak, and only really piques the interest of 12-year-old tiktokers.
The creature design is interesting and could have been really creepy, but the main character personally ruins any suspense or fear.
Shot in a different setting and with a 'creeper' base-line story, this film could have been so much more.
This just wasn't "my thing"
I think I may have been a tat bit hash with my initial review.
I still stand by saying its not scary. But learning a bit of backstory with the production and the little budget, I have a better appreciation.
"Both main characters sever a body part, both summon spirits using an incantation, both leads get covered in misc bodily fluids, and both employ slapstick comedy."
Found this interesting, makes me think that this is a modern take on Evil Dead but with different stories?
Heck (2020)
Skinamarinks baby
Not as 'eerie' as Skinamarink but also not as slow of a burn.
Well shot, some parts felt slightly out of place, like the person at the bottom of the stairs towards the end.
I liked how through out the tension builds, but you aren't entirely sure why.
The juxtaposition of the 'Darkness' and the 'Story' creates a good foundation for viewers to let their minds wonder. The hard to see, dark scenes that puzzle your mind and try to trick it, to the vague story that leaves many questions, but feels completed.
I appreciate what this short is trying to achieve and it makes me excited for future work, hopefully learning from past work.
Nekromantik (1988)
Well that pipe got some action that's for sure
I will be adding more to this review in future.
This film was very interesting and even more interesting as you dig deeper into its history.
Going into this film I knew that it was going to be gross, just by the title and year it was shot.
It's bad acting and goofy characters adds a nice charm to its overall disturbing theme. I wouldn't say its the most disturbing film I've seen but it did surprise me at moments (especially the 'pipe' scene).
A movie that should be researched after watching to give further meaning and impact to the film and its history.
Wouldn't get a high score without the background knowledge.
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Not bad but not amazing either
Now don't get me wrong I love the John Wick franchise, it's what I would call James Bond on crack (with better writing and visuals) BUT this one just didn't hit like the other three.
I'm not sure if it was the runtime or just that there wasn't any memorable kills but it felt like same crap different day.
I do have to give credit where it's due, which is the birds-eye view scene, *chefs kiss* this was stunning to look at. No fault on my boy Keanu Reeves, knowing the amount of effort he puts into this movies really shines in this one. But the story wasn't interesting enough for me, the villain was good but also bad.
Bill Skarzgård, is very much someone I would like to strangle in this film but again nothing very compelling from his character. I needed more from this, being the last movie, I was hoping for something to think about after the film was over but to be honest it just wasn't there.
Maybe the other three were just better in comparison and they struggled to "up the ante" yes I know, he kills many people in this one (I think it worked out to be nearly a kill every minute) but nothing really "stood out" for me.
I wasn't completely disappointed by this film, and it does okay to wrap up the storyline.
RIP Lance Reddick you will forever be in the hearts of all John Wick fans.
Beef (2023)
Short and sweet, let's hope they don't make 10 seasons...
I wouldn't say this series is anything groundbreaking or new, but the pacing and story is great!
Between 30 and 40 minutes per episode makes this one feel like a breeze. I did find the last few episodes a little slow but wrapped up the series well.
Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are great in this, their "beef" is rooted in reality and you really feel some of the struggles that are laid out. Cat and Mouse style, this drama/comedy does well to keep you guessing but also feel real emotion.
The cinematography is well shot and the music does well to set the scenes up. Again nothing groundbreaking but still good camera work, good music and good acting can go a long way.
The Pope's Exorcist (2023)
Just a load of garbage
Not scary in the slightest unfortunately, after watching the trailer I didn't have much hope but I thought at least I might get jumped scared once or appreciate a creature design.....nope...nothing original here what so ever.
Each time the 'demon' would 'attack' it would use its demon powers to throw people and objects around...wow wee. Spoooky.
I enjoyed seeing Gab ride around on his Vesper and the humor was decent.
I don't know how directors/writers get away with this crap, and how companies even approve this trash. Like do they not watch it before releasing?? Unless you have literally never seen a horror or your extent of horror is equivalent of like the ghostbusters, I don't see how anyone can see the thrill or fear in this. I would also like to add that this is a classic example of how relying on cgi to create your movies just doesn't work, the only exception to this is if the cgi team are actually not brain-dead monkeys.
The Evil Dead (1981)
Cult Classic in all forms
Sam Raimis "The Evil Dead" is considered the cult classic of its time, and I agree ten-fold.
Unfortunately for me, being born in 1998, I watched this 40+ years after it's release; adding to this my already extensive exposure to horror movies/gore made it not as impactful as it would have been watching it as a teen.
Even so, The Evil Dead is the start of the Evil Dead franchise (not including Within The Woods) and by god is it full of gory, violence and WTF moments throughout.
With a small budget of $375,000 (with inflation a lot less) this film did what no other film producers at the time were doing...making art, without being influenced by censorship or viewer's criticism. Because of this you get a timeless classic horror film that has many techniques throughout that has been copied by other filmmakers to this day.
I highly recommend this film for any horror film lovers, not just as a good film but what I consider the foundation of horror movies today.
Evil Dead II (1987)
"Groovy"
What to say about this one?
I believe much what I said about "The Evil Dead" can be applied here too but with the added comment, that this is what shaped the franchise into what it is today.
Learning more into the slapstick comedy and away from the serious natural of the first movie, but keeping the classic Evil Dead style (over the top gore, violence and potty mouth humour)
Evil Dead II like the first, is a great cult classic to dig your teeth into.
Have a looked at my review of "The Evil Dead" to get further insight on how I thought this film was.
If you have seen any other Evil Dead movies this is a must watch!
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Another Tarantino classic
Mmmm mmm another brilliant film by Quintine Tarantino.
Taking place during World War II, the conflict between the allied forces and the Nazis.
Sudden violence, coupled with good acting and a some-what original storyline.
Bratt Pitt and Christoph Waltz are brilliant in this. One of the first films I watched that gave me my big appreciation of Christoph's acting.
Some of the comedy is stale but overall this bloody, suspenseful film held me all the way through!
I always am impressed by how Tarantino can build suspense in a scene and how to keep viewers engaged without all the bells and whistles.
Midsommar (2019)
Surreal Masterpiece
Surreal masterpiece, nearly speachless.
Following a dysfunctional couple in Sweden, stunning visuals, a few cult-like rituals and sacrifices and a good story.
If you are a mainstream horror fan you might not appreciate this movie. If you are looking for jump scares or 'typical horror tropes' again this is not a movie for you.
Florence Pugh is phenomenal in Midsummer; she is the heart of the film. Her acting is raw and feels real. She provokes emotional responses in her audience and kept my attention throughout.
Midsummer explores themes of grief, loss, and suicide. It is gory, violent, and bloody and I loved it!
Watch Midsummer if you are looking for a slow, eerie and physiological experience.
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Evil Dead Rise: Rising above expectations
Wow wow wow, where do I even begin with this one.
First of all you should 100% go see this in the cinemas because the experience is amazing! One of the loudest movies I've seen but not overbearingly so. The pace of this film is something to behold, it just keeps giving and giving.
Evil Dead Rise is very polished. The opening title card (without spoiling too much) is stunning, a perfect start to the film.
I wouldn't say the film is scary but the gore and terror is plenty enough. The ending felt a bit lazy and the mum at the very end felt like she self nerfed herself by doing what she did.
Overall this is a must watch and a great addition to the Evil Dead franchise.