Reviews

What drew my interest in this film was the high IMDb reviews, especially for the horror genre which is the most scrutinized. The plot is pretty basic.... evil and supernatural forces begin to manifest by touching an embalmed hand. I love horror films but I've always treated them like an amusement park ride. They don't need a sophisticated plot but certainly a good screenplay, creepy atmosphere, pacing, uncomfortable tension, and just plain scary. I'll get straight to the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Good cinematography and quality of acting.

2. Because of the lower budget, the film wasn't flooded with CGI. Some of the scenes were pretty creepy. One scene had a dark atmosphere about it that reminded me of a scene from Hereditary.

Cons:

1. Way too much filler. I understand and appreciate setting things up for character attachment/development but the first 25-30 min was a snooze fest.

2. Screenplay was too disjointed and had a pacing problem. The scenes involving the hand were good but all the in-between segments with the characters were uninteresting for the most part. At times I was wondering with a particular character if this was horror or a drama.

3. Weak final act. When it's all said and done this movie is about a few entertaining and even scary scenes and a lot of messy writing all over the place. Are they trying too hard? Should they have focused on a different angle if the goal was to make this story deeper? You be the judge. Honestly I think this would have made a really good 12-13 minute short film.

Is this movie on the level of 2018's Hereditary? Heck no. Is it worth watching? Honesty yes. With great horror movies few and far between, you can get a few thrills out of it and appreciate the potential that could have been. Decent but could have been so much more...

A solid film by Nolan but it is worth mentioning to some that if you're expecting action you will be tremendously disappointed. This is a biography of Oppenheimer that focuses on key moments of his life. What drove this movie for me was the top notch quality of acting and the sound/compositions which were instrumental in bringing out the drama within a lot of the dialogue and the acting chops throughout the movie. Please be warned that the overwhelming majority of this movie is dialogue.

While both Interstellar and Inception were extremely deep films from Nolan(and in my opinion his best work), there was a popcorn quality about those films where you could loosen up and not take the experience too seriously and still find it entertaining. With Oppenheimer you better pay close attention to the dialogue and what's going on because you will be lost. With that being said it is rewarding getting a glimpse of the drama surrounding the development of nuclear weapons, some of the darkest times in human history. Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer will be his defining role of a lifetime. The acting from the cast was flawless along with the brilliant sound editing. I expect this film will be force to be reckoned with at the Oscars.

What an absolute track wreck of a movie. The director and writers involved in this project should be banned from ever working in a movie that will get a theatrical release. For the life of me I don't understand how you can go from 2018's Halloween, which generally speaking was a solid effort, a decline in the sequel, and then a decline in the finale that is so bad you'd think it was parody. At least 50 minutes of the film is all filler and serves no purpose. It's a snooze fest in the highest order. Extraordinarily awkward and annoying characters that you will have zero attachment to. The romance between some of them is so cringe and forced. The pacing and script was awful.

Michael is so inconsequential in this film that it's hard to believe this was the send off. I don't know what's scarier, that this abomination of a film was made or guys in a room actually approved this. Top Gun 2 and Cobra Kai proved that with the right combination of talent and vision, you can do extraordinary things with classic franchises. Unfortunately the hacks behind this film aren't even in the same spectrum. This film is a slap in the face to all Halloween fans or any fan of halfway decent horror movies.

The last time I saw a movie with this much tension was 2018's "Hereditary". From the opening scenes to the remaining seconds of the movie, I felt like I was in a constant state of tension. Lots of great use of low light sequences that makes the movie even more dark and creepy. The director did such a good job with his filming style for example using close up facial shots to convey so much emotion and uneasiness. The music was absolutely spectacular and took the horror to another level. This movie has elements in the filming style and screenplay that remind me of films like "The Exorcist" and "The Ring". Please do yourself a favor and don't wait to watch at home, it needs to be watched on the big screen especially with the use of surround sound. It is so vital to several scenes. Don't let the naysayers distract you, we already know the horror genre is the most scrutinized of all the genres. I assure you this movie is worth every bit of the hype and good reviews it has received!

Top Gun was a culture defining phenomenon in the 80's that ultimately was spoken about for decades. The odds of having a sequel to something and it being even halfway decent is on the brink of impossible when you consider the track record of sequels. Ladies and gentlemen, Top Gun: Maverick is to Top Gun as Terminator 2 was to The Terminator...What Cobra Kai was to the Karate Kid. There is a reason Tom Cruise received a 6 minute standing ovation at the Cannes film festival.

What this movie has shown is no matter how much time has passed since a previous film, greatness can always be achieved if the right talent is behind it and the passion is there. Joseph Kosinski, the writers, supporting cast, and of course Tom Cruise hit this out of the park! It was beautifully filmed, well paced, and had some breathtaking action sequences all throughout. The same magic that made audiences obsessed with fighter jets and the Navy/Air Force from the first film was achieved here but in an even greater scale if you can believe it.

The film made me appreciate even more the limited scope of time when I saw elements of my childhood on the big screen and it gave so much brilliance and justice. This is one of Tom Cruise's greatest achievements in which he declares I AM STILL ONE OF THE GIANTS. This film at times brought tears to my eyes. It will be the "!" to bring people back post pandemic to where movies really matter, the big screen!! Thank you so much to everyone involved and the work that went into this. This film is a masterpiece and boy does it ever pay homage to the original. Many think it's better than the original. You be the judge and don't watch this on anything less than a premium screen such as IMAX or GPX!

Obviously when you watch a film like Halloween you have to go into it with some suspension of disbelief. With that said, 2018's Halloween had a much stronger screenplay and was better shot in my opinion compared to Halloween Kills. I'm not quite sure what went wrong but story wise this was a little bit of a mess. Virtually nothing was accomplished and it felt like a big filler to keep the franchise going and to cash in as much as possible. It's sad because Halloween(2018) was so solid.

Many instances of the dialogue reached cringeworthy levels. There was even a moment where my friend asked "Do you think this is kind of stupid?" The only redeeming qualities were some scenes when death seemed imminent and you didn't quite know where Michael was going to come from or how it will transpire. I felt the first half of the movie was much stronger than the second half in terms of story.

Another quality I liked was the retro film style in some of the scenes. I enjoyed the look of it and how it was shot but most of these shots were in the beginning of the movie. I felt 2018's Halloween had a more strict and serious tone whereas this seemed much more dumbed down and silly.

I recommend this for popcorn entertainment value but you need to lower your standards even for this style of a movie or you will be disappointed.

As someone who has been obsessed with this case for a few years now, I was extremely disappointed in this Netflix special. Now if you never saw the ABC 20/20 special called "The Devil in Disguise" and only watched the Netflix one you may enjoy it but holy crap is it a disservice to the story. I couldn't believe how sloppy the editing was in this Netflix one. The 20/20 special's storytelling and pacing is above and beyond this and if you haven't seen it I am begging you to GOOGLE Chris Watts 20/20 and click the link to watch the FULL EPISODE called "The Devil in Disguise" and if you've already watched the Netflix special do it as well and you will see the difference between professionals putting together a special vs what seems like amateurs.

For a first episode to launch the new Unsolved Mysteries I felt this episode was weak. They took a seemingly straightforward yet unfortunate tragedy and basically force mystery on it to make it more dramatic and complex than it actually is. Don't get me wrong I feel for the family involved because in situations like this it's hard for family to accept sometimes. But when you look at it objectively it's pretty clear what happened. They reach hard to throw things in the mix to raise questions and as a family member I probably would too, as a viewer though it's pretty clear cut. Again, just my two cents.

As someone who believes IMDb ratings are pretty accurate on whether a horror movie is worthy, it is an absolute JOKE this movie is in the 6's....Like other reviewers said, completely predictable jump scares....Also starts off super boring with uninteresting characters.....Extremely excessive use of crap CGI....The scene in The Conjuring 2 when we first see the Nun in the hallway is more powerful and scary than any scene in this entire movie. I have never been so disappointed when anticipating a movie for so long like I have this one....Not even worth a watch if it was free!!! And I promise I'm not a movie snob saying this....Also what a shame to hire this nobody as a director....Had James Wan been behind the camera or someone like David Sandberg(Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation) we would have had an entirely different and better film by a long shot!

There has been a void left unfilled in the horror genre since 2002's The Ring. That void was filled when Paranormal Activity was released. While the trailer looked promising, I was a little skeptical because of the tremendous level of hype the movie was getting. Let me say this folks, this movie lives up to the hype and then some.

The true genius of this film lies within the directing. This film epitomizes our fear of the unknown. It's the simplicity of things in life that scares us such as a dark corner, an eerie silence, or an unknown sound. Oren Peli took all these elements and brought it to the screen with fierce deliverance.

Some movies are only good as the actors and the acting in this is so believable you might think for a second that the footage is real.

In closing let me say that every several years a movie comes out that transcends it's genre. Paranormal Activity is definitely one of them. I hope that this is the movie that will be known to kick Hollywood in the ass. You don't need a super high budget packed with lame special effects, a weak story, and bad acting(unfortunately this has been the case for most horror movies in the last several years).

Hollywood take note, this "$11,000 film that could" made me cringe in my seat in such a way that I have never experienced since watching "The Exorcist" as a child. My heart rate definitely went up that night I tried to go to sleep and dwelled on the movie. Thank you Oren Peli!

SAW blew my mind the first time I saw it in theaters. The movie had a strong plot, great characters, and really dark, creepy imagery. Not only was it from a new director, its budget let the world know that money means jack squat in making a great film. It also didn't hurt that SAW had one of the greatest endings I've ever seen in my life. That movie became a phenomenon for me the way The Ring did when I first saw it. When I found out about SAW 2 being in production, I was pumped up because from the start it was already in a good position because work began right after the first one. Not only does this keep the story fresh, a lot of the thrill that people got from the first one was still retained going into SAW 2. I was a little worried that the director was different but got some relief that Darren Lynn Bousman is a close friend of James Wan. I got total relief after I saw this movie.

The movie starts with the same in-your-face shock factor approach of the first one and immediately draws the audience's attention. Within the first 5 minutes I knew this was going to be a worthy sequel. Everything that made the first one great was reflected on this one times three. The puzzles were more complex, the characters trapped by Jigsaw were not only great but they were in larger numbers, and the imagery was as dark as you can only see in your worst nightmare. The puppet on the tricycle is one of the most insane and creepy characters ever. Most people have always had a fear of dolls when they were little and the fact that they used this puppet as a backbone of Jigsaw was genius. Though this movie contained a lot of gore, it was used to fit the plot perfectly. Nothing was overdone to make the movie undesirable or cheesy. Its amazing how directors can use excessive things in movies such as special effects in horror movies. It just makes me sick seeing a decent movie go sour after seeing very unconvincing and useless shadows flowing all around the room and through the ceiling or ungodly amounts of blood and guts. It just makes the movie look very fake. Movie makers should know by now just how much gore or special effects to use. Saw 2 used just enough of everything to remain relevant.

One of the biggest compliments I can give to Saw 2 is the fact that when you watch this movie unfold, it truly gives you that feeling like this really took place right after the first one. This makes the movie so much better and makes you appreciate the sequel and gives true meaning to the word as well. Many sequels have been made a long time after the first one and several ended up horrible. As for all those people that think you can't shock the audience with another twist like the ending from the first one, think again. I was proved wrong after I watched this movie to the end. After the extremely disappointing sequel to The Ring, I was very anti-sequel for a good while until I saw this. This movie is a must see for any fans of thrillers and will add tons of fuel to the fire for all the fans of Saw 1.

When "The Ring" came out a few years ago, it single-handedly dethroned every horror movie I had ever seen. It had a good story line, good acting, and very disturbing imagery. Not only did the movie make me jump, it was just creepy all together. I knew it would be difficult for the 2nd one to top this 1st. I was very very disappointed when I found out Gore Verbinski was not available to do the second one. I could not believe that the Ringu director would be doing this one. Japanese people make the WORST horror movies on the planet. This guy wasn't even the 2nd pick, they went to him as a last resort because nobody else was available. Their movies are very very cheesy, use horrible special effects that should have never been used in the first place, and use really lame tactics to try to scare people. The Grudge was a perfect example of this. American film makers make the best horror films on the planet. Gore took Ringu and completely turned it around. The first thing I noticed about The Ring 2 was the absence of the dark, gloomy Tim Burtonish atmosphere that Gore used in the first one. Every element in this movie was typical in Japanese style horror movies. Not a single scene made me jump or gave me the creeps. Samara was a total joke, she looked exactly like the girl from The Grudge, bright black hair streamed over the face with very fast and tacky movements. Certain imagery from the first one was used to strengthen this movie but it failed to match the first one. I also hated the way the story revolved around Aidan. That just made the story even more pathetic. From this day on I refuse to watch any horror movie made by a Japanese person in theaters. I'll just rent it. For those that loved the first one, this is not even close in my opinion. This to me is what Terminator 3 was to Terminator 2. My biggest complaints about this movie is bad scare tactics, weak story line,and excessive use of cheesy effects.

It is very safe to say that the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) was a cultural phenomenon for horror movies and helped change the shape of the entire genre. The movie provided all the essential elements that are vital in horror movies because when it comes down to it, these elements come from what the people want to see. We want to see the twisted things in our imaginations and nightmares come to life and what I love about TCM is it is something that could really happen to you. Sure the movie is a little cheesy now and I think Franklin was hilarious, but its the direction that counts. To me Leatherface is the greatest killer of all time, I like him better than Freddy. I love him because he is very stripped down, he's not supernatural and reacts to pain like any normal human would. He has all the essentials such as a very creepy image and psychotic behavior. Nobody can hold a candle to Leatherface.

Ok enough of that, let me get on to the review of the REAL Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I will not say anything about the story because I want everyone to see it for themselves while knowing very little about the story. It takes a lot for a movie to impress me when the anticipation level is hitting the sky because I expect so much and usually always get disappointed, this happened with Terminator 3. With the "new" TCM, it stays true to the roots that made the first one a hit, but this one BLEW me away.

Lets start with the cast. Everyone was amazing and fit in perfectly. I had doubts about Jessica Biels at first but now I see her in a brand new light. I could see no ounce of weakness in any of the characters. The moods expressed throughout the movie were flawless and very convincing. The acting plays a huge role because the better the acting, the more real the feel is, thats when you step into the shoes of the people in the movie and live it out with them. This is what makes and breaks movies and I'm proud to say the cast delivered.

The story line has been totally changed. This story is 100 times better than the original, I was very impressed. There are far more twists and turns and because the storyline has such a high thrill value, it keeps you glued to your seat. Our theater was packed and only 2 people that I know of left for bathroom breaks. I have never seen this happen before with a movie. Anyway, the storyline could not have gotten any better. One reviewer said some of the stuff in the movie was predictable, that is total BS, this movie has so many turns that you have no idea whats going to happen next.

Now onto the star of the movie, LEATHERFACE. I thought nobody could top Gunnar Hansen from the first TCM but Leatherface in the new one is the best one I have ever seen. He is bigger, scarier, meaner, and crazier than ever. He is the main focus as far as enemies go and I think its great, this pretty much paid tribute to him and it shows everyone that he is the guy to be reckoned with. The moment he did the first kill I knew this movie was ON and had a feeling it would top any slasher movie ever made.

In closing let me say that when this movie ended, A LOT of people started clapping and cheering. I saw no disappointed faces leaving that theater and this was the first movie ever in which my high anticipation was exceeded, let alone met. I don't care what ANYONE says, the original, while still a classic and will always be in our hearts, can't even come close to this one. Storyline, imagery, jump scenes, kills, twists etc.., this movie has it ALL and leaves a lasting impression strong enough to make you want to go pay $7.50 all over again and again and again until you get sick of it. Michael Bay, a lot of people doubted you when you signed on to this but I always defended you and let me say, I know you have shut all those people up. Job well done!

It is very safe to say that the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) was a cultural phenomenon for horror movies and helped change the shape of the entire genre. The movie provided all the essential elements that are vital in horror movies because when it comes down to it, these elements come from what the people want to see. We want to see the twisted things in our imaginations and nightmares come to life and what I love about TCM is it is something that could really happen to you. Sure the movie is a little cheesy now and I think Franklin was hilarious, but its the direction that counts. To me Leatherface is the greatest killer of all time, I like him better than Freddy. I love him because he is very stripped down, he's not supernatural and reacts to pain like any normal human would. He has all the essentials such as a very creepy image and psychotic behavior. Nobody can hold a candle to Leatherface.

Ok enough of that, let me get on to the review of the REAL Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I will not say anything about the story because I want everyone to see it for themselves while knowing very little about the story. It takes a lot for a movie to impress me when the anticipation level is hitting the sky because I expect so much and usually always get disappointed, this happened with Terminator 3. With the "new" TCM, it stays true to the roots that made the first one a hit but this one BLEW me away.

Lets start with he cast. Everyone was amazing and fit in perfectly. I had doubts about Jessica Biels at first but now I see her in a brand new light. I could see no ounce of weakness in any of the characters. The moods expressed throughout the movie were flawless and very convincing. The acting plays a huge role because the better the acting, the more real the feel is, thats when you step into the shoes of the people in the movie and live it out with them. This is what makes and breaks movies and I'm proud to say the cast delivered.

The story line has been totally changed. This story is 100 times better than the original, I was very impressed. There are far more twists and turns and because the storyline has such a high thrill value, it keeps you glued to your seat. Our theater was packed and only 2 people that I know of left for bathroom breaks. I have never seen this happen before with a movie. Anyway, the storyline could not have gotten any better. One reviewer said some of the stuff in the movie was predictable, that is total BS, this movie has so many turns that you have no idea whats going to happen next.

Now onto the star of the movie, LEATHERFACE. I thought nobody could top Gunner Hansen from the first TCM but Leatherface in the new one is the best one I have ever seen. He is bigger, scarier, meaner, and crazier than ever. He is the main focus as far as enemies go and I think its great, this pretty much paid tribute to him and it shows everyone that he is guy to be reckoned with. The moment he did the first kill I knew this movie was ON and had a feeling it would top any slasher movie ever made.

In closing let me say that when this movie ended, A LOT of people started clapping and cheering. I saw no disappointed face leaving that theater and this is the first movie ever in which my high anticipation was exceeded. I don't care what ANYONE says, the original, while it is still a classic and will always be in our hearts, can't even come close to this one. Storyline, imagery, jump scenes, kills, twists etc.., this movie has it ALL and leaves a lasting impression strong enough to make you want to go pay $7.50 all over again and again and a gain until you get sick of it. Michael Bay, a lot of people doubted you when you signed on to this but I always defended you and let me say, I know you have shut all those people up. Job well done!

I too was among the millions of people throughout the world that was looking forward to this movie. I have never even read the books but I still enjoyed the first movie nonetheless. My sister told she that she felt "The Chamber of Secrets" was the most boring book out of all the Harry Potter books so I was a little skeptical about this movie. The movie started off with repetitive elements from the first one such as Harry not being able to go to the school etc. It had some humorous moments in the beginning, but I found the flying car to be very cheesy. The imagery in the movie was top notch, sporting some of the best eye candy I've ever seen. Ah, the glory of technology. The cast was very strong because one of the most important elements in sequels is to bring back the same actors that played the characters. History has shown the failure of many sequels because of different actors replacing the originals, it makes a huge difference. Signing these kids to a 3 year movie contract was a brilliant move.

The movie definitely shines when it comes to the effects and cast, but I feel it didn't deliver in the most crucial step of all, the story. I found the movie to be very slow moving and at times had to stop myself from falling asleep. As far as action goes, it failed to impress me. I wasn't even drawn to the screen until the end of the movie. Harry Potter fanatics will love this movie but regular movie enthusiasts with little interest in the series that have seen the the 1st one shouldn't go in expecting this one to blow the 1st one away. I still feel the first one delivered in all 3 areas: cast, special effects, AND story line. In closing this movie is worth watching because after all, Harry Potter has turned into a cultural phenomenon, so everybody and their grandmothers will end up watching this movie, but I will definitely not be buying this one on dvd when it comes out.