Change Your Image
shackaholic1979
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Barbarian (2022)
Mixed feelings
The first part of the movie was very well done even though there were some parts that weren't realistic in my opinion. I realize movies are obviously make believe so I'm able to accept a certain amount of lack of realism.
However, the second part of the movie went completely off the rails and had so many plot holes, unanswered questions, horror movie cliches and just completely unrealistic moments that it was almost as if different writers wrote this part of the movie.
It's unfortunate too because this could have been a very good movie had they toned it down a bit. I wanted to like it so bad! I gave it a five and that's generous. I have no clue how this movie has a mid seven rating at this time.
American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
Tough to watch
If you have the least bit of empathy you will probably have trouble watching this. The juxtaposition of the videos of those totally innocent, sweet and pure children knowing what was done to them by someone that's supposed to be their protector is really sad.
It is a good documentary all in all though. Just hard to watch because of how horrific what happened to them was and how much it conflicts with our innate paternal and maternal instincts.
Dead End (2003)
At best a 5/10
Don't be fooled by the current rating of 6.6/10. This movie has issues that make it at best a 5/10. Acting and dialogue are both definitely subpar. The setting/atmosphere isn't bad. Some character choices are ridiculously stupid as well. And the twist is a complete joke.
Host (2020)
Better than I thought it would be.
I came in with low expectations being confused the contrast between the really high and really low ratings. Thankfully the movie surpassed my expectations. It's not the best horror movie ever made but it is a very fun and mindless horror movie if you have an hour to spare. It's almost short enough to give an anthology type vibe. Like I could almost see this movie being a good fit for a VHS 4 ( if they ever make one and if it doesn't suck like the third VHS did) if it were just a bit shorter. If you're gonna watch this then I'd suggest going in with low expectations and watch it just to see some creepy horror scenes. 6.2/10 rating from me.
The Room (2019)
Could have been better
The plot itself isn't bad but I think many portions of the movie could have been done much better. Without going into details this movie gets a 5.5/10 from me. Not very good which is a shame because this movie could have easily been much better.
Marrowbone (2017)
I couldn't even make it past halfway.
Really bad movie. This movie suffers from a few things. For starters it almost shouldn't be marketed as a horror movie because in the first half there was nothing even remotely scary. Secondly, the pacing is SLOW. Like really slow. Third, it's just flat out a boring movie.
I tried to give this movie a chance but I just couldn't make it past halfway since it's so utterly boring. I promise I wanted to like this movie but instead I ended up turning it off halfway through. I can't remember the last time I did that for a movie as I almost always finish what I start.
Lost in Space (2018)
Juvenile writing yet still a show I very much enjoy
It's not exactly a secret that the writing in this show is rather simple and unrefined yet it's a shoe that I still enjoy quite a bit. Virtually every episode features some situation that the Robinson's find themselves in only to escape at the last minute due to some near miraculous or unlikely outcome. That's one of my issues with the writing. The other issue with the writing is how they deal with problem people on board their ships. Without naming names or situations and only keeping to specifics they give these problem passengers too much liberty and freedom. Were in the position of the Robinson's I would have had that person locked in a room the whole time which would prevent them to continue their shenanigans. Once you watch the show you'll understand what I mean and how ridiculous it is.
However, I still really enjoy the show for the humanity in it and the environment. I like how it's such a positive show even though if this were real life the show would be much darker. I think it would have been interesting to see this show under different writing and directing, presenting it in a more life like and darker direction.
I knew I really liked the show when I realized that I wasn't looking forward to the amount of time between each season without content.
Kamera o tomeru na! (2017)
Exceptionally bad
Don't waste your time on this one. As a lover of zombie movies this was a major let down. What initially caught my attention was the meta plot. I liked the idea. However after the first few minutes I could tell this movie falls below an acceptable level of quality. The acting, directing and plot are all sorely lacking. I turned this movie off after roughly 20 minutes and don't plan on finishing it. It's EXTREMELY rare that I don't finish a movie.
Do not trust the reviews on this. Also, if you'll notice you'll see that all the reviews stating this movie was not good are getting downrated by scores of people. My guess is that it's the actual crew and friends of the crew doing that. I wish that could be prevented.
I don't like giving very bad reviews do movies because people spend their time, money and emotion making movies but this movie is deeply inferior in many ways and not fit for watching if you enjoy watching good movies.
Cold Skin (2017)
Successful and entertaining film.
I really enjoyed this film for what it was - an entertaining escape from reality. I'm not some movie viewer that watches a movie and tries to pick it apart. I watch for entertainment and to experience a reality that's not my own. In that regard this movie was successful. I think the crew did a great job conveying a sense of isolation in a forgotten and virtually unknown section of the world. The cinematography and acting was well done in my opinion, more so the cinematography than acting. There were some themes about war, enemies and the duality of human violence and empathy that were well presented. The more I think about this movie the more I like it. I'd give it a 6.7/10. If you're looking to escape to a dramatic and unique world full of fantasy and humanoid sea races in a beautiful location then this movie is worth watching.
Eli (2019)
Abysmal
This movie features one of the most cliche plot twists ever. On top of it the plot twist felt so forced and just rammed in. Not seamless at all and rather crudely inserted into the film.
Joker (2019)
Masterful Filmmaking!
It's rare when we get to see a movie that's this close to perfect. Normally something or another, sometimes multiple things, are lacking in a movie. It could be one of the actors, the writing, the cinematography could be subpar, and on and on. To have a movie made like that this is so nearly flawless across the board is very special.
Joaquin Phoenix plays, quite likely, his best performance to date which says a lot considering how many great roles he's already done in his life. When I first heard about this movie when it was in the works I'll admit that I thought Joaquin was miscast. Boy was I wrong and in retrospect I'm not sure why I thought that.
Another thing that concerned me initially was that the director, Todd Phillips, was unproven as anything other than a comedy director (to me). Another major miss on my part there. Todd Phillips did an absolutely amazing job both directing and writing this masterpiece of a movie.
Going back to what I said above, most movies suffer from scenes that are either wasteful, serving no purpose or scenes that are flawed. All of these scenes serve a purpose and succeed at it very well by adding to the movie in some way or elevating the movie in some way. Further, there were some scenes that if they weren't in the movie the movie as a whole would have been less cohesive. Todd Phillips did such an amazing job walking the fine line between having redundant scenes or scenes that barely told us enough to paint the picture of how The Joker became The Joker.
Truly an amazing movie. I'd rate it between a 9.5 and a perfect 10.
The Monster (2016)
Waaaay better than the 5.4 it currently has.
What a shame that this movie is rated a 5.4 currently. Is it a perfect movie? It isn't but it's above average for sure.
Here's what works really well in this movie - the relationship. All good scenes, movies, novels etc need good relationships. Without them it falls flat. In The Monster you can really feel the relationship between the mom and daughter. You feel how strained it is due to the moms persona problems and how it forces the daughter to emotionally age faster. We are shown multiple scenes where the daughter is essentially the adult and the mom is the one needing taken care of. Yet at the same time, underneath that we are shown that there is a deep love between them as well despite how strained the mother/daughter relationship is. Well done.
The acting is another thing that is really performed well. Both of the main characters, the mother and the daughter, do a great job acting in this film. We believe the characters due to the actors seamless performance of their roles. The actor of the daughter in particular did an excellent job. Hopefully they both go on to do more good things in the future.
I think the dialogue is also very strong in this film. There was maybe one time during the whole movie where a character said something I didn't think the character did. And in retrospect I may change my mind on that.
Any flaws I see in this movie are minor at best. It's definitely a strong movie worth watching.
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (2017)
Surprisingly good Netflix film
It's no secret that Netflix makes some very quality TV shows. Their movies are arguably far, far behind the quality of their TV shows with such horrible movies like "Bird Box" (which was the most overrated movie I've EVER seen and atrocious, flat acting) and most recently "The Silence." After seeing "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore", I'm starting to think that they are heading in the right direction. With the amount of money Netflix has it makes no sense for them not to also make good movies.
This movie had a couple issues to me all in all but the quirkiness, acting of some of the actors and original vibe it has (the mix of comedy, drama and crime flick was very well mixed) more than made up for any minor shortcomings. Elijah Wood played a fantastic character in this.
This is a great step for Netflix and I hope they start to make strides towards more good movies in the future, even though this film is around 2 years old now.
7.5/10
Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series (2019)
Some of their best content in years.
Going to an animated format sure does allow them to do some things that they would never be able to do in a non-animated version. Let's face it, most of the storylines in the regular version are some out there, far fetched stuff. By losing the restrictions of non-animated versions, they are allowed to really let their imaginations get carried away, resulting in some of their best content in a long time.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Some seriously bad decisions were made with this film.
Making a successful Friday the 13th movie is a very easy formula. All you need is Jason, flat characters and good death scenes. That's all it takes to make a successful Jason movie. By successful I don't necessarily mean amazing, just successful. If you remove one of the elements of that super easy formula then you will not be successful. I have no clue how this movie got the green light considering they basically removed Jason from the entire movie. REALLY bad decision. 4/10 and that's generous.
Bird Box (2018)
Did I watch the same movie others did?
How in the world are some people rating this so high? I just can't figure it out.
The acting was very flat, characters were 2d and so many things were entirely unbelievable. I will say that I like the plot concept however. Also, I'm not one that needs to know everything. By that I mean that I'm sometime okay with not knowing certain things about the plot. However, if we aren't going to be told what the force is then the rest of the movie should be excellent which it certainly is not.
Aval (2017)
Horribly Overhyped
I'm blown away that this movie has a rating of 6.8 at the time of this review. Great movies make you not want them to end. Bad movies make you want them to end so you can get on with your life. I wanted this movie to end well before the ending but once I start a film I have to finish it.
The very first scenes were so cheesy and way too long. I nearly turned the movie off during them and wish I did. The movie was too long as well, due to pacing issues. Lots of cliche's in the movie also brought down my opinion of the film.
If you want to watch a good foreign horror film, check out "Under the Shadow." Light years better than this movie yet has an almost identical rating.
Hereditary (2018)
Could have been an all time horror classic.
It's as if the writer suffered a head injury before finishing the script and someone else finished it for him. Up until the ending climax this was a perfect horror movie in my opinion. Great storyline, flawless acting, everything nearly flawless until that ending. I walked out of the theatre with feelings too complex to put into words. Anger was one of them since it was so close to being one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. So close! I took three stars off just for the ending. I'm not sure why movie writers sometimes feel the need for a closed ending. An ending that leaves questions is not a bad thing!
Trailer Park Boys: The Cunt Word (2018)
Best season in years so far.
I've only watched the first three episodes so far but I can say this is the best season in a long time.
Black Mirror: San Junipero (2016)
Perfectly Amazing and Beautiful TV
True excellence is a thing of beauty and rarer than most realize. San Junipero, however, is excellent. All across the board every element is perfect. Casting, direction, cinematography (beautiful bokeh which really adds to the emotion of the scenes), soundtrack/music, lighting, sets, 3d characters that you can really identify with...all of it is perfect.
I rarely cry from TV and movies but this episode is the exception to that. I just re-watched it for the third time in about 4 months and it's still a powerful piece of art. So many great things going on in this episode, soul mate level love, sci-fi elements, fear of missing out, getting the opportunity to live free of fear and on and on.
If you want to watch something that will really stick with you and make you think watch San Junipero.
Face Off (2011)
Captivating
The amount of creativity and skill these make up artists have is nothing short of amazing. I love watching this show to see what incredible visions they come up with.
The judges all know their stuff and even though Glenn tries to act mysterious and tough, you can tell that deep down he's just a professional that takes his field and job very seriously.
It (1990)
A classic from the mind of Stephen King
Considering that the book is nearly 1100 pages, I'm sure it's no easy task to translate it to the big screen. The fact that most of King's books don't translate very fluidly to movie makes that task even more difficult. That being said, they did a rather good job with it on this adaptation.
I do wish that the movie had more gore in it. The book contains a lot more gore (as Stephen King novels tend to do) yet this movie was nearly void of gore. I don't think gore is a necessity in movies (and too much can ruin a movie) but this movie warranted more gore. Then again, this was a TV movie so that would explain it too.
Tim Curry's performance here is masterful but a bit cartoonish. Then again, playing the role of Pennywise is I'm sure very demanding for an actor. Curry's performance in this movie undoubtedly caused many people to become coulrophobic (phobia of clowns).
The movie really nailed the setting and atmosphere in many ways. The book was very atmospheric so I'm glad that it did somewhat carry over to this version.
I do think that some parts of the movie could have been cut out or more refined. That's one reason why I gave it a 7/10 (which is still a very good review).
Definitely a must see!
Trailer Park Boys (2001)
What was once pure brilliance is now just pretty good.
The first four seasons or so of this show were near genius. Quirky, deep characters in improbable situations that could only happen to them were what made this show truly shine.
Ever since Clattenburg left as a writer the show has a different vibe to it. It's still very good but pales in comparison to the first four seasons. Don't get me wrong, I'll keep watching the show for as many seasons as they make because I'm a die-hard but those extreme moments of absurd comedy are much more infrequent than they were at one time.
Love the show! I give it an 8/10 now. The first four seasons were a 10/10 or like 9.9/10.
Bring back Clattenburg and Barrie Dunn and the show will likely get back to it's old self. Bonus: get Michael Jackson (Trevor) and Jonathan Torrens (J-Roc) to come back and this will reign supreme as one of the premiere comedy sitcoms. Doubtful Trevor would ever come back though.
Wrecker (2016)
Abysmal
I always feel bad giving terrible reviews because ultimately this was other people's vision, budget and time but this movie is really, really, really bad. The very fact that the tow truck could outrun the Mustang causes the movie to immediately lose so much credibility that the movie is already in a hole that it cannot get itself out of.
And as others have said, it's essentially a rip off of Duel.