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jasonklingensmith
Reviews
Willy's Wonderland (2021)
Enjoyable, but so many questions.
The movie manages to keep your attention throughout, largely due to the presence of Nicolas Cage. And it is a lot of fun.
That said, I have so many questions. Who was Cage's character? Was he going there on purpose, and why? He certainly seemed prepared for it. Why did he need a punch pop and a round of pinball before each fight/kill? Did he have some kind of prior connection to the girl?
Considering the very ending, I'm assuming he didn't actually kill the robots off for good. Which, if that's the case, what was the point?
Also, there was some straight up BAD dialogue throughout this movie. When the girl drops like 3 minutes of exposition and backstory on Cage's character, that was... bad, for lack of a better word.
Anyhow, certainly not a great movie by any means, but well produced and well shot, and fun, and at times funny, even if I'm not entirely sure it was supposed to be.
Fear the Walking Dead: Mourning Cloak (2022)
Surprise, surprise....
...they introduced a new character, made the entire episode centered around that character, and then killed them off.
This has been a trend of both this show and the main show for the past few years, and it's gotten old. You know, with roughly 99.9% certainty, that if the beginning of the episode introduces a new character, the episode will be about them, and they will die, all in the name of giving one of the main/supporting characters about 2 minutes worth of character development. It's really gotten stale.
Both shows have too many characters at this point. I wish the showrunners had the balls to actually kill off one of them. That's part of what made both TWD and FTWD so good in their first few years, was the fearlessness of the showrunners. You knew nobody was safe, and it made the show exciting and unpredictable. Now, it's the same thing over and over again. They need to get back to the basics, especially with both shows nearing their end.
Resident Alien: Family Day (2022)
Hilarious
This was probably my favorite episode of the season so far. Definitely a return to season one form. There's something about the dynamic between Harry and both the Sheriff and Deputy that I find hilarious. It also had a good amount of character development and reveal, while still being humorous. The scenes with Harry and his newfound daughter were also great, though I'm not sure where that's going long term story-wise. Also, the mayor's play, and the town's reaction was amazing. I couldn't stop laughing at that part.
I definitely enjoyed this one.
Resident Alien: Radio Harry (2022)
Feels like a different showrunner this season.
This was hands down my favorite show on TV last year. It was funny, it was well written, there were some incredible acting performances, Alan Tudyk killed it as the lead, as did several supporting actors and actresses (most notably Alice Wetterlund and Corey Reynolds) and they really nailed the "fish out of water" theme, while developing some interesting supporting characters.
I wondered where they'd go with it this year, as it's hard to get away with the "fish out of water" thing for too long. Though a good example is What We Do In The Shadows (which has survived for 3 excellent seasons already, with another on the way). Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the direction it's headed thus far. The first couple episodes were good, but not season 1 good. However, it seemed like they were setting up storylines that would pay off later, and it was still funny and enjoyable. Even the reveal and cliffhanger they left off on, made me super excited to see the next episode.
Then came "Girls Night", which felt like an entirely different show. They completely abandoned, and wrapped up, the most interesting storyline from the previous episode. The only thing I really noticed is that episode was written by Jenna Lamia (who plays Judy Cooper). It was the only episode she'd written, but she's a writer and I believe a showrunner for the show "Good Girls". That episode, while it had a few laughs, felt largely out of place, and more like an episode of Good Girls than an episode of Resident Alien. As evidenced by the overall IMDB rating, it wasn't up to par with the previous 12-13 episodes.
As for this episode? While it was more a return to form than "Girls Night", it was lacking in the humor department. I think it was about 40 minutes in when I finally laughed out loud (The "please like and subscribe" moment). I'll probably keep watching, but the last two episodes have been the least enjoyable so far.
I really hope they get back some of their season 1 mojo soon, or it's going to be a rough ride. I thought having another alien return to complete the mission, while being a polar opposite to Harry (who has developed many human qualities now), would have created a more interesting dynamic than the route they seem to have taken.
Edit: After watching "Family Day", I'm very happy with where the show's at now. That was, in my opinion, the funniest and probably best overall episode of season 2 so far.
Halloween Kills (2021)
What 2018 should have been.
As a lifelong fan of this franchise, I was thoroughly disappointed by the 2018, for a number of reasons. I mean disappointed to the point, I considered skipping this movie entirely.
The first 10-15 minutes of this movie were pure Halloween gold, and sucked me right in. The pacing was great, and I couldn't help but wish this was where they had begun 2018, instead of the ridiculous, and completely unrealistic opening they went with.
While this movie wasn't without it's flaws, most of those flaws were the things I expect from a slasher anyway. Poorly written dialogue, to the point of being unintentionally hilarious at times. Characters making stupid decisions, and things like that.
The few things I didn't like about this movie were the scenes involving Laurie and her daughter. I found myself getting annoyed every time they went back to them at the hospital. While Greer and Curtis are both phenomenal actresses, they were both terrible in this. That's likely due, at least in part, to poor writing.
The scenes following Tommy Doyle, Lindsay, and company, were great. Seeing the original Sheriff Brackett return was great. I do think both the firefighter scene and the angry mob scene when Michael fights back both would have been more effective having not been seen. And it's a bit ridiculous that a skinny 17 year old girl was somehow able to put up a better fight than a dozen firefighters with axes.
All in all though, this was was an enjoyable ride, with great pacing, and at un-did some of the ridiculousness of the 2018 film. If you're a Halloween fan, a Michael Myers fan, or a slasher fan, I recommend giving it a go.
Halloween Wars: Possessed Toys (2021)
I used to LOVE this show. What happened?
One of my favorite things about October was watching Halloween Wars.
From the new host, to the re-designed format, to the weird theme, this is not what I've come to expect from Halloween Wars.
Hard to find much good about this, compared to the prior seasons. I agree with another reviewer, in that the absence of both Todd Tucker and Jonathan Bennett, definitely hurts the show. I don't know about the new judges, but I definitely don't think Zak Bagans is a good fit for Halloween Wars.
Hopefully they get back to their traditional format, the one that worked for a decade, next year.
I do like that there's 8 teams though, instead of 6 in prior seasons. Does that mean we get 2 more episodes?
Dave: International Gander (2021)
What happened? Sharp drop-off.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first season and found it hilarious. The second season is off to a rough, and rather boring, start. Hoping it picks up a bit. I was pumped when I heard season 2 was released. Much less pumped after watching this episode. I'll probably go back to it eventually, but this episode at least was nowhere near on par with season 1. It almost feels like they rushed it out or something.
Nomadland (2020)
This was rough...
I've been a fan of Frances McDormand for a while now, and she turned in wonderful performances in Primal Fear, Fargo, and Three Billboards. After watching the preview for this on Hulu, I was intrigued. Then I heard the Oscar hype, and figured it was worth a go.
About 45 minutes in, I'm not sure what I was even watching, beyond a woman who worked at Amazon and lived in her van. There hadn't really been stakes established. The blend of acting and "acting" was horrendous, and made even worse by the overall pacing.
I really wish I had more good to say about this, but it was not a good movie. It wasn't entertaining, I didn't care about any of the characters, there was no humor, there was no action, if there was drama it happened long after realizing I didn't care about what happened to any of the characters.
Frances McDormand's acting was even kind of flat, which was a surprise. If I had one good thing to say about this movie, I'd say the cinematography was pretty good.
I often enjoy a good "slow burn" movie, but this was not that. There was literally no story here. This felt more like a poorly edited documentary than an actual film.
I do not understand the Oscar hype one bit.
American Horror Story: Final Girl (2019)
Probably the best season finale yet, and one of the best overall seasons.
Going into this episode, I had no idea how they would attempt to wrap up all of the loose ends. It seemed impossible, and given Ryan Murphy's track record with AHS, I was completely expecting this to be all over the place and make little sense.
What we got, however, was a thorough, and satisfying conclusion to what I'd consider the best AHS season since the original.
I loved the first season, enjoyed the second season, but found it to be a little too "all over the place", with an ending that didn't really tie everything together. Somewhere about halfway through Freakshow the show seemed to get away from intriguing story lines and focus more on pure shock value with little redeeming story quality.
Perhaps I'm a bit biased being a fan of slasher movies of the 70's, 80's, and early 90's, but I thoroughly enjoyed this season from start to finish. And credit to Ryan Murphy for "putting a bow on it", and tying all of the story lines together in the end.
The Silence (2019)
This did so many things right, that A Quiet Place did wrong.
First of all, it was not a ripoff of A Quiet Place, as this was actually written, and from my understanding, in production before that as well.
This did not have the budget of A Quiet Place and it showed in some of the FX. Also, the acting was probably a notch below that film.
Everything else, however, was done better by The Silence. The characters were far more consistent in their motivations. When the Grandma sacrificed herself to save her granddaughter, the act was set up in a far more meaningful way, and in an action that seemed believable for the character to take than when Krasinki's character did it in a A Quiet Place.
Both movies leave you with questions (seriously where did they get all that sand in A Quiet Place), and both have endings that could have been better, but I felt this had a far better climax. By adding the cult members as a new threat, it was more than just "be quiet" to survive. I do think there was a far better explanation for what was happening in the world and why than in A Quiet Place. It does make you wonder, however, if the creatures were feeding on everything in sight and spreading in record numbers, how they were able to survive underground. What were they eating down there?
In short, I'd say The Silence had a far better plot, story, and characters than A Quiet Place. A Quiet Place looked better on screen and "crisper" and had slightly better acting. If I had to watch one again, I'd pick The Silence 9/10 times.
Halloween (2018)
A huge disappointment.
Like most, I was genuinely excited to see a new edition to the Halloween franchise. When the first trailer was released, I wasn't sold. It kind of looked a bit ridiculous. But when the second trailer released, I started to buy into the hype. It seemed like this might be the best Halloween movie in a long time. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
I think a lot of this movie's success was similar to what happened with H20 in 1998 and the Rob Zombie remake in 2007. Fans of the franchise were eager for something new, something fresh. They had already declared it success before seeing it. No matter what, this movie was going to succeed in theaters. What's puzzling is the amount of positive reviews it's gotten. I think a few years of now, when those same people watch it again they'll realize this simply isn't a very good movie.
The cold open was unrealistic, unnecessary, and quite frankly ridiculous. IMO, it was a failed attempt to build tension and suspense around the mask. Speaking of the mask, it was literally the only purpose the British journalists served in terms of the story (reuniting Myers with the mask). I don't have much of a problem with that, though, considering they were kind of annoying. The opening scene was essentially a journalist yelling at a mental patient to look at his mask, in a rather ridiculous setting. Are there really mental institutions that anchor their patients to anvils on weird checkerboards for "outdoor time"? Also, considering, he waited 40 years to escape, does this mean the mask is ultimately the source of his power? It almost feels that way.
It takes a while for the actual story to get off the ground. And while that's happening, there's clunky dialogue and ultimately failed attempts at humor with essentially meaningless characters. Meanwhile they highlight Laurie struggles with PTSD that has led to a strained relationship with her daughter and family.
Once things do get going, there are a few cool scenes. That is probably the highlight of the film, and sandwiched in between those cool scenes are frame by frame recreations of scenes already done in the pre-existing films.
Then we get to the "twist", which I must admit, was well done and I didn't see it coming. However, the more you think about it, the less sense it makes. If his Doctor (aka the new Loomis) wanted to know what it was like, wanted to hear Michael talk, it's hard to imagine he didn't have chances to do this previously. However, his motivation makes it clear he was an inside man on the bus crash that led to Michael breaking free.
The finale and final showdown, while tense at moments, was a huge letdown. First of all, Laurie states that she's been praying for Michael to break out for 40 years, so that she can kill him (so much so she has a little training montage of target practice shooting, shows off her impressive collection of guns and weapons and her handy little panic room). So, what does she do when he's standing in her front yard uncovered, and she has a shotgun in her hands? She locks the front door and cowers behind it. This would make sense if Myers was the inhuman evil monster he's been made out to be throughout the years, however, they make a point of stressing that Myers is "human", just a deranged man, which Laurie herself even says. Despite that, he takes a gunshot to the neck, the head, and the hand, none of which slow him down. And interestingly enough, the shot to the hand seems to have the biggest effect on him, and by far the most blood.
In the finale, when they trap him in the basement, they just stand there, as the house is starting to burn. Considering the floors above her little trap are just basic wood, one would think those were flammable and they'd be booking it out of there. Instead, they stand there watching Michael getting ready to burn. They do get out, but with seemingly little urgency, and then we see them riding in the backup of a pickup truck that they've flagged down, leaving things unresolved. Did Michael burn to death? Apparently not, as there's already a sequel in the works.
Overall, a big let down. Only thing that made it watchable was a handful of cool scenes.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018)
Enjoyable, but flawed.
Overall, this show is basically what is promised. It's a darker take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and from what I understand is pretty true to the comics.
The production design is amazing. It pulls you right in, and feels like the perfect setting for this kind of story to take place.
I'm only 4 episodes in, and so far my biggest issue is one of the aunts, Zelda I believe. They've written her character to deliver exposition with every other line, and it's over the top and unbelievable. Very forced. The characters she's communicating what is happening and why to, in a very explicit manner, should be clear to those characters, considering their standing within this world.
Also, most of the male characters are pretty hollow, one dimensional, and stereotypical. There's strong feminist overtones throughout, some of which hinder the story more than they help it, but overall they make sense.
I've seen a lot of people complaining about the "blurry" dream-like effect that is used pretty often. I think this is actually done pretty well and makes sense from what I've seen.
Anyhow, I've found it to be an enjoyable watch thus far, despite its flaws, and am looking forward to seeing how the season plays out.
Hell Fest (2018)
Great Halloween Fun, Excellent Slasher
When I saw the previews for this, with the strong Halloween theme, I was excited. After it hit theaters, I heard several negative reviews. I still had to see it for myself.
I kept expecting to be let down at some point, but that never happened. It was a FUN slasher film, action packed, suspenseful from start to finish, well acted, and I thought the twist at the end was excellent.
One of the biggest issues I've seen in the negative reviews is lack of character development and lack of an attempt at motivation for the killer, indicating a lack of a good storyline. Please, tell me any Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street that has amazing character development or a great storyline. I LOVE all three of those franchises, but that simply isn't a strong suit for slasher films general. And I prefer the killer not having a motive, that makes them much more terrifying IMO.
I've seen one issue being pointed out as a lack of utilization of the environment in the creativity and inventiveness of the kills. I feel like I watched an entirely different movie, because I found the kills to be inventive and effective. The one that some people wanted, didn't follow through, but it was actually better that it didn't. It provided a glimmer of false hope just before shit hit the fan.
If you're looking for a fun, visually stunning, creepy, suspenseful, thrill ride of a slasher film, I highly recommend this movie. While the film isn't without its flaws, it certainly delivers on the realism, the use of environment, the action, the suspense, and the fun. I'm adding this to my list of October essentials.
The biggest weaknesses, IMO, were in the final scene, when he steps into the living room where his daughter is sleeping, I feel the audience already knows that's his daughter. The beat where he curls his fist in some sort of attempt to make you believe he's going to kill her, isn't necessary. Another weakness is the necklace thing in the beginning never really comes back into play. Could this likely be a deleted scene that was omitted?
8.5/10
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot (2018)
This one is a homerun.
I've been a Sunny fan since the beginning. I've seen every episode. Almost every episode in the first 6 or 7 seasons was absolute gold. There's a been a lot of hit or miss in recent years, and it's kind of downhill. This episode, though, was great. It was a perfect commentary on the ridiculous nature of some of the remakes and reboots currently being done. It may have been the best episode since the original "Gang Beats Boggs".
The Assignment (2016)
Not good.
I decided to give this one a try, not exactly sure why. The storyline, while not great, was enough to work with.
Unfortunately, the makeup used on Rodriguez was... less than stellar. That definitely hurt the movie early on, because it never felt like I was watching a man. It felt like I was watching a woman playing a man. The only time she actually passed for a man was a scene midway through the movie when she donned a blonde wig. I read a review of this movie claiming it was "transphobic" on Indiewire. I'm sorry, gay or straight, as a man, getting your "manhood" removed is perhaps the scariest and most tragic thing imaginable.
Unfortunately, after about 40 minutes, I began to have issues with the DVD I rented with it skipping and freezing, but I don't think I missed much.
I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone.
Halloween (2007)
Doesn't do the original justice...
I was very disappointed by this film. While it was watchable and entertaining, I thought it actually hurt the Michael Myers story. One of the scariest and most suspenseful things was not understanding why Michael Myers was the way he was, why he killed his sister at such a young age. The fact that he was a seemingly normal kid who just kind of freaked out was part of what made him scary. The back story of him as a kid, living in a broken household, with an abusive step dad almost makes you understand why he flipped out in the first place, and it's almost as though you're supposed to feel sorry for him. Also, Rob Zombie's style, which is more about gore and excessive in-your-face violence, doesn't fit the Halloween/Michael Myers mold. The series was built on suspense, fear of the unknown. Rob Zombie's version ruined that.
Band Camp (2005)
Pleasantly Surprised
After hearing quite a few negative comments/remarks/reviews about this film, I had somewhat lowered expectations.
Not to mention the fact that it was following what is undoubtedly the greatest comedy trilogy of our generation, and perhaps arguably any other. Attempting to follow the footsteps of any of the American Pie's is quite a task, let alone all three.
Anyway, I expected disappointment. This was in no way as good or as funny as American Pie 2 or American Wedding, nor was it as groundbreaking as American Pie. But, there were certainly a lot of laughs. I was impressed at the acting of the guy who played Stiffler's younger brother.
As someone who basically grew up with the American Pie movie series, I'll always enjoy those movies, and watch them with a sense of nostalgia, for I was in similar points in my life to all the characters at the times the moview were originally released. For that reason this movie actually made me feel old.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, and am considering adding it to the collection. I'd say it's a solid 7-8 out of 10. Definitely worth watching, but not quite the caliber of the original three.
Puddle Cruiser (1996)
Don't expect much
Super Troopers was an instant classic. Club Dread, while disappointing to many, had its moments. Puddle Cruisers has fewer moments. I saw this movie on the shelf of my local video store and saw at the bottom that it was made by the Broken Lizard group who made Super Troopers, so naturally I picked it up. I only found one scene to be laugh out loud funny. A far cry from Super Troopers. All in all, I was very disappointed. I would not recommend this to anyone, unless you have an abundance of free time, and really need to kill some time. However, you're better off playing video games, or watching something that might make you laugh or think.
Van Helsing (2004)
Suspend your disbelief!
The only good things about this movie were the atmosphere, the special effects, and the woman that played Van Helsing's love interest.
I was very disappointed at several things this movie offered. While, I liked the way they incorporated more than just Dracula, the fact that the Werewolf was the only thing that could kill him, I didn't like. I also didn't like the way they used religion in the movie to describe Dracula and Van Helsing's roots.
The way the lighting changed rapidly, and after the sunlight was out, the Vampires were still attacking, was stupid. The character chosen to play Dracula was terrible, and he didn't do a very good job acting, either. I expect him to be at least somewhat intimidating. While I was in awe of some of the special effects, they really did hurt this movie. You already have to suspend your sense of disbelief for any monster movie or Dracula story, but you don't expect the normal characters to be more than human. Van Helsing's background was explained and therefore he can be the exception. But the woman, give me a break. She falls from trees, gets thrown out of windows, swings from wires hundreds of feet in the air, dangles from cliffs, yet somehow she manages to always land on her feet; not just on her feet, but on her feet without a scratch. It's very hard to take the movie seriously while this is going on. And then, after surviving all that, a werewolf landing on her, kills her. If she can survive all the other stuff, the werewolf wouldn't have killed her. The acting, aside from Dracula, was not really that bad. And the storyline wasn't terrible either, but in order to enjoy this movie, you have to suspend your disbelief of everything you've ever known or read, not just about monsters, but humanity as well. This could have been a great movie, but ended up being a waste of 2 hours.
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Ignore the critics.
When this movie came out the critics tore it apart. All they could talk about was Ashton Kutcher, and how he should stick to comedy.
I thought he did a fine acting job. Not only that, but I thought the critics should actually take into consideration that this is a movie. Watch the movie and make your decisions based on the movie as a whole, regardless of your personal feelings towards Kutcher.
While, I thought there were a couple things left unexplained, this movie was quite enjoyable to watch. A definite thrill ride. One particular thing that bothered me, though, was the part where he's younger and blacks out and comes out of the kitchen with a knife. Years later, he tries to destroy something and goes back in time and that's how he ends up with the knife in his hand. But, that doesn't explain why he did that in the first place, unless he'd already been in the future.
Also, when he's in prison and is attempting to prove to his cell mate that he can change things, he goes back in time and slams his hands over spikes. How come this didn't significantly alter the future??? Simply saying something to someone can change everyone's life, but that doesn't affect anything.
Despite some flaws such as described above, this is actually a very good film.
Secret Window (2004)
Terrible!
I thought this movie was terrible. It started out and the plot got going and it seemed as though this might turn out to be a good, and maybe even scary movie. The only thing scary is how many people actually liked this movie. Back to where I was, the plot got going, and then Johnny Depp goes all 'multiplicity' on us. What the hell was that all about!?! And then, it turns out it's him. Sounds like another, yet much better, film I've seen a few times called Fight Club. I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan. I like the work he did in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean, and even 21 Jump Street. Yet, I was very disappointed at this film. Very unoriginal and uninteresting.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
Hilarious movie!
This was a hilarious movie. Unlike How High, where Method Man and Redman try so hard to be the heir apparent to Cheech and Chong, Harold and Kumar just seem to fall into that role. I thought I was going to die laughing when Kumar was peeing in the bushes and Jamie Kennedy came up to him. Doogie Howser stealing their car, humping their seat. That's classic.
This is the funniest movie I've seen since Old School. It's great also the way they pay homage to Dude Where's My Car, being that this is the same genre, and a similar story. I think Harold & Kumar might become this generation's Cheech & Chong. I'd like to see a sequel, may Harold & Kumar go to Taco Bell or Hot Dog Heaven. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone with any kind of sense of humor. Loved it.