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Reviews
Take Care of Maya (2023)
Massively misleading--on purpose
This is an extremely biased documentary that plays into the narrative Jack Kowalski wants to portray rather than a fair view of the facts. I highly encourage people to dig deeper into this case and the CPS and criminal investigations. When I first saw this documentary, I, like most people who see it, was disgusted with the treatment of Maya and her family. However, the actual evidence shows clearly that the mother in this case was medically abusing her daughter.
It's so irresponsible of the makers of this film and Netflix as a company to participate in this media campaign discrediting and bullying mandated reporters. The people who are being harmed the most here are the victims of child medical abuse. Ultimately, parental rights CANNOT be more important than the safety of children. Children are people, not property.
Firestarter (2022)
Meh.
I'll preface this by saying I haven't read the book or seen the original film before.
When this movie ended, I just kind of shrugged like, "Yeah, that was a movie." I didn't hate it, but it just never hit the way it should have. Honestly, Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong gave good performances. But my god, if you don't know how to build tension or pace a movie, you shouldn't be writing one--especially in this genre.
Knowing this is based on a Stephen King novel makes this all the more baffling. Obviously a movie is not the same as a novel, so I understand the need to change some things, but surely having source material to base things off of helps. I can't understand how something with so much potential (and apparently proven film potential, looking at the 1984 version) could end up so bland.
Exception (2022)
Worth a watch if you're intrigued
The premise is fascinating and the first part of the story had me hooked. At some point, though, it seemed like things just went in a whole different direction that wasn't interesting to me anymore. The story became predictable and tedious, and it kind of felt like previous themes were dropped for new ones. (They do really hit you over the head several times with, "What makes one human?" in the first few episodes.)
I don't really get the character design of assigning each person a head-to-toe color, but it didn't take away from the story or anything. I thought the voice acting was decent. The art style is unique. And as I said before, the beginning had me hooked.
Overall, I'd say if it sounds interesting to you, give it a go. It's only 8 episodes.
Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
Such a letdown
A Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island hold such a special place in my heart. They're genuinely great movies. So I was so excited to see that this was happening! (Plus Darren Criss is in it!) But this was just...not good in any way. There's nothing I can give them props for. And what's worse, it felt like they didn't even try. There's hardly even a story here. They half-heartedly threw in a moral that they didn't flesh out as if that would make it good. I'm so disappointed.
Horns (2013)
Good and not so good at the same time
First, let me say: I'm glad I watched this. I was entertained the whole time, so no regrets. It's an interesting, unique movie centering around a murder mystery and I believe it's worth a watch.
But.
I have some complaints...(SPOILERS AHEAD)
Let's start at the beginning. The main character, Iggy, is soon going to be tried for the murder of his longtime girlfriend, Marrin. Nearly EVERYBODY in town is positive Iggy is guilty, even his lifelong friends, and even his own parents (though they try to hide it). The only people who believe he's innocent are his brother and his friend/lawyer, Lee. (We'll talk about the issues with Lee later.) So with all of that established, I kept waiting to understand why people were so convinced he was guilty. I was expecting the many flashbacks to slowly reveal that he was in some way a "bad" person. But no, he appeared to always be nice to everyone. So why is everyone convinced he's a murderer? The movie sort of answers that, but not satisfactorily. He was seen arguing with Marrin the night of her murder. So ok, I get it. That's suspicious, and the boyfriend is always the first suspect. So it makes sense that people who don't really know Iggy, like the media, would assume he's guilty. But that doesn't explain why his childhood friend, the police officer who finds him the morning after the murder, goes in with his mind made up about it. And it certainly doesn't explain why his OWN PARENTS are convinced their son murdered the woman he was aBOUT TO PROPOSE TO!
While we're on the subject of Iggy's parents, let's talk about the things they said under the influence of the horns. Did I mention the horns? He grows horns that make people...tell the truth? Sin? Do whatever Iggy wants? Be just as mean as they already were? We don't know. That's never exactly clear, or consistent. But the horrible things Iggy's parents said to him are never resolved. And trust me, they needed to be resolved. You can't just have your mother tell you with a sad smile that she wishes you weren't her son and wants you to leave so she can be happy again, and then carry on like that never happened! He never interacts with his parents again after that. The only reference to them is when he tells his brother he has to be there for their parents. Okay then.
Now let's talk about the villain of the story: Lee. Well duh. It's pretty obvious from the start that he's the murderer. He's one of the only people who believes Iggy. Why is he so sure when everybody else thinks he's guilty? Plus he's OVERLY supportive to the point of seeming insincere. But the biggest problem with Lee is that he seems to switch personalities. There's the normal Lee, the only one anyone has ever seen, and there's the "evil/crazy" Lee, who shows up when it's convenient for the story. There's nothing showing any indication that Lee always had violent tendencies, or that there was a side of him that was a little off. He's just himself until one day he's not for a few minutes. And, he seems aware of and in control of this "switch". The problem with this is that it lacks any logic and it takes you out of the movie. To make this work, there would need to be something in the flashbacks that hint at his violent personality. Saying, "I like her too," is not that.
There is so much more in this movie that is not explained or resolved, but I'm done with the complaining. So what did I like about this movie?
- There was plenty of dark humor to enjoy.
- I really felt for Iggy throughout the movie. I was invested.
- The mystery of who killed Marrin wasn't really a mystery, but the how and why (and then why she dumped Iggy) certainly were.
- Daniel Radcliffe's American accent is surprisingly good, which was interesting to hear after over a decade of Harry Potter.
- Um, this guy just grows horns and gets (albeit vague) superpowers. What's not to love?
So overall, I'd say don't go in expecting toooo much, and you'll enjoy yourself!