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MegRK1121
Reviews
Talk to Me (2022)
Horror Is Subjective
9 out of 10 time too much hype never plays out well. I'm almost always let down. This, unfortunately, is one of those times. I really looked forward to TTM. I only heard good things. That it was terrifying. When. Will. I. Freaking. Learn. It wasn't. There were a few scenes that were. That was it. The acting was good. But there was literally only one redeeming and likable character. I won't give away who because it would be a spoiler but you'll know when/if you watch. One character who didn't deserve anything bad to happen to them. Not that any of them deserved it, but this character was the only one I liked and who was honestly decent. The rest of them were awful. Part of a good horror film in this genre is having atleast the lead character be likable and someone you root for. This film doesn't have that. The film is original and for the most part kept my attention. But it's hard when you want literally every character to get what's coming to them for being so GD stupid and arrogant. And there were so many parts I hated. It almost unsettled me and that truly takes a lot. Scare me? Not too much. Unsettle me? A whole hell of a lot. I'm going to end this ramble by saying watch it, don't watch it. Horror is subjective anyway. Just if every horror film that's been massively hyped has let you down...this might, too. I was going to give this 3-4 stars but gave it 5 solely because I felt it was original and that's hard to come by anymore.
Justified: City Primeval (2023)
Go In Knowing It's Not...
The Justified we know and love, but it was still wonderful to see Tim back as Raylan. It was 100% jarring watching Raylan in Detroit and outside of Kentucky (especially right after finishing another rewatch of the original series), but I felt it was decent. This isn't the Justified we know. Raylan is in a new element - it was almost like culture shock because I've watched the OG series so much I'm used to the Southern accents, the brightness (the color tone of CP was dark which also threw me off), and the quirkiness and wit of the villains. In CP, the villains are true villains - nothing likable or redeeming about them (though Holbrook was fantastic in his role), which is a drastic change from Justified. We all loved Boyd and rooted for him while wanting him to get caught. All of that can be credited to Walt for bringing such vitality to a character that was only supposed to be in the OG series pilot. I missed the fun banter between Raylan and the bad guys - we didn't get that here. And I get why. We weren't supposed to. This was supposed to be different. And I see why a lot of fans were less than thrilled with City Primeval. I get it and they all have valid points as to why they didn't like this iteration and I agree with them. It was slow at times but in typical Justified fashion, once everything came together it picked up fast and hard. So that being said, I enjoyed it for what it was. I knew it would be different - no Art, Rachel, Tim, Winona, Boyd, Ava, Wynn, Vasquez. I knew it wouldn't be the Justified I loved. The OG series was a perfect show start to finish for me, with the series finale being THE best finale I've seen to date. That's why I appreciated CP a bit because they weren't trying to nor did they set out to make a Justified 2.0. Yes, there were a lot of things I was less than thrilled about. Yes, the format was different and the way everything played out was a bit...not confusing per say...maybe perplexing? Yeah, perplexing is the right word. You didn't know who you could trust. You didn't know who was clean and who was dirty. The actors were great, but like a lot of people said, this iteration was based on a book by Elmore Leonard that had nothing to do with Raylan and the creators of the show put him in anyway. Which makes sense because any version of Justified without Tim/Raylan isn't Justified. But, and hopefully you're still with me, in the end it's worth it. I swear and promise you that. In regards to a second "season", I'm torn. On one hand, hell yes after that ending (just can't use City Primeval as part of the title). If you watched you know why. But on the other hand, the OG series (like I said) ended in sheer and utter perfection with "Because we dug coal together" that I don't know if we really should have a second season. Why mess with perfection? Either way, I'd be happy because I do trust the creators, writers, and Tim. I'd say give it a shot, but go in with an open mind and try not to compare the two.
Halloween Ends (2022)
What did I just watch?
So I just watched the trilogy back to back and I gotta say (and I loathe and am sad about this), this was the worst film in the franchise. Yep. Worse than Resurrection if you can believe it (and I hated Resurrection). Halloween 2018 was wonderful and reinvigorated the series. It felt like a Halloween film. Halloween Kills...1/2 is good, 1/2 is not so good. But this...wow I'm so disappointed. And I never thought I would say this but Kills was better. Which is really saying something.
What I'm so confused and quite frankly baffled by is the character of Corey. What was the point? Why did we spend most of the movie on this character who ends up being killed by Michael Myers after working with him (huh?)? Did we need that melodramatic weird love story between Allyson and Corey? Absolutely not. You're entering Scream's territory (LOVE Scream, making a point) and that has never been what Halloween is about. And what's with EVERYONE in Haddonfield blaming Laurie? She didn't kill anyone. She tried to warn law enforcement that MM would come back and, GASP, he did. That also made no sense. Also, the atmosphere of the film was just plain off. It has a different feel than the rest of the trilogy (the rest of the franchise really) and I didn't like that. John Carpenter should have had a much larger role in this trilogy and if he didn't want to, then in all honesty maybe it shouldn't have been made or they should've just done the film in 2018 and ended it once and for all. Oh, and WHY was this 2 hours? It was 1 1/2 hours of Corey and Allyson and less than a half hour of Laurie and Michael. I'm just really sad that one of my all time favorite horror franchises ended like this.
The Black Phone (2021)
Wow
I don't get all the low and negative reviews. Yes, I read the short story and loved it. Maybe read it if you haven't and hated this film? Just a thought. Anyway. I went into this 1000% expecting to be disappointed. The hype. The fact that it's an adaption of a short story by the incredible Joe Hill. Joe Hill is one of my favorite authors, and after the HORRENDOUS adaption of Horns, I was fully prepared to hate this. Instead, I loved it. I found myself talking out loud to the TV (rarely do this). I was emotional at the end - you want some kind of emotion at the end of a well done horror film no? Ethan Hawke was truly creepy (though admittedly they could have upped the creep factor a bit which is why I gave it 9/10) and so good as "The Grabber". So don't listen to the negative reviews. Give it a shot and come away with your own opinion. I really don't think you'll be disappointed.
Terrifier (2016)
Knows What It Is
Let me start off by saying this is gory. Like, Eli Roth gore level here. So this will not be for everyone. That being said, if you enjoy the traditional '80s slasher films, where the killer has no motive other than just to kill for fun. If you're looking for a "story" and a "true plot" - this isn't for you. There is plot, but in the loosest sense of the word. But I found this film fun. It brought back memories from when I first delved into horror and solely watched slashers of all calibers. What I enjoyed most was that the director/writer knew what type of film he was making and stuck to it. I can appreciate that. He leaned in to the old school type of b-movie slasher that I feel he was trying to go for. This film would've fit in well in the 80s or back when SyFy made good/horrible fun slasher type films.
Art the Clown is SOOOOO creepy and the actor who played him was so good it made it worth while. A serial killer clown mime?? Who literally makes no sounds (no breathing, gasping, sounds of pain, etc)?? Creepy AF. AtC will probably not be do down in history has the GOATs like Michael, Jason, and Freddy, but he should get an honorable mention.
If you're looking for an unoriginal original (if you watch it, you'll get it) atmospheric slasher that's good for *mindless* watching - I recommend this. 5 stars rating solely for Art the Clown.
Bridgewater (2021)
LOVE LOVE LOVE
I loved every second of this podcast. It was entertaining, super creepy, and well acted. I could not stop listening to it. The mystery was new and fantastic and the ending of season 1 (season 2 next year!!!) was satisfying but also left me with more questions. But again, season 2 is coming so YAY! This podcast is original and the episodes leave you wanting more to the point that you could spend an entire day binging the whole first season. I literally cannot say enough good things about this. And if I may, should you want to add to the creepiness and the atmosphere - put on a jacket, grab your ear buds/air pods/headphones, and go for a walk right around sunset. Preferably near woods. Preferably with no one around. Trust me. It made the experience that much more fun. Can't wait for season 2!!!
The Watcher (2022)
Bingeworthy but...
I finished this in 2 nights, 1 night had I not started it so late. It was THAT intriguing and entertaining until...the last episode. But I'll get to that.
First, the people complaining that it didn't stick to actual events-who cares? The letter part was true so technically, this is based on a true story/true events. Stop complaining. Most shows and films that state this do the exact same thing this series did. So instead of complaining, maybe don't watch things that state they are based on true events?
Second, I was immediately drawn in. That house is STUNNING. Naomi Watts and Bobby Canivale were phenomenal, as were Margot Martindale (as usual), Mia Farrow, Jennifer Coolidge, Seth Gabel, and the rest of the cast who made up the weirdos. Shout out to the actress (can't remember her name off the top of my head) who played Theodora Birch - she was WONDERFUL. The mystery and twists and turns were great and you didn't know who to believe. I love that. I would've liked more backstory on previous owners (Seth Gabel's character to be exact) and on the weirdo neighbors.
Third, the daughter was insufferable. Her father (understandably) doesn't want his 15/16 year old to date a 19 year old so she tries to ruin HER FATHER by going on Tik-Tok and making a video, dramatically crying, about how her dad won't let her date the 19 year old because of his race which is obviously not the case. Oh, and there are ZERO repercussions for her and nothing really happens to her dad. Then, the 19 year old sends the dad's boss a weird video...I can't even type it it was so stupid. THEN, a couple episodes later, Dean (the dad) and the 19 year old are super chill and he's dating the 16 year old with zero problems. Sure.
Fourth, and most perplexing, those damn tunnels. What was the point of introducing that plot if you're not really going to follow through with it except a random scene at the end? I liked (and was excited for) that whole idea and am disappointed the family wasn't more concerned and that it wasn't explored. Oh, and who tf was William/Bill/John whoever? So random.
Finally, the last episode. It was perplexing. Frustrating. Left more questions than answers. I get that the real watcher was never found, but this was a fictional show - RM could've come up with something. And the way all the neighbors act - no explanation, no real reasons, NO ANSWERS. And the end - with Dean and Nora both watching the house? What the hell was that? I don't mind when shows end ambiguously. To an extent. This show just ended anticlimactically ambiguous that I was actually annoyed that I wasted 7 hours on this.
All this being said, I've come to find that with Ryan Murphy it's mostly hype with intriguing premises and beginnings, but little to no follow through or such a turn that you're left with whiplash. And disappointment. He needs to do better or stick to true crime that has an ending, like he did with OJ, Clinton, Versace, and Dahmer. Or just stick with AHS until the end of time. Or better yet, FIGURE OUT HOW TO END YOUR S**T WITHOUT MAKING EVERYONE FEEL LIKE THEY WASTED TIME. A disappointing conclusion with answers is better than no conclusion and more confusion.