3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Nightwatch’:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is so hot. Yes, that’s my first thought.
My second thought is how on-the-fence I am about rating this thing. I didn’t hate it. It didn’t blow me away. I thought the progression in the first half was soooo frickin’ slowww. But it had some redeeming qualities, some quality horror moments. So I’m hopping on the side of the fence that says this was just aight.
I don’t think I’ve ever hated a bromance more. That challenge thing was infuriating and unnecessary.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Oldboy’:
Yeah, that was a royally messed up reveal and ending, but the journey getting there was — in my opinion — a bit of a mess. I found most of the film to be fairly confusing and overall unenjoyable. A connect-the-dots image of the plot progression would be one enormous scribble. More attention seemed to be spent on the twisted payoff than on the buildup making much sense.
I kinda expected this to be a Kill Bill-esque revenge movie, with some badass justice being served. Boy was I wrong. The fight scenes weren’t even very impressive.
I could give props to the film for some pretty creative shots and transitions. And some solid acting. That’s about it.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’:
This is a solid example of why I need to ignore consensus scores on Rotten Tomatoes. This is NOT a bad movie by any means. Does it match the creep factor and punch of the original? Of course not. But it ups the ante by covering some new territory, with a family at stake this time around.
I recognized Bailee Madison from Once Upon a Time, where she played a young Snow White. She was a fantastic actress then and I thought she was the standout performance here. All of the acting was on point!
Those three maniacs sure cover a lot of ground pretty damn quick, don’t they?
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Final Girls’:
If Last Action Hero and Friday the 13th had a baby. I’m totally okay with that mix.
Silly and nonsensical, but a cute little homage to slasher films. I particularly enjoyed the faux end credits, the slo-mo bit, and the fun “twisty” ending.
At first, I thought they were trying just a liiiiiiittle too hard to tug at the heartstrings. But it actually ended up being somewhat touching.
I love that I get to see all these queens all season… but a couple of the runway looks, and even a comment by Nina, prove how the lack of eliminations might inspire them to play it a little safe.
Also, that lip sync was very underwhelming.
I’m not sure how I feel about the plan for this season. I love the charity element, and that these organizations are getting some visibility. But — with no eliminations — there are zero stakes each episode as a viewer.
And there doesn’t seem to be any criticisms coming from the judges either. The love fest is nice and all… and these queens have certainly earned their praise… but we still need some CRITIQUE… and I only foresee the concentrated love fest continuing.
My qualms aside… this is an EXCEPTIONAL cast. I can’t help but look forward to what they’ll bring to the stage each week. I think I have to look at this season as a celebration of this show’s legacy rather than a competition.
Officially a fan of Morphine now! She should totally be in the finale.
Plane DESTROYED that lip sync. Probably my fave moment of this season.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Innocents’:
Listen… I didn’t expect a Dumbledore vs. Voldemort battle at the end there, but I was hoping for more than a staring contest. This was shaping up to be an awesome movie, but I thought they supremely dropped the ball in the end. Points lost solely for that.
I gotta give the film credit for doing so much with so little. They didn’t depend on crazy special effects to tell a superpower story. Additional kudos to a young cast who did a spectacular job carrying the film. And props for going places I didn’t expect the plot to go. I could have done without the cat scenes though.
I don’t think they should have given Ida powers. It was an interesting layer that she was the only “normal” one. To reveal her powers at the eleventh hour didn’t serve the story at all.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’:
That was one of the oddest films I’ve ever seen. When you really think about it, it’s a rather simple story, but with a wildly peculiar, roundabout way of telling it.
Why did the characters speak as if they were devoid of a human soul? Was it to create a sense of confusion and unease? So very strange.
I still have so many questions… but I’m not in a race to get them answered… except maybe how they came up with the movie’s title. Otherwise, I’m very on-the-fence with this watch.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Glorious’:
I knew I heard J. Jonah Jameson in that stall.
The scariest part of this movie was the physical contact he came into with everything in that bathroom.
I saw the “twist” coming early on in those flashbacks. Wish it weren’t as obvious. Otherwise, it was nice to see Jason Stackhouse again in a decent flick.
This rewatch is reminding me how horrid and painful Sam and Alcide’s storylines are.
3 Thoughts After Completing ‘Baby Reindeer’:
Please give Richard Gadd ALL the awards. From storytelling to performance, he was incredibly compelling. And incredibly brave.
What sets this show apart is the fact that we’re watching a very heavy, difficult-to-watch story unfold… portrayed by the very person who endured it all. It most definitely affects the experience as a viewer. Your emotions are heightened and you’re more invested than watching something that’s solely acting.
I’m not familiar with Jessica Gunning, who plays our lead’s relentless stalker. I can’t imagine it was very easy to take on this role, and yet she did it so masterfully. She made us despise Martha, while also giving her some semblance of a soul, where we in turn discover a bit of sympathy for the character. Again, not easy.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Totally Killer’:
This movie epitomizes the need to suspend your disbelief. At first, I was unimpressed by a solid amount of nonsense, plot holes, and the production value of a Hallmark movie-of-the-week… and all of that never really went away lol… but when I started to lean into this as more of a fun comedy, than anything that should be taken seriously, I actually enjoyed it!
I think it was the ending that won me over. There were definitely some clever ideas here, and I can’t say I saw any of it coming… maybe a little of it… but all-in-all it left a good impression on me. And I would totally be interested in a sequel.
Kiernan Shipka had some awesome comedic timing in this. Her commentary on the lack of any sense of “political correctness” or sense of urgency in the 80s was pretty funny.
3 Thoughts After Completing ‘The Crown’:
THIS is premiere storytelling, folks. Superior quality television. I initially went into this merely to test out the hype, expecting to be bored by subject matter I had little-to-no interest in… expecting to face challenges in understanding a history I knew nothing about. Instead, I was absolutely captivated by every single episode and I learned SO much. Every episode feels perfectly crafted, mini motion pictures, focusing on a character — or set of characters — blessing them with all the layers they need and deserve. Just brilliant.
We got a brand new cast every two seasons, and my heart broke a little each time we had to say goodbye. But then the new group would rope me right back in, making me eventually miss them too. Nearly impeccable casting.
Diana. There’s a particular focus on her when she steps into this world — as there should be. It was a painful watch, in the sense that I wanted it to all play out differently for her. And Elizabeth Debicki portrayed her to absolute perfection.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Late Night with the Devil’:
It started off with so much promise. I was totally sucked in and so excited to see where this was gonna go… and then it went absolutely nowhere. Everything and nothing managed to happen all at once with that ending. Anticlimactic AF.
I loved the 70s late night talk show vibe. This is was such a great environment for a solid spooky story. Again, so much promise.
Some of the acting kinda took me out of it. The guy playing the skeptic was particularly awful.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Poor Things’:
What a delightfully odd film. From the music to the visuals to the costumes to the directing, this was quite the quirky journey I didn’t expect — but enjoyed! Those “fishbowl” shots were definitely an interesting approach.
It was VERY “Tim Burton” but with a touch of something new, and obviously a bit more mature. This story could most certainly exist in his universe.
Emma Stone. This feels like SUCH a departure from the stuff I’ve seen her in. What a bold performance. And I thought her comedic timing was fantastic. Very much deserving of her Oscar.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie try so hard to be relevant and cool.
The story wasn’t awful, but the film itself was bogged down by an excess of [ridiculous] dialogue and unlikable characters.
I feel like I should’ve seen that ending coming, but I didn’t… which gives the movie some points. But I was still left hoping for a bigger reveal.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Nightmare Alley’:
What an odd little film. An odd little film that ran a little too long. And it didn’t grab me at first. I was somewhat bored in the beginning and contemplated calling it quits, mostly because of the way the characters spoke and interacted. I just wasn’t into it. Then things picked up and I became a little more invested. Just a little.
Cate Blanchett is simply otherworldly. Stole every scene she was in. A quintessential movie star.
Despite what may have been a fairly forgettable flick, I still love me some Guillermo del Toro, and his visuals and vibes are always stellar. Great cinematography.
3 Thoughts After Completing ‘Fear the Walking Dead’:
Oh Fear the Walking Dead, the killer of characters, how I’ll instead remember you as The Walking Dead: Fever Dream… because this has been one of the most nonsensical, inconsistent, painful, wasteful series that I have ever spent so much time watching. There was clearly no long-term game plan here. This was merely a cash grab. There’s nothing cohesive about any of these seasons. There has been zero character development, only character confusion, fit to make a viewer’s head spin. A true failure in every sense of the word.
This was meant to depict the BEGINNING of the zombie apocalypse. A peek that the flagship show couldn’t give us. A treat for fans. But I always thought they left LA too soon. We never got to know these characters, as much as we should have, before everything went south. We never got that peek! The plot was rushed from the jump… leading to yet ANOTHER post-apocalyptic journey with not a modicum of direction.
To criticize the show should not suggest I would criticize the talent. So many wonderful actors have graced this show. And the characters themselves aren’t horrible either! Most of them, at least. They simply weren’t given the writing, and general justice, that they deserved.
This show is absolutely ridiculous. If I have to hear “that’s what Alicia would do” one more time, I’m going to set my TV ablaze.
And how did Troy’s daughter manage to swim off the boat and out of that lake/river with her hands tied?
Are they even trying?
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’:
This film reminds me how much I wish horror would move further away from CGI. Not that there was a ton of it here… but enough to give me that reminder.
I didn’t hate it. I was entertained, mostly because of Russell Crowe. I thought he did a great job balancing the heft of his exorcist duties with a solid-yet-subtle dose of humor.
It’s hard to be scared of moments you’ve seen so many times before. This film treads a ton of familiar territory. It wasn’t horribly done, the story was decent for sure, but it’s just another variation of the child possession plot.
An emotional episode that was a bit hard to watch. Not sure how Margaret was in real life, but I enjoyed her as a character on this show. That ending was a bit of a gut punch.
Also, the casting for young Elizabeth was spectacular. I initially thought they brought back Claire Foy for this! Almost identical.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Funny Games’:
Was this film all about torturing the family? Or torturing us? The fourth wall break tells me it’s the latter. That along with an excruciating pace filled with circling dialogue, characters making nonsensical decisions, and that mothertruckin’ REWIND. Ugh, that pissed me off. And I’m fairly certain that was the point.
Torture aside, I wasn’t bored. The performances were solid. And I found the decision to take major moments off-camera interesting. Not great, interesting. Reviewing this film is a challenge.
It certainly wasn’t predictable. No matter how many windows I expected them to appear in front of, or how many cabinets I thought they’d spring from, I somehow knew it just wasn’t that kind of movie.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘You’re Next’:
The Australian actress saved this entire film from being absolute garbage. This could have been a great ride if it weren’t for the atrocious acting and dialogue. My goodness. Before things actually started getting interesting — and they surprisingly did — I had already pretty much checked out because of how deeply flawed everything felt.
Was my viewing glitchy, or did a couple scenes repeat themselves for absolutely no reason?
The lack of inspiration is evident in the film’s title, which only seemed to exist because of the obligatory writing on the wall, which seemed to serve no purpose or have any meaning whatsoever.
I couldn’t roll my eyes enough watching this. Some of the worst television I’ve ever seen.
“I’m gonna try and do everything I can to get to you before you die…” as Morgan stands completely still in the forest for an extended period of time.
This show is simply, and utterly, painful. The whole ending to this episode was senseless. The laundry list of silliness in this entire season is endless. Absolutely nonsensical.
Why have Grace’s cancer return out of NOWHERE, only to have her get bit a moment later? They use flares to draw the dead to the train... the walkers suddenly vanish when Morgan arrives… only for them to use the threat of flares again. Are we supposed to feel like Morgan’s in actual danger now? Is PADRE even really that menacing? Why exactly are they locking Morgan up? And they’ve been training the kids this whole time just to clear that area? That’s the endgame? Mo is that emotional after knowing these people for under a week? Maybe not… because she’s super quick to abandon Morgan after the “devastating” loss of her mother. Now she’s on Team PADRE. Wait what? What’s the actual point of everything again? I truly don’t know. And I REALLY don’t care. As I force myself to endure this torture for SEVEN more hours.
This whole story is ALL kinds of muddled. What an absolute mess.
I wish I weren’t such a completist who feels the need to finish any show they start… because this is absolute torture.
Are they even trying?! Madison looks mighty wonderful for a woman who’s been locked in a small cell for seven years. Seriously?? Is this a joke?
The plot of this episode itself is asinine. To think I have 11 more to go is EXCRUCIATING.
When I do vote, it won’t be from watching that performance challenge. Am I the only who can never understand what they’re saying? And the decision to have a lip sync for the win was probably based on the fact that the show wasn’t ready to lose Q or Plane Jane… which would have likely been the case.
