Wowww. This single episode took the entire series to a whole ‘nother level. The point of it all is finally coming into view and the stakes are high. Solid entry.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’:
It’s a silly film, somewhat forgettable, but we run into some decent humor and a solid dose of heart.
That last song was (surprisingly) beautiful.
I literally LOL’d when the elf house door closed.
Bonus Thought: I had no idea this was an actual real-life contest until reading the other comments and checking out IMDb.
Diego. Is. Insufferable.
Every single episode.
DIEGO’S HAIR IS THE WORST PART OF THIS SEASON.
On another note... LOVED the use of Kiss’ “I Was Made For Loving You” here.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Boneyard’:
One of THE worst films I’ve ever seen in my entire life. The acting. The “story.” The slowest pacing possible. Literally painful to get through. Nothing explained. Nothing redeemable. No.
What was Phyllis Diller thinking?!
I thought the Poopinplatz Mutant was pretty creative for its time. The only thing that earned this film my “1” rating.
Bonus Thought: That song during the credits... WHAT?
A better episode than the rest. But the story is kinda moving along at a snail’s pace.
And WHY did Luther seem to just chill as the chandelier came plummeting toward him? He totally had time to move.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Incredibles 2’:
It was a fun movie — as I expected it to be — but it doesn’t quite meet the magic of the original. I felt a lot was more of the same, maybe even a teeny bit more predictable, but it was nice to see Elastigirl take the lead on this one.
There was a lot accomplished in the original film that I don’t think needed to be re-explored here. I expected the sequel to take place in a world where superheroes were legal again and where the family, having already accepted their super status, spent the entire film working together. But they kinda retreaded the same challenges again.
Baby Jack-Jack’s multitude of powers were a fun highlight. Just when we thought we saw all he could do, we were delightfully proved wrong.
Bonus Thought: Will the Underminer ever be captured? We’ll probably never know.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Wretched’:
My biggest gripe was that the entire film treaded all-too-familiar territory. We’ve seen all of this before, in similar ways. The only anticipation here was wondering when and where the witch would pop up on the screen again. Nothing particularly unique.
I’ll give well-earned props for the twist at the end. When Ben was talking to his mom on the phone and she said “I miss my boys,” I was wondering why she would miss the father. Then the twist happened and I had a major “aha!” moment. Solid stuff.
While you could come to conclusions on your own, I wish there was a liiittle more backstory on the witch. Not much was revealed at all.
Bonus Thought: If Fright Night and IT had a baby.
Loving these characters! But why can’t they just stay together for once?!
I love love love Amy Sedaris’ character and hope to see more of her.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Platform’:
I would’ve given this a higher score if the point of the message was made a little clearer, and the ending a little more satisfying. Whether the message was the perfect panna cotta or the girl, what’s the purpose of the message at all? To show solidarity? Would it change the system once discovered at the top? Would prisoners be released? What would Goreng gain from it exactly? With only a month left AND living comfy at Level 6, the reward must’ve been worth the trip down. But how would he even assume it’d accomplish anything? So many questions... too many questions revolving this “message” they were trying to send. I wish it were a smidge clearer. ALSO... how was that girl surviving way down there? And why did they not burn up/freeze when they held on to the panna cotta? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
Regardless of the endless questions, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I thought it was quite an original story and well acted. And I thought the simplistic score was super eerie and effective.
I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to eat my chicken panini at the start of the film.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Greenland’:
I’m in awe of how fantastic this film was. This is what every disaster film should aspire to be. One of the best I’ve seen in a very, very long time. Nearly perfect pacing. Great acting. Nothing cheesy. Kudos.
It’s a tragedy that I couldn’t see this in a theater with a crowd. It would’ve been a thrilling cinematic experience.
Not one moment of this film was wasted or filler. Every moment contributed to the next. And every moment contributed to my anxiety. As it should have.
Bonus Thought: The mirror of humanity here was truly terrifying.
3 Thoughts After Completing ‘Marvel’s Jessica Jones’:
I never thought I’d like a disgruntled, broken superhero so much. Krysten Ritter was a joy to watch and deserves the credit for keeping me invested.
Nothing ever lived up to the first season. I blame a lot of that on the absence of David Tennant, who rivals Vincent D’Onofrio for the best villain of this whole Netflix/Marvel thing. Other than that, stories/characters just went in an off direction.
I really, really wanted to like Trish Walker — and in the first season she was great! But she eventually became very detrimental to the show, evolving into someone fairly unlikeable. One might say this made the “series finale-worthy” ending that much more satisfying, but others will see missed opportunities.
Bonus Thought: So long, Defenders. It’s been an interesting ride.
HOW DOES JESSICA PAY HER BILLS AND AFFORD A RECEPTIONIST?
That’s all.
3 Thoughts After Completing ‘Marvel’s The Punisher’:
Jon Bernthal’s incessant gruffness and mega-machismo would otherwise be off-putting, but it worked here. He was (and hopefully will continue to be) the perfect Punisher. With slightly weaker secondary characters all-around, he carried much of the show.
As much as I love the cheesy superhero fluff and standard MCU fare, it’s a nice change of pace to have something super gritty in the mix. This Punisher was relentless and not afraid to get a bit brutal.
It’s not a perfect show, but the fight scenes are top-notch and there are some really solid moments, particularly at the end. Despite its untimely cancellation, it wraps things up rather well. DEF worth a watch!
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Beyond the Door’:
This might have been the worst film I have ever seen. Why it’s on “Fangoria's 101 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen” list is BEYOND me.
The score was pure torture. Anger-inducing.
There may have been some fairly creepy visuals to respect here IF THEY WEREN’T BLATANT RIPOFFS OF THE EXORCIST. And they even tried adding a little Rosemary’s Baby into the mix. A major horror fail if I’ve ever seen one.
Bonus Thought: That scene where the husband was walking down the street while being surrounded by musicians who played flutes through their nose. WHY?
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Alone in the Dark’:
“The Bleeder” twist was a neat one that shouldn’t have been so obvious.
The action/attack scenes here were incredibly weak. And, yeah, it was the early 80s, but so many films that came before accomplished this way more effectively.
All in all, I wasn’t bored. The premise was an interesting one that I don’t believe was executed very well. And the ending left me scratching my head.
Bonus Thought: Martin Landau has one helluva creepy grin.
I CANNOT EVEN begin to delve into how many FATHOMS apart this series is from the rest of the Marvel/Netflix gang.
Stellar episode that barely included the main guy. INCREDIBLE setup for a new villain. Building stakes higher and higher and higher.
THIS is how it’s done.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Alice Sweet Alice’:
That reveal was a major disappointment — and also the precise moment I knew I wouldn’t be reviewing this film with much praise. I don’t even understand what her actual motive was.
The only creepy things from this film were the landlord and his music.
It felt a lot longer than it ever should have felt.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Dead of Night’:
Decided to watch this because of the same director’s other horror film, ‘Black Christmas’, which was creepily impressive for its time. This film is a notch down from that, but it still provides a bit of proof that Clark has a special flair for horror.
That poor daughter — and dog. =(
Makeup was top-notch for the 70s, thanks to horror legend Tom Savini. Props deserved for making a man look like he’s regressing back into the corpse he once was.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Black Christmas’:
Strong beginning. Super strong ending. Everything in between kinda dragged, which was detrimental to the story’s suspense and momentum. I was gonna rate it lower, until the ending legit creeped me out and had me paying wayyy too much attention to every single creak in the house.
The crude phone calls, and the fact that just some random crazy dude was the killer, were effectively chilling.
The fact that this film came before the classic slasher films we all know and love is very impressive. Wes Craven was clearly a fan. John Saxon would later appear in ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ and there were some solid ‘Scream’ vibes here.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’:
That “pod birth” scene in the garden was especially grotesque. A reminder that we need more practical effects in our cinematic lives.
WTF was that human/dog hybrid thing about?! That sure came outta nowhere.
All in all, it was a classic worth seeing. The story and the whole “snatching” process felt a little disjointed at times, something more recent renditions of the “pod people” story accomplished better. But a great cast made up for it.
I literally gasped twice watching this episode. This season is giving us real stakes. Something Luke Cage never accomplished in its sophomore season.
I love that Misty is a part of this season — which is actually fairly enjoyable.
3 Thoughts After Re-Watching ‘Alien’:
Another reminder as to just how much of a badass Ellen Ripley is. Sigourney is a queen.
The alien design is so iconic and genius. From the Facehugger to the final grown abomination — acid blood and all — it’s a pretty damn perfect (and grotesque!) concept.
While altogether impressive and obviously a pure CLASSIC, there are parts that drag. A few impatient moments when you’re just waiting to get to the good stuff. Something, from what I remember, the sequel improves upon.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Green Inferno’:
The acting in the beginning was awful. But they were good at being scared, which sometimes seems like “enough” to some filmmakers when casting these b-movie horror films.
I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. And it wasn’t as shocking as I expected it to be.
The fart sound effects during one character’s violent bowel movement, Alejandro’s “release,” and the tribe’s munchies were absolutely ABSURD.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Hustlers’:
As if we needed anymore proof, Jennifer Lopez clearly has quite the presence. Stunning and scene-stealing, it was great to see her flex her acting muscles in a way I haven’t seen before.
Sure it was hella flashy, but it certainly had substance to match, particularly in the chemistry between Constance and Jennifer. Their characters accurately served up that stark reminder that, while the best of friendships can disappoint, they still have an unwavering capacity to save us.
Palisades Center Mall food court cameo! The scene where they were recruiting new members. My mall!
Yaz’s “Only You” perfectly sealing that symbol of hope. Love it so much.
This single episode was better than the entirety of Luke Cage’s second season.
Major improvements on Danny’s whole demeanor and the fight scenes.
I’m SO over Mariah talking about her family.
And I’m so over people — Danny, Claire, Luke’s father — telling Luke that he has to face all his internal issues and be at peace with himself. Luke has been ridiculously one-dimensional this whole time that it makes no sense, and their concern only comes across as super melodramatic.
It’s been a challenge making it through this season.
