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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Dashcam’:
Was that supposed to be funny?
This movie — the longest 80 minutes of my life — can be summed up in one word: repulsive. From all the unnecessary body fluids to the most intolerable main character I have EVER seen on film. And those end credits?! REPULSIVE.
As a horror story, it doesn’t matter that there might have been some decent elements. In addition to this watch being all kinds of unpleasant, nobody could possibly wrap their mind around the reality that NOBODY would continue to film that insanity. The plot didn’t even try making an excuse for using that phone for anything other than calling for help. Absolutely ridiculous.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Spree’:
This was just not good. There was SO much that took me out of it… the ridiculously unrealistic and over-the-top characters… the bad acting….the various ways it was shot… the onslaught of text to read… the frenzy of awful music. It just wasn’t an enjoyable ride at all… no pun intended.
Keery is charming and charismatic for sure — which was to be expected — but it wasn’t quite enough to save this frenetic mess.
David Arquette as the dad felt like an unnecessary waste of time. I didn’t get father/son vibes from them whatsoever. So odd, as if they just wanted to add a big name to this project.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Sissy’:
Those were some interesting music choices. Not terrible. Interesting.
Aisha Dee did an incredible job inspiring sympathy from us while also being absolutely insane. She did unhinged very well.
I went in blind and had no idea where this was going… until I knew exactly where everything was going. A point off for some mild predictability.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Eden Lake’:
This movie was flat-out infuriating. Not only because this couple had 437 opportunities to avoid what transpired, but also because the main antagonist never got the comeuppance we were eagerly holding our breath for. Major ugh.
I was okay with the ending, as bleak as it was. Did I understand that closing scene? Not so much. But I guess I can appreciate the fact it wasn’t an ending I saw coming.
If I watched my soon-to-be husband get repeatedly stabbed and take a razor blade to the tongue, best believe I wouldn’t just stand there like an incapacitated clown. (see thought one)
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Sick’:
This one is a bit tricky to rate because, while I can appreciate the creative take on 2020, and the way they made it into a solid slasher film, the COVID-ness of it all just felt a little silly to me. It also wasn’t fun to relive that moment in time.
I thought the reveal of multiple killers was cool. Didn’t see that coming.
The acting was good. I thought the leads were fantastic. I just wish the characters were a little more fleshed out. It was a fairly short film and I feel like they could have used a little more time to make us care a little more.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘M3GAN’:
Mindless fun and nothing more. And the reason why it’s nothing more comes down to predictability and the Child’s Play of it all. We’ve simply been down this road before.
A pressure washer to the face is pretty inventive.
That dance might have been the scariest part of the movie.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Exorcist III’:
The creepy voices were the true stars here. Very reminiscent of the original.
Decent continuation story here, along with some genuinely eerie visuals. Weird editing at times. But the real downer of the film, for me, was the excessive exposition. They spent so much time explaining so much of what we already suspected. Felt wasteful.
Brad Dourif’s performance was particularly impressive.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Watcher’:
I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much knocking in a single film.
Very Rear Window. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the inspiration. It was a story about paranoia more than anything. Even had some It Follows elements, funny enough. All in all, it was an okay ride, but I was left with wanting something more.
She better dump his ass.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Speak No Evil’:
Daddy really needed to grow a pair. Frankly, the whole family could’ve tried a little harder at the end there. Kinda frustrating. But the father truly failed everyone… particularly for going on the trip in the first place, but especially for turning around for that effing stuffed animal.
Is it just me, or did Bjørn kinda wanna fire up that Dutch oven? (the Dutch oven being Patrick)
Boy was that a slow burn, which I never mind… as long as there’s payoff. And the ending was especially messed up, albeit frustrating (see Thought 1)… but my quandary is over the point of it all. I just wish I knew more of the Dutch couple’s motives. Otherwise a solid flick.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘When Evil Lurks’:
Well, these characters went about things ALL sorts of wrong, didn’t they?
Major points here for shock value and practical effects. They didn’t really hold back, for sure. There were some pretty incredible visuals and I can honestly say this was probably one of the more unpredictable horror movies I’ve ever seen.
What stops this from being superb, in my opinion, is the mythology. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it. You can do so much with it — and they did! But it felt incomplete and contradictory at times. Quite a few holes. For one example, why did the first little girl come back appearing unscathed, while the mother didn’t? And the differences between the “rotten” and “possessed,” along with the seven rules, didn’t seem entirely clear. Lastly, from the looks of the ending, they should’ve just done the deed at the start of the film. Because everything seemed pretty chill and finite at the end. It was the in-between that did them all dirty. No?
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Princess Mononoke’:
Is this not practically the same storyline as Avatar? I wouldn’t be surprised if Cameron found inspiration here.
The little tree spirit Kodamas were kinda eerie but super cute. And the fact that they had buttcheeks inspired a chuckle or two.
I dunno, y’all… I know this is beloved… I am understandably in the minority here… I can respect the art, the symbolism and the message… but this type of storytelling is just not my cup of tea. It just all feels a bit convoluted, there’s soooo much going on, characters are not fully fleshed out. And it’s all simply too fantastical for me to become invested enough to care.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Saltburn’:
Wow, that was a journey. I wish I went in a little more blind. I definitely knew too much, but I was still very captivated by this story. It’s the kind that definitely lingers with you for a bit.
These two male leads. My goodness. First, Barry Keoghan is one helluva talent. That final scene is iconic. If it didn’t involve nudity, we’d be seeing it in future award show montages. He seemed fearless and absolutely nailed it. And to make me pity and cringe for Oliver one moment, and then rethink everything in a flash… masterful. Second… Jacob Elordi… lawd help me. That man overflows with such charisma and charm. And that voice. I fell in love with Felix too.
I have so many questions: Was everything part of the plan? Or was Oliver making decisions on-the-fly? Was he motivated by money and privilege? Or did he really desire companionship? Did he truly love Felix? I’d like to believe so. Because, before Felix discovered the truth, I believe he truly loved Oliver. Having a multitude of questions usually takes away from my experience, but I’m actually okay with these.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘No One Will Save You’:
If there were a recipe for this film, it’d consist of the following ingredients: Signs, Home Alone, Hush, and Body Snatchers.
I was equally impressed and annoyed by the lack of dialogue. Yeah, it most certainly elevated the story and made it fairly unique. But it also took me out of it sometimes, when I just wanted her to use her words, particularly when she went into town looking for help and thought silence would be beneficial.
I’ll avoid spiraling down the annoying rabbit hole of what all actually happened, and instead mention that I kinda wish the aliens had a less stereotypical look. Maybe something a bit more menacing and original.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Menu’:
He was definitely channeling Voldemort at times, trading in his cloak for an apron.
I enjoyed the doses of humor peppered throughout. No pun intended. “Tyler’s Bullshit,” in particular, was an unexpected hoot.
It was an entertaining journey of a film, but I can’t help shake the thought that they could have tried a liiittle harder to escape.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Pearl’:
X introduced me to Mia Goth. And while that film marked a discovery, Pearl is a total exploration of her talent. Mia carried the full weight of this movie, and I’m pretty sure it would’ve been fairly “meh” without her performance. And that prolonged smile at the end deserves some kind of award.
Two words: David Corenswet. My lawd. Charisma overload. He’s going to make a fine Superman.
Now I know why she doesn’t like blondes.
