3 Thoughts After Watching ‘A Quiet Place Part II’:
Super happy that we got to see the origin of it all. And that we got to see John a little bit.
This was my first movie theater experience since the pandemic began — and it was a great film to return with. I got to jump out of my seat a few times. How I’ve missed it.
I thought this was a great next step in what will obviously continue to be a franchise. The story went appropriately next-level, the acting was solid (the kids are awesome!), and I loved the addition of Cillian Murphy. Looking forward to what’s next!
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘His House’:
This could totally be my own lack of comprehension, but I found the order of events to be incredibly confusing. Did he kidnap the girl in order to flee Sudan? Was she never their daughter? Why did Rial decide to kill the witch after being so dang angry and stabby at Bol? Unless I’m completely missing the point, this film was all over the place.
Despite a head-spinning timeline, there were some great visuals here, impressive transitions, and legit spooky moments. I see this more as a work of art than a well-rounded story.
Was it really necessary to peel off all the wallpaper?
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Reluctant Dragon’:
I was not expecting a live action movie.
The animated stories were cute, but not the highlight. The soul of this film lies in all the magic making. It was a treat to see all that went into creating Disney animated pictures way back when. The behind-the-scenes tour gave the studios a magical theme park feel and you can see how Walt really set the bar for everything.
Appearances by Walt himself and the legendary voice of Donald Duck were also fun highlights. Benchley, on the other hand, was largely unlikable.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Taking of Deborah Logan’:
Horror and supernatural elements aside, this is actually a very sad film.
Kudos to Jill Larson for quite a performance. I can’t imagine that role was very easy to pull off.
I was indubitably creeped out and on edge for a large portion of the movie, but a subpar mythology and cliche ending left me somewhat disappointed. This could’ve been a solid 8.
3 Thoughts After Re-Watching ‘Pinocchio’:
My first time watching this in its entirety as an adult — and it still has all the magic and more. Quite a jump in story and substance from _ Snow White_. And the animation is just gorgeous. A reminder that there’s a very special something lost in today’s digitally-dominated Disney landscape. My critical grown-up mind and my childhood heart fused together in much appreciation for this viewing.
Six words. “When You Wish Upon a Star.” The song that officially anointed Disney with the power of making dreams come true. Disney’s enduring theme that hope is alive in the strangest of places. Iconic is an understatement. This song is the best of us.
Oh, Jiminy Cricket, how under-appreciated you are. The original sidekick. I found myself living for all his quips more than ever. And I may have rediscovered a new favorite character. You are spectacular.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’:
It’s difficult to give a low score to, or be too critical about, the OG of Disney movies. The Princess who started it all. The music. The love. The magic. In the ‘30s no less. Groundbreaking and iconic.
My biggest criticism, as a film in general, is that it drags a bit during the dwarf scenes, with mostly gimmicks and gags. Most likely as laughs for the kids.
Disney killed it in the villain department here. The visuals and atmosphere during all the Queen’s scenes were a total vibe. The witch and her Magic Mirror set the bar.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’:
I enjoyed it. There’s no doubt about that. It was a well-structured journey, giving us more quality time with Cyborg and The Flash. All kinds of epic, absolutely worthy of a four-hour film. As it grew closer to the climax, there was something missing that I just can’t quite pinpoint. But it’s all good. So different from Marvel in all the right ways. DC truly has so much untapped potential.
I definitely have my qualms: a) Batman felt a bit insignificant here. Other than a couple gadgets and vehicles — and playing the role of recruiter — it just didn’t feel like he was a major force in this battle. b) I have the unpopular opinion that Momoa is wildly miscast in this role and the Snyder Cut didn’t save it. He has occasional moments (particularly one-liners) but, overall, his Aquaman just doesn’t leave a lasting impression. c) I feel the same about Amy Adams and Eisenberg. d) I love “Hallelujah” and that was probably the worst rendition I’ve ever heard.
There were some great music moments. One major standout for me was “Song to the Siren” by Rose Betts. I absolutely love the song and the Flash scene that accompanied it. Such a talented artist.
Bonus Thought: I do agree with a fellow commenter that they were VERY lax with the secret identities in this movie. Very careless.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Host’:
Alllllll of that... and she still died?!
My least favorite Bong Joon-ho film. It all felt very disconnected to me. A lot of random plot points (why were they giving him brain surgery? was he not affected by it? why did that homeless man come in to play?). Strange edits. Several frustrating character moments. In the end, I found it to be dissatisfying.
There was a ton of promise in the beginning. And a sprinkling of solid moments throughout. Regardless of my disappointment, I do love Joon-ho’s style and I can’t say I was ever bored.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Crawl’:
1/4 disaster flick. 3/4 creature feature. I’m totally here for it.
Between the gore, the rats, the spiders, the gator eggs, and swimming/walking barefoot in questionable water... my skin was what seemed to be crawling the most.
This was a fun film that wasn’t trying to be anything more than it intended. From the basement to the roof, solid thrills were had.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Relic’:
Writing this before reading any comments or online explanations, I have :asterisk_symbol::asterisk_symbol:no:asterisk_symbol::asterisk_symbol: idea what just happened. Should I feel stupid right now? Guess I’m about to find out.
The communication in this family is horrendous. Let’s see a bunch of eerie shit the entire film and not mention it to one another.
There was a solid creep factor for most of the movie and I was waiting for an epic reveal. Only to get something disastrously ambiguous. The last 15 minutes slashed my rating a couple points.
Updated Thought: I’ve come to understand that the entire film is an allegory for Alzheimer’s. I can appreciate the use of a horror vehicle to explore something truly horrific, but — as a viewer — I couldn’t help but feel a little duped with the drastic left turn at the end, revealing the metaphor. It kinda reminds me of when I was super excited to see The Village, and was sorely disappointed to see it basically transition into an entirely different genre. There were elements of this film (i.e. seeing the monster under the bed or behind a character) that seemingly had nothing to do with the allegory and simply led you to believe it was a supernatural story. Duped. And, for me, dissatisfying. But I can see why others respect it.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Vivarium’:
Excuse me while I endlessly Google the meaning of what I just watched.
It’s always such a disappointing moment, with these physiological thrillers, when they suddenly go off the rails. That moment — after a strong, promising start — when things suddenly become just too strange and random. And you know there’s no way back to a satisfying conclusion. The moment when the kid starting speaking in their voices was that moment for me.
I enjoyed the film regardless. It was basically one long Twilight Zone episode. And those are always fun.
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.
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?
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Onward’:
I loved the message that sometimes we need to appreciate what we’ve always had more than what we never knew.
I thought it was an interesting choice to use fairytale creatures in a world that resembles our own. And I believe that there’s an analogy in there somewhere, involving a kind of wonder and magic that we as humans have forgotten about over time.
The brotherly bond was incredibly touching and may have inspired a tear or two. The sacrifice at the end was painful, but perfect.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘A Simple Favor’:
Henry Golden is absolute perfection.
The character of Stephanie Smothers was just a little TOO over-the-top at times, bordering on obnoxious.
Overall, I didn’t think the film was unenjoyable. But the mystery felt a little thrown together and the twist at the end — for me personally — was a bit overhyped and anticlimactic.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘God’s Own Country’:
A beautiful film about loneliness and the power of companionship. The power of love and someone else’s ability to make our lives infinitely better. To complete us.
The beginning of this film was VERY “Brokeback,” in more ways than one. So, as a viewer, I immediately felt like I was watching something super unoriginal. But it eventually found its own footing to its own story... and to a refreshingly-lovely ending.
I was hoping the L-word would’ve been said. But I get it. It took a lot for John to say all he did in the end. And that was enough.
Bonus Thought: Those scenes. Is it hot in here??
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Nine to Five’:
This one was a good ol’ rewatch with family, reminding me that I apparently hadn’t seen it in its entirety. So much I didn’t remember.
I got ‘First Wives Club’ and ‘Witches of Eastwick’ vibes with this. Three iconic women being pure badasses. Who would today’s trio be?
This gets a higher rating for the theme song alone.
