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.
Emma is hands-down the best part of this show.
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.
Q is definitely a better, overall queen… but this was one of the episodes where I feel like the lip syncs are pointless… because Q was NOT impressive.
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.
Long-haired dude was totally fake crying after that marble game.
I love me some Billie Lourd and Leslie Grossman… but give them British accents, and my eyes couldn’t roll any farther back. Just so silly.
And the true horror story here… pickles and ice cream! Blech!!
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?
Darren is such a frickin’ ham. It’s so annoying.
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.
Weird and abrupt ending that felt a bit incomplete. But there was a lot of compelling imagery here. I thought they did a great job at depicting the tragedy and devastation of this moment in history. It really is a true American horror story, but it’s not American Horror Story.
I’m all for a show mixing things up, giving the audience something new and from a different perspective. But I personally don’t watch this show to feel sad and melancholic. I dunno… I just feel that this story would have been better received without the inherent base expectations that come with American Horror Story. I personally wasn’t in the mindset to sit through this. Albeit powerful, it should have been a separate series.
Does AHS really need to be this depressing?
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.
Aw Jake, I was rootin’ for ya. They were all talking about fire and who had the most. In my opinion, you had the most.
Tribal council chat has become so boring. I love me some Jeff, but his questions aren’t very inspired and haven’t had the kind of reaction they used to.
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.
Is it just me or does it feel like Mantello is overacting in every scene? He’s been at the same speed of intensity since the start of the season.
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.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘X’:
I don’t think a modern horror film has ever reminded me SO much of the old school ones from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Yet somehow it still managed to feel fresh.
I went into this pretty blind and had no clue where things were going or what kind of movie it wanted to be, especially during the “Landslide” scene. That was different.
Jenna Ortega has truly mastered the slasher movie scream.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Leave the World Behind’:
Gosh, how much I’ve missed Julia Roberts.
I almost forgot how much I love Sam Esmail. I was enamored straight out of the gate here, hooked right away. His direction, the way he frames everything, the way he builds tension, the use of music, how all these characters had constant, quality, well-developed interactions with each other… he’s a genius. So much talking and I was never bored. Not for a minute. Now I need him to write/direct a horror film. Can you even imagine?
As the buildup progressed, and the story headed towards its unfathomable conclusion, I worried more and more that it wouldn’t stick the landing. But it most definitely did.
Bonus Thought: The Thornes know what’s up with that Buffy collection. I’d be all set lol.
Yasss, Elektra! That win was very satisfying.
Such a disappointing episode. There are so many queens in this season who are not very likable, such mean spirits… and the one with the greatest spirit gets sent packing. I don’t feel like it was very deserved. Loved her energy. But I’m glad Karen gets to stay.
The brightest moment was Elektra getting the awesome critique from Ru. I’m rootin’ for ya, girl.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Silent Night’:
Well that was a bleak and depressing watch. Not only did it all feel a bit hopeless… in the end, it felt a bit pointless too.
I’m all for not giving up. I wouldn’t have taken the pill either.
Was I the only one who saw that ending coming a mile away?
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘P2’:
I constantly found myself thinking… how the hell did he ever get that job?
The game of chicken was a little ridiculous.
It’s a surface-level plot. Very You. Not a masterpiece, but it held my attention thanks to the two leads. I kept waiting for it to ramp up a bit more (I was hoping she would get even more badass after the axe discovery), and then it ended. Didn’t hate it tho.
I am SO happy with this win. She is so deserving for so many reasons.
Another great episode! Also, I don’t dislike Tamara, but I think she’s borderline obnoxious. Just a little too extra. Ginger and Michael, on the other hand, are absolute class acts. Excited for the finale.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘V/H/S/85’:
The technology story was so stupid, and basically the worst piece of this collection.
I thought it was cool how they ended one tale, only to bring it back later in another. Didn’t see that coming — and that’s always nice.
One thing that I’ve grown to appreciate with this franchise is that — while there are some hits and maybe even more misses — I’ve noticed a decent amount of originality and out-of-the-box thinking with these stories. Was this chapter mind-blowing? No. But I didn’t feel like my time was wasted.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Wish’:
Gaston officially has a rival for the sexiest Disney villain.
My first major thought is how I don’t understand the disdain this film has been getting. This was a solid Disney story. A touching standalone fairytale, with great characters, gorgeous animation, and those signature Disney tunes. Yeah, there were a lot of Easter eggs. I loved ‘em. This is clearly a love letter to Disney history, to the man himself, and I was moved by it.
“Knowing What I Know Now” is a certified bop. And I was giving ALL the snaps when the queen joined in.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Black Friday’:
It’s so unfortunate, because this could have been something really fun, the makings of a holiday horror classic even, but this film was horrifically made. Everything about it — from the writing to the directing to the editing to the scoring — was poorly executed. Sawa deserved better.
So many silly character decisions. For example, how did Bruce Campbell jumping into a pile of seemingly-contained monsters benefit anyone? It didn’t. At all. So silly.
I know we don’t always need a point. We didn’t necessarily need to know the aliens’ motive. We didn’t need to know exactly why they possessed people to surround a mysterious blob with toy products. But MAYBE knowing would’ve made this better.
