silentapad Reviews

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

This film deserves better

[10/10 · 13 January 2024]

No one is saying that this film is perfect, and by any measure the 2023 D&D film is technically better on multiple fronts, but there is one front upon which this film is superior.

If you want to watch a fantasy film that is based in the world of D&D, 2023 is superior but if you want to watch a film that feels like it is someone's D&D game broadcast on the big screen? This is the film for you.

We've got everything you want in a Lets Play, an unbalanced party that doesn't make sense, where the story ties in to one characters background, you've got a plot that hinges on the party succeeding so the bad guy can progress.

This film is not a fantasy film, it is a film based on someone's game played out by big actors.

And though I know I am biased when I say it is a 10 to me, it deserves way more than the 3.6 it currently has.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016 TV Movie)

One to avoid

[2/10 · 1 January 2024]

The 1975 Rocky Horror Picture Show is edgy and subversive, and though it is not perfect by any measure it has a heart that has ensured it remains loved to this day.

The 2016 remake is on a technical level the superior film, but it doesn't contain the same spirit of the original, the cast is littered with conventionally attractive people, singing versions of the classic songs that feel like they were bought off Wish.

The characters we are given feel rather bland, with Laverne Cox's performance undermined by the attempt to carry an English accent that isn't consistent in either song or acted segment.

Although possibly the worst character in the production is Columbia who just doesn't sound as if she wants to be there at all, instead of the disaffected sarcasm of the original film.

What we're left with is a film of RHPS that feels as if it was polished to the point of being unremarkable, as if the studio tried to create the most inoffensive version of RHPS they could.

Watching this left me feeling disappointed, and I sure don't see myself ever wanting to watch it a second time.

Ghost Crew (2022)

A surprise gem

[8/10 · 26 October 2023]

I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Though you can tell it's an indie production, the acting is solid, the visuals work for the setting, the plot (though low on in your face scares) is consistent and enjoyable.

If you want gore or a jumpscare every 7 minutes then Ghost Crew won't be for you but if you're after a film that features a paced build up, that feels like it's making the protagonist a little mad in his pursuit of the supernatural then I would give this a whole hearted recommendation.

But more Ghost Crew shows you don't need a film to be full on horrific imagery every few minutes to be scary.

The cast and crew should be proud of what they've done here.

That's not to say the film is perfect of course, but you don't need to be perfect to be good.