There's just so many superhero movies these days that they all start to run together. How do you stand out when it's a genre of its own now? Maybe you don't. Yes, production values and action sequences were impressive but the stories are all the same anymore.
Reviews
73 Reviews
What a Sad but Fascinating Story
26 July 2022
Brittany Murphy really was a bright talent and shining personality. This documentary shows how physical and psychological manipulation can really harm a person. The story itself is very sad but also fascinating. The documentary production was just okay though with too many interviews with outsiders (who cares what a paparazzi vulture thinks??). The best interviews were with people who were truly close to Brittany.
Dark and intriguing
26 July 2022
Ooh. This exceeded my expectations. A British limited series based on a true crime, I found myself VERY pulled into the mystery and discussing with my roommate all of the theories of what could have happened and what all of the clues meant. After you watch this, you'll definitely want to read about the story online too. Well done TV series!
Joe Bell
(2020)
True Story
26 July 2022
It's hard to review this because I think it's compelling true story and you feel for all of those involved in it. It's also kind of a sad story, and I'm not big on movie's that are heavy on talking to ghosts/dream sequences etc. I think it's a good exploration and grief and some viewers will feel very moved by it.
The Woman in the House
(2022)
Fun though not quite absurd enough to be THIS absurd
22 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This was a quite fun show. Kristen Bell is very likeable and the fun, silly mystery has great twists and turns while also having real themes like grief, addiction, cyberstalking, etc. That said, it occasionally has some really absurd stuff in it that is completely far-fatched and not even close to realistic. That's fine... except 90% of the time this played like a dramedy! So sometimes those absurd moments result in comic relief and sometimes it results in ripping you from the story and making you go, "WTF? That's dumb." It really needed to either lean into that absurdity MORE and embrace it, or it needed to cut out the over-the-top ridiculousness (a dad leaving his daughter alone in a room with a convicted serial killer? A handyman working on a mailbox for years?). It straddled the line and never did either. Given the ending (the revealing on the killer), it probably needed to lean into the absurd more, though I probably would have preferred a more realistic dramedy because the characters are well-developed and the story was interesting. I just kept waiting to find out it was all a big dream since there were little details that kept popping up that were so nonsensical.
Minari
(2020)
A family's struggle
17 February 2022
This is one of those stripped down films in the festival style of minimal filmmaking and slow-moving plot (not too much plot at all, actually) with an emphasis on characters. It's set in 1983, which I found interesting. I felt empathy for the characters' plights, but at time the story dragged. A slice of life film.
Werewolves Within
(2021)
Not Really Any Genre
17 February 2022
This is kind of hard to put to a genre, because there isn't really true suspense or scares, so to classify it as horror (as it's labeled) is inaccurate. It plays more like a comedy (as it's also labeled) with a werewolf angle, but it's only mildly funny. I liked the quirky characters but it could have had stronger writing/punchlines. I liked the small town setting and the snowy environment, and the lead male was compelling. But end of the day, it wasn't scary enough to be a horror film but it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy. It was kind of dancing around in the middle. A fun indie effort but not as good as I was hoping based on the poster/trailer.
Extra Ordinary
(II) (2019)
Quirky Comedy
17 February 2022
This film has a lot of charm. It's a meandering story to a degree but it has some good plot points and quirky characters to really like with a lot of funny moments and situations. There are a few surprises in store. A good indie comedy.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
(2020)
Great Indie-Comedy-Horror Flick
12 January 2022
This film is very funny and it somehow manages to feel both "indie" while also feeling slick and polished. It has a unique style of its own. The lead character yells a lot, but it found it hilarious and the relationship he had with his father and his daughter (and alcoholic self) was actually quite touching. More of a comedy than a horror film.
Moms' Night Out
(2014)
Watered Down Comedy
12 January 2022
This film wasn't all that funny for movie marketed as a comedy. The punchlines didn't land with much punch. It was more silly and hyper than actually witty and clever. I also didn't realize initially that I was watching a faith film so that might partially account for the weak comedy. Perhaps it was meant more as a faith film than a true comedy?
The Power of the Dog
(2021)
Overhyped
12 January 2022
I've seen this called a "slow burn" and "exquisite character story," but to me, it was just really slow. Very slow. Did I mention slow? And then scenes that you WANTED to see were omitted (such as Rose & George's courtship was completely rushed past - only 1 scene of courting). The last 15 minutes, suddenly, there's an actual plot and the pace picks up and stuff happens. But you have to meander through 2 hours to get there. This is really a visual mood more than a story.
Red Sparrow
(2018)
Great action, strange execution
22 November 2021
I had a hard time buying Jennifer Lawrence as a Russian, but that might be my fault more than her actual accent or performance (the dangers of stars being overexposed - we know too much about them). The action and cinematography were great. Lush visuals, exciting stunts, etc. The biggest problem with this film lies in the storytelling. Partly directing, partly writing, partly writing, it felt like it was trying to be sexy and cool, but it felt like it was trying way too hard and thus had the opposite effect. I found myself laughing at things that weren't supposed to be funny. Some great individual scenes but overall, it didn't entirely work for me.
The Promise
(II) (2016)
Epic War Film with Romance
22 November 2021
This movie doesn't pull any punches in depicting some of the horrific violence of the Armenian genocide. Very sad stuff at the same level as Hotel Rwanda. Within a difficult war story, there is also powerful stories about survival, friendship, and lasting love. A very emotional story and well done.
G.P.S.
(2007)
A silly but fun thriller
22 November 2021
An indie horror/thriller that uses the concept of treasure hunting with GPS units. The premise is interesting: Instead of the expected money, the hiking group finds a buried coffin with scary Polaroid photos and plea for help. It's who-dunnit movie that's more silly than LOL funny, but the light-heartedness makes it fun. Except for one scene, it's pretty mild violence and not very slasher-esque even though the setup feels like maybe it should have been a slasher film.
Camping
(2018)
Very Funny, Very Underrated
19 November 2021
This is one of Jennifer Garner's best roles in my opinion. I'm just sorry I waited so long to watch it. She's a stressed out, neurotic, overbearing wife/mom/woman that you grow to love and can't help but feel for. She's dealing with chronic pain due to pelvic floor dysfunction and anyone who's ever had chronic pain or been around someone with pain understands that it can mess you up psychologically/emotionally too. So while the dysfunction of her character comes from very real places, this show is also LOL funny. It's a bit over the top sometimes - quite silly actually - with the character actions and reactions, but roll with it, and you'll love it.
Luce
(I) (2019)
Thought provoking
19 November 2021
This drama has a lot of tension and you will go back and forth with how you feel about different characters and their actions. Thought-provoking social drama. The performances are stellar and there are no easy answers. It's ultimately a character drama but it has all of the conflict, rising tension, and build-up of a thriller. Bravo!
Chaos Walking
(2021)
Don't Like the Device
19 November 2021
I don't normally review films that I don't watch in entirety because that seems unfair, but I couldn't make it through because the literary device of having the characters think thoughts out loud that each other could hear PLUS talk make the film feel like overwhelming gibberish. I'll give it a '5' since I didn't finish it, but really, my own personal experience of it was lower. I don't feel like they pulled off the device in a way that worked well for storytelling. I just found it annoying.
Malevolent
(III) (2018)
Creepy Indie Thriller
19 November 2021
A group of 20-somethings pretend to cleanse people's houses of evil spirits and demons in order to make some cash. They aren't real believers... until they are. As you can guess, in the course of performing their con, they encounter a house that REALLY does seem to be possessed, and things go badly from there. I thought it was a good edition to the genre.
Cruel Summer
(2021–2023)
Not Really A Mystery
19 November 2021
It's not really a mystery, so much as it's a story told out of order so that information is withheld from the audience. That's not my favorite mystery device, but ultimately, that means there is no mystery. Still, it's better than a lot of the teen fare out there.
Red Notice
(2021)
Silly Fun!
19 November 2021
Don't take it too seriously and you might love it. This definitely had me laughing, and I thought the action sequences were great. I appreciated that it wasn't full of bloody, gory action violence, though at a point it did feel a little unrealistic that every single bullet misses every single person (LOL), which has the effect of making the stakes feel lower in terms of peril. However, that's not really the point of this movie. It's an action-comedy (emphasis on the comedy) and it made me laugh. Super fun overall with cool locations. Loved the Russian prison in the snow and the party sequence with Gal Gadot's gorgeous red dress.
Literary Lovers Take Notice
19 November 2021
I have a particular love of stories that highlight how even in the worst of times (in this case Nazis taking over Guernsey Island), people will find ways to share stories and connect to one another. Storytelling is so important - how it helps us make sense of the world and comfort ourselves - and this movie has that as a strong theme. Mostly a drama but some exciting scenes of peril too.
Cursed
(2020)
Enjoyable but had the potential to be more...
19 November 2021
Gorgeous production design and costumes and world-building. So much potential here, and I enjoyed it enough to finish season 1 which set up what I felt would be a great season 2 (unfortunately no renewal though). The premise is good, but the biggest problem was in the storytelling. Often key scenes and moments were skipped past. I also felt some of the casting wasn't that great. I won't name names because none of these people are stars, just working actors doing their best, but I wonder if that was part of the reason that it didn't fully connect with audiences.
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