applescruff-88131 Reviews

Bomb City (2017)

Heartbreaking and Powerful

[10/10 · 27 November 2023]

I am almost at a loss for words, having just finished watching Bomb City, based on a real life murder that occurred in 1999. I had never heard of this case, but went & looked into it after watching because I was so affected.

I found every aspect of this film outstanding. The acting was top notch, particularly by the punks and one of the female "preppies." Every intense emotion presented in this film, from joy to love to anger & hatred to grief & disbelief, was raw & believable.

The entire film was entertaining & well structured, alternating a courtroom trial with flashback scenes of a growing feud between a football team & a group of punks. The courtroom scenes are set up so that you don't know the identity of the victim until the heartbreaking final act, when the murder occurs in all of its graphic truth.

The end both shocked me and shook me. It is a film that leaves you with something to think about; it is a film that leaves you bereft. It is the most powerful film I've watched in some time. This is a stunning, well-acted, cinematically lovely drama that packs one heck of a punch. Highly recommended.

The Elevator (2023)

Probably the Worst Horror Film I've Ever Seen

[1/10 · 20 October 2023]

Terrible Acting. TERRIBLE writing- the poor actors had nothing to work with... not that it would've made much difference because I'm pretty sure none of these people have much talent. Just saying it's not entirely their fault. The whole atmosphere of the film is like something my friends and I filmed in highschool with a handheld camcorder. Nothing that happens makes any sense at all. I can't tell you a single character's name. Most of the deaths happen off camera, so not it doesn't even get points for gore. Then there's the part where I had a hard time coming here to make this review, because the movie is called "The Elevator" on Peacock, but for some reason it's called "Horror Hotel" on here? My advice: avoid this film. The acting is soooooo cringey I actually suffered second hand embarrassment while watching. At best you'll get a couple laughs out of it... but it's so bad that really it's not even worth making fun of.

Ozark: Sugarwood (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

Got Good Fast

[10/10 · 13 July 2021]

So far all I've watched of this show is this episode, but I have to say that I am hooked. I've been kind of putting off watching this show despite the intriguing premise. I loved Breaking Bad and this has a very Breaking Bad feel to it. I've seen some less than flattering reviews saying it's a "poor man's BB," but let's be honest, that show was a masterpiece and we have to take what we can get. That said, this episode is a very promising beginning and I can't wait to see more.

Natural Born Killers (1994)

Excellent Film, One of My All-Time Faves!

[10/10 · 17 January 2021]

First off I want to say that I cannot believe how many people apparently hated this movie, just looking through the reviews on here. To each his own, but in my opinion this is one of the best films out there. I first saw this when I was in high school, circa 1997\98, & I had never seen anything like it. It got me thinking about all kinds of issues that had never before crossed my young mind, primary of which, of course, is the f'ed up relationship between violence & media, the way that we click to stories that highlight the worst of human nature- illustrated by Mickey & Mallory's stratospheric rise to fame. Frankly, there are no parts of this film that didn't work for me. I loved it all, even the cringy scenes of Rodney Dangerfield as the world's worst father & the creepy moments detailing the detective's growing lust over Mallory. Woody Harrelson & Juliette Lewis were at the absolute tops of their game (as was Robert Downey Jr., but IMO that man shines in whatever he's in, so....). Now, all of that said, I could definitely understand why this wouldn't be some people's cup of tea. There are more than a few of the aforementioned "cringey" moments, & pretty much the entire subject matter of the movie is dark & ugly, bit that's kind of the point. Stone wanted us to look at the darker sides of human nature & to recognize that those elements exist in all of us. A lot of other reviews I read on here have said that they felt the movie didn't hold up on subsequent rewatching, & again, I could not disagree more. As previously mentioned, I was a teenager when I first watched NBK, but I own the DVD & have researched it regularly throughout the years. If anything, as I get older I find MORE in it to relate to & recognize additional messages that went over my head when I watched as a kid. I would recommend this film to people who like movies that push the boundaries, that think outside if the box, & who aren't easily offended, especially by gratuitous violence. And to those who didn't like it, especially if you only watched it once years ago, I say, give it another try, & try to look at it from another point of view. You might just be surprised by what you see.

Supernatural: Inherit the Earth (2020) Season 15, Episode 19

Loved It! ...Wish They'd've Just Stopped Here

[10/10 · 21 November 2020]

So this is the first review I've ever written but since it's the penultimate episode of my favorite tv show of all time I had to say something! I loved this episode, despite the fact that- as some other reviews have mentioned- some of it was rather predictable. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see Lucifer make an appearance, however breif. I liked that (after being pretty much completely ignored for 10 seasons) Jake Abel's Michael\Adam had a major role to play, even if I called his betrayal before it happened. I thought all of the actors put forth great performances (as usual). I always sort of figured that in order to defeat Chuck\God, Jack would end up taking his place. Overall, I'm very happy with this episode. The whole thing was pretty much spot on for me (except for when Chuck disintegrated the dog, that was so not cool, shame on you, Chuck)! My only real complaint (more of a concern than a complaint, really) is that I don't know how they're going to top this episode in next week's season finale! If they'd've ended the show right here, I'd have been perfectly happy with that!

Edit: So now after having watched the actual finale, I REALLY wish that they'd've just ended it here. Also to all the 1\10 people: Come on, it wasn't that bad! Especially compared to the heaping pile of... you know what that the actual finale was. Although I too would have liked to see Cas return, it would've negated the power of the sacrifice & speech he made. Episode 19 wrapped it up for Cas & was beautifully done. I also wish we'd have seen that Bobby, Charlie, Eileen, etc. were all back to good too. But honestly, if the writers would've just left us here, with the whole world at the boys' feet, I probably could have died happy.

Head canon: This is the final episode of Supernatural.