Change Your Image
universe1701
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try again
Best Christmas Movies to watch in December
Top 100 Found Footage / POV Horror Movies.
Keep in mind, that the star rating for Found Footage Horror tend to be tougher in IMDB than most other places. So I will be giving my thoughts for each entry.
If your not a fan of the "shaky" cam, then look elsewhere.
All Godzilla Movies Checklist
Reviews
Fear City: New York vs the Mafia (2020)
Hard to take seriously
The whole FBI vs mafia story is a pretty interesting subject , however, this version is a bit drawn out into episodes. Could have cut this down to about 2 hours. I suppose that's how they are done these days. Better documentaries on the subject out there.
Its pretty obvious that this was more about the FBI and its take down of the mafia, which I didn't mind, its interesting hearing it from their perspective. However, its hard to take seriously and bit insulting to law enforcement with Giuliani being interviewed in this light. Pot calling the kettle black here. He was and still is a con-man...
Physical: 100 (2023)
Bad, hilarious dubbing
If your a fan of American Gladiators or American Ninja Warrior, then you may or may not like this. The production is smaller and pretty boring in its native language (Korean). Where the show really shines, is in its english dubbing. Its bad, but hilarious. It pretty obvious much of what they say to each other doesn't translate very well into a western audience. Constant envy of each other, exaggerated reactions, awkward dialogue. All these aspects just make it a funny experience as long as you have the dubbing on. While this was intended as a "real" competition, to me felt more like a Mockumentary or parody.
Christine (2016)
A lesson in mental health and society.
This is a tragic movie with some thought provoking examinations of Mental Health and in a broader sense, the American local news industry. The movie is mainly centered around a true story. An event that occurred in 1974. Christine was doing a news report, and infamously shot herself live on camera. The film focused mainly on the time leading to that event. Acting was fantastic from everyone and the story was very well told, keeping you engaged. Obviously, the focal point will be Christine's mental decline and not being able to cope with society around her.
However, I believe the message Christine was trying to convey is even more important. Its been over 45 years since that tragic day, and the local news is just as soul less and sensationalist as ever. We all love the simplistic individualistic reports of local murders , abuse and ignore the broader systemic problems. Crave the scandals and cater to the soap opera mentality. I find it interesting that this film was released on Oct 2016, right before the elections. The beginning of what we are living through now. Lies are "openly" taken as statements and reported on as "Normal". Illegal actions taken, barely any questions asked and no accountability. We are indeed living in the age of "alternative facts". We all argue with ourselves as the powers on top pull the strings.
Was it Christine that couldn't adapt to society? Or was it society couldn't adapt to Christine? Maybe its both.
Just as the movie ends with, we all get a couple of scoops of ice cream change the channel and put on light hearted music. Forget the world, forget the problems.
Not everyone is built to simply forget.
Death Wish (2018)
Average at best
An average at best action thriller. The sort of thing you would expect from Bruce Willis these days. Its not terrible, just very generic in the story telling and characters. Acting was pretty good, although Bruce looked a bit "tired" for most of the movie. There were a couple of action sequences that stood out, but nothing more. Biggest issue I had with the film were all the circumstances of convenience. The characters would find themselves on a problem and conveniently out of no-where the solution arrives. Also, the film felt awkwardly edited sometimes. Pace just seemed off at times, and even some unusual mood shifts, from funny to serious and back again. To be fair, I dont think this was ever intended by the film makers for it to be taken seriously, however, if you are going to present yourself as examining a serious topic, then you should at least actually try to. Big issue is its "attempt" to examine gun violence in Chicago, without it ever really going any deeper than its surface. Prime example, is the main character driving out into the rural area of the state to buy a gun. This type of outside purchase is one of the main contributing factors to inner city gun violence. Granted, criminals do purchase many of their guns from the streets, but this rural purchasing practice is another long standing problem. They buy the guns out in the rural counties and bring back into the city to use or sell. Rather than making any kind of mention to it, they simply skim over it, not really revealing anything more complex. If you like action thrillers, there is a chance you may like it. If you are the type of gun owner that often complains about the cities that you don't live in and dream of killing thugs then this movie is for you.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Human, Human, Humans... Godzilla?
This isn't a terrible movie. Production costs are obviously high. Acting is not great, but is above average. Story is okay... but thats not the draw to Godzilla movies. Special effects are also top notch. You get, not one, not two, not three but four major Godzilla monsters. The recipe for at least an above average movie was there. Unfortunately, they decided to go all in the human/people drama. The movie is about 2 hours, and out of that run time, 90% is all about the humans. I know you can't make a whole movie only on monsters fighting, but wow, they really went overboard. Every time you finally get into any monster fights or just monsters appearing, within 10-20 seconds, immediately cuts to the human drama. It would be nice to get about a minute or two of just the monsters going at it from time to time. It all just felt very unbalanced and awkward, and felt more annoyed by the characters than anything else. If you want a great example of balancing human drama with suspenseful monster fights watch Pacific Rim.
Ricochet (1991)
Its okay as long as you don't take it seriously
Wow, just wow. Kind of left me speechless once I got to the end. Okay... here goes. This is an unintentionally fun and entertaining film. Surprisingly brutal kills in this, but at the same time ridiculous. This is also a film where suspending your disbelief is a must. I think the entire production were probably on the same drugs that Denzel's character was forced into. They all sat around, high as a kite, and attempted a discussion on how this movie should be made, probably sounded great at the time, but was just gibberish. Honestly, Denzel and John lithgow were pretty much carrying this film, because the story was just insane. All that being said, I still got so much entertainment from this. Laughed so many times, shocked they actually went everywhere with this film. This isn't for everyone, but if you go into this with the right expectation, you'll come out liking it.
2012 (2009)
Not bad
I found this to be Better than I expected. Special affects are really top notch and hold up even after so many years since its release.
Its a fun film just watching all the disasters taking place throughout the film, mesmerizing even, although it can be a little repetitive. Acting was convincing enough and I guess that all you really need for a film like this.
It can be a little silly at times, but its all part of the entertainment. You are not supposed to take it too seriously.
It can also be a little corny, but I found it refreshing. For the past 10 years, its been nothing but humanities worst aspects reflected on the big screen, TV shows and news. Its nice to see a little hope from time to time.
Tiger King (2020)
A frustrating and pointless "documentary" series.
First off, let me say that the marketing of this series was misleading. You go into it expecting to be the story of this Joe Exotic person and ends up being about three different tiger themed parks and their eccentric owners, including Joe. Eccentric is putting it mildly. They are all nuts and in my opinion dangerous.
Anyway, the series itself was shot pretty well, and despite all the different perspectives, they did manage to make it presentable.
That being said, I found the series to be frustrating and pointless. Basically, its the individual owners I detest the most. Having to hear each one was an experience in patience for myself, as they all seem to be egotistical narcissists. The creators in the series, I assume had good intentions, as they did try to edit in a way of hearing each ones perspectives, thereby making it "unbiased", but instead, all they did was provide all of them publicity and the continued feeding of their greed and ego's. I am sure this series will split the viewers into their own susceptible view points and have their own person to root for. There are no good guys here, and no one, and I mean no one can be trusted. In the end, it was left to the viewer, not really giving any kind of constructive conclusion. I would like to have seen more neutral parties outside of any relationship with each of the tiger owners, but all you get are lawyers, friends, employees/volunteers and family members, all of which were extremely untrustworthy.
If there is one silver lining that can come from all of this, is that there is indeed an exotic animal breeding problem in the US, and this series can shed some light, however small, into the actual problem. Unfortunately, it focuses almost entirely on the perpetrators behaviors and antics for the sake of entertainment, rather than the real victims in all of this... the animals.
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Peaky F*kn Blinders!!!
Very surprised how well this series has been able to carry itself. Exceptional acting all carried by great casting. Its a gypsy family gang set between 1919 and 1929 in Birmingham, if you count all the seasons so far. Each season is sort of its own story, same characters, new rival and challenge. Each character offers something into the story and keeps it all fresh. Favorite character is easily Alfie. The man gets in your head. Characters drink whiskey like its water and smoke more than a chimney in the winter, all while struttin in the streets and taking no names. Peaky f*kn Blinders.
Polar (2019)
Not for everyone
I suppose you have to be at a certain mood and within a certain demographic to fully enjoy this film. More specifically, in a silly mood and within the 18 - 35 age demo. Basically, this is a mix between "John Wick" and "Smokin Aces", so its not really original, then again, what is anymore. I knew that this was going to be an over the top action film with over the top characters, but I felt it was all too artificial, with all the silliness, grossness trying too hard to be just that. All that being said, I did find enough entertainment and did smile a couple of times. Acting was good enough and Mads MIkkelsen is what ultimately carries the film.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Not that great
First off, I am a big fan of the Black Mirror series. i have watched all episodes. So I was looking forward to this Bandersnatch movie. After watching it and going through all the different scenarios I can squeeze out of it, I finally came away with it feeling... empty. I felt that all the different scenarios to choose from and the constant back and forth really took away from the over-all story telling. Rather than being engrossed with the story and characters, I just found myself just going back and forth trying to find what other choice I can make that would extend it further. I suppose it almost felt like a video game, where you advance through trial and error, and you just want to keep going as far as you can. I'm sure that may have been the intention, but like I said, it takes away from the story. I can appreciate the innovation and the effort for a new experience, but it just didn't appeal to me.
Don't Watch This (2018)
Average at best
This is basically a collection of 5 random short horror films. Each film has nothing to with each other, and each one ranges between 2 - 7 minutes.
I am usually a big fan of anthology movies and shows, but I felt this collection to be average at best.
The only episodes worth watching in my opinion, were 1,4 and perhaps 3. The other two felt pretty lazy, especially 5.
If your a fan of the many short horror films found on youtube, then you might get some entertainment from this. Just don't expect too much.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Better than I expected.
Let me start off by saying, I have been a Star Trek fan since I can remember. I grew up watching TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager. Still do today through Netflix. I even watch and like Enterprise. I have watched and own all the movies. I even still have the VHS boxed copies I had in the 90's. Star Trek is obviously my favorite TV show series of all time.
All that being said, I have really hesitated and delayed my eventual viewing of the newest TV series Discovery. I admit, all the hate surrounding the series really put me off and I just kept putting it off. CBS only having it available to view in the US via their streaming site, was another reason, and in my opinion was a bad business move. Anyway, last week I decided to do the week free trial and just Binge it.
After watching all the episodes of the first season spread into two days, I not only liked it, it surpassed any expectations I may have had. The acting is great, visuals are breathtaking, and the stories are well told and at times unexpected in a good way.
However the biggest question going into this new series, "is it Star Trek", "does it feel like Star Trek". I am happy to say, YES. Admittedly, the first episode is a bit awkward and it was probably one of the biggest reasons why so many fans were turned off, but as soon as soon as episode 2 and 3, I feel the series takes off into warp. There is obviously an over arching story that eventually comes together spectacularly in the later episodes, but the show also has a couple of the traditional character development episodes mixed with exploration, which is a story telling staple of Star Trek.
The biggest glaring criticism among fans are the Klingon's appearance. Yes, they look very different from previous shows, but in terms of their "culture" about honor and the warrior spirit is very much intact. Their appearance did take me aback some in the first episode, but then as you go further into the series, you learn more about the different houses that are introduced. I really do like how there is a more distinct difference between the Klingon families. Also, lets be honest here, Klingon's are the one alien race in Star Trek that has gone through the most inconsistent changes throughout the decades. So yes, the Klingon's look different, but you get used to it.
Don't get me wrong, its not perfect and doesn't come close to the classics. Not yet anyway. Like any first season of any TV show, there are some flaws, especially when it comes to Star Trek. Just look at TNG and DS9. My two favorite Star Trek shows, had very awkward starts, but the shows eventually grew and molded itself to what we love today. I really do hope Discovery is given more of a chance by the fans, and is allowed to continue and mold to something great in the future, just like the others.
Black Panther (2018)
Great addition to the MCU.
A great addition to the MCU. Great acting, beautiful visuals and some intense action. First impressive thing I noticed was its rich attention to detail in world building and its characters. My only criticism, I would have like to have seen more of the Killmonger character, as I feel they didn't go far enough with him. Over-all, this is a fun and enjoyable movie with action, comedy, drama. There are some complex social political overtones mixed in, but it never feels heavy handed, and I feel that the over-all message is positive for humanity as a whole. If this type of movie isn't your cup of tea, fair enough, but if you are on the fence about watching due to pre-conceived notions about its content and message, I would recommend you give it a try, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
A worthy sequel.
If your not a fan of the original, then your most likely not going to like this. That being said, I really liked this and was very faithful to the original. Its a long movie at 3 hours and the story is told at a slow pace, but is balanced by great visuals, sound and acting.