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superkt
Reviews
Apples Never Fall (2024)
There's no reason for it to be this bad.
The cast has a lot of very famous, very respected actors who are good at their craft. However, they all come across as if they'd never met one another prior to the scene they're shooting. The dialog is so painful and so awkward. No chemistry to be found anywhere in the series.
Every episode is supposed to be a peak into each person's life but there's not enough substance to learn or make us care about them. The ancillary characters added next to nothing to the story either.
It's so slow too. I wanted to learn what happened but also just wanted to fast forward to the end to get there. Pay off wasn't really worth it.
The Resort (2022)
I've seen better, but also seen much, much worse.
Well, I don't hate it but I find the characters themselves sort of boring. So far, the story behind the mystery is moving a bit slow but is enough to keep me interested thus far. The actions of the main couple are pretty questionable from the get go. Are they really wandering through an abandoned, run down resort in Mexico? One that is potentially connected to a gang or cult? That's a stretch even by horror movie standards. At least the younger couple can blame their actions on their naivety. I am curious how this ends for them all.
BTW there is literally nothing "woke" about this show. There are two interracial couples. Absolutely nothing else that would ring "woke" in any circumstance. That should tell you plenty about that reviewer.
Hereditary (2018)
a disappointing two for one film
The first two acts are what you expect to get from the movie as advertised. It's effective, creepy, and dark. The acting is great and the storyline too.
Once the daughter is decapitated, it starts to take a huge left turn and starts to slide down hill. Finally, we get to the final act and it feels like an entirely new movie and genre. Still horror, but a completely different type and sadly, not the kind I seek out to watch. I don't know what the writer's were thinking, like they ran out of steam and had no idea how to close it. I guess if you enjoy the whole cult/witch/demonic, you'd find the entire thing appealing.
Not my thing and it killed all the build up until that point.
Are You Scared? (2020)
i like it but its not their best show
The stories can be pretty hit or miss. There are a handful that are just...not so great, even with the commentary from these two. I prefer Too Many Spirits but I already know I'll watch every episode of this one. The animation is pretty cool as well and can be genuinely creepy. If the producers can find better stories (and /r/nosleep is full of them), then the show would easily hit an 8 or 9 in my book.
Too Many Spirits (2020)
this is ridiculous
Normally I don't enjoy hanging around obnoxious drunk people while being stark sober myself, but these two are an exception. Are the stories good? Not particularly. However, Shane and Ryan are the real entertainment here.
BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural (2016)
i can re-watch over and over
I prefer this show to their true crime series. Throwing these two into the unknown will always yield some amusing results. The dynamic between Ryan, who is even scared of flashlights, and Shane, who is probably a demon himself, makes for a very entertaining half hour.
The show is not much about really finding ghosts or proving hauntings but mostly their banter and reactions over the experience.
I've watched the series more than once and it doesn't get less funny.
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. (2022)
Skip it unless you're incredibly bored
The whole story could've been told in 2 episodes at most and it's not even *that* interesting of a story to warrant an entire mini series. Netflix really scraping the bottom of the barrel for true crime.
The show is fine to watch if you're bored or want some relatively interesting background story but I wouldn't seek it out.
Also, we all need a friend like Mr Caruana, ready to drop bodies in the river for us. No questions asked.
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window (2022)
How bored are you?
This felt like they tried to make a thriller but it was so mediocre, they decided to pass it off as black humor or satire. It fails at both of those things.
The first episode isn't too bad. It sets up the story decently enough but then it just kind of meanders its way to the last episode. The reveal was so ridiculous.
That said, there are much worse things to be found on Netflix. If you absolutely have nothing to watch to pass your time, I guess this would be OK.
Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)
Kinda boring. Kinda awful characters.
I got to two and a half episodes and was bored out of my mind. Others have said its slow to develop. Maybe I'll give it another chance one day when I have nothing else to binge...but I just couldn't get any farther. Most of the characters were kind of awful, particularly Carmel and Tony. Jessica is pretty bad but she's supposed to be. Anyway, none of the them were likable to me so I didn't really care much about their plight and why they're here in the first place. Then we have Kidman's accent and her overall "non answers" testing the patience of everyone around her. Not entertaining for me, just frustrating to listen to.
Resident Alien (2021)
Kind of quirky, lots of humor, NOT woke or political
First - SyFy isn't paying me anything for a good rating as other reviewers seem to suggest. Would be cool if they did.
Second - I have no idea where these people got the idea that this is "woke", "liberal" Hollywood, or somehow political. There is a Muslim girl and much of the cast/characters are native. There is a joke about Allah and one about native culture as a costume. That's it. None of the plot or episodes revolve around those things. What about that is "woke"? I'd love to know.
As for the rest of the show, Harry's interactions with the rest of the humans is reminiscent of 3rd Rock from the Sun. An awkward curiosity with plenty of humor. There are some serious aspects of the show to balance it out. I'm around the same age as Asta and D'Arcy and a lot of their humor and references remind me of my friends. The two child actors have a great future in comedy. They both have great timing and blend in with seasoned actors like Tudyk.
I took off one star because I'm not sure about Asta's storyline about her kid. Not sure how it's relevant. Also not a big fan of his wife. She is relatively important to the story but the character is written as pretty annoying.
The Killing: Six Minutes (2013)
Impressive
The overall takeaway from this episode is that Peter Sarsgaard is a freaking amazing actor. He carries nearly the entire episode himself (rest of the cast is great but, damn) and does it perfectly.
Game of Thrones (2011)
One of the best shows to air on television
I wish I could erase my memory of this show so I could do it all over again. Watching these episodes week after week, year after year, were such an unforgettable experience. Such a treat. They managed to have it all - characters, world building, acting, costumes, effects, storytelling, music - all of it is freaking amazing. I don't even know how else I could describe it. It's a beautiful show. There has never been a TV show that captivated an entire country quite like GoT did.
As corny as it may sound, I am grateful to have been alive to watch it unfold, to watch the stories progress without knowing the fate of the characters on screen. I went to bed on Sundays feeling some type of way based on the episode they gave us. You couldn't binge an entire season in a month. You had to wait a week or a year to find out if your favorite character will still be around. That suspension added a lot of depth to the show. You guys watching now for the first time will never understand!
Like everyone else says, the ending is a let down. If you're reading these reviews, you're already aware. TBH there was no way the writers could end this show and actually please their collective audience. I did not care for it whatsoever and much of the final season is just not up to par. However, I can't take any stars off just based on season 8. Everything else is too good.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005)
Quit while you're ahead, please! Don't ruin a good thing.
I absolutely adore this show. It's one of the funniest and most well written comedies ever created. You could re-watch the series a dozen times and it's still hilarious. The actors are spot on in their portrayals, especially Dennis! Glen Howard is an actor that should not be missed. You *need* to watch this show. It's become so culturally relevant too; people quote it all the time.
But the show has been on TV for well over a decade. I would hate to see it go the way of the Simpsons and just continue on with no heart or relevance any more. I honestly hope it ends soon, and I say that in a positive way. For me, they seem to berunning out of steam in these last few seasons and it can't last forever.
Immigration Nation (2020)
Six episodes showcasing empathy is not a universal trait of humans
How do some of these people sleep at night? The hardest episode to watch was "The Right Way" (#5). It shows how broken our system is and unnecessarily so. It provides great insight into those who say "just do it the legal way!" even when those in charge don't even know what the legal way seems to be. One outright states he enjoys "hunting" human beings. Like, he says exactly those words.
This was hard to watch but it is well worth your time.
[Rec] (2007)
Kind of predictable, kind of thriling
This movie was exactly what I thought it'd be but it did all of that pretty well.
As soon as someone gets bitten AND the people quarantined off, you know what to expect of such a movie. It's going to be something zombie-esque, people will be bitten, people will react and try to escape, and things will get a bit gory. Predictable.
The only real suspense comes from how the movie is shot. The first-person perspective means you can only see what the camera man sees and in the dark, it isn't much. Were it filmed any other way, the movie would've been rather dull. There are a handful of jump scares throughout but each and every one happens exactly where you think it will. Not a single one got me and I love a good jump scare.
The acting is pretty good though I find the reporter rather annoying but I suppose that is her job.
I did enjoy the practical effects employed throughout. The woman(?) at the end was pretty creepy and it was really suspenseful being in the dark with such a creature. Those last 15 minutes or so were the best part of the movie and that none of the characters made it out alive. No happy endings needed here.
It's definitely worth a watch if you want to kill some time with something "scary" but nothing noteworthy.
Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
i'm not really disappointed his Dune was never made...
What I knew about Jodorowsky himself prior to this was very little. I have seen The Holy Mountain, Santa Sangre, and El Topo. Judging by those, the idea of him creating Dune with people like Dali attached seemed pretty incredible. I don't hate Lynch's Dune but this sounded like it could've been a pretty sweet improvement. After watching this, I don't really think so anymore.
He had a lot of big names on board or at least made it sound that way - Dali, HR Giger, Orson Welles, among others. It seemed though, that many of those who were interviewed were less than enthused while describing the project. The title of this doc is spot on - "Jodorowsky's Dune". He was taking so many liberties with the story that it was now "based on Herbert's Dune". Even Jodorowsky's son came off as relatively apathetic when speaking of it.
Jodorowsky is very passionate about what he does and was very much so about this movie in particular and I always appreciate creators expressing those feelings to an audience. He is obviously quite sure of his capabilities and believes himself to be a *very* capable storyteller. But this effort, for me, was overblown. I really wish he had shared more of his actual vision and what we would have seen, not just spoken about how it would have come to life. With Giger and Dali, I would have expected more visual representation in the doc.
Should his movie be made? It would be cool to see it realized on the screen, yeah. But should it have been *the* Dune? Definitely not. Anyway, I cut this one short after he spoke about raping Frank Herbert's novel as one would rape the bride on the wedding night. I tried for another 10 minutes or so but I could not get past that euphemism.
The Lodge (2019)
The Shining but not scary
Forcing two traumatized kids into a remote lodge with their daddy's new ex-cult member girlfriend (and a big reason as to why their mom killed herself in the first place...) seems like an awful plan in real life but would make for a great movie to watch. Sadly, that is just not what we end up with.
Maybe I just don't "get it", which could very well be the case after reading these raving reviews here. The movie felt like it never got started. I kept waiting for some kind of reveal but there isn't one. I just have so many questions. Too many.
We know she was in a cult and still has some kind of psychological attachment to it but why? Her father haunts her but again, why? She was the only survivor...why? Is that why she's obsessed with repenting? Did her mind never truly leave the cult that we know next to nothing about? What's with the shack she stumbles upon and keeps staring at? Where did all their stuff go? How did she get the photo she later finds in the snow with the flowers? Where did the paper with their deaths come from? What triggered this for her in the cabin?
The back story is just not enough. I compare it to The Shining because it has a similar premise of being isolated in the snow and slowly losing your sanity. But this one doesn't give that claustrophobic feeling when it should do exactly that. The movie was just so tedious and disjointed. Very little build up to an obvious ending.
Sweetheart (2019)
A nice try but a dud in the end
This one was straight up mediocre. The acting from Kiersey Clemons was on point. She carried the movie 100%, I mean, she kinda had to, but she did a great job at it. The overall story and premise is a good one with a beautiful backdrop.
The monster was corny though. The CGI looked so cheap. We'd have been better off not getting a great look at him. Watching her hide from an "unknown" was much scarier before we got a good look at him. If the writing had been better, it wouldn't have mattered as much.
Unfortunately the writing is way too shallow. What is this monster doing here? Why does it do what it does every night? What even is he? Who are these people on the raft? Her boyfriend? Why is he such a jerk? What is the significance of the blood on the pocket knife and in the raft? Why does he call her "sweetheart" a handful of times?
There are a lot of ideas touched on, like the bloody knife, but they all end up being a non starters. We get the very vague idea the boyfriend killed the half-man but nothing more. It would have created some tension between the two characters and we may actually care about Lucas' fate. Him being taken by the creature was kind of a "whatever" moment.
In the end it just feels like a first draft, like they never honed in on enough details to truly be effective. Kiersey's talent deserves better.
As Above, So Below (2014)
I'm thoroughly spooked and have a lot of opinions now
To begin, this film plays on two of my (and plenty other's) biggest fears - enclosed, tight spaces and the dark. I get very anxious in the dark so combing all this with the first person style, yep, you got me. The movie has been over for about 10 minutes now and my chest is still tight.
I don't watch many found footage style movies and the few I have seen were underwhelming. However, this one just works. I went in knowing nothing but the name (didn't even read the description on Netflix) so I had no idea what to expect. You're thrown into the catacombs with them, not just watching what happens from the sidelines but now you're part of their adventure.
The whole premise of film is drafted well enough and told effectively - it's like Indiana Jones meets The Descent via Blair Witch to solve the Di Vinci Code. It's not some crazy original never been done before plot though. I give the actors props. We see a lot of close up faces and those faces look convincingly terrified.
The first 20 minutes or so I was only half paying attention. Listening to the two of them directly translate some ancient languages to find hidden treasure was kind of laughable. Then they manage to convince an entire group of people to join in their crazy quest. Meh, but not meh enough to turn it off. Once Benji is stuck in the first tunnel, I put my phone down. I do not like caves, I do not like tight spaces.
From there, they continue to make a few questionable decisions, like many a horror movie character does, but I'm not sure how rational I'd think in their situation. Attach yourself to a rope before you jump into unknown and cloudy water! Stop touching stuff!
After Siouxie gets her face bashed in, it really picks up and just builds on all that tension and plenty of really creepy stuff happens. When dude got stuck inside the cave floor, feet sticking up yet still alive...oh lord, no. The hooded demon alone in a chair inside a giant cavern in the damn dark? I wouldn't walk near that dude if my life depended on it.
Then the end was kind of weird and I'm not totally sure how the upside down thing is supposed to work but I won't really question it. I'm satisfied enough.
Acting 8/10
Storyline 6/10
Personal scare factor 9/10
Legally Blonde (2001)
Not just a dumb blonde trope
Seeing trailers or just reading a synopsis of this film gives the idea this movie is just a dumb girl getting back with/at her ex with some laughs on the way. It's so much more than that.
It starts exactly that way though. She isn't supposed to be at Harvard and is there for the sole purpose of winning her ex back. She isn't smart enough to be in law school nor the type to fit in at an ivy league. She's supposed to be vapid and shallow and needs her boyfriend to be back with her to be whole.
Ultimately, Elle is learns she is perfectly fine on her own. She turns her confidence in a more inward direction to focus on her abilities as a lawyer and find her own independence and that she is capable. She excels in all she does and with her own flair and style. Her degree isn't just given away like "aw how cute she tried, have pity on her situation", she puts in the work. She earns that law degree. She moves on without her awful ex.
Elle is a boss.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Tense! But not without its problems
The past few years or so, any horror movie I've watched in theaters just didn't do it for me. Never heart racing, gripping the armrest, just waiting in total suspense type feelings. This movie got that part right.
There are holes to the story and I won't pick it apart since, for me, it does work overall. But when the suspense picks up, it really picks up. You can never know where he is gonna pop up and the movie plays on that quite well. I mean, he's invisible.
I read a lot of reviews that try and pin this as a feminist Hollywood placating everyone SJW type of trope film and I just don't see it. It's an abused woman up against a genuinely bad man. There's no girl power message behind it. No "all men are bad" sentiment that seems to be forced into some of these reviews. Don't let those scare you away.
Of course, and as with many films, the ending is problematic. It leaves an air of mystery, yes, but almost too much. The main subject of the film - the case of who is doing this, why, and can we stop him? - isn't fleshed out enough to be satisfying. A good enough answer just isn't there. It's okay to have an open ending but the movie barely gives us any kind of solid answer to one of those questions.
But... Since this movie got my heart rate up and had a decent enough story, I can rate it higher than most scary movies Hollywood has produced as of late.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
It doesn't get much funnier
So back in 2008, this was one of the few movies I had in my house with no cable and limited internet. Streaming wasn't a thing. I had to cycle through the same 30 some odd movies if I wanted television entertainment. That lasted about two years. What I'm saying is, I've seen this movie more times than I could possibly count. To this day, I laugh every time.
If you told me that was Russell Brand in real life, I'd believe you 100%. He is so convincing with his character and completely hilarious while he does it. Paul Rudd has a small part and all of it is absolute gold. Bill Hader as well.
The end drags a bit for me. I'm with Sarah when she says she just doesn't "get" the whole Dracula puppet musical. It's fine I guess. The rest of the movie is funny enough that it isn't a big deal. It's not a purely dirty humor movie, there is definitely some heart and cuteness intertwined. Overall a staple in my comedy collection.
The Belko Experiment (2016)
Hit or miss, but mostly a miss.
This movie is best for people who like gore. I mean, I know the whole movie is based on *a lot* of people being killed but it was over the top in a way that wasn't fun for me. The story, though, I didn't follow it. Why were they in Colombia? It was presented as if that was somehow relevant to the story but it isn't, not as far as I can recall. The end was just... Why? That's all?
So there isn't a lot of story to be had anyway. There's a forced office romance, the group of psychopath executive types, then just everyone else. We aren't given a reason to cheer for one or the other since there is no background info on any of them. If we'd been given a reason to care about just one character and their fate, I think the film would improve slightly. Otherwise we are just watching people die in over the top manners.
The film is at least somewhat "fun". It does have suspense and it never really slows down. The acting is so-so. John C McGinley as an on demand murder side kick was pretty great and he was probably the only character you care to see if they die or not. Tony Wendell as the CEO was well done for what it was. Adria Arjona was not so great. Her performance felt flat.
Ultimately, it's a background movie for me. I like horror and this checks a few boxes but not enough to hold my full attention. Like so many others have said, Battle Royale did it better.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Tedious drama, horror-lite series
This show is only "horror" in the classical sense - it features a few creepy ghosts and a haunted house. There is little suspense, maybe once per episode that I hold my breath and wait for a scare or a nice reveal. And it's usually underwhelming. Mostly, it's a drama that drags on far too long.
It took me a really long time to finish the show. It was a struggle to keep going, whereas I can generally binge watch anything that entertains me. The show is rated so highly all over the place, I decided I'd give it a re-watch. Maybe I'd been too critical. Nope. Wrong. I made it to episode 4 and quit.
It needed more Luke stuck in the secret basement alone and less family meetings that droll on for half the episode. The tall man was super creepy to me, the way he floated and how he watched everyone sleeping but that was it. He pops up in the background but only in that episode, unlike the bent neck lady who is seen throughout.
One cool thing though - spotting all the background ghosts. And there are a lot. I wish I could see what others did in the show because it's amazing, apparently.
Room (2015)
Surprisingly sweet, well executed and acted
I don't watch many films like this, the ones you know before going in to that you'll shed a few tears. Just not a fan. However, locked up in quarantine has made me more adventurous you could say.
I knew what the film was about but never watched a trailer for it. I assumed it was a story of the mom who happens to raise her kid in awful conditions but the focus is really on Jack and how he has to grow up in those awful conditions. Jacob Tremblay is an amazing little actor for being as young as he is here. He carried half the film on his own.
I wish we learned a little more about Old Nick and why he was doing what he did or what happened to him after, just a tad more than the tidbits we saw.
I do appreciate the fact that this didn't focus on the physical or sexual abuse, I can only think of 2 times either of those were shown or heard and they last maybe 15-30 seconds at most. The rest of it is implied and we can instead focus on Jack and Ma reacting to their situation and finding a way out of it all.
Brie Larson also does a fantastic job as Ma. I know those feelings of frustration and patience when it comes to kids and she absolutely nails it. Facial expressions and all.
I enjoyed the end most as Jack finally experiences a bit of real childhood making friends and playing with a dog. Just small things that make a drastic difference in his life. A sweet and relatively pleasant ending to what it could have been.