livin_the_weekend Reviews

Malum (2023)

Last Shift did something new. This did something unnecessary

[4/10 · 21 May 2024]

*NON SPOILER*

First of all, although both films shadowed eachother (as Malum is a remake), especially on the randomness front, back in 2014 when we were introduced to the Last Shift it was totally original and a lot more atmospheric.

Both films masterfully play on intense minimal locations and a small cast to create an unsettling experience. In Last Shift, the protagonist, Officer Jessica Loren, is portrayed with nuance, and her descent into terror feels palpable and real. The film's pacing is tight, with each scare and revelation meticulously timed to keep viewers on edge. In contrast, Malum, which also has the same director Anthony DiBlasi, somehow loses the magic of the original. Despite having a bigger budget and better production values, Malum lacks the tight narrative and atmospheric dread that made Last Shift so effective.

In summary, while Malum has the technical polish that Last Shift lacked, it ultimately fails to deliver the same level of psychological horror and engaging storytelling. Last Shift remains a superior film, with its clever use of suspense and atmosphere making it a standout in the horror genre (and it was very original at the time), whereas Malum feels like a hollow imitation, focusing on superficial scares rather than true horror.

Passenger (2024– )

All downhill after the first couple of episdoes

[2/10 · 25 March 2024]

Unfortunately like a lot of others have already said, this was just overall underwhelming and disappointing. After what seemed like a good opener with a bit of mystery surrounding a disappearance it just got worse, and worse, and worse.

Along with numerous unanswered questions, the baffling plot was so farfetched it was beyond ridiculous. I wanted to like it but it was virtually impossible as the series got further along. Without revealing spoilers, there was so many unnecessary (and extremely odd) side storylines that made you think that somehow all of this madness would come together later on - it didn't. That said, I gave the series a 2/10 because I don't agree with some of the other reviews that criticised the acting. There was absolutely some good aspects of acting involved by some 'lesser known' actors. It was just unfortunate for them that the storyline was so incomprehensible and flawed.

Honestly, if you don't want to get a bit baffled by the combination of some mysterious woods that cause hallucinations for no reason, a 90's text command style video game, some random attack from 5 years ago, an obsession over Manchester and some dodgy bread factory where everyone seems to work (amongst plenty of other odd things) - then I suggest you do not waste your time.

The Commuter (I) (2018)

Bland, predictable, kinda boring in honesty

[4/10 · 20 July 2023]

*NON-SPOILER*

The film starts out with Michael receiving the news he is receiving his severance package whilst under the pressure of providing for his struggling 'hand-to-mouth' family.

It comes as no surprise that a random opportunity to obtain a large amount of cash is offered to Michael.. I mean talk about irony, what are the chances of that, someone who is having money problems to be given this cryptic mission at the exact time of his life when he needs it.

It follows with a cliché of him searching around the commuter train unsuccessfully in a themed like cat/mouse type hunt, nothing we haven't already seen before and better many of times. I mean I don't mean to be harsh about the film I just don't know. It really lacked any edge or originality so therefore it was kinda predictable throughout. Not a film I would recommend nor be watching again unfortunately.

Air Crash Investigation: Breakup Over Texas (2012) Season 11, Episode 4

Easily preventable tragedy

[9/10 · 29 June 2023]

A well put together episode with a real mystery as to what exactly happened to Continental Express Flight 2574 when it suddenly fell from the sky with the left wing hanging off.

After determining the crash was not caused by a bomb it was then looked further into as to why the left horizontal stabilizer leading edge was the first part of the plane to come off the aircraft ultimately causing the downfall.

Subsequently, a lack of communication from overnight mechanics and their inspector meant the right sided leading edge was replaced completely, however they ran out of time and left sided leading edge had the top end screws removed but never replaced. This unfortunately meant that once the plane came up to speed the loose leading edge could not handle air pressure, which sadly ended in all 14 passengers losing their lives.

Black Mirror: Joan Is Awful (2023) Season 6, Episode 1

Eagerly anticipated falls a bit flat

[5/10 · 15 June 2023]

*NON-SPOILER*

There was a huge amount of anticipation in the build up for the release of the new series and unfortunately the opening episode isn't really much to shout about.

In a current reality TV world that lacks any real direction, Annie Murphy excellently plays Joan, who doesn't get much assistance from her therapist, and after a tricky day at work she sits down to watch a new TV show with her fiancé that stars Salma Hayek and is called Joan Is Awful. Joan Is Awful mirrors the 'real' Joan somewhat and takes you on a little journey that reflects what is happening in Joan's reality but in a weird humour/creepy kinda way.

I was waiting for it to take off properly but unfortunately it fell flat.

A Quiet Place (2018)

Excellent acting but the film is flawed

[5/10 · 14 September 2022]

*NON-SPOILER*

Many other reviews have stated that there are numerous illogical discrepancies in this film. I do not wish to pick them out one by one as I do not want to spoil anything for the viewer. People who have no problem in believing quite surreal and sometimes ridiculous storylines (with the added spice of what I can only be honest and say some pretty dumb decisions) will probably find this at least an 8/10. The reason I have given the film a 5 is because the acting by all is impeccable. You cannot blame the actors for the ridiculous decisions incorporated into this film, but you certainly can praise them for how they portay their character and that is one reason that makes this picture worth watching.

Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis (2022)

Shocking and gripping whilst also very real

[9/10 · 15 June 2022]

This is a documentary that is uniquely shown to us by real life camera footage recorded at the time of the incident, in August 1988.

Being over 30 years ago, the majority of people watching this will find it extremely hard to relate as to how something like this was allowed to happen. If it was these days things would've gone very differently, but at the time (more so specifically this incident), the Police and SWAT didn't really seem to have much of a clue.

Shocking and well put together, definitely worth the watch!

Hustle (2022)

Not a basketball fan, but well worth the watch!

[7/10 · 15 June 2022]

*NON-SPOILER*

I'll try and catch most Adam Sandler films if I can, however there seems to be that many sometimes it's hard! I checked this film out not long after it had landed and it's almost a rags to riches story but with plenty of drama to keep you intrigued all the way through. There's a couple of unrealistic moments in the film, without any spoilers but put it like this, unless you don't have much of a brain you wouldn't make the exact same mistakes twice in a short period, especially after some intense training in between.

Anyway, check it out, well worth it, good job and great acting by the basketball stars!

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Review based on the film in its own right

[2/10 · 19 March 2022]

*NON-SPOILER*

The first thing I want to say is don't let the title of this film confuse you. We all know by now that this Halloween doesn't feature the infamous Michael Myers although that isn't an issue, the film itself is where it's faults lie.

I feel sorry for the actors for having to believe in such a ridiculous storyline and at some points (given the time this was made) they were the only slight saving grace.

As for the name, 'season of the witch', that makes no sense at all, it's absolutely nothing to do with a witc. It's about some ridiculous ancient ritualistic curse and should really be called something more like 'the ancient curse'.

Don't waste your time, nothing at all to do with the fact it doesn't feature Michael Myers, this film is just pathetic in its own right.

Countdown (III) (2019)

Been done before but was still alright!

[6/10 · 16 December 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

There's a few films now out there where modern app technology has been incorporated, or even webcams, or some sort of countdown clock until someone's death.. so this film was nothing exceptionally original.

That said, the acting in the film was good, I was able to get drawn into the film and as always Elizabeth Lail was top of the class. The downside was that some of the situations that occurred weren't really the most original and I think the scenes could have been made to be more excitable with a little more imagination.

The effects were really good and going from the ratings the film was better than expected.

Depraved (I) (2019)

Can't say it was worth a watch if I'm honest

[4/10 · 16 December 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

The film didn't really capture the imagination, it was all a bit too unrealistic..I get for a Frankenstein type film things will get unrealistic, but this redefined the word.

It felt low budget, the storyline could've been way more gripping, a few twists here and there could've been added. The name drew my attention as I'm an all round horror fan, but unfortunately this just never really got going for me.

The Rental (2020)

Just not that good

[4/10 · 11 June 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

The first half hour was good; lovely scenery, intriguing storyline and a few bits of humour too. When the more tense scenes came along I felt the film just fell into a massively 'seen it all before' bracket. The acting was excellent, fully believable and can't fault any of their roles one bit. I just felt it was lacking something different, I was really wanting there to be a twist or something surprising/out of the ordinary, but unfortunately it never came. Shame.

For the Sake of Vicious (2020)

Middle of the road kinda film

[5/10 · 10 June 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

This starts out pretty fast with not much back story before we get our teeths into the gritty story, which is fine as the back story comes to light in due course.

The film itself suffers from a rare thing called over-acting, and this was by Chris Smyth. Now I don't blame him for it as it's clearly the direction they wanted to take and he's doing as he's asked, but the amount of different face pulling that goes on, regardless of his character's reasoning is simply just overkill. It's every single scene his mouth is gurning all over the place, it gets very tedious very quickly.

The storyline itself and how it's portrayed is more than unbelievable for sure. It needed more thought and subtlety rather than going gung-ho with the trauma and gore.

I thought Lora Burke was great btw. Average watch, nothing special.

The Legion (2020)

It felt like someone was scratching out my eyes

[1/10 · 10 June 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

First of all, DO NOT watch this film. I'm not even sure it can be classed as a film. It was more like torture. I'm not one for giving up on a movie so I stuck it out, but oh how I wish I didn't.

At one point I had to dip my fingers into my glass of water and flick it on my face to make sure I hadn't died and gone to hell, as I presumed the punishment of watching such trash was fitting. Whatever budget they had for this film I wish I was given and I would've made something more entertaining with my dog, and the old boy sleeps 99% of the time, you see where I'm going with this.

Donovan Reid (2019)

5 out of 10 is where this is at

[5/10 · 10 June 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

This film has a great storyline, but it could've be done so much better. You can tell straight off the film is extremely low budget and some of the acting is really awful, without mentioning individuals. It's a shame really as this had the potential to have been made much more than it actually was.

The Lighthouse (I) (2019)

What a complete waste of time

[2/10 · 8 June 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

The film is bland, the story is nonsensical, the setting is drab and the reviews are misleading (for me anyway). I don't often say this but I wish I could have my 1 hour and 50 minutes back as I've never been so bored watching a film. The only reason this has 2 stars and not 1 is because of the absolutely brilliant acting from both leads. Second to none and I applaud them both for that. But unfortunately, how I see is, there's no film without a good storyline. I could've wrote a script like that with a bucket full of randomness occuring.

It actually reminded me of Birdman in that aspect. I would rather see average acting with a good storyline, every day of the week!

The Pact (II) (2012)

I agree with the opinion of that it's underrated

[7/10 · 8 June 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

This film is a truly terrifying horror, I was genuinely surprised at how good it was. I'm talking about the best film in the world as some of the acting was questionable at times, but it had a great storyline and some real good scare points. I'm quite a critic when it comes to horror films, but I genuinely can't understand how this film isn't rated at least a 6.5! You don't see a huge amount of low budget horror films above 6, so you can see what I'm trying to get at.

If you're in doubt but like a really good horror to get into, definitely watch this!

I See You (II) (2019)

Better than expected, full of twists

[7/10 · 7 June 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

I watched this on Netflix earlier tonight without expecting much, but I got more than what I bargained for. It isn't the ultimate picture by no means, but there are so many clever elements to this film. If you do decide to watch it, don't turn it off half way through as to be fair at that point the film doesn't really seem to be going anywhere.

The acting is great, very believable, the one criticism I might have is that there's a lot going on all at once with some situations being a little hard to believe.

Asides that, a much better than average watch and would recommend watching!

Villains (I) (2019)

Fast-paced, but lacks excitement

[6/10 · 7 May 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

No doubt this film lives up to the comedy-horror genre, but the horror isn't the type of 'gory, scary, intense' horror. It's more of a mysterious, bad-situation type horror.

The comedy side of things can be funny at times. It's hard to describe what the film is about without giving out a 'big chunk' of a spoiler. A lot of the storyline occurs within 4 walls, where one of the two couples involved, live. The other couple is battling to get away.

The film is filled with the standard tense moments, 'will they, won't they' type scenes but overall it's alright to watch, nothing special but I've seen a lot lot worse.

Swallow (I) (2019)

Acting second to none, plot deeper than most realise

[7/10 · 30 April 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

On the front of this film people may well be left wanting or a little confused, but behind the mask of it, it is something a lot deeper, to me that something can look like;

• loneliness
• the feeling of having what most women would want but still feeling empty
• living in a world of lost thoughts.

The swallowing that occurs within the film translates to someone who is crying on the inside for emotional support and someone in need of a real form of genuine, open communication.

10/10 for acting, you get sucked into this picture by how genuine and authentic the characters are being portrayed, especially Haley Bennett as Hunter, such a calming persona throughout.

The only reason to drop this rating off a tiny bit is because I wanted to see a little more detail about Hunter's past and maybe even a teardrop of her destiny.

If you're looking to watch something that is edge of your seat, thrilling and exciting then don't watch this. If you're looking for something that is sensitive, meaningful and what takes real thinking to understand, then this is for you.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

Straight in at the deep end. Needed more build up

[5/10 · 28 April 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

Right from the start things seem to move very fast without much back story or explanation.

Without spoiling anything, I found it a bit odd that Jax was a little forgotten after the first couple of scenes, especially given how close he is to Sonya.

I love the fight scenes, very well thought out and excellently executed. I can imagine it being hard to put a successful computer game into a feature film, but I would've just liked for this film to have been longer and more detailed instead of getting the sense of it feeling rushed.

The Missing (2014–2016)

Absolutely brilliant

[10/10 · 23 April 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

The first series of The Missing was very tense, very gripping and kept you watching wanting to know exactly what happened. It takes you on a journey in France with the family, are they on the right trail? Are they losing their minds? What exactly happened? It's definitely the Best of British drama and to think the second series tops it, it's a must watch. In the second series things get more twisty right from the first episode. Like the first series it's set abroad, this time in Germany. Also like the first series, the story goes back and forth in time so make sure you're concentrating. How the second series plays out is pretty much unbeatable. I'm sad there won't be a third series, but I can't see how the second can be topped. Must watch.

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

Simply Brilliant

[10/10 · 20 April 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

I challenge you to find a better, all-round series that exists to-date. Simply Brilliant. Not sure many people will get round to seeing my brief review, there's only one thing to say, go watch this if you haven't already.

Everything about it is near perfection and that's the highest praise I can give, as nothing nor nobody is perfect.

The Cleansing Hour (2019)

Different to most, but nothing special

[5/10 · 19 April 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

The acting was really good, the effects were really good, the plot was good but the film itself was a bit stale. Yes, I hate to say it but I found myself getting a bit bored. I think it's the idea of livestreaming these possessions online. I mean, I totally understand that could well and truly happen these days (and probably does), but the concept itself kinda made me less gripped and less interested.

That said, for what it was it was executed really well. I guess I would've rather have seen the livestream aspect only in the beginning and then the actual possession take place away from the cameras.

Butchers (2020)

Nice idea that went pretty cliché

[4/10 · 19 April 2021]

*NON-SPOILER*

Pretty quick start to this film, four teens have broken down basically in the middle of nowhere (which clearly we've never seen before). Local oddities stalk them (which we've also never seen before) and the rest is for you to use your imagination on what might possibly happen....

It's a shame really as the actors all perform well and a better storyline or something out of the ordinary was desperately needed to really give this film something to shout about.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me in most horror films is how fast the killer makes up ground on their target. It doesn't matter whether the target is running and they walk, it doesn't matter if the target has a huge head start and is running constantly, and it certainly doesn't matter when the target is in a car and the killer is on foot.