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Santa Clarita Diet (2017)
One Of The Greats
Santa Clarita Diet is by far one of the most exceptional shows I have ever seen. From creative plot devices to wholesome character building the show is excellent. The cast is well chosen and play their respective roles perfectly.
Very unfortunate this stand out show was cancelled.
Truth or Dare (2018)
Pretty Okay Actually
A bare surface value Truth Or Dare was an entertaining horror flick with a decent cast and an interesting concept. A game of truth or dare which takes a dark turn and has bodies dropping right left and center. Forcing players to tell the truth or complete the dares.
The plot itself was unfortunately mediocre for the majority of the movie, revolving mostly around teenage drama which also was entertaining in parts but seemed to just endlessly drag on and felt forced at points, as if characters were looking for more drama. The supernatural plot which was introduced later into the movie was actually pretty interesting and gripping and kept me invested for the rest of the near two hour runtime. The ending was anti-climatic though sadly, could have been far better but was still enough to warrant a second movie which honestly, i would watch.
One cool factor was the movie did hold a eerie atmosphere throughout the movie, with a very psychologically tormented tone, showing characters to be absolutely helpless and struggling to survive.
The cast is pretty decent, most characters are very one dimensional, feeling as if they are forcefully trying to be more, yet still felt predictable and stereotypes. Few characters stood out, Ronnie despite being the typical comic relief was still a very entertaining character with some fun dialogue. Characters who were related to the more supernatural side of the film turned out to be more in depth and multi-dimensional.
I felt as if Direction was a field where the movie took some blows. I personally believe that the PG-13 rating was very unnecessary and the movie felt inhibited. With very good death scenes which could only have been better with atleast a rating of TV-MA. i may be incorrect but it came across as restrained for Netflix only. There were also multiple 'goofs' throughout. Scenes where the boom mic can be seen, factually incorrect scenes like small amounts of lighter fluid causing people to completely burst into flames. The cinematography was unremarkable too.
Production on the other hand was pretty well done, hallucinations are not simple or cheap to create and with a budget of 3.5 million USD. It feels well produced to the extent where the audience does not feel as if special effects or props or sets were cheaply made. The special effects actually were good too, immensely adding to the eerie atmosphere, the best perhaps was simply the unnervingly stretched smiles which were used throughout the movie
Despite a slow build up and scenes which did drag on, Truth Or Dare proved to have a few good moments and a well made atmosphere, a decent attempt. Allowing the audience just enough to want to come back for a sequel.
Guns Akimbo (2019)
A Trip
Guns Akimbo was a morbidly comical R rated, coked up and blood soaked hour and a half. Starring Samara Weaving (Nix) and Daniel Radcliffe (Miles) who were in my opinion great casting choices.
Following an internet troll obsessed with his ex, who picks the wrong fight and ends up with guns bolted into his hands and also in a death match against basically a female Terminator.
As far as the plot goes, Guns Akimbo was good, with a storyline integrating more depth into the individual characters. It wasn't a serious watch from anywhere but it got the audience invested. Swift and brutal plot twists and character deaths kept us on our toes. The pace remained fast through the whole movie also.
The movie held a consistently dark yet energetic and comical feel to it throughout. The light side of gritty, to be accurate. The theme of drug abuse was a focal point throughout the movie and certainly combined with the snappy editing and design made viewers feel like they themselves were tripping.
The humor was undoubtedly crass but not overtly so, to a point where it was still funny.
The casting choices done were exceptional for the main roles. Samara Weaving as Nix was a very fitting decision and perhaps her character may be my personal favorite feature of the movie. A great balance between hardcore and human.
Daniel Radcliffe was a surprise, Guns Akimbo did not seem the sot of movie that would attract the attention of an A grade star but I'm very glad it did. Building as a character from dislikable and obnoxious to so much more. Most of the side characters however were pretty forgettable sadly except for the homeless man.
The dialogue was mediocre for most of the cast but again Samara Weaving and Daniel Radcliffe were still far better than the rest.
Direction and writing is done by Jason Lei Howden who does a commendable job in making a B rated, lower budget movie seem like an A grade movie at various places. Certain shots are filmed very well, not to mention the little details, like Doom (2016) was playing on a screen. Also the movie did not shy away from gore and some other gleefully sickening content.
The score was above decent as well, which fit very well with some good electronic tracks and the dead or alive track thrown in was also a very good fit.
The cinematography is not bad at all using well timed slow motion and focused shots and some great action shots.
Production and special effects was also well done for a lower budgeted movie, explosives and gore were abundant, mini-guns were set up and the sets were made with decent attention to detail.
The design and editing were one of the strongest points of the movie, with a modern design focusing on technology and the exiting was what gave the movie its trippy feel to the point where it was dizzying in places.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Like Icarus, They Flew Too Close To The Sun
Im simply going to start with, wow. 10 Cloverfield Lane was beautiful.
This is a movie which at base evokes raw emotion. The senses of betrayal, anxiety, helplessness, loss, grief and of-course the gnawing feeling of suffocation and claustrophobia forces the audience to sweat throughout the movie. Which i find amazing, being able to play the audience the way the movie did. The focus through was building atmosphere and creating ambiguity. The viewers take the first portion trying to make sense of what is happening and when they believe they have figured everything out, the rug is swept from under in one smooth motion, leaving the viewer again struggling to understand what is true and what is not. The entire runtime kept the audience on the edge of their seats, from one strange turn to another.
Director Dan Trachtenberg does a great job creating a tense environment where every moment is one to be wary of. Not without giving credit to the incredible screenplay writers and of course the brilliant cast, John Goodman (Howard) , Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Michelle) and John Gallagher Jr. (Emmett). All of who bring an irreplaceable role to the movie, which actually earned each of them awards. The characters each are built and developed beautifully, with the continued air of ambiguity. This makes a death scene truly impactful, which is rare. Imagery, intricately detailed sets and props aid the film greatly, from well placed blood smears to single screws being misplaced, which in turn make the characters seem all the more real. These characters become so well developed that the audience feels true emotion for them, invested in them.
I believe however, the true pulling point for 10 Cloverfield Lane, would be the complete circumstantial ambiguity, the sheer uncertainty of the truth, blatantly baring the power of informational clarity.
Unfortunately this movie which is built underground did not really have a place for the sci-fi, Cloverfield content. Which felt unnecessary at the end of the film, trying to achieve too much. Despite being unnecessary it was still well done, yet it was too much. The movie came off as too ambitious, soaring too close to the sun, seeming to try doing everything because the entire vibe and pace of what appeared to be an absolutely gorgeous experience.
It actually was brought into the Cloverfield franchise without reason, Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken scripted it as an "ultra low budget" movie with an orignial title, The Cellar. However the franchise did indeed grant a 15million USD budget which allowed it to be the masterpiece it is today.
However the last ten minutes were not enough to daunt 10 Cloverfield Lane, as it went ahead winning fifteen various awards, including various for best screenplay, and being nominated for forty six other awards.
The Hunt (2020)
Is It Really Worth 1 Hour 30 Minutes?
Often people talk about how it is great going into a movie absolutely blind and this movie served as a harsh reminder that blindly watching a movie is simply gambling.
The movie started off at a decent pace, counting off gore packed kills right off the bat. The earliest death sequences are also the most original in my opinion with respectable visual and audio quality creating one of the few pulling factors in The Hunt. Well designed eyeball popping, satisfying action sequences through (most) of the movie. Sound effects were also dramatic and did grab attention. However a tool that kept me intrigued was the swift shifts between main characters a few times early on, leaving viewers guessing who the plot was going to follow. Although with a budget of 14 million USD there was a lot of wasted potential. It was good to be reminded occasionally that it is a movie that does not shy away from graphically blowing people up which also sadly was a death sequence which was repeated one too many times.
The plot had a very promising premise which could have been utilized far better, shoddy writing left multiple plot holes throughout the entirety of the film, obvious, notable holes which would at-least irritate the audience. Personally with the stupidity and over whelming desperation to be funny combined with flimsy writing and character building i felt as if my intelligence was insulted. It felt like the film makers had a dire need to force cheap, weak humor down the audiences throat, sure a couple times there were genuinely funny scenes, but not enough to save the rest of this movie which after the first quarter decided that it would now waste as much screen time as possible with aimless, hollow shots, adding very little to the movie.
The cast was actually well picked, including Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank and Betty Gilpin. Betty Gilpin was a good choice and did make a large amount of unbearable scenes slightly better.
What would the worst offense of this movie be, you may ask. The anti climactic, dry ending. The movie began with some glimmer of hope, some sense, which slowly deteriorated throughout and ended without a bang, just an unremarkable fizzle.
Despite a great budget, a great cast, a great premise, this unfortunate workmanship may not be worth watching. Apart from its few reasonable jokes and even fewer reasonable plot points, decent but widely spread action based sequences and main character switching, only 8 million USD at the Box Office, The Hunt was sadly a forgettable swing and a miss.
Dear Dictator (2017)
A Fun Dictator Movie
An offbeat premise that would raise an eyebrow to say the least, but the real strong suit i believe are the quirky and comical characters played by the fitting cast.
Tatiana played by Odeya Rush fit her role well with seriously memorable acting and got a few snickers out of us as an audience and the chemistry with her surprising mentor, dictator Anton Vincent played by Michael Cain, a very good choice in my opinion, despite this also being a film genre i would not have expected Alfred from the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy to be a part of. Also these two characters in my opinion held the movie up, giving it shine.
Unfortunately there are more than just a few plot holes. I understand its supposed to be ridiculous and satirical and what not but there should have been SOME more grounding, there were scenes where as an audience we were baffled, why was so much screen time wasted on a multiple side plots, instead of first strengthening the main plot
A budget Of 6.7 million US dollars which was mostly spent on the cast which did include apart from Michael Cain (of-course the most paid actor on set) and Odeya Rush, Seth Green and Katie Holmes also are included.
In short, it is a well balanced mix of angsty teenage drama and adult humor. The
originality and sheer absurdity of certain scenes (the wedgie scene is a great example) do make it worth a watch undoubtedly. Its not a bad movie at all, sure it has some hurdles but it is worth a try.
Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans (2019)
Under Rated But A Fun Watch
Director Jeff Mednikow deserves praise for being behind this wholesome, short, hour and seventeen minute movie. Right off the bat i want to emphasize on the fact that this is a seriously under rated, feel good movie. Not to mention it was absolutely hilarious and as an audience we remained invested throughout the entire duration of the movie.
I think a huge factor to why the movie was so enjoyable would be that it paid great homage to the original Teen Titans show which was the childhood of many. This was especially cool because it builds a bridge between those who grew up watching the original and those who grew up watching Teen Titans Go, choosing neither side but instead evoking a sense of kinsman-ship and satisfying both crowds. In this process a great contrast between the Titans is shown and it perhaps might be the real pulling factor for the movie where the production team decided to have the same voice actor for both versions of each character and indeed it played off well. This is a great example of how well written the script is.
Also, music numbers were original, yes definitely cringe worthy but also would make you smile if you understand the references.
My own personal favorite edition to the movie were the cameos done by the other versions of the teen titans and certainly the chemistry between the two Trigons.
I do however feel like it could have been longer for sure and could even have had more character accuracy for the original titans perhaps.
Unfortunately however as of December 2019, Teen Titans Vs Teen Titans GO! only made around $308,000 in DVD and Blu Ray sales which would be the least a DC Animation movie has earned to date, which in my opinion is tragic because it was a very fun watch, hitting the right notes and should be recognized for it. Critic ratings have also been average, this is meant to be a fun, silly watch and should also be judged with that mindset.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)
A Pleasantly Violent Surprise
A near completely ideal R rated action packed, blood soaked experience. Mortal Kombat film adaptations from the past are notorious for their mediocrity or campy, unsatisfying views of the well loved Mortal Kombat Universe. So being a die hard Mortal Kombat fan, i was skeptical when starting up Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge.
Fortunately it exceeded all expectations, by miles. A movie which kept you invested throughout its hour and twenty minute journey, which in my opinion may be one of its only shortcomings, it left us as an audience wanting, no, demanding more. Truly a shortcoming which can be faced by a top tier movie, but it was a shortcoming none the less.
However from my perspective, the shortcomings end there. The film began with a symbolic, thought provoking scene immediately assuring the audience that it was a movie to be taken seriously. Well scripted lines gave the audience very lovable or (in certain cases) very dislikable characters played by a well chosen cast, in who the audience without realizing were heavily invested in. Well scripted lines go best with well directed shots and thats exactly what we were presented with. Jaw dropping scenes, often utilizing slow motion shots during incredibly paced and satisfying combat scenes which were heaped with intense gore, certainly not for the faint of heart.
All in all it is a must watch for those new to the franchise and those who grew up as kombatants.
Ouija Shark (2020)
A Ridiculous Watch
Albeit it's clear short comings, Ouija Shark did indeed give us an enjoyable adventure. Horror film with minimal gore. With it's near negligible budget it still managed to keep an entertained audience for the entirety of the movie. One that is self aware of its mediocrity in a more satirical sense. Unfortunately it is not a movie worth recommending in most cases due to its vague lack luster plot and it's often patchy acting, leaving there no character to root for. There were often scenes which added no benefit to character building or plot points. The death sequences in the film also lacked any aspect of gore, stealing from the horror movie vibe. Nevertheless the comical aura the movie held did a great deal in keeping us watching throughout.
All in all I doubt I would watch this movie for a second time but i would certainly be interested in a sequel.