beetlejuice82008 Reviews

Mad God (2021)

Fantasia Fest Screening -

[8/10 · 23 August 2021]

The stop-motion animation in this movie is top notch. From the character design to the set pieces, the filmmakers put together a beautiful, eerie, post-apocalyptic world with an eye for texture and detail in order to build this world and make it a character in itself. The film has no dialogue, so it heavily relies on the creative sets and creature designs to speak for itself.

The entire film primarily follows the journey of the main character traveling through this industrial post-apocalyptic junkyard with a lot of grotesque creatures along the way, and as an audience member you need to be open to take this journey.

The film does move a bit slow, and the lack of dialogue might not be everyone's cup of tea', but it allows time for the movie to breathe and get immersed in the world it's trying to build.

It's gruesome, eerie, yet strangely beautiful, and kind of reminded me of an animated Mad Max.

If you love stop-motion animation, especially if it includes heavy elements of sci-fi - horror you'll want to check this out.

The Dark and the Wicked (2020)

Fantasia Fest Review

[8/10 · 29 August 2020]

I just finished viewing this film as part of Fantasia Fest 2020. It's a very solid horror movie.

The film tells the story of two siblings who return to their family farm to take care of their dying father and to help out around the farm. I won't spoil anything from there, but they soon start to realize that something isn't right with their farm.

I enjoyed writer/director Bryan Bertino's previous film, The Strangers, and like that movie he uses the eeriness of the farm settling to build atmosphere and tension. And just like The Strangers, this film also features unwanted visitors, but just in a different way.

It has a lot of quieter moments to build tension and it does payoff when some of the scares come into play. There were a few things that I wasn't expecting/didn't know which direction they were going to take.

With good performance along with the atmosphere and cinematography, I really dug this film. Check it out when it becomes available.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)

Canadian Screening Review - Third Spongebob Movie will Please Fans

[7/10 · 22 August 2020]

I saw the exclusive Canadian engagement of the film last weekend. Overall, I think Spongebob fans and kids will enjoy this movie- probably not as much as the first movie but definitely as much as the second.

The plot is pretty simple. It pretty much features the same plot as the previous two movies where Spongebob needs to save something that was stolen while Plankton tries to steal the secret formula while he's away.

And just like the in other movies, Spongebob and Patrick's trip is where the fun is. Like the second movie, expect a lot of weirdness. Without giving too much away, expect musical numbers, zombies, and gambling.

I also really enjoyed the celebrity cameos. For those wondering, Keanu Reeves's role is more than just a cameo - he actually has a good amount of screen time in the film. Danny Trejo also has a great role, but I won't spoil anything. I also liked Tiffany Haddish's appearance as Tiffany Haddock (get it).

You'll also get to hear the character say some minor swear words. Spongebob says "crappy" twice" while you'll hear Squidward say "frickin".

The summer camp flashbacks I thought were nice. You can tell they were thrown in to build the Kamp Koral spin-off, but I didn't mind them.

Just a nitpick though, according to the movie, Spongebob and Sandy already met before at summer camp, but longtime Spongebob fans will be quick to point out that Sandy and Spongebob actually meet for the first time in episode Tea the Treedome.

Overall, Spongebob fans should enjoy this movie fine. It's an entertaining movie to watch if you want to turn off your brain for an hour and a half.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

It had Problem's but it was still Good.

[7/10 · 14 September 2012]

The Snow White tale we all know gets a darker and more epic take on the story. Snow White escapes from being imprisoned by her evil stepmother, Ravenna, who needs Snow White's heart to keep her young forever. Snow White ends up teaming with the huntsman who was meant to kill her. He ends up saving her numerous times from Ravenna's army. The two of them, along with the seven dwarfs - who they meet along their journey - try to recruit the next kingdom over to vanquish Ravenna's reign to the thrown.

Overall, the movie was good. Don't get me wrong, the movie did have some problems. The major problem with the movie was the pacing. The filmmakers could have easily trimmed off scenes where they venture into the woods and swap it for more of Charlize Theron's character, Ravenna.

Another major problem is with some of the random things that get planted into the movie. Like when Snow White first escapes, she randomly finds a white horse just sitting on the beach waiting for her and she rides it out of the kingdom as if the writers just threw the horse in there because they didn't know what else to do. Her escape was too easy.

Some of the battles get repetitive throughout the movie as well, having similar styles to other movies like Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. But the main strength of the movie was the visuals. The movie nails the dark and cloudy middle age period it is set in. The makeup effects are great when we see Ravenna ageing, then, gracefully turn young again. The creatures like the fairies and the trolls look good.

The acting was pretty good too, with Charlize Theron playing a good villain. Even Kristen Stewart, who I don't like very much, does a decent job as Snow White. Saying that, I would still rather have had Amanda Seyfried or Emma Watson playing Snow White instead.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

Good start, great finish, Mediocre middle

[5/10 · 18 February 2012]

*Very minor spoilers* I really liked the first movie. This sequel had so much potential to be good. They turned it darker and grittier than the first one, which a movie like this should be; stepping it up from the first one. The movies opening where they give the viewers a briefing on how Johnny Blaze became Ghost Rider was cool. The final battle sequence was well done. The visual effects and Ghost Rider's new "look" have been much improved. But, everything in the middle was mediocre at best. The first two "battles" were incredibly weak. They had a lot of missed opportunities. They could have done so much with them. Instead, he quickly whips them with his chain and they burst to flames and they're dead in literally, 2 seconds. And instead of showing the audience that the souls are actually being sucked out of their bodies, he stairs at them for 10 minutes, which slows down the pace of the movie. I was expecting something along the lines of him blowing fire out of his hands or mouth at his opponents, but they only do this once. Also, the camera angles are annoying as they show titled and crookedly filmed shots that make the movie resemble something out of a cheap cop show. The movie is an odd mix. They had a good direction where to go with it, but the script was weak. They could have shown a lot more of Ghost Rider's powers, other than just whipping them with his chain, and then their dead.

Easy A (2010)

Easy A GET'S an Easy A!

[9/10 · 23 September 2010]

A sexless, sex comedy about an average student named Olive, who, after lie's about having a one night stand with a college to her friend, Rhiannon so Olive doesn't have to go camping with her, ends up being heard by the school's Christian snob, Marianne. After a twist of different rumours, Olive decides to go WITH the rumours, instead of stopping them. Guys end up charging Olive so they can SAY that they slept with her, but actually they didn't. And of course, the rumour get's out of hand in some hilarious ways.

The movie title goes so well with the movie. In most movies, it only manages to get so far with the storytelling, but this movie takes it's full advantage of the story, with hardly any flaws. It's a mix of Mean Girls and Juno. It has a lot of gossip and sexual remarks, and also a quirky main character with clever and hilarious lines. Amanda Bynes is excellent, as usual as Marianne. Olive's parents are very clueless to what's going on and are a hoot every time they're on screen. There are some lines in here that you'll be repeating. I cannot wait for this movie to come to Bluray. The only flaw is the ending. It could have been more constructed with a better conclusion. The rest of the movie is so good that the ending doesn't matter. This is, by far one of the best movies of 2010 and probably one of my personal favourites of all time!

Ugly Betty (2006–2010)

Everyone Needs a little Betty

[10/10 · 14 August 2010]

Ugly Betty lasted only 4 seasons, but a great 4 seasons they were. This show is truly heartwarming and funny. The characters, the story lines and the atmosphere get you hooked from the first episode you watch. I have not fell in love with a show so much. The writer's definitely know what they are doing. The characters are so lovable, it's like they're part of your family. You'd want to watch this show every week. I recommend this show if you like shows like Glee, Drop Dead Diva and Desperate Housewives.

Ugly Betty tells the story of an adorable and confident girl named Betty Suarez. She dares to go where not that many people would not...working in a top-rated fashion magazine. Now, she's showing everyone who's boss and in this show, you Betty believe in miracles!