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lilyandpapyrus
Reviews
Grimm (2011)
Maybe a 6 despite some good moments
I'm not sure I enjoyed this series in spite of its interesting premise and the wonderful detailing which went into creating the mythology. It took a bit for me to become engaged but once I was the show became very much like a soap opera with scenes ending with closeups of angst riddled faces. About the time when Nick decided to without information from Juliette and demanding people run interference on his romantic life I started to get bored again.
When Juliette insisted on inserting herself into Nick's cases I felt maybe a character purge was in order.
This is a soap opera masquerading as a fantasy series which might have worked for me if there had been fewer annoying characters and focused more on the fantasy which seemed to be almost incidental in some episodes. Juliette and her story arch being the most off putting by end of season 2.
It's a good show to kill time but after binging the first 2 seasons I felt I had seen just enough of it to walk away without feeling I was missing something which is a shame because I actually like many of the characters (Monroe being my fave).
Others liked this show a lot but while I can see it's potential the interpersonal relationships made this more miss than hit by the end of season 2.
Extinction (2018)
Nearly wonderful
Should have been a prettt good movie but silly emotional choices took away from the tension and message for me.
As so many have mentioned, the children were annoying to the point of distraction. It is as though AI came up with the idea of what children are, all screaming and disobedience. I guess this is fitting, though, considering the big reveal. However, it broke the tension and created too many moments of frustration. They used the children and their actions to build punctuate/create tension relying primarily on those responses instead of creating a buildup through story telling. Running and screaming isn't story telling. When tension needed to be created they reached for the screaming children in the back pocket which is a shame as the basic story and the reveal were strong enough to be the foundation for conflict.
The Devil Conspiracy (2022)
A solid 6.5
This movie isn't a bad as some have said though I can see the weaknesses in it.
It started fairly strongly but suffered a bit in the middle which didn't quite give the momentum needed for a strong finish.
Also, for my tastes, it needed far more Peter Mensah. The most interesting parts of the movie for me, the parts I found the strongest, were those between Mensah as the Archangel Michael and Fallen Angel Lucifer. Lucifer was weakened here. His plan a little silly but it was the reliance on a convoluted devilish plan which lost a chance at to set up an opportunity for a visually stunning epic battle between the two angels.
But my criticisms aside, this movie is stronger than the ratings suggests. If so inclined and willing to risk the overly long runtime (I'd say this should be a 90 minute movie tops) it has some strong ideas and is rewarding visually. Just needs more Mensah.
Maggie (2015)
Absolutely beautiful
This is a lovely film.
There's no horde of zombies or buckets of blood. To be honest it's not really a zombie movie at all. It's about a father's love and the heartbreaking choices people are presented with when a loved one is dying of a terrible illness. The illness in this case is one which turns people into zombies.
It's slow much like the progression of the illness in this case but that's exactly the pace needed.
If you are an Arnold fan and are open minded this slow and heartbreaking story showcases what I feel is Schwarzenegger's best performance. He shows a restraint not often seen in the vehicles he traditionally stars in.
If you rather something a little more like Predator (my personal favourite of his films) then this will not be the pace for you.
But if you would like to see something different from the Terminator himself and want to be pleasantly surprised by a quieter more emotional piece, give it a go.
It's not for everyone but, then again, what is?
Blackout (2022)
None of the suspense, none of the tension
From the very opening this movie promised to be bad, just how bad remained to be seen. Honestly, there were a ton of clues of what was to come from bad wigs and poorly fitted shirts to the checklist of tv tropes they relentlessly followed.
For me the problem is not the limits as far as locations or even the dialogue, I've watched tons of action flicks which were low on locations and script points and were purely vehicles for fantastic fight sequences. I've even watched less than stellar flicks based on the same amnesiac fights for life against baddies premise.
This just none of the charm of even those other less than stellar offerings.
I tried, I really tried but the only thing to suggest excitement was a very Bourne soundtrack which tries to prime one for tension which never quite comes.
Not tight, not taut but if you wanted to watch an undercooked version of Bourne complete with a very similar soundtrack this is your best bet.
For myself, the tension just isn't there.
Body Cam (2020)
Had potential
There were moments which engaged but many of them were tainted by some terribly forced lines which landed stiffly, most sounding as though someone referred to a book on Basic Movie Lines and Quotables (for example "let me help you through this" answered by "you can't help, it's something I must do on my own"). For me, these moments did not ring true so I lost connection to the characters in those instances.
There were definitely some good moments, some genuine moments but, again, they often fell short for me as I could see the what page of the thriller/supernatural horror playbook they were on. This would still have been fine if the movie had been able to maintain the tension in those moments.
I'd say average to slightly below average because I feel they relied on the sickening moments of the reveal as opposed to any really horror/thriller craft.
Hypnotic (2021)
Predictable is the least of the problems
If the worse I could say is that this movie is predictable this movie would have earned a 6 from me but the relentless stupidity of it made the predictable nature of this movie annoying.
For instance, one of my pet peeves is how characters always think their cartoonish attempts to outsmart the baddie will work. Like turning your mind over to someone to hypnotise while you record them and thinking you will be safe. Riiiiight.
Or, how they never just tell each other of danger. Nope, they yell incoherently.
Forty two minutes was my breaking point. That was the point when the lack of tension and the predictability overrode my curiosity. That's when I realised I was just punishing myself because I wanted to finish what I had started.
The Ritual (2017)
Flawed but beautiful
Not adding a rundown of this movie, many have already done so. What I do wish to say is I was pleasantly surprised by the last third of the movie as so many here considered it weak when it was far from that. The man who was so filled with suffering that he was marked by it, marked in a way which was easily read by an elder god one could only assume was a god of suffering. A god now devoid of worshippers. After refusing to kneel to this monstrous god the lone survivor finally finds the strength to push past his fear and escape into the dawn.
It really is about one man's journey and, hopefully, he is now equipped to forgive himself for his fear.
I thought is beautiful but I really like movies about redemption and transformation. If you are expecting just endless physical fear and horror you might miss the true story here and be left wanting.
La Révolution (2020)
Not great but not bad. A solid 6 with a few 7 episodes
I like the idea, a lot. I even like the execution of the idea, the clothing, the sets, the atmosphere, the actors, all pretty solid. There are some overwritten moments, times when they don't trust the audience enough to have figured things out, moments which could have been fleshed out with a more subtle hand. That being said they made good use of those moments with between the two girls, Madeleine and the girl in the iron mask. What left me wanting are those shoes horned in moments between Elise and Albert and Joseph and Katell. They made a few questionable choices to get the characters to the spot they needed them in for subsequent scenes and that took a lot of the tension out of those moments for me.
Also, the reliance on modern makeup and hair for many which isn't all that big of a deal but opting to do so for some characters and not others made those choices noteworthy. Powdered wigs and pale faces on male aristocrats but black fine liner and smoky eyes of female aristocrats and rebels did not make a seamless blend for me.
I wish it had more seasons though. As much as it wasn't a hit for me it definitely was not a total miss and I feel it deserved more seasons to explore the great idea of the show's premise.
How It Ends (2018)
Better than the rating would lead one to believe
Checking IMBd ratings is often an exercise in frustration but it is useful in that I have a chance to evaluate what seems to be the issue many have with a show/movie. Often the thing which makes many rate something poorly is never really an issue. Or, at least, one I would personally find to be something worth a poor rating.
!SPOILER!
That How It Ends does not have a shiny crisp ending, that we leave our protagonist in the midst of danger does not bother me. In fact, it makes sense this would be the case.
The movie was not about a great apocalyptic event, this is just the backdrop for the bulk of the movie. It is also the thing which allows two seemingly different men a chance to bond about something dear to them both and, for Whitaker's character, the opportunity to pass the mantle of caregiver, provider, foundation.
That some watched expecting a different type of movie or a different type of ending does not make this movie bad or the ending horrible. Meeting or not meeting ones expectations is not the definition of a bad or good movie.
For me this was about the journey of two men and the changing of the guard. It was NOT my expectation but I can set that aside and appreciate the movie for what it was NOT what I expected it to be.
I think it to be a solid 7. My rating was most definitely lifted by Whitaker's strong performance but also the symbolism of the death on the old guard and Whitaker's final acceptance during the journey of Theo's place in his daughter's life and the way Theo's character was made stronger by said journey.
Love in the face of utter devastation. This deserves better than the IMDb rating.
Amazing Stories: The Heat (2020)
Better than led to believe
It's a slow burn but does not deserve the low rating. On the whole the series lags a bit so I'm surprised so many reviews trash this particular episode for a failing found on the whole throughout the series.
Might be something else prompting such strong feelings of aversion.
The acting and pace in the latter half, especially towards the end, was very moving. The young actors did a good job, secondary characters were not of note so it really was all about the two of them and a theme of second chances and redemptive love.
At one point I thought to myself anyone who trashed this episode must have a heart of stone. I understand not liking something but thinking something is trash because you can't put yourself in these characters sounds like lack of empathy.
I did not find this episode any more lacking than the others, they all share similar flaws most noticeably in the pacing.
Utopia Falls (2020)
It's Okay If it's Not Your Thing
Let me start of by saying I never understand people who complain about a show because it doesn't appeal to them. How is your taste the benchmark!? It's okay if something is of no interest to you, however, this in and of itself does not make something unworthy. It does not have to be of interest to you. What's even more troubling is when older people complain when a clearly listed Young Adult series is not to their liking or a series with a really diverse cast is "too diverse". There's something wrong here.
!MINOR CONCEPT SPOILERS AHEAD!
Utopia Falls is NOT really a show about singing and dancing, it uses performance as a vehicle but to say this is what the show is about is pretty myopic. But if we were to examine those performance elements and the historical context of them one would see that performance has played a big part in expression throughout recorded human history so I am a little puzzled why critics would use this aspect to deem the show unworthy. The historical context aside, the performances were great but if you are not a lover of the performance arts then maybe you would find it a distraction.
I watched the entire series. I am not the target audience but I do remember what coming of age was like. Especially as I am part of a group one would call marginalised I can appreciate what it means to see a group of kids in a dystopian society masquerading as a utopia discovering they have a voice which is in conflict with the life they have been raised to believe is ideal. Watching them come into their own and the easy acceptance of the relationships some still struggle with in this pre-Utopia Falls world of 2020 is nicely done. I can't help but think though that if they had had more episodes we could have seen a slower unfolding of their lives which would have afforded us a better understanding of the way the different sectors shaped them.
Does it matter that a bunch of adult people had different expectations of the show? It shouldn't, I mean, it's not their voice so they can scream into the void all they want. That I know a bunch of young adults who found the show spoke to them is what I would say defines this show as a success.
I hope it gets more seasons for the above reason alone but, beyond that, I did enjoy the show.