nikkijohnson-82861 Reviews

Becoming Evil: Sisterhood of Murder (2019– )

Great concept but lazy and inaccurate execution

[4/10 · 10 August 2022]

One example of the laziness, an "expert" casually says that someone named Scott Jacobs called psychopaths the "people of the lie". He was most likely referring to Dr. Scott Peck's book, People Of The Lie, which was not strictly about psychopaths. And that's just one of many small inaccuracies as an "expert" enjoys the sound of their own voice.

Despite the original idea of updating our understanding of who can be a serial killer, they go on to reinforce some outdated and disgusting stereotypes when discussing gay serial killers. They claim they aren't more prone to deviant or violent behavior but follow that by outlining horrific details of crimes by specific gay killers. Yet I can think of many details by killers such as Ed Kemper that are just as disturbing. They refer to one killer "living his gay life" as though it's a lifestyle choice.

I haven't finished the series yet and will amend this review if there's any improvement, but I'm not holding my breath...

Identicals (2015)

Excellent Concept, Poor Execution

[3/10 · 25 July 2022]

The premise was strong, and it started off well. But when you're dealing with multiple identities, there needs to be some sort of clarity which this lost. I love a good brain-bender with some "who's who" involved, but there's intentional misdirection and then there's all-out chaos. This just seemed like a sad attempt at a complicated twist on Ryan Reynolds' Self/less...

Famously Haunted: Amityville (2021 TV Movie)

Unexpectedly Balanced

[8/10 · 25 July 2022]

I have to say, most things like this tend to lean heavily in one direction or the other, but this was a well-balanced presentation. The "experts" were level-headed and respected the beliefs of others, acknowledging areas where they could be wrong or interpreting things differently. I could live without the effort to reel in the TikTok crowd, but maybe that's just me showing my age. As the meme says, I watch TikToks as IG reels two weeks later like a grownup... Otherwise, I rather enjoyed it.

The Lost Room (2006)

Unique Concept

[10/10 · 24 June 2020]

I've binged this miniseries many times over the years, and it never gets old. There's really nothing quite like it. Not only is the concept unique, it's well-paced and holds your interest. The characters are easy to both love and hate equally as intended because they're well-written and the casting is incredible. So, if you're looking for some good sci-fi that doesn't fit a particular mold, The Lost Room would be at the top of my list.

The Lovers (I) (2015)

Seven for Underlying Plot

[7/10 · 23 October 2019]

The overall premise is interesting, but the way it's presented here falls short.

There are several aspects that we're left to put the pieces together ourselves such as the silver purse on the ship. We do see a shot containing the silver purse in the flashback, but there's no reference to a ship whatsoever. And it makes no sense at all for the rings to have been with any of those characters rather than staying with their true owner, Tulaja. Many of these little plot holes could have been remedied by one or two off-handed comments. Giving the future characters a bit more knowledge about the past individuals wouldn't have diminished the effect.

The biggest mistake are the lovers themselves. James and Kulaja made for a wonderful story. What is the point of watching him fall in love with a kind, intelligent beautiful woman only to lose her and be throw together with another woman? When he and Kulaja went through so much together, that's who we want to see overcome the obstacles and find the reward of happiness.

Kulaja was told that she would betray James, but there was no betrayal. She was brave and loyal and did everything she could to try to save him. She was used. And even her lie about not loving him wasn't a betrayal. It was an effort to save him. The only betrayal in the story was, Laura, the woman who followed her own ambition and nearly got him killed. He made the smart decision to go after the ring safely. She did something she knew he would never want, something ANY diver knows you never do, and she used him as an excuse to do what she wanted anyway. She didn't endanger herself to save his life or any other noble reason. She was being an impatient child only thinking about what she wanted. While Kulaja had risked everything for him and only thought of others.

Basically, while this is supposed to be an epic story about how love transcends time, I found it to be a tragedy.

The Nines (2007)

My Nine Isn't Ironic

[9/10 · 11 October 2019]

If you enjoy brain-benders that make you question everything, then you'll love it. It's the kind of movie you watch a second time and say, "Oh, I see what you did there." Sneaky little hints and references that all come together in a rather surprising way. Plus, who doesn't love Ryan and Melissa? They both demonstrate their range. The only thing I don't care for is the casting of Hope Davis. But maybe it's a personal thing because I just don't find her attractive enough for parts of the role. Otherwise, excellent little journey!

The Lost Room (2006)

Original and then some...

[10/10 · 19 March 2019]

Every time I try to explain this concept to someone, it sounds ridiculous and stupid. But I've binge watched it countless times and I still always catch details I've missed or angles I hadn't considered. And I still find myself emotionally invested, loving some characters and despising others.

For such a strange concept, it's brilliantly executed in its subtlety. It doesn't take a die-hard sci-fi fan to enjoy it even though it's so "out there".

I rarely give 10/10, but I recommend this to basically everyone whether they like sci-fi or not. It's that good.

The Other Side of the Mirror (2016)

Pure Torture

[1/10 · 19 March 2019]

I held on for over 20 minutes, giving it chance after painful chance, gritting my teeth and praying for it to redeem itself. Sadly, it didn't. My dogs could do better. There wasn't the slightest preparation or respect for the craft. This seemed more the product of a bunch of stoned teenagers who think they're really deep and enlightened than it did any real filmmakers. The acting was flippant, lazy, and just bad. (If you're gonna play a Catholic and draw attention to that fact, learn how to cross yourself without looking like a claymation character.) I could go on all day, and I barely followed her down the hole. For the love of all things Alice, don't do it.

(Update: It's been a couple of years now, and I came across this title on Tubi. I instantly remembered just how gag-worthy the entire thing was and decided to come leave a review having completely forgotten I'd left one the first time. It's simply that revolting...for me to actually feel the need, years later, to warn the general public about 20 of the worst cinematic moments of my life. As a writer, I've only given a handful of one-star reviews, always looking for some redeeming qualities in the artistic work of others. I almost wonder if they went out of their way to make it as terrible as they possibly could; some crazy Yoko Ono performance art crapfest. Just don't...)