mvike Reviews

Let Us Prey (2014)

LAST SHIFT did it better.

[5/10 · 21 December 2020]

Decent film, far too many tropes for me though... the nut at the end (you'll know when you see them...) was just so over the top that it nearly got comical.

Typical Good vs Evil, with I guess a slight twist...

Over the top gore, often times felt just for the sake of gore/shock value... no real SCARY scenes, much closer to a THRILLER/SLASHER than anything scary. But I enjoyed it all the same...

I have no clue how this is rated higher than LAST SHIFT which is a very similar concept ...& is WAY scarier, & relies on isolation which to me is way more fun. However, if you liked this...you'd like LAST SHIFT as well so give it a go!! If you didn't really feel this one, I say still watch LAST SHIFT as it's different enough, & much better written that you should enjoy it!!

Last Shift (I) (2014)

EVIL DONE RIGHT!!!!

[10/10 · 21 December 2020]

If you don't care to read my rant & my opinions on what makes something scary n just want to know if you should watch this... I honestly haven't seen a scarier movie since Event Horizon. If you're a fan of PRACTICAL effects, & isolation (or one location) horror? This is a MUST WATCH!!! Keep in mind however, it's violence is BRUTAL!!

Okay... to start, I am a MASSIVE horror fan, I go through month long periods of watching at least one per day. This means I've seen basically every classic, many, many great films, & far too many very bad ones. This one is easily in my top 10 of scariest. If that's all you need to know, cool! But below I'll explain WHY.

Different things scare people. Some are afraid of SLASHERS (serial killers), some of GHOSTS, some of ALIENS, some of DEMONS, etc etc. None of these, & not much at all can really get under my skin. I've seen it all, if you want to scare me? You are gonna have to come with some top notch PRACTICAL effects, bizarre concepts, unsettle me w/ things that are foreign to our understanding of what "should be"... meaning, blood does nothing for me... a crazy killers does nothing for me... so what does??

Things that are bizarre, unnatural, or simply SHOULDN'T exist/be! You can see an example of the "shouldn't be" w/ a monster moves in a way things don't move, such as jittery, or the joints/legs improperly located, yet somehow function ...movies that have these things on display include, THE THING, THE VOID, SILENT HILL & others.

What's nuts is LAST SHIFT didn't use those "weird" tactics... it somehow was able to use concepts such as, SERIAL KILLERS, GHOSTS, DEMONS, & isolation...things I typically don't even both with anymore...

So how can this do what the others using its tactics can't? The camera shots, the close up moments that aren't simple jump scares, but force you to take in the moment, the story itself, the acting, & above all else... THE PRACTICAL EFFECTS!!! The makeup in this film is just out of this world!!! The evil entities are just straight up BRUTAL & NASTY looking! I LOVED IT!!! The film doesn't care to try & explain why evil is evil, it also doesn't tuck you warmly into bed with a Hollywood ending. I know 2 people who asked me to shut it off, ONLY due to them being too freaked out & worried about nightmares!!!

The actress as well did an incredible job at selling it all...I don't know how she's not more well known, as all I remember her being in was THE WALKING DEAD...(she's one of the two women in S3 that the Governor runs into, & I believe gets killed during the final fight at the prison) not ONLY is she awesome, but she is an ABSOLUTE STUNNER!!! Gorgeous isnt strong enough to describe her beauty!

Typically, if you're a horror fan... you're well aware that on IMDB, even the BEST horrors don't often get above a 6.5, so I for the most part will give anything that sounds good a watch if it's at least above a 4.0. This being 5.1 is...respectable, however I believe it deserves to be AT LEAST at a 6.5!!! I give it a 10/10...I'm rating it as a HORROR film, not just as an overall film. Because we all know horror is like comedy... it's given small budgets, limited releases (usually), the stories are always far fetched... & So they never really get the respect they deserve.

Scare Me (I) (2020)

SCARE ME MOTHER******!!

[8/10 · 11 December 2020]

Horror comedy almost never gets it right, this film pretty much got it right...except for one part...

If someone told me the basis of this film, I'd never have watched it, it just would sound boring... but the cast makes it worth!!

It is way more comedy than horror though, I'd say around 70/30 actually.

I can honestly say I absolutely HATED Aya Cash in THE BOYS, she didn't fit, & I felt she wasn't talented... but then I saw this & I loved her so much.. she was born for this sorta role! She's sadly always going to be pegged as a comedy girl, like what's his name from American Pie..

I enjoyed so much of this really, as I said though one part missed the mark... the ending. It just made NO SENSE... I won't spoil it, but all I'll say is "WHY!?!?" Why make them think what they did... only to then say ...I won't spoil it... but it was lame to finish it that way. I get that they wanted to go for the twist within a twist thing... but it almost felt like they ran out of script n said "wing it!"

Yes, I also realize one character is suffering from life issues & may have just WANTED that ending... but when it happens? It doesn't seem they were very happy to have it happen... just didn't like that at all.

Overall I loved it!!! Ayas "AHHH, COMON, SCARE ME MOTHER EFFER! WE'RE BURNIN' MOON LIGHT!!!" I was laughing way too much!!

The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael (2005)

SMUT TRASH

[1/10 · 9 December 2020]

If you enjoy films that portray graphic, nonsensical sexual violence, & ridiculous violence for the sake of violence...? Then you'll love this. That is coming from a massive horror fan, & someone who is used to both of these topics in film. However, when it's done just for the sake of shock value? I don't support it. There's a massive difference between having a scene done that shows the impact terrible things done to someone can have...& just simply trying to be as vulgar & shocking so that people say "wow, that was shocking!!"

"Shock violence", (as I call it) is the equivalent of a horror film relying on jump scares over original, skillful horror. Think of, THE THING (1982) vs something like HOSTEL. One is a talent/skill on display, the other is essentially someone saying "let's see how much junk we can throw in before the studio tells us to grow up, & develop some talent, instead of buying as much fake blood as we can"

Is there any reason someone needs to see a kid jerking off in a film? What value does this add to it? Who writes a script & says "ok, here we are gonna need a long, explicit shot of a kid jerking off, the audience will really get the purpose of this, & it'll resonate with the audience, this is going to be some A class character building!!!"

This is like having a female character be on her period, & we get to watch as she changes her pad during a very heavy flow month.

The days of intelligent film making is truly become extinct... nothing is left to the viewers mind to work through it anymore... sometimes the most impactful things are what aren't shown. Because the scariest thing truly is our own mind, to wonder, "WHAT happened when that door closed?" "Where did he take her when the car drove off?" Etc.

NOPE! Today, we get shown pure smut, are told it's "art" & it's called things such as, "brave" or "important". If I want to watch porn, I have a lot better options than this nonsense.

What ever happened to the days where a film could stick with us, & not have to raise the "shock" bar??? They used to play with our minds, take us to places we couldn't dream up, & open doors to the imagination... & now the goal is to see who have upset our stomach the most...

The FIRST SAW film was original, because that style had not been done in that quality before.... & it seems ever since then... every horror filmmaker just wants to up the scale of shock.

I know a lot of people will hate on me for this...but that's fine, I'm willing to stand alone for what is right. We will never get back the thrill of film, & the feeling of going on a wild ride to somewhere not here, as long as we continue to support this sort of things.

You can support the idea of a STORY with a world of experiences & Ideas, & whoever takes you on the more amazing, wild journey wins.

Or you can support the idea of "whoever buys the most buckets of fake blood, & gets the most sex scenes possible without getting an NC17 rating wins"

You will decide what our films become, with your $. Your money will in the end get to decide which road our future of film making goes down. The road of imagination & great story telling, or the road of the most blood, sex, & special effects.

And we continue to come on here, & complain about never getting original films... yet we bash them whenever they're made, & we wonder WHY we continue to get junk like THIS!? Because you keep buying the tickets.

Side Hustle (2020–2022)

We like it!

[8/10 · 21 November 2020]

First of all, this show is for KIDS, not for critics or adults!

Hayden & Annie are great!

Those saying they're Tim Tok dancers...1) I've seen "Lex" in plenty, & 2) news flash, if you've got a 13-17 yr old girl, she's likely a Tik Tok user as well.

The show isn't stereotyped either, you don't have your tomboy & your girly girl...while you can see which of the two is more of each, neither is played as one or the other, they're just two friends, & I love that. Neither girl is sexualized (looking at you, Netflix) either. It's no different in style than any other show, & with time...it'll become a classic I think. The idea behind them having to find jobs is so fun.

It also isn't an obvious girls show, boys can enjoy it as well!

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

WANTED to love it..

[5/10 · 1 November 2020]

I'll be honest & say I wanted this to be so great. Werewolves are undoubtedly my all time favorite monster... if you love them as well, you are painfully aware how rare it is the movies get made now, & even less rare that they are even OK, let alone good or better...

That said, I tried so hard to make excuses everytime my mind said "this sorta sucks.." but in the end..I had to face reality.

It wasn't that good. The pacing & tone were almost dreamlike, & not in a good, nor intentional way. The movie cuts randomly from attack scenes to scenes hours later. The father/Sheriff was just ...he was too weirdly written (not the actors fault I don't think) it felt as if he was supposed to be seen as kind of an incompetent goof...? But also not...? Every scene he is in is bizarre, because almost every line feels like it could've meant to be a joke, but nothing at all done in a joking fashion. This only happened with him, no one else. Everyone else was played very straight, but he was this 'out of his element' goof even in the most serious of scenes...it just came across as too weird for me.

The werewolf - the times we see it, it's great. Which isnt often but it's good enough...but with the twist (which I saw a mile away) it leaves obvious plot holes..

At the end I'll give my biggest issues, for now... here's how I'd rate it:

Story: 6/10 (done to death, but it was fine) Acting: 7/10 Cinematography/Quality: 10/10 Horror: 4/10 Comedy: 2/10

Overall, if you just love horror...I could see you hating this. If you love werewolves though, you may enjoy it.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The wolf turns out to be this somewhat random, very tall, thin man. He just wears a wolf skin basically, okay.. fine... but the police got reports back saying the victims were CLEARLY attacked by a large WOLF... due to the wounds, & bites. These people do this as a career, they aren't going to mistake some knife/weapon for a specific animals teeth. That's giving the film extra credit because we aren't even explained how he did inflict these wolf like injuries. So..

How did the victims have clear animal injuries?

How did the man vocalize very distinct wolf howls?

How was it the only man in this SMALL TOWN who is around 7'0+ tall able to evade being any sort of real suspect, when the only lead anyone had to really go on was that the suspect was VERY LARGE?

Why was he cutting off specific organs/parts of people? They made this kind of a big thing, then I didn't see it explained.

How was this man (who was in no way muscular or powerful looking) while donning a wolf costume able to generate enough speed & power to ram into a TRUCK DOOR, & Cause it to lift several feet into the air. Then punch through a window of it no problem, then evade the Sheriff firing shotgun blasts... while leaping from car to car, & escape?

I see those as not just questions unanswered, but loop holes generated by having it be a human.

Also, what's the drinking deal? Never explained.

It almost feels rushed, or like many people made the film instead of one vision.

I wanted badly to love it, I ended up pretty let down... will never watch it again, but not sorry that I saw it. It was ok.

The Two Popes (2019)

God changes?? News to me.

[3/10 · 14 October 2020]

I wanted to love this... but I didn't. There is so much wrong here that I'll do it point by point. In some areas...

• It's basically to show off how great, & progressive, & smart, & faithful, Frances is, & how stupid, out of touch, inept, grouchy, intolerant, Benedict was... the bias is glaring.

• Frances is shown as: tolerant, brilliant, devout, classy, insightful, humble, & all the other flattering things you can think of...

• Benedict is shown as: out of touch, intolerant, not that sharp, or smart, no sense of humor, a pig, grouchy, unbiblical, proud, & possibly corrupt...

• They literally have a scene eating pizza, where one eats like an animal, & one very clean. Also, one is shown again, eating in a dark room, drinking pop from a plastic bottle, & one at a beautiful classy table, drinking wine from a wine glass. It's not hard to see what they were trying to do... the issue with it is...none of this stuff has any truth. It's one thing to make someone look like a outdated, rude pig if one actually was... but this is near fiction... no, not near... IT IS FICTION.

• This is shown time & time again, & in awful ways. Shown very front & center while in the garden.

What is the problem with this you may say? It is "based on a true story" right? WRONG!!!! None of these meetings ever took place, they never spoke privately like in any of these scenes, & Frances wasn't informed of Benedict's choice before others...none of that happened...which makes one wonder...why then make the Conservative look so awful, & the Progressive so great? Benedict basically played the "bad guy" damn near. Benedict also never "protected" the Priest that went to jail, HE personally turned him in & fired him himself. Again, why make him look like a horrible man...? Why??

• As mentioned before, they try to make Frances look so amazing...so in touch with God...yet some of the errors are so simple minded, it darn near ruined it. One huge error that stood out to me was when Frances quotes the Bible saying "Isiah 41 chapter 10" lol!! No way would someone even slightly knowledgeable of the Bible make this error...it is "Isiah CHAPTER 41, VERSE 10" and yes, it's kinda a big deal. When you're trying to make him look so witty & sharp, having memorized scripture...only to fudge the whole thing...? It ruins the scene.

Another is while they're in the garden, & Benedict says "God doesn't change!!!" & Frances says "yes he does!!" Wow!! This is supposed to be some big moment where he shows how the church has it wrong...? The Bible is VERY clear that God NEVER changes. HEBREWS 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Also, MALACHI 3:6 "I THE LORD DO NOT CHANGE" haha. I couldn't believe this script... they are trying to make Frances very Worldly, & try to convince us that God "gets with the times" it was really a shame to see, & I worry for young or old who see this film & believe it has sound theology. It doesn't.

The movie is plagued by little errors like this throughout. Such as; Frances NEVER came to the Pope to retire, & the romance/love interest in the film, that they shoehorn in to consume a good 30% of the film...? Never existed! The woman did, & still does...she wasn't killed during the uprising though, & they were never anything but good friends. He was never almost married. Ever.

All of these things in the end add up to just too much. I'm not even a Catholic, & yet I'll defend THEIR truth, & this film isn't at all it.

The acting was wonderful, as was the costume design, & the film quality itself...however... as a movie about Theology...? No, it's not accurate, it's not sound in its teachings, & it's very near (if not flat out) heresy. I was waiting for one of them to say "oh what do we know, Jesus was likely a woman anyways" or "who knows, Jesus may have just been a great teacher, & nothing more"

Please just know NOTHING beyond the figures & their names themselves is accurate in this film. They even got wrong much of Frances' backstory w/ the uprising...just do a tiny bit of research & you'll see all of this yourself.

However, anyone who reads their Bible at least sometimes, they'll easily see how wrong the ideas of THIS MOVIES version of Frances are...

Common sense even gets you a ways...the film itself plays Benedict as a proud man who is power hungry...yet was the first Pope in 700+ years to willingly give his power up...think about that...

No clue how this has such a high score, my best guess is that there is a large group that are not biblically literate, so they just assume it must be accurate...

Also, I don't buy the "it's a comedy" defense. NONE of this film that is spent preaching on the two differing beliefs of each Pope are meant to be jokingly done. The humor is very limited, & when it's there...it's very obvious, & isn't used in any teaching moments for the audience. The humors about pizza, soccer, or literally jokes themself. I just can't help but feel wounded in my heart for them having Frances say "GOD DOES CHANGE" when he doesn't... it's like calling the night, day. The Bible itself is clear all over that God NEVER changes...PERIOD. (If you use Jesus as an example of his mind changing, you don't know your Bible well..."The lamb was slain before the laying of the foundation of the world"

DEVOUT Catholics, or just Christians, id sadly have to say "pass". It's meant to question the doctrine of God himself.

The Devil's Doorway (2018)

Was ok..

[5/10 · 13 October 2020]

Seems most either loved it or hated it. I'm more in the middle. I'm not a big fan of found footage usually ...but this was not bad, I'll make a few review points on my thoughts.

Story - it was fairly cliche, yet also original at the same time. The concept we have seen too many times...however the way it was laid out, being from a found footage from the 60s was unique enough to let it pass.

Acting - Overall it was really good. No complaints.

Scares - This is where it'll take major hits...with the exception of one scene where a Nun...is controlled by the girl, nothing was scary. It was your typical, voices in the night, & white/black eyes literally ...& that's about it.

Ending/ Twists - Another major issue, the "twist" if you can call it that, is that the Reverend Mother is actually evil herself (which was really NEVER in doubt from the moment we meet her...) & is possessed herself...I guess? However, why..or if any others are in on it being a house of evil? We never find out...ANYTHING. I can appreciate that real life is much like this, but this isn't real life lol. I'm not kidding when I say nothing is explained...questions I had were:

Why was the girl possessed? How was she pregnant & a virgin? Why were the statues bleeding? Why was Fr. Thomas a doubter? Was the baby evil as well? Why is the head Nun evil? Was SHE possessed or what? Was anyone else in on it? Why was she sacrificing babies? How did the Black Mass vanish within 1 minute?

Not one of these are answered from what I can recall.

Overall it was a fine time killer, but is rated extremely high for what it is...

Swiss Army Man (2016)

Idk...

[5/10 · 11 October 2020]

I give it massive points for being original. We complain about no original stories, then when we get them, we don't watch them or just bash them...

However, it's just to out there and goofy for me. I know it's got all kinds of hidden meanings and messages spread throughout... but I think I missed most of them. I know there's some grand point to it... but again, I maybe missed it.

Yes, it allowed him to understand what really matters in life, and how we shouldn't allow the small things and our fears to hold us back... but it seems there is more trying to be said/taught here than just that... but yeah..

I couldn't STAND Daniel as the Harry Potter character, yet everytime I watch him on film, I find it impossible to dislike him, his pure talent shows in all of his adult work. The guy is a great actor, and I believe he's extremely undervalued in Hollywood. Maybe it's being linked to Potter, maybe it's that he doesn't quite fit the "sexy" stereotype of a leading man... I don't know, but whatever it is, it needs to be gotten over, because Daniel could star in and lead almost any sort of film, with any sort of cast. His recent work in "Jungle", "Horns", "Woman in Black", "Guns Akimbo" showed us once again, this man can pull off any role! Action, drama, SciFi, Horror... he can do it all!

This film though just was too goofy for my liking.

Howling II: ... Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985)

Bad.

[2/10 · 11 October 2020]

Short n sweet:

Werewolves are my favorite monsters. Horror is my favorite genre. This film scratches NEITHER itch. I often LOVE horror films with ratings below 4.5

With all that said, if I say it's bad, then most will find this awful. It's based on everything I love... & it's horrible... an absolute disgrace to what came before it.

Just pass on it, trust me...& FYI, none of the other Howlings get much better. The only okay one after part 1 is the one in the castle, it's like part 4 or 5 I think.

Translated (2018)

Neat!! HOWEVER...

[8/10 · 10 October 2020]

This is such a fun movie! I'll be upfront & let people know, it IS INDEED one of those super churchy type of films, where it even has the "cool, hip black Christian" guy that is such a dumb stereotype in itself. You know the one...he's the super cool, down with it, urban guy; but not TOO "hood" because it's so obviously Christian made. The guy that the creators think will come across as SO COOOOOL and HIP...yet he just comes across as a stupid, corny fool...

That is my biggest issue is that it's so heavily Christian, which is okay...but they have to smack you over the head with it. Where in the end everything wraps up & fixes itself juuuuust perfectly, because everyone knows that real life ALWAYS has a clean, positive, happy outcome! Where the doubters come to have Faith & blah blah blah... Especially if the people are Christian lol. (Sarcasm...)

As much as I am bashing it for that...IF you're able to get over that aspect, it's actually a really cool little film! The man who plays Paul, you'll love him!! I would say if you're Christian, you'll really enjoy it...if you're not a devout Christian...you might just enjoy it for the idea, & I think any kids under 17, over 7-8 would find enjoyment in it.

It's NOT for people who have very serious questions, nor is it for those that enjoy the Faith films that are based more on real life, & real humans (Passion of the Christ, Paul: Apostle of Christ, arisen, Doubt, Silence etc etc.) this is more in the vein of your Kirk Cameron movies...as much as Kirk thinks he's an actor as equally as a Christian, he's not...

Bounty Killer (2013)

So fun!

[8/10 · 10 October 2020]

So strange, so original, & so fun! Even with it feeling so much like MAD MAX, it still remains so original.

If you love, action, bada** women, & end of the world movies...you'll love this...that's all you need to know. If you love action, or especially 1990s action, you'll love THIS!!

Beast Within (2019)

Not bad! But...

[6/10 · 10 October 2020]

The film itself is very up & down, while overall good. It takes a solid 30+ minutes before the basic premise even gets somewhat going; while it's not bad at all..a few things keep it from being really good... below are some areas of the film i grade out for you.

Werewolf/Monster - Let's be real, THIS is what made us all click PLAY. Thankfully, a ton of love, & work went into this beast, & it shows. The werewolf looks really good! It's not "Werewolf in London" or "Bad Moon" quality amazing ...but it's actually as good or even better than some decent werewolf films. It's better than those in "LATE PHASES" so it's somewhere between that film, & Bad Moon, monster quality wise. It's also thankfully PRACTICAL! It's not CGI, which 100% would've made this film a total waste. The expressions on its face even move & change, it's way more than a guy in a rubber mask, & you'll appreciate it!!

Kills - Solid. Nothing that'll gone down in history, but they are good enough!

Rap soundtrack - no clue why they used so much rap music in this, but it doesn't fit the theme, any characters, or anything to do with the film at all...my guess is the creators were promoting some artist(s) they knew...still, very WEIRD, bad choice...I'd have preferred no music at all to the rap.

Lighting - while it's mostly fine, some scenes have very bizarre, almost "art house" style lighting...such as scenes that have a massive amount of either blue, or red. There is no reason for these colors to be there either..just an odd choice...because 90% of the film is shot and lighted very top notch.

Acting - This is the most up & down area... some of the actors are just fine, to pretty good...but sadly, around half of the cast is just not very good. The main guy, (August) & the main woman (Cheyenne) are both very solid. The best friend, (Stan?) the Priest, (he's the only one most will recognize) & the boss (Brian) are all good enough to pass. But the other 5+ cast members are all below average, & one reason that hurts the film is that you know within the first 10 minutes who is going to be there at the end, & who are just there to be killed off...

Story itself - I suppose it's not horrible, but I could've thought of about 5 better situations to use a werewolf of this quality in...even being trapped in a building/warehouse would've been (while less original) probably a better setting. This is a very rare case of "original isn't always better". But I guess it does the job...it's just that the fact that it's built around a video game launch means pretty much zero to the film. One BIG issue I can't understand...(NOT a spoiler, because it's literally the first thing they show us...) is we know who survives, because he/she is telling the story of what happened, as well as a quick little pointless line that gives away who the werewolf is BEFORE THE TITLE IS EVEN SHOWN!!!!! (You find out both before the 3 minute mark)

Tone - Its fine I guess. Due to the lighting, & the low quality of some of the cast, there is not a feeling of dread/terror or anything gritty, or dark. Also, there are some areas that I THINK were supposed to be comical? But it's not really a horror comedy imo. Yet, the lighting, & script & music don't allow it to be a dark, brooding, gritty horror that'll scare you. It's very similar to the TONE of "American Werewolf in Paris" ...the cheap, not very good sequel to "American Werewolf in London"...but it is a better film than, Paris...they just have that same colorful, not very serious tone. Not at all like, "Late Phases" "Bad Moon", "The Howling", or even "Van Helsing"!!

Pacing - This is one area it lacks...while it doesn't ruin the film, it's pacing is not great, & early on it's all over the place... this film is NOT deep, so why it was such a slow burn for the first 30-35+ minutes, I can't say...but it would've been so much better had we gotten to the point around the 10-15 minute mark. All the characters are introduced explicitly by our narrator ("this is _____ & their job is______") in those freeze frame introductions youve all seen. Which is another reason we didn't need 35+ minutes of buildup. You could literally watch the first 5 minutes of character intros, then skip the next 30 some minutes, & miss almost nothing at all. This is a shame, because the film isn't even 90 minutes to begin with.... my guess is that they used all the filler build up to get to at least an 80+ min. Runtime.

Overall - I complained a lot, but was just trying to give a real review ... overall it's pretty good! For what it is. It's not really scary, it's more of an action horror. I guess I'll say this... IF you LOVE werewolf films, you'll likely really enjoy this a good amount!! IF you don't care for werewolves or even monsters, then you're actually NOT going to really enjoy this. This was clearly made by someone with a passion for werewolf films, & for those who also love them. It will make my list of top 50 werewolf films, likely somewhere between #25 - #20 ish.

Along Came the Devil 2 (2019)

Beyond basic...(plot explained)

[2/10 · 6 October 2020]

You know those sequels where none of the original cast wants to return, so they make the main character out of someone who was a minor one in the previous film? That's this.

It is taken straight from early 2000s possession 101. It's got all the tropes, and doesn't do anything well. Then even more lame is the final 30 so minutes become a pure slasher film. Oh the killer/possessed has your standard black eyes too.

It adds absolutely ZERO to the first film, which though also not good, was way better than THIS. No clue how this has a higher rating...at least part 1 had a halfway decent possession.

I promise this is nothing you haven't seen 50x or more...right down to it's tired jump scare ending scene...

Here's the plot quickly..

Begins w/ older sister getting the voicemail the aunt made in part 1. Who rushes home to meet her father who is now a "saved" man, and Father Michael. She's told her sister and aunt went out of town...the whole movie is spent with her waiting for them to return, and the waiting game for the father to go back to being nasty. Bigggg twist...the father gets possessed so he's evil again (yawn) and goes on a slasher movie rampage, he even uses an axe!!!! Haha...so original eh? We find out Aunt is actually in a catatonic state of shock due to first film, though we never see her once...Older sister saves her younger half brother and they kill their possessed father...Father Michael gets arrested, and the possessed Sarah (and likely Ashely as well) gets released, attacking Father Michael with a jump scare ending. We are not shown what became of big sis and the little brother but assumed they escaped or whatever. The end.

Final Prayer (2013)

Unbiased review

[6/10 · 5 October 2020]

The film starts off very odd. In fact I was wondering if I had began a film that was attached to the wrong title somehow (if you stream films this has happened to you at least once)

But once it got to around the 20 minute mark, it finally began to begin. Once the 3rd member of the group arrives, that is when the film finally gets started on its main course.

I'm gonna tell you right now...I'm a huge horror fan, and religious horror is my second favorite behind isolation (THE THING) type horror...but I have to be honest, there wasn't one scary scene in the film imo until around the 60+ minute mark. However, the films 2 leads are so great together that you'll still enjoy it...the film is more of an investigation which would take place in real life which I can appreciate so much more than useless jump scares.

As everyone has said, the final 20 so minutes are where the film earns ALL of its praise. And while the final 2-3 minutes are very unique and odd...I find it very difficult to believe a final shot can justify taking a "decent" film to a "great" film (in terms of horror anyways) and this is no exception. However, I will say the ending will surprise pretty much anyone.

Don't know if this has been pointed out but I think the movie could've been WAY better had it been shot like a normal film. It in no way HAD to be found footage. The investigation aspect is done all the time in normal films and doesn't require this style...but I'll say they did a good job and it's not a chore to watch like most found footage.

Lastly I want to make clear, the ending is more WEIRD than it is scary.

Driven (I) (2019)

Okay time killer

[4/10 · 19 September 2020]

I didn't hate this at all, but I don't get the overwhelming love for it. Is it's scary? No. Is it laugh out loud funny? No. But it's "fun".

It could easily be a TV show on something like CW. It's that kinda goofyness...not bad...but hard to see it as much of anything with substance.

The humor is very slap stick, "he's right behind me isn't he?" style. It's a bit too silly though.

It's VERY rare you'll find a HORROR/COMEDY that really truly nails it, such as Evil Dead2 or Tucker & Dale Vs Evil...and sadly, this film will be lost among the 50+ mid budget horror comedies every year. It'll be in the $1 bin within a few years.

However, that doesn't make it bad. It does it's job JUUUUST well enough to pass. The acting is not very good to be honest, but it JUST keeps above the cringe factor. So I'd give the acting a C+ the story is as basic as it gets, any 7th grader could write it...but again...it's not trying to take itself seriously.

Want a feel good, not very scary, good time killer horror comedy? This should work just fine.

The Boys (2019– )

Great but also ...

[8/10 · 6 September 2020]

I grew up on Golden Age comics (original Superman/ Batman) & I had to live w/ people telling me how goofy Superman was...finally got Man of Steel & BvS...I absolutely LOVED IT...how grounded they were, how they were real. Yet, those who mocked Superman forever now felt "HeS tOo DaRk". No, it showed us what a God would go through if he came from another world.

Now to The Boys. I love it because it took that same grounded element, but just gave us basically Justice League Dark. I love most all of this!

But...my only issue is really the forced sexual nature of the show. There is just far too just sex in the show (I love rated R horror btw) for my liking. Yes, I GET that sex is part of life, & blah blah...SO is drug abuse, child abuse, & every other issue we deal with...but I just began to get the sense that the sexualized scenes were written NOT to further anything, but just to shock. & you know what? The way they handled "Deep" & "Starlight"? While that whole thing felt SOOOOOO cliche...(oh the powerful guy is gonna take advantage...) as if that ALWAYS HAPPENS...but the way nothing was actually shown, it's a good example of how you can imply things & it's just as powerful. Did we need to fill on see Translucents wang?? It was if they wanted people to point & go "omg look!" Because they took care to block it with him in the cage & we all knew he was naked, as well as Butcher getting out of bed was blocked too.

So I raise the question...why are some scenes SO graphically sexual, & others are purposefully blocked? I've just never understood why we need graphic sex on film, we have porn, you're free to go watch it. Why isn't the gore done in the same way?? The show has gore yes, but it doesn't go out of its way to say "looooook!!" If it applies the same POV as the sexual stuff, it would've shown the passengers in the planes dying up close, or made the deaths (Robin/Translucent/ etc.) was less COMEDIC.

I could argue the most graphic scene so far is Popclaw squishing her landlords brains, a scene most probably forgot already...

I'm not anti sex, but I still believe the only movie to ever do it right to this day was Titanic. I just have always felt that extended sex scenes take up space we could've used to build other moments.

Example?? Take all the run time of the sexual scenes in S1, and give that screen time to Black Noir, who seems very cool btw...& we might actually know anything about him.

Also, minor gripe, but WAY too much time is given to A-Train, & almost none to Queen Maeve. I wanna learn more about Maeve. Making Starlight the audiences POV into the 7 was a mistake imo. Should've been Maeve.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Literally AWFUL.

[1/10 · 13 August 2020]

I've never actually said this, but this movie is without a doubt tithe movie that tried the hardest to be funny of anything I've ever watched. And I can say that not ONCE did I laugh out loud, not even close. The humor was what you'd expect a group of 13 year olds to come up with. The main jokester one that has the butch hair, her whole role feels as if it was written to say "look! Girls can be gross and funny too! Look, fart jokes haha, look she eats a lot ..."

It was in every way from the opening to the ending, to the race of the characters...a shameless copy of the original, but worse in every single way. I've been to funerals that were more funny, and no...it wasn't scary either.

Why was Hemsworth in this film...? Oh! Because he's very good looking, so let's make the super it guy play a total dummy...ha..ha...so funny.

"The power of Patty compels you!"... really...? A film writer wrote this line...? And why are the two big women yelling every line they have??

If this was meant to be proof that women can carry a film like men... good job, you made women look way less talented. Way less funny, way less original.

Shooting the giant ghost in the balls...? How funny. Yeah, that's not 12 year old humor at all. If only it had a queef joke...OH WAIT..IT DOES...

What a total train wreck.

Leslie Jones: zero talent racist

Kate McKinna: funny, just NOT HERE

Kristen Wig: Good actress, not here

Melissa McCarthy: Female Adam Sandler, but less funny

Possibly the only moving where a 1 star was deserved.

Blood Vessel (2019)

Support ORIGINAL Horror!!

[8/10 · 11 August 2020]

It's really about a 5 to 6.5 star film, but due to the fact that people will rate it 1-4 ...I feel a duty to raise that..

If you're a horror fan, you're aware that anything above 4.5 on IMDB is very decent, and 5-6 is gonna be pretty good.

The film was done well! Budget, & effects were great. The setting was fantastic, though the ship wasn't explored much, which gave a sense of it being small. The movie with with physical props/monsters over CGI which was a great move, the monsters looked pretty solid! Not all cheesy or anything.

The cast was a bit odd, how an Aussie, American, Brit, & a Soviet ended up in the same raft...no clue. Also, why does it seem the black fella has so much pull...? He would've been a cook, so I'm gonna chalk this up to some SJW nonsense.

I do fully agree with another reviewer that this would've been really waaaay better as a horror comedy, it had the perfect set up for one too!!!

All in all, it was a solid hour and a half! And I really wish people would stop being movie snobs with these films...why??

1) It's an ORIGINAL concept (you know what I mean...) & the reason these are rarely ever made is because when someone takes the risk of making one, everyone bashes it and doesn't support it!!! So why do you keep asking why we only see remakes and Marvel films...? Because you people walk all over anything different.

2) it's a lower budget horror film about vampire/zombies. What do you EXPECT? I'm asking honestly...what do you expect? Plot holes? Really!? Yes there's gonna be plot holes...how about the fact that these monsters don't exist for a plot hole...? Just enjoy the film!!!

With all this said I believe it is really a 6.5 star film, but I believe it deserves the 8 due to my thoughts above.

If you enjoy monster horror...give it a go.

The Twilight Zone (2019–2020)

Politics ...STOP!!!!!!

[1/10 · 9 August 2020]

People always complain anytime you mention a show is shoving politics into it. They say "all art does this" yes that might be true that all art has the mark and DNA of what the creator believed to an extent, but it wasn't always the driving force of the art.

You used to be able to pick up subtle hints and ideas here and that made you think "oh they were referring to ________" that's VERY different than making a show that is DRIVEN BY political ideas and slapping you in the face with its messages.

I personally always went to TV and film to get away from the horror that is reality. It used to be seen as an escape for so many...if only for 30 minutes or 2 hours...it allowed us to escape our boring, sad, or even awful lives due to what issues we were dealing with.

Now, shows like this not only throw it at us, but they grab you and smack you in the face with it. They've become almost an ad for a political idea. Or a groups message. I'm not only trying to pick on the Left here...I hate when anyone does this...but if we are being very honest about this...90+% of the political messages you see in movies are Left leaning.

• America is evil

• White people should play just bad guys

• POC in show must be held down by whites

• Must over represent the LGBT community by AT LEAST 500%. (Around 1-3% of Americans identify as gay, or Trans)...every show has at least a few characters that are of that group. If it were reality, you'd see 1 every 50+ shows. I know people that have literally never seen a Trans person in person, and can count the gay people they've met on 2 hands.

• If you have a white (male) lead, he must be ultra PC, and he must have multiple scenes where he deals with his rooted racism.

• If you have a black lead, they must have no moral flaws to their character.

These are of course not all in every show/film, but they're all pretty common. And you know what? Nothing is even wrong with ANY of these subjects if it's done to further the plot, or important to the show itself somehow...what I do not need, is a lesson in what and how to THINK. And based on the reviews here, all this junk is doing, is making people push back ever more, and resent things more.

I've been trying to tell people, 2020 is going to create a new generation of extreme racists, totally by accident. You can only put people down and make them feel guilty for things they didn't do, for so long, and many are going to grow up and become very resentful.

I don't plan to rant like this anymore...from now on when I see something like this...I'll just give it the 1 star, with no review.

Please start making shows and movies that ALL people can relate to and enjoy. We don't tune in to feel guilty for things we haven't done...nor do we care to "get woke"...just entertain us, that's the films job.

Greyhound (2020)

Pretty good!

[7/10 · 20 July 2020]

I was looking through the reviews and saw someone leave a bad review because they thought that the CAPTAIN...would have had a bond that would become elaborated more on and built on with...THE COOK. Lol, wow..that's why you didn't like it? Was it simply because the guy was black, and you just are a SJW, I have no clue, but there's absolutely zero reason why the cook would've been close with the Captain.

The movie itself was great mostly. I prefer movies without a bunch of overly deep, boring dramatic background. I don't need to know about the sailors kids, I don't need to know about their wives, I don't need to know they're late on mortgages. This is a movie about a Naval ship, and that's what it focuses on.

Black Ops (II) (2019)

5.8!?!?!!

[2/10 · 13 July 2020]

I'm a huge horror fan, if you are as well...you're aware that anything with a 5.0+ is going to typically be very worth watching as people rate them low.

This however...? How this is above a 1.5 is blowing my mind.

Absolutely horrible acting, horrible CGI, horrible pacing, and just plain DUMB.

I give it 2 stars because like most of you likely thought...when I heard the plot I went "that sounds really neat!!" As I'm always interested to see how film makers can take a simple, mundane idea and make it fun. Isolation films are my favorite...so being trapped on never ending stairs..? What could go wrong!? Well all of it...

First of all...the number 1 thing I'd do as a film maker is, hide your weaknesses. How would you do that here? Well your budget was clearly that of an unsuccessful yard sale. Why would you have big explosions, and why have them be a military unit!? They could've done it with a group of friends...a group of bank robbers ...you get the idea. They could've hidden the fact that it's straight out of a Friday night SyFy channel film.

The kills were ...not great.the monster or ghost or whatever it is was bad.

Just pass..

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Dyin' ain't much of a livin'

[8/10 · 13 July 2020]

What can we say about this? It's Clint as Clint lol. It's so cheesy today, but in some ways holds up very well! The death scenes are silly but overall the film is so much fun!!

From spitting on the dogs head, to the classic lines...it's just fun. One huge issue for me was Laura...her character was too odd for my liking. But a story showing the Union as doing bad things? Wow...you'll never see that again. The South being non racist, normal humans? You'll never see that again.

This was told in a way that politics didn't have to invade the story, we didn't have to be told "this group is evil, this group is good" we were shown...PEOPLE are what is evil, we didn't have to be told what to think and how to feel.

Was the original book written by a cold blooded racist? Yes, so what? Can we not detach a persons private life with their art? Tom Cruise is part of a cult...and he's one of my favorite actors. The nazis are why we got to the Moon. Life isn't so black and white. I only mention this cuz it's 2020...and it will be brought up to bash the film.

If you love westerns...you'll love this. Period.

Underwater (2020)

I get the hate

[7/10 · 13 July 2020]

I do get the hate. My father who loves this sorta film (The Thing/ The Abyss/ Alien, etc) didn't love this...for 2 reasons.

1) it was too dark 2) you never get a clear view of them

However, you have to know Lovecraft to love this. Why?? Because Lovecrafts monsters are not something we know anything about, as far as origins, and they have ZERO motive.

You have to understand that his monsters have the same motive against us, as we do walking down the street and stepping on an ant. The only possible motive is we are in the way. They think nothing of us, as we think nothing of a single bug, or bette yet, a cell.

Once you understand that, you can easily enjoy the monsters. Especially the ending one...those asking where it came from, how it lives down there, etc...you're thinking outside of how Lovecraft monsters are written. The point is we don't and can't understand them...and YES this was a Lovecraft monster (the directors words)

If you have issues with the script itself, I can understand that...yes it started off with a bang with no character development...which I've never had an issue with. The Thing, widely regarded as the greatest monster film ever, did the same thing. I've always kind of preferred that, so it's less of an issue for me...

Stewart is also a hot button actor...but she was fine I thought.

I gave it a 7 because yes, it WAS too dark and too man quick shots...but overall for what it is, I enjoyed it.

Relic (2020)

Disrespectful

[5/10 · 13 July 2020]

The acting was 10/10 the quality was 10/10. All the stuff you need to bring someone in we're great.

My biggest issue wasn't with how slow the film was, that's fine. My issue was the final 5 minutes of the film. You're dealing with a subject that every single person on Earth will suffer with, the death of a parent. To some, this is the worst day of their life, and while I'm a massive horror fan, the fact that they made a mockery of the death scene rubs me wrong. This thing, demon, monster...whatever has taken over the mother, and yes there is still a sense she is in here (hand holding scene)...and some could argue that this was an act of undying love...I just felt it makes a jokes out of this issue. Here's the crazy thing though...I can't put my finger on WHY. I can't figure out why this was just sick.

Did anyone else watch this scene, and think "I feel so awful for anyone who has lost a parent to this illness that they decided to turn into a demon possession and the daughter hugs the thing"??

Maybe that's what turned me off...was that they had a very serious story going, and then you throw in some cheese ball plot twist.

I know this will confuse many as to my dislike for the ending...and I'll likely get hate for it, but I know there's someone else out there who just felt this was a tasteless ending.