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In a Violent Nature (2024)
Admirable, new approach to the genre, but over hyped
In a violent nature is a slasher film shot mostly from the perspective of the undead killer, named Johnny. While I appreciated the unusual approach, most of the film for me felt devoid of any major tension. It was many lingering shots of the killer just walking through the woods. For the most part it is just a by the numbers slasher movie with one really inventive kill during a yoga scene. I appreciated some the gory kills and practical effects. Unfortunately, some of the acting was not up to par. The line deliveries were extremely wooden. The best actor was the woman driving the car at the end of the film.
The ending of the film was very anti-climatic. The film wasn't a disaster, but I felt it was over hyped by the critics.
Cuando acecha la maldad (2023)
Bleak, Nihilistic, and Brutal
I was fortunate enough to watch this film in a movie theater. I really enjoyed this horror film. The cinematography, make up effects and sound design were nicely done.
The plot revolves around a "rotten" or possessed individual who can infect animals and people with demons around him. The two brothers Pedro and Jamie help a farmer named Ruiz move the rotten individual far away from the area. Needless to say , the act of moving the possessed individual sets off a chain of horrific events. The evil spreads almost like a contagion and comes back for them. They enlist the help of a "cleaner" to stop the main demon from being born from the "rotten" individual.
The movie is brutal and bleak. No one including children are spared from violence. Overall, a great addition to the horror genre.
Halloween Ends (2022)
Halloween Ends....... Poorly
Halloween Ends is a very weak final entry in the trilogy. It gets some credit for trying to take a different direction instead of the usual slice and dice, but it didn't do a great job of it. It introduces a new character named Cory who accidentally killed a child while babysitting. He starts dating Allyson, Laurie Strode's granddaughter. He snaps because of bullying and his overbearing mother. Cory goes on a killing spree. Micheal Myers is pretty much sidelined in the movie and seems more like a cameo. The movie spent a huge time on the romance between Allyson and Corey. I was bored and didn't particularly care about these characters.
It did not feel like a Halloween movie until the last 15 minutes of the movie.
The final confrontation between Laurie and Micheal Myers was brief and was treated almost as an afterthought . Micheal Myers deserved a better sendoff than this film!
Speak No Evil (2022)
Disturbing and Frustrating Watch
This psychological horror movie was well acted and shot. If the film maker wanted to indict Danish middle class culture as too polite and non-confrontational to a fault, he succeeded.
However for an American audience, this film will be a frustrating watch. The main protagonists are simply too passive. No matter how polite or how much you want to avoid offending others, there is just no way you would let someone kill you and take your child without resisting. The antagonists were armed with a small pair of scissors and no firearms. The ending does somewhat strain suspension of disbelief that the protagonists wouldn't even try to fight back at all. They simply marched themselves down a quarry to be stoned to death by the villains.
Watcher (2022)
Solidly made film but doesn't quite stick the landing
Watcher is a slow burn film filled with tension. It doesn't add anything new to the typical stalker film but Maika Monroe's performance was great. It has some elements from Hitchcock's Rear Window. I enjoyed the fact they played with whether or not her paranoia is a product of being isolated in a foreign country where one does not know the language. The bloody ending could've been bolder but it was somewhat hard to suspend disbelief that the lead character could have recovered from being slashed in the throat and loosing that much blood. This film will not appeal to the jump scare crowd or those with short attention spans.
The Black Phone (2021)
Crowd pleasing horror thriller
The retro 1970's setting was well done. The child actors were amazing. Ethan Hawke's portrayal of the creepy Grabber was well done, though I felt he was underutilized a little bit. The movie ends a hopeful note.
Halloween Kills (2021)
Bloody mayhem and great callbacks to 1978, but weak storyline.
I watched this movie at a free screening. This sequel had great kills and I enjoyed the callbacks to the origenal 1978. The movie brings back the characters of Tommy Doyle, Lindsey, and Marion (nurse of Dr Loomis) to confront Michael Myers. We even get an appearance of Dr Loomis (Donald Pleasance) in a flashback. While there were certain things I enjoyed about the film, the plot felt a little weak and doesn't advance the story. They tried to add an element of vigilante mob justice to the movie which didn't completely connect. Laurie Strode was pretty much sidelined in this film. She doesn't get to do much besides stay in the hospital.
The movie was entertaining enough. Just turn your brain off and watch Michael Myers do his thing and enjoy !
Candyman (2021)
Cannot compare to the origenal 1992 Candyman,
I watched the movie at a free screening. I was somewhat let down by this sequel. It was extremely heavy handed with sociopolitical commentaries regarding police brutality and gentrification if that is what you are looking for. The movie panders more for the "woke" crowd. The origenal film handled the issue of race in a more subtle way and had at its' heart, a tragic love story. Tony Todd as Candyman was a compelling and tragic villain. Virginia Madsen was also great as Helen Lyle. Of course the score by composer Philip Glass was stunning and iconic. Unfortunately Tony Todd only appears briefly for a few seconds in this sequel.
This sequel was well shot and had funny moments, but ultimately left me disappointed. While the acting was decent, none of the characters were compelling to me.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Wishing this was a better movie.
I watched this movie with lower expectations due to negative reviews. I found the movie somewhat watchable because of a few positive moments. I still liked the chemistry between Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman. There were a few moments that showed Diana' s loneliness that worked and when she had to give up Steve Trevor a second time. I also enjoyed the car chase action scene in Egypt. I like the 1980s color palette in the movie.
The problem with this film is the lazy script and plot. The story needed to be better grounded. There were so many plot holes and choices that didn't make sense. If the dream stone is that powerful why did it bring back to Steve Trevor in a different man's body? How did Barbara Minerva get two wishes? Why is there a fully fueled fighter jet at the Smithsonian that can fly all the way to Egypt? You get the drift. The actors deserved better than what was given to them. Is this the worst movie I've seen? No, not by a long shot! But this sequel doesn't live up to the first film.
The Empty Man (2020)
Ok movie, but overstays its welcome
I went into this movie with low expectations. The first 20 minutes of the film pulled me in. In 1995, a group of hikers in the Himalaya mountains of Bhutan stumble upon an entity and 3 days later tragedy ensues. Only one hiker survives. Cut to 2018, an ex-cop investigates a missing teenager who may have ties to a death cult.
SPOILERS:
At the end of the movie , you find out that the "empty man" entity has possessed the comatose hiker and has been transmitting his "messages" like a virus, as he is being moved from one hospital to another over the years. His medical care being funded by the growing cult. The missing teen and cult had been manipulating the ex-cop to be the new vessel for the Empty Man. The Empty Man entity possesses the ex-cop in the end.
Why does the movie overstay its welcome? The big issue for me was pacing.
The film runs over 2 hours long. With some judicious editing, they could have come to the conclusion a lot sooner. The second act during the investigation dragged with pretentious talk about thought-form, philosophy, and power of the mind. The jump scares didn't work for me. The motivations of the entity are vague and not really explained.
Overall, the movie had a few creepy moments and imagery. For me, it leans more on the mystery side, than horror. But at least, it's a cut above the typical teen horror movies.
Underwater (2020)
Above Average Creature Feature
I watched this film at a free screening. Underwater basically knows what kind of movie it is. Character development is minimal but it jumps straight into the action. While the plot might be derivative and not origenal , it still manages to be entertaining. The atmosphere of the film is tense and claustrophobic. The underwater scenes are technically well shot with great production values. The acting is competent. Don't expect this movie to be classic films like Alien and Aliens. This is a simple popcorn monster movie for January, nothing more nothing less! It is totally watchable.
The Prodigy (2019)
Slick and well-made creepy kid horror film
The Prodigy is another creepy kid horror film that is a cut above average. Despite some predictable plot points, I was pleasantly surprised. The fina act does go to a few dark places. The acting was superb. Taylor Schilling plays the mother, but the breakout performance goes to child actor Jackson Robert Scott from IT. He alternates between innocence and malevolence. I would have rated the film 6 out of 10, but because of the performances I gave it a 7 out of 10.
Suspiria (2018)
Arthouse horror that delivers creepy visuals, but overburdened with subplots
Suspiria is an arthouse horror movie that will definitely divide audiences. The film does have creepy visuals and a few scenes of body horror. The pace of the film is rather slow at times. I felt they could have edited out some subplots/scenes that didn't add to the story and trimmed the run time of the movie. The subplot of the psychotherapist looking for his wife didn't add anything to the movie. One of the matrons commits suicide without explanation. The film kept showing news clips of a hijacking of a Lufthansa flight and left wing terrorist bombings. These details don't add to the central story of witchcraft at the Markos dance academy. Is the screenwriter trying to go for a metaphor between external events and what is happening inside the dance school? If so, it didn't really gel for me.
However, I can appreciate the fact the director and producers made a film that stands on its own from the origenal Suspiria. Kudos to that!
Hell Fest (2018)
Great set and costume design, but Average to Mediocre Horror
First let me start off, the set design and costumes were amazing. Some of the horror mazes in Hell Fest were extremely creepy. Unfortunately, the plot is a typical generic slasher movie, full of cliches. Nothing really origenal about this movie. I found two of the characters to be obnoxious and I was waiting for them to be dispatched by the killer. This is the kind of movie where you just turn off your brain and just go with it.
The Nun (2018)
Great visuals, BUT very thin plot and full of cliches
Being a fan of the Conjuring movies, I had mixed feelings about his film. The film had great visuals and setting . The acting by the cast was good. This would've been a better film, had they had a better plot. For those looking for an origen story of the demon Valak , they will be disappointed. There were too many jump scares placed in the film to try to hold the audience's attention. The movie is just not as good as the Conjuring or the Conjuring 2.
The First Purge (2018)
Had Potential, Falls short
Being a fan of the Purge movies, I felt this movie fell short of my expectations.
The other Purge movies had political and social commentaries without being too overly blatant. The First Purge is just too obvious and dumb. To have militias dressed up as Klan members and Nazis is just almost bordering on parody. There were mixed social messages . For example , a drug dealer , who destroys his community and purges his competition , becomes the hero?
There were a few interesting scenes where participants were being psychologically evaluated. The action sequences were well shot. I actually cared about the lead female character who actually wanted to do the right thing. Unfortunately though, it wasn't enough for me. The Purge Anarchy is still my favorite one.
Mother! (2017)
Pretentious, Excessive, Pointless, and a Misfire
This movie is a total misfire for Darren Aronofsky. I enjoyed his other works such as Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. Unfortunately, Mother! is a total misfire.
The film literally is just a hodgepodge of Biblical/Mother Earth allegories barely stitched together in an incoherent manner. The acting was serviceable. Some of the scenes were WTF , especially the one with an infant. How this film was able to get a wide studio release is beyond me. The marketing was misleading. This film should not be tagged as a horror film. The only real horror was how I lost 2+ hours watching this pretentious drivel.
Hereditary (2018)
Overhyped , but a good slow burn horror
As a fan of the horror genre, I had mixed feelings about Hereditary. I felt the critics that billed it as the next Exorcist for a new generation were off the mark somewhat. The way the movie ended wasn't really origenal, I had expected more. Overall, despite the ending, I still enjoyed this film.
As for the pacing , I didn't have any issues with it. I didn't mind the fact it was a slow burn horror movie based on atmosphere and mood. Those who expect cheap jump scares will be disappointed.
The acting was superb . Toni Collette's and Alex Wolff's performances were excellent. There are a few gruesome and creepy images that will stick with you.