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Reviews
Dexter: New Blood: Sins of the Father (2022)
Only complaint
My only complaint is that Angela just tells Harrison to leave town like if she gonna call it in as an officer involved shooting why not tell him to just go into town why did she just throw this kid who just went through a traumatic event into the wind I loved the poetic justice of Harrison telling dexter to "open his eyes and look at what you've done" a lot of people are complaining about dex killing Logan saying it was out of character at this moment he is a cornered animal a wolf will chew through his own paw to get out of a snare Dexter's action is completely believable of a predator with no other options and I've seen people say but Logan didn't fit the code are y'all forgetting about dokes and le'gurta come on now y'all are just butt hurt dex died and although I hate that his story has finally come to an end the poetry of how it all came full circle isn't lost on me.
Halloween Kills (2021)
For every pro there's a con
This film is such a mix bag I liked a lot of things in this movie but there is a lot I didn't like we'll start with the pros the absolute best thing about Halloween kills is the score it's just perfect on every level and you really feel whatever emotion the scene is trying to express because the score is just that good I also found the characters to be more likable in this installment then the 2018 one even the one off characters feel more human Im glad that they gave Cameron a sort of redemption arc and the way they filmed the back flashes was amazing it felt as if it was really filmed in 1978 as a gore hound one of the things I was shocked with the most was how they filmed the violence I felt disgusted with a few of the kills for how heartless and real they dispatched some of the characters (which is a good thing) this is a horror movie and by doing that they really hammer down the theme of this film "none of us are innocent" especially the audience for paying to watch people get murdered and doesn't explore this theme in a preachy way either we also see the dark side of being a survivor and how people lose themselves in the rabbit hole of revenge
Now the cons I don't know if it was the editing or what but some scenes felt like an afterthought and the way they were filmed was a stark contrast form the rest the movie as if a totally different director just added a few scenes in post another gripe the script although the plot is decent some of the dialogue is a atrocious with characters repeating themselves often and extremely pointless exposition and inner monologues the score provokes more emotion the writing a few character decisions are devoid of all logic and for every realistic traumatic death there is a laughable cheesy one the movie was also 5 mins to long the credits should of rolled right before the pointless twist and epilogue
Overall the film felt like it had a first draft script and threw in a lot of extra things in post but there are a few hidden gems buried in this mess of a movie that deserves at least one viewing if you stuck with the franchise since H20 and curse you can push through this.
Malignant (2021)
James Wan's love letter to Giallo horror
Now a days doing movies with an 80s vibe is all the rage especially in horror some might say it's a played out style but I'm all for it but James wan doesn't just do 80s he does 80s Italian mixed in with some body horror does the film have its campy moments yes but that is exactly the point it is a love letter to the classic nitty gritty low budget movies that people fell in love with and this film exploits all the tropes and cliches that made those films great warts and all onto another point its amazing to me that James wan already considered to be a master of his craft by a majority of people still tries to do new things to broaden his directorial pallet there is a God's eye tracking shot
He uses in the film which took me off guard you usually only see shots like that in a Wes Anderson type of film the ending twist I found to be predictable but the way the revel is directed is absolutely superb along with the practical effects if you have a soft spot for the campy classics be sure not to miss this one.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
Old premise new style
The show takes the exact formula as the original and that not a bad thing it captures the essence of i know what you did last summer and adds a fresh take on it with new characters and setting a lot like the first 2 seasons of the scream series it also shares some of the cons as the series like having a little to much lifetime channel moments where it's just teen drama but other than that I had a good time watching it i really like the twist at the end of the first episode it was really smart of them to not wait to use that twist in the season finale because it would of been a wasted shock with how predictable it was but by adding it in episode 1 it gives a great dive into the character depth of our main protagonist as well as fleshing out other characters in a mere 45 minutes the editing is smooth and I love the cinematography of the opening and their tittle card with the waves and the cave overall I know what you did last summer is a perfect film to reboot into a tv series considering its not one of the holy grails of horror like Friday the 13 and Halloween the original was a charming low budget camp fest even back than so there is no reason to be overly critical of this reimagining if you're looking to turn your brain off and just have some good old fashion horror entertainment than this will satisfy it is a great modern take on a cult classic. I had to come back and edit my review after the ending I honestly don't know what to think all I know is my head seriously hurts especially since we don't know if there is going to be a season 2 it's either the dumbest ending (if it doesn't get renewed) or it's an ok set up to another season only time will tell.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Not bad just forgettable
First off the pros of the movie Eddie and venom's banter is highly entertaining the cgi isn't ugly like the first movie and even though they use a lot of whip shots the fights are easy to follow another huge plus is casting woody as carnage which he plays the part perfectly and it's always a treat when Andy serkis is involved with a project and I think he does a really good job behind the camera now the cons unfortunately it repeats some of the sins of the first movie having a villain that doesn't get enough screen time for us to feel the tension build up and this might be due to the incredible short run time the movie also feels kinda of cluster phobic I feel like we don't get to emerge ourselves in Eddie Brock's world similar to a tv show we only see like 3 locations but my biggest gripe is the same gripe I had with Zombieland 2 it's not necessarily a bad sequel but a pointless one it basically retells the same story as the first without taking any chances or adding anything new to the story i think most people forgave the first film for a lot of its mistakes because we were finally seeing a mostly comic book accurate venom on the big screen but unfortunately the nostalgic goggles have already worn off in time for the sequel also I think carnage is a type of character that doesn't need any justification for why he acts the way he does there is a small line towards the end that felt like what rob zombie tried to do with Michael Myers in his remake I went back and fourth between giving this movie a six or seven but I think a seven is a fair rating.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Have you ever wanted to know what an acid trip is like but never wanted to try drugs? Watch this movie!!
The movie's title is a perfect description of what this film is when the credits roll you genuinely feel like you just got back from a voyage that left to answer the questions of the universe this film was made a few years before a new hope and still somehow looks more breathtaking than the remastered versions of all three of the original Star Wars movies and I think that is all because of how meticulous Kubrick is with the camera he truly has the eye of renaissance painter in a interview Kubrick stated he wanted the viewer to leave the film with an experience of just coming back from exploring the subconscious and he wanted the viewer to have the same experience we do when we listen to classical music we all have different emotions when we listen to such pieces so he relies on imagery more instead of using a traditional narrative to plot his movie so if by the end of the movie you feel lost don't worry you're not alone or if you find you don't have the seem theories as other people do online that's ok too there is no wrong answer in defining what this movie is about it was designed to give each viewer there own unique thought provoking journey.
The Thing (1982)
John carpenter does lovecraftian horror do I need to say more
When you ask anyone to list off some of the best cult classics John carpenter's the thing is guaranteed to be on the list and with good reason too it is nothing short of a masterpiece from the isolated mysterious landscape , the tension and rise of tribalism between the characters once the element of trust has been thrown out the window to the groundbreaking practical effects that still hold up to this day and finally one hell of an ambiguos conclusion that will stay with you for a long time if you haven't seen this movie it is a must watch the less you know the better.
Black Widow (2021)
Average
I waited a couple of days to write this review because I really wanted to like it I don't even know where to begin first off the film is called black widow this is her first and probably last ( considering the events in end game) solo film and yet she is basically just a supporting character don't get me wrong Florence Pue did an amazing job as expected however it seemed the film cared to much on setting up for her character to take up the mental rather than focusing on black widow herself another thing I hated the cheesy mind control plot line for the assassins of the red room (not a spoiler it's revealed in the opening act) and the fact that all the assassins of the red room are all called black widows so her super heroine name isn't even unique they could of done what kill bill did with different names like black mamba and copper head but I digress the biggest sin however of this film is TASKMASTER!! To quote the god father "look how they massacred my boy" if you are a fan of the character you will be severely disappointed in this portrayal if you know nothing about this character than you will still probably be severely disappointed for how they cop out with the conclusion of the character they establish the second biggest sin of the film is they revel an absolutely amazing gut punch character decision through a back flash but once again the film cops out and pulls it punches the only pro this film has is the family dynamic involving Natasha and the supporting cast in conclusion the film advertised itself as gritty spy thriller like the newer bond films but in reality it just comes off campy and cheesy like the classic bond films minus the charm just go back and rewatch winter soldier.
Chucky: Death by Misadventure (2021)
Perfect premier
Slashers films are very close to my heart I grew up with the classics from the age 4 I've always loved the cheesy gore effects and campy dialogue but what makes for good film doesn't always adapt well to tv so I was excited but skeptical when hearing about this project but this premier was the pure essence of what Chucky is and just like cult you can tell working on the Hannibal series has taught don some neat tricks to use behind the camera I absolutely loved the directing in this episode I just hope the rest of the series lives up to the legacy don has created new favorite line from the Chuck "oh I thought we were talking about that cat"
Star Wars: Visions (2021)
When it hits it's a bullseye when it misses it's by a long shot
A few episodes absolutely blew me away the ninth Jedi is absolutely A tier Star Wars entertainment unfortunately there are as many bad episodes as there are good twins being the worst of the worst it felt like for some studios this was a huge passion project and you can tell they are absolute fans of Star Wars while other studios seemed to only care for the attention a Star Wars project would bring to them and didn't even bother doing genuine research like they just skimmed through Wikipedia for cool tag lines the great thing though is all these episodes are short so you should definitely give it a chance and see what episodes stick out to you.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis (2021)
Not for everyone
This was really fun and entertaining i loved the animation it reminded me of adventure time and midnight gospel it's obviously targeted for a younger audience but still doesn't lay into the mindless humor that most shows do trying to reach that demo-graph I throughly enjoyed the humor however I know this style is not for everyone especially those a keen to the animated projects that dc has put out these past few years with the dark and gritty approach and don't get me wrong I love that style too however it was really refreshing to see such light hearted entertainment I love when studios try to broaden their pallet I just hope the rest of the series Is as entertaining.
Star Wars: Visions: The Twins (2021)
The worst episode in the series!!
This episode was so bad when I tried to watch the next one which actually had an interesting plot I couldn't give it the attention it deserved because of the bad taste this episode left the episode is definitely a spectacle it really tries to wow your eyes but unfortunately lacks any originality or substance from the villain's outfit having the same face as Vader's to the one liners ripped off from other installments without the charm and the whole episode just throws the lore of Star Wars out the window don't just take my word for it watch for yourself fortunately the episodes are short.