Recent Viewings, Part 2

[chefzombie]

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

Three friends in 1968 find a cursed book in a haunted house on Halloween. The book starts writing by itself scary stories about the kids greatest fears that become real. In order to survive they must dig in the past to break deadly happenings.
Norwegian film director André Øvredal teams with Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro for his U.S. debut after wow-ing critics and genre fans with Trollhunter (2010) and The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016). SSTTITD fits in nicely with the current trend of 'retro kids' facing horror spearheaded by Stranger Things, the It remake, Summer of 1984 and more. It took me a while to warm up to the movie as it felt rushed, a bit annoying and not scary at all. Once the kids do research in the R.E.D. room Scary Stories finally delivers the goods and becomes a solid effort thanks to André's talent and keen eye for the creepy stuff. 3.5/5

loved it. recommended it. just bought it. 4.5/5, simply because i was stupid and bought a lionsgate copy with no CC. the movie itself? 5/5 all the way.

[claws]

Ma (2019)

Underaged teens befriend lonely vet assistant Sue Ann who lets the young people party at her house. Soon enough things turn sour when Sue Ann's true motivations shine through.
Silly Blumhouse horror with a weak script teasing with horrible things to come, but is ultimately not really going anywhere. Octavia Spencer as Sue Ann delivers a great performance and the only reason to watch Ma. Bonus: Juliette Lewis playing a young mother. Extra bonus: cool 1980s soundtrack. 2.5/5

[chefzombie]

mother! (2017)
  i don't think i have the ability to describe how much this movie horrified me. and i don't mean that i would call it a scary movie. i'm glad my brain isn't wired to write a script like this one.
   i don't deny that it's very well made, but i DO NOT recommend it.

[Rev. Powell]

mother! (2017)
  i don't think i have the ability to describe how much this movie horrified me. and i don't mean that i would call it a scary movie. i'm glad my brain isn't wired to write a script like this one.
   i don't deny that it's very well made, but i DO NOT recommend it.

I DO recommend it... but only to a select few. 

ROBOGEISHA (2009): A pair of geisha sisters are abducted by an evil arms corporation, who plays on their sisterly rivalry to turn them into cyborg killing machines. It's cheap, mildly sleazy, and often juvenile, but you can't deny that the Noboru Iguchi and his collaborators put their unique spin on B-movies: this one has deadly breast milk, eyes gouged by fried shrimp, and the most ridiculously choreographed swordfight you will ever witness. It's my favorite of Iguchi's movies I've seen (I prefer the work of his protege, Yoshihiro Nishimur). 3.5/5.

[Alex]

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

I really wanted to love this one and went into it with high expectations. Afterall DC movies have been getting better.

So what did I think? Well, I liked it. Not love though. I figure with this kind of movie you can go one of two ways. Very dark and grim, underbelly of society type drama or campy high action heist movie. It sort of tries to walk a line between these, but not overly successfully. In my opinion anyway. It has its moments, but it just wasn't quite what I was looking for. At this point, I am thinking that maybe DC should just think about winding up its movie franchise. It can spin out Wonder Woman for a few more films, maybe Shazam! And then be put away quietly.

[Alex]

Frankenstein Created Bikers.

Well, it has plenty of boobs, bullets and bad acting along side the occasional bout of bad taste and terrible accents. Can't say much more about it than that.

[indianasmith]

THE DEAD DON'T DIE (2019)

This film had an all star cast and some great moments, but in the end, it couldn't decide if it was a quirky horror movie, or a dark comedy - and in trying to be both, it failed. Too many boring stretches, fourth wall breaks that make no sense, and completely unexplained plot twists.  Still worth watching if you can catch it for free.  Lots of star power - Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Rosie Perez are some of the cast.  Wish they'd had a better script. 3/5

[Dr. Whom]

THE DEAD DON'T DIE (2019)

This film had an all star cast and some great moments, but in the end, it couldn't decide if it was a quirky horror movie, or a dark comedy - and in trying to be both, it failed. Too many boring stretches, fourth wall breaks that make no sense, and completely unexplained plot twists.  Still worth watching if you can catch it for free.  Lots of star power - Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Rosie Perez are some of the cast.  Wish they'd had a better script. 3/5

As I said elsewhere on this forum, somehow the sum is less than its parts.

[Alex]

THE DEAD DON'T DIE (2019)

This film had an all star cast and some great moments, but in the end, it couldn't decide if it was a quirky horror movie, or a dark comedy - and in trying to be both, it failed. Too many boring stretches, fourth wall breaks that make no sense, and completely unexplained plot twists.  Still worth watching if you can catch it for free.  Lots of star power - Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Rosie Perez are some of the cast.  Wish they'd had a better script. 3/5

As I said elsewhere on this forum, somehow the sum is less than its parts.

Did anyone watch this one and find it a great movie? I know my thought on it align with both of you and anyone else I know who has seen it has said the same. Not totally terrible, but not worthy of the cast.

[claws]

Ready or Not (2019)

A young woman marries the son of a wealthy family and must play a game of hide and seek on her wedding day. She's told that is part of an old family tradition. She soon realizes that the family is out to kill her once they find her.
Clever horror with moments of well made humor and plenty of red juice. Ready or Not actually flew under my radar until I saw a pic of Samara Weaving from the film, who I had mistaken for Margot Robbie. I thought it was a new film with Margot and checked out the trailer only to learn it was Samara heh. Anyway, worthy film 4/5

[claws]

Did anyone watch this one and find it a great movie?

I believe it was chefzombie who enjoyed it?

[Alex]

Leviathan: The Making of Hellraiser 1 & 2.

No great insights into the making of either film or great revelations on the movie except perhaps for the most hardcore fan. At almost three and a half hours long, it comes off as a 15 minute DVD extra that just wouldn't stop.

[chefzombie]

THE DEAD DON'T DIE (2019)

This film had an all star cast and some great moments, but in the end, it couldn't decide if it was a quirky horror movie, or a dark comedy - and in trying to be both, it failed. Too many boring stretches, fourth wall breaks that make no sense, and completely unexplained plot twists.  Still worth watching if you can catch it for free.  Lots of star power - Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Rosie Perez are some of the cast.  Wish they'd had a better script. 3/5

As I said elsewhere on this forum, somehow the sum is less than its parts.

Did anyone watch this one and find it a great movie? I know my thought on it align with both of you and anyone else I know who has seen it has said the same. Not totally terrible, but not worthy of the cast.

nuh UH!!! i stated quite clearly that we LOVED it!

[lester1/2jr]

the Endless - I liked the dialogue and acting in this spooky sci fi type thing a lot. A guy and his brother (friend? i can't remember) leave a weird UFO cult at a young age. They try to make it in the world but come up pretty short, so they head back if only to say hi. When they get there they get a warm welcome but something is definitely off. The rest of it is interesting but I liked the human aspect more than the sci fi part. and there needed to be more sex 4/5

Sweetheart - I enjoyed this teen desert island horror. The girl was born to play this role. something happens where some teens are washed up on shore. As the titular sweetheart attempts to survive, she keeps getting bothered by a horrible monster who comes at night. She and the others have English accents they try to hide. The ending could have been more creative and I didn't believe the two leads were romantically involved. 4/5

Girl on the Third Floor - At first, this seemed like a cringey film festival type film with too much pop culture and humor and so forth, but it takes a dark turn and evolves into a decent horror movie. The story being what it is, it wasn't going to be a masterpiece but they made the right choice having it be accessible like that. I liked the other two movies better but this was a little more mature in some ways. the more popular, less interesting "cool kid" of the three 3.75/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl" (1982)
The Pythons' 1980 live stage show is captured in a riotous concert film shot at the legendary L.A. venue. Skits include "The Argument Sketch," "Crunchy Frog," "Ministry of Silly Walks," and of course, "The Lumberjack Song." Tons of fun.