Horror Movies

[Sparhawk]

I know the search function is on the fritz, but just watched The Perfection on Netflix.

Going in knowing nothing, this was a nice little psychological thriller.
You're never quite sure what's going on, has some nice twists, maybe a few plot holes you could drive a truck through, but I found it highly entertaining

7.5/10 for an unexpected little gem.

 

[Chef99]

RIP 2020 sports.....need to start getting back into Horror.

I'm watching "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!" right now.

 

[Chef99]

I saw The Hunt a couple days ago. I would suggest everyone to watch it. It definitely wasn't a horror movie...more of a light thriller, action with some comedy but very enjoyable.

That's one I wanna see. Kinda bummed to hear it wasn't an outright horror move, though.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Brahms: The Boy II (2020)


You could certainly do worse for popcorn entertainment, but this was a very disappointing followup from the original installment. Instead of expanding on the creativity that the original established, this movie blew it all up and went with the clichéd supernatural route. I personally liked the original, even though it wasn't received as well by the masses. It wasn't groundbreaking but the twist at the end was very memorable and unique. Deviating away from that took a lot of luster away from this sequel. Everything about this film felt familiar and exhaustive, like we've seen this plot & sequencing of events too many times to care.

This movie sets itself up nicely for some solid character work & a general sense of unease in the opening scene. But once the family decampment happens where the doll is found it falls off a cliff. The progression thereafter was predictable in virtually every way which made it somewhat painful. And for the majority of the film very little of interest happens. The boy finds the doll, draws some violent pictures, refuses to eat his dinner, says the doll is making him do things, etc... Allthewhile we get sledgehammered with dull "look here's a creepy doll" moments when the doll moves its eyes or head. It didn't even explain how the doll was rebuilt after having its head obliterated into dust in the first film. I guess the spirit inside the doll knows how to rebuild the vessel? Any momentum it manages to build sort of gets lost within the bad jump scares & odd flashback sequences. The climax, along with the scenes that precede or follow, was rushed & didn't necessarily clarify anything of merit. And no one was surprised by the ending that dared to imply yet another film to follow.

If it weren't for blockbuster level budget, cinematography & CG this film would have been brutal. Cast was decent, but the material was lackluster. (SPOILERS) Essentially it boils down to a semi-possessive plot where a supernatural doll bullies a boy into doing things and ultimately gets bested by being thrown into a furnace. At just 80-some-odd minutes this film should have felt quick, but it manages to trudge through its paces in exhaustive fashion. As a standalone, and possibly even ignoring the existence of the original, this film was mildly entertaining. But as a sequel it was a frustrating & dissatisfying experience.

Derivative & clichéd, but mildly entertaining... 5/10

Saw that last night, it was OK. Enjoyed the first one more

 

[Shanemansj13]

Underwater (2020)


Been a minute since we've explored the underwater neo-creature genre. Older classics like The Abyss (1989), DeepStar Six (1989), Leviathan (1989), The Rift (1990), Deep Rising (1998) or The Cave (2005) come to mind. Unless you want to open the discussion up to sharks, crocs, etc. Underwater wasn't a bad watch, but it was a rather pedestrian effort.

The horror/thriller elements in this movie were rather weak. It's filled with plenty of well-executed jumpscares to make it a decent enough watch, but it lacks suspense. And some of the effects were rough, especially for cgi. The sequencing is fast-paced and littered with fast-cut scenes, which prevents us from appreciating much more than merely the action. I think a lot of suspense and drama was removed due to that.

Unfortunately they used very little effort to flesh out the characters other than driving the plot using their job skills, and the creatures weren't a strong enough antagonist to distract us from that, so in the end these characters end up seeming like cattle. The writers give brief tragic backstories (dialogue driven) in an attempt to make you care about these characters but it just fails to sustain itself for any length of time.The actors weren't too bad though, even though the script was weak. There were many times where some of the dialogue was lost due to other sounds of the film, but luckily this wasn't an issue that detracted any plot points. TJ Miller provided some decent off-the-cuff humor but it was short-lived.

Overall it was an ok watch with decent production values, but the story itself was lackluster and none of the action produced anything memorable. The setup & aftermath were displayed as news reports in newspapers. So it takes somewhat of a leap of faith to connect some dots. Thankfully it wasn't necessary since the movie didn't really implore you to connect anything meaningful.

Action thriller that lacks suspense & story... 5/10

I tried watching this but I feel Kristen Stewart is one of the worst actresses. Maybe the plot just wasnt for me but she didn’t help

 

[Chef99]

Getting ready to watch The Flu right now. South Korea has this amazing knack for horror flicks.

 

[Chef99]

I tried watching this but I feel Kristen Stewart is one of the worst actresses. Maybe the plot just wasnt for me but she did help

I agree, I will never understand the love for her. Seriously, she's not even that cute.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Getting ready to watch The Flu right now. South Korea has this amazing knack for horror flicks.

I feel a "T2B" discussion comin on! lol

Came across that on Netflix or AP, can't remember which... Decided to pass it over based on it being foreign film. Let me know what you thought!

Here was my watchlist over the weekend:

Ruin Me (2017)... Group of young adults go on this scripted slasher campout, and slowly they get picked off. Long story short, theres a hidden agenda that gets unveiled and some real deaths happen. Not a bad slasher film as far as the plot & progression goes, but its filled with b-list acting. Better movie than expected though.

I See You (2019)... Best watch from my weekend. Loved all the twists & turns. There were flaws & plot holes, but I didn't mind them at all. Definitely recommend this one.

Downrange (2017)... Simple idea & decent entertainment. Gets pretty silly at times and has some inconsistencies that bothered me... Also got downright laughable when the climax happens. Some of the actors were turrrrrible.

Gwen (2018)... period horror. God-awful slow, with very little substance. The only "horror" was some spooky mom moments wandering around at night. The rest was just horrors of life in that period of time. Financial hardships of farmlife & war time. Don't know how this got a 6.5/10 on IMDB. I was very bored with it but we somehow managed to stick it out. Kept thinking some sort of twist would happen but it never did. Would recommend avoiding this one.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I know the search function is on the fritz, but just watched The Perfection on Netflix.

Going in knowing nothing, this was a nice little psychological thriller.
You're never quite sure what's going on, has some nice twists, maybe a few plot holes you could drive a truck through, but I found it highly entertaining

7.5/10 for an unexpected little gem.

Been wanting to watch this one but haven't been able to get the wife onboard. Every time I show her the trailer she has zero interest.

Glad to see someone here liked it.

Also glad to know the search function not working wasn't just me!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I agree, I will never understand the love for her. Seriously, she's not even that cute.

Agreed. I try to avoid everything that she's in because of my disdain for her acting. I find it hilarious how hard Hollywood is trying to make her more sexually appealing. Just STAWP it already. It'll never work.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@Chef99

Peninsula (2020) - IMDb

 

[Chef99]

@Chef99

Peninsula (2020) - IMDb

I. Must. See. This.
Seems like the story has taken kind of a Mad Max/Road Warrior turn.
I'm all in, baby!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I. Must. See. This.
Seems like the story has taken kind of a Mad Max/Road Warrior turn.
I'm all in, baby!

Yea as soon as I saw the first article about its production I said, "yea I don't need to read anything into that to know I'll be watching it asap"

 

[BusSport]

Also glad to know the search function not working wasn't just me!

For more information, see the discussion regarding the search issues starting at post #35 in the forum technical issues thread.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

For more information, see the discussion regarding the search issues starting at post #35 in the forum technical issues thread.

Hot damn, that's some good investigatory work there BusSport! Thanks for helping Shaggy/et al to get it resolved, and thanks for the update!

I was trying to use the search function last week in this thread and it was returning zero results. I was searching for my "The Boy" review I did in this thread back in 2016 or 2017.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)


This movie was strange. I don't pretend to know much of anything about the art industry so I won't comment on stereotypes or tropes, but I will say I liked how all the characters were over-emphasized, pretentious caricatures of people that exist within the art world. Not my cup of tea, but it was an oddly fascinating element to this film that made it easy to integrate the art industry & sell character motives. The premise of this film was unique & ambitious. Where I think it is lacking is in the horror department, which is truly a shame considering the A-list cast. The scare/kill scenes are somewhat rare in this film, surrounded by oddly paced plot threads. The kills were routine & mundane, not really offering much in terms of shock value. The only unique one was Rhodora's death, which seemed fitting as her nickname was the title to the film. And since each kill was telegraphed there was very little suspense and nothing scared you. They were also preceded by routine ominous music with long shots of dark rooms to try and create some sort of grim & creepy atmosphere. It sort of works, but sort of doesn't lol. The creepiness is so stereotypically "creepy" that it doesn't come off as creepy. Too forced IMO. I think one of the main problems was the distracting plot threads in combination with the sheer absurdity of it all.

The first half of this film was good. There was great character building, and a good build-up to the story. Even though it was an odd premise, it was still a fascinating hook. It was loaded with irony. The unique absurdity of it all appeared to have great potential. But the 2nd act felt as though the writers weren't sure where to take it as the deaths came off as serving no real purpose other than to drive a mundane horror element. There was no more build up to the story, nor any understanding of what is going on. I think Morf's autobiography on the artist was supposed to sell that point but it didn't quite work the way they wanted it to. The climax sums things up but I couldn't help feeling like it was a waste of time. I think I missed the point on some of the more profound art angles to the plot.

The cast was excellent even though many of the roles felt underutilized. I enjoyed the character building in the first half of this film. Gyllenhaal was great in a lead role, and so were Toni Collette & Rene Russo. Would have loved to see John Malkovich get a larger role since his character was nothing more than an oddly placed distraction with a plot thread that went nowhere; other than to display the struggles of being an artist suffering from artist-block & industry-fatigue I guess? His credit-rolling scene was even more odd, but hilarious.

I thought it was worth the watch as a 1-time sort of thing. Another one of those "unique experiences". Couldn't help but feel like I missed some of the 2nd half's themes or subtexts to understand its purpose or direction, so maybe somebody else could help me out there. Still think it could have benefited from more focus on the horror elements.

Ambitious idea with a good cast, but lacks horror... 6/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Interesting... Try typing John Ma l k ovich's name... It changes to John Malkovich

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Prey (2019)


This movie was an interesting story in combination with a cool supernaturalish creature-feature. Couldn't help but feel like the production company half-assed it though. The entire movie felt somewhat disjointed, and the story build was sorta lazy but it worked well enough to be an ok film. Even the tagline of "Don't Close Your Eyes" had no bearing on the plot whatsoever. The premise was a tad outlandish. The rehabilitation group dumping kids on uninhabited islands to do character rebuilding was a ridiculous idea. Maybe in third worlds that would be feasible, but that just screams lawsuits in our world lol.

The progression was somewhat slow but it had just enough intrigue to keep it interesting enough to be enthralled. It does a good job of building up suspense during the night scenes, and introducing you to the supernatural & creature elements in a mysterious way to keep you guessing as to what is going on at night. The daytime events were better served during the scenes with survival aspects. The romance montage was stupid. They could have done without the romance angle altogether honestly as it felt very unnecessary. The scary parts with the creature, epecially during the climax, were pretty effective. Mostly keeping the creature in the dark was a good call, as the CG was somewhat lacking.

The lead actor, Logan Miller (Escape Room [2019]) was decent. He was believable throughout his character arc. I wasn't quite convinced with some of the emotional aspects, but that was more due to the script. The death of his father, and the flashbacks, were a good aspect to his character arc. It was just enough backstory to give us a sympathetic connection. The character development for the girl was all done in the intro-credit sequence with pictures. I think this may have been better served as something Logan encountered during his first days on the island. The mystery element may have sustained itself better that way, or at least helped amplify the suspense.

Overall it was a decent watch. Wasn't very memorable but it did have a good story with plenty of interesting enough components to it. Felt like it could have been better just about everywhere, so that's why I mentioned it feeling half-assed earlier.

Interesting enough story, but lacking... 6/10

 

[Shanemansj13]

I feel a "T2B" discussion comin on! lol

Came across that on Netflix or AP, can't remember which... Decided to pass it over based on it being foreign film. Let me know what you thought!

Here was my watchlist over the weekend:

Ruin Me (2017)... Group of young adults go on this scripted slasher campout, and slowly they get picked off. Long story short, theres a hidden agenda that gets unveiled and some real deaths happen. Not a bad slasher film as far as the plot & progression goes, but its filled with b-list acting. Better movie than expected though.

I See You (2019)... Best watch from my weekend. Loved all the twists & turns. There were flaws & plot holes, but I didn't mind them at all. Definitely recommend this one.

Downrange (2017)... Simple idea & decent entertainment. Gets pretty silly at times and has some inconsistencies that bothered me... Also got downright laughable when the climax happens. Some of the actors were turrrrrible.

Gwen (2018)... period horror. God-awful slow, with very little substance. The only "horror" was some spooky mom moments wandering around at night. The rest was just horrors of life in that period of time. Financial hardships of farmlife & war time. Don't know how this got a 6.5/10 on IMDB. I was very bored with it but we somehow managed to stick it out. Kept thinking some sort of twist would happen but it never did. Would recommend avoiding this one.

Watched "I See You" last night. Gotta say it was slow at the beginning and I wasn't really paying attention and distracted but it got really good quick. Might rewatch it bc it turned into a very good movie tbh. Starting off I thought this was for sure a dud.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Watched "I See You" last night. Gotta say it was slow at the beginning and I wasn't really paying attention and distracted but it got really good quick. Might rewatch it bc it turned into a very good movie tbh. Starting off I thought this was for sure a dud.

Yea after the initial scene with the boy being ripped off the bike it drags you through some character building & developing the conflicts amongst the family. Have to admit I'm not a big fan of Helen Hunt's acting ability. Much like her face, everything she does looks fake.