hannah-mae91

This is a bizarre little documentary. There were multiple points where I was shocked something had been left in - like Ben Affleck (rightfully) mocking the nonsensical title (how is it never told if you're telling it now??) to JLo telling the mud guys to use X mud then driving away without telling them WHICH mud. The most painful scene was Affleck saying how much it sucked to see a bunch of strangers passing around a book filled with his most private thoughts.

There's a trend right now of people going to therapy and becoming proficient in that language, but only to the extent that they can fluff themselves up or make others feel bad for them. That's basically all this is.

Here's a summary of JLo's "truth": she was a middle child with an attention-seeking mother and a father who worked nights. She had a relationship that ended because they had different values, then she had some bad relationships after and never got over the guy she almost married. She had 4 marriages before finally marrying guy 1 again, then proceeded to disrespect his values and desires on a global stage.

Girl, everybody had difficult parents. A lot of kids were middle children. Most of us had bad relationships, millions of us had ones who got away -- you truly aren't special, and nobody cares. You know what the rest of us lack? $40,000,000 of money to throw at a vanity project. Sit back down, lady, and treat the people in your life with more care.

For everyone else, this is a fun and short watch about a self obsessed, delusional woman who just yells "my truth" to contemporary dance moves and considers it art. What's not to love/hate about that?

Wow. Just wow. This is brilliant. It's like watching Penn and Teller: they tell you the trick they do, and yet it's still somehow mysterious and magical. I'm amazed and upon watching the third little nesting doll in this story, I need to go back and watch it again to see how it all looks with that context.

This is such a clever film. And good grief, that actress -- everybody else got breaks, but she didn't have a single moment to even get water that I could track.

I'm fascinated by how this was made. What in the first 30 minutes was planned, and what wasn't? Did they attempt to do it perfectly, knowing there would be flaws, and fill those in with a explanation, or were some pre planned? It makes me intensely curious, and that's may favorite feeling after finishing a movie.

I don't know that anything could convince me that AI wasn't heavily involved with writing this. It's offensively bad. It's a boring concept, the bear is the least threatening thing I've ever seen, the plot barely exists, and it's way too long. I'd call it comically bad, but that would imply a "so bad it's good" sort of movie. It's almost insulting that Blumhouse is able to get away with making movies like this into a full theatrical release.

I hate this movie and everything that it represents. This is the laziest, most boring thing I've seen in ages, and there are people somewhere in Hollywood making millions of of it. Bleh.

The commentary of this movie is biting, in point, and mean to everyone. In the end, it felt like an allegory for evolving perspectives in horror: first the fragile white cis men, then the women who can't stop obsessing over how much she hates his perspective, then queer authorship, but still white because we only let the POC voice come in for a visit without even giving him a last name. All intentional as evidenced by the brilliant dialog.

Aside from that, it lives up to its own standards by being original and leaning on the strengths of its actors. I wasn't sure I could watch Ruben as a serious character, but he made his comedy strength his horror one too.

I've never seen this story before and I probably never will again. It was unexpected at every turn, and it was a delight to watch a true tribute to a campfire scary story. No effects, no visuals, just storytelling.

Suicide and isolation are the hot new villains in horror movies. I get it. I see where it's coming from, and I couldn't agree with the thesis more: we need each other to save ourselves.

That said, if you are having thoughts of self harm, if you feel desperately lonely, or if you're working through a difficult recovery process, choose a movie other than this, Talk To Me, Smile, or any of the other movies of this ilk. For safety's sake, avoid horror movies made in the last 3-5 years for a while.

This is an effective movie on many levels, and if you're in the right headspace for it, it's great. Acting, directing, set dressing, location - it's all great. But man, I wish I could watch one of these movies where the characters are all alone in the frame and refuse to touch one another and just have ONE person say "you know what, I need a hug, so let's snuggle." If the latest horror trend is to be believed, it could save a life.

This is a movie about a woman who, in her desperate desire to be loved and accepted by her family and culture, has to contort herself past breaking. The Virgin Mary and motherhood loom monstrously over Val who did everything she could to Do The Thing. College, marriage, the right haircut, the right clothing, pastels -- no matter how hard she tried, everyone, her included, knew she was hitting left of center, doomed to failure.

This movie hit home for me, a woman terrified of being a mother and feeling constantly torn between who I am and who others want me to be.

On a technical level, it's beautifully shot and has some truly lovely frames. Solián does things with her body, hands, and face that horrified me. The practical effects weren't fantastic, but I squirm like crazy when I see realistic broken bones anyway so whatever.

A fantastic movie for us ovary owners who consider children and motherhood horror, no matter how many times we hear the same platitudes about the miracle of life.

This movie is worth it for the visual effects, but the story is only meh, the message is unclear through many parts, and the characters are boring. It being an allegory, I'm not expecting this to be a character piece, but for sure I'd have appreciated it if the others stood out. The rich people all melded into one person, with no nuance to separate them.

The main character was brilliantly acted, but he was so... blah. There was nothing there for us to look at and say "this changed, this was as there all a long, and what happens to him is a tragedy." It got to the point where I was agreeing with the villains. Yes, he was a spineless worm. No, I don't think anybody is worse off for what happened to him. I have no idea who he was or who he became.

I did love the nightmarish setting. This takes place in a weird netherworld that is totally disconnected from reality. I wish we had explored that more, mostly so we could stop looking at the main guy's vacant expression for even five minutes.

Mia Goth is, as always, haunting and versatile. Without her acting choices on the hood of that car, much of the film's message would have gotten lost for me. If you haven't already, go watch Pearl. She is a genius and a gift to the genre.

This isn't the most frightening or exciting option. I would even hesitate to call it horror or suspense. It is, rather, a drama in which the characters are facing the horrifying.

This is in a camp of a new (to me) subgenre of horror: folk horror. Horror that is based on folklore, tradition, myth, superstition, whatever you want to call it, OTHER than Christianity. Everything from the themes to the behavior to the nature of the horror itself is unfamiliar and exciting. Stories that have been sidelined for much of mainstream cinematic history finally having their say.

If you're sick of possession horror movies and bible-thumping exorcists, and you want more than cheap thrills and jump scares, try this. Horror is the clearest window into a culture that there is, and if you are excited or intrigued to learn and see new approaches, this is worth your time. If, on the other hand, you want a fun, butt-clenching popcorn flick, go elsewhere. Those movies are fantastic too, but this will bore you. And if you need excitement with your intrigue and interesting story, you may wish to give this a pass as well.

Ignoring the garbage follow-up and some icky sexism (I advise pushing that "skip 30 seconds" button on your remote when Eggsy returns to the prison cell), this is a joyful romp that remains one of my favorite action movies of all time.

Listening to the dulcet tones of Mr. Darcy telling a bigot that he's a catholic whose black Jewish boyfriend is employed at an abortion clinic, and by the way hail Satan, is the height of filmmaking. Then of course we get a wonderfully choreographed fight scene after, which is hugely satisfying since everyone in that crowd deserves it. I don't remember much else from this film other than that, plus the awesome representation of disabilities in the villains.

Sofia Boutella is so cool (an amputee who kills people with her prosthetics is truly iconic), and I'd love to see her in more films.

This is the second piece of Folk Horror film I've seen this year, and I'm starving for more. What a fascinating addition to the genre! Full of references, tropes, mythos, and lore millennia deep that I, a white American millennial, have never been exposed to in my life.

All this complicated by the fact that I cannot find any resources that serve as a cultural guide and I wish I had one. Were puppet masters always the elder of their village? If so, that suggests that storytellers were also leaders, which is mind blowingly intriguing. I got a feeling that the lighting almost turned this into a shadow puppet show, and I would love to know how that's reflected in other parts of the storytelling. What sort of "witchcraft" (I don't know if this is the accurate term in Indonesia) was the old woman using? What are the traditions and motivations? What is up with all the throat cutting? Was that sort of leather used often?

This movie is worth your time if you love the medium of horror partly as a way to glimpse the heart of other cultures.

No movie has ever perfectly encapsulated the fear of being a child alone in a dark house with only a flickering television and cartoons to keep you safe. It's like crystalized moments of a child's trauma in real time, and something is looping back its favorite parts.

Every frame and scrap of screen time, visual or audio, feed into the sense of a fear of darkness. I don't know if it was my bad tv or an intentional part of the film that the huge black spaces on my screen were edged with flames somehow within that darkness. The ADR of the children is genius, adding an additional layer of surreality and disassociation. Because we see so little of them, the lines seem to have been elicited almost organically based on how well it was delivered. Or maybe the sounds of children whispering is enough to put me on edge all on its own. Either way, it means the same to me.

I watched parts of this movie through my fingers and I had to pause to grab a blanket. For a short while, I was transported back to being a frightened child.

I have always adored Ti West, and although X wasn't exactly my thing, I enjoyed it enough to watch Pearl. It interested me for a lot of reasons and after watching, these stand out even more: 1. A character study co-written by the actress playing the character is an awesome choice.

2. Pearl's mother is played by the intimacy coach of the first film, which is a glorious choice. Their relationship feels comfortable and intimate because the coach helped Goth through filming perhaps the most intimate and vulnerable scenes possible already.

3. West trusts Goth implicitly. He suggested the smile during the credits on a whim and it's one of the most fascinating examples of god-tier acting. The monologue he told her could have cuts, but when she insisted she do it in one take, he trusted her.

4. Feminine rage from all directions. The mother's moment was my favorite.

5. Sunny skies and a Wizard of Oz vibrancy makes blood look so much better than darkness ever could.

Films about the experience of being a woman deserves a female influence, and Ti West is such a fabulous director that he embraced that fact. It shows how generous an artist he is, and allowed Pearl to dazzle on the screen.

This was the most upsetting film experience of my life. I couldn't find my remote during the final 10-15 minutes and was crying while desperately searching for it and yelling at my Alexa to turn off the TV. I had very much expected that there would be a turn at the end where the dad saves the day and they emerge as a family, whole or otherwise, with the villains dead. I even clung onto that hope when the realization dawned on me what the combination of a child wailing, bedsprings, and adult male grunting meant. Even as the father was forced to get into the car with his wife and daughter, I was certain he would find a cigarette lighter or *something* to spare his child the fate coming for her.

I was wrong.

This film was made by a guy who wanted to make the most uncomfortable experience possible. He achieved that.

Please proceed with caution. Major trigger warning for child sexual abuse and torture.

To be fair, they only really show up when a body needs transported but man, talk about the silent heroes of a story. Imagine going to work and the customers on your ship start dropping like flies.

Beautifully shot, acting is fine, characters all suck pretty badly. Poirot is the standout.

The sound mixing and soundtrac of this movie genuinely got under my skin. I started watching with headphones but had to stop because my anxiety was going through the roof. The plot is interesting and enjoyable, and the not-great graphics at the end actually adds to the surreality. The twist seemed obvious due to the guy in the alley, but that's ok. It was well executed nonetheless.

The scariest scene to me was the hike up the mountain. I've never been to Japan but when I see those large swathes of forested mountains, it always gives me a similar feeling as the book House of Leaves, like Japan is bigger inside the island than it should rightfully be. I know that's not true, but it's my gut feeling anyway. And the way the camera focuses on the landscape and the person leading the hike, no words spoken between the two, it unsettled me deeply.

This is a fantasy. There's no actual magic, but this isn't reality and it's not trying to be. It's an idealized alternate dimension where everything ends up alright and everyone who ends up together belongs together. There's very little substance here and I can see why that irks some people. I, for one, could not be more pleased. No other show has properly shown the inherent eroticism of the brushing of fingertips against skin, the temptation of a slowly removed glove, the breathless anticipation that most romance novels can only dream of capturing. I spent a full decade of my life voraciously reading Victorian romance novels trying to find something this good, and this is the crème de la crème of the genre.

If you're upset about historical accuracy, I'd say that's like watching Game of Thrones and being upset that it doesn't accurately portray the middle ages. That's not the point and it's relationship with reality is not meant to be anything more than the gentle brushing of shoulders of strangers in a crowd. If you're upset about the racial representation, go back to the 1850s where you belong and let the rest of us enjoy ourselves.

For those seeking more like this, don't bother with the books. At least not the first one, although I can't imagine the author discovers how to write less ridiculously shallow and sexist characters between books one and two.

I will say that my major gripe is the instance of female to male sexual assault. It's saved (barely) by the character having no understanding of such things, but I completely understand anyone who decides to opt out of the show as a consequence. It's not right and the show doesn't do enough to portray the seriousness of such actions. She never really learns her lesson and we're left with yet another instance of media not portraying male victims as... well, victims. If it happens again on the show, it sets a pattern and I'll opt out of future seasons.

One of the most condescending, white-washed (not racially, they just spackled over the atrocious reality with sparkles and the magic of friendship) parade full of lazy pop music that expects you to get those shivers you get when music is really speaking your truth so that you ignore the dark empty void of the capitalistic monster behind everyone's eyes. I think I scoffed so many times I'm actually going to have problems with my lungs in years to come. It's like a production company sat down and purposefully asked themselves how to create a movie that made them look inclusive and encouraging of individuality while being so inoffensive and removed from reality that they don't lose money. I genuinely hated the process of watching this movie because I was with my mom who gobbles this cheap performative crap up so I couldn't walk out of the room or turn it off. Truly an awful film with vapid, soulless music. There isn't a shred of anything that makes it interesting or unique.

On the bright side, P T Barnum would have been proud.

The main actor is quite good. He's really believable and his final big scene was impressively acted. The movie makes great points but overall it was a little boring and not scary. The ending felt rushed and didn't quite make sense. Will definitely be looking forward to more by Jim Cummings, but this was a one time watch for me.

I could tell that a woman was involved in the writing of the movie but not in the direction. Becky was clearly written by someone who was a pre-teen girl once. Angry at everything, an emotional live wire just struggling with how to deal with all these conflicting feelings when one emotion is bad enough and you're not allowed to express the raging storm going on inside. Becky isn't a tomboy or a preppy girl like other film pre-teen characters. She's a spectrum of girlish whimsy and wild nature spirit and angry teen shoplifter who wears dark makeup. Even the best male writers can't capture the teen girl experience. Not in this world where culture shunts teen girls aside as shallow nuisances so overwhelmingly frequently. There's secrets every woman has about this age, and they're on display in this character. Nearly every other character is rather dull. All the love is focused here.

I therefore wish a woman had been a co director as well. If so much would have been lost in the writing without a feminine touch, what did we lose in the filming? It could have had a similar impact to the amazing film Revenge, the first female directed and written rape/revenge horror and, not coincidentally, the best, in my opinion. At the very least, I think the final moments would have been different and most probably better. Less reductive.

Regardless, this is an enjoyable movie with a strong lead character and so-so supporters. The violence is icky and amazing, and it looked all practical. A really unique twist on the home invasion/survival film that reminded me a bit if a deadly serious Home Alone. Pulls no punches emotionally either. Definitely worth a watch.

The main character was clearly written by a man who doesn't find anything interesting about women in stories unless they're victims in some way. She has no personality beyond the men in her life. Even that isn't a personality. She behaves catatonic for the whole first act, entirely defined by what man is in the room at a given moment. A downtrodden wife, a guilt-ridden mistress, and a traumatized survivor. That's it. Fighting for survival isn't a personality trait. You have to put actual effort into creating a character who feels real. No person oh, woman or man, is this empty and devoid of identity.

A great example of yet another subpar movie written by a man exploiting female trauma for an easy plot.

I'm split on this movie. I wish it had taken more time to explore the characters before things started to hit the fan. The girlfriend, for instance, has a fascinating backstory that's given a couple times but never resolved. And I couldn't get a read on the main character's feelings about what was going on around him. I also felt the two scenes with teens/children confused the messaging. If they were going for a political commentary, these kids detracted from that. I thought for a moment the movie was going for a cursed videotape type ending, but I guess not? But also sort of?

What I did like was the acting, the conversation it had with itself, the striking visual moments, the paper cutout scenes, and the use of mirrors. I also like that it maintained the political commentary of the original and built on top of it. That wasn't a surprise since Jordan Peele was involved, but I'm still glad it wasn't a remake just for the sake of a remake. I also really enjoyed the use of the first film's story in this one. I caught on to what they were doing early on due to having just watched the first one and remembering names, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The scares were effective and there weren't any obnoxious jump scares. There's a moment in the back of the car where the dread and tension built quite nicely. (The way that scene ended didn't quite make sense but it was cool so whatever.)

Ultimately this is a flawed movie that comes from a good place and has moments of deft handling of both the horror genre and of complex political commentary. Pairs well with the first one and has genuinely creepy moments (wall guy, anyone?)

A fine enough movie, but it falls short in a few distinct ways. The writing is subpar and occasionally laughable. A movie really has to excuse why it's got a world-defining paragraph for me to read at the beginning. Here, the post-apocalyptic (?) landscape tries to create a Dredd kind of lawlessness meets The Green Room. Instead, it comes off as a worse neighborhood in Detroit, except nobody has phones.

Some of the acting, particularly the actresses, is no better than a bad B movie. Then again, some of the acting is quite solid. The old men were mostly believable.

There were some truly gruesome moments that were pretty fun. The practical effects team did a great job.

Cats is horrifying. And no, I don't mean the CGI (well, not just because of the CGI) or anatomical strangeness of these creatures. Let me lay out some of the scariest facts: 1. These cats are dead. This isn't a spoiler. It's the "plot" of the movie. I don't know how more people haven't realized they're already dead and competing to be reborn. The second song is on gravestones for goodness sake. 2. They live in purgatory where their lives are controlled by Judi Dench for no real reason. She gets her powers from the moon and arbitrarily decides every cat's fate. 3. Idris Elba has completely undefinable powers, but he can basically do whatever he wants with you and when he's done, you'll be an outcast doomed to sulk in the shadows like poor Jennifer Hudson. 4. Underpinning all this is a hellscape where mice and cockroaches with human faces and bodies are kept as slaves and forced to perform for their cat masters who are free to eat you when you don't perform well or if if they're in the middle of a song. These cockroaches and mice scream for their lives as they're eaten. 5. There are no rules. This is chaos, and no one is safe.

It's what I imagine a hallucinogenic trip would feel like. The inexplicable high top shoes blew my mind. The final song (which establishes that cats are not in fact dogs, just in case you were wondering I guess) is sung with them standing on a freaking lion statue.

Because of (in spite of?) all this, seeing Cats in the theater was the best moviegoing experience of my life. I laughed so hard at one point I had to get up and walk to the back of the theater while I regained control. This movie is like The Room except with an insane budget. Nothing made sense and I am thrilled that it was the first movie I watched in the new decade.

This is the first movie I've ever watched that almost made me physically ill. It's nihilistic, ugly, erotic, and so devoid of humanity I almost screamed partway through the 40+ minute shot just to get some of the feelings out.

At the same time it's a beautiful tour de force with the most visceral dance sequences on film. There are moments of shocking beauty within the chaos. And, most surprisingly of all, it somehow manages to avoid exploitation in any form.

This is my first - and probably last - Noe film. I have purposefully chosen not to watch Noe before now. Noe is who Lars Von Trier wishes he could be: dark, subversive, and shocking to the core without cheap gimmicks or an ego visible in every frame. Noe sees brutality and finds beauty, not just because of but in spite of.

This isn't a fun movie. If you're unsure if you should watch it, don't. And if you do, watch it sober and with something light as an immediate chaser.

The eyes to camera speech by Doom Head is phenomenal. I don't like Rob Zombie. His aesthetic is messy, themes are undefined, and I always feel icky after watching one of his movies. But 31 is my favorite horror trope (deadliest game!!) so I decided to force my way through.

Doom Head's speech is what starts the film off and boy, I gotta admit I was PUMPED. Scary, interesting, gory with depth -- it promised so much. He ain't clown! He's not here to brighten your dismal day. He's not here to elicit an amused response. But he's going to tell you a story so the CRUNCH of your body isn't the last sound you hear before he sends you to the pearly gates with a first class ticket.

It's terrifying. It's funny. It's grim and it's brutal. If he's our villain, I'm fully on board and writing Rob Zombie an apology letter for every horrible thing I ever said about him.

What did I get instead?

A little person dressed as Hitler who likes to rape people. Doom Head barely makes another appearance (which is actually the next moment the "film" is slightly interesting).

At least Rob Zombie is consistent. Nobody can say he isn't.