thecanadian-23317's Reviews

30 December 2024

Dead End (I) (2003)

7/10

Some early 2000s silliness but a really solid idea

I'm shocked at how much I ended up enjoying this movie. I had to let the ending sink in a little, and I'm sure it's a movie that demands repeat viewings where you can catch things that you wouldn't have noticed before. But it's a really solid movie. The acting is pretty good, the movie looks decent for being made on the tiny budget that it had. And the story really is terrific, although the ending does leave things open to interpretation. So if you like movies with clearly defined endings, you might be a little let down. It's fairly definitive, but it does leave a couple of dangling questions that you don't get answers to.

My only real issue with the movie is that due to being made in 2003, you get some early 2000s movie silliness. It's hard to spell out exactly what it is, but it just has this feel to the way that things are filmed and presented that can feel dated at times. I'm also not sure how much of the movie is meant to be a comedy, but there's a couple of scenes that get pretty wacky. And I think of those had been toned down and played more straight that it would have been an improvement.

Overall though, I think the movie is definitely worth watching. If you give it a chance, I think there's a lot to enjoy! You just have to do so with the context that it had a very small budget, and it's very early 2000s.

0 out of 0 found this helpful

27 December 2024

My Old Ass (2024)

6/10

Intriguing premise, very flawed execution

Warning: Spoilers

This movie is so interesting. It has a ton of strengths, primarily with its star. Maisy Stella is just wonderful, and I imagine she has a bright future ahead of her. There were some good jokes, and she had good chemistry with Percy Hynes White. It has some really good messaging about not being afraid to live life, don't take things for granted, and seizing the day while it's there. All of that was great.

Where the movie falls apart for me is that it literally doesn't make any sense. Initially you wonder if Aubrey Plaza's character is just a figment of her imagination, and this could have worked until the very end, when Percy's character can see her and interact with her. That means that somehow she's traveling through time? Except that nothing she says gives any indication that she was the one that made it happen. Then they can somehow talk on the phone and text across time? And even further, Aubrey Plaza's character can just come back by herself later, but we still don't get any indication of how it works?

I know that a lot of people will be able to just wave that away and say "that's not the point of the movie", and they're not totally wrong. But I still found that portion of the movie to be too much for my suspension of disbelief. It doesn't make any sense in a movie where everything else is "normal". Also, Aubrey Plaza is only in 3 scenes, with the rest of her appearance being over voice and I also found that disappointing.

The movie has a really great message, and most of the emotional beats land pretty well. But you have to go into this movie knowing that it does not explain the "otherworldly" part of it at all, and if you find that frustrating (like I do) then it'll be hard to fully enjoy the movie. I think they either needed to fully lean into actual explicit time travel, or just have it be her "ghost of Christmas future" so that no one else could actually see Aubrey Plaza.

0 out of 2 found this helpful

22 December 2024

Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019)

8/10

Doesn't do anything particularly new or deep, but it's likable

This is a movie where you know exactly how it will end. It follows a very traditional Hallmark-ish formula, so don't expect to have your mind blown. But what makes it stand out is the Italian-American angle, and the likable actors. Doing a Christmas movie centered around the Feast of 7 Fishes is a unique spin that I liked, and I found all of the performances to be really fun. There's some good family drama from the big boisterous Italian family. I do think that the relationship-y side of the drama is undercooked though. In the pattern for this kind of movie, there's always some event that disrupts the main romance of the movie and this one is no different, but that could have been further developed.

Overall it's very cute though, and definitely worth watching.

0 out of 0 found this helpful

8 December 2024

Don't Move (2024)

6/10

Shares a lot in common with 2020's Alone

I won't get into spoilers, but if you've seen the movie Alone from 2020 then you'll have a good idea of what you're getting. This is just a new spin on that.

Overall, it's decent. The movie looks great, the acting is solid. Its biggest problem is that it requires some pretty big suspension of disbelief periodically. There's things that happen because the script needs them to, so the characters behave in ways that normal people wouldn't really.

That's a bigger deal to some people than others, so I think your enjoyment of this one will depend on how much that bothers you. It's far from the most egregious example out there, but there are a few of those moments. If that doesn't bother you too much though, then I think it's worth at least one watch.

0 out of 1 found this helpful

11 November 2024

The Clovehitch Killer (2018)

7/10

Solid slow burn

I enjoyed the movie a lot, but it's not exactly what I expected. It's definitely a slow burn, and almost more of a drama told through a "thriller lens". But I found the premise really compelling. It held my attention through the entire movie and I was interested to see what would happen next. Acting was decent (Dylan McDermott was fantastic), the movie looked great. The only real issue I can think of is that the ending requires some suspension of disbelief. Other than that though, it's worth a watch! Just don't go in expecting grisly murders and mass killing sprees, because that's not the type of serial killer movie that this is.

1 out of 1 found this helpful

11 November 2024

Thanksgiving (I) (2023)

7/10

A fun romp

I'm not usually a big Eli Roth fan (especially his really gory and grisly stuff) so I wasn't quite sure, but I decided to give this a whirl and enjoyed it a lot. It's fairly tame for an Eli Roth movie, which surprised me. There's definitely some gory kills, but they're all pretty quick along with a few characters getting killed offscreen. Acting is decent, although the teenage-aged characters are more spotty. But the movie looks great, moves along at a decent pace, and was a fun time.

My biggest issue with the movie is that the killer live streams and posts explicitly gory kills to Instagram, and nothing ever happens to his account. There's just no way that you'd be able to post that kind of gore (and especially do live streams) and not get the account shut down. That's the biggest required suspension of disbelief. But if you can move past that then it's worth a watch!

1 out of 1 found this helpful

20 October 2024

The Edge of Sleep (2024– )

7/10

Intriguing, but not amazing

I haven't watched any Markiplier videos in years, and knew nothing about this before its sudden release when it was everywhere. I decided to give it a whirl, and it's worth a watch I'd say.

For the positives, I think at a high level it's an intriguing premise. What would you do if 99% of the population died in their sleep, and you had to try and figure out what to do without being able to sleep yourself? There's some creepy segments and imagery, and honestly Mark's not a terrible actor. He's not going to be winning an Emmy or anything but I thought he did a decent enough job for someone who got famous by playing games and acting like a goofball on YouTube. It's also very quick, 6 twenty minute episodes, and they move along pretty briskly. It could easily be knocked out in an evening.

For the cons, the main one is probably that it's a little art-housy. Everything that happens does get some kind of explanation, but I could understand people being frustrated at how light some of the explanations are. There's also some Hollywood Logic on display, of people being able to do things or act in a certain way that real people wouldn't be able to do. The general script and acting also aren't amazing, although both were serviceable enough. Also, the last halfish of the final episode is basically just a big exposition dump, which is always annoying.

Really though, I think it's a small enough investment that it's worth giving a shot. It's basically the length of a movie, and there's enough creepy imagery to make it worth a watch.

14 out of 19 found this helpful

19 October 2024

Smile 2 (2024)

7/10

Naomi Scott is phenomenal

It's pretty similar in structure and how it plays out to the first movie, so if you liked 1 then you'll like 2. But where this movie really shines is Naomi Scott. She gave this movie 1,000% and I was absolutely blown away by her performance. She demonstrates so much range and brings an intensity to the movie that was definitely not present in the first movie. They also really amped up the gore here, which I enjoyed.

As for issues, as mentioned previously it's quite similar to the first movie. I was hoping for the formula to get changed up a little, but it follows the same blueprint. Also, as this movie is almost completely standalone, it treads some similar ground in terms of lore and learning about what the "entity" is. So if you've seen the first movie, you'll get some repetitive aspects there.

It's still solid enough on its own though. There are some very creepy sequences, great gore, and Naomi Scott being the absolute shining star of the movie. It's definitely worth seeing just for her performance alone.

255 out of 341 found this helpful

12 August 2024

Spinster (2019)

6/10

Good message, poor delivery

This movie is kind of frustrating, because I agree with a lot of the messaging behind it. It's very "a woman doesn't need to find love or have kids to live a successful, fulfilling life". But the implementation of that messaging feels very heavy-handed and clumsy. Characters will randomly ask the main character if she has kids so that they can launch into the whole conversation surrounding it, and the actual dialogue feels kind of stilted.

It's solid messaging though, and very true! Everything surrounding that is competent. Directing is solid, if unremarkable, acting is fine. There's some attempts at emotional stakes that don't always land, but the main character has a developing bond with her niece that I enjoyed.

Overall I'd say it's worth a watch if you don't have anything better going on, but you're not missing anything spectacular if you don't watch it.

0 out of 0 found this helpful

11 August 2024

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

7/10

Flawed but entertaining

Let's clarify this right up front: I know that this movie isn't particularly good. Not only does it suffer from plenty of logical issues and some questionable directorial choices, but it doesn't fit with established Alien lore. And on top of all of that, the decision to make a PG13 crossover out of two R rated franchises is insane.

All that being said, the movie is surprisingly fun. The entire point of movies is to entertain, and every time I watch the movie I'm sufficiently entertained. Not all the directorial choices are bad, there's some tense sequences throughout the movie. And I have to applaud the heavy use of practical effects, with many of the creature interactions being practical costumes/puppets. And at the end of the day, seeing these two iconic movie monsters on screen together is a fun time.

This is a movie that demands ignoring logic most of the time, so if you can't ignore the logic inconsistencies with the plot/script then you'll have a bad time. But if you can turn your brain off and enjoy seeing the crossover (while having some appreciation for a commendable amount of practical effects) then I can easily recommend it!

The sequel, on the other hand... don't bother. AvP Requiem is just outright bad.

0 out of 0 found this helpful

28 July 2024

Unprisoned (2023–2024)

7/10

It has all of the ingredients to be great

I stumbled across Unprisoned on Hulu, and since it's only 16 episodes, decided to binge it over a few days. And I walk away kind of frustrated, only because this show has all of the pieces of greatness. It has a terrific cast, a decent story, and some great subject matter. But for some reason, it never all seems to gel and coalesce.

Most episodes seem sort of uneven, like they're either not sure what kind of message they're trying to send or they give conflicting sides of the same message. Also, Kerry Washington's character kind of drives me insane. She's supposed to, that's the type of character that she's portraying, but sometimes she's just so tightly wound over nothing at all and needs to relax.

I do like that the show isn't afraid to veer into more serious topics, like racial profiling from police and the prison system. But as mentioned before, it often seems unsure of what exactly it's trying to say aside from "those things are bad".

I do want to see it continue though, because I think it has so much potential if they can really focus the scripts for each episode a little bit better. I really like how the cast plays off of each other, and I like the different familial dynamics at play. It's good, but I'd love to see it become great.

1 out of 4 found this helpful

26 July 2024

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

10/10

Pure glorious fan service

No spoilers! But let's just clear this up right at the beginning: this movie is basically 95% fan service. And if you buy into that (like I did) then you will have a fantastic time. If you don't (or if you hate Deadpool as a character) then you probably won't enjoy it as much.

Aside from that though, the thing that I enjoyed most about the movie is that Deadpool feels much more like he should. I love Deadpool 1 and 2, but he always kind of felt like he stuck out in those worlds. Yeah it's the same universe as X-Men, but it felt like they wouldn't let him get TOO comic booky (and in the second movie he basically doesn't fourth wall break at all, it's just snark and pop culture references). But here though, they let it all fly, and it works brilliantly.

There's fourth wall breaking, ridiculous (in a good way) fight scenes, and just general over-the-top shenanigans for the entire runtime. There's still lots of meta humor, lots of shots at Disney and Fox, but I enjoyed it. I had so much fun with this movie and haven't laughed that much in a long time.

As for issues (aside from the fan service), it does feel like Deadpool gets a little sidelined at times. The movie tries to balance both him and Wolverine, and sometimes it's a little weighted in Wolverine's favor. The emotional stakes are also fairly shallow. Yeah it has them and tries to justify them (and Wolverine actually gets some good development), but it's nothing you haven't seen before and isn't going to blow you away.

So if you go into this expecting Logan, you're going to be severely disappointed. But if you go in expecting a shameless fan-service filled action romp, then you'll have a grand time.

12 out of 24 found this helpful

14 July 2024

This Way Up (2019–2021)

8/10

Lovely handling of some serious subject matter

I watched this show on a whim on Hulu, and really enjoyed it. The actresses for the main two sisters actually feel like proper sisters (they're not, but they have terrific chemistry and feel like actual siblings), most of the characters are charming, and the show isn't afraid to go to some dark places to address those topics.

Aisling Bea's character is very annoying. But she's supposed to be. She's a very energetic and hyperactive personality, because it covers up her dark thoughts and is the "shield" that she puts on to protect herself from the world. So being able to get glimpses behind that shield, and seeing her get more "real" at various points in the series is great. I really liked seeing her growth and development.

My only two real issues are that the show is VERY short (it's two 6-episode seasons, 12 episodes in total), and that it does leave some plot threads unresolved. I don't know if the show was always intended to be 2 seasons or if they just weren't renewed for a third, but it's a bit disappointing to have a couple of lesser cliffhangers that we'll never get a resolution for.

The show still ends solidly enough though that you can watch it, and it's absolutely worth a watch. Just keep in mind that the main character is supposed to be grating, and that it's so satisfying when you do get those peeks behind her shield and see her more vulnerable side.

1 out of 1 found this helpful

26 October 2023

Old Dads (2023)

7/10

Good, not great

I love Bill Burr's humor for the most part, even though he's a bit much with his "back in my generation you could leave your kid in a car" type mindset, and there's definitely some of that here. But the movie still had heart and had some good jokes. It definitely feels like a lot of it was based on his personal experiences with life especially with his anger problems, and I liked that aspect. Acting was good, with Bobby Cannavale being the standout - he definitely had a lot of fun with this movie.

If you really hate Bill Burr, you won't like the movie. I do think it leans a little too hard into "hurrrr these damn millennials are too soft with their feelings" type of sentiment (even though it does try to reconcile the "old vs new" a little bit), and the pacing is a little disjointed. But overall I think it's a pretty solid directorial debut for Burr, and there's enough here to be worth a watch!

2 out of 7 found this helpful

12 June 2022

The Ruins (2008)

7/10

Really unique idea

I went into the movie with 0 idea of what was coming, so I won't give any details other than to say that I thought this was a monster movie and it's not. It's not amazing and it has issues, but honestly overall I think it's a good time. It's a really unique idea, the movie looks pretty good overall, some of the prosthetic effects were convincingly gross, and the acting was decent.

It's not a classic or something that I'm going to watch again and again, but I have no regrets watching it and would have no problems recommending it to others.

0 out of 0 found this helpful

11 June 2022

Candyman (2021)

5/10

Interesting ideas, but far too short of a runtime

I won't get into spoilers for this review, but this movie has some really great pieces. They found really interesting ways to tie it to the original, and I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately, 90 minutes was just way too short. The first half of the moves fairly slowly, with the second half just moving at a breakneck pace. The movie just jumps from scene to scene, and it almost felt like the editor was forced to fit the movie into 90 minutes. Halfway through they realized they didn't have enough time, so they just crammed everything they could into the back half.

It's a real shame, because there's a lot of talent on display. The movie looks stunning, the acting is good, and most of the special effects were decent (some CG bees looked a little iffy, but other than that it was good). The movie just needed another 15, if not 20 minutes to really flesh it out and make everything flow.

Do I regret watching the movie? No, but I struggle to recommend it too.

1 out of 2 found this helpful

17 April 2022

Morbius (2022)

6/10

I have to be honest... I didn't hate it

Let's get one thing straight: this is not a "good" movie. The dialogue isn't great and there are plot holes galore. And maybe it's just because I went into the movie with rock bottom expectations, but I actually enjoyed watching the movie.

Morbius as a character is a little bland, but Leto had this quiet sarcasm that I actually really liked. I liked the actress for the love interest, although their relationship in the movie was silly. Matt Smith is just phenomenal though, he definitely makes the movie.

The CG was good overall, and there were some cool fight sequences. Don't go into this expecting anything grand or amazing, but just a fun action movie and you'll have a good time.

0 out of 0 found this helpful

24 January 2022

Yellowjackets (2021– )

6/10

Amazing start that just pales with every episode

I'm keeping this spoiler free. Let's get this out of the way right up front: this show has a fantastic premise and the first episode is absolutely terrific. It starts out SO strong and I was really looking forward to seeing where it went.

Even though I assume it's not the case, it legitimately felt like the writers had no idea how they wanted to resolve the central mystery (what happened on the island that was so terrible?), and just kept putting it off. Most of the characters were really strong and the acting was great (Christina Ricci in particular was fantastic). But I literally let out a "of come on" in the final 5 minutes of the finale. It takes such a disappointing direction and doesn't resolve everything, which I assume is for the inevitable second season.

If this had been a single self-contained mini-series that focused on human desperation, the lengths that we'll go to in order to survive, and going insane while being stranded in the wilderness it would have been incredible. And who knows, you may still like it. I just ended up being really disappointed with how it turned out.

11 out of 18 found this helpful

9 January 2022

Home Economics (2021–2023)

7/10

Surprisingly enjoyable

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this show, especially because the reviews were fairly mixed. But honestly? I'm enjoying my time with it. It's not going to win any awards for writing or acting, and some of its progressive messaging is a tad bit pushy. But I think that the main cast works really well together, and while none of the laughs have been "gut busting", it's had some good jokes.

I have no problem recommending the show if you're just looking for something fun and simple, with positive messages about family.

4 out of 10 found this helpful

8 January 2022

Aftermath (IV) (2021)

5/10

Interesting ideas, but doesn't really do anything with them

I have to be honest, I don't understand all of the complaints about bad acting, I thought most of the cast did a good job. Sure they're not going to win any awards, but it was serviceable.

As for the plot of the movie, it ends up being rather standard for a horror movie. It wasn't particularly scary, and it has some pretty predictable scare sequences (and the resolution is honestly kind of utter nonsense). But where the movie hooked me was the main couple. The main conflict of the movie (which you learn about at the very beginning, so this isn't spoiler territory) is that the wife cheated on the husband, and a large portion of the movie is spent sorting through that emotional baggage and trying to fix it. My favorite horror movies are ones that deal with real life "problems", and a fractured marriage is PERFECT for a horror movie. I really liked that idea.

Unfortunately, most of the surrounding material is either dumb or just not explained. There are explanations given that don't really work, and other things just aren't explained at all, to the point where it makes no logical sense. The movie is perfectly watchable, and it's far from the worst horror movie I've seen. But I wouldn't recommend watching this unless you REALLY like the cast (I only watched it because it had Britt Baron in it, who I love).

1 out of 1 found this helpful

24 December 2021

Better Watch Out (II) (2016)

7/10

Avoid any trailers if you're interested

I'm not going to get into spoilers, but this is the type of movie that the less you know about going in, the better. It doesn't turn out how you'd expect, and I liked that it went to some disturbing places. It definitely requires some suspension of disbelief (characters are capable of things that most real people wouldn't be) but it was a really interesting idea and I enjoyed the movie a fair amount.

2 out of 5 found this helpful

19 December 2021

Till Death (I) (2021)

7/10

It's a pretty enthralling thriller!

I'm honestly shocked by the low score this movie has (5.9/10 at the time of this review). It's not perfect and requires some suspension of disbelief for sure, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. I thought Fox was great and it had great tension building. I don't think it's something I'd watch over and over but it's definitely worth at least one watch.

0 out of 0 found this helpful

18 December 2021

The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021–2025)

8/10

I found it delightful

I almost didn't give this show a chance, because for some reason I found its title really obnoxious, but I'm glad that I did! It has issues, but overall I really enjoyed the first season and would happily watch another.

I think the main factor of your enjoyment of this show will come down to how you feel about the 4 leads. I found them all very likable and to have great chemistry with each other, but I could understand how some could find them grating. Some of the writing felt a little "on the nose" with the 'girl power, yeah!' type stuff, but for the most part I felt like it offered a lot of really great messages for female empowerment, and it was just straight up funny.

Not everything worked, some of the gags fell flat and there were times where some of the characters would overstay their welcome or go a bit overboard, but overall I got really drawn into these characters and I think that's the mark of a successful TV show. If this show is given the time to be polished and grow, it could really turn into something special.

7 out of 19 found this helpful

16 December 2021

Love Hard (2021)

7/10

You know what you're getting, but it's cute

I'm a big fan of Nina Dobrev, and I thought she was surprisingly good in this. This is the type of movie that you know 100% how it's going to end, but I still thought it was cute. It had some good jokes, the leads had good chemistry, and it had this charming feel to it.

The only real issue I have is the idea that someone like Nina Dobrev would struggle to get dates... I really just don't buy that.

2 out of 2 found this helpful

13 December 2021

Something Borrowed (2011)

5/10

Close to being good, but ultimately frustrating

On a technical/mechanical level, the movie is fine. The acting is generally good, the overall direction is solid. But the story is pretty ridiculous. Without getting into spoilers, the movie is just filled with a bunch of terrible people making selfish decisions that hurt the people around them. The movie could have gone in a direction with a better message, but it ended up being really disappointed with how it turned out. It's watchable, but I wouldn't recommend it.

2 out of 3 found this helpful

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thecanadian-23317

Reviews (52)