BlueBoy-
Joined May 2016
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The stage curtains open ...
I wasn't a teenager when 1999 rolled around, but I was in my early 30's. I remember when all the hype surrounding a possible Y2K "end of the world" scenario was presented. People were going to extremes ... some going as far as to isolate themselves in secret colonies etc. That might've been a more fun side of the story to explore. Maybe someday. What we got instead was this tongue-in-cheek, bold-as-balls movie that is more like "Maximum Overdrive" meets ""Johnny Mnemonic" - but with a teen's POV.
It is New Year's Eve 1999 - and two "loser" high school friends decide to rent the Schwarzenegger film, "Junior", instead of partying with the rest of their class. Our main character, Eli, has the hots for popular girl, Laura, and using a chance of sneaking in a New Year's kiss as motivation, he and his buddy decide to throw caution to the wind and go party. However, at the strike of midnight, all hell breaks loose, and it becomes a game of survival with renegade machines taking over the world. True colors begin to show, as well as true character in situation after situation where they come to the realization that it is either run and hide, or stand up and fight.
I went into the film thinking it was going to play out as more of a true horror film instead of this teenage rom-com approach to horror. Even still, it was a lot of fun! The music brought back some cool memories for me from that time. I was actually a DJ back then, so a lot of those songs I used to spin. Loved the cameos, highlighted by an appearnce from Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst. The action was tight, and the dialogue fitting for its time. If you are looking for scares, they aren't here. There was nothing fright worthy in this movie. It was straight up entertainment.
For teenage comedy horror, it is fairly formulaic. Boy crushes on hot girl, hot girl doesn't notice him until they are put into life threatening situations and she sees him for who he really is, boy gets hot girl in the end. Yeah, we've seen it all before. I would still recommend "Y2K". This isn't the angle I was expecting, as it was more of an over-the-top idea that they just ran with. I did like it. And, I would watch it again.
I wasn't a teenager when 1999 rolled around, but I was in my early 30's. I remember when all the hype surrounding a possible Y2K "end of the world" scenario was presented. People were going to extremes ... some going as far as to isolate themselves in secret colonies etc. That might've been a more fun side of the story to explore. Maybe someday. What we got instead was this tongue-in-cheek, bold-as-balls movie that is more like "Maximum Overdrive" meets ""Johnny Mnemonic" - but with a teen's POV.
It is New Year's Eve 1999 - and two "loser" high school friends decide to rent the Schwarzenegger film, "Junior", instead of partying with the rest of their class. Our main character, Eli, has the hots for popular girl, Laura, and using a chance of sneaking in a New Year's kiss as motivation, he and his buddy decide to throw caution to the wind and go party. However, at the strike of midnight, all hell breaks loose, and it becomes a game of survival with renegade machines taking over the world. True colors begin to show, as well as true character in situation after situation where they come to the realization that it is either run and hide, or stand up and fight.
I went into the film thinking it was going to play out as more of a true horror film instead of this teenage rom-com approach to horror. Even still, it was a lot of fun! The music brought back some cool memories for me from that time. I was actually a DJ back then, so a lot of those songs I used to spin. Loved the cameos, highlighted by an appearnce from Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst. The action was tight, and the dialogue fitting for its time. If you are looking for scares, they aren't here. There was nothing fright worthy in this movie. It was straight up entertainment.
For teenage comedy horror, it is fairly formulaic. Boy crushes on hot girl, hot girl doesn't notice him until they are put into life threatening situations and she sees him for who he really is, boy gets hot girl in the end. Yeah, we've seen it all before. I would still recommend "Y2K". This isn't the angle I was expecting, as it was more of an over-the-top idea that they just ran with. I did like it. And, I would watch it again.
The stage curtains open ...
Now THIS is a good horror movie. Even if you took away the horror elements, it is still just a good movie. It features a cast of actors I've never heard of, and a director whose other movie, "Caveat", I've never seen. Most of the reviews, both critically and consumer based, have been overwhelmingly positive, so I decided to check it out. Wow! Am I glad I did. Easily one of the best horror films from 2024. An instant classic, and one I will be sure to see again and again.
A blind woman is mourning the murder of her twin sister, and a year later she sets out to find the identity of the murderer so that she can exact her own brand of revenge. She is also the owner of a curio shop and a self-professed medium with the ability to discover the deepest, darkest secrets of an individual simply by touching a personal item that once belonged to them. She heads out to the house where her sister was killed to find that her brother-in-law has moved on and has a new live-in girlfriend. The tensions mount as secrets unfold leading us to a startling ending.
From the very opening scene to the final credits, I was completely hooked. What would you do if a desperate man showed up outside of your front door one night, when you are all alone, and says there is a strange man inside with you? Would you believe him, or turn him away and take your chances? THAT is just the opening scene. And the plot and dilemmas only build from there to formulate such a great film.
I highly recommend "Oddity". There isn't a weak thing about it. The acting was excellent, the characters were deep and fleshed out, the story was intricately woven with care and precision, the pacing was perfect, and the cinematography spot on. The scares were truly firghtening and not contrived or forced ... they popped out of the screen perfectly and at the right times. This is excellent filmmaking and I can't wait to see more from this director. In fact, I think I'm going to have to find "Caveat" now. It just got a major bump up on my list of movies to see.
Now THIS is a good horror movie. Even if you took away the horror elements, it is still just a good movie. It features a cast of actors I've never heard of, and a director whose other movie, "Caveat", I've never seen. Most of the reviews, both critically and consumer based, have been overwhelmingly positive, so I decided to check it out. Wow! Am I glad I did. Easily one of the best horror films from 2024. An instant classic, and one I will be sure to see again and again.
A blind woman is mourning the murder of her twin sister, and a year later she sets out to find the identity of the murderer so that she can exact her own brand of revenge. She is also the owner of a curio shop and a self-professed medium with the ability to discover the deepest, darkest secrets of an individual simply by touching a personal item that once belonged to them. She heads out to the house where her sister was killed to find that her brother-in-law has moved on and has a new live-in girlfriend. The tensions mount as secrets unfold leading us to a startling ending.
From the very opening scene to the final credits, I was completely hooked. What would you do if a desperate man showed up outside of your front door one night, when you are all alone, and says there is a strange man inside with you? Would you believe him, or turn him away and take your chances? THAT is just the opening scene. And the plot and dilemmas only build from there to formulate such a great film.
I highly recommend "Oddity". There isn't a weak thing about it. The acting was excellent, the characters were deep and fleshed out, the story was intricately woven with care and precision, the pacing was perfect, and the cinematography spot on. The scares were truly firghtening and not contrived or forced ... they popped out of the screen perfectly and at the right times. This is excellent filmmaking and I can't wait to see more from this director. In fact, I think I'm going to have to find "Caveat" now. It just got a major bump up on my list of movies to see.
The stage curtains open ...
Okay. Let's just forget about allegory or interpretation for this one. There are just too many directions one could take when trying to answer the permeating question of "Why?". Why was this film made? What is the point? With "Cuckoo", it can mean many things. So, let's just forget that and focus on what we are left with. The movie ... the story itself. Is it scary? Is it a good plot? Is "Cuckoo" a good movie?
First, what it's about. We join a family who arrives to a resort area in the Bavarian Alps. Gretchen lost her mother, and her father has since re-married. He accepts a job to help design a brand new resort for the owner of the place they are staying. Gretchen accepts a job as a hotel desk clerk for the resort owner, but soon finds bizarre and unexplained things beginning to happen around her. A woman vomiting in the lobby, her half-sister experiencing seizures, and she is pursued by a creepy blonde woman while biking home one night. But, when a police officer approaches her, she confides in him and together, they uncover something so unreal and unimaginable, that there appears to be no way out.
I'm not one for spoiling a movie, so I won't do it here. All I can say is that this is one of the most bizarre movies I've seen in a long time. There is a mad scientist/preservationist behind the scenes that doesn't appear to be all that mad. But, you can't argue with the evidence. There are some scary parts, the type that kinda crawls under your skin and won't go away, like an itch that you can't scratch. I got freaked out a couple of times, so on that level, it is effective. And Hunter Schafer did a great job.
However, this movie falls apart in the final act for me. The first act was well done, and the introduction to the setting and characters were solid. The 2nd act, when it all started to go down, was excellent. The shadowy chase sequence on the highway with her ending up at the hospital was awesome. I loved that scene, and to me was the best part of the movie. But as the story begins to unfold and I realized just how ridiculous it all was, it lost me. It is a bit confusing, so you have to pay attention. To me, the payoff really wasn't worth it. There was an angle presented earlier regarding the fetus of her sister that might have been a better story, but I digress. I wouldn't recommend "Cuckoo". It is a mind bender though. If that is your cup of tea, you might like it.
Okay. Let's just forget about allegory or interpretation for this one. There are just too many directions one could take when trying to answer the permeating question of "Why?". Why was this film made? What is the point? With "Cuckoo", it can mean many things. So, let's just forget that and focus on what we are left with. The movie ... the story itself. Is it scary? Is it a good plot? Is "Cuckoo" a good movie?
First, what it's about. We join a family who arrives to a resort area in the Bavarian Alps. Gretchen lost her mother, and her father has since re-married. He accepts a job to help design a brand new resort for the owner of the place they are staying. Gretchen accepts a job as a hotel desk clerk for the resort owner, but soon finds bizarre and unexplained things beginning to happen around her. A woman vomiting in the lobby, her half-sister experiencing seizures, and she is pursued by a creepy blonde woman while biking home one night. But, when a police officer approaches her, she confides in him and together, they uncover something so unreal and unimaginable, that there appears to be no way out.
I'm not one for spoiling a movie, so I won't do it here. All I can say is that this is one of the most bizarre movies I've seen in a long time. There is a mad scientist/preservationist behind the scenes that doesn't appear to be all that mad. But, you can't argue with the evidence. There are some scary parts, the type that kinda crawls under your skin and won't go away, like an itch that you can't scratch. I got freaked out a couple of times, so on that level, it is effective. And Hunter Schafer did a great job.
However, this movie falls apart in the final act for me. The first act was well done, and the introduction to the setting and characters were solid. The 2nd act, when it all started to go down, was excellent. The shadowy chase sequence on the highway with her ending up at the hospital was awesome. I loved that scene, and to me was the best part of the movie. But as the story begins to unfold and I realized just how ridiculous it all was, it lost me. It is a bit confusing, so you have to pay attention. To me, the payoff really wasn't worth it. There was an angle presented earlier regarding the fetus of her sister that might have been a better story, but I digress. I wouldn't recommend "Cuckoo". It is a mind bender though. If that is your cup of tea, you might like it.