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Reviews
Abandoned (2022)
Brilliant psychological thriller
Emma Stone gives a great performance in this psychological thriller about a new mother suffering post-partum depression. Admittedly this film might not be everyone's cup of tea. For much of the film's duration it looks like it is going to be a standard horror film about a couple moving into a house with a violent past. It is somewhat slow moving and might not appeal to people who enjoy a lot of gore and jump scares. If the ending had been one of the very common ghost story endings, it would have been a very disappointing movie.
However, the ending was very brilliant. The movie is a psychological thriller about attachments and bonding and is not a horror movie at all. If you want a movie where everything is spoon-fed to you and you don't need to engage a brain, you might not like the ending, but it is a positive uplifting ending that shows the preceding events in a new light.
Mount Hideaway Mysteries: Heartache and Homecoming (2022)
Poor acting, mediocre script and way too long
This is a made-for-TV family drama, but even so the acting and production are not up to standard. Some of the scenes look like a high school production. For example, in one screen the main actor visits the headquarters of the global evil corporation and at a door the company's logo is printed on a paper that is just sticky taped over the actual company's logo. In another scene, a dog discovers a buried body, and it is clear from the hand that we see that there is not the slightest blemish or decay. Then the main character arrives and instantly arrives at the conclusion that the body has been buried for 6 months.
As for the script, the plot is rather laughable and the writers seem to have no knowledge of cybersecurity. The process of the criminals breaking through a firewall is described as being similar to people with jackhammers breaking through a wall. On the other side, the defenders are shown as about 20 men on computers, trying to shore up the firewall. This is not how it works. And surely, if the organization was worried about their data being stolen, they would just disconnect their servers from the network, which makes the whole plot look utterly ludicrous.
The whole story is very simple and obvious and the length could easily have been cut in half with some proper editing.
Gave one plus point for the new detective in town, who added at least some charm to this rather dreary picture.
In the Forest (2022)
Dumb
I don't mind a low budget movie about a family going camping in the woods and meeting with a bad guy who tells them to get off their land.
However, the actions taken by the various people (especially the mother) are so illogical and silly that the movie just becomes totally irritating. Awful script and bad acting.
Ryad 19 (2021)
Intriguing Russian thriller
This was am interesting watch with an intriguing story line that will keep you watching and guessing until the end. Acting is good throughout. Perhaps less gore than the average American horror movie these days, but more suspenseful. I enjoyed it.
Riddle (2013)
Enjoyable watch
This movie was an enjoyable watch even though it falls short of being a classic. The younger actors do a good job and keep the audience engaged. Val Kilmer's role is very small and rather forgettable. The last part of the movie is a fairly straightforward horror tale and not that interesting, but the first two thirds of the movie are more intriguing.
Uncharted (2009)
Incredibly bad low budget movie
I don't mind low budget movies, but this was pathetic. Nothing much happens except a lot of insipid dialogue. The people are supposed to be stranded on an island and are supposed to be an experienced documentary team, but they sure don't act like it. The radio on their plane works but they only use it once. They never bother to check if there is a source of drinking water on the island. They never make any plans at all - e.g., what they should do if a plane flies overhead, and so on. They just aimlessly parade around the island singly or in pairs so that they can be attacked by monsters. The lead actress looks like she might have potential, but is hampered by a horribly bad script. Avoid this movie.
White Girl Apokalypse (2021)
Totally useless and unfunny
As another reviewer has said, this is not even a movie. This was released in pieces on YouTube (where each piece gathered less than 2000 views). I get that the lame acting, awful story and makeup are intended to make it a comedy, but there is nothing remotely funny in this movie. If you start to watch this, there is a 95% probability that you will get bored and turn if off before the 20 minute mark.
Gasoline Alley (2022)
Would have been better without Bruce Willis
I have seen a number of recent Bruce Willis movies, including American Siege and Deadlock, and they were without a doubt terrible 0-star trash. Gasoline Alley is also not a good movie, but it is a lot better than other recent Bruce Willis efforts. It is better because Bruce Willis appears even less in the movie. Whenever Bruce Willis does appear, his "acting" really stinks up the movie.
As he appears less and less in each "Bruce Willis movie", perhaps we will get to a stage where he just makes a 10 second cameo, like Hitchcock in the Hitchcock movies. The difference of course is that people were not enticed to watch Hitchcock movies on the basis of his acting skills.
As for Gasoline Alley, it is decent thriller once you ignore Bruce's wooden appearances, which is why I gave it a relatively high 4 star rating. It is predictable and follows the same old formula that you have probably seen in lots of movies before, but the lead actor performs well and makes it a good watch.
Shark Huntress (2021)
Nice poster/cover art. Shame about the film
I must admit the poster or cover picture for this film is very impressive and made me want to watch the film.
However, the film itself is a total waste, with a ridiculous script, terrible acting and a budget so small that they apparently could only afford one rubber fin to represent the shark.
Central Park Dark (2021)
Terrible. And suspicious
This is one of the worst movies that I have ever watched, and most of the ratings are 1 star or 2 stars.
It is extremely suspicious that all the negative reviews appear to have been deleted. This sort of thing should not be possible.
Jaws of Los Angeles (2021)
Pathetic on so many levels
Lots and lots of stock footage of fish swimming serenely under water, people walking along the beach, long range footage of a shark swimming, etc but no footage of a shark actually attacking somebody. Interspersed with extremely bad acting. Add a terrible script and a director who doesn't know or care what he is doing.
The only redeeming feature was that some of the songs on the soundtrack were not bad.
Decapitarium (2021)
Truly abysmal
I have watched many low budget movies, but this is without a doubt the worst movie ever. The story appears to have been written by a seven year old and is pathetically predictable. The acting ranges from very bad to atrocious. If you watched the opening scene, you will have a good idea of how bad the movie is. It doesn't get any better from there. A waste of your time.
Beauty Is Skin Deep (2021)
Well acted teen thriller
I was surprised at the low score that this movie got, and I really enjoyed watching it. Yes, the movie is targeted at a teen audience and is designed to be fairly family friendly despite the murders involved. The characters in the school tend to be somewhat too good, but believable in the context of an affluent area. Nobody does drugs and even the "bad guys" are not particularly bad. If you are looking for a hard-hitting violent crime show, this is not it.
While the script is not wildly original, it is acted well and some of the actors were nominated for awards. Only the police, who don't seem to do much to try to solve the murders, come across as fairly weak characters. Overall, the lead actress does a good job in keeping the viewer engaged and making the movie enjoyable.