patstaciemcgue Reviews

American Horror Story (2011– )

Has drawn me back in

[8/10 · 19 September 2017]

Season 7 - Cult. I will be completely honest, the first 2 episodes really turned me off. I figured this season was heading down the same path as Roanoke and perhaps worse with the political and social overtones. HOWEVER, I decided to keep watching. Things have turned around dramatically and I am now engaged in this season. It is ridiculous and unbelievable, but the characters are now starting to show themselves and several secrets are now out in the open. The show has been very good the past 3 episodes and has officially drawn me back in.

I will say this... the 5th episode "Holes" is brutal. I've been watching horror for over 30 years and I can honestly say I haven't had a scene un-nerve me to the extent this one did. Watch and you'll see what I mean.

Hoosiers (1986)

Greatest sports movie of all time

[10/10 · 16 April 2017]

Hoosiers is a timeless film about small town rural basketball and its impact on the people in those towns. I have never seen a movie that captures the essence of what basketball means to people in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, etc.. It captures that simplistic essence with heartfelt characters and life lessons. Its a beautiful film with incredible acting, a great score, and outstanding directing. The movie is about 2nd chances, which every person deserves.

Oscar worthy acting by both Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper.

Scream Queens (2015–2016)

It was just OK

[1/10 · 24 September 2015]

Let me first say that I'm a huge American Horror Story fan. In addition, Emma Roberts is one of my favorite young actresses in Hollywood. And I LOVE slasher flicks and I'm happy to see them making a comeback. I thought MTV's Scream TV show during the summer was very good and made me interested in this show.

HOWEVER... this one left me a little disappointed. I could stare at Emma Roberts all day long, but the story just seemed a little odd to me. Worst yet, its not overly believable which makes it hard for me to buy in. Way too much sorority girl drama and not enough substance. I get that they are trying to be funny and poke fun at the modern youth...but to me it just wasn't super interesting. I found myself fastforwarding throughout the first episode.

I'll continue watching because I believe that Murphy has several surprises out there for us yet...but I'm skeptical at this point. I like my horror to be a little more serious and dark...I'm not into the comedy side of this.

UPDATE: I've now watched 3 epsisode's and I'm checking out. This is absolutely terrible. One of the worst shows I've seen in decades.

Scream: The TV Series (2015–2019)

Impressive!

[10/10 · 20 July 2015]

So far, after 3 episodes, I'm very impressed with the series. If you watch this, you must understand that this series is different than the Scream movies. However, the new and fresh story is very interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are elements of Halloween, Scream, F13, etc... throughout this series. Its going to be very interesting to see how it all plays out as they have essentially made every single character a suspect.

Each episode has been better than the previous episode, so it'll be interesting to see if they can keep up this pace. If you like horror/suspense, this show will be worth your time to watch. I could do without the teacher/student situation, but whatever, its the real world.

Titanic (1997)

One of the Best movies of all time

[10/10 · 3 January 2015]

I saw this movie in the theatre's back in 1997 and remembered it as a brilliant movie. The cinematic experience was one of the best of my life even though the story is tragic and very sad. I recently watched this film with my 13 year old daughter. The magic is still there. This is still one of the best movies of all time and perhaps the greatest love story of all time. The new blue ray release is fantastic and James Horner's score is still timeless. Great job James Cameron...for producing a once in a lifetime film. Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet were fantastic in this film and both deserved best actor/actress awards.

Don't be afraid to bring this one back out people... its still a beautiful epic that will stand the test of time.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Disappointed

[5/10 · 28 December 2014]

Let me first say that I was a huge fan of the original trilogy "Lord of the Rings". While I was not a huge fan of the Two Towers, I thoroughly enjoyed "Fellowship" and "Return of the King". Furthermore, I enjoyed the second addition to "The Hobbit" trilogy "The Desolation of Smaug", which was a huge improvement over "The Unexpected Journey". Which brings us to the "Five Armies"...

I was very hopeful that the 3rd part of "The Hobbit" trilogy would bring the same grandeur as the 3rd addition to Rings (ROTK). I was very disappointed in the "Five Armies". For some reason, I just feel like it missed the mark. I found myself bored at times during this movie. Peter Jackson's style can be a little tiresome at times, but I feel like it really brought this film down. The film did not focus nearly enough on the Bilbo Baggins story and focused on things that simply did not merit attention. "The Desolation of Smaug" was a much better film considering its pace, storyline and its focus on Bilbo. Evangeline Lily was one of the highlights of the film (and in Smaug) as Tauriel.

I was concerned when the film changed titles from "There and Back Again" to "The Five Armies". In my opinion, this was a fatal mistake as the focus was taken away from Bilbo and placed more on peripheral stories. "There and Back Again" should have remained the title. To me, this was the central focus of the previous 5 films and would have been a very fitting end to the story.

I gave the film a 5 out of 10. While the action sequences were great, the film itself falls flat. Overall, I was very disappointed in this film.

Nebraska (2013)

Interesting and different

[8/10 · 16 September 2014]

I found the film Nebraska to be very interesting and different than most films I've seen in the modern era. The movie is filmed in black and white (or some version of black and white) and moves at a relatively slow pace. However, I could not stop watching this film as it slowly pulled me in.

The film's plot is very simple. The film is about an old man who has supposedly won a $1 million and follows his journey to claim the prize in Lincoln, Nebraska. The film does an amazing job of depicting rural America and the simplicity of small town America. Being from rural America myself, I almost could feel the depressed and isolated nature of some of these small towns. During several scenes, I could certainly relate to this film. Again, the film does not move quickly, but there is a small mystery as to what is going to happen.

Bruce Dern was fantastic as Woody Grant. He does an amazing job of depicting a man that is on the verge of Alzheimer's or some form of dementia. But there is something very likable and simple about Woody. Will Forte does a great job as David Grant (Woody's son). He gives a solid performance that was Oscar worthy for supporting actor in my opinion. June Squibb plays Kate Grant (Woody's wife) and she provides comic relief and blunt honesty.

This film is for a more mature crowd in my opinion...35 and over. I don't think a young person would enjoy or completely understand this film. While the film is simple in nature, there are several deeper issues that would only be understood by people with life experience.

John Carter (2012)

Great Movie...must have a sequel!

[10/10 · 17 August 2014]

Honestly, I had never really heard of John Carter due to Disney's poor promotion of this film.

What an amazing film that should absolutely get a sequel. If no sequel is made for this movie, shame on Disney. The actors and producers of this film deserve better as this is the best sci-fi film I have seen in a very long time. This movie is all heart and action. The acting is superb and the special effects are awesome. My family loves this movie. The movie held our attention all the way through and the music is beautiful (Michael Giacchino of Lost fame) and should have won an academy award. Lynn Collins did an amazing job in this film. She's beautiful but does a stand up job of acting as does Taylor Kitsch as John Carter.

I love the way the story is told in this film. With flashbacks, flash forwards, etc.. The aliens are very believable and likable. We have watched this movie several times in our home and we highly recommend it to anyone. Its the way movies used to be...full of heart and hero's.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Great film...fun for the family

[10/10 · 11 August 2014]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film from start to finish. It was a fun summer movie that did a great job of staying in the spirit of the original turtles with a modern twist. Megan Fox's character was played very well and the film is generally very family friendly. The turtles were funny and the movie is action packed. The final hour of the film is every bit as action packed as any of Bay's films. The middle of the film slows a little as they explain the history of the turtles, etc... but its all necessary to explain the story to a new generation.

I recommend this movie for people who enjoyed the original turtles films. Bring your kids, they will enjoy it. My daughter (who likes action movies) laughed multiple times at the turtles as they make a lot of silly comments and the scene where they rapped in the elevator was especially funny.

Go see the film and take it for what its worth...its silly fun with a bigger budget than the previous films.

Into the Storm (2014)

Decent summer movie

[7/10 · 11 August 2014]

This film is a classic summer fun movie. If you are expecting tremendous acting and a very deep story, you'll be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a summer fun movie to eat popcorn and be entertained, you'll enjoy this film. The special effects and action are very well done and makes it a lot of fun to watch. The acting is not on the same level as Twister, but the special effects are definitely more modern, etc... There are some funny characters and several dramatic characters and scenes.

(small spoiler). The action sequences during the tornado that hits a school during its graduation ceremony are top notch. I almost felt like I was inside that school.

Overall a fun summer movie. Take it for what is worth. We saw it at the drive in and had a great time watching it.

Friday the 13th (2009)

The real Jason is back

[10/10 · 11 August 2014]

Enjoyed the portrayal of Jason in this film. Its gritty, action packed and Jason is believable in this film (Derek Mears was outstanding). The teenagers in this film can be a little overbearing, but its the best version of Jason that we've seen since The Final Chapter. I was impressed with the level of action and the menacing look and appearance of Jason in the film. If you are a fan of classic horror films, you will enjoy this film.

Looking forward to the next Friday in 2015. Not sure what direction they will be going in the next installment, but I'm hoping that Derek Mears reprises his role as Jason.