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Reviews
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
Fun, Spooky and original. Entertaining Unpredictable.
I go to see as many horror movies as I can. 93% of them are turds. But I go see them in all hopes of finding a good one. Cause when they are good, Like Late Night with the Devil, it makes it so much more special when you find that diamond in the rough.
This is not art house cinema, however, any more than it is a cheesy big studio horror franchise. This is a campy highly stylized low budget Horror flick that is actually fun to watch. There are no stupid jump scares. There are no teenagers saving the world. There are no giant climaxes of 10-minute-long cgi battles that are nothing more than a bore fest... it's just Creativity on display.
It does not rely on the systematic death scenario. It does not hunt down women in their underwear with knives. It tells a story. It creeps you out and it's unpredictable.
Now... that said... This is not a masterpiece of cinema. It's simply a 7 out of 10-star film... which is a great score, especially for such a low-budget flick. It's strength relies on acting, story and on-screen tension to deliver scares. We need more horror movies like this.
It made me think about it for a couple of hours after I watched it... Perhaps trying to figure out a deeper meaning than what is simply presented... Wow... Let's get rid of the franchises and have more like this, please.
7.1 out of 10 stars.
The First Omen (2024)
Coulda been great but ended up being Terrible.
I grew up loving the OG Omen from the 70's. That was a great film. The sequel was entertaining but nowhere near as good. Anything after that has had a history of being really bad. This newest entry is no exception. The acting was passable, some of the camera work was decent, the early 70's theme in Rome looked great... But I spent the entire movie waiting for a story to unfold. With every scene I figured, Ok, here comes something good... but it never came. It just hinted of a storyline till the last 7 minutes when suddenly it revealed a plot and a story but by then, it's too late the movie ended. Bummer. It relied on jump scares that were not scary to thrill the lowbrow folks in the audience and meandered trying to set a mood that really wasn't new or interesting, just rehashed stuff I've seen a million times in other movies since the 70's... I don't suspect this will be a sleeper hit, because it tries to create a slow burn and that will be too slow for the masses. I love a slow burn as long as it reveals something... Other than the last 7 minutes you would never even know you were watching an omen movie.
Poor Things (2023)
Easily the best film so far this decade.
Christmas Eve I saw "Poor Things" at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester Virginia.
It is easily the best film I have seen this decade (thus far). It is the best movie I have seen this year. If the films released this year were a horse race, Poor Things would have rode a complete lap around "Killers of the Flower Moon", "Oppenheimer" , "Asteroid City" , "Bea is Afraid" , "Are you there God, It's Me Margeret", and "Past Lives"...
It is The story of a woman who dies and is brought back to life with medical experiments similar to those found in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". Once brought back to life she is held prisoner by men and their walls of "protection" designed to keep control over her. She has a strong desire for knowledge of the world outside walls these men keep her in. She escapes. Only to find a series of other men who also wish to control and own her as property. But in her travels, she develops the wisdom to form a plan of freedom for herself from the imprisonment of men and a society that says her desire for individualism, self-exploration, freedom and a life where she is in control of her own actions is "not acceptable" in a bygone era.
The visuals in this film blow every movie I've seen this year completely out of the water. With most visual effects done IN-CAMERA with no computers. A completely organic film experience. This is the most beautiful thing I've seen in set designs, Costumes, Colors, and Cinematography in DECADES. Perhaps 30 years or more. On the technical side, My jaw was literally on the floor in shock at how beautiful this film was. How surreal. The German expressionism mixed psychedelic colors is a feast for the eyes.
The thought-provoking story line holds a lot more than the surface. Some people will miss the entire meaning of the film, lost on the surface as its surface and its comedy was so good it has you laughing almost through the entire film.
There is a music and dance scene in the film that is without a doubt the single most unique visual and musical thing I have ever witnessed in the entire history of Hollywood. It is.... Shockingly unexpected and the music is the stuff that fans of the avant-garde dream of witnessing in film but nothing ever delivers as spectacularly as this does.
Surprisingly, Not one murder takes place in this film. The only hint of violence comes from a man shooting himself in the foot (off camera) and "Bella" played by Emma Stone open hand slaps her lover in the face. Its rare to see a modern film (even those rated G kids films) with so little violence.. Its a breath of fresh air.
Sadly Not all theaters will show this movie. It is not playing in the ENTIRE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA. So if you get a chance to see it ... do so. It's a rare bird. Otherwise you'll find your self catching it on tv going "Man I can't belelive I missed this in the theater" as its sure to become one of those films that tops the "GOAT" lists for a century or more.
9.1 stars out of 10
THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.
1. The pace of the jokes are FAST and for adults. Children and feeble-minded people will not get the jokes.
2. No child even those accompanied by an adult should be seeing this film. Leave your kids at home. I repeat, LEAVE YOUR KIDS AT HOME.
3. Expect a higher than usual amount of sexual situations that you may have ever witnessed in a film that is not rated with an "X" rating. ---please note-- Prudish People and the elderly will not like this... again don't take your kids to this movie. That's why films like Wonka exist.
4. MAGA people need to just stay away. This isn't a film for you. If movies that show women as equal to men and empowered by their own choices of sexual freedom bother you, go see Aqua-man or Wonka instead with the rest of the kids. This movie is for grown ups.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Heavy Film. Great artistry, Great acting. Fast paced for such a long movie. Sad story.
It is the latest film directed by Martin Scorcese. It has the usual Scorsese crew behind the scenes, including Thelma Schoonmacher doing the editing role that she has done with every Scorsese film since Woodstock. And features a killer soundtrack of 1920's blues and HIllbilly music, plus the last film score created by Robbie Robertson of The Band.
It Stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Deniro and Lilly Poundstone and a massive crowd of others. The film is an American epic Western crime drama film. It is a true story and Its plot centers on a series of Oklahoma murders in the Osage Nation during the 1920s, committed after oil was discovered on tribal land.
I really liked the movie. It's 3 and 1/2 hour run time did not feel like 3 and 1/2 hours. Especially sitting in one of AMC's signature recliners. Lilly Poundstone gave and absolutely amazing performance and I'm ready to predict that she will walk away with the oscar for best Actress this year. It has a plot that thickens by the minute. Its recreation of the USA circa 1920 is superb. They spared no expense. Leo Plays another villain. This time a very complex villain. There is a lot of information to take in. So much so, that I will probably need a second viewing to be able to process it all.
It's a heck of a lot better than Oppenheimer, I'll tell you that... But this is not a "feel good" film. It builds to more horrific stuff with every minute. A really sad story. Glad to see Scorcese not repeating himself and trying to turn this into Casino or The Departed. It has it's own feel. As it is its own story. There is some real poetry and serious symbolism going on in some of the cinematography.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
forgettable fan service
The truth about indy 5... 5 out of 10 stars
NO SPOILERS HERE....
The opening sequence was fantastic. Seeing indy young again. The deaging looks beautiful but it quickly felt weird when he spoke and his face showed a younger man, but his voice was that of an old man. Pretty weird, but I can live with it... But the action sequences were pretty bad. Steven Spielberg was a master at presenting action scenes. And he is sorely missed here. The action sequences and their timing in the editing was a giant mess. You just couldn't tell what was even happening. Very sloppy, too fast and made the sequences feel rushed and blurry. No chance for your eyes to process what was happening on screen. Making big moments in those scenes feel disposable and forgettable.
The female costar was completely unnecessary and really served little use in the plot. Her entanglements were really not believable and a better script would not have included her or her teenaged gopher boy in the story. Action sequences where indy and female character fills in her back story, while involved in a high-speed car chase were just plain stupid. And those sequences look so fake and ridiculous. Filled with half-hearted comedy relief that just wasn't funny.
Another thing I loved about the film was the main bad guy. He was creepy as F$%^... and his character was well executed. Perhaps one of the best Indy Bad guys EVER... but the film failed to really utilize him with the full potential of just how downright evil he was.
The end result was a messy and forgettable bit of fan service. ... every time I thought the movie was going to turn out really good, the main female character ruined it with a brush of cheesy poorly written lines.
Air (2023)
Nothing spectacular but nothing terrible. Just average.
So it's two hours of a company designing a shoe for a basketball player. FIlled with shots of 80's nostalgia and energetic performances.
If you are a brand worshiper or you worship Basketball players, you might love this. I am neither. So I rate this on the merit of film making. There's really nothing special here. I relies heavily on nostalgia and an 80's soundtrack to hold momentum that normally would just be a boring idea of a film of people working at a marketing office... YAWN...
It kept me interested enough but just enough by the performances by the actors. But not really enough meat and potatoes for two hours worth.
Still it's one of the few film playing this week in my town that isn't sequel, marvel franchise or other kid's movies.... there seem to be fewer and fewer movies that are not kid's movies.
M3GAN (2022)
Systematic Death Scenario film. Boring. Unimaginative.
It's like they remade Steven Spielburg's A. I. and took away all the heart and replaced it with systematic death sequences. You know what I'm talking about? We've seen the systematic one by one death scene films a million times already since the 70's. Why do these films keep getting made? Megan is just another stock character. Like a new skin for your phone. Underneath the new flashy bling skin, it's still an iPhone 4 and that's what this movie is like, a first generation iphone. Outdated, useless and not fun.
Replace Jason vorhees from Friday the 13th with a "pretty" face, and that's all this film is. It had so much potential, but lost all integrity out of the box.
Soon to have "megan part 2" and 3 and "part 4 Meagan REborn" and "part 5 Megan's first mensuration". Part 6 "Megan's Baby"... part 7 "Megan's Beginnings", Part 8 "Megan Dies"... followed by Megan (reboot in 2030) with the same plot but megan is a brunet with laser beam eyes. Directed by Britney Spears in her directorial Debut.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
one of the best films I've seen since the 90's
How can you sum a film like this up in just a few sentences without going on a rant? You can't. Here's a few words. Best Film editing I have EVER SEEN, Hands down. It is extremally fast paced. Great Acting. Over the top zaniness that makes you laugh uncontrollably. Yet it has a real heart and will make you cry. Actors are believable and you love them by the end as it reveals heavy eastern idealism about love and family and rejecting nihilism. Some of the fighting is too much, but nothing a pair of google eyes won't fix. One of the best films I have seen in a long time. Nice to see something original, with actors who don't look like perfect runway models... real people, doing real things and then suddenly thrust into the deepest parts of your imagination.
This is not a film for stupid people. For them there is Cocaine Bear.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
Wasn't funny. Tried to be serious. it made 90 minutes feel like eternity.
I mean come on, It's called Cocaine bear. And it has the guy who plays the disgruntled Ikea worker from Tick Tock, whom is always a funny. But cocaine bear just didn't make me laugh. The best parts are all shown in the trailer. And the film spends 90 minutes trying to be serious... as in no jokes told... as in, they really thought they were making a serious movie. A lot of terrible dialog. Some of it earned a few chuckles of actually just making fun of how bad it all was. Sad to see Ray Liotta go out like this. He was the best part and he was "Barely" in the film... Yahn... I didn't walk out, mostly because I didn't want to to be rude to the people sitting next to me. Other wise, I'd have split in the last act.
This coulda worked had they not taken it so serious.