Laura_Ratings Reviews

Talk to Me (I) (2022)

Don't get the hype

[4/10 · 11 February 2024]

I might be one of the few people (so it seems) who really didn't care too much about this movie.

The main idea of this movie? 10/10 for SURE. It's a really cool idea but I just feel like the movie could have done SO much more with this story.

I definitely like the added poke about social media these days, but in a way it also felt bland, overdone and generic. It seemed like a cheap jab towards gen z'ers "always being on their phones" and not caring about anybody else.

The movie lacked in character building and background story and took "fast pace" to a new extreme in my opinion.

It seems they're already planning on making a new movie and I hope it's more about the background story of where this 'hand' and everything came from. IMO they can slow down the pace a bit more to actually set a scene and build suspense more.

The movie had a lot of potential but ruined it for me on several fronts. I've seen horror movies with much lower ratings than this one, that i actually think are way better than Talk To Me. But I think this is more of a horror movie for the general public than the ones who actually enjoy a good horror movie...

The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

Why is this movie not higher up in ranks of best horror 2023??

[8/10 · 11 February 2024]

This movie may be one of the few I actually enjoyed as horror movies that came out of 2023. Personally I don't understand the hype around Talk To Me or Evil Dead Rise.... So i'm very surprised this one is not talked about more than its current reputation.

It has a good story, we see a sufficient amount of back story (thought it definitely could have been more, especially concerning Rosalia's story) and the pace is good. The movie keeps us hooked and i wasn't bored for a single moment throughout the film (which is a feat for sure).

I do love a good jumpscare and this movie lacked in that department by 100% (not a single jumpscare to be found). If they were to have a second movie (and i really hope they do), i hope that gets improved.

Russel Crowe is a great actor and this movie is no exception. Though there were some cliche's and generic tropes troughout the movie, the acting from everyone involved was convincing and kept the story alive.

As said before, I'd say this movie is, in my opinion, better than Speak To Me and Evil Dead Rise so I really hope they make a second movie because I believe this one has the potential to be a franchise like The Conjuring.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

A solid 6, nothing more

[5/10 · 1 September 2023]

The movie was quite alright but I don't think I will be rewatching it any time soon. There were some lame moments in it that were face-palm worthy which kind of ruined it for me. The movie was about 70% gore, 20% boring and 10% horror (IMO). To me I don't think this deserves to be among the top horror movies of this year, the hype and praise of the movie are just because it's related to the original movies, which were done better, in my opinion.

It's an okay movie but I expected more from it, to be fair. Understandable that they wanted to coast on the 'fame' from previous movies but this could have used a little more effort on all fronts.

The Boogeyman (I) (2023)

Solid horror movie

[7/10 · 1 September 2023]

Honestly I'm a bit shocked at the low rating. In my opinion this is one of the most solid horror movies I've seen in a minute. Of course the basic plot is not anything new under the sun, but it has an engaging back story and even some poetic meaning to grief during all of it.

Finally there was a movie with some decent jump scares again. I love horror movies so usually I can see the scare coming from a mile away and they're executed poorly, but these were quite well done IMO. Of course it loses a bit of its scariness once the monster is revealed, but to me that is always the case with horror movies, so I don't fault it for it.

I quite enjoyed it and I may even say it will be among the best of this year (not the top obviously, but I think it should make the list).

Moonfall (2022)

Okay one-time watch

[6/10 · 25 March 2023]

To start of; the whole movie I thought I was looking at a Halle Berry lookalike, because I could've sworn she looked differently. Turns out it really just was Halle Berry.

Anyway, while it was entertaining, it felt like it was trying really hard to be the best next movie (best next star wars, the day after tomorrow, gravity, to name a few).

It had a few funny jokes, but I could see how it would be cringe for others (spoiler: taking pictures in space and then saying it's on airplane mode).

The plot is quite farfetched. Basically it's just a movie about a crazy conspiracy theory that turns out to be true (and more) with some inspiration of our 21st century's worries.

It hauls in some big names, like halle barry, patrick wilson, donald sutherland, michael peña and john bradley-west, which is quite funny for a movie about a conspiracy theory but it definitely helped the movie.

It was an okay movie to watch (probably once) and I wonder if it will get that sequel that it is clearly hoping for.

Selena + Chef (2020– )

a must watch!

[10/10 · 27 February 2023]

Love, love, love this show! I started watching it during quarantaine and it was such a creative way of watching a cooking show. I adore Selena and it is so fun to watch her learn to cook the dishes that these chefs have selected. It's also nice that they're doing dishes that have different levels of skill and intensity. It's also funny how they point out some of the mistakes that Selena made while cooking, it makes it more authentic.

A huge plus is also the donation that they make each episode to a charity of the chef's choosing. This way they cover a lot of different issues in the world and it adds to the show and is a nice way of giving back!

Honestly it's a very funny show and a great watch (and you can even learn a thing or two and get inspiration for great recipes!). A must watch!!!

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)

Absolutely terrible

[1/10 · 27 February 2023]

I already saw that the movie had sadly enough scored quite low on IMDB before going to the movie myself, but man was it worse than I had thought.

The script was terrible, full of cliches and so predictable. The only thing it surprised me with was with how many/few people survived. The acting was sub-par.

There is a backstory with the main character about stalking, but so much attention was paid to this that it insinuated it had something to do with Winnie and Piglet, when it did not. So why was it there? It felt like an empty add to the plot. There is also a story line added of a troubled relationship between two girls, but that too feels like a feeble attempt at adding some backstory to the characters.

Next is the totally unneccessary amount of nudity and sexualization of some of the characters. In one of the scenes Winnie rips off the shirt of a girl (so her upper body is fully exposed) before killing her, literally for what reason? It doesn't appear that Winnie or the others are sexually driven so it is just a boring attempt to make the movie "interesting" for the (male) viewer. Also the scene of another girl in a bikini feeling herself in her room and in the hottub have zero purpose in the movie. It's redundant and does the movie no credit.

As others have also pointed out, the masks on the animals were quite poorly done and made it look cheap, maybe CGI would've been the better choice here.

Finally there is the complete unbelievability of how long people stay alive in some of their conditions. You're telling me a girl can still scream while half of her brain is already crushed? Highly doubt it....

It seems like they ended the movie so that there could be a sequel, but honestly it would need a lot of improvement on all its fronts for it to be good.

Glass Onion (2022)

fun movie

[7/10 · 13 January 2023]

The movie was okay, it's a fun watch and it was interesting to see new characters. In my opion it was not as good as the first movie, with a twist about the bad guy that wasn't really as unexpected as with the first movie. There was one twist though that i didn't see coming which made it very interesting.

Daniel's fake accent is still terrible, so that hasn't changed.

Janele monet was great and i loved her performance. The other actors are fun but in this movie the characters were annoying to the point it was hard to watch.

Maybe the plot at the end was a way of standing up against power, but to me it was just another example of how shallow the characters are and will just go with the person who can save their reputation.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Literally garbage

[4/10 · 12 June 2022]

Truly don't understand how this movie has a 6.6 imdb score when I've so many great horror movies that have gotten way lower scores. The plot is literally the worst; old lady curses younger lady because she doesn't get what she wants and is embarrassed by the consequences of her own actions. The acting is halfway decent but not great. The special effects are not that much better even though this was in 2009. The rest of the movie is also very predictable. 4 is a generous score because of it maybe being somewhat original for the time it came out, but in my opinion I don't understand the average score being anywhere above a 6.

Wrong Turn (I) (2003)

Okayish

[6/10 · 2 June 2022]

Alright movie. Gets a little bit predictable eventually. The acting was okay. I think the 2021 remake is actually better than this one... But I might be alone with that opinion.

The Cellar (2022)

Quite alright

[6/10 · 2 June 2022]

Pretty good movie actually. It wasn't really anything new or different, but it did a good job. Interesting story and had some back story to it which kept it interesting. More backstory than most horror movies... The acting was good. The way the movie goes/ends does make me wonder if they are looking to make a sequel, but it's a decent movie. Don't think i'll be re-watching the movie but it's a good watch.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Interesting coming of age movie

[7/10 · 26 April 2022]

The movie was fun. Maybe a bit predictable and had all the same elements in it as usual, with not much originality here or there. But it was enjoyable nonetheless. Hailee played her character so well I felt like strangling her too sometimes.

Maybe a message was that you don't give up on family (even chosen family), but it also felt a little too convenient that her mom, brother and (ex) best friend just accepted her back. Especially the best friend, she said some harsh words to her and it seems she had just forgiven her already at the end.

But other than that the movie was good.

Everything, Everything (2017)

Everything in a romance movie

[7/10 · 25 April 2022]

It's a fun movie to watch. Lot's of vibrant colours and gives off a feel-good feeling. It's fun to see that when they text it starts of with the text put up into the air, but then switches to an imaginary room from Maddy where she imagines the both of them talking face-to-face (instead of texting). It's a nice touch and makes watching their conversation a bit more interesting instead of having to watch them look at their phone.

The background stories are probably not as well explained as the book did, but for a no-brainer, easy movie it's okay.

It's a fun watch so I would recommend it.

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)

little eery but not much happens

[5/10 · 25 April 2022]

I can appreciate the work that has gone into making the movie and production wise i'd say it's a good movie for being a low budget film, but it's definitely not my cup of tea.

It was very slow and I expected more from it. A lot of scenes took forever, like the moment when we're watching ASMR for about 3 minutes. Don't know I feel about that one either, if it's a brilliant choice for a horror movie or not. It is probably the only original thing in the movie I'd say.

IDK, it get points for trying and some people might like/love the movie, I just didn't.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

WTH? But in a good way

[7/10 · 22 April 2022]

A piece of garbage story line for sure, but a fun watch nonetheless. It left me thinking; "what the hell did I just watch?" but in a positive, funny way. Is it historically accurate? Hell no. Would it have been fun if it really went down like that? Maybe. It's way less gory than I had expected from a Tarantino movie, but it had it's moments (like scalping a skull, yuck).

I could practically feel Brad Pitt having fun playing his character through the screen and Christoph Waltz was amazing as well.

All in all a fun movie to watch.

The Invisible Man (I) (2020)

Good movie, didn't work as a horror

[6/10 · 21 April 2022]

Maybe it's me and I have to much of a specific expectation when 'horror' is mentioned but I expected more horror from this movie. If I had only focussed on the thriller aspect I would have enjoyed and appreciated it more.

It's definitely original with it's plot twist, but at the same time it felt a little bit too predictable.

It's a good watch but to be honest I'm still conlficted about this movie, if it's atually good or just mediocre.

Choose or Die (2022)

Bandersnatch 2.0

[5/10 · 21 April 2022]

This movie was just Bandersnatch but not interactive for the viewer. The main 2 actors were doing a good job, but the writing was just poor. There was no originality in this movie anywhere. A one time watch for sure.

The Batman (2022)

Loved it, brilliant cinematography

[9/10 · 21 April 2022]

Loved the movie. I wouldn't be surprised if it will be nominated for a few (maybe 1 or two) Oscars next year.

It was very long, yes, but I did enjoy almost all of it, it felt shorter. The movie is very different from the previous Batman movies, it moved away from an action packed movie towards more of a detective movie. And from what I've been told it's more true to the comics as well, which I personally always like.

There's so many beautiful shots. Brilliant cinematography. Personal favorite shots were the Batmobile riding out of the flames and Batman looking into the flipped car. Also the shot near the end with Batman walking in the water in Gotham Square Garden with those people behind him in the light of the red flare. So stunning. Stunning cinematography is what keeps long movies interesting to watch in my opinion.

Robert Pattinson is great as the Batman, he is an underappreciated actor. Though I do have to say I felt there was little chemistry between him and Zoe Kravits, it felt a bit forced. The movie would have been perfectly fine without their "romance" in it.

Great movie, great performances, great story, great shots. Simply a must watch. Can't wait for the sequel!

Schindler's List (1993)

Impressive

[10/10 · 19 April 2022]

Such an impressive movie to watch, so beautifully made. It showed the horror of the war in a raw way and the insanity of how some of the people alive back then behaved (like Amon Goeth early in the morning shooting people who weren't working just because he could and felt like it). Liam Neeson's performance was so good too.

The most impressive scene of the movie is actually the final shots at the end, of the survivors laying stones on Schindler's grave.

It's a hard movie to watch, but it's a beautiful movie and important for us to watch and remember those horrible times, so we may hope to never go back to such times.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

Fun movie, sad it never got a sequel

[6/10 · 19 April 2022]

Good movie to watch. It's quite entertaining and has a good story, though I would have liked to see more backstory. It's sad that the movie never got a sequel, the movie/story had so much more potential to become a succesful series. I like to rewatch the movie from time to time and it's still entertaining each time.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

Good movie but not true to the books

[6/10 · 19 April 2022]

If you don't think too much about how it's not true to the books, the movie is actually quite entertaining. Logan Lerman is a great actor and a great Percy, but he was definitely too old for the character.

Which is one of the first major icks. In the books the characters are kids, Percy is 12, but played by a full on adult. There's a lot of other things the movies have changed but regardless of those, I still enjoyed the movies and it's too bad they were cut short.

Life of Pi (2012)

Truly beautiful, an homage to earth

[9/10 · 17 April 2022]

This is such a beautiful movie. An absolute must watch. The story, the visuals, the acting, everything is phenomenal. It's an age-less movie that you can rewatch from time to time and still love it. Cannot really say anything besides that you must see the movie.

The Theory of Everything (2014)

Beautiful movie

[8/10 · 17 April 2022]

Simply a beautiful movie that is a must watch. The movie did a great job at displaying the life of Hawking, with all his struggles and humour included. There is no dull moment and it incorporates beautiful music and visuals. Amazing performances by Redmayne and Jones. I liked the movie quite a bit, do recommend!

The Nun (2018)

Spooky

[6/10 · 16 April 2022]

Good movie. I was expecting a bit more of a backstory to the Conjuring world, but it still didn't give too much information. Instead it was more of a stand-alone with the same same demon as present in the Conjuring movies. For a horror movie I quite enjoyed it, though it had some cheesy lines in it, probably for comedic relief. The movie is not as good as the (first) Conjuring movie but it's a good watch in my opinion!

The Conjuring (2013)

Solid

[8/10 · 16 April 2022]

To me this is a great horror movie. It's good enough that you can even re-watch this movie from time to time. The story and performances are simply great and it has great horror elements that keep you on your toes. Sure there are some flaws in the movie and personally I kind of dislike it when we finally see the monster that has been haunting the people, because usually the make-up, CGI or the performance makes it feel less real to me and it loses it's charm.

Other than that, I think this is an amazing horror movie and I definitely recommend watching it!!