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sneakychicken
Reviews
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
Rewatching this in 2023 and it's still great
Saw the news that they are remaking this movie series, and decided to revisit the older ones. Part 2 is actually my favorite one of the bunch, even better than part 1 in my opinion. I think this is the first movie I ever saw in 3D when I was a kid, and it was my favorite back then, but now watching it as an adult is also very fun & enjoyable, the jokes are still funny and I was laughing so much. The cast is amazing, although lacking some diversity, as you would normally see in 2023, but I could not imagine better actors for the main characters. The music is absolutely perfect. Also Alexa Vega singing and dancing in the after credits is such a mood! I feel like Y2K fashion lovers would love the costumes in this show, they look modern because of that. I'm saddened by the fact they don't make more original movies like this one and instead just remake the old ones. Overall I think the movie aged pretty well & I had a lot of fun rewatching.
Renfield (2023)
An unexpectedly great mix of horror & comedy
At first when the movie started I wasn't really sure where this is going, but jumping ahead - I left the cinema with 'it was hecking amazing'.
What I thought was really clever is how they took on quite a serious topic (abusive relationships) and applied it to a fictitious setting (Dracula and his thrall), so it's not directly targeting any group of people but at the same time it starts a conversation and provides social commentary. Dracula is this monster that literally preys on kindness and sucks all good energy out of this world, but he, as all abusers do, gaslights Renfield to believe exactly the opposite. Renfield goes through multiple high & low points, which contributes to his character development and he finally realizes that the only way to end the abusive cycle is to take back the power and control over his own life. Along the way he meets other struggling individuals, also stuck in abusive cycles, and they Mortal Kombat their way through all the real monsters (which was really satisfying to watch).
Another highlight is Awkwafina's character, who's a police officer striving for justice while being juxtaposed against the whole department of corrupt cops puppeteered by local mafia. She simply refuses to give in, which inspires other people (including Renfield) to fight their battles against evil and not cower in front of something big & intimidating. This makes for some great empowerment moments throughout the movie.
The cast delivered their roles flawlessly. Nicholas Hoult being a relatable, funny guy who's on a journey to gain more confidence to slay his demons. Nicolas Cage really made his Dracula stand out with a somewhat comical yet intimidating presence. Awkwafina going against all odds and you just can't help but feel for her character. Was great to see Shohreh Agdashloo in a badass mafia mommy role for a change too.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and have zero bad things to say about it. Some people would probably find it too graphic, but I find this contrast of gore, horror, comedy and social commentary refreshing and the movie itself memorable & fun to watch.
Run Sweetheart Run (2020)
I actually enjoyed this fever dream
From the description and the trailer I expected a classic slasher movie, but what I got is a fever dream and it was so much more interesting to see and I actually don't hate it. I think if you look at it like it was a dream it will make more sense, because a lot of things happening have little to no explanation here and you just have to go with the flow and accept things the way they are presented. A lot of my own nightmares have a very similar premise - something scary and unstoppable stalking me and nobody can help - so this feels oddly familiar. The sense of surreal is enforced by the fact you can't really tell what year it's supposed to be because some things look like modern day and some send you back to the 80s (ish) like retro cars, some of the outfits and synthwave playing in the background. There are some other 'dreamy' details here and there, like dog appearing out of nowhere, characters acting like everyone knows what's happening and everyone's a part of it, the hidden pathway from the church leading into the club. Also the first lady's shelter couldn't do without some cultural appropriation, and the only way I can explain it if it was a dream (things usually don't make a lot of sense in dreams, and there's a simple explanation that the main character's brain put things together as perceiving fighter women as ninja-dressed warriors). Now the tampon thing was dragged & repeated a bit too much, throwing it on the car was clever, but the rest was kinda unnessessary. Overall I was pleasantly surprised to watch something way different than what I expected and the movie kept me watching till the end. Not a picture for everyone, but that's what I like about it.
The Menu (2022)
a mix of wtf did I just watch and wow I've never seen anything like it before
From reading the description I though this would be another shock-value horror that has a sole purpose of making you feel revolt and disgust, but I'm happy that I was wrong. Do not be mistaken this is not a comedy or a horror, it's a truly unique movie that takes satire and artistic expression to a whole another level. It's unpredictable, refreshing and memorable with layers of meaning placed into every detail. I would love to say more but I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone.
Now that I've seen it, I'm glad that the movie seems to be getting the recognition it deserves, as I would consider The Menu to be digestible for much smaller audiences.
Glass Onion (2022)
put Daniel Craig into Scooby Doo and call it a Knives Out movie
I don't know if my expectations were too high after the first movie or what, but this one feels like a downgrade. The comedic act seems quite silly and overly exaggerated (hence the Scooby Doo vibe, I somewhat expected the villain to finish with 'and I would have gotten away with it, if not for you meddling kids'). Think they were actually going for a classy Clue setup (Clue was even mentioned a few times, and the characters are rather canonical for Clue), but missed the mark with it. I also caught the main mystery early, when they first showed it, so aside for some details that were not shown previously, I already knew who the main culprit was, so it kinda killed the whole mystery. Thinking back, Knives Out 1 was really good at making everyone look sussy, this one failed to make the viewer guess 'whodunnit'. Some (most) characters were there just for furniture, Craig's (Benoit) accent sounded really fake, lots of unnessessary name dropping and details that were just plain annoying, very underwhelming ending. Disappointed.
The Invitation (2022)
I actually enjoyed this a lot
The picture was really beautiful - I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and dark vibrant colours of the old English manor, the costume & set design. The cast is amazing too. I did not expect this to be a vampire movie, but I'm here for it. It does have some classic horror elements, however it feels more like a gothic fairytale or horror romance which apparently people don't appreciate much. I think that this movie would have been better as a short series though, then maybe it wouldn't feel like everything was rushed, it could really use some better written dialogues and more character development. Overall I feel like it could have been better and the ending was too fast paced and it's not for-everyone movie, but I did enjoy it nonetheless and I don't think it deserves all the hate that it got.
Barbarian (2022)
two different movies in one
I went into watching this movie without knowing anything about it in advance, so I didn't have any particular expectations for it. Was pleasantly surprised to see Bill Skarsgard. The slowburn at the beginning was very nice, gaining up on the horror aspect and at the same time not being too obvious about what exactly is about to happen. Thought it would keep the suspense going till the end, but it all got ruined when they started introducing multiple storylines in a very chaotic manner. Kinda felt like the producer lost the idea what he was filming mid-movie and it somehow turned into a horror parody while quickly catching up with all the cliches that were missing before. Very dissapointed with the wasted potential that was there in the beginning.
Uncharted (2022)
I don't care what people say, I loved it
This movie's based on one of my favourite video games of all times. Game adaptations are kind of doomed to make some fans unhappy, but it's impossible to cramp what was in the games in just 2 hours of the movie. That said I'd prefer the movie was at least 3 hours, it could totally win from it, but it looks like there will be more movies to come, so I'm hoping we'll see more of the content from the game that was missing in the movie. The lost cities should totally be a part of the movie next time, that's what I'm looking forward to. A lot of scenes were recognisable from the game, but there were definitely some changes. I don't mind the changes. It makes sense to me that they made the main characters younger to appeal for the younger audience, tbh it generally makes more sense in this scenario, especially Sully. I also loved the extreme fighting scenes, although way less bloody than it would have been if not for the rating, but I can live with that. The dialogues were well-written, there was enough character development in this rather short time, and the plot does exactly what you want it to do. Some scenes are quite unrealistic (but then, again, so are the games) but they provide for an entertaining and exciting spectacle and I appreciate the creative approach. Also, Nolan North's cameo was a sweet bonus (he voiced Nate in the games). Overall I this movie made me happy, I need more of that please!
V.C. Andrews' Landry Family: Ruby (2021)
cringe
I haven't read the books but the movie is kinda awful. The script is really bad, lots of very poor acting, characters appear shallow & unlikable and the storyline is all over the place. Took me a while to understand that the movie is set in the 60s due to some poor fashion choices. The whole incest thingy seems like a questionable plot choice. An extra bonus cringe is the part in the beginning where they took static images of the house and tried to make a 3D camera spin effect using perspective distortion. Besides that, I just can't figure out what audience this is for. It doesn't just look dated, but also feels like a very cliche 90s melodrama - does anyone watch those anymore?
Hidden Family Secrets (2021)
Crazy grandmas go brrrrr
It was a good movie overall, some plot holes here and there, a little predictable, but entertaining and very nice casting.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
wish I didn't saw
It has been said multiple times already - very predictable, cliche, terrible script, shallow characters, stupid dialogs... really sad to see good actors play in this train-wreck of a movie.
The Woman in the Window (2021)
Glad I didn't read the reviews pre-watch
I also didn't read the book, so I actually liked the movie a lot. Judging by the comments, it could have been a short TV-show to include all the details book readers missed from the movie, but in a movie it had to be skipped, which left some people disappointed (understandably so). For me, however, it was still a solid story with two of my favourite actresses - Amy Adams and Julianne Moore, who never disappoint. I enjoyed watching. Very underrated, I've seen a lot of much higher rated trash lately, so I'm really glad I found this gem.
Followed (2018)
It's a 'could have been a good found footage movie' flop
This movie had a really good base to rely on - the story is loosely based on Cecil
Hotel which truly has a very grim history, including a girl who was seen on a weird elevator footage before her dead body was found in a tank on the rooftop. Of course, for the sake of the story, the name of the hotel and the girl was changed, the way she died also changed - they went with one of the conspiracy theories. However, the acting goes from good to very bad, which I'm blaming on the script because it feels like whoever came up with the story about a vlogger has never watched one. It's kinda funny that the vlogger has a full production crew but has no idea how to use a mic. Or that it's not ok to film a suicide (hello, Logan Paul), and that it's definitely not 'fun'. Mid-film they completely forget the story of the girl (just to suddenly remember about it in the end) and decide to throw in some Purge-type thing which derails the plot even more. Throughout a variety of ghosts appear not adding any clarity to the story. It's a mess. Honestly, almost any existing documentary or a youtube vlog about this hotel is better than this movie.
Initiation (2020)
Well-made canonical slasher
I liked the movie overall, and it could have been even greater if they spent a little more time dropping hints and giving certain characters motives so the viewer would be more engaged guessing who it is with a little more background. But either way, it was very entertaining so if you like slashers, you'll enjoy this one too.
Chaos Walking (2021)
Overall I liked the movie
I came with no expectations - didn't read the books (will be fixing that soon), didn't read the reviews either - and I wasn't disappointed. Now, I can kind of see where the negative reviews are coming from, I just don't see it as bad as they do. I do agree that some characters or events lack background. For example, I don't understand the religious nut, which could be an explanation in itself, but why they are tolerating him, why does he have the power to push people around being in absolute minority, why is he so aggressive - this is what I don't get, he didn't bring any value to the movie. It is clear who's good and who's bad, but they could have made the characters a little more multidimensional, so there's more intrigue. What I liked was the story overall, the actors, the costume design, the set, the CGI I thought was great. I actually thought that the thinking aloud concept was cool and funny, and it certainly didn't annoy me as it did some viewers - I believe in reality it would have been much the same, if not worse. I fail to see any negative connotations to this concept - it's just is the way it is on that planet, and it is portrayed in the main character that good people can have low thoughts, but it doesn't make them bad, it just makes them human - at the end of the day, it's what they do matters. I appreciate that the movie wasn't heavy or overly dramatic - it is just entertaining more than anything else. So I think the movie is worth a watch, I just wish it was a little better executed, because it left me wanting to know more about this universe they showed us. With that thought I am now going to go read the actual book - it's promising to be great and I'm hoping to get the answers I wanted from there :)
Equinox (2020)
Disappointment
I had high hopes for this tv show because I like moody Scandinavian shows and also quite fond of Celtic culture. It started off rather good - there was the slow burn and that gloomy atmosphere I was hoping to see. However, aside from the atmosphere the show failed to deliver a logical story and badly lacked any explanation of the events. The ending felt like it was done last minute. It left me with soooo many questions - there were no answers to literally anything, so none of the story makes any sense to me. If they ever make season 2 - I'm not going to watch it.
Max Winslow and the House of Secrets (2019)
bunch of kids getting bullied in a low quality hi-tech mansion
This has an average rating of 6? WUT? Couldn't finish the movie. Very poor attempt at a detective / horror-style genre. Characters are shallow, not to say most of them are bullies. Am I expected to care for them? Dialogs are really stupid. Add low quality CGI and super unrealistic plot and voilà - this is the movie. Can't name a single good thing about it. Don't waste your money.
The New Mutants (2020)
cringe compillation
Only giving it 2 stars because I somehow made it to the end titles, there were movies worse than this... not a lot though. Where do I even start... I was really excited to see Marvel movies try to explore a new genre for them, but this movie was underwhelming at best. The movie takes itself too seriously yet doesn't take it to the point of being scary enough. If they made a horror comedy maybe it would have worked better? Most of the time I felt that the plot jumps from one story to another without taking the time to tell any of them properly. Characters are a bunch of cliches and present nothing of themselves. They almost had a good moment making the viewer guess who was in the pool with Sunspot but then instantly reveal what it is. There's simply no catch, no mystery - everything is obvious, everything is what you think it is. The main villain is... a bear. Yes, you read right. I expected the evil doctor to be killed by her own worst fear but she was just eaten by a bear. Then they had to fight the bear so he doesn't eat everyone else. The fight was so cringey, I just didn't care about it at all. The only emotion I felt after the end is sadness that I didn't spend my time watching something good.
Scoob! (2020)
Not bad, but trying to sit on too many chairs at once
I expected worse and generally was on the fence about watching it at all. I'm a fan of the original 1969 animation, plot- and style-wise, and I absolutely hated what happened to the series later on (changed the drawing style and introducing new directions such as romantic relationships). I loved the dark, gloomy and mysterious atmosphere of the original series, which was sadly discontinued - I'm guessing - to make it more kids-friendly. It did make it feel more mainstream. What I liked about this particular movie is that they kept characters recognisable. Of course, a lot of elements were modernised, but the outfits were kept almost intact (even Fred's ascot made a glorious appearance!) and the Mystery Machine looked exactly like it did in 1969. Some character features were softened to make them more appealing. I had a good laugh seeing Velma dressed as Judge Judy for Halloween, and generally I felt like modern pop-culture references were not misplaced. I did not like bringing superheroes into the picture in attempt to please everyone, though it wasn't the first time it happened, and I did like Dynomutt a lot. The plot, sadly, lacked any mystery and felt like your average superhero movie (which is fine, but keep 'em separate!). Much more classy and cool twist would have been using that Mr. Rigby character from the beginning as a villain who decided to take revenge on the Mystery Inc. for putting him in jail when they were kids. Overall I don't feel like I've waisted my time, but I'm left with the feeling this is not the cartoon I loved anymore.
The Hunt (2020)
misleading - I blame the description
My main complaint about this movie is the wrong description followed by the wrong expectations. It said 'action horror thriller' when in reality it should have said 'dark political comedy slasher'. Now, if it was the second I would probably (definitely) have chosen not to watch it because I was not in the mood for that (if I was - it would have gotten a better rating). So because it is listed as an action horror thriller, I'm going to rate it as such.
For starters, this 'thriller' has no thrill to it, because they've chosen to tell you what's going on from the beginning. Everything is obvious and predictable, there is absolutely no mystery regarding who is who in this movie. Snowball is the only somewhat exciting character in this , and only because she's cuckoo.
They cover up the face of the main antagonist to reveal it in the finale to what end? In the actual horror movie it would be someone from the victim group who was killed / disappeared in the beginning. Here I'm like 'uh whatever, I still don't know who that chic is and I don't even care'. None of the characters have any backstory, only bits and pieces here and there which don't make up for a solid picture. The only unexpected plot twist is that I expected Emma Roberts to be the main protagonist (spoiler alert: she's not, if you're wanted to watch this movie because of her you will be vastly disappointed).
The political part I kind of understand, but can't relate because I'm not from America. Still, it's the fault of no-backstory plot that makes it so faceless and unrelatable - there are ways to make a film more understandable for a wider audience, which were not used here, so people either get it or they don't.
The overall impression of the movie is just... meh. Mediocre humor, dumb scenarios (people running towards the box no problem, then running towards the shooters, then running away from them and suddenly stepping on bombs and falling into traps that majestically weren't there before, etc.) and faceless characters. Don't waste your time.