DrDarkness

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

They should've gone with "less is more".

I'll just start by saying that, after seeing this, the original Beetlejuice will continue to be the one and only movie that exists for me. I will never re-watch this hot garbage again, and I'm really sad to call it that but I just can't find a more fitting description.

The reason why the first film worked was because of there was so little of the actual Beetlejuice. Yes, I can very well understand that everyone wanted more, but it just doesn't work. His character shouldn't be in the spotlight for too long, because... well, this movie answers that.

There was so much going on, seems like the team was just throwing ideas one night and when they asked "well, which ones should we include?" someone just replied "yes".

I mean, if the audience forgets who the main antagonist is when the the third act begins, I say something's done very, very wrong.

Baghead (2023)

A delightfully quirky and entertaining film that deserves more attention

Baghead is a refreshing experience amid a sea of clichés. Although not many of the plot twists are particularly surprising, the overall viewing experience was far more entertaining than many recent films that have claimed to be the scariest.

Baghead might not come any closer to earning the title of the scariest film than those others, but what sets it apart is that it feels like it was made with love.

The film introduces us to Iris, who is living hand-to-mouth when she unexpectedly learns of her father's death. Having been estranged from him for years, Iris inherits a centuries-old pub from her father, with an unusual tenant residing in the cellar. It soon becomes clear that this creature has the ability to temporarily bring dead people back to life, as long as certain rules are followed. Struggling with financial difficulties, Iris sees an opportunity for quick earnings.

As a big fan of slow burns and atmosphere building, I tend to cringe at cheap jump scares. Fortunately, Baghead spares us just the right amount of those. While it can't quite be classified as a slow burn, given that the plot gets to the point rather swiftly, this turns out to be a good decision. It allows time to explore and explain the creature without making anything feel rushed.

This one is a solid 6/10.

Oddity (2024)

A few decent scares, but mostly a snoozefest.

This film felt like looking at a student-made adaptation of a campfire horror story.

Directing seems a bit off at times, so does delivering the suspense. Overall, the acting is okay, a bit weak maybe due to the script which feels off quite often. In more cases than just one or two, the characters' behaviour is weird and goes against your common sense. Several times I found myself asking "why would you say/do that, what's your motivation".

Because of these, the film made me think the majority of the cast is just awful people. And, without the emotional bond being built, I found it hard to care what happens to any of them.

The leading actor, Carolyn Bracken, plays both of the identical twins, Dani and Darcy. This is fine, but Darcy's character is also blind.

While I would imagine playing a blind person being a formidable challenge to anyone, it certainly feels like reaching too high for Bracken. Her movement doesn't make me believe she's blind for one second; her navigating the spaces and finding stuff with her hand is too precise. Of course, I thought that this could be explained by her psychic senses... Until this theory fell through.

I will say that some of the scares were good, well-made, and I appreciated a couple of subtle things. But, without a proper script and character arch, they have a cheap undertone that's hard to ignore.

In addition, it's been a while since I've seen a film with as many plot holes as Oddity. At least the ending was entertaining - despite being dragged, it managed to make me snort slightly.

From (2022)

20% mystery, 80% hell is other people

Wow, this was so painful to watch through. I did get my initial warning when I saw that people from Lost were working on this, but I still decided to give it a go. Plus, it had good rating here on IMDB.

I was right. It all starts out with a cool concept, some good old monster horror, and an intriguing mystery. But the further I watched, more characters made me feel like I'm watching something I've already seen. You've got your trope idiot kids. You've got your trope crazy guy. You've got your trope over-protective guy. You've got your trope senile guy. You've got your trope "You know I'm secretly mad and will get myself and so many other people killed" guy.

Eventually, the threat we're introduced at the start gets pretty much forgotten, as the true horror is the complete set of trope characters who are so one-dimensional that it gets painful to watch, and all we get is the hell created by these characters rather than explore the actual mystery and monsters.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (2023)

A sequel nobody asked or needed

I loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding. When the second movie came out, I thought it was enjoyable enough even if not nearly as good as the first one. But a third movie which nobody was expecting or really even asking for?

Well, it was nice to see most of the original cast together again. We get a starting point for the plot, which is presented a bit hastily, like the director just wanted to tell the viewers "okay this is where we are now, give a quick recap, and now we're ready to rush things forward".

After the beginning, it's like nobody really knows where the story should go. I mean, it gets there eventually, but it's like the movie has its beginning and the end, and the everything in the middle is just random stuff happening and the characters don't seem to have a real connection.

I was practically half-asleep when the movie was finally over, and unlike the first and second films, this didn't leave me feeling much anything. It was just a bunch of stuff happening without any enthusiasm, and there you go.

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

I guess the weakest movie in the franchise was due...

I was super excited when I got to know there was a fifth Insidious movie coming out as I've liked all of them so far. Sure, some were better than others, but overall their quality and scare-level have been steady. Sadly, this sequel can't even get near the ones that came before.

Not going into too many details, the story in Insidious: The Red Door is so shallow it made me pity the original actors. And, what's weird, we get to see many familiar faces but just for a split second - only to be never seen or mentioned again.

This is probably because the movie wants the viewers to focus on the main plot, but even that feels like random poking in the dark.

After seeing the movie, it made me feel sad when I realized the lost potential. The movie dangles some interesting plots at you, but then they all turn out to be more or less red herrings and just... do nothing.

Very lukewarm experience, I doubt I'll be watching this one again. Such a shame, because I've seen the first four movies several times and still enjoy them.

Apartment 1303 3D (2012)

Just terrible from A to Z

I watched this movie without looking into any reviews or IMDB scoring - I did read the short synopsis and that alone did give me an idea of what was coming. But still, I wasn't nearly prepared how awful this movie was - everything from cast to the script and directing was terribly off. The movie is full of clichés and rather than make you scared or even remotely interested, it makes you cringe and, just sometimes, chuckle in disbelief. I wish I could say that the story was saved by the actors, or that the poor acting was covered by an interesting plot, but sadly I can't say neither. You could get a few laughs out of this in certain circumstances, but otherwise... don't bother.

The Last of Us (2023)

The best show for me in a long time

I tried not to have any expectations for this show, and rather be prepared for it to be a disappointment. Now, having watched 8 episodes (and some of them two times), I'm happy to say that this has been by far one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen in years.

I have a soft spot for zombie horror and post-apocalyptic stuff. But, most of the shows about zombie apocalypse trip on the exact same clichés with the focus quickly moving away from the zombies and to the survivors and their relationships & interactions. Many good shows have turned into soaps with the actual horror element barely involved.

Of course, The Last of Us also includes stories about people interactions and relationships, as it would be hard to relate to the characters if they'd be just these one-dimensional faces. However, maybe it is because of the adaptation from a video game, The Last of Us doesn't drag on these matters too much outside from the few main characters. And that is so refreshing!

I also wasn't a fan of casting Pedro Pascal as Joel, but I gotta admit he's doing great job. Bella Ramsey as Ellie is phenomenal.

The only reason I'm not giving this a 10/10 is because the show is yet unfinished.

28 Days Haunted (2022)

So stupid and cheesy!

The initial idea for the show is actually pretty good: let's get ghost investigators to locations they (allegedly) don't have any information in prior, let's have them stay for 28 days and see what they can come up with.

However, what this show does with the idea is just so cheesy and reality TV-ish that it's pretty much unwatchable.

First, most of the people in the show claim they have up to 20-something years' worth of experience in the supernatural. So, it would only be natural that they already know at least something about the locations, given they're generally called "the most haunted so-and-so"?

Second, the investigators are all so over the top that it's like watching an average reality TV show with just some cheap scares thrown in. They're a pain to watch.

Third, these people are supposed to be "experts" and yet they get startled and frightened when an old house makes your usual old house noises. Everyone knows old houses are loud, and that really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone when there's some banging and creaking. In the first episode, one guy even points out that one of the lights is flickering and he thinks this is a sure sign of a spirit. Dude, there are like 20 perfectly earthly reasons why a light bulb can flicker - more so if the house is over 100 years old.

This show is stupid, cheap, and doesn't really do anything differently from other ghost hunter series.

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Such a missed opportunity

My rating explained:

1 star for each of the original trio. Can't beat them - Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathyn Najimy return to their roles as the Sanderson sisters and go all in.

1 star for Billy.

So, 4 out of 10. Not so great, but pretty fair for this... Whatever this movie tried to be. It does poke around for the viewers who were kids back in 93 and want to relive the magical moments again, but doesn't do it well.

Also, what made the first movie so lovable, were the kids fighting the Sanderson sisters. There was a real story there - you grew caring what happened to Max, Allison and Dani. In this sequel, you don't even get to know who the main characters (besides the witches) are. We can only see the dad of one of the girls, and that's it. It's like the two of them don't even have families or backgrounds. Why would I care about them?

Then there's the cat. Why? It's absolutely redundant. It doesn't affect the story in any way or have any importance - the only thing the cat does is to remind the viewers of Thackery. This felt such a missed opportunity, and it was so weird when the movie practically pointed at the cat "look, here's the black cat like in the first movie" and that's it. We don't come around for the cat and after this one scene around half-way of the movie it's never to be seen again.

I dunno. Maybe some kids like this, I wanted to crawl into my couch and forget I even saw this. I'll be watching the first movie again on this Halloween, but the sequel will never be seen on my TV again.

Army of the Dead (2021)

Just okay.

This movie had a ton of potential, introducing a bit different-kind of zombies and the very entertaining venue of Las Vegas. Mashing zombies and the Sin City together should've definitely been far better than the final result, though.

The movie wasn't bad per se, but rather a slight disappointment by being so predictable. Everything seems to fall short; acting is good, but the characters are so two-dimensional. The story is good, but practically it's just another heist movie, just with zombies.

The biggest problem I had was the characters. Why couldn't this movie have more complex people? Now it's just too easy to hate certain characters because being a-holes is all they ever are. Nice people are nice and bad people are bad, and that's it. Absolutely no surprises there and it makes me sad to see characters written so black&white personalities.

It's really hard to say that I enjoyed this movie. I mean, I watched it and I didn't hate it, but it just didn't interest me one bit. And I love horror & zombie genres.

Love and Monsters (2020)

An absolute delight

This movie tics so many boxes for me; dystopian future, monsters, comedy, action and even romance. Despite how the world is during the movie, there's a lot of goofy, quirky moments I found highly enjoyable. Although I would've liked the plot to be a bit farther from the obvious, it still didn't bother me too much and from enjoying the movie. Joel is very likeable and you easily get fond of seeing him, but he's not as two-dimensional as you'd think.

Love and Monsters is, hands down, one of the most charming movies I've seen in a while. It's not the best movie there ever was, but it manages to do something so few films fail in - it keeps you interested all the way through and afterwards you have that rare satisfaction of just seeing a well-done & well-written movie. Maybe discarding the PG-13 could've made this one better for a more mature audience, but I'd say the overall enjoyment is still pretty high level.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

One of the easily forgettable Disney movies

When I first saw the trailers, they didn't strike any emotion in me. Maybe, because the protagonist looks too generic, even for Disney. She has almost exactly the same face as Elsa/Anna/Rapunzel/Moana/any CGI Disney princess.

But, I still wanted to see the movie myself. I assured myself that it would be more probable to find it better than expected, as I didn't really have any expectations.

Whelp, I was wrong. Aside from the animation, which is gorgeous, the movie comes through as a luke-warm experience. The characters are two-dimensional, the plot is unimaginative, the jokes aren't funny (I didn't chuckle even once) and the world itself is just "meh". The dragon looks like the animators modeled it after characters from My Little Pony and - I never, EVER expected to say this - I thought it was just an awkward character altogether. Like a watered-down version of Mushu from Mulan.

Did I enjoy the movie? No. I constantly glanced at my phone to see how much time was left.

Will I watch it again? I will not. It's been 24 hours since I saw the movie and I barely remember half of it.

Do I recommend it? No. Maybe young kids enjoy this one, but it has absolutely nothing for grown-ups and/or parents.

Ghosts of War (2020)

VERY promising beginning, but the end is a huge letdown

WW2, soldiers and ghosts - three things that I love in one movie? Sold! The movie starts quite strong and introduces the characters and settings just right, and the story pretty much sucked me in. Then it all falls apart and I'm sitting here, my mouth hanging open and saying "really" over and over again. If you watch the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about.

This could've been SO good, but for obvious reasons it manages to quickly remind me that I'm watching a movie. It just rudely pushed me back to my seat and made me aware that I'm, in fact, just watching something instead of being immersed by it.

It's not a bad movie as a whole, but the ending definitely brings my rating down by 1, or even 2 stars.

Somewhere Between (2017)

No connection or chemistry AT ALL.

It's been years since I've seen such a bad acting from a lead actress. She keeps smiling this awkward fake smile all the time and everything about it feels just wrong. There's no believable mother daughter connection, no real chemistry between her and her husband, she just smiles like an idiot through it all. It's obvious she hasn't been able to get in her character.

I was really interested by the storyline, but sadly Paula Patton's absolute disaster of a performance seriously put me off.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)

Animation style enjoyable, everything else not

Well, I did have certain expectations for this one hence the previous sequels. And, sadly, I was right. This is a SpongeBob movie that should've deserved a good plot accompanying the nice animation, but it's just a long, long disappointment.

Recycled jokes, check. Too slow reactions, check. Pointless side quests, check. Pointless cameos, check. Pointless hit music, check. Forcing the story forward without a smooth transition, check. Dragging ending with a weird unfolding, check.

Did not pay money for this, otherwise would want a refund.

Come to Daddy (2019)

Weird but easily forgettable experience

I'm not entirely sure why this movie was made, if I'm being honest. I like how Elijah Woods can act so naturally a character that's awkward and lost in his life, but I think that's about it for me.

I guess an attempt was made here, but I really do not know how the film was supposed to be. It certainly tries to be more than a simple comedy and a simple mystery, but somehow I got the feeling that it didn't quite know how to do that.

The comedy side of the movie is generally interesting, but in many cases, way off. It doesn't know if it should try to go with more subtle approach, or hit you in your face with it (and several times in the row, because you know, LOOK AT THIS IT'S FUNNY ISN'T IT LAUGH DAMN YOU).

Come to Daddy succeeded in having my interest, but also it managed to lose it in less than half-way into the story. I cringed more than I chuckled, and I was more relieved than sad when the movie ended.

Scoob! (2020)

Easy to forget ever seeing this

I'm not a Scooby-fan, just to be clear. I was too young to enjoy the original Scooby-cartoons, and for me they felt way too slow and jokes too luke-warm, but that's how most of the cartoons were back in Scooby's best days.

But, I still kinda wanted to see this film, since due Corona there hasn't been any really good movies around. Plus, I generally like watching animated movies.

What I liked about Scoob! was the level of animation, the use of colours and some funny design. However, that's about it. There's actually not much to be hated per se. because everything feels so... "meh". After the first 10-15 minutes or so, the movie couldn't keep me interested enough. I really can't pinpoint it, but something was missing and even though there was so much happening on the screen, I was bored.

It's now been about a week after I saw Scoob!, and I've already forgotten most of it.

Locke & Key (2020)

Good start, falls short due so many cliches

I finished up watching the first season of Locke & Key last night. It was a bit of a roller coaster, not too bad dips but sadly without higher thrills, too. The beginning of the story seems kinda casual, then it becomes more and more interesting, until something happens. I don't know what it was, but suddenly the story gets filled with cliches you can smell from afar.

I probably did expect some more horror and darkness from seeing the plot and trailers, instead I realized that I was watching a show best for tweens. So you'll probably enjoy Locke & Key if you're around 12-17, less if you're an old fart like me, though I am somewhat familiar with shows like this. I just got so dissapointed with the cliches and "plot twists", which were almost as lukewarm as the overall action scenes.

I haven't read the comics though, so I'll get to them later since I've heard they're not as PG as the TV adaptation. EDIT: Just got through the first comic issues, and holy heck, this is the stuff! Definitely more gore-y, more violent, more dark... I would've LOVED to see THIS on TV, instead of the lame PG school drama adaptation I just saw.

Men in Black: International (2019)

So much unnecessary flexing with cgi and gadgets

MIB: International is pretty much a stand-alone movie with no need for seeing any of the previous Men In Black flicks. Everything gets explained from the start so the audience can just dive in to the world of aliens and people wearing black suits.

The plot: Average, with some twists and and turns, trying to give the audience lots of possible leads for the possible ending. However, this is done with very lazy manner, so both me and my husband could predict the ultimate truth in the first 20-30 minutes or so. And again with the old "Oh, he's arrogant and she doesn't believe in love, CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT THEY'RE GONNA LEARN".

The cast: Sigh. So, you had the budget for your actors, and decided to use what, 75% of it to get Chris Hemsworth. Liam Neeson of course does a great job, but just about everyone else are very awkward in their roles. Even Chris feels like he's not supposed to be there.

The CGI: Definitely have seen better. And what's with the very, very unnecessary flexing?? There's a ton of scenes where the whole thing is just done because "hey look what we can do" -feel in it. Like with the train. Why was the train first normal, and then changed into hyper futuristic kind? There was no need for the cover up since the train was clearly only in the use of MIB, so this whole scene was kind of pointless.

Men in Black: International is definitely a brainless pop corn action, with no need to overthink anything. Definitely not a movie I would've paid to see in the theaters.

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

It's not what you expect and that's why it's good.

So, you saw the trailer and the cast, and immediately assumed you'll be seeing an action packed comedy with fast pacing and witty jokes? If that's what you want, then you'll be better off seeing the Zombieland sequel. If you want to see something different, but still absolutely filled with witty humor and constant low-key references to funny stuff, then The Dead Don't Die is for you.

Both my husband and I really enjoyed this movie, because it's so different from other zombie comedies. The more we talked about the movie afterwards, the better it got when figuring stuff out. But, again, if you'd prefer a splatter, don't bother with this.

Hellboy (2019)

Fun to watch - turn off your brain and enjoy the ride

Okay. So first off few tips for you, who's about to watch this movie and has seen the one star ratings;

• Forget the earlier Hellboy movies. Forget Ron Perlman (I know it hurts but bear with me)
• Make some pop corn, or get any other preferred snacks on hand.
• Switch your brains off. No, no deep thinking.
• Sit back, relax and enjoy the movie, like you'd read a comic book.

David Harbour does an excellent job playing Hellboy. He gives the character the new kind of depth which greatly differs from Perlman's work, BUT as I suggested earlier, forget Perlman - and watch as Harbour breathes life to new Hellboy.

Other good things in this film; acting, puns (which, thank Gods, are dry as heck, but still fresher than your standard Hollywood jokes), nicely done characters - extending to the monsters - and music.

What could've been better? CGI, definitely. And sound mixing - I mean, come on, you got the main battle going, and mixer isn't going all out with the bass and boom?

So. A cool action movie, maybe not for those seeking the award-winning story line, but for us who settle for a fun movie night with friends and/or family.

Lovleg (2018)

Advertised as "Better than Skam!". Is it? Result: "No."

I loved Skam, so when I repeatedly stumbled on Lovleg and claims how it was new and better than Skam, I was both thrilled and sceptical. When something is described as "better than the other one" it's never a good sign. And I should've listened to that tiny, sceptical voice in my head.

I couldn't even get through the first episode. The show seems to ride only from one awkward scene to another, the lead actress is no way even remotely close to being 15 as her character, and it was such a pain to watch. When I found myself constantly fastforwarding the ridiculously awkward, nowhere near "like in real life" scenes, I finally let this one go when the first episode was around 2/3 in.

I can handle some funny, awkward moments, but in Lovleg they're so stretched and not in any way relatable. Which is a bit weird, since I remember reading from somewhere that Lovleg was supposed to be "more realistic" than Skam. True, Skam had certain polished world, but the scenes and characters were well written - not in Lovleg.

So, sorry, but 3/10 for me. I really wanted this to be another enjoyable show with characters I could fall in love with, too bad it didn't happen.

Happy Death Day 2 U (2019)

Modern version of Groundhog Day movie gets a decent sequel!

I really liked the first movie - I didn't have any expectations for it, and it still took us to a very enjoyable ride. When I learned that there was a sequel for it, I instantly groaned. Of course. When they manage to do something good, they're going to ruin it - because of course I would watch the sequel, too.

But no. Despite having even lower expectations than with the first film, I was offered a fun movie with bunch of good humor and nifty twists. Jessica Rothe does excellent job playing Tree Gelbman and once again I found myself rooting for her, just like in the first movie.

This movie has good chemistry - and the best part being they didn't just make the first film all over again. I'm really happy I saw this and hope that every sequel could be even half as well done as this was.

The Silence (2019)

Oh look, it's another A Quiet place and Bird box and Don't Breathe

So, the title pretty much says it all. It's yet another sci-fi horror, where we have a bunch of things which hunt you by noise or eyesight or whatever. But wait - this one has a deaf kid! ...except we've already seen that in A Quiet Place, too. Which also had monsters feeding off noisy people.

The only reason I watched this one was because of Stanley Tucci, who made the best out of his character. Mixing together some basic Walking Dead survival horror (not the zombies, just a-hole people) this movie doesn't really offer anything new and it's not even close to become a classic. Easily forgettable, but does give a moment of brief enjoyement with 5/10 movie.