Sick is as good as you’d expect from a thriller horror movie about covid made for a streaming service you probably don’t have. The film certainly has its moments of competence, but it derails and is only worth the trouble if you have nothing else to watch.
The movie takes us back to the time of Covid lockdowns. Toilet paper is out of stock, people sanitize everything, masks are mandatory, and everyone stands six feet apart. A killer is hunting down seemingly random teens, but we won’t know why till the end. The movie will focus on a pair of college girls who quarantine at a secluded cabin. But the killer has followed them to their haven. The two must now run for their lives as they try to survive the night. Can they make it out of quarantine alive?
The acting is fine, but the leads aren’t good enough scream queens to carry the movie. The weakness in their abilities is particularly noticeable towards the end after the climax. I think they did the best they could with what they were given, but I don’t think they would do better in a different movie. The story is dumb, but I appreciate that there was an attempt at creating deeper characters. It was an attempt that ultimately fails, but it was nice to see characters that aren’t the usual archetypes. The movie isn’t terrible. Some very well-done tense and suspenseful moments were pretty scary, but the movie loses its momentum towards the end, making it a flop in my book.
They ran out of ideas after the big reveal. The ending is disappointing. There are a lot of issues with the realism of the movie that I could have forgiven if this movie was more fun. People in this movie tend to teleport and gain almost superhuman survival abilities when the plot asks for it. It isn’t so I suggest you skip it unless you are starving for content.
There isn’t much more to say about this movie. It is a dumb thriller based on a simple concept that doesn’t pan out all the way. You can stream it on Peacock, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it unless you’re starving for content.
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Movie Review: M3gan (2022)
I became interested in M3gan when I first watched the trailer a while ago, but haven’t looked at it since. I was drawn in by the creepy doll and expected at least a cheesy thriller with a neat little gimmick. What I got was a pleasant little slasher that I can recommend to those interested.
M3gan is a lifelike doll powered by AI designed to be the last toy kids will ever need. Gemma, the inventor, dreams of a world where M3gan will be the perfect aid for parents. Gemma gets her chance to test the first M3gan on her grieving niece. At first, M3gan works as intended. She quickly becomes Katies greatest friend, but there is something off about the doll. Something in the code seems to be boiling up something sinister. Can they figure out what before it is too late?
I enjoyed this movie. The acting was great, the story was fine, and the pacing was perfect. For the first time in a while, I found myself invested in the plot of a slasher movie. I loved how the film dealt with grief, and the actors did a fantastic job of emoting it. I loved M3gan’s descent into evil. It was organic and well-executed. I even liked the criticism it makes about parents letting technology parent their kids. If you are a fan of the thriller and slasher genre, M3gan is a great place to start.
The only complaint is that the ending is predictable. This might be a symptom of watching too many movies, but I figured out the twist as soon as it floated into the scene. The ending is very cheesy, but one that I didn’t mind because it was fun. If you are thinking of watching this movie and don’t mind the creepy doll aesthetics, go check it out. As of writing this review, you can still watch M3gan in theaters.
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Mythic Quest Season 3 Review
With the third season of Mythic Quest now fully released, I feel disappointed with how it all unfolded. I am a fan of this series, but I found it nearly impossible to finish this season. Don’t get me wrong, I still recommend this series if you haven’t seen it, but this season has left a lot to be desired.
Mythic Quest is a comedy series that satirizes the gaming industry as it follows the work life at the world’s most popular MMORPG of the same name. The series focuses on a collection of wacky characters and their budding personalities as they try to make Mythic Quest a game worth playing. The series criticizes the gaming industry through its use of humor and its well-written narrative.
While I loved the first two seasons of Mythic Quest, this season falls flat. The narrative was drawn out, with each episode ending in disappointing. This season felt like a setup for something that hopefully won’t get canceled by Apple. It began a lot of story threads bringing forth minor characters featuring stories you probably won’t care for. The overall experience was fine, but waiting week to week made this series harder to follow. Nothing was hooking me to come back for the next episode or season while we are at it. It is a better experience to watch the episodes back to back, but it remains the show’s weakest season.
What keeps me from hating this season is that if you look at it as a whole and remove all the fluff, there is much-needed character growth that I was happy to see. There are important story beats that give the narrative its meaningful advancement, but you have to sit through some boring story-lines.
I will probably watch the fourth season because I need my closure, but I lack the excitement I once had. Do not be discouraged, Mythic Quest is still worth watching. It has a fantastic cast playing great characters, and the story is mostly good. If you have Apple TV, you should have already watched it. If you don’t, it is worth the free trial.
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Movie Review: 7 Women and a Murder (2022)
7 Women and a Murder is a quirky take on the murder mystery genre that I believe is worth your attention. The movie is originally in Italian, but dubbing in different languages is available. I always recommend watching it in the original language, but I get the need for accessibility. The English dubbing is fine, but I felt it lacked some of the intended charm.
Six women have gathered at a beautiful mansion for Christmas. Disaster strikes when the women find that the patriarch has been murdered. Alone and secluded in the mansion, the women must now survive the night until help can arrive. Will they find a killer amongst them, or will the killer claim more victims? Will the women make it to Christmas?
I liked this movie. I thought the story was fine, the acting was great, and the twist was interesting. It is a little slow, but it wasn’t so bad that I felt the need to turn it off. I loved how colorful this movie is. The costumes and mansion seem to have been carefully curated to create some very appealing shots. I particularly enjoyed how the mystery unravels. Each woman has a narrative or secret that they reveal, and the movie does a great job of bringing them together for the big reveal.
This movie deals with the idea of womanhood as it relates to a single man who is absent. I don’t want to ruin the mystery, but it makes valid criticism about the idealized archetypes of women by showing characters who are more complicated.
If you don’t mind reading subtitles and are in the mood for something quirky and different, watch 7 Women and Murder. You can stream it now on Netflix.
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Image by Davie Bicker from Pixabay
Best of 2022
In no particular order, I have decided to compile a list of the best movies and tv shows I watched last year. The links will take you to the respective reviews and I have separated them by streaming service.
Amazon
Netflix
Hulu
Apple TV
Shudder
Paramount+
On Demand
If You Can Find It
Blue Protocol
Amazon’s newest MMO has certainly piqued my interest. With every new bit of news that comes across my desk, I continue to grow more excited. I love MMOs and am always looking for a new one to sink some time into. Blue Protocol seems like a promising title that might fill a void in my life.
Blue Protocol is a sci-fi open-world MMO that was announced sometime in 2023. A trailer was released during this year’s Game Awards, and I have to say, it looks pretty cool. I am a huge fan of the art, but then again I love anime. The world looks beautiful, with huge maps and a very open-world experience. I have a terrible sense of direction, so I will most likely be spending most of my game time trying to figure out where I need to go.
What excites me most about Blue Protocol is the combat. From what I have seen, it is a very active experience. A problem I have with some MMOs is that I don’t have the patience to wait around for cooldowns. If I am not actively moving, dodging, or attacking, I get easily distracted. It is why games like Guild Wars and PSO2 rank among my favorites. Blue Protocol seems to have a similar combat system to PSO2, I just hope it has more content. There also seems to be an elemental system, I hope it allows you to switch between different elements. Blue Protocol features all the traditional classes, although I didn’t see a healing class. I am very excited to try the mage class, but as an alt-aholic, I will be trying them all.
I’ll admit, the fact that Amazon is tied to this has me a little worried. I am scared the monetization will be too predatory and the gameplay will be too grindy. The few Amazon Titles have left me with mixed feelings, but I am willing to give them another chance. I did sign up for the Beta and will be reporting on my experience as soon as I can. Until then, I will be monitoring the official site closely. In the meantime, I guess I’ll try giving Lost Ark one more go.
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Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Myster (2022) – Review
I’d like to start off by giving a special shoutout to the user splithare for buying me coffee. It is the only way I can continue to function and keep posting these reviews. I hope you have yourself a Happy New Year! Thank you so much!
I have already talked about the Murderville series and touched on my disappointment with it. The series isn’t bad, but it does appeal to a very specific audience, and I am not it. If you like improv, you might have a better time with this series than I did. If you are interested in the series the Who Killed Santa? Christmas special is the best place to start. It is still a bit rough, but the best example of the format.
The premise of this series is to have guests go through a murder mystery experience without any prep. The mystery has already been scripted, but the guests go through it blind. The entertainment of this series relies heavily on the raw reactions of the guests and how well they play off of Will Arnet.
The guest stars for this special are Jason Bateman and Miya Rudolph. They are fantastic guests and do very well in this type of format. The chemistry they share with Arnet is infectious, and they do well in improv. What hurts this series is that some guests don’t have good chemistry with Will Arnet. As a result, you get a lot of awkward or unfunny moments that drag on for too long. Other guests aren’t good at improving, and their reactions are dull. For this series to be successful, they need to do a better job at getting guests who can be entertaining without any structure and can play off the energy Arnet brings to the experience.
Despite it being one of the better examples, Who Killed Santa? is still difficult to recommend. The mystery is dumb, but that is the general tone of this series. This series feels like a cheesy gameshow, but one that tries very hard to be funny. This special is funnier than the episodes in the main series, but the lack of structure means that you have to sit through some boring moments. Even if you like the actors and improv, the overall rawness of the performances makes it disappointing.
I can’t recommend this special because of its inconsistency. But if you are interested in watching Murderville, this special is the best place to start. I recommend you throw it on in the background while you are doing anything else so that you can ignore the boring bits and be around for the funny ones. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch this because it isn’t anything special, but you can stream it on Netflix if you are interested.
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Series Review: Murderville (2022)
Murderville aims to be this quirky improv crime drama, but one that ends up being mediocre. While the concept is interesting, it isn’t consistent enough to be worth the trouble. This series seems to have been made with a very specific audience in mind, but unfortunately, I am not in that group.
The premise of this series is to guide a famous person through this interactive crime drama experience. The experience is led by actors who mostly follow a script. The guests know nothing about what is going on. A lot of the humor relies heavily on how well the guest can adapt and react to certain situations. What this series ends up being is a collection of sometimes funny improv exercises. If you are considering watching this series, I recommend watching a highlight real on YouTube instead.
The problem with this series is how much the entertainment falls on the guest. Not every guest is going to be good, and there are already a couple of episodes to prove this. The main draw to this series is to have actors you know reacting to this silly mystery, but it isn’t going to be consistently good. Most of the guests didn’t have the improv skills to keep the flow going. This leads to a lot of awkward moments. It was fun to see the actors working hard to try to make it all work, but the series as a whole is mediocre.
If you like to improve the guests, you might have a better time, but it is still a hard sell. For this format to work, you need guests who can be as entertaining as the actors propelling the narrative. This isn’t a bad show, it has some funny moments to it, but your time is better spent watching them on YouTube. But if you like this format and are a fan of the guests, you can stream this series on Netflix.
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Game Review: YS IX: Monstrum Nox
I got to play YSIX: Monstrum Nox when it was free on Amazon Luna, and I quite enjoyed the experience. This isn’t a promotion for the platform, it was a game I was interested in, and I got it free through my Twitch Prime membership. If you don’t know, Luna is Amazon’s cloud gaming solution. For 9.99 a month, you are able to play any game in their library without the need to download the games. This is a great solution if you have a good and stable internet connection but don’t have the money for the hardware. I mostly played on my iPad, but it ran nicely on my PC as well.
YS IX is an action RPG that sort of plays like Genshin Impact. You take control of characters with unique abilities as you try to solve a mystery and fight monsters. I was able to solve the mystery immediately, but I enjoyed the journey. The game is divided into chapters and each is dedicated to a playable character you unlock along the way. The stories are a bit of an anime trope, and the cast is full of familiar archetypes. I like anime so I had no problems with the story or the characters.
The gameplay is a lot of fun. Like any RPG, you can craft items, buy upgrades, and change the skills you use. I am not the best at theory crafting so I often went with whatever was fun. The game is limited in its exploration, but I was here for the story anyways. Combat was fun and the game does a good job of keeping it fresh by giving you new characters and abilities to use as you explore the city and advance the story. I loved that I could switch between characters at will so I was always allowed a unique combat experience. There is a slight grind as is tradition in these types of games, but I didn’t feel like it was that bad. I never felt the need to spend hours fighting the same mob in the forest in order to advance. This is also a pretty contained game, I was able to finish it quicker than most of my RPGs, but your mileage may vary.
This game is the 9th installment of the YS series, but it isn’t necessary to play any of the others. This was my entry to the series, and I never felt lost. Outside of a few references to the previous game, the story in IX exists independently. YX has been announced for 2023, and I can’t help but feel excited about more news.
You should get this game if you are in the market for something new. The combat feels great, the story is fine, and the art is awesome. YS IX: Monstrum Nox is available on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Amazon Luna.
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Film Review: The Invitation (2022)
The Invitation is a disappointing horror movie that isn’t worth your time. There are some interesting visual moments in this movie, but they aren’t worth sitting through this movie.
Evie is a struggling artist with no family left who decides to do a DNA test to see if she has any living relatives. She finds a long-lost cousin who flies her out to England to meet the rest of the family she didn’t know about. Evie is shocked to find she belongs to a very powerful and old family in England and quickly falls for a mysterious lord. But within the shadows of the manor, an evil presence hunts for blood. Can Evie discover the sinister motives behind her visit before it is too late?
The acting in this movie is fine, but the writing isn’t. They try too hard to be politically correct, and it comes off too preachy. Evie is constantly voicing her disapproval of the wealthy class, and it gets tiresome. Evie is a very one-note character whose only characteristic is to virtue signal woke buzzwords to a millennial audience that probably didn’t go see this movie.
The writing struggles to keep the plot moving. While I appreciate the beautiful shots of the manor they used as a setting, there isn’t any substance. If the movie isn’t virtue signaling or forcing conflict, it sort of remembers it’s supposed to be a horror movie. There are some solid horror moments in this film that have me wishing this movie stayed a horror movie instead of turning into the cheesy cliche it is. What little suspense this movie can create falls flat when ex-Machina comes to save the day.
With so much content out there, your time is better spent elsewhere. But for those who don’t believe me, watch this on Netflix.
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