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Movie Review: My Best Friend’s Exorcism (2022)

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My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a horror comedy that has enough problems with it to make it impossible to recommend. While I am sure a much younger audience will have a better time with this movie, I sure didn’t.

Abby and Gretchen are best friends in their last few months together. Gretchen moves in the summer, and they are willing to make the most of it. They and a group of friends spend a weekend at a cabin where an acid trip ends up being the nightmare that puts this friendship to the test. A demon possesses Gretchen and makes her plot against her friends, alienating her from anyone who can help her exorcise the demon. Will Abby be able to save her friend group from this evil in time, or will the demon claim his victim?

My problem with this movie is that it isn’t good at either of the genres it is trying to fit into. As a comedy, it isn’t funny enough to be worth your time. As a horror movie, it isn’t scary. It tries hard to work within the poorly written teen drama it ends up being, but it never does. The acting is fine but clearly held back by the writing. The plot is dumb, but it does have its moments. The best part of this movie is its soundtrack, but it’s defiantly trying to cash in on the ’80s nostalgia that Stranger Things brought back into pop culture.

What I did like about this movie is how it treats its demon possession. The demon preys on the friend group through sabotage and mind games instead of resorting to gore and gross-out scenes. For example, the demon tricks one of the girls into coming out as a lesbian, then uses her sorrow to almost killing her by nut allergy. It was pretty clever and uncomfortable, but this only makes up a small portion of the film. The rest of the movie lacks this creativity. 

My Best Friend’s Exorcism isn’t the worst horror comedy I have seen. It definitely is too quirky for its own good, but it is watchable. I can’t recommend it, however, because it is boring. But to the curious and unbelievers, you can stream it on Amazon Video if you have a Prime Membership.

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Movie Review: Thirteen Lives (2022)

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I don’t watch movies that are based on real-world events. I have never been a fan. That said, I enjoyed Thirteen Lives, it is a very well-made movie. If you are on the fence and enjoy these kinds of movies, you will not regret the time you spend with this movie.

Thirteen Lives is a proper dramatization of a terrible moment in human history. The film recreates the rescue of the Thai youth soccer team and their coach as they were trapped in a flooding cave system. The movie will focus on the different groups involved in the rescue, and it does a fantastic job showing how complicated and exhausting the whole ordeal was. 

I am familiar with what happened, but I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. This is no easy feat. The acting and all the moving parts came together to create an incredibly suspenseful and claustrophobic experience. Watching the divers move through the dark flooded tunnels still gives me anxiety. Watching the other groups work tirelessly to get the boys was heartwarming. This film is a proper homage to the heroes who made the rescue happen. A homage you are sure to enjoy if you choose to watch it. 

Thirteen Lives is available for streaming on Amazon Video with a Prime membership. Check it out if you are thinking about watching it. 

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Movie Review: Master (2022)

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Master is psychological that is in an interesting spot in the genre. Where some might make their monster more symbolic, Master is clear that the monster is racism. This movie is uncomfortable, and it is not because it is a ghost story. It is uncomfortable because it is an experience that people have had and continue to have despite years of progress. It is very well done and well worth your time.

Master is the story of two African-American women at a prestigious New England university. Gail is the newly appointed Dorm mother and a tenured professor at the school, while Jasmine begins her freshman year there. The film shows how both have trouble fitting into the school’s culture, and it makes important criticisms about race and society.

This movie made me very uncomfortable because it reminded me of a lot of what I went through growing up as a person of color. Being different in a school where most people are white is draining. There is a lot of pressure that is unfairly put on people of color, especially when they try to join a culture that was historically created for white males. The depression, paranoia, and sense of not belonging are real issues that come from the inevitable culture clash. Although my experience wasn’t as bad as what is in the movie, a lot of the emotions and pressures are ones I am familiar with. 

Jasmine and Gail are used as mirrors to show that no matter how much one has accomplished, or the amount of progress society has made, racial discrimination continues to be an issue. As much as they try to fit in by changing how they look or talk, they will always be outsiders. Nothing changes. The movie does a fantastic job recreating this sense of isolation and pressure. It perfectly creates monsters out of something so mundane. This film is frightening because the experience and feelings depicted are real. 

This is a fantastic and important narrative told by some great actors. Some of the parts do get preachy, and the film slows a bit, but it is an important narrative told properly. Go watch this on Amazon with your Prime Membership. 

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Movie Review: Kept Woman (2015)

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Kept Woman is a horror movie where the monster is toxic masculinity. The film is about a strong, intelligent, independent Jessica who is kidnapped and forced to live the rest of her life as a 1950’s American housewife in her neighbor’s basement. It is a story about the struggle between modern womanhood and the pressure of an always creeping outdated ideal. Kept Woman attempts to create horror in the mundane, almost like in Stepford Wives or Get Out. The monster isn’t scary, but rather the need for idyllic perfection. As a result, there are some beautiful set designs, but faulty execution.

The movie spends the first half of the movie establishing Jessica as the here. She is a quirky and intelligent amateur sleuth. The movie wastes so much time on her development, that the horror is limited to the last 30 minutes of the film. It is dull and disappointing. I believe the intent was to build up to a powerful moment when she escapes, but it doesn’t pan out as such. It feels rushed and forced. Some cool moments in this movie suggest that a bigger budget and better writing might have saved this movie, but as is, this movie is a waste of time. 

If you want a movie with the same plot done better, watch 10 Cloverfield Lane. It has the same plot done better, even with the whole alien subplot. But if you don’t believe me, you can watch it on Amazon Video with a Prime subscription. 

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Movie Reviews: The VelociPastor (2019)

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I loved this movie, but I can’t recommend it. It’s not good. The VelociPastor was made for a certain type of audience, but it wasn’t a mainstream audience. Unless you love watching bad cheesy movies for fun, you are going to have a bad time.

The VelociPastor is about a Catholic priest who has lost his faith. He goes on a pilgrimage to find his faith, but he finds the power to turn into a raptor instead. With the help of a prostitute, he uses his powers to fight an origination of evil ninja. It is insane and I loved almost every minute of it.

Again, this movie isn’t for everyone. The writing is bad, the fight scenes are cheesy, and the costumes and special effects are terrible. This movie looks like it was shot at someone’s house. That said, the acting was surprisingly good, the soundtrack was great, and the sound was amazing. It is often the case with low-budget movies like this for the sound to be awful. I’ve seen movies where dialogue is barely audible or full of reverb. The VelociPastor has its sound on point and I appreciate the filmmakers for it. I can forgive bad acting and terrible special effects, but the sound is hard to overlook. That said, a normal audience will not enjoy this movie.

I am not normal, and I enjoy watching bad movies. I loved this movie for what it is, a goofy attempt at a polymorphing action movie. The one-liners, the costumes, the action scenes, and the big twist at the end were all very much appreciated. It does slow down towards the middle, I think they were running out of ideas, but they were able to bring me back in with a grand finale. This is easily my favorite bad movie. 

If you like making fun of bad movies, check this out. For the rest of you, it’s hard to recommend. The lack of structure and overall goofiness isn’t for everyone. If you are interested in watching The VelociPastor, do not take it seriously. Have fun with it. You can watch it if you have an Amazon Prime membership.  

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Movie Review: I Want You Back (2022)

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Despite what you may think about romantic comedies, “I Want You Back” is one that you should at least consider. Jenny Slate and Charlie Day work spectacularly together! This movie is well-written, well-acted, and delightful at its worst. If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you need to see this now.

Something to think about before going into this movie is that the characters’ morals are a bit hazy. This movie features two heartbroken characters who find comfort in each other’s company. They have recently gone through a hard breakup and are learning to cope with being alone. This movie does a great job of showing how difficult heartbreak is to overcome. The two plot to help each other break up their ex-partners. This plot is problematic because the main characters are set to ruin relationships and lives for selfish motives. This genre tends to have these problematic immoralities because love makes people do crazy things. In this case, I can excuse it because the journey is well worth the immorality.

The best part about this movie is watching the relationship between the two leads blossom. The chemistry they share is the reason you should watch this movie. The supporting cast is nothing to scoff at. Together they tell a very entertaining story that I must recommend to everyone. As a bonus, this movie has a great musical number. It is beautifully performed and perfectly woven into the plot. I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you have little interest in this movie, that moment is very much worth your time, but it makes more sense in context.

Watch this even if you don’t like the genre. This brings new life to a genre that has been a bit stagnant as of late. It is a nice date night movie, but I would argue that it is a fun anytime movie.

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Movie Reviews: Notzilla (2019)

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I really want to like this movie. There are a lot of elements in this film that resonate with me. I love the cheesy over the top acting. I love some of the running gags. Some of the writing is clever and concise. I adore how creative they get with their sets and style choices. On paper, this is the perfect film for me, but I can’t recommend this to a mainstream audience.

The biggest issue I have with this movie is with its pacing. I lost interest about halfway through. It would be better as a shorter film. Some of the gags are not funny and go on for too long. At points, it gets too meta for its own good. I am not a fan of meta jokes.

Average moviegoers won’t like this film. If you are a fan of monster films, it might be salvageable but, the cheesy tone it takes is not for everyone. I feel like there are a lot of references and jokes that I missed because I haven’t seen many monster movies. That said, I do appreciate this movie for what it does. There are some creative stylistic choices in this movie that should not be overlooked. It also has some of my favorite jokes from any parody. But it is not a movie I can recommend.

If you are interested, you can check it out on Amazon if you have an active ConTV subscription.

Watch it Here!