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Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: The Wolf Hour (2019)

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The Wolf Hour is a depressing and anxiety-inducing representation of the writing process. The film focuses on June and her descent into madness as she attempts to write her next big hit. June has isolated herself from the world, fearing to leave her apartment. The movie does a great job at manifesting June’s anxiety, loneliness, depression, and even desperation as she fails to find the words for her next book. The movie does a great job at blurring reality and imagination as June’s time in isolation has loosened her grip on reality. It is unclear what is real and what June imagines, making the movie seem more sinister than it is.

I love the insanity of this movie. The unreliable perspective of the narrative gives the movie its much-appreciated mystery. The acting is fantastic. I loved its dark and dirty setting. This subtly trippy representation of trying to write something great is so accurate that I shared in June’s anxiety. I loved everything about this movie. I could go on about all the symbolism and metaphors, but I will leave that for you to discover on your own. 

You can watch this movie on Amazon Video with A Prime Membership. It is also free on Tubi, PlutoTV, and Vudu.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: Frances Ferguson (2019)

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It is hard to recommend this movie due to the subject matter. This is without a doubt the best movie about a sex offender that I have seen. What is tricky about this movie is that it attempts to create sympathy for the sex offender. What she did is wrong, there shouldn’t be any sympathy. If the genders were swapped, this movie wouldn’t work.

Frances Ferguson is a mockumentary about a substitute teacher that sleeps with one of her students. While the movie focuses on her rehabilitation after the incident, the film attempts to justify her actions. Frances is stuck in a loveless marriage working a job she hates. She sees the newfound attention she is getting from her male students as the excitement she is missing. She must now live with her mistake as she tries to have a normal life again.

I love the quirky almost wimsical style of this movie. The quirky narration is fitting of the narrative, although the subject matter is a bit inappropriate. The acting is fine, and the progression is solid, but it is still a movie about a sex offender. Frances is a great character. She is quirky enough to keep the narrative intersting.

I recommend this movie if you like quirky weird movies. The subject matter is an issue, but it is told well. I can say it is refreshing to see a movie that takes a lot of risks and seeing most of them pay off. You can watch this on Amazon Video with a Prime membership.

Movie Reviews, movies

Spinster

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It is hard to recommend Spinster because the movie is slow and the character is annoying. The sound is bad, and most conversations exist within an echo. That said, the story is solid, and the journey that Gaby is pretty good.

Spinster is about a 39-year-old Gaby who is having an identity crisis. According to society, Gaby hasn’t hit any of the major achievements a woman her age should have. She has no kids or romantic relationships, and she runs her own business. Most will criticize her because she chooses to be alone instead of being a stay at home mom. The movie is about Gaby finding a self she is comfortable with, despite what society demands from her. It is really well done, and watching Gaby go from a grouchy aimless person to a positive happy person was worth the run time.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Where I expected some generic feel-good movie about woman empowerment, I got a delightful story about growth and empowerment. I loved that the whole movie is about her coming to terms with doing her own thing, and they didn’t spoil it by making her find meaning in a relationship. Often with movies of this genre, the strong independent female lead needs to find meaning in her life by being in a heterosexual relationship. It is an offensive notion that women need a man to have meaning in their lives. It is refreshing that this movie didn’t go that route.

 It isn’t perfect. Some of the dialogue is odd, and the Gaby can be annoying. But if you can power through, it is a pretty solid movie. Now, this isn’t for everyone. If you aren’t a fan of Chelsea Peretti, you will have a bad time. A lot of the character is her, but I’d say it is worth watching her growth. She isn’t the same person she starts out as. It is a bit of a fairy-tale, but who cares. The pacing is the only thing keeping me from recommending Spinster outright. It can be slow at times, so if you don’t have much patience, this might not be the movie for you. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch this, but if you are looking for something to watch, this is a safe option.

If you are interested, you can watch this on Amazon Video with a Prime membership. You can also watch it on Plutotv for free.

Movie Reviews, movies

YouTube Movie Review: Tommy Boy (1995)

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Tommy Boy remains a classic Chris Farley comedy. While it does suffer a bit from the ravages of time, it still holds up well. Sure, some of the jokes don’t land, and the story is a little basic, but it is still a solid comedy that had me crying from laughter.

It goes without saying, Chris Farley was a treasure and this movie is a great example of why. The charisma and energy he brings to his performances remain unparalleled. It saddens me that we didn’t get to see his career evolve.

I do take issue where the joke is that he is the fat guy. I never thought those jokes were funny. This one doesn’t have too many, but it has enough where I have to say something. He is a funny guy, and weight has nothing to do with it. I do love the chemistry that Farley and Spade share. The only reason this movie works is that they play off each other so well. 

If you are in the mood for a classic comedy that still holds up, you can find this free on YouTube.

Watch it Here!
Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: No Clue (2013)

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No Clue is a fun and quirky parody of the detective noir genre. It is similar to the Naked Gun series but less suave and more dorky. The movie is about a dorky pen salesman who gets hired as a PI by a mysterious woman. Now he must use the little skills he has to solve a murder and an overarching conspiracy.

I loved this movie, but I am a sucker for the dorky kind of comedy that is this movie. This movie isn’t for everyone. The jokes are cheesy and can be a little cringey, but Brent Bunt has the charisma (or lack of) to make it work. A lot of the comedy relies on Leo being aloof. The humor comes from his constant miscommunication and stammering awkwardness. Leo has no clue what he is doing, and he will fumble his way through this mystery. It isn’t perfect. Some of the acting is awkward, some of the writing is bad, and not all of the jokes land. But this movie has its own awkward charm as there are some genuinely funny moments. Then again, I am a huge fan of awkward comedy and dad jokes.

I would say, if you like comedy that is based on wordplay and misunderstandings, it is a safe bet. But if you don’t like Leo as a character, this is going to be a rough sit. You can watch it on Amazon Video with a Prime membership.

Movie Reviews, movies

YouTube Movie Review: Apartment 143 (2012)

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I am not a fan of found footage movies. I don’t like the lack of structure. There are some exceptions to this, but unfortunately, Apartment 143 isn’t one of them. Maybe I would have liked this movie if I could understand any of the conversations. In an odd artistic decision, the sound is recorded from a camera microphone too far away to pick up a lot of the dialogue. The idea was probably to make the found footage seem more authentic, but it is hard to care about a movie you can’t understand.

The movie is about a group of paranormal investigators on a job. Strange things have been happening to the family living in Apartment 143, and this team of experts is here to figure out what it is. The movie entertains the possibility of ghosts, demons, psychic powers, and even mental illness for the strange activity. There is a lot of pointless misdirection because the movie ends without a clear answer. The worst part of this movie is that it ends in sequel bait. Whatever is going on in the house isn’t done yet.

There are better found footage movies out there. Ones that don’t involve people waiting around having irrelevant conversations. This shamelessly relies on cheap jump scares to hide the fact that there is nothing valuable in the rest of the movie. As of writing this, you can watch this free on YouTube, but I wouldn’t bother.

Watch it Here!
Series Reviews

TV Series Review: Outer Range

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Outer Range is a brand new show on Amazon that should at least be on your radar. As of writing this, there are only two episodes out, but they are enough to at the very least get you invested. This is a suspenseful, ominous, and mysterious take on the rancher’s story, and I for one am here for it. It is a little early to judge this show fully, but so far it is doing a spectacular job.

Outer Range has an exceptional cast that makes it easy to get lost in the drama and mystery. The acting and the unique storytelling are more than enough to recommend this show. Whether it becomes a story about the multi-verse or cowboys vs. aliens, I have faith that the journey will be a good one. The way that it masterfully weaves in this ominous mystery with the story about an ongoing land dispute is proof enough.  

My only complaint with this show so far is that I have to wait another week for the next episode. You can watch it over on Amazon if you have a Prime membership.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: All the Old Knives (2022)

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All the Old Knives is a new movie on Amazon. It is supposed to be this suspenseful mystery about a detective trying to find the traitor, but all that is uncovered is deep disappointment.  

The poster has you believe that you will get a murder mystery type movie, where the main character goes around investigating the different people involved. You don’t. The whole movie is a long-drawn-out conversation between two people who share absolutely no chemistry. There are flashbacks mixed in to give the movie variation, but they are pointless and add nothing to the plot. This movie uses most of its run time on a conversation that slowly builds to an obvious and disappointing twist. All the Old Knives fails at creating any tension, suspense, or mystery. Without these, the plot doesn’t work.

For this movie to work, it needs more moving parts. The whole movie is a conversation between two people. A conversation that merely summarizes events that don’t matter. It is easy to figure out what this movie is building up to early on. When the big reveal happens, I think disappointing is too nice a word. I wanted to break things. There should have been more narratives to keep the audience guessing. Anything to keep the audience invested in the mystery. The twist is garbage and they should change it. Anything is better than what they chose and I stand by this statement. Even comedies like Clue or Murder Mystery understand how to create a more effective mystery. 

This movie is missing the essential components needed for the plot to work. Skip it. If you don’t believe me, you can watch it on Amazon with a Prime Membership.

Movie Reviews, movies

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. 

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)

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I have mixed feelings about this series. I am really impressed with what this show does well, but it is slow. It builds proper suspense and mystery, the death scenes are well done, there are some cool set designs, and the twist is surprising. The biggest problem with this show is that it is too long. You have to sit through a lot of pointless relationships and teen drama to get to the good parts. There are a lot of plot points and development that lead nowhere. I tuned out a lot of this show because of this. But some well-done moments kept me interested till the end. It is hard to recommend this show because of how slow it gets.

The show follows the same formula as the original movies. A group of friends is out partying and they hit someone with a car. They decide to hide their crime and live with the guilt. Someone knows what they did and now is terrorizing them, hunting them down one by one. For the most part, this show presents a solid mystery. That is if you can sit through all the filler. Most of you have better things to do. I think if you are the target audience, you might fair a little better with all the teen drama than I did.

I wish this series were a movie instead. If they cut out all the filler, you have a solid mystery and some impressive creativity. There are some fun death scenes and some suspenseful moments, but the pacing takes away from this. I want more creative deaths and mystery because the show does the few it has well.

I also thought the use of shifting perspectives was a neat idea. Every episode would follow a different victim and you would get a different perspective of a shared experience. It provided context and deeper insight into each character. The problem is that it got repetitive, and often it would be a rehashing of the same story you’ve already seen too many times. I think if each retelling added useful information about the mystery instead of drama it would have been more effective. Maybe even have some details misremembered because everyone was so high. But I appreciate the attempt nonetheless.

I am not surprised it got cancelled after one season. I think it ends fine enough, any story after would have been too off the rails to be tolerable. Overall, the pacing really hurts the show. Watch this if you want something that doesn’t require much attention because you will zone a lot of this out. I wouldn’t rush out to watch this, but it is something to check out if you have nothing else to do. You can check it out on Amazon if you have a Prime membership.