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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Movie Review: Your Christmas or Mine? (2022)
On the third day of my Christmas marathon, I finally found a good one. I started this venture assuming everything I watched till Christmas was going to be a disappointment, but then Your Christmas or Mine? came around and surprised me. While it is still your typical Christmas story, it is able to charm and entertain its audience. If you are searching for another movie to watch this holiday, consider this one.
Your Christmas or Mine? is the quirky story of a couple who end up attending the wrong Christmas. Hayley and James are heading home to spend Christmas apart. But right before the trains depart, they decide to board the opposite train. They plan to surprise one another at their final destination. But things don’t go as planned, and the couple is each stranded in a strange city with no way to get back. The two will spend time with each other’s family. James gets to spend his night with Hayley’s quirky family, while Haley is stuck with a grinch of a man. By the time Christmas comes around, the couple will grow more in love and full of Christmas spirit.
This is a cute movie because the actors have the charisma to make this movie work. At its core, this is still a cheesy Christmas movie, but one with enough charm where it doesn’t matter. Your Christmas or Mine? is quirky in a way that isn’t annoying, funny in a way that doesn’t try too hard, and better than the other movies in the genre I have had to sit through this year. It may not win awards or become engrained into the Christmas culture, but it will entertain.
Christmas is around the corner and if you need a movie to get you in the Christmas spirit, give this a chance. You can stream it on Amazon video if you have a prime membership.
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Movie Review: Christmas on Mistletoe Farm
Christmas on Mistletoe Farm is a kids’ movie. Unless you have young kids, I do not recommend you watch it. This is not a bad movie, but it is designed for a younger audience. While you won’t hate it if you sit through it, you will get bored and cringe at its general cheesiness.
Christmas on Mistletoe Farm is the story of an overworked father who learns to slow down and enjoy the time that he has with his young kids. Matt has trouble balancing his work life and home life as he attempts to raise his five kids on his own. One day, where he inherits a farm from his estranged father. He and his kids go to the countryside to find some peace and quiet, but what they find instead is the Christmas spirit they had been missing. It is very cheesy and over the top.
A lot of the humor is geared toward a younger audience, but it does have its moments. A lot of the acting is loud and over the top, but I appreciate the energy and enthusiasm the actors put into their performances. The actors seem to be having fun with their roles, and that energy was infectious.
The plot is simple and easy to follow, with a lot of pop-culture references. I doubt this movie will have any lasting potential, but I have sat through worse. This movie is loud, colorful, and full of cute animals. This is a solid Christmas movie to watch with your toddler. But if you don’t have kids, don’t bother. You can stream it on Netflix.
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Image by Susanne Jutzeler, Schweiz, from Pixabay
Movie Review: Something From Tiffany’s (2022)
I have been avidly avoiding Christmas movies this season, not because I am a Grinch, but because I couldn’t muster the strength to sit through them. Let’s face it, this genre is the recycling of the same movie every year, and it is getting harder to sit through them. I decided that today I would start getting into the Christmas spirit, but unfortunately, the movie is Something From Tiffany’s.
Something From Tiffany’s is the story of two lost souls who are stuck in their respective relationships. Fate brings these two unknowing souls together by way of New York City taxi. Ethan is at Tiffany’s buying his engagement ring when Rachel’s boyfriend comes in that same night to buy his girlfriend a cheap gift. In a brief moment, the boyfriend gets hit by the taxi, causing the events that will bring Ethan and Rachel together for Christmas. Ethen, being the generic and caring man that he is, rushes to check up on the generic boyfriend, but he ends up switching the ring with the cheap gift. Ethen and Rachel will meet in the hospital, and it is love at first sight. Fate keeps bringing them together, and in a matter of days, they fall madly in love with each other. You can guess what happens from here.
This movie is bad even by the genre’s standards. The acting was surprisingly good, but its narrative is terrible. I always feel bad for the significant others in these movies who have the cruel fate of being love’s cruelest obstacle. Ethan’s girlfriend seemed like a nice girl whose only fault seemed to be that she wasn’t quirky enough. Ethan was ready to propose, but one brief encounter at the hospital was enough to change his mind. Rachel’s boyfriend was a loser, but at least he wasn’t evil which is refreshing.
The idea was to show how the leads were stagnating, stuck in their routines. It was only through finding true love that they can move forward and live their best lives. But is it love that they share? Is it fate bringing these two together? Is it Christmas magic? They are only together for a day before they decide that they are meant to be together. I see this as a relationship fueled more by desire than love. Rachel and Ethan lust for something different and fresh, and this accident gives them that. It is less romantic to think about how this race to fall in love for Christmas is less about fate and more about a change in scenery. Even if they were meant to be together and were previously in bad relationships, they were ready to be engaged, and that is where I have my problem.
I am overthinking a movie that had no effort put into it, but I was bored. Let me have this. There are better movies in this genre. Go watch something like The Princess Switch or Falling for Christmas instead. They are bad too, but somehow they are a little better.
You can stream this on Amazon, but I wouldn’t.
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Movie Review: Gone in the Night (2022)
Gone in the Night shouldn’t be a movie. This movie is the biggest waste of time on the platform. Nothing happens in this movie. There is barely a plot, and the twist is terrible. If you are considering watching this movie, don’t.
Wynona Ryder and her boyfriend plan to spend a weekend in the woods in an effort to save their relationship. But when they get to the cabin, they find that the cabin has been double booked. Another couple is already spending the weekend, but they decide to share the booking. Everything seems fine, but in the morning, Ryder discovers that her boyfriend has run off with another woman. She eventually decides to find out what happened to him, and it unravels to be one of the slowest and most disappointing mysteries you will ever see.
Gone in the Night wastes its talented cast on poorly written and forgettable characters. There is barely a story to this movie. Most of the time you are watching Wynona Ryder go on boring dates and lazily search for her missing boyfriend. What little story exists in this movie is brushed over so you can make it to the next boring date. The narrative exists as an inconvenience because of its collection of fake-deep rants and boring scenes with Winona Ryder. The big reveal is brushed over so quickly, it barely exists. If you are going to make a thriller, give your mystery some screen time.
Gone in the Night is supposed to be a thriller, but it isn’t thrilling. There is no suspense or buildup. Things just happen, and then it just ends. It tries to be deep by ending on a cliffhanger, but who cares? There wasn’t enough development for it to work. Don’t watch this movie, nothing happens. You can stream it on Hulu, but it isn’t worth the data.
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Movie Review: Nanny (2022)
Nanny is a new movie on Amazon that is a slow burn, but one worth seeing. It won’t be for everyone because of its pacing, but the story it tells is an important one. By mixing west African folklore with the mundane ritual of every day, this film challenges the fantasized American dream and replaces it with a more bleak reality.
Aisha moves to New York to work as a nanny for a rich family. She hopes to use the money from this job to bring her son to America so that he can have a chance at a better life. But life in America isn’t as easy as it seems. Aisha finds herself working long hours and constantly having to fight her employer for payment. The only relationship that she has with her family back home is through voicemails, videos, and photographs. The isolation she feels as she misses her family and home begin to take their toll on her psyche. It is a well-done narrative about an experience that is often overlooked.
The movie is great, but it is slow and quiet. The pacing and the silence help create a truly isolating experience, one that grows in intensity the deeper you get into the movie. Its clever use of folklore and fantastical imagery illustrates Aisha’s non-verbal struggle masterfully. Her emotions and longings come, breaking the barrier between reality and emotion.
But this movie doesn’t just explore the world through the experience of a Nanny, it challenges the American fairy tale. The film takes the isolating existence of immigrant life and contrasts it against a struggling working-class family. Her employer struggles in a male-dominated world while tolerating her husband’s insecurities. The movie’s focus is on Aisha, but the movie masterfully sprinkles enough bites of dysfunction to completely shatter American idealism.
This isn’t a story that is new to the American landscape, but it is an important one to tell. Nanny is well-acted, beautifully directed, and well-told. It might be a bit slow and a little too artsy for its own good, but it is one I need to recommend. You can stream it on Amazon, and I recommend that you at least give it a try.
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Movie Review: Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022)
It has been a rough season for musicals; at least the ones I have sat through have been bad. I had the lowest expectation for Scrooge: A Christmas Carol. I believed this would be another of Netflix’s shameless cash grabs at a timeless IP, but I was mistaken. This adaptation does justice to the classic Dickens story and is one that I recommend you watch this holiday season.
There is a lot to love about this movie. The music is catchy, the voice acting is solid, the animation is beautiful, and the dog is so cute. I was initially captured by how pretty this movie is, but I stayed for the music that followed. I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of musicals, but this has to be the exception. A few of the songs still rattle around in my head as I write this review. If you are hesitant at all to watch this movie, give it a chance. It will be better than any hallmark movie you’ll have to sit through. For those wondering, this is better than Spirited.
There isn’t much I can say about the story because it is based on the classic by Charles Dickens. What sets it apart is the art direction. The animation is fantastic. The haunts take advantage of the dream world and create some truly breathtaking moments. I recommend it just for the art style, but trust me, the songs are pretty good as well. I particularly loved how they chose to handle Scrooge. Scrooge isn’t an evil man. Instead, he is a tragic character who has closed his heart because he doesn’t want to be hurt. His redemption arc may be rushed, but gosh is it pretty?
Unfortunately, the writer, songwriter, and director, and the reason we are blessed with this movie this season has passed away. I am truly grateful for the gift she left us for the season. May she rest in peace.
If you need a movie to add to your Christmas marathon, this should be somewhere on your list. It is colorful and wonderful, and the songs are great. Go stream it on Netflix.
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Movie Review: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
I was very excited about Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio. I believed that Del Toro’s artistic vision would bring new life to this ancient fairy tale, but sadly I was mistaken. This movie ended up being a huge disappointment that I struggled to finish.
There is no real need for a synopsis. This movie is the story of Pinocchio set against the backdrop of WWI-era Italy voiced by British actors.
I wish this movie was voiced in Italian because I was not a fan of any of the voices. The singing would have been more tolerable in Italian. If the voices don’t turn you off this movie, the singing sure will. Admittedly, I am not a fan of musicals, but I at least expect the singing to be good and the songs to be catchy. This version of the fairy tale chooses to be a musical without any talented singers or catchy songs to alleviate you from the boring narrative.
The story may have been well-intentioned as it touches on an important moment in history, but it unravels much too slowly. With the added musical numbers, this movie feels longer than it is. This felt like someone was trying to tell in Guillermo Del Toro’s style, but it was an attempt that fails miserably.
This adaptation may look pretty, but it lacks any real substance. I was not impressed. Once again I am disappointed by another of Guillermo Del Toro’s projects, and it is becoming difficult to remain supportive.
You can stream Pinocchio on Netflix, but I wouldn’t bother. I understand that this movie is in select theaters, but that would be a waste of your money.
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The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) Review
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will pass the time if you have nothing else to watch. While it may not be the worst entry to the MCU, it isn’t the breath of fresh air it promises to be. I thought it was fine, but I wouldn’t watch it again.
The special picks up with a devastated Flynn as he mourns the loss of Gamora. In an effort to cheer up Flynn, Mantis and Drax go on an adventure. They fly to earth in order to bring Flynn some Christmas joy, but they become distracted by Earth’s strange customs. The film focuses on the shenanigans of Drax and Mantis as they try to find Kevin Bacon.
The series is just okay, but it isn’t anything special. At least it isn’t something I would rush to. The performances were fine, and even got a few laughs out of it, but you have to sit through a lot of improv. There isn’t a real structure to this movie. Instead, this movie feels like a collection of skits, some of which go on for too long. You will not hate this if you watch it, so throw it on when you need a break from all those Hallmark movies I am sure you’ve been binging.
I don’t have anything else to say because this was a mediocre Christmas special. I wasn’t even going to review it because I found it unremarkable. It wasn’t bad, but it isn’t going to become a holiday staple. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it, but if you need something to watch, sure. You can stream it on Disney+.
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Movie Review: Underwater (2022)
Underwater was a stressful endeavor that I recommend to those seeking a solid horror movie you can stream from the comfort of your home. While it may not be perfect, it has far exceeded my expectations. If your heart isn’t racing by the end of this movie, then you were probably watching something different.
Through our ever-growing hubris, humanity has begun to mine the ocean floor for its resources. This impossible task is engineered by a corporation with a mysterious agenda. An enormous mining operation sits at the bottom of the ocean floor until disaster rattles at its security. The rig begins to fail, forcing its few survivors to scramble for the surface. But their only chance sits miles away. They must venture into the dark ocean and hope their supplies don’t run out. But there is something evil swimming in the darkness. Will they ever get to see the surface again?
I liked this movie a lot. The suspense was well-built, the acting was solid, and the story was fine for what it is. It does follow the familiar formula that other movies in this genre do, but the execution was good enough that it didn’t matter. My only real complaint about this movie is that there are some confusing scenes. These scenes are dark, poorly rendered, or very shaky. I would have to sit and wait for the scene to finish to understand what just happened. This might have been done deliberately in an effort to emulate what the survivors were feeling, but it didn’t always work. It wasn’t bad enough to ruin the experience, but it is something I have to mention.
One thing I do recommend if you choose to watch this movie is to avoid the trailer because it contains spoilers. It is not a huge deal because you can probably guess what is going to happen as you watch the movie, but it is something to consider if you care about spoilers. I will include the trailer below because I always do, but you have been warned.
It has been a while since I have sat through a movie that has left me this stressed out about life. Yes, the plot was predictable, but I didn’t care because I was enjoying the ride. If you are looking for a solid survival horror movie, go stream Underwater on Hulu.
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