I liked Murder Mystery, so I was excited about this sequel. I wasn’t expecting a comedic masterpiece, but I at least thought it would be entertaining. Murder Mystery 2 is a lazy sequel and a waste of time. It was clear that this movie was made for a paycheck because it lacks any of the charm or humor to make it work. If you want to sit through a boring and predictable mystery, go ahead and queue this up.
The Spitz find themselves in the middle of another mystery. Someone is framing them for a kidnapping they didn’t do, and now the race is on to piece it all together before they are sent to jail. Can they do it in time? Yes, they do, and it is boring.
There isn’t much to say about this movie because no one is trying. The writing is lazy, the mystery is predictable, and the acting is okay at best. As a comedy, this movie is rarely funny. The jokes that did make me laugh aren’t worth sitting through this movie. The mystery is so poorly written that you can solve it in the first few minutes without even trying. You will know who did it as soon as they walk into the scene.
This movie is so uninspired and unremarkable that I have already forgotten what it was about. It was such a waste of time that I considered turning it off after only thirty minutes, but I powered through it knowing it wasn’t going to get better. If you liked the first one, rewatch that instead. If you are curious about this movie, don’t be. It isn’t good You can stream it on Netflix, but I wouldn’t waste my time.
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
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: Inside Man (2022)
Inside Man has become my new obsession. If you don’t fall in love with this quirky murder thriller, we did not watch the same show. Stop reading and go watch this show now.
The series is like a quirky version of The Silence of the Lambs. Stanley Tucci plays a brilliant man on death row who can solve any mystery. The series focuses on his latest job where he must help a reporter find her missing friend. Janice has been locked in a basement, and her time is running out. Will they be able to find her before her time runs out?
I loved this show. The acting is fantastic, the story is fun, and it was the perfect length for a series. The series is structured as a mystery that only Stanley Tucci can solve. The show will constantly cut between the crime and Stanley Tucci trying to solve it. My only complaint is that Stanley Tucci’s character is a bit too omnipotent as he can solve the mystery with the smallest amount of clues, but it is fun to watch him work through it. It is fair to say that every character in this series is a bit exaggerated for satire, but it is done brilliantly. The cast give a fantastic performance and I urge you to watch this show based on this fact alone. I dare you to hate any of these characters, morality aside of course. I’m afraid I can’t do a deeper dive because I am afraid that I will ruin the experience.
The story is a bit ridiculous as it constantly escalates toward its finale, but it is a good story nonetheless. I believe it is meant to act as a metaphor for the lengths that people will go to under the crippling pleasures of desperation. It isn’t meant to be a dive into human pathology, but rather to satirize the genre.
This series is a small commitment and one that you can knock out in a sitting. You don’t need to know extensive lore, and there isn’t much filler to pad the time. This series proves that you can tell a good story in a little bit of time. I hate watching series that are stretched out because big streaming wants you to sit on your couch longer. Not every show needs to be 10 episodes with multiple seasons. Tell your story in as long as it takes, and leave.
This is the fun series that you need in your life. Go stream it on Netflix.
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Movie Review: Murder at Yellowstone City (2022)
I love westerns and Murder at Yellowstone City is a murder mystery with the western aesthetic that almost scratches my itch. While it does lean a bit heavily into its white guilt preaching for my taste, it is a solid murder mystery that I have little trouble recommending. If you like westerns and want a murder mystery that isn’t a comedy and won’t disappoint, you can’t go wrong with this movie. The acting is solid, the story is fine, and the mystery is well crafted. The mystery is solvable, but if you miss clues, you will be kept guessing till the big reveal.
The town of Yellowstone City struggles to keep afloat as the only company it keeps are the whores and the desperate prospectors. Hope shines on this forgotten outpost when gold is discovered, but the man who would bring the town new prosperity is gunned down in the dead of night. All clues point to the stranger who just strolled in. Did he do it, or is there something more sinister afoot?
I can’t lie, this movie feels longer than it is. There are a lot of preachy pc moments that stop the movie and feel out of place. While I don’t have an issue with woke messaging, there is a time and a place for it. In Murder at Yellowstone City, it really hurts the pacing of the movie. Scenes will stop for some wholesome political correct messaging when the movie should be solving murders and getting into gun fights. I definitely felt issues with the pacing throughout the second half, but it isn’t unwatchable. Ironically, the movie spends its run time trying to prove that not all white people were racist, only to end a little racist.
If you like murder mysteries, this is a fun one that isn’t a comedy. If you like westerns, I would consider it. I appreciated the western aesthetic, but it doesn’t have the grit and conflict that make westerns fun and exciting. I guess what I am trying to say is, that it is good enough.
Movie Review: The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022)
The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a delightful and wholesome experience that I recommend to everyone. It is full of singing, dancing, and laughter, and it is a much-appreciated addition to the series. While I don’t believe the theater experience is necessary, I am glad to have seen it in theaters.
Bob’s Burgers is one of my favorite animated series. I have re-watched this show more times than I would like to admit. I was rightfully excited when I learned about this movie and my excitement has been properly reciprocated. I was skeptical about this movie, fearing that there would be changes made in order to capture a more general audience. I am relieved that the animators worked tirelessly to create a story that is not only true to the spirit of the series but expands on it as well.
This cute little murder mystery is one of the better ones to be released recently. Although you might figure out who the killer is early on, it won’t matter because of how much fun this movie is. The singing, dancing, and pageantry all work in conjunction with a very fun and interesting narrative. While the singing and animation aren’t on par with something you expect from Disney, it is fantastic in its own way. There are a lot of laughs to be had in this movie, and if you are a fan, even more so. I hope that this movie is canonical because there are some important moments of character growth that as a long-time fan left me teary-eyed with joy.
If you are a fan, you probably already watched it. It is full of Easter eggs and nods that will make you appreciate the attention to detail put into this film. Do not be discouraged if you have never seen the show before. Although you will miss out on some of the nuances and jokes, the story works well enough on its own that you will understand what is going on. You will still laugh, you will still cry, and you will even want to start watching a show you should already be watching.
This is a fantastic movie that truly captures what has made the Belcher family a staple in American pop culture. If you are a long-time fan, it will provide some very important insight into the Belcher family. Go watch this in theaters!
Watch Next: Knives Out (2019)
As I mentioned in previous posts, I will be releasing shorter reviews along with my usual more in depth reviews. These will serve more as quick recommendations of movies that I believe are worth your time. To know the difference, they will be titled “Watch Next: Movie Title (year)”.
Are you looking for another movie to watch while you are stuck at home? Are you a fan of the mystery genre? Do you need a fun movie to watch for your next date night? Well then Knives Out (2019) should be on your radar. Even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, you will find something in this movie to like. Whether it is the sight gags, the incredible performances by an amazing cast, or the fun quirky way this story is told, there is something for everyone here.
The movie starts after the murder of a renowned mystery novelist. While it seems like it was a suicide, the mysterious circumstances that lead up to this event suggest otherwise. Now it is up to Benoit Blanc, “the last of the gentleman sleuths” to get to the bottom of it.
Now I would classify this movie more of a parody of the genre, but one that doesn’t go over the top with ridiculous antics. Instead, it is grounded in some realism and will poke fun of itself when it does step out of line. Even if you are able to solve the mystery in the first five seconds, the ride this film will take you on is well worth it. This isn’t your typical mystery movie, don’t come into it expecting to solve a intricate mystery. You are here for a story and to be entertained by a cast of incredible characters. I do love everything about this movie. Although certainly not without its flaws, it is one that you should watch if you have an Amazon Prime membership.
Let me know what you thought of the movie, or if you would like a more in-depth review of the movie.
Murder Party (2007) Review
Murder Party is the film you’ve never heard of that should have stayed a play. The movie starts off with a man finding a mysterious invitation to the murder party. It name drops within the first five minutes of the film. The man decides to go to the party without knowing anything about it. There a lot of obvious warning signs that the man shouldn’t go to this party, the biggest being that it is being held in the outskirts of town. There is a moment when he runs through the empty creepy streets to some abandoned warehouse. Little does he know that the party was a plot by the most pretentious art students to commit a murder. It is when he gets to the party that the shenanigans begin as he is going to be the victim of this murder party. But, luckily for him, the killers are idiots and are picked off one by one by terrifying slap stick. Now you get to watch as the group unravels as they fail to go through with the murder.
This film feels like a community theater play. Not a terrible one, but one that shouldn’t have been put to video. A lot of the acting, dialogue, the scenery all belong on stage. The acting is over the top, and while I have seen places where it works, it gets annoying real fast in this film. I get that the over the top acting fits the tone of the movie, but it makes the already unlikable characters less likable. The characters in this movie are archetypes of eccentric art students, each one representing a unique quirk. The problem is that none of the characters are likable and spend most of the time arguing. The movie gets hard to sit through when you don’t care about the characters. Most of the dialogue is frivolous bickering and don’t really add anything to the plot. And this movie forgets it’s plot for the sake of this bickering and of course the slap stick.
The worst part is the slap stick. This movie has to invent silly ways for the characters to die so the innocent man can escape. It is because of their incompetence that they all meet their ends. One characters dies form catching fire after dousing himself with alcohol when he was drinking. None of these characters posses the ability to function in normal society.
This movie also makes a statement about the art community, I think? All the people who are in this mysterious warehouse are pretentious art students working on their art. They will argue amongst themselves constantly about their art and will talk about a huge project that they are working on. This whole film seems like a pretentious art project made by someone in this film. It tries way to hard to be dark, and funny, and gross that it doesn’t really tell a good story. I wouldn’t mind the acting and cheap production if the movie told a good story. Instead you get to follow a bunch of characters you don’t like being annoying. There are whole scenes where all they do is bicker. This isn’t plot.
If you like weird movies, check this out. It is something you have to see to know that it exists. I do not recommend this for the average viewer because it is way too artsy and pretentious. I’d say skip this if you are looking for something entertaining to watch. I give this a 3 out of 10. I did like a few scenes and I appreciated that it is different from all the other movies I have seen, but it is not for everyone.