Tag Archives: Reviews

Movie Review: The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)

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The Curse of Bridge Hollow might be one of the most unfunny and stiff horror comedies I have seen this year. It is very forgettable. If this movie comes up as a recommendation, ignore it.

Another generic family moves to a new city to start a new life, but the house they move into is shrouded with mystery and ominous energy. Their lives change when the generic daughter character unleashes a curse on the city that brings all the Halloween decorations to life. She and her daughter must free the town of this curse before it unleashes a great evil into the world. But before they can deal with the curse, they must first fix their relationship. Can they do so before midnight on Halloween?

The Curse on Bridge Hollow is poorly written and acted waste of time. There is no chemistry between the leads, and it makes all the banter and dialogue painful to get through. A movie like this that focuses so much on intrapersonal conflicts needs better leads with better chemistry. Everything about this movie is stiff, and as a result, none of the jokes, one-liners, or emotional moments work. There is no reason to watch this movie, even if you like making fun of bad movies.

The plot of this story is basic at best. You’ve seen this story play out better anywhere else, but this story is beyond redundant as it follows a tiring formula. The daughter and father would go to the next scene, they would have an argument about how controlling the father is only to be interrupted by the animated decorations. The father begins to see that his daughter is competent, they have a small emotional moment and move to the next scene to do it all again. The only difference between the scenes is the terrible jokes and the poorly delivered one-liners for each situation.

I don’t think they had enough ideas for this movie because there is a bit of filler. There is a painfully unfunny recurring bit about the mom’s terrible baking. The mom would push her vegan goods on people only to have them reject them out of disgust. This plot point came back so often that I thought it was going to be the ex-Machina that would save the world from the curse, thankfully, it wasn’t. Although now thinking about it, it would make for a much better conclusion. Unfortunately, this joke was the best attempt at storytelling this movie has. This unfunny baking bit is the only plot point that gets a proper conclusion. 

It took several sittings to get through this movie because it was so boring. This season hasn’t been good for Halloween movies, and I can only hope there is some hidden gem on the horizon. Until then, I will keep sifting the genre in hopes of finding anything worth watching. Until then, skip this movie. But if you don’t believe me, you can stream this on Netflix.

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Image by HANSUAN FABREGAS from Pixabay

Tech Review: Razer Orbweaver Keypad

My search for a more ergonomic gaming setup eventually landed me the Razor Orbweaver. Unfortunately, this device is no longer supported by Razor, and each day becomes an increased gamble of whether or not it will continue to work. That said, I love this keypad to bits and will continue to use it till it officially dies. I won’t be linking to this product because all I could find were listings with inflated prices that are not justifiable for this keypad. The most ideal price for this would be $50-$60 new, and that is pushing it.

The Orbweaver is a 30-button keypad that you can reprogram to fit your gaming style. The keypad can be easily remapped through the official Synapse app. You can save multiple different profiles that are game or program-specific. You can program the device to automatically switch profiles when certain programs or games are running. One issue I have with the software is that you do need to have an account with Razor to access your keybinds. The software will occasionally log you out, and if you lose your password, you have to start over. I wish they would have had onboard memory so that I didn’t have to sign into synapse every single time. Otherwise, the program is pretty straightforward, but I have heard people having issues with the buggy software.

Please note that Razor is no longer supporting the Orbweaver. There will no longer be any updates to the firmware or the software; it will eventually become unusable. I am sure there are third-party open-sourced solutions for remapping this device, but I haven’t looked into any because the current configuration works for me.

Images are from Amazon store

Build quality is another issue that you should consider when buying this keypad. It looks cool out of the box, but it feels cheap. I purchased mine as an Amazon renewed, and while I did get lucky, one of the directions on the thumbstick stopped working when the window for exchange closed. Since then, the bottom thumb key has stopped registering presses consistently, and I fear it will eventually stop registering presses completely. Aside from these two issues, the Orbweaver works perfectly, and I still plan on daily driving it till it dies.

What I love about the Orbweaver is how customizable the experience is. You can readjust the wrist, palm, and thumb rests to fit your hand size. People with larger hands might have an issue, but I was able to find a perfect configuration that has allowed for a much more comfortable gaming experience. I used to get bad wrist and hand pain that limited how much meaningful gaming I could get from a session. I used to only be able to manage 30 minutes of gaming before I had to give up because the pain was too much. I can now play for a lot longer without issue, although I still recommend taking regular breaks and stretching. This isn’t a perfect solution, and the pain comes back if I use the computer for longer than I should. This is currently the best solution I have found for me and my hands.

For gaming, the Orbweaver has been a fantastic upgrade. The pain in my hands and wrists used to make it difficult to hit all the number keys. This greatly affected my reflexes, and it made competitive gaming impossible. I love being able to remap the key to fit both my hands and my play style. I no longer have issues with overextension to reach the keys. If you are looking for something more comfortable, or even something that is more convenient, this keypad is a great option.

I love the Orbweaver, and under normal circumstances, I would be recommending it, but it’s just too expensive for what you are getting. Anyone over $50 new is asking too much. Buying it used is a gamble because the build quality isn’t reliable enough to be worth the risk. It won’t be falling apart, but it is something to keep in mind before paying. This device is also reaching the end of its life, and when Razor stops supporting its software, you will have to deal with third-party solutions. It is probably a better idea to look for alternatives or the Orbweaver’s successors if you thinking of buying a keypad unless you find it for cheap and don’t mind working a little harder.

Movie Review: Halloween Ends (2022)

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This series should have ended with the last movie. There is no reason for this movie to exist except to make money, but you shouldn’t give it any of yours. If you want to indulge in someone else’s self-serving terrible vision, this is the movie for you. But if you are trying to watch some good horror for Halloween, watch anything else.

Halloween Ends is the conclusion to the Michael Meyers saga that no one asked for. This is possibly the dullest and most uninspired slasher movie I have seen this year, and I just watched Jeepers Creepers: Rebirth. There are many issues with this movie, but the biggest one is that nothing happens. I like that there has been a trend to give horror movies proper plots, but please make it interesting. There is nothing interesting about this sequel. The first half of this movie is wasted on a relationship no one cares about. There are maybe 15 minutes where the slasher movie exists, but the rest is just pointless filler. The slasher bits aren’t even fun, most of the kills happen off-camera or too quickly to matter.

The biggest issue I have with this movie is with overbearing narration that refuses to go away. I am sorry, but I came here expecting to watch a slasher film, not to listen to a terrible audiobook. All the narration in this movie comes in the form of a fake book Jamie Lee Curtis is writing that only seems to be repeating her big speech from the last movie. You even get to watch her write the book in real-time. How exciting is that? I am very upset that this movie is desperate to convince its audience that the Halloween series is some deep allegory for the human condition when it has never been about that. It is completely self-serving and takes away from the only reason people would go watch this dumb movie.

The other issue I have with this movie is how inhuman they make Meyers be. This film feathers an immortal, omniscient, and teleporting Michael who terrorizes the town until he gets to Jamie Lee Curtis. They make it a point to show that he is unstoppable, but then he is easily and anti-climactically stopped by an injured woman and her granddaughter. I don’t even have the words to express my disappointment.

I can only hope that this is truly the end of this series, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they reincarnate him for another terrible reboot. I am not surprised that this disappointing reboot got such a disappointing ending, but it does hurt that I wasted my time on it. Don’t watch this movie in theaters when you can stream it on Peacock. Don’t stream it on Peacock because it is a complete waste of time.

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Image Source: By Universal Pictures – https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/halloween-ends, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71346881

Movie Review: Jeepers Creepers:Reborn (2022)

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They should let the Jeepers Creepers series die already. We haven’t gotten a good one in years, and Jeepers Creepers Reborn isn’t the rebirth the series was hoping for. This cheap and uninspired sequel is better left forgotten and ignored. If you are searching for a movie to add to your Halloween marathon, please look elsewhere.

The film focuses on a couple that is on the verge of a life-changing moment. While the boyfriend plans a proposal, the girlfriend plans a pregnancy announcement. The plan is to make a big reveal at possibly the worst rave/Halloween festival put on screen. But before the couple can start the next phase of their lives, they must survive Jeepers Creepers. Will they survive? You will never know because you aren’t watching this garbage. 

There is so much wrong with this movie that I am not sure where to start. The acting is bad, the writing is worse, and the plot doesn’t matter. I am convinced that whoever wrote this script has never held a real conversation or knows how real people speak. The dialogue is unreal, and a lot of it is used as lazy exposition because the filmmakers aren’t competent enough to show and not tell. The actors seem to be trying their hardest to make it work, but it’s hard to tell because the script doesn’t do them any favors.

The biggest issue with the plot is that it doesn’t exist. You get to sit through a boring rave before anything starts to happen. There is a changing montage in this movie to distract the audience from the fact that there isn’t enough plot for a movie. All this does is make me wish I was watching anything else. When Jeepers Creepers finally decides to come out, you are already halfway done with the movie. There was a convoluted cult subplot that was somehow integral to the film that I completely forgot about because this movie sucks at storytelling. What makes me the maddest about this whole experience is that this movie has the gal to sequel bait. They should just let this series die because they have clearly run out of ideas. 

I assume this movie was a tax write-off. I refuse to believe that a group of people’s vision was to make something this terrible on purpose. If you see this movie in the wild, avoid it at all costs.

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Series Review: Final Space

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Final Space has no right to be as good as it is; you should watch it if you haven’t. I am disappointed that it won’t be getting its proper conclusion anytime soon because a greedy network is holding it hostage. Nonetheless, Final Space is the perfect space odyssey you should be watching! 

Final Space is the story of Gary Goodspeed’s destiny. Gary is serving his prison sentence alone in space when a mysterious, planet-destroying space creature finds him. Gary befriends the strange creature and names it Mooncake. But the friendship between Mooncake and Garry sets off a series of events that will change the universe forever. Now Garry and his newly found crew of misfits must save the universe from an ancient evil. 

Final Space is an epic and emotional adventure I wasn’t prepared for. Do not let the art style and general goofiness fool you, this is a serious adventure full of love, loss, action, and betrayal. Final Space is sci-fi done right. There is fantastic world-building, memorable characters with proper development, actual stakes, and a narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I laughed, I cried, but I need more.

My only complaint about this show is that there aren’t any plans for a final season. It is also difficult to find copies of the seasons that have been released because it is no longer available for streaming anywhere. You can find the first two seasons on Amazon for purchase right now, but that might change soon. It is worth the trouble if you can find it anywhere else, even if it is a physical copy. I can only hold onto the hope that one day it will miraculously get the proper conclusion that it deserves. Take my word for it, go watch Final Space, and don’t forget to thank me when you do. 

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Game Review: Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2

I want to start out by saying that I got this game as a review code and while I am grateful for the opportunity, I will not let that sway my opinion. This will be an honest review of the game.

Lovecraft Untold Stories 2 is a 2D isometric dungeon crawler for pc based on Lovecraft lore. You start off choosing from three playable characters: the witch, the professor, and the detective. Each character has its own unique abilities, armor, and weapons. You control your character through randomly generated dungeons as you try to solve a mystery.

All pictures are from screenshots.

I was very excited about this game. I liked the art, I liked that the cutscenes were comic-like, and I had fun at the intro level. But once you get out of the intro mission, the game becomes frustratingly unplayable. Movement becomes clunky and slow in the cluttered rooms. I was constantly getting stuck on boxes, holes, and trees, making kiting enemies virtually impossible. To make matters worse, I was getting stuck on the invisible boundaries of boxes and trees. The witch has a cool teleport ability that could pass through enemies but would get stuck on invisible artifacts. I died so many times because my teleport was constantly being canceled by nothing. There are instances where I would teleport only to be trapped in between an inescapable grouping of trees. When the environment is more deadly than the enemies, that is bad game design.

I thought the randomly generated dungeons were cool at first, but that view quickly turned sour. I quickly learned that the room generation was quite unbalanced. Some rooms were laughably easy, with only two enemies standing in my way. Others were impossibly hard, with too many enemies and no way to escape. There was one room I couldn’t even complete because there was a wall blocking the exit. I love the randomness of life as much as any other gamer, but this experience was frustrating. 

The insanity mechanic is nonsense. If you get hit by an enemy, you slowly get stacks of insanity. If you get too many, you die. The problem is, there is no clear indication of how much insanity you have, nor is there an easy way to clear it. Because the environment made movement difficult, it was impossible to clear a level without getting stacks of insanity. You either got killed because you got stuck trying to run away, or you died because you gathered too much insanity. This poorly designed mechanic made this game harder than it should be. 

I was beyond excited about this game because it reminds me of the Arkham Horror board game. I have been desperately trying to find a group to play with, and I believed this game would be my only chance. The disappointment I collected from this game was so painful, I couldn’t muster the strength to finish this game. I forced myself to play as much as I could, but I can only be so patient. This game is broken to the point where you won’t get any meaningful enjoyment out of it. Lovecraft Untold Stories 2 isn’t worth your time as a free game, let alone the $25 it is asking for. But if you don’t believe me, you can buy it on steam.

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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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Tech Review: Kinesis Freestyle2 Ergonomic Keyboard

Last post I wrote about the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB Keyboard, an ergonomic gaming keyboard that is nice but expensive. Know that if you are purchasing the Freestyle Edge, you are paying for the luxury of RGB backlighting. You can see my full review of the Freestyle Edge here. For a more affordable option, consider the Kinesis Freestyle2.

Before I begin, I would like to mention that I am not a doctor, and this review is based on my personal experience. For medical advice, always consult a doctor. This is not a paid review, but I will be using affiliate links to the products. If you choose to purchase anything I recommend, I get a small commission if you buy using my links. It isn’t much, but every little bit helps.

The Kinesis Freestyle2 is a wired split keyboard designed for ergonomics. The keyboard comes in a nine-inch split and a 20-inch split variation. I have the nine-inch split version, and I don’t feel like I need any more. Plan for your setup. I have wide shoulders, and the split design has allowed for a more comfortable position.

All images are from the amazon Product page.

My only complaint about the Kinesis split keyboards is that they do not come with the optional tenting kit. Kinesis offers an optional tenting kit for all their split keyboards for a more ergonomic experience. I used the Freestyle2 without the kit, but I am so used to the tilt that I had to buy the kit for this one as well. Most people should be fine using the keyboard without the kit, but personally, the tenting kit makes long typing sessions a lot more comfortable. The Freestyle2 has two options for tenting, a 15-degree variant ($40 on Amazon) and a 90-degree variant ($200 on Amazon). I use the 15-degree variant and think it is perfectly fine, but the 90-degree is a solid option if you prefer a vertical keyboard. I don’t have any experience with the 90-degree version and can’t speak on how sturdy it is.

The main differences between the Freestyle Edge and the Freestyle 2 are the switches and backlight. The Freestyle2 is a membrane keyboard with no backlight and it honestly doesn’t need either. The key presses are soft and responsive, but they aren’t customizable. I have been using this keyboard regularly for two years and haven’t seen any visible signs of wear and tear. Unfortunately, Kinesis doesn’t offer keycap replacements keycaps or mac conversions for this keyboard. The Freestyle2 also comes with a few preprogrammed macro keys for productivity. I haven’t found too much use for these with my workflow.

I used to use a cheap flat keyboard for work that left my hands useless by the end of my shift. There were days when I couldn’t finish my work because the pain would be unbearable. Since making the switch to the Freestyle2, I haven’t had any issues with pain in my hands and wrists. I recommend taking regular breaks and looking into stretches for added comfort. My only other complaint about this keyboard is that there is no number keypad. I don’t really need one for my workflow, the number line works well enough, but the split design makes using numbers a slower experience. It isn’t unmanageable, but people who work with numbers should look into getting a separate keypad. Kinesis offers a Numeric Keypad, currently $35.95 on Amazon, but you can choose your presence.

If you are looking to make your setup a bit more ergonomic, consider the Kinesis Freestyle2 Keyboard, currently $89 on Amazon. This is the perfect option if you don’t care about a backlight, customizations, or key switches. I will be continuing this series with some gaming peripherals that have also helped save my hands a bit more strain. Stay tuned for more.

Movie Review: Significant Other (2022)

Image by Bingo Naranjo from Pixabay

Don’t waste your time on Significant Other. It is a garbage movie that should have never been made. I don’t know what it is about Paramount, but they don’t seem to understand how to make a proper horror movie.

The movie focuses on a generic couple who go on a camping trip. Alone in the woods, they begin to notice that there is something off. They find strange animal corpses, they see shadows, and it feels like something is watching them. Tensions grow high as the couple’s relationship begins to strain. There are aliens in the woods, and they seem to be after one of them. Will they be able to make it out alive?

It’s a shame that these actors are wasted on such a bad movie. The acting is fine, but everything else is terrible. There is no tension in this film, the buildup makes no sense, the twist is confusing, and the ending is disappointing. I had to rewatch this movie because I thought I missed some important details. I was very confused when the twist came, and I wanted to make sure I gave this film its fair trial. I didn’t miss anything. This movie is just that bad at telling its story.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but nothing happens in this movie. The first thirty minutes of this movie is relationship problems the movie. The boyfriend proposes, but the girl has issues with commitment. The film becomes a lot of awkward conversations in reaction to not accepting the proposal. The movie then tries desperately to be symbolically and suspenseful like Hereditary, but it only slows down the plot. There are a lot of scenes where the camera pans over nature to suggest something sinister is going on when nothing is. 

I am going to spoil this movie because I need you to understand my frustration with it. If you are planning to watch this, don’t, but if you insist, stop reading here.

The movie suggests that the drama between the couple stems from unresolved trauma the girl is holding on to. I refuse to use the character names because they are generic and flat. The only defining characteristic for this girl is that she has crippling anxiety. This anxiety creates the strain on their relationship that takes up the first half of the movie. Something happens in the woods that makes the girl become distant. The movie suggests that maybe she was possessed by the aliens, and she pushes her boyfriend off a cliff.

The big twist is that the alien can steal the form of other life forms. With each transformation, the alien also gets the instincts and emotions of the form he takes. This will become important later. The boyfriend had been dead the whole time. The girl had somehow stumbled on the body early on and was acting suspicious because she knew. After the big reveal, the alien stands over the girl ready to claim another victim, but he finds himself frozen, unable to act. He can’t bring himself to kill the girl because he is overwhelmed by his love for her. Instead, he decides to save her from the impending alien invasion. The girl freaks out, and a convenient shark helps her escape again. 

The alien can’t die, and he traps her again. The alien takes her form, and as he is about to kill her, the girl overcomes her anxiety and stands up for herself. The alien, on the other hand, is overwhelmed by crippling anxiety and has a panic attack. The girl takes this opportunity to kill the alien. As the girl rides off into the sunset, the movie sequel baits. The alien isn’t dead, and there is an invasion on the way.

I am still struggling to make sense of what I just watched. I am so mad that love saved her the first time and even madder that her anxiety saved her the final time. It’s not a good movie. This is time I will never get back. Don’t waste your time when there are better, more competent horror movies out there. But if you don’t believe me, you can stream it on Paramount+.

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Timemelters: First Impressions

I got sent the Timemelters demo as a review code, and although I am grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. Since this is a demo, this will be less of a review and more of my first impressions. You can download the demo on Steam today, and I recommend you try it out.

Timemelters is a first-person tower defense-like game that I had a lot of fun with. It reminds me of the Orcs Must Die! series but with fewer traps. In Timemelters, you control a single character and run around a large map setting traps, killing mobs, and turning back time. There is a bit of strategy involved in this game, but it shouldn’t be a problem for most people. I am not very smart, but I managed to brute force myself through eventually.

All pictures are from screenshots

This game is incredibly polished for being made by such a small team of three developers. It runs smoothly, looks beautiful, and is a lot of fun. The concept is simple, but the range of abilities and the pacing of the mobs kept the game fast-paced and exciting. 

I can’t speak on the story because the demo doesn’t explore it too much, nor can I speak on the diversity of the missions. The demo offers a great tutorial and a few missions that provide a fantastic taste of what it has in store. I never felt lost or overwhelmed by the information and was only limited by my skill level,

The game fully launches on Steam on October 12th. This game deserves a lot of love. I am vastly impressed by how much this team of three was able to accomplish. If you like tower defense games with some RTS elements, give this game a try. The demo is free, and it is available on Steam!

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