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Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Terrifier (2017) in Movies
Sep 9, 2019
When two women see a creepy clown in a pizza place they soon find themselves fighting for their livers in an abandoned building.
Terrifier could easily be mistaken for an 80’s or 90’s slasher movie as Art the Clown (never actually named in the film) cut’s, stabs, shoots and strangles his way through the rest of the cast using a variety of different weapons. Art the Clown seems to stand out in a genre that could almost be called over saturated, he speaks less than either Mike Myers or Jason Voorhees but carries out his kills with a comedic joy that almost matches Freddy Kruger, acting out his pleasure through mime which seems to intensify the silence he exudes.
The film seems to have a homemade feel about it, that’s not saying that it seems cheap but that the cast seem to get along well and that it could almost be something that was shot for fun by a group of friends in the same way the ‘Evil Dead’ or the original ‘Night of the Living Dead’ was. This is helped by a small cast and limited locations.
Being a slasher there is, of course; blood, violence, screaming and a bit of nudity but no sex, in fact the reason one character gets involved it to avoid being in the room with a couple who are getting amorous. Art dispatched his victims in a number of ways, most of which have been done before, after all there are only so many ways to stab or shoot someone, however, Art brings a joyfulness to his actions and, although I have already compared him to Freddy Kruger, Art seems to really see a funny side to what he is doing unlike Freddy who just enjoys the kill.
I have seen that there is a sequel slated for 2020 and given the being/end of Terrifier I think that is could be very interesting.
Terrifier could easily be mistaken for an 80’s or 90’s slasher movie as Art the Clown (never actually named in the film) cut’s, stabs, shoots and strangles his way through the rest of the cast using a variety of different weapons. Art the Clown seems to stand out in a genre that could almost be called over saturated, he speaks less than either Mike Myers or Jason Voorhees but carries out his kills with a comedic joy that almost matches Freddy Kruger, acting out his pleasure through mime which seems to intensify the silence he exudes.
The film seems to have a homemade feel about it, that’s not saying that it seems cheap but that the cast seem to get along well and that it could almost be something that was shot for fun by a group of friends in the same way the ‘Evil Dead’ or the original ‘Night of the Living Dead’ was. This is helped by a small cast and limited locations.
Being a slasher there is, of course; blood, violence, screaming and a bit of nudity but no sex, in fact the reason one character gets involved it to avoid being in the room with a couple who are getting amorous. Art dispatched his victims in a number of ways, most of which have been done before, after all there are only so many ways to stab or shoot someone, however, Art brings a joyfulness to his actions and, although I have already compared him to Freddy Kruger, Art seems to really see a funny side to what he is doing unlike Freddy who just enjoys the kill.
I have seen that there is a sequel slated for 2020 and given the being/end of Terrifier I think that is could be very interesting.
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A dystopian document thriller. The award-winning, critically-acclaimed border inspector game, now...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Red Sparrow (2018) in Movies
Mar 3, 2018
A Sexy spy thriller that would have been better without the SEXY
The new Jennifer Lawrence spy thriller RED SPARROW is being advertised as a "sexy" thriller, and if you watch the trailers for it, you would think it was a Jason Bourne/Mission Impossible-type of action thriller - with "sexy" action - and you would be misled and disappointed.
For, RED SPARROW, is a sexy, intelligent, inner-workings, "out-smart-the-other-guy" type of spy thriller in more of the mode of a John LeCarre novel (like TINKER, TAILOR, SOLIDER, SPY). It does have some action and some GRAPHIC torture scenes, but I would not classify it as an action film, so those looking for that will be bored.
RED SPARROW follows the tale of Bolshoi Ballet Prima Ballerina, Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) who, after an accident ends her ballet career, is drawn into the deadly world of International Intelligence by her Uncle and must her her body as well as her mind to survive.
This is billed - and shot - as a "sexy" thriller with "SEXY" being the primary driving force - and that is too bad, for I found the sex and nudity to be gratuitous and didn't really drive the narrative forward. When the film stopped focusing on this aspect and focused on the mystery - and misdirection - at hand and Dominika's ability to outsmart and outhink those around her, that the film really catches it's footing and is quite good.
Unfortunately, you have to sit through the first 1/2 of this film - the training portion - and that is filled with gratuitous sex and sexual conquest and using your sex to disarm the enemy. It's an unfortunate choice that almost took me out of the movie, so when the (really) good second half of the film came about, I was surprised by it.
But if you can get through that, you'll be rewarded by a pretty good, pretty smart, pretty INTELLIGENT thriller.
Letter Grade: B (C for the 1st half, A for the 2nd half)
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
For, RED SPARROW, is a sexy, intelligent, inner-workings, "out-smart-the-other-guy" type of spy thriller in more of the mode of a John LeCarre novel (like TINKER, TAILOR, SOLIDER, SPY). It does have some action and some GRAPHIC torture scenes, but I would not classify it as an action film, so those looking for that will be bored.
RED SPARROW follows the tale of Bolshoi Ballet Prima Ballerina, Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) who, after an accident ends her ballet career, is drawn into the deadly world of International Intelligence by her Uncle and must her her body as well as her mind to survive.
This is billed - and shot - as a "sexy" thriller with "SEXY" being the primary driving force - and that is too bad, for I found the sex and nudity to be gratuitous and didn't really drive the narrative forward. When the film stopped focusing on this aspect and focused on the mystery - and misdirection - at hand and Dominika's ability to outsmart and outhink those around her, that the film really catches it's footing and is quite good.
Unfortunately, you have to sit through the first 1/2 of this film - the training portion - and that is filled with gratuitous sex and sexual conquest and using your sex to disarm the enemy. It's an unfortunate choice that almost took me out of the movie, so when the (really) good second half of the film came about, I was surprised by it.
But if you can get through that, you'll be rewarded by a pretty good, pretty smart, pretty INTELLIGENT thriller.
Letter Grade: B (C for the 1st half, A for the 2nd half)
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker
Adam Gopnik, David Remnick and Robert Mankoff
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The book that Janet Maslin of The New York Times has called 'indispensable' and 'a transfixing study...
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Shaft (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Shaft Gets The Shaft In This Newest Reboot/Update
Shaft is a 2019 action/comedy movie directed by Tim Story and written by Kenya Barris. This film was produced by New Line Cinema and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie Usher, Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp, and Richard Roundtree.
After a failed assassination attempt, Maya Babanikos (Regina Hall), his wife, leaves Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) and takes their son, John "JJ." Shaft Jr., to raise on her own. 25 years later, Karim (Avan Jogia), a childhood friend of "JJ"'s, dies of a heroin overdose. JJ who is a cyber security expert and FBI Agent concludes he must have been murdered. After being violently ejected by drug dealers when investigating who sold the heroin that killed his friend; he is left with no other recourse but turn to his father, Shaft, for help.
This movie was a lot different from how I remember the last one which came out in 2000. I remember that one being more serious and more thriller, where they were trying to catch the bad guy. This one seemed to make too light of the action but did deliver on the laughs occasionally. Also I don't remember the last film being as "adult" when it came to language or nudity either, but I like how the movie acknowledged the main characters dialogue when his son tries to talk like him. Jessie Usher was very funny as JJ but I personally felt that he was trying to act like Nick Canon, which if that's what they were going for, they could have got him instead. It's an ok movie if your looking for something funny with action and don't care about things like story telling, plot, and the characters walking around with "plot armor". All in all, this movie was good but nothing special, I would just wait for it to go to dollar movies, red box or Netflix instead of wasting money at the movies. Of course if you need your fix of Samuel L. Jackson, then you might want to give this movie a shot. I remember the last one being a lot better. I give this movie a 5/10.
After a failed assassination attempt, Maya Babanikos (Regina Hall), his wife, leaves Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) and takes their son, John "JJ." Shaft Jr., to raise on her own. 25 years later, Karim (Avan Jogia), a childhood friend of "JJ"'s, dies of a heroin overdose. JJ who is a cyber security expert and FBI Agent concludes he must have been murdered. After being violently ejected by drug dealers when investigating who sold the heroin that killed his friend; he is left with no other recourse but turn to his father, Shaft, for help.
This movie was a lot different from how I remember the last one which came out in 2000. I remember that one being more serious and more thriller, where they were trying to catch the bad guy. This one seemed to make too light of the action but did deliver on the laughs occasionally. Also I don't remember the last film being as "adult" when it came to language or nudity either, but I like how the movie acknowledged the main characters dialogue when his son tries to talk like him. Jessie Usher was very funny as JJ but I personally felt that he was trying to act like Nick Canon, which if that's what they were going for, they could have got him instead. It's an ok movie if your looking for something funny with action and don't care about things like story telling, plot, and the characters walking around with "plot armor". All in all, this movie was good but nothing special, I would just wait for it to go to dollar movies, red box or Netflix instead of wasting money at the movies. Of course if you need your fix of Samuel L. Jackson, then you might want to give this movie a shot. I remember the last one being a lot better. I give this movie a 5/10.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Krypton in TV
Jul 7, 2020
Krypton Is No Kryptonite, Despite No Supes
Shaft is a 2019 action/comedy movie directed by Tim Story and written by Kenya Barris. This film was produced by New Line Cinema and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie Usher, Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp, and Richard Roundtree.
After a failed assassination attempt, Maya Babanikos (Regina Hall), his wife, leaves Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) and takes their son, John "JJ." Shaft Jr., to raise on her own. 25 years later, Karim (Avan Jogia), a childhood friend of "JJ"'s, dies of a heroin overdose. JJ who is a cyber security expert and FBI Agent concludes he must have been murdered. After being violently ejected by drug dealers when investigating who sold the heroin that killed his friend; he is left with no other recourse but turn to his father, Shaft, for help.
This movie was a lot different from how I remember the last one which came out in 2000. I remember that one being more serious and more thriller, where they were trying to catch the bad guy. This one seemed to make too light of the action but did deliver on the laughs occasionally. Also I don't remember the last film being as "adult" when it came to language or nudity either, but I like how the movie acknowledged the main characters dialogue when his son tries to talk like him. Jessie Usher was very funny as JJ but I personally felt that he was trying to act like Nick Canon, which if that's what they were going for, they could have got him instead. It's an ok movie if your looking for something funny with action and don't care about things like story telling, plot, and the characters walking around with "plot armor". All in all, this movie was good but nothing special, I would just wait for it to go to dollar movies, red box or Netflix instead of wasting money at the movies. Of course if you need your fix of Samuel L. Jackson, then you might want to give this movie a shot. I remember the last one being a lot better. I give this movie a 5/10.
After a failed assassination attempt, Maya Babanikos (Regina Hall), his wife, leaves Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) and takes their son, John "JJ." Shaft Jr., to raise on her own. 25 years later, Karim (Avan Jogia), a childhood friend of "JJ"'s, dies of a heroin overdose. JJ who is a cyber security expert and FBI Agent concludes he must have been murdered. After being violently ejected by drug dealers when investigating who sold the heroin that killed his friend; he is left with no other recourse but turn to his father, Shaft, for help.
This movie was a lot different from how I remember the last one which came out in 2000. I remember that one being more serious and more thriller, where they were trying to catch the bad guy. This one seemed to make too light of the action but did deliver on the laughs occasionally. Also I don't remember the last film being as "adult" when it came to language or nudity either, but I like how the movie acknowledged the main characters dialogue when his son tries to talk like him. Jessie Usher was very funny as JJ but I personally felt that he was trying to act like Nick Canon, which if that's what they were going for, they could have got him instead. It's an ok movie if your looking for something funny with action and don't care about things like story telling, plot, and the characters walking around with "plot armor". All in all, this movie was good but nothing special, I would just wait for it to go to dollar movies, red box or Netflix instead of wasting money at the movies. Of course if you need your fix of Samuel L. Jackson, then you might want to give this movie a shot. I remember the last one being a lot better. I give this movie a 5/10.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Love, Death & Robots in TV
Jul 7, 2020
Unique And Visceral Experience
Love, Death, & Robots is an adult animated anthology tv series on Netflix. The series is produced by Joshua Donen, David Fincher, Jennifer Miller, and Tim Miller. Each of the 18 episodes released on the first season was animated by different crews from a range of countries. It's also a re-imagining of 1981 animated sci-fi film Heavy Metal. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Topher Grace, Gary Cole, Samira Wiley, and Stefan Kapicic.
Produced by different casts and crews, and consisting of 18 stand-alone episodes, each under 20 minutes, the title of the series refers to the recurring themes of love, death, and robots in each episode. Full of terrifying creatures, wicked surprises and dark comedy, it's a collection of animated short stories spanning several genres like horror, comedy, fantasy, and science fiction. Captivating stories come to life with world-class animation in a plethora of tales unlike anything else.
This series was wicked awesome. Reminded me of some of the other animated anthologies I've seen such as The Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight, except quite a bit more NSFW. This series also gave me a Twilight Zone vibe but bit darker. More blood and guts and highly sexual. Even though it's pretty graphic, I really liked a lot of the stories they told and the twists that most had in the end as well. Some are kind of hit or miss or just better than others but I think that there is definitely something for everyone despite the gore and nudity and language. I especially enjoyed the following episodes, 1. Sonnie's Edge, 8. Good Hunting, 10. Shape-Shifters, 13. Lucky 13, and 18. Secret War. The way they went about the story telling and world building in each episode was phenomenal. I really feel that some of these episodes deserve their own individual films or series to do them better justice. I mean some were just so good and less than 20 minutes felt like not enough or that they could have been even better. I give the entire series overall a 9/10.
Produced by different casts and crews, and consisting of 18 stand-alone episodes, each under 20 minutes, the title of the series refers to the recurring themes of love, death, and robots in each episode. Full of terrifying creatures, wicked surprises and dark comedy, it's a collection of animated short stories spanning several genres like horror, comedy, fantasy, and science fiction. Captivating stories come to life with world-class animation in a plethora of tales unlike anything else.
This series was wicked awesome. Reminded me of some of the other animated anthologies I've seen such as The Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight, except quite a bit more NSFW. This series also gave me a Twilight Zone vibe but bit darker. More blood and guts and highly sexual. Even though it's pretty graphic, I really liked a lot of the stories they told and the twists that most had in the end as well. Some are kind of hit or miss or just better than others but I think that there is definitely something for everyone despite the gore and nudity and language. I especially enjoyed the following episodes, 1. Sonnie's Edge, 8. Good Hunting, 10. Shape-Shifters, 13. Lucky 13, and 18. Secret War. The way they went about the story telling and world building in each episode was phenomenal. I really feel that some of these episodes deserve their own individual films or series to do them better justice. I mean some were just so good and less than 20 minutes felt like not enough or that they could have been even better. I give the entire series overall a 9/10.
Ronyell (38 KP) rated Les Escargots (1966) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020
Attack of the Killer Snails
Wow! I was quite amazed and a bit creeped out by this strange little short! After watching "Fantastic Planet," which was by the same creator and actually came out several years after this short, I was thinking to myself about whether or not I would actually see another animated film that was just as weird as "Fantastic Planet." Well, "The Snails" was definitely just as weird as "Fantastic Planet," although in a different way. "Fantastic Planet" took place on another planet, while "The Snails" takes place on Earth and yet, things get weird midway through the short once the snails appear. I loved the way that the short went in a completely different direction midway through as the short started off lighthearted with the farmer trying to grow his garden, to a bit odd as he used his own tears to make the garden grow and then to pure terror when the snails started growing in size and started terrorizing the people in the city. The animation was quite unique as the characters move in a very jerky way and always have exaggerated expressions on their faces that just adds on to the weirdness of this short. The animation also reminded me a bit of Terry Gilliam's animations in the animated segments of the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" TV series.
The only problem that I had with this short is that there were times where the short sort of dragged on and the pacing was a bit slow at some places that I was hoping that we actually got to the main point of the story much faster. Also, for anyone who does not like nudity, there is one brief scene of a topless woman that might be a bit problematic for some people. Also, I was a bit confused by some of the scenes, although the whole point of this short is to be as weird as possible.
Overall, "The Snails" is truly a treat to watch if you are a huge fan of "Fantastic Planet" and if you wanted to watch an animated short that is similar in tone and style to "Fantastic Planet!"
The only problem that I had with this short is that there were times where the short sort of dragged on and the pacing was a bit slow at some places that I was hoping that we actually got to the main point of the story much faster. Also, for anyone who does not like nudity, there is one brief scene of a topless woman that might be a bit problematic for some people. Also, I was a bit confused by some of the scenes, although the whole point of this short is to be as weird as possible.
Overall, "The Snails" is truly a treat to watch if you are a huge fan of "Fantastic Planet" and if you wanted to watch an animated short that is similar in tone and style to "Fantastic Planet!"
TacoDave (3508 KP) rated Funhouse (2019) in Movies
Feb 15, 2022 (Updated Feb 15, 2022)
Editing (2 more)
Writing
Acting (mostly)
This movie is better than it has any right to be...
Contains spoilers, click to show
I like to watch bad horror movies. I'm not sure why. I'm not a big fan of many modern horror movies (often referred to as "torture porn") like Hostel and Saw, but rather I like small, independent horror movies that focus on a single central conceit.
I go into these movies with rock-bottom expectations, hoping against hope that they will be slightly better than expected. "Funhouse" was suprisingly entertaining, when compared to similar genre films.
The premise is simple: eight wannabe famous people (think: influencers, normal people who married celebrities, low-level MMA fighters, etc.) sign up for a reality TV show in the vein of Big Brother where they will be locked in a house together and voted out by the public.
There's one catch, of course: the guy running the show - who uses a digital avatar of a panda to speak to the "contestants" - is a nutjob and the loser of the public vote gets killed in a gruesome way.
Is it real? Is it fake entertainment for the online era? Will reacters on Youtube believe it is real? How does society treat the death of someone who really, really wants to be famous, but is only barely-known?
These questions are good ones and the movie doesn't shy away from them. In fact, after each "kill" there is a cut to people in the real world reacting to it that gives the movie a lot more nuance than a typical horror film.
The kills are very graphic and gruesome and I actually looked away for a couple of them because (as I said before) I'm not a fan of torture porn. And there is some female nudity in the movie, specifically when one character decides to strip to earn viewer votes to stay alive.
Still, all in all I was entertained. And that's all I wanted for those 90 minutes - to shut off my logical brain and just watch something different. This movie fit the bill.
I go into these movies with rock-bottom expectations, hoping against hope that they will be slightly better than expected. "Funhouse" was suprisingly entertaining, when compared to similar genre films.
The premise is simple: eight wannabe famous people (think: influencers, normal people who married celebrities, low-level MMA fighters, etc.) sign up for a reality TV show in the vein of Big Brother where they will be locked in a house together and voted out by the public.
There's one catch, of course: the guy running the show - who uses a digital avatar of a panda to speak to the "contestants" - is a nutjob and the loser of the public vote gets killed in a gruesome way.
Is it real? Is it fake entertainment for the online era? Will reacters on Youtube believe it is real? How does society treat the death of someone who really, really wants to be famous, but is only barely-known?
These questions are good ones and the movie doesn't shy away from them. In fact, after each "kill" there is a cut to people in the real world reacting to it that gives the movie a lot more nuance than a typical horror film.
The kills are very graphic and gruesome and I actually looked away for a couple of them because (as I said before) I'm not a fan of torture porn. And there is some female nudity in the movie, specifically when one character decides to strip to earn viewer votes to stay alive.
Still, all in all I was entertained. And that's all I wanted for those 90 minutes - to shut off my logical brain and just watch something different. This movie fit the bill.
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Festival (2018) in Movies
Aug 29, 2018
Fairly enjoyable comedy
The Festival is directed by Iain Morris, who co-created and wrote The Inbetweeners show and subsequent movies. It feels just like another Inbetweeners movie too, especially as star Joe Thomas plays what appears to be an exact copy of his Inbetweeners character Simon, pining for his girlfriend and obsessing over her throughout the movie. The result is a fairly likeable and enjoyable comedy, still a lot better than most movie comedies these days, and with some laugh out loud moments. But, you can't help comparing it to The Inbetweeners and, unfortunately, it's just nowhere near as good as that.
In The Festival, Joe Thomas plays Nick, preparing to graduate and soon to head off to a festival with best friend Shane and girlfriend Caitlin. After a cringe-worthy ejaculation gag involving his mother, getting dumped by Caitlin and having a breakdown on stage at his graduation ceremony, Nick becomes depressed and it's up to Shane to try and drag him along to the festival and moveon with life. On the train to the festival they meet up with Amy, who's also on her way to the festival, and when they do finally get there they end up camping right next to ex-girlfriend Caitlin and her friends.
Your level of enjoyment throughout The Festival is going to vary depending on how you feel about festivals as a whole. If you're like Nick for much of the movie, then you're going to share his discomfort with the mud, the toilets and the cramped camping arrangements, laughing at him and his frustrations with it all ("I just want to go home and have a nice shower and a poo!"). If you're a festival goer yourself then you'll revel in the whole experience lived out on screen, as the movie was actually filmed during a real festival. Along the way there's drink, drugs, druids(!) and nudity for Nick to endure as he hopes to get back with Caitlin, and then later on a blue smurf girl who he hooks up with for a one night stand.
The supporting cast are all fairly funny, particularly Hammed Animashaun and Claudia O'Doherty as friends Shane and Amy. But, it's the brilliant Jemaine Clement as Shanes stepdad who manages to steal every single scene he's in and is just hilarious. Sadly though he's not in it as much as he should be.
In The Festival, Joe Thomas plays Nick, preparing to graduate and soon to head off to a festival with best friend Shane and girlfriend Caitlin. After a cringe-worthy ejaculation gag involving his mother, getting dumped by Caitlin and having a breakdown on stage at his graduation ceremony, Nick becomes depressed and it's up to Shane to try and drag him along to the festival and moveon with life. On the train to the festival they meet up with Amy, who's also on her way to the festival, and when they do finally get there they end up camping right next to ex-girlfriend Caitlin and her friends.
Your level of enjoyment throughout The Festival is going to vary depending on how you feel about festivals as a whole. If you're like Nick for much of the movie, then you're going to share his discomfort with the mud, the toilets and the cramped camping arrangements, laughing at him and his frustrations with it all ("I just want to go home and have a nice shower and a poo!"). If you're a festival goer yourself then you'll revel in the whole experience lived out on screen, as the movie was actually filmed during a real festival. Along the way there's drink, drugs, druids(!) and nudity for Nick to endure as he hopes to get back with Caitlin, and then later on a blue smurf girl who he hooks up with for a one night stand.
The supporting cast are all fairly funny, particularly Hammed Animashaun and Claudia O'Doherty as friends Shane and Amy. But, it's the brilliant Jemaine Clement as Shanes stepdad who manages to steal every single scene he's in and is just hilarious. Sadly though he's not in it as much as he should be.