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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
2019 | Horror
Too scary for kids - not scary enough for teenagers
SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK is a good "starter" horror film. A step up from fair like Goosebumps but not quite to the level (in intensity, gore and violence) of a "real" Horror film like HEREDITY, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY or the SAW franchise - and that just might be it's downfall for it is stuck in a very narrow band of viewers who will enjoy this (too intense for younger kids, to "kidd-ish" for teenagers and above).

And that's too bad, for SCARY STORIES is a pretty well put together film. Telling...well...a series of scary stories that come true (to the detriment of the teens that these stories are written about).

Based on the YA series of novels of the same name, Director Andre Overdal stitches together (in some instances quite literally) a creepy (enough) tale of teens in danger by things that go bump into the night. There are good (enough) scares, some real (enough) spine-tingling chills and just (enough) death and destruction to keep things interesting.

And that's good for the cast is pretty bland. Zoe Margaret Coletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush and Austin Zajur are "fine" (but interchangeable) as the 4 teens caught in the crossfire of these stories. Their performances/characters are almost good enough to sustain things, but, ultimately, brought nothing new or interesting to their roles. Neither do Lorraine Toussaint, Gil Bellows and Dean Norris, 3 usually dependable actors that just sort of drift in and out of this film with not much to do.

But that doesn't really matter for the special effects, scares and story threads are what you are there to see and the special effects are good (enough), the scares are scary (enough) and the story is just interesting (enough) to let you have a decent (enough) time at the theater.

Letter Grade: B-

6 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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    Trigger Fist

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The Babysitter (2017)
The Babysitter (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Horror
The Babysitter From Hell!
Wow! I'm actually surprised that I enjoyed this movie as much as I did! At first, I thought that I wasn't going to like this movie because the premise sounded ridiculous. But once I watched this movie, I was quite impressed by how funny and scary this film was! I really loved the performances of all the actors and actresses in this film as they really got into their roles and they made the movie so entertaining to watch! I especially loved the performances from Samara Weaving as Bee and Robbie Amell as Max as they were the most entertaining characters in the movie! I loved the way that Robbie Amell made Max into such a comical character, despite the fact that he's an ax-crazy killer. I also enjoyed Samara Weaving's performance as Bee as she made Bee so friendly yet deadly at the same time. I also liked the fact that the movie had a nice balance between comedy and horror as there were many scenes that were quite intense. But at the same time, I was laughing out loud at how over the top the actors' performances were.

The main issue that I had with this film was that I felt that the characters weren't that well developed as I don't know anything about their backstories. The characters that I was the most curious about were Bee and her friends as their motivations to perform human sacrifices seem a little flat to me because I don't know much about their backgrounds and how they even know about performing sacrifices to have their wishes come true.

Overall, "The Babysitter" may seem like a silly horror comedy film, but it is definitely entertaining to watch because of how over the top the characters' antics are. And I loved the way that this film turned many horror tropes on its head and made a pretty entertaining movie out of it!
  
1917 (2020)
1917 (2020)
2020 | Drama, War
1917 is a remarkable film through and through, and I can't praise it enough.
The cast, the cinematography, the set pieces, the music score are all outstanding.

The plot revolves around Lance Corporals Schofield (George McKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) embarking on a seemingly impossible mission across no man's land in Northern France, deep into enemy territory to deliver a message to a fellow regiment, with the aim of preventing them from walking into a trap and potentially losing 1600 soldiers.
The two lead actors are fantastic, portraying two soldiers leaning on each other to achieve their goal.
The journey that takes place is tough and harrowing at times. There's a point about half way through the movie where the pace just doesn't slow down once. It's extremely intense, and bolstered infinitely by the shooting style.

The film is shot in a way that gives the viewer the impression of a one take movie. It's edited together so well that it appears seamless, and allows for some truly breathtaking moments, and never lets you break away from events unfolding. It caught my attention immediately and never lost it for one second.
This method allows for a very stylish looking experience, but it's a kind of style that never detracts or takes away from the horror of war. It's a perfect combination, ensuring that scenes of action feel relentless, whilst sadder moments are suitably poignant and perfectly executed. The emotional beats in 1917 are something else and took me by surprise. I have no shame in saying that I was fighting back tears a couple of times.

By the times the credits rolled, I was just sat in stunned silence, something that has only happened to me a few times before when it comes to movies.
1917 is pretty much perfect. A great war film, a great drama, and en effective exploration of what friendship and duty really mean.
Make the time to watch it if you haven't already!