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rverdonschot
Reviews
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
What a mess of a movie
Huge spoilers ahead, reader beware!
I'm not a Beetlejuice superfan, I maybe have seen the original movie twice and not recently. But I always liked the character maintaining popculture presense, so I was looking forward to this sequel. What a disappointment!
The plot is at the same time overstuffed and empty. So you're writing a script and you have this great introduction to the main villain...only to forget about her for the rest of the movie and just staple (pun fully intended) her on to the finale for 3 seconds. Than you introduce a second villain that has no real impact on the movie at all and finally we get a third villain, a "secret" villain that is so blatently obvious that it is no secret at all. This villain serves no other purpose than to FINALLY (an hour and change into the movie) set the main plot in motion and who is disposed of in literally a throw away scene when he is no longer needed.
Than we are led to believe that Astrid, a huge sceptic and intelligent young woman who quotes Tolstoy, is so gullable that she will read aloud an incantation she doesn't understand and follow the first randon ghost she meets into the afterlife? Why can she suddenly see him anyway, since she never saw other ghosts. Why can Lydia not see Astrid's dad, while he's there all the time, as he tells them. What happened to the Shrunken Head guys running loose in the town? Doesn't matter, we're past that point. How can Lydia and Astrid open a trapdoor into afterlife by drawing and knocking? Isn't that something only ghosts can do? What was Dafoe's character even doing in this movie? Why in the world did they have to kill off Bob? It served no point to the plot and it certainly wasn't funny. What was with that last twist ending? Was the entire movie in Lydia's dream? Or only the bj baby bit? And why, why oh why, is the ghoul who's name is in the movie title twice hardly in his own movie for the first hour? And after that, beside sending that kid to hell, he certainly has no real impact on the plot.
Talking about no impact, you could easily just leave out Belluci, Dafoe, Theroux and even O'hara completely and the movie's plot would not change one bit.
This is just a badly written wasted opportunity. It looks good, there are some fun waves of nostalgia, but the plot just made me angry.
The Substance (2024)
Not ground breaking at all, but very fun.
Not the groundmaking movie some make it out to be, not by a long shot. It's basicly Jackle & Hyde, with it's feminist message hammered home with a wrecking ball. Yes, we get it. Men bad. Men sexist pigs. Make women sad.
Fortunately, the film is still extremely entertaining with brillaint set design, good performances and some excellent blood and gore effects that could have come straight from Screaming Mad George. It's a video nasty packaged as a classy movie. As if Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna made a Black Mirror episode together. It's not a horror movie, it's a wild and gross comedy. Just enjoy the ride.
In a Violent Nature (2024)
Some cool practical kills, but that's it.
This is basicly a bad 80s Friday thre 13th knockoff, filmed in an artsy way. At first the way we follow Johnny around is cool, but it get's old pretty fast. Because we see most of the action from a few feet behind the killer, there is no real tension. The way this was filmed sucks out al the terror and buildup you want from a movie like this. The kills are cool and it looks like they are mostly practical and one of them is hands down the funniest, most gruesome death I've seen in a movie in a long time. But otherwise the story is bog standard, the acting ranges from pretty bad to attrocious and the last 15 minutes feel like filler. Ultimately there is no payoff, the movie just ends after 15 minutes of nothing happening. I appreciate the film makers trying something different, but unfortunately, this is not it.
La mesita del comedor (2022)
Pointless and boring
I really don't get the very high scores this movie gets from some reviewers. It's marketed as a dark comedy and while it certainly is dark, it's not funny at all. I have a very dark sense of humour and I would certainly be able to laugh at a dead baby movie if it was written well. But after the baby dies, nothing happens. New characters are introduced with no other purpose than endless talking to fill the time. They serve no purpose in the storty. And the plotpoint of the young girl next door really doesn't go anywhere. And than suddenly things start happening really fast and than it's over. It's all rather pointless.
This could have been a really mean spirited nasty but hilarious movie. Insted it's boring, talky and in the end going nowhere. Skip it.
Eric (2024)
A sluggish chore to sit through
Remember that SNL skit where they made an Oscar the Grouch trailer in the style of Joker? That's kind of what this looks and feels like, except even more depressing and devoid of any humor. I can imagine the pitch at Netflix headquarters. Show creators: it's about this kid that runs away from home and his estranged drunk dad trying to find him with help of the kid's imaginary friend. Netflix bosses: Sounds good. But please make everyone gay. And make it about racism and social injustice and homelessness and gentrification. And spend as little, we repeat AS LITTLE time with a central storyline and characters as possible and insted focuss on a black gay detective who lacks any form of charm or charisma. And make it at least two hours too long.
Had this show focussed on the story of Edgar, Vincent and Eric, it could have been good. Benedict is doing a great job. The whole Mikey angle just made the thing sluggish. The show is convoluted and underwritten at the same time. I finished it because I wanted to know where this all would end up. The answer: nowhere.
Also there's huge plotholes and weird stuff. Mikey does not recognize Kennedy and Nokes at The Lux, but they work in the same police station and have even worked in the same department? And suddenly he sees Nokes in the police station all the time? Also, nobody thought to go asking about the missing black kid at the basketball court before, and suddenly there's crucial info 11 months later when Mikey finally does? I get why Edgar ran away from home, but why did he follow that black dude into the sewer? We never get a reason for that. I could go on and on, but it all makes very little sense.
I would say avoid unless you have absolutely nothing better to do.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Fun but utterly forgetable subpar sequel
I managed to enjoy this movie for what it was, bit man, it wasn't much. Anja Taylor-Joy is a fierce action badass as long as she doesn't speak. So it's fortunate she only has about 30 lines of dialogue in the whole film. Some of the action set pieces are fun. But there is no story to speak of (Furiosa gets captured by gang, gets sold to other gang, escapes, fights all the gangs and ultimately has mediocre showdown with main villain, that's it), the CGI and green screen work is at times so bad that it takes you completely out of the movie (don't watch in Laster Ultra, IMAX or other high def format. The blurrier the picture, the better) and Cringe Hemsworth and his fake nose are horrible as the main villain, finding no ballance between cartoony and manacing. He totally misses the mark and is neither imposing or threatening. We're supposed to believe he's this warlord that all the gangs follow and fear, but he's just...not. Fans of the franchise and the Furiosa character will find something to like here, but you'll have forgotten most of this movie as soon as you leave the theatre.
Le mangeur d'âmes (2024)
Pretty standard, slow, dark and gritty police story
I saw this at the world premiere at the IFFR in Rotterdam. Unfortunately, I was pretty underwhelmed. I found the movie to be slow and even a little boring at points. The supposed supernatural part of the story is only touched upon briefly, I was expecting more of this. It's pretty clear early in the story there is no real supernatural element. I would have liked to have seen more of the kills instead of just the after math, esp. That guy with the band saw. In the end it's just a gritty, dark but pretty standard police investigation movie with few surprises. The cinematography is ok, but doesn't make enough use of the beautiful french locale. I guess I just expected more of the story and the atmosphere. By no means a bad movie, but nothing remarkable.
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
More like "Five Minutes At Freddy's"
I have never played any FNaF games, but I know enough about the franchise through pop culture to have expectations. I came to see evil animatronics stalk and mangle people in an abandoned pizza place. Instead I got what I get in many modern horror films: a 90 minute grief counceling session with bits of very light horror spinkeled in here in there. We spend hardly any time at Freddie's at all. We do spend a lot of time in Mike's dull and very repetitive dreams. And no, Nightmate Freddie does not make an appearance.
This movie suffers from a serious case of script-itis. I get that the story needs some padding out to make it feature length, but things get so conveluted without getting interesting that the filmmakers completely loose sight of what we came to see. Killer. Animatronics.
It's a real shame that the company that made the best killer doll movie in recent memory with M3GAN turned a beloved franchise with endless potentional into this terrible dud.
Renfield (2023)
Needs much more Cage and a lot less Awkwafina
Why Hollywood is still casting Akwafina is beyond me. All she can do is scream, which she apparantly believes to be very funny. Every movie dies a little as soon as she is on screen and this one is no exception. And she is in it A LOT. Fortunately, everything else in this movie is great, which is why it still gets an 8/10 from me. I had a blast with this very campy, very funny, very gory horror comedy. Cage is brilliant as the Count, turning both the camp and the sinister up to 11. He's imposing and scary, but still has some very funny lines. The gory fight scenes are a hoot as well.
I did expect the Lobo family to turn out to be werewolves during the finale. Slightly disappointed that did not happen.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
A fun, funny, non-cynical family superhero film
Maybe it's because I don't watch a lot of comic book movies so I'm not yet jaded by them, but I really don't get why all those bitter critics are determined to smash this movie into the ground. I had a blast watching Shazam! 2 and most importently, so did the many 12 year olds in the screening I attented. This is a kids movie after all and it's a good one. If this had been made in the 80s or 90s, this would have been a classic by now. Sure, the story isn't very original, the CGI is pretty janky in places and the acting of the villains isn't the best (Lucy Liu seems to be channeling her inner Rita Ripulsa here), but I didn't mind any of that at all. This movie just joyful Fun with a capital F. Levy is brilliant and very funny. Here's hoping Shazam! Has a place in de current changes planned for the DCU. Go see this movie! It's fun!
Call Jane (2022)
Well acted, but lacks tension and has very weird upbeat tone.
What a weird movie. I understand why somebody would want to tell this story and it certainly is an important story to tell. But for such a serious subject this is somehow a very upbeat film. The tone seemed completely wrong to me. It looks like this group of ladies is having fun with what their doing. I understand they would take pride in their cause, but I would think a movie about illegal abortions would be a bit more serious and a bit less witty. Also, despite their actions being dangerous and illegal, there is literally NO tension in the film. There is bo threat of being caught, despite Call Jane posters plastered all over the city. Even Joy's husband doesn't seem to care that much after finding out, he just kisses the woman next door for some reason, a plotpoint that quickly goes nowhere and get's on with things. Race is dragged into the discussion for about two seconds and then forgotten about almost inmediately. And then... the movie skips a few years, all is well and resolved and the story is over. Weaver and Banks kept me engaged enough to sit out this overlong movie, but man... it is a weird film and kind of boring as well.
Black Adam (2022)
Should have been Shazam! instead of Justice Society
I really don't get why critics are review bombing this movie. Is it because of the pretty clear anti "America F**k Yeah!" sentiment? Who knows... this is far from a cinematic masterpiece, but is a fun movie that raises some though provoking questions on what it means to be a very and what it is still morally defendable in order to save the world. They should have included Shazam! Instead of the Justice Society though... Doctor Fate is the only interesting member, despite being a shameless Dr Strange knockoff. Hawkman is just an a'hole and why Cyclone and Atom Smasher are involved (and why Atom Smasher is wearing Deadpool's mask) is anyone's guess. Still, The Rock is having a blast and so was I.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Boring, boring, boring
To loosely quote a song on the soundtrack of this movie: "I'm bored in the cinema, cinema, bored!" Maybe I'm too old to be the target audience, but to me, this movie had little entertainment value. A lot of of semi-attractive people being annoying, argueing, screaming and being mean to eachother for a 100 minutes. Oh yeah, and one by one they die in dumb ways. None of it is very funny or scary. The only funny guy in the movie, the semi-big name who heavily features in the promotional material, dies after 10 minutes...
I expected to like this movie based on the good press, but this was just a whole lot of nothing.
Lost Ollie (2022)
Beautiful, dark and very sad
If you are looking for an uplifting watch with the family, this show is not it. What starts of as a pretty standard "x tries to make it's way home" story turns unexpectedly bleak rather quickly. It's beautiful and moving, but very sad and dark. There's some puppet on puppet violence here that would earn any adult movie an R-rating, so watch it together with your (older) kids and stear clear if your children are easily traumatized. The animation blends seamlessly with the live action and the voice work is top notch. Highly recommended if you don't mind finding yourself a sobbing emotional wreck at the end of the last episode.
Lightyear (2022)
Fun movie, I don't get the hate for it.
Maybe it helps that I saw it on Disney+ and not in the theatre, that my expectations were almost zero based on the IMDB score or that I'm not a hardcote TS fan, but I really don't get all the hate for this movie. I emjoyed myself for 90 minutes and the movie was over before I knew it. Zurg could and should have been a better villain and the big plot twist is a bit cringe, the story could have been better, but it's just a fun and funny movie.