TVTimdb Reviews

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: Dreams in the Witch House (2022) Season 1, Episode 6

Boo.

[2/10 · 29 October 2022]

This is the first in the series I disliked. Not only does this do a disservice to the source material, it is completely antithetical to lovecraftian horror philosophy. The idea of an afterlife, or purgatory, are not concepts that feel right in the Lovecraft universe. They're too optimistic. It's as if the writer or director took an existing story and we're told to make it fit within a Lovecraft framework. The middle of the road ghost story we're left with would be better told without the restraints of fitting it into the vague framework of the original Dreams in the Witch House.

Bad bad bad. Acting was fine.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

How do you mess this up??

[3/10 · 28 April 2021]

This movie was more concerned with setting up a franchise than telling an entertaining story. The violence was great when it was there, but for long stretches I was bored. BORED! In a Mortal Kombat movie! How do you mess up a movie about a martial arts tournament with supernatural powers. They didn't even have a tournament! LONG stretches of people talking about finding their powers. BORING. And I'm down for a high brow serious reboot if it works. This did not work, they didn't even try to make it work. It was obviously written as a pg13 teen movie, and made the decision to make it R afterwards. Rather than making the plot mode adult they added blood. It's awful.

Seriously, rent the original. This is a waste. A waste of money, time and an opportunity to reboot this franchise.

Hosts (2020)

Excellent start! Falls apart by the end

[6/10 · 28 March 2021]

If you like the experience of watching a horror movie, then you'll enjoy the watch. The tension and violence in the first scene (you'll know witch) and the mystery throughout is fantastic. The problem seems to be they didn't complete the thought. What are these things? There are plenty of hints throughout, and the impression that if you knew the Bible front to back maybe this would make sense. But I don't think so. By the end I'm left with the impression that the filmmakers didn't have the complete picture thought through. I like a film that I as the viewer need to figure out, but I'm not sure there's anything substantial or satisfying to figure out here.

Acting was great! I don't know what a lot of these other reviewers are talking about.

The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020)

Never Pays Off

[3/10 · 16 February 2021]

What a disappointment. I spent the whole movie thinking 'there are some serious plot holes, but that's OK. Something will happen by the end to make it all worth it'. 'The acting's not all that great, but that's OK, this story will pay off by the end'. 'I'm extremely confused, but that's OK, something will happen to make it all make sense'. NO! It's got such good bones but it doesn't do anything with them. What a waste of time.

Points for general themes and cinematography.

Death of Me (2020)

Don't understand the negative reviews.

[7/10 · 31 January 2021]

Seriously, what am I not seeing? This was a wonderfully executed cult horror. Yes, it's like Wicker Man, as many other reviews have mentioned. But why does that disqualify it as a good movie in its own right? Wicker Man wasn't the first, last or even close to the best movie about a cult sacrifice. They filmed this on location on an island in Thailand (I think) and that immediately scores points for me. The story itself may not be super original but the setting was beautiful and culturally rich, the cinematography was great, there were some very good creepy moments and I thought the acting was fantastic. Do not understand the negative reviews, who are you people!?

The Possession of Michael King (2014)

Good Start, Bad Finish

[3/10 · 24 January 2021]

A TV producer attempting to prove the paranormal is a great premise to a found footage horror movie, no matter how many times it's done. It's a great start, and this movie starts with some very interesting ideas about demons, possession and psychedelics. But instead of letting you chew on those ideas, they breeze right through them and get into some very standard 'man possessed' activity, while at the same time clumsily reminding us that this is found footage.

That may be the most frustrating part of the film, it doesn't NEED to be found footage. From the start, I'll ignore the production value. A one man production team and a couple of handycams aren't going to look this good or provide us this many angles. But OK, fine, move past it. The biggest issue is the main character continuing to remind us that we're still watching a found footage movie, while destroying his house, abusing his family etc etc. he keeps needing to pop up and tell us his feelings rather than showing us. Show don't tell right!? I am a sucker for the found footage genre, I love it. When done correctly it's extremely compelling and effective. It was not effective here.

The Deeper You Dig (2019)

Excellent Storytelling

[8/10 · 23 January 2021]

This is an excellent example of low budget filmmaking. Great story, very well told with some genuinely creepy moments and fantastic acting. While I'm trying to keep the behind the scenes goings on out of my opinion, it's hard to ignore that this was a film shot, directed by and starring three members of the same family. Use what you have at your disposal! I want more from this family, thanks.

Blown Away (1994)

Worst accents in the history of film.

[4/10 · 18 January 2021]

Whoever made Jeff Bridges do that terrible accent should be arrested. It's in and out throughout the movie, at one point it goes hard Irish, but the whole way through it's awful! To his credit though, he's a dynamic and enthralling performer. But man... that accent. Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic start to finish, as always. Forest Whitaker does an awful accent as well.

Plot is convoluted and boring for the most part. What was very good about this movie though, was the cinematography involving the explosives and the misdirection of what is an explosive. For the 90s I was surprised how dynamic the sequences involving igniters or bomb stuff, shot all practically I assume.

Overall, love Tommy Lee Jones, movie is bad.

The Swerve (2018)

Tense and Depressing!

[7/10 · 18 January 2021]

If you're a fan of tense family drama, this is for you! They're calling it a Horror movie, and I certainly found it horrifying. I understand why others may call it more of a dark drama. It's that too.

Performances were incredible!

Death of a Vlogger (2019)

Excellent Found Footage Mystery

[8/10 · 17 January 2021]

I really enjoyed this movie. Some genuinely creepy moments, some excellent storytelling and enough twists and turns to keep you interested all the way through. I will personally sit through any found footage horror movie, no matter what. That being said, this was one of the most effective FF films I've seen in a while. The documentary wrapper kept the story moving, and the reveals throughout were great. Excellent acting, excellent writing, excellent execution. Check it out!

The Pit (1981)

Excellent 80s Low Budget Monster Movie

[7/10 · 16 January 2021]

As far as low budget 'bad' horror movies go, this is a great time. The tone is all over the place, but the bones are very strong. Somehow it all works. Have a drink and enjoy!

13 Sins (2014)

Fun and Dumb

[6/10 · 11 January 2021]

It's fine. Acting was good, a lot of tense moments but I don't feel like they really took it all the way there. Ending was DUMB.

Breakdown (I) (1997)

Love Small Action Movies!

[8/10 · 10 January 2021]

The cast is great! The story is simple, with enough twists to keep you interested from beginning to end. I want more of these small action movies! The world isn't on the line, there's nothing supernatural going on, just an Everyman in a bad, relatable situation. Watch it!

Feed (2005)

Fascinating

[7/10 · 10 January 2021]

Disgusting? Yes. Morbid? Yes. Enthralling? Yes. If you make it through the first ten minutes you'll definitely finish this movie. It's obscene in a way that doesn't feel gross for gross' sake, if that makes sense. It's not a 'good movie'. But if you're even considering watching it, you know that already. It is captivating, well written and the direction is intentional and while it feels dated, it holds up and holds your attention the entire time.

Virtuosity (1995)

Denzel's Only L?

[3/10 · 10 January 2021]

First of all, anybody could have played these roles. This movie takes zero advantage of the fantastic cast it has. Denzel is completely stifled by the writing and directing here. No personality at all. The supporting actors are all familiar 'oh it's that guy!' types, and we don't see nearly enough of them. Crowe is so out of his comfort zone in his role that he basically falls into cartoon villainy. Which I guess is sort of the point, and illustrates the biggest problem with the movie. Who is this for? It's written like a comic book for teenagers but it's presented as a hard nose cop drama. The plot is filled with holes. It's to be expected though, a 1995 film about the future is going to get a lot wrong.

Anyway, it's a fun watch if you like terrible movies. But the lack of Denzel in a movie staring Denzel is just downright frustrating.

Night of the Wolf (2014)

Drama Sandwich

[5/10 · 10 January 2021]

As far as werewolf movies go, this is fine. It's really a slow, frustratingly slow, drama sandwich. Opens with strong B Horror energy, then about an hour of grinding drama, ends with 20 minutes of good B Horror. The plot isn't super complicated, and the drama that dominates most of the movie isn't all that satisfying or interesting. Practical effects were cool. The main character was well acted.

It would have made a great short film!

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

Very dark comedy

[8/10 · 10 January 2021]

Many of the negative reviews I'm seeing are from people who clearly didn't get the tone of this film. This is a dark comedy that happens to include a werewolf. That's not to say that the horror elements don't work. The murder scenes were wonderful, and there are many moments of great tension, specifically heightened by the fantastic soundtrack. Will recommend!