groundzero-273-397110 Reviews

Inception (2010)

Inception is a masterpiece that one can only dream of!

[10/10 · 27 May 2024]

Christopher Nolan is without a doubt my favorite director. Inception is one of my favorite movies. It is so well made when it comes to everything. Writing, direction, acting, story, tension, pacing, the score, the twists, everything is perfect. The film is very complex, but Nolan manages to tell the story in a way that most people will understand, at least the whole. Nolan always manages to tie together all the details that he has planted during the course of the film. Inception is a masterpiece that one can only dream of!

I remember the first time I saw this movie at the cinema back in 2010. It felt like everyone in the cinema was on the edge of their seat, especially when Cobb spun his totem at the end. Will it keep spinning, or will it tip over? It looks like it's going to tip over? Everyone in the room holds their breath. Suddenly, the credits start rolling, and everyone in the room lets out a loud gasp/exhale of excitement and shock. The room is then filled with voices as everyone starts talking to their company about the movie and the ending. I guess we will never know! Well done Nolan.

Cobweb (2023)

Better than I expected, but could also have been better.

[6/10 · 27 May 2024]

This movie was better than I expected. It builds up an eerie atmosphere throughout the film which I liked. The jump scares and horror were well done. The dream sequence with the mother coming running down the corridor was very uncomfortable and well done. I also liked the story and the characters and the movie kept me interested and kept me wondering what was actually going on. The acting was also great.

Then we come to the ending... The ending was a bit of a disappointment. The movie was so good until the end. The ending felt a bit rushed. It's like someone else wrote the last 15 minutes of the movie. What were the bullies really thinking? Just walk into the house and hope the parents aren't home? They manage to capture Sarah (the monster) and she tells Peter that this cage will not stop her, she will lurk in every dark corner of the house, and the movie implies that Peter is still going to live in the house, alone, without his parents that he just killed? And yeah, what about the fact that Peter, 8 years old, just killed his parents, and he doesn't seem to care? And then the movie abruptly ends. No real closure, with way more questions than answers. Could have been so much better.

No One Will Save You (2023)

Not perfect, but good and different.

[7/10 · 25 May 2024]

I think this movie was special and innovative. It's not perfect, but good and different.

There is basically no dialogue at all throughout the film. Kaitlyn Dever does an amazing job of creating a character by conveying her emotions solely through facial expressions and body language. Many will surely be bothered by this, and not like the movie because of it. I think the movie is good and unique because of it.

The film is well directed with good CGI and good pacing. I was never bored. The writing is not perfect, but good enough. The aliens are very conventional in nature, but still made unique in their own way, and there are a few variations of them throughout the movie which kept me interested.

The film gets a bit strange in the third act and many will probably not understand it, especially the end. For me, the ending was a bit too dumb, although I understood it, which lowers the rating a bit. Despite this, I think this film was a breath of fresh air. It wasn't that scary, but more exciting. I do recommend it though, if you are a fan of alien movies.

Lover Stalker Killer (2024)

A very exciting and twisted documentary about a case of extreme stalking.

[8/10 · 25 May 2024]

A very interesting and exciting documentary about a case of extreme stalking and a love triangle gone wrong. The documentary is well directed and the pacing is good.

However, I don't understand how it could take 4 years to solve this case. How could Dave not suspect Liz? I realized after 30 minutes that Liz must be involved somehow. Why didn't Dave get more security for his home considering everything that was going on? Liz just walked in there and stole his gun. Why didn't the police have more surveillance? Big praise to the detectives who solved the case and especially Tony Kava, the IT guy, who postponed his brain surgery because he wanted to solve the case first. He is the true hero of this documentary.

Take a moment and think about how depraved and crazy Liz actually was. She burned her own house down, WITH her pets still inside, and the children also lost their home! She shot herself in the leg only to try to blame it on someone else because she wants to be with Dave. She murdered Cari. She also started harassing Dave's ex and threatened to slit her children's throats in their sleep. All of this because of the jealousy of a crazy person.

It was a very exciting and twisted documentary that I highly recommend.

The Gentlemen (2024)

Really liked this show, but I like the movie more.

[8/10 · 23 May 2024]

I became very curious and interested when I saw that Guy Ritchie was going to make a spin-off series of his film The Gentlemen, which is probably my favorite Guy Ritchie movie.

The series is very good. It is well written with a good script, interesting characters, good actors, and quite funny at times. The chicken scene was hilarious.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Eddie Horniman (Theo James) and Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario). When they walk into a room together, they make their presence known, in a cool, confident and laid back way that was somehow really impressive. The character development is also very good when it comes to the main characters. However, I did not find Geoff's backstory with his daughter that interesting, and it felt a bit unnecessary and did not really connect well with the main plot.

Gospel John was a very interesting character and I would have liked to see more of him. He came back towards the end of the show, and that part is what was the most disappointing. Because in the last episode, there was a build up to a big fight between Eddie's family and Gospel John with his gangsters that never happened. Biggest disappointment in the series for me. Such a shame.

I really liked this series though, but I like the movie even more. I do hope they make a season 2!

Masters of the Air (2024)

I love Band of Brothers. I like The Pacific. But Masters of the Air was okay at best and mostly disappointing.

[5/10 · 28 April 2024]

Masters of the Air was a huge disappointment on all counts. It started off okey, but just got worse and more boring with each episode. The battles were shortened and we were only told what had happened, instead of seeing it for ourselves. We didn't even get to see much of D-Day. I never felt the need to watch the next episode.

The characters are not very interesting and lack depth. New characters are introduced all the time, only to die the next minute. So it becomes difficult to create attachments with these characters. The series also begins with war, without any training camp where we get to know the characters, like in Band of Brothers. Neither the story development nor the character development was good. It was so weird when Buck "died" off screen. We didn't even get to see this mission, which was a huge mistake, because when Buck and Bucky were reunited, I felt nothing. It fell short and was not a powerful moment, which it could have been. This series has way too much tell, and not enough show.

Then we have the prisoner camps. In this series, the prisoner camps felt like some kind of summer camp. The atmosphere was far too jolly and not very exciting. It should have been a more brutal and dark experience, where there is actual danger for our characters.

The end of the series was also really boring. The last episode was slow and did not have much action. Just one plane coming to save our characters from the prisoner camp, which was over in a few seconds. We didn't even get to see who the pilot was. I thought it would be Buck, which would have been a bit more powerful of a moment.

I love Band of Brothers. I like The Pacific. But Masters of the Air was okay at best and mostly disappointing.

Echo (2023–2024)

A very boring and forgettable series. Not even a faint echo will remain in my memory of this series...

[3/10 · 30 March 2024]

I thought Echo would be better than it was. That it would be a step in the right direction towards the more dark and gritty now that Kingpin is involved. Vincent D'Onofrio is perfect as Kingpin, but he didn't feel as intimidating here as in the Daredevil series.

Both the characters and the story are very boring and poorly written. Especially the main character Maya Lopez. She has no personality, very boring, no charm, just forgettable. Many things in the story are never explained in detail, like Maya's childhood and Kingpin's part in that. The whole sign language thing makes the series extra boring. It's like watching a silent movie, which I think is very boring. It doesn't have the same impact on me, unfortunately. The action scenes are boring and forgettable as well. I don't understand her superpowers either. I also don't understand why Maya thinks that a person like Fisk and his thugs would learn sign language for her sake. The only positive thing about the series was that it only consisted of five short episodes, and getting to see the Kingpin again.

A very boring and forgettable series. Not even a faint echo will remain in my memory of this series...

Starship Troopers (1997)

A re-watch of this classic after playing Helldivers 2 non-stop since it came out.

[8/10 · 30 March 2024]

It must have been at least 15 years since I last saw this movie. My brother and I watched it many times when we were very young, and we re-watched it now after playing Helldivers 2 non-stop since it came out. We did not have high expectations and thought this movie would be pretty bad now when we rewatch it, but we were so wrong.

We laughed many times during the film, because we now understand how satirical the film is. The characters are interesting and have a strange character development in a fun way. The story and dialogue are quite cheesy, but we did not care and just thought it was funny. I was surprised at how good the action, the setting and the CGI was for its time. Well done!

We were also very surprised at how similar this movie is to Helldivers 2. The creators of Helldivers must have taken a lot of inspiration from this movie because it's 95% similar! Even the music is almost identical! Very epic!

Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife (2023)

I feel great disgust for Paolo and irritation at the justice system that didn't put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

[8/10 · 30 March 2024]

I thought this was a very interesting documentary in many ways because it raised so many questions, as well as how it is so sick how this surgeon could continue with these horrible experiments for so long. I would have liked more background information from the patients and their families who were victims of these experiments. The journalist and the Italian woman who fell in love and got together with Paolo were really stupid. There were so many red flags, but they hardly questioned him. The Italian woman's son even died because of Paolo, and she fell for him almost immediately after that? No questions asked. He was under investigation for 2 years for this but she continued to be with him. So weird.

I am Swedish myself, and it was so surprising to me that he was allowed to continue with these experiments at the Karolinska hospital for so long without anyone stopping it! This is something I would have liked to see more of, the research behind it, and how it all went down, instead of seeing these women who were heartbroken over falling for him. Despite that, it was still an interesting documentary and I feel great disgust for Paolo and irritation at the justice system that didn't put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

True Detective (2014– )

Season 4 is as far from Season 1 as you can get. Just terrible...

[8/10 · 24 March 2024]

Season 4 wasn't what I expected. Already after the first 30 minutes I started to become skeptical. What am I looking at? It can't be supernatural entities in True Detective all of a sudden, can it? After episode 3, it feels like a completely different series than True Detective.

The characters and the dialogue between them are boring. There are a few times where the dialogue was good and builds some tension, but for the most part it's about character-related drama and very little about the actual mystery that True Detective is supposed to be about. That's the biggest problem with this season, as well as having supernatural forces involved. There is very little detective work done in some episodes. The story moves forward very slowly because of this, and this season could no doubt have been shortened to 2-3 episodes! Quite funny that the writers focus a lot on the characters and the drama between them and yet there are no interesting or likable characters. Especially Danvers and Navarro who are the main characters. Danvers is a disrespectful, irresponsible, racist, hypocrite and smug a**hole. Navarro is basically the same but also violent. There is not much that makes you sympathize with them, or makes you understand them. All the drama is so illogical and boring too. For example, the drama going on between Peter and his wife. It's weird that every scene they have is interrupted by Danvers calling and needing help. Also, it's weird that Peter's wife gets so unreasonably angry and kicks Peter out just because he has a lot to do in this murder investigation that's only been going on for like a week? And what about Hank's love interest? No one cares about that. So many unnecessary scenes in this season...

Something that also does not fit into the season is the overuse of humor and pop songs. It feels out of place. The setting and atmosphere is good and spooky for the most part, which is a plus for this season. But the humor and wrong choice of music many times take away that dark and eerie atmosphere.

And then we have the ending... It was a group of tribal women who carried out the murders together. And because everyone did means no one did it? No one gets arrested? And these women manage to avoid all the cameras and leave no trace behind? They are trained professionals when it comes to this? No! Uh what?! Even though many supernatural mysteries were answered, such as the water being polluted and creating mass hallucinations, there is still much that is very unclear and supernatural to me. For example, the bodies were found because a lady was led there by a dead person, which means it couldn't have been all in her head because she had no way of knowing where the bodies were... Just stupid writing, this whole season.

I'll give this season 3/10.

Silo (2023– )

Just my kind of series. I love mystery and suspense.

[8/10 · 21 March 2024]

I liked Silo very much. Just my kind of series. I love mystery and suspense. I had neither read nor heard of the books that Silo is based on though.

The story is good and interesting. The series takes place 140 years after the apocalypse. The 10,000 people who are now left live in a silo, and these people have never been outside the silo. They don't even know what stars are. They know, however, that it is fatal to go outside the silo. Some people choose to go outside to find out more, but they always die. Those who remain in the silo can witness through a window every time someone wants to go out, and see how and when they die. Rebecca Ferguson has the lead role as Juliette Nichols, who tries to find out what's outside the silo and why they can't go out without dying.

The acting is good, as is the character development. However, the pacing can be a bit slow, as there are some filler episodes. They undoubtedly could have shortened the series by at least two episodes, but it doesn't bother me that much, because the series as a whole is very good.

I look forward to season 2 with more suspense, mystery and answers about what's going on outside the silo!

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Really good! Better than the first!

[9/10 · 5 March 2024]

Dune: Part Two was definitely better than the first. It was even more epic. There were parts of the movie where there was a lot going on at the same time that was a little hard to keep up with, but I still didn't feel as confused now as I did during the first movie. The directing was fantastic as always with Denis Villeneuve. The CGI was more or less perfect. Completely stunning, especially the sandworms. And the score... Just awesome. The cast and acting was phenomenal, except Christopher Walken as the emperor. Somehow he feels too silly to be emperor.

Dune: Part Two has very good and interesting character development. Especially when it comes to Paul Atreides. The love relationship between Paul and Chani was also very good and interesting. You really root for them, and it's tough to see that it might not work between them, because Paul needs to develop into a leader that Chani doesn't like. Austin Butler was amazing as Feyd-Rautha. What an interesting villain! Really good build-up for the final battle between Paul and Feyd-Rautha. It was a really exciting and well done duel. I love when there is no background music while a duel like this is taking place. It feels more epic to just hear the sound effects of blades, punches and grunts from the characters. Javier Bardem was very funny in this movie. He was so excited throughout the movie that Paul might be Lisan al Gaib. I laughed several times.

What I liked more about Part Two is that even though it is part of a series of movies, it stands firmly on its own. Part One had a first act and a second act and then ended very abruptly. Part Two had a final act, where you feel that the film actually has an end even though it sets up a third film. And I can't wait for the third movie...

Barbie (I) (2023)

I will for sure keep listening to I'm Just Ken!

[6/10 · 1 March 2024]

I thought Barbie would be much more childish than it was. At the beginning of the film, I thought about what I was actually watching. It started out childish, but then it turned out that it is aimed at a more adult audience. Many of the jokes in the film will not be understood by children. There were parts of the film that I liked and parts that I loathed. It is well directed and has lovely singing and dancing that sticks in one's head, especially the song at the end, I'm Just Ken. Loved it.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling fit perfectly in their roles as Barbie and Ken and give a very good performance. The comedy and jokes didn't always land with me, but at least I laughed a few times during the movie. Will Ferrell is almost always funny, which he was here. But, the whole part with the real world and all the corporate guys with their suits, felt out of place because they were just as childish as Barbieland.

The film also has a deeper message, where it presents interesting arguments about how the invention of Barbie has affected the world, for better and for worse. Personally, I think that the film lost my interest a bit when there was far too much talk about "strong women".

Barbie was better than I thought it would be, but overall it was an okay movie. Not sure I want to watch it again though. However, I will for sure keep listening to I'm Just Ken!

This review was written by a 30 (soon 31) year old man.

Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2023)

This series is very uneven when it comes to the writing...

[6/10 · 21 February 2024]

When I started watching Fear the Walking Dead I had high expectations because I loved The Walking Dead. I've never found FTWD to be better than TWD though. FTWD takes place before TWD, at least initially.

Seasons 1 and 2 didn't really interest me. It was during season 3 that I really started to like the series and felt that this could actually become something good! But up to and including season 4, the writers chose to kill 3/4 members of the Clark family. The show also did a time jump in Season 4 and had a crossover with TWD so that Morgan Jones is now part of FTWD instead. There were a lot of people who didn't like this, and I understand that, because it turned out to be a completely different series from now on. FTWD was about The Clark family, just like TWD was about Rick Grimes and his family! And now it's not... Well, Alicia was still there, but she was a very undeveloped character back then, and they now starts to develop her character. All of this was a very strange transition, but I still enjoyed the series, as I liked the new group of people you got to follow, especially Morgan Jones.

It was also now that the writing started to become very uneven. Sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes very bad writing. Season 5 was okay at best.

Season 6 was much better than season 5, and once again I thought maybe something good will come out of this after all! But no, because season 7 ruined it...

Season 7 was much worse. Strand as a villain was just weird and bad. Then the writers decide to kill Alicia in episode 15, and in episode 16 something even worse happens when the writers resurrect Madison, right after they kill Alicia... WTF...

Season 8 was hands down the worst season. Zoey Merchant was not a good choice for Mo... That together with how poorly written everything was became a disaster, and that was only the first half of the last season.

The second half was even worse. Antonella Rose as Tracy Otto was abysmal. Sorry, but she was. How can they bring in such a bad actress for a series like FTWD? And the whole story about Troy and Tracy and whose daughter Tracy is, back and forth, was just so stupid. Why bring Troy back from the dead, only to kill him again at the end? Stupid. Madison has now also died and come back from the dead 3 times over the course of the series. Tracy shoots Madison, but she survives. A magazine from a pistol, which also had Alicia's necklace in it, was in the way and stopped the bullet. Really? After that, Madison sacrifices herself once again, in the same way as in season 4. But she doesn't die this time either. Tracy is the one who digs her out later. How could little Tracy save Madison? Tracy pulled her out from the rubble of the blown up building, by herself? What?! And guess what happens next... Madison wakes up, saved by Tracy, and then all of a sudden Alicia walks in. Brought back from the dead! Oh my God... After season 4, I have also been very bothered by how illogical some characters have been.

Troy was the only thing that was good in season 8, but he died of course, in a stupid way like many others have died in stupid ways during the course of the show...

The end of the series was both good and bad. Now we got the reunion we wanted for Madison and Alicia after all, which was lovely to see. It was also lovely to see Daniel and Skidmark reunited! Those two things were the only good things about the ending, everything else was disastrously bad.

Dune (2021)

Would have been better as a miniseries on HBO.

[7/10 · 18 February 2024]

I haven't seen Dune (1984) and I haven't read any book about Dune. I saw Dune (2021) for the first time two years ago. I didn't really know what I thought of it. I thought it was overhyped and a bit boring, but still okay in a way. I just watched Dune again before Part 2, to see if I like it more now. And I did, but...

The story in Dune is good, grand and just somehow feels epic. The sound and music is epic. The cinematography, setting and the atmosphere are epic. The big sandworms and the bad guys are intimidating and interesting. The acting and casting are also great.

This time it was a little easier to follow along, but at the same time I still feel that there is a lot missing when it comes to how certain things are told and explained, or rather not explained. I understand that the spice is the most valuable resource in the galaxy that many want to get their hands on, for example Leto Atreides from the Atreides family, father of Paul Atreides. Paul is the main character, and we learn that he is The One. Someone who will become very powerful, I guess. But for what? What is his purpose? What is the meaning of all his visions? Will he create balance in the universe and give them spice? And what is the Bene Gesserit? I just did not understand Paul's motives most of the time or why he went where he went. It feels like Dune would have been better if it was a miniseries on HBO where Denis Villeneuve could have dived deeper into the lore and explain more things in more detail. Also when I saw this movie the first time, no Part 2 had been announced. This movie ends very abruptly. I get that it's building up to Part 2, but I think it still could have had three acts, which it doesn't. It basically has a first act and a second act and then it's over. That's how it feels. The difference with, for example, The Lord of the Rins trilogy is that the first film still has three acts and ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. That is not the case with Dune. At the same time, I understand why Denis Villeneuve wants to make Dune as a movie, because everything in it is VERY EPIC INDEED and belongs on a big screen with powerful speakers etc. However, many people have big TVs and good speakers at home these days, so I would have rather seen Dune as a miniseries. That is just my opinion. It's still a great movie though, I just don't find it THAT great that others do.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to Part 2, so I can get a conclusion and more explanation for everything, I hope.

The Marvels (2023)

If this is the version we got after all the retakes, which they thought was the best, it makes you wonder how awful the first attempts must have been.

[2/10 · 16 February 2024]

I don't even know where to start with this review... Basically everything in this movie is bad, except for the running time, thank god it wasn't 2.5 - 3h long...

The action scenes and choreography are at a low level. The CGI is bad for the most part. The dialogue and story are poorly written and uninteresting. The characters are thinly written. The bad guy is boring and highly forgettable. I couldn't even remember her name several times during the course of the film. The connection between Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau that was built up disappeared before it even came started. The connection between Carol Danvers and the villain was basically nonexistent. Everything about the villain's homeworld's sun, about how it died and how it is revived, was stupid. Just like everything else in this story. There's just a whole bunch of things happening without much meaning, and it never connects. So the story is all over the place.

Nick Fury is not what he used to be. It was the same in Secret Invasion, he's pathetic and illogical. Not at all the Nick Fury that was loved before. His one-liners and dialogue are cringe and not funny at all.

There were mainly two parts of the film that were particularly bad. The first is the musical part... I never thought I would see it in a Marvel movie, but I was wrong. A race of people who can only communicate by singing and not speaking normally? Like it was taken from a cartoon. After Carol Danvers is done dancing and singing with the prince, Carol says they need to talk. The prince is apparently bilingual, so he can both sing and speak normally. Since when is song a language? And this only happens AFTER they have finished singing and dancing! This scene adds nothing to the film or its story. It was only because they wanted to make a musical scene to include in the film. So stupid, and I hated it.

The second is the part with all the cats. Stupid and illogical. All cats are born exactly when needed for the story, and how did it become so many kittens so quickly?! All the people there on the ship were completely stupid, running around like stupid chickens. And why do you have a crew of 350 people with evacuation pods that can only hold a total of 150 people?

Kamala and the scarf... Ridiculous.

And the ending... Kamala tries to be cool and play Nick Fury, by starting to collect child heroes for the Young Avengers team, which will be extremely cringe-worthy with all these poorly written child heroes...

If this is the version we got after all the retakes, which they thought was the best, it makes you wonder how awful the first attempts must have been.

You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment (2024)

They should have only focused on the experiment itself, and nothing else...

[3/10 · 30 January 2024]

This documentary could have been done in 1-2 episodes instead of 4. I liked the idea behind the documentary, about what happens if you compare twins where one is an omnivore and the other is a vegan. But this documentary was very little about that particular experiment and in the middle of it all became a documentary about how bad the meat industry is, how bad the fish industry is, how it negatively affects the environment, etc. It's true though, and people need to wake up and see the world for what it is is. Most people just do the ostrich, head down in the sand and continue doing what they want. I don't mind such documentaries, as I myself tend to watch such documentaries sometimes, but that's not why I started this documentary...

They talked a lot about how good the vegan diet is for health, for the environment and for the animals, which is true of course, but this documentary was supposed to be about how the body is affected by a plant-based diet compared to a meat-based diet!

There was so much info about other stuff and not much info about the experiment itself. For example, about how the world's best and most successful restaurant switched to becoming completely vegan. Or about the family that was subjected to continuous rain of pig feces on their yard and house. Although this information is interesting, it is not relevant to this particular documentary in my opinion. This information about these two examples adds nothing to the experiment about the twins...

However, I agree that this documentary was a real Bait and Switch!

This review is written by a 30-year-old man who has been a vegetarian for the past 6 years.

American Nightmare (2024)

A very good and emotional documentary.

[9/10 · 28 January 2024]

This documentary is exciting from start to finish, and I didn't know what to think. Who kidnapped Denise Huskins and why? Who was behind it? Was it the boyfriend Aaron? Was it Aaron's ex? Was it Denise herself? Why don't the police believe their story and just want to falsely accuse Denise and Aaron, and lie to them? It's so exciting and you don't know what to believe throughout the whole documentary. You think you know something, and then the next twist comes up, and you don't know what to believe, again. Towards the end, you will find out most of the answers to your questions.

The documentary is very emotional. I felt disgust, tension, irritation, anger, sadness, and at the end I was very moved and cried. Mat Mustard and other FBI agents/police officers should be in jail for what they did. I was so pissed off when Mat Mustard became policeman of the year and got an award! Misty Carausu was a true hero and I hope she continues as a police officer for the rest of her life. SHE is the one who deserves an award! Good thing Denise and Aaron got a good lawyer as well, Doug Rappaport, and that Misty stood by their side and didn't give up!

The documentary was well made, and not too long or too short. Perfect length.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

I understand the purpose of the film, but it feels like something was missing.

[6/10 · 27 January 2024]

Leave the World Behind started off well and was exciting most of the time, at least the first half. Then the film became a bit boring, because not much happened and so much was left unexplained. If it was a cyber attack, why did the animals try to warn the humans? They usually only do that when there are natural disasters, because the animals notice it earlier and flee from the coming disaster. The animals don't know what a cyber attack is, do they?

There were several good actors, and the acting was adequate. I was a little disappointed that Kevin Bacon was only on screen for 5-10 minutes of a 2 hour and 18 minute movie.

I understand the purpose of the film, but it feels like something was missing. Something could have been done differently to make it a better and more exciting film.

I thought the music didn't quite fit in, and the directing was weird with weird camera angles and zooms.

Overall, it was an okay movie, but nothing special about it.

Black Bird (2022)

Good show with good acting.

[8/10 · 8 January 2024]

Black Bird is a thrilling crime drama that is exciting from start to finish. The story is based on a true story, which makes it even better. The story is well written and directed.

The cast is amazing, especially Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser! Phenomenal performances from both of them. Paul Walter Hauser as Larry Hall really managed to confuse me. Is he really the killer? Or does he like to confess to murders he didn't commit, just to get attention? He played very well, and I was really disgusted by him.

The ending left me a little empty inside and I felt a bit unsatisfied. I think I expected something more, but I don't really know what or why, because it was a good ending and a good series. Maybe the ending was a bit abrupt.

Squid Game: The Challenge (2023– )

Squid Game: The Challenge is partially entertaining to watch, but also poorly made in many ways...

[4/10 · 3 January 2024]

I don't really know how to rate Squid Game: The Challenge. Just like many write, the casting is terrible. Very stupid and unlikable people. I never got attached or rooted for any of the participants. Maybe 1 or 2, but the got eliminated in ridiculous ways. At least I know that I was not happy with the winner. Most of it feels very exaggerated, overdramatic and fake. How can you cry so much over a person who leaves already after the first or second competition? They have just met each other for the first time... There are also lots of sob stories from the participants about their past lives, but it didn't make me empathize with them, because everything was so poorly laid out in conjunction with how unlikable the characters were during the course of the game, and also because how it was directed and edited.

The whole competition itself was too often left to chance and had almost nothing to do with real skill. All competitions were really boring, except for 2 or 3 of them. Also, randomly picking players who get to pick other players to eliminate was boring and stupid, and there's way too much of that part.

The only thing that was really good about the series was the environment and the recreation of the different rooms and competitions. Not all competitions from the real Squid Game are included, but some are recreated. There are also some completely new competitions as well. But not a single one of the new competitions was exciting or entertaining to watch.

However, it is fun and entertaining to watch stupid people, doing and saying stupid things, even if it can be annoying at the same time.

Squid Game: The Challenge is partially entertaining to watch, but also poorly made in many ways, except for the setting. Quite different from the real Squid Game, so don't have high expectations. If you want to watch a competition show where stupid, unlikable people are eliminated and kicked out of the competition due to randomness and chance, then this series might be for you.

The Boogeyman (I) (2023)

Turn on some lights...

[5/10 · 31 December 2023]

The Boogeyman didn't scare me that much. There were one or two scenes that scared me a little. It didn't feel like a PG-13 movie. So of all the PG-13 horror movies, The Boogeyman is probably the "scariest" I've seen.

The story is not that original, but still okay. The acting is also okay, but they failed a bit in conveying real fear. The characters act really stupid most of the movie. If it's a monster that doesn't want to be in the light, why on earth don't you turn on some lights? They don't even try. It would have been a different matter if they at least tried to have lamps and stay in the light, and then the monster destroys the lamps and creates darkness. That would have been better writing.

Sawyer, the young girl, who has seen the monster several times, still chooses to sit in the dark and play video games. Why? As Sawyer sat in the dark playing video games, she was thrown around the room by The Boogeyman. Sadie and their dad drove Sawyer to the hospital. When Sawyer wakes up in the hospital, she just wants to go home. WHY? What child in their right mind would want to go back home to a house where a monster has just tried to kill you?

Sadie, the older girl, has seen a woman shoot the monster several times with a shotgun, and it didn't die. When Sadie later goes down to the basement to save her father, she chooses to equip herself with a hockey stick? She goes down into a dark basement with a hockey stick... The switches for the lights in the house never seem to work, but when they go down into the basement, Sawyer wraps herself in a string of Christmas tree lights, and THAT has power... But nothing else, right? I sat through the whole movie going "Why doesn't anyone put on a headlamp or carry a flashlight or SOMETHING like that?!" When they go down to the basement at the END of the movie, Sadie finally takes out the phone and turns on the light. Finally. But no, she uses it for a few seconds, and that's it. The characters are so stupid and behave illogically. The part about the mother being with them and helping out at the end with the lighter, and making the flame of the lighter move to the left, as Sadie asked for before, was just predictable, unnecessary, and boring. At least that is my opinion.

Very poorly written in several places. Still an average movie for being PG-13.

The Intouchables (2011)

A heartwarming film about friendship and love.

[9/10 · 31 December 2023]

I saw this movie for the first time when I was 17-18 years old. Back then I gave it a 6/10. I was probably a bit too young for this movie then. I'm 30 now and I've just seen it again. I will raise the rating to 9/10.

The film is very well made. Good script, good acting, good directing, good humor. It's also based on a true story. There is a great contrast between the two main characters. Driss comes from a poor immigrant family that lives on benefits. Philippe is disabled and rich, and is looking for someone to help him in his everyday life. It's interesting to see Driss' character development, from being quite arrogant and selfish and just wanting his contribution, to actually starting to work for and take care of Philippe who is disabled and wealthy. You notice that Driss starts to like Philippe and vice versa, they become really good friends. Driss arranges a date for Philippe with a woman he has been pen pals with for a while, since Philippe does not dare to take the plunge himself, due to his disability. Philippe then meets this woman and she becomes the love of his life. This movie is so heartwarming. A heartwarming film about friendship and love.

Poltergeist (2015)

Don't waste your time...

[3/10 · 25 December 2023]

This remake is a waste of time to watch. Not scary at all, with no real scares, only a few clichéd jump scares, with people sneaking up on each other and making an illogical loud noise.

The acting was bad. Jared Harris was the only one that was decent. The script and dialogue was bad and illogical. The reactions from the family were unbelievable.

It felt like the creators of this remake put all the money from the budget into making good CGI, but most of the time it was not that great. The rest they didn't bother spending time or money on.

The ending was bad and anticlimactic. When Griffin went into the other dimension to save Maddy, it was over before it even started. It was ridiculously easy.

The film started off promisingly, with a few interesting scenes. For example, when Maddy was running around in the other dimension and her shadow bled through the other dimension and appeared in the house. I found that a bit creative.

This was not a good movie. I have seen worse though. 3/10.

Violent Night (2022)

Good Christmas feeling with a brutal and violent Santa.

[8/10 · 25 December 2023]

Violent Night is about a rich family who have been taken hostage in their own home. Santa happens to be there and is going to leave some Christmas presents for them. He sees what is going on and decides to save the family.

Violent Night is a brutal, gory and funny Christmas movie. Santa is the reason for most of the gory stuff, as he kills the bad guys, one by one. You get to see a good backstory for Santa that explains the nature of his brutality. He has lived a very long time, and was a viking a long time ago, and he had a hammer called Skullcrusher. Just epic. The kills are very creative and well done, which was entertaining.

The acting is good. The script is also good, for the most part. Sometimes there were certain dialogues that were so corny and stupid it made me cringe a bit, but whatever.

There is Christmas music in the background almost throughout the whole film, and it was used creatively. It was great to see Santa butcher bad guys to happy Christmas music. When it got a little sadder towards the end of the film, a sad version of Silent Night was used instead.

There was also a very good Christmas atmosphere in the film, so I can imagine watching this film more times in the month of December in the future.