anitabphoto Reviews

The Alpines (2021)

I wanted to like it

[2/10 · 20 January 2022]

Acting wasn't great. Characters were unlikeable. The plot was uninteresting. The twist was very obvious and the ending was REALLY bad. Makes no sense whatsoever.

Coming 2 America (2021)

It was great. Some of these reviews are suspicious.

[8/10 · 6 March 2021]

I assume this has been review bombed by some forum or something. The bad reviews are all clumped together. This was just as good as the first one. It was also more "black centric" than the first one with a lot of beloved old heads making appearances. It had a very 90's feel and I laughed out loud a few times. Nice to see a lot of these people still got it!

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019– )

I'm so happy this show exists.

[9/10 · 12 July 2019]

Sketches follow a pretty predictable formula: a group of adults, one of them is acting crazy, either the bystanders join in unexpectedly or people are turned off by the craziness. Its predictable so why did I give it a 9? Because the formula works. The sketches are well written, the characters are quirky enough to seem realistic but so ridiculous that it gives you those uncomfortable laughs. I genuinely laughed out loud at a lot of these. My favorites were the song about skeletons using bones as money, you have no good car ideas, the one with poop on the receipt, and the eulogy for former baby models (because I think the host is hilarious). I'm honestly shocked how funny I found it. I'm usually not a sketch show type of person.

Midsommar (2019)

Ari Aster knows what he's doing

[8/10 · 11 July 2019]

If you're expecting another Hereditary, you'll be disappointed. This is more of a drama than a horror movie. With that said, the drama is almost perfectly executed. There were some gimmicky parts, some troubling leftovers from Hereditary that fell flat (the facial deformities, the way women react to grief). Those things felt contrived but they dont take away from the narrative. This is a truly immersive film. When I first walked out of the theater, I gave it a solid 7.5. Days later, I bumped it up to 8.5 because I look back and the whole thing felt like a dream. I think this is what Ari Aster was aiming for and boy, did he succeed. I laughed, felt nauseous, cried, got angry. The highlight of the film was definitely Florence Pugh. Aster has a knack for hiring underrated actresses. She owned the role and I cant think of any other actress her age who could have done it as well as she did.

Over the Limit (2017)

I wouldn't call it a documentary.

[4/10 · 9 July 2019]

I'm convinced people just like to watch cruelty. This isnt much of a documentary. Theres no narrative or structure whatsoever. It's just a compilation of "two Russian ladies abusing a young Russian girl" scenes. It's both boring and upsetting. Also, who wrote the description of this film, the coaches? "Mental fragility." She was the least fragile person in the doc.

A Dangerous Son (2018 TV Movie)

This is a documentary.

[10/10 · 14 May 2019]

Theres too many people reviewing what happened in the film instead of the film itself. The film is okay. Its the subject matter that is upsetting. Some of the reviewers' failure to understand this says a lot about their state of mind. I left a 10 to try and counterbalance the soap box commentaries of other reviewers. I'd give it more like a 7.

Hellier (2019)

Hours of grasping at coincidences and spirit box experiments.

[4/10 · 19 February 2019]

I have to admit my bias here: I'm a skeptic who watches these things to be proven wrong. I've yet to find a doc, podcast, or show that does. Some have come close but this one is really, really far away. For one, it's hard to pay attention with such bad sound mixing. There's music throughout the whole movie and the volume differs from scene to scene. Sometimes it's so distracting you can't pay attention to what anyone saying. Two, it's clear the filmmakers set out to make a more substantial show but came up with nothing so decided to frame the whole thing as "synchronicity." It's really just however many hours of assigning importance to coincidences and eschewing any evidence that would suggest otherwise. The lions share of the proof comes from the already controversial spirit box. This results in a really funny moment when the guy hears "48 minutes" on the box and then later notices a seemingly meaningless phone call they have with a friend also lasted 48 minutes. From the way they react you'd think a little goblin walked up to them then and there. Extremely disappointing. I was eager to get creeped out but instead I spent a good amount of time laughing at them. Nevermind the fact that they spend so much time with the spirit box and you never really get to hear it.

Await Further Instructions (2018)

The number of bad reviews is slightly suspicious

[7/10 · 12 February 2019]

I'm convinced there's some sort of campaign against this film (maybe if some people bring politics into it?). This film was almost objectively passable and subjectively good. Great production value, acting, effects. You have a clear villain and protagonist throughout which works for a film like this. I don't get it. I didn't pick up my phone once while watching this, which is rare for me. Maybe the characters are a bit cliche (especially the sister), but it's a fun movie that'll keep you engaged.