MickandRorty Reviews

3 from Hell (2019)

Not A Great Movie, But For Fans It's Better Than Nothing

[5/10 · 12 August 2020]

First of all, there wasn't much (if any) terror or true horror in the movie. I watched the unrated version, but there was nothing really shocking or terrifying. There was brutal violence, but Rob Zombie's wife's character was a little "over the top"...in an annoying/cringeworthy sort of way at times. Also much of the events that took place were extremely illogical.

It should have been darker and used some horror elements. It felt more like an episode of a Devil's Rejects TV show of some sort. It feels unresolved. A little entertaining for fans, but lackluster overall.

5/10...and that's if you're a fan of the first two. If you disliked the first 2, skip this entirely.

The Tax Collector (2020)

Critics Will Hate It, But It'll Entertain You

[6/10 · 7 August 2020]

I am reviewing this within hours of it being released. Currently there are 30 total IMDb votes. My guess is when the score settles down after enough people watch it, it'll hover around a 5.8. But, if you like violent crime movies, I recommend checking this out. It is not very long, so there is not too much opportunity cost (it's about 85 minutes I think).

The dialogue did come off kind of tongue-in-cheek at times. Shia did great, as always. Even though I did enjoy being entertained by the movie, I wish it played out differently than it did. I am not saying it has a bad ending. The ending was okay for me and where most of the action is. I wish certain characters in the film played a bigger role in the overall resolve of the movie. This might not make sense, but if you watch it, you'll probably know what I am talking about.

The visuals/cinematography was good. The acting was mostly good. The dialogue was hit or miss. Some of the stuff that was said was kind of corny. One non-spoiler example of corny dialogue would be "Take this gun, it has a lot of murders on it." The way that line was delivered made me cringe. There are a few other examples of that in the movie.

I also feel like the movie did not come full circle. Sure, there might be a tiny bit of a twist...but I would have liked to see the actual last clip to have been in a different setting to bring the film full circle. Again, this probably makes no sense unless you've seen it and remember how the film begins.

It is hard to write a review without spoiling anything. Basically, if you like shoot 'em up crime movies, it's worth checking out. The characters do not go into much depth, but at an 85 minute runtime, that's kind of expected.

I feel like this movie would have been much better if movie theaters were still open; and they had to run test screenings. Maybe a couple changes could/would have been made to improve the film...but I know that Covid, and the realization of a lower ROI of this film without a box office, may not justify investing too much additional work into it.

It will entertain you, but it could have been better....and it probably would have been if Covid wasn't making things more challenging for filmmakers at this time. It's worth a watch, and I think a lot of frustration from the critics is due to the potential this film had. With more character development, some dialogue changes, maybe change up a couple scenes...there is a lot of potential for a great movie. It did feel a little rushed, but hey, I was entertained.

6/10. That's what I give movies that entertain me, but won't stick with me for very long. Worth watching, but probably not worth re-watching. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it...nor would I dissuade anyone from watching it. It's always a treat to see Shia, though...he's a fantastic actor.

Game of Thrones: The Last of the Starks (2019) Season 8, Episode 4

Did not feel very Game of Thronesy

[1/10 · 6 May 2019]

It seems like GoT has been shying away from violence and nudity. That was the entire appeal of the show for half of us.

Hellboy (2019)

Some Cool CGI, Plethora of Gore, Lacking In Story/Content

[5/10 · 12 April 2019]

I had big hopes. I thought it would be as good as the earlier ones, but even better due to the R rating and excessive violence. I thought Hellboy was like a Deadpool and needed the hard R rating. If you could combine this CGI and effects with Toro's movie, you'd have a better result. This gives you what the other Hellboy left you craving...but doesn't deliver the the content well enough....if that makes sense. Worth streaming on Netflix. Not worth the trip to cinemas.

Pet Sematary (2019)

Wish I did Not See The Second Trailer...Shock Factor Gone

[6/10 · 30 March 2019]

I Think this would have been much better had I not known what was going to happen. Watching the trailer, you see Judd's fate, you see the "changes" which would have been nice twists, but I was expecting it all.

Note to marketing people: I understand that you wanted to create excitement and internet buzz with the changes....however, the internet would have buzzed more if these changes were a shock.

Back to the movie itself. Well-cast. A few jump scares and some pretty eerie moments such as the masked children, but I was never on the edge of my seat. The original is one of my favorite horror classics. This was decent. It did not have the same scare elements of the first (ie. "Hi Doc!"). Not a bad remake, but it was not mind-blowing.

My personal experience was probably a 5 ....but without seeing the trailers...it could have been a solid 7-7.5. I am rounding it out to a 6. Go see it, have some fun. Avoid trailers if possible.

Bird Box (2018)

The Happening Meets The Quiet Ones With Some of The Mist Sprinkled On Top...But, It's Not Good

[4/10 · 25 December 2018]

The main Sandra Bullock character was not likable in the very least. The movie started off just fine, very The Happening-esque. Then it drags and drags until a very unsatisfying "ending." It's actually incredible how little character development there really is for how long the run-time is. I mean, you'll ask yourself at the end...."What do I know about ANY of these characters?" Nothing. It's some lazy writing and/or rewrites. And, I am not sure what the fate of a couple characters in the film are....was it written off? Why? Also, there is a very big goof in the general premise of the movie, just check the goofs page if interested. Not good. 4/10. Acting was good. Writing...not so much.

The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

They Just Killed Off A Potential Franchise

[1/10 · 13 June 2018]

The Strangers (2008) was a classic. Classics tend to get spin-offs, sequels, or franchises. It got a sequel, and it will all likely stop there. I could see the possibility of a 3rd direct-to-video release down the line, however. It tried to go for an 80s slasher vibe, but it felt more like a Troma film, without the gore or TNA (the only reason to watch Troma movie in the first place). I did notice the nod to Scream and Texas Chainsaw (neither of which were 80s slashers), so that was odd. Also, the cast was terribly miscast. The brother and sister acted more like bf/gf which was another odd move, and had incestual vibes at times, much like Jeepers Creepers (also not 80s).

By the end of the film I did not know a single character's name. Nor did I care to. I turned to the person next to me and they did not know a single name of any character in the film either. A clear lack of character development and/or any kind of relatability.

This movie tanks on every single level. The kills were lame. The characters were lame. Zero scares. Not one. There was nothing for anyone here. I am blown away at how many people are saying this is a good 80s throwback....it's not. It's trash. 1/10

Hereditary (2018)

Scariest Horror Film In Recent Memory

[10/10 · 11 June 2018]

I highly recommend going into this movie not knowing anything about it, as I did. The movie is terrifying and does not use any jump scare tactics. You will squirm in your seat as you notice details going on in the background. The camera work/cinematography was incredible. An all-around fantastic horror movie that is sure to become a classic. It will stick with you and you will continue to analyze scenes in your head. I will definitely watch this one more time when it comes to bluray. 10/10

Westworld (2016–2022)

Season One was Brilliant. Season 2 (7 episodes in so far) is Awful. Cancelled My HBO.

[4/10 · 4 June 2018]

Season 1 was fresh, mysterious, had a good pace, and had interesting plots. Season 2 just seems like a whole bunch of filler. I think most characters are miscasted, and the ones that were interesting in S1 have very uninteresting plots in S2 (ie. Mae, Bernard, Dolores)

Season 1 of Westworld was one of my favorite TV seasons of any show. It was compelling and kept me interested. Season 2 lost everything that I loved about season 1. It went to being one of my favorite shows of all time to where I might not even finish watching the second season. The writing is cheesy. The acting is tongue-in-cheek for much of the time. The writing lost much of its wit. The good characters are no longer interesting.

Season 2 is to Westworld what Season 6 was to Game of Thrones. It's unfortunate.

Truth or Dare (I) (2018)

Some of the dumbest crap I've seen since Manos Hands of Fate

[1/10 · 21 April 2018]

If horror movies were pop songs, this one would be Mmmbop.

Hollywood, why not try and slap a hard R on something like this to at least attract the gore and TNA hounds?

There is nothing here for ANYBODY. You like scares? Look elsewhere. Want some comedic relief? You won't find that here.

Well, are there at least some dark elements, fun deaths, or some naked chicks? Of course not...it's a soft PG13 movie.

So what is here? Who would like a movie like this? Nobody that is who.

There is nothing here for ANYONE.

Lady Bird (2017)

Didn't Do Much For Me

[1/10 · 27 February 2018]

Some people might feel that they relate to a character in this film, and that can be fun. I respect that. I don't think I was in the demographic for this, as I like a plot in my movie. This was more a character-study/coming of age film.

To be the highest rated movie in the history of Rotten Tomatoes, I thought we'd be seeing a top 10 movie on the likes of the Godfather with that kind of word of mouth.

Instead what we have is a TVMA version of something you'd see on the WB.

It was just....it was nothing. There was nothing to it.

Winchester (2018)

About 3 Jump Scares, Moves Surprisingly Slow For Only 1 hr 39, Comes Together Very Cheesily

[2/10 · 3 February 2018]

I think the lead doctor was cast just fine. Very Depp-esque (think Secret window). Miss Winchester worked with what she was given. But, the whole movie was very slow, and ended with cheesy cornballs.

I think there are 3 jump scares, which were all done just fine. I just feel the whole climax of this movie was something that could have been straight out of "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?"

Did not care for it.

The Wizard of Lies (2017 TV Movie)

Disgusting, Profane, Disrespectful Garbage....And That's Just De Niro. Toast! Career's Over, Bud.

[1/10 · 13 January 2018]

I have never been so disgusted by a performance.

Deniro, the things he said here...his view on America's democracy is sickening and frightening.

He says he is still fighting for Meryl Streep to get her equal share.

Go away snowflakes.

1/10

The Commuter (I) (2018)

Liam Neeson played by Liam Neeson. You've seen it before. But, it's still entertaining.

[6/10 · 12 January 2018]

There are certain actors in Hollywood that are so one-dimensional, but they play that one-dimension spot on. Liam Neeson is one of those guys. Another example is Jason Statham. Their roles are all the same, scripts slightly tweaked, yet the movie passes of as decent-to-good almost every time (except for the Taken sequels, but that isn't on Liam).

Bottom line is, it's basically the movie non-stop, but on a commute instead of a plane. Liam Neeson plasy his same old self and plays his usual one-dimensional badass role. He did his job once again. This movie will bring in okay-enough numbers, and we will be presented with Liam Neeson's next challenge in about another year.

Same old, decent-enough action movie.

6/10

The Post (2017)

A Real Bore. Spielberg's Worst Film To Date. Sad!

[1/10 · 12 January 2018]

This movie is a real snoozer.

It will not perform well, and I don't care much for the cast. Terrible job all-around by Streep.

Everytime I see Meryl Streep on the screen, I just cannot take it serious.

Now that America is on it's way to becoming great, let's make Hollywood great again and get away from these horrible snowflake actors/actresses.

It's like every time I turn on my TV, all I see is a Blizzard of snowflakes. More acting, less snowing.

0/10 stars...oh not allowed? 1 star it is.

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

As much as I like Elise...I don't like all the Corny Cheese. Ruined by Last 15 Minutes.

[2/10 · 12 January 2018]

This movie attempts to give a backstory to the face of the Insidious franchise, Elise. It was okay for most of the way through. At times sloppy, but it was decent enough through the first 85% of the movie. Then, it actually took a crazy turn that was brilliant that lasted for about 5 minutes....only to be completely ruined by the last 15 minutes.

A better metaphor for this film would be to say:

They were cramming too much slop into this movie. And, just when you thought they were actually going to pull it off and seal the lid with a satisfactory ending...they slipped and all the sloppy corny cheese spilled everywhere. A vomit-worthy finish to the series!

A shame too, because with another rewrite there was definitely some good elements in here.

When it wraps up, you won't even know how to feel about certain characters in this movie. Villain or victim? Who knows? Who cares.... this franchise has lost me at this point. As much as I like Elise...I don't like all the cheese!

2/10

Leatherface (2017)

This is about as TCM as 10 Cloverfield Lane was Cloverfield...Forget it

[1/10 · 20 October 2017]

It is not Texas Chainsaw Massacre, doesn't even feel like TCM.

This is basically a completely irrelevant movie to TCM, call it "Texas Lunatics", and the ending was basically a TCM easter egg.

Not what I was hoping for.

1/10

Geostorm (2017)

Live Free or Die Hard Meets 2012, But Better Than You Thought..

[7/10 · 18 October 2017]

This is an action-packed movie that will entertain you; and you will feel pretty okay about what you've just witnessed.

Very nice special effects. The storms were nicely done. CGI was convincing.

Why I think this works better than other "Natural Disaster" films is because they did not revolve the plot around the storms...the storms were just the vehicle of destruction used. It's more like a Live Free Or Die Hard conspiracy, but instead of hi-jacking the IoT, they are hi-jacking weather control satellites.

Good CGI, a fun movie.

7/10

*Had Bruce Willis been in it... would have made it an 8.5

Happy Death Day (2017)

Even if it was an original premise, it would still be bad....

[1/10 · 14 October 2017]

To me, the movie does not work. In the theatrical trailer, you see every one of her "deaths". And, since it is a PG13, what you see in the trailer is about as much detail as they show in the movie.

Really not much point to this film other than trying to play the whodunnit game. Obviously, once revealed, your mind immediately addresses all of the problems with this resolution.

Not for me. Didn't work. Trailer revealing everything did not help the experience either.

And before you think, "Why does he even watch the trailer if he doesn't want it spoiled?" I am a firm believer that a good trailer is one that does not reveal every single surprise.

The Babysitter (I) (2017)

Bad Enough For Me To Cancel Netflix

[1/10 · 13 October 2017]

These "Netflix Originals" are all the most garbage films I have ever seen. I wanted to like this. I wanted to like Death Note...Big Mouth...etc, etc. Netflix, you put no soul into your films. This is just blind, dumb entertainment for some; and complete trash to most.

I was expecting cheesy....but I was not expecting Troll 2 spliced with Giant Spider Invasion type of cheese.

Granted, I did see the trailer ahead of time...which did spoil the entire thing. I was hoping there would be more to it..there was not.

Bad. Real bad. OoooWeeee. Awful. Netflix, I want my schmeckles back.

I hate that this movie exists.

Cult of Chucky (2017)

A total mess...yikes

[2/10 · 12 October 2017]

The only redeeming quality about this film was the surreal setting. I loved the ultra-white everything.

However, everything else was rubbish. They brought back the original Andy...that's exciting, right? Well, turns out there is a reason he doesn't make movies still...he's a bad actor.

Jennifer Tilly and company constantly making some lame inside joke that keeps mixing up her name...Tiffany/Jennifer. Not very funny.

The gore was lame. Slapstick junk. No dread or horror. Just unfunny jokes, non-likable characters, a ridiculous premise, and a waste of time. Chucky is cool when it's horror. Lame when it's comedy.

2/10

Better Watch Out (II) (2016)

Dark, Disturbing....Hilarious

[8/10 · 7 October 2017]

I really do not want to give away any important plot points to the movie. Getting into anything specific would spoil a fun element of surprise, so I have to stay vague.

All the actors nailed their parts. It transcends into many different genres. You will laugh at times, feel queasy at others, but it all wraps up nicely in the end.

It is a lot of fun. I was a big fan of both these kid actors when they co-starred in M Night's "The Visit." The actor who played Luke did a great job as well.

A fun, quick ride. 8/10

Big Mouth (2017–2025)

Surprised Netflix Picked This Up.

[6/10 · 30 September 2017]

It really is gross, over-the-top, and ridiculous. There are definitely some funny moments, even if those jokes are cheap, gross and incestual.

I was not a fan of a lot of the voicing. Obviously you would need to cast adults with this kind of material, but they definitely did not even attempt to sound like middle-schoolers. I think that better voice casting and a re-write, this show could have actually been a success.

It's just very awkwardly done. Some good laughs here and there...but it could have been done much better had another editor and a different casting agent been involved.

It's a watchable, short, late-night comedy. 25 minutes per episode. I would avoid watching this with a group, though, as many will be highly offended by this.

Watch at your own risk. But, you have been warned, it is even grosser than you think it will be. For some, that might be a good thing...for others, it might not be what you are looking for. Watch the trailer first, get an idea of what you are really in for.

Will & Grace: 11 Years Later (2017) Season 9, Episode 1

11 years to come up with material. Yet it feels like it was written in a day by Maddow

[1/10 · 30 September 2017]

That's what Will and Grace thought was best to come back with? Just some tired, old, over-used Trump jokes?

Trump has orange skin? Good one. That's fresh.

A show as big as W&G should not have it's primary comedic force to be divisive tactics. You are alienating half of your audience that feels like you are just belittling out intelligence, all while cracking non-funny Trump jokes that we have all heard 100+ times.

Can we get some non-political activists writing some content in Hollywood? This show should be a light-hearted sitcom, but is very discriminate and judgmental now....which is exactly what the show was OPPOSED TO in the first place, right?

1/10....BAD. This show will die now.

Rick and Morty: The ABCs of Beth (2017) Season 3, Episode 9

Not as good as the others this season, but still solid

[10/10 · 24 September 2017]

Don't get me wrong, I love every episode. There is not a single episode that a flat out dislike. With that said, for me this a pretty solid episode, but nothing classic.

It deserves a 10/10, as does every R&M episode. But on the R&M scale, I'd put this one as average for them.

Thought the scenes with Tommy were great. Love the voices, as always. Good work.