bentheredfan Reviews

Raw (2016)

At times overly exploitative and a little underwhelming, but for the most part, a finely cooked meal of horror/thriller madness.

[7/10 · 26 July 2018]

This movie is, at its core, a morality tale about peer pressure, firmly held convictions, and the negatives of helicopter parenting. Yes, it is dressed in the masquerade of cannibalism and the peer pressure of a freshman year of college, and it fits quite well I might add, but this movie is (primarily) about the slow, steady decline that occurs when you begin to let your morals slip.

Personally, I don't believe it is objectively wrong to eat meat. However, the writer's choice to utilize a vehicle of vegetarianism here doesn't bother me and it serves its purpose quite well. I don't want to spoil too much, but it's quite easy to identify the symbolism presented here.

As previously stated, none of this makes this a bad movie. Quite the contrary; it is extremely well done and interesting. This is partly due to the subject matter; it is such a controversial topic that you really do have to keep watching just to see how it ends. That said, it is EXTREMELY dark and exploitative. There are rare moments of recovery here and those presented are often quite strange. Perhaps more than scary, the film WILL make you uncomfortable and/or disturbed. I primarily view horror movies and even I had to do some double takes. Be prepared for that, and word to the wise, do not view this in mixed company.

Star Garance Marillier is easily the strongest aspect of the film, and the other reason you just cannot stop watching. She is innocent, vulnerable, gullible, and scared... and yet also dishonest, manipulative, dangerous, and decadent. You can relate to her struggle and root for her, but at the same time, some part of you is against her and maybe even hates her. The rest of the cast, at least in comparison to Marillier, fades into the background, which isn't always a good thing.

Some of the exploitation here aims so high for shock value that it loses its effect and feels pointless. Further, it removes you from the film. There were two or three times I would find myself immersed, only to be shaken out by pointless indecency.

The whole thing is in French as well (I watched with English captions) and again, be prepared for a very bleak, yet somehow cautionary and careful, film.

Tau (2018)

Stars off at the slow crawl and predictability of a Windows PC... ends up with the speed and complexity of a Mac

[9/10 · 24 July 2018]

Stick with this. It starts off fairly predictable and, dare I say, boring... ends up keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. Gary Oldman (Tau) and Maika Monroe (Julia) take the stage here. Their interactions are incredible, touching, and even compelling. These characters also carry themselves pretty well individually. Maika is strong-willed and headstrong yet compassionate and empathetic, while Oldman maintains his "tough-yet-caring" outlook and goes from what could've been boring and one-dimensional to fully 3D. Ed Skrein (Alex) isn't quite as good as his co-stars, but he does bring a cold and calculating edge to the film, one that fits the tone quite well.

The plot asks some very interesting questions about authority, artificial intelligence, pre-destination, and humanity. The plot on surface isn't very complex; however, when you dig into its nuance, you'll find some rich substance. There's a little bit of humanist relativism thrown in, but aside from that, it's a solid plot with some thoughtful implications. Be warned though; this is a dark, and sometimes painful to watch, film. It is definitely better off for this, but you need to be prepared going in.

On the negative side, that first twenty minutes or so is rough to get through. There's some forced social commentary that isn't needed (or, frankly, factually based) and it drags a little longer than needed.

If you're a Maika Monroe fan (and why wouldn't you be? She's smoking hot and a great actress to boot), you should check this out. She is just as good in this as she is in previous films. If you like any sort of blend of sci-fi, horror, and psychological thriller, this movie will rank up there in the greats for you.

Sneaky Pete (2015–2019)

One of the most clever TV shows I've seen

[10/10 · 19 April 2018]

This is a brilliantly written and brilliantly acted show. Every actor is fantastic, every character in-depth. I was absolutely blown away by the cleverness and effort put into this show and the intelligence in the writing and character development/interactions. Giovanni is an excellent villain and con artist and the viewer truly cannot help but root for him, Bryan Cranston is (of course) stunning, intimidating, and impossible not to appreciate. This isn't necessarily a show from which you can derive a role model or really even root for the main character; it is instead a marvelously crafted and nail-biting story, a crazy and unpredictable roller coaster through the world of cons. (Season 1 Review)

Jessica Jones (2015–2019)

Season 2, not a sophomore slump.

[9/10 · 17 April 2018]

So my rating above encompasses both season 1 and season 2. That said, this review will primarily focus on season 2.

I was, quite frankly, blown away by season 2 of Jessica Jones. It was emotional, memorable, and clever. The message of addiction weaved throughout was exceedingly well done, the emotion was absolutely palpable, and the characters came straight to life.

That said, there is a bit of a feminist message at times. I can only remember once or twice when it got grating, but for the most part, I was able to avoid it.

The Punisher (2017–2019)

One screw-ups, two screw-ups, finally redemption.

[10/10 · 20 March 2018]

After the iffy Iron Fist and the catastrophic The Defenders, I was DEEPLY afraid they would slather The Punisher in their hyper-liberal, SJW crap. Let me just say I couldn't have been further from the truth. Not only are the politics more centered, but this is at least as strong of a series as Jessica Jones. It is impactful, emotional, full of depth, violent, and stirring. The actors are all perfect, the characters relatable, the plot thrilling. This is a dark series, but not without its redemption. Props to for the support this series shows for the US Military and it really did make me think about how our soldiers are treated when they get back home. Watch this. You won't regret it.

The Defenders (2017)

By God, worse than Iron Fist.

[4/10 · 11 March 2018]

There's going to plenty of negatives in this review. Let me vent the positives first. Charlie Cox (Daredevil) and Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) are both brilliant. They got me to episode seven, truly. Individually, the characters are just as strong as in their respective shows, together, the chemistry between Jones and Daredevil is stunning. Wai Ching Ho (Madame Gao) is the best villain in the thing and, though woefully underused, Elodie Yung (Elektra Natchios) is great as well. Scott Glenn does well as Stick and it was cool to see him back. The fight scenes are well-filmed and exciting.

Ok. Now to the problems. Sigourney Weaver (Alexandra) plays a baffingly shallow villain that is the definition of one-dimensional. Both Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing) and Finn Jones (Danny Rand) whine almost incessantly. I understood the reasoning for it in Iron Fist, but here, it is constant and DRAGS the series down. I hated Iron Fist by the time episode 7, out of 9, came around, and this wasn't the intent of the show. Mike Colter (Luke Cage) spends most of his screen-time virtue-signaling and complaining in true SJW fashion. Simone Missick (Misty) is HORRID. HORRID. Her character is the embodiment of unnecessary virtue-signaling and is a hindrance, not a help, to the plot. She is arrogant, wrapped up in her own self importance with no regard for how things actually work in the real world.

People, this is terrible. My only recommendation is to somehow watch only the scenes with Jessica and Daredevil and view some of the ones with Gao. Elektra has some cool moments and so does Stick, but I will not be going back to this anytime soon. Horrid.

Play Misty for Me (1971)

Strong-if overlong- Psychological Thriller

[7/10 · 7 March 2018]

I ended up watching this almost by accident... I'm currently home from college and my mother taped it and told me I would like it, and I just figured "heck, got some free time to spare, why not?". And I am glad that I did. Clint Eastwood (playing Dave Garver) is fantastic and Jessica Walter (playing Evelyn) should get a freaking medal for her performance. The supporting cast is great as well and well worth just as much interest as the main cast. Eastwood is a decent director: for the most part, the atmosphere and scenes are set well and the actors have clear, impactful direction. It's not a scary film, at least not in this day and age, but it kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the time. If you like psychological thrillers, check this out for sure, and if you like Clint Eastwood, you won't be disappointed.

Now, that said, there are some problems here. Namely, this movie is overlong. I can think of two scenes that could be and should be cut. Also, there's almost an ever-present musical backdrop , and at times it works as a soundtrack. But at times, it just doesn't belong in the scene it is used in and actually is off-putting.

Overall, however, I would recommend this as an essential to any fan of thriller films, even though it may not be a staple of the genre or one of the more popular films within it.

Iron Fist (2017–2018)

Arguably not actually the worst

[6/10 · 5 March 2018]

Ok... so let me preface this by stating: this is not Daredevil. This is not Jessica Jones. Heck, this isn't even Luke Cage. It is not near as well-written, near as engaging, or near as thrilling to watch. However, this is a decent series that I would argue is above average and more than just passable.

Up front, the best part of this series is the interactions between the Meachums... Joy, Ward, and Harold are all well-acted and well-cast, though Tom Pelphrey (Ward Meachum) does go a little overboard at times (especially in the pilot). Nevertheless, the interactions and twists and turns throughout their story is engaging and does more than just keep you interested. You want to find out what happens to the three, you want to see resolution through towards the end.

The collection of villains isn't bad either. That's all I can say without ruining it, but I did get a kick out of all of the presented villains.

The fighting is also well choreographed, and for all the crap that he is getting, Finn Jones plays Danny Rand well. You can track his development from innocent, slightly naive teenager to darkly haunted guardian throughout the episodes, and you do indeed want to root for him. I also enjoyed the relationship between himself and Colleen Wing, played by Jessica Henwick. There's an expected cameo that I don't need to mention, and though sometimes the cameo is nice, sometimes it creates some unneeded negativity.

Bringing me to one of my least favorite parts of Iron Fist: the forced politics. Whether it was the cameo complaining about how terrible the justice system was, to the constant dialogue on how killing is never right no matter what, to the dig at the US military for waterboarding, the liberal agenda is in full display here. The other three originals, at least to my knowledge, didn't force this down my throat, and that was something I deeply appreciated. If you can gut the next season of that crap, the show would improve.

It's also somewhat predictable. There's a certain twist some could argue you see coming from the beginning, and while I myself didn't see the entire twist coming, I did at least correctly predict some of it.

That being said, if you enjoyed the other Netflix Marvel canon, don't pass this up. It is much better than most have given it credit for, and I can say that while it isn't as memorable or exciting as the other shows presented, I don't regret watching it one bit and am glad I did.

Game Night (I) (2018)

A Comedic Golden Egg

[10/10 · 4 March 2018]

This is, hands down, one of the most original comedic ventures I have seen in my lifetime. I knew from the first trailer I saw for this film that this would be brilliant, and I was right. It is perfectly acted, perfectly casted, perfectly scripted, and downright hilarious. In today's world, much of comedy is dependent on nasty sex jokes, gross visual gags, or juvenile bathroom humor with very little thought or mental application placed into the writing or story. I truly believe that this film is the absolute anti-thesis of this: while there are a few of the aforementioned sex jokes, they're delivered at a minimum and make sense in context. If you like to laugh, go see this. Even if you're not a comedy fan, go see this. I can guarantee you will laugh and walk out with a broad smile on your face. And for those of you who like a certain blood spatter analyst with a bit of a passenger on his shoulder... watch till the end.

The Mummy (2017)

Clearly... Universal wasn't prepared for the darkness.

[3/10 · 25 June 2017]

Score: 3/10, 1.5/5, 30%, F

(Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this title on its own merit. That means it will NOT be dependent upon the original or the 2000s remake for its negative and positive aspects).

Positive Aspects: Dr.Jekyll/Mr.Hyde (portrayed by Russell Crow) was a decent enough character in his own right. His Perigium/Perdigium secret society formed upon the basis of combating the evil that does indeed try to penetrate our world is a nice touch as well and adds for a level of connection to the spiritual warfare that takes place in society today and the general battle of good and evil we must all face in our daily lives. I especially enjoyed the "recognize, examine, contain, and destroy" quote when pertaining to the absolute evil that is a real threat and danger.

Negative Aspects: There's a difference between a flawed main character that I can still relate to and root for and a hapless idiot that I am all too thrilled to see die. Chris Vail (portrayed by Jake Johnson) is undeniably annoying and unnecessary, delivering stupid one-liners and acting like an animal driven by dumb, illogical actions. The guy is brave enough (or maybe stupid enough) to call in an air-strike on his own location, yet when his partner wisely tries to run and leave him behind, he panics like a child? I guess he was supposed to be comic relief, but again, I was almost leaping out of the theater seat watching him die.

Nick Mortan (portrayed by Tom Cruise) is annoying as well, but for different reasons. You can tell they tried to go for the Indiana Jones/Nathan Drake vibe, but ends up just being an ignorant, flat character that wanders through the world around him simply because he can. I'm not sure if this is Cruise's fault, however, because some of the dialogue that was written for him (by David Koepp and Dylan Krussman), is nonsensical and would require the viewer to totally numb themselves in deeper ignorance than Nick himself to let slide. He's predictable and tough to root for.

Jenny Halsey (portrayed by Annabelle Harris) is just your archetypal damsel-in- distress that has sexual connection with the rogue(ish) main character and the secret society that the main character haplessly stumbles upon and ends up working for. Harris doesn't do well in the role, but more than that, we are supposed to believe that through one sexual interaction and bits and pieces of conversations without any REAL dialogue going on, they form a loving relationship significant enough for Nick to sacrifice himself and his freedom in order to bring Jenny back to life?! No. I don't buy it.

I'd like to preface this next part by saying this: I found Sofia Boutella, who portrayed the main villain and "mummy" character Ahmanet, absolutely gorgeous, almost unnaturally so. However, too much of the movie tried to sell itself on her sex appeal, without actually advancing the plot or enhancing the character.

Add to that some pretty awful dialogue and NUMEROUS plot holes, and you have a movie that has a little potential, but largely squanders it. I'm not entirely sure why Universal chose to set up the Dark Universe when they clearly were not prepared, but perhaps later movies such as Frankenstein will truly capitalize on the potential here.

The Final Verdict: If you feel you need to watch this to be prepared for movies to come, find the Russel Crowe scenes on Youtube, and find the ending. You can seek out a picture of Boutella on IMDb or Google should you wish.