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Reviews
Nope (2022)
Had zero expectations, which may be for the best
I found it fairly captivating! Can't relate to comments of the film being too long... about 2/3 of the way through it seemed like it was winding down, but there were so many interesting questions at that point that I quietly hoped it would keep going, and it did! Didn't feel like there were any loose ends, everything made reasonable sense, it didn't try to be complicated, I don't know what to tell ya.
The mood leans more grounded human than sci-fi, and much more jurassic park than alien. Come to think of it, it's not very alien at all but more of a creature film with a few moments that felt a touch paranormal.
Maybe it helped that I hadn't watched any trailers or heard anything about it beforehand.
Skinamarink (2022)
Probably not for casual viewing
If I could go back in time, I'd rather have watched this in the dark, alone, in my own creepy childhood home. Or in a different, strange home. Or on a projector outdoors with my back to a forest or something.
(Except the constant light strobing is so nauseating on a TV in a lit room, I can't imagine what it would be like in the dark.)
I'd still give it 5+ because I appreciate what it's doing. It reminds me of many nights spent with friends when we would creep each other out with spirit boards, or that unsettling fear of journeying the dark hallway to the toilet at 3am, or all the various night terrors and visual hallucinations.
This story seems to be from the house's perspective. There wasn't very much tension, as the kids were left so empty. I felt like a ghost stuck in the floor, my worst nightmare of what the afterlife would be like. I suppose that has thoughtful merit, but I didn't exactly /enjoy/ it.
I suspect how we choose to watch the film would matter a LOT. Just casually flipping it on blind with a plate of supper in hand was the wrong one!
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
What are they even filming
Seems like the only connection to the series is the found footage format, but I don't think it worked for this one?
I admit I was way too distracted by the shaky documentary premise to get into the story. Who is their documentary for? If it's just a personal vlog, why so much production? If she's famous enough to have an audience who cares, why is she so absent? The protagonist never speaks to her audience or provides context to any footage even though a camera is following her around like a tv host. How were they planning to edit any of this into a cohesive film? They had a camera guy, a sound guy, a host that ignores them, and no director/direction. A little weird.
Spoiler: It was also odd how they lamented the lack of phone, car, or neighbors right after discovering a laptop with an internet connection and mysteriously, a wi-fi router? I'm imagining a wi-fi notification popping up on their tablet and they just ignore it. Heh!
My favorite part is actually the art on the church floor - ominous, creepy, tells a story, leaves more to the imagination.
Anyway, I had so many questions about the characters and what the heck they were even trying to do on this homestead that I'm not sure what happened in the actual story lol.
Aftermath (2021)
Surprisingly decent
This movie can't decide if it's a horror, drama, or a comedy, but in this case, I think that helped a lot, actually. At one point, I got so caught up in the characters that I forgot I was watching a horror movie. I appreciate seeing actual characters and storytelling in a shallow horror plot!!!
Loved the build up in the reveal scene, even though one little bump could have easily uh, eliminated the threat. Just... just empty it, guys.
Temple (2017)
No ending?
Stuff I liked about it:
- The awe of being someplace new and different was pretty well felt by the main character. It made me wish to go. That was nice.
- He seemed like a real person for a second (unlike the others).
Stuff I disliked:
- Like every horror film, every character is virtually unlikable. Why though? Don't you want us to care about them?
- Also like every horror film, whenever there's a "twist" (there really isn't), it pauses the action to replay some old scenes because they think we're too slow. I wish they'd quit with that.
- It ends so abruptly and randomly. This movie builds up with interesting details and then seemingly forgets at the last minute. They did nothing with the, uh, topic of the relationship fight, which is kind of a weird thing to write about so casually. A lot of wasted potential there. Perhaps stuff happens, but it's all left up to you to write the ending in your head.