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phillipbrowning
Reviews
Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind (2020)
God, how I want to believe...
It's a pretty darn well made documentary but, sadly amidst allegations of Dr. Greer being labeled a fraud over some incident involving flares, my heart has sunk... I thought he was one of the good ones. It does make sense though, despite the respect I have for the hard work and effort he's put into the Disclosure project, I cant help but sigh and roll my eyes at his claims of making UFOs appear from willing them forth with his mind (how impressive!). I'm sorry, but I can only suspend my disbelief up to a certain point. I'm still a 100% believer in the existence of aliens and UFO's visiting earth, but I am unfortunately an abysmal 10% believer in Dr. Steven Greer. And it is for everything I have stated above that I cant in good conscience give this albeit, well made documentary a score higher than a 6. It was entertaining at least.
It Comes at Night (2017)
I Liked it
The only sin this film committed was not being a full fledged horror film... which really wasnt the writer/directors fault. The advertisement campaign for this film was very misleading and anyone, myself included who watched one of the trailers for this film before it came out would have it pegged for a twisted, bloody supernatural spookiest. It was not. But what it was, was actually quite good. A very taught human drama playing out in the isolated woods with the backdrop of a deadly pandemic sweeping through the countryside. It's not a horror film, it's an allegorical psychological thriller heavy on atmosphere.
Not for everyone, but it worked for me and I hope in time it really finds its audience. This film deserves at the very least a 7 on this site. Anything lower is criminal. Looking back on it, maybe they could have picked a better title but hey.
Signs (2002)
Perfect film.
I am honestly shocked by the 6.7 rating. I gave this movie a ten as more of a statement, anything less than an 8 is criminal.
This movie achieved everything it set out to do. You can see the inspiration of Hitchock and I think he would be proud. The mood, atmosphere, cinematography, acting, directing, writing, everyone did their job and then some with this film. The pacing is pretty much flawless. A+ on suspense.
In a nutshell this movie delivered. Bigger philosophical themes in an alien invasion film centered on one families experience. Faith being tested in an unusually strange and difficult trial and overcoming. I love it and I dont even believe in god! Some day people will give this beautiful movie the respect it deserves. I mean what, did it get docked points for starring the controversial Mel Gibson?? I dont get it. This movie is so good I'm honestly baffled by this score.
The Ritual (2017)
Great Horror tale
I'm kinda suprised by the low 6 out of ten rating on this site. Not fully suprising based on how the horror genre gets overlooked by many critics but, this movie in my mind is definitely one of the better horror films of recent memory.
People complain about the ending but I heard that same gripe about "The Babadook" so I dont really take all that static too seriously. The story was strong, the brooding, and evenly paced mystery to the horrors to come in the second act was superbly executed. It was creeping, enthralling and very inventive. I love variety in horror and although a variation of this supernatural theme has been seen in other movies, I definitely feel like I was watching something that hasn't been done before and when it comes to horror that's almost everything for me. Cuz honestly who really wants to see another possession movie or Paranormal activity 9.
If you love horror, then see this movie! I was entertained from the first minute all the way until the last.
A bunch of buddies gather together on vacation for a hiking trip in an unfamiliar foreign land, get lost in the woods and encounter something truly frightening. If you think you've seen this film, think again. Watch immediately!!!
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020)
Can't believe this isn't amazing!
It's John Logan, the creator of Penny O.G. with a brand new vision! What could go wrong? Well, based off of my viewing of just the first episode, apparently everything. I'm really hoping I'm wrong and, theres something really exciting and fresh coming down the pipeline with the next couple episodes but, that series premier, does not make me all that reassured or hopeful.
Ari Astor, new horror-director extraordinaire, has shown us, with his latest film, midsummer that horror and bright vibrant daylight can do the tango... but I guess it takes a real auteur at the helm to pull it off. The bright, sunny 30s era Hollywood setting in the show seems a bridge too far for the supernatural horror themes they're trying to pull off. I also, as I painfully watched this first episode (that I was honestly stoked for) wondered if hollywood noir and horror is even a good match and can prove compatible.
Long story short, all the things I loved about Penny Dreadful seem all but gone in this new series. It leaves me wondering, WTF happened!?? Was Logan offered a ton of money and then pressured to come up with a script in an unreasonably short amount of time? And what was with that ridiculous CGI, like only 2 minutes into the show!?? I'm not ready to give up just yet, but I'm just really not impressed. Please John Logan, tell me you have an ace up your sleeve!
Euphoria (2019)
"You think I went to rehab just so I could stay clean?" Uggghhhhfff
I rarely write reviews on this site, especially not bad ones. This is actually my first bad review and I feel it's well deserved. I dont understand this show; who is its target audience? and who at HBO gave it the green light- go ahead? Mature, rated R subject matter and teens dont usually mix well and it definitely doesnt here.
The dialogue between charecters is painfully to the ears. All the non-adult charecters in euphorias' suburban setting all talk like they were plucked out of boys N' the hoods' south central, even despite not looking like those charecters. Some of the charecters are absolutely absurd, most notably the main charecter Rubys' 11 year old drug dealer. (btw, he ain't just slanging grass).
To wrap this up, in short, what makes this show undesirable at least for me is that the actual high points of this show; the truly stunning visuals, cinematography, directing and overall impressive production are completely being wasted on a show with a terrible concept/ premise and lack-lustre screenwriting... What the hell HBO? I haven't been this confused since they decided to cancel dead wood... that's all thanks for listening to my rant! Give it a wide berth. Bye y'all.
Suspiria (2018)
This is what horror should be all about!
Seeing a lot of low user reviews here, something which I can perfectly understand. I would not be surprised if the shinning would get the same amount of naysayers had IMDb been around back then. The truth is this film will grow stronger with time and eventually be seen by many as what it is a Horror Masterpiece.
Easily one of the best horror remakes I have ever seen. I really didnt know what to think when I heard the classic psychedelic horror film Suspira was being remade. I just remembering hoping they wouldn't mess it up... and yeah They definitely didnt. The look and feel and directing was masterfully done. Very reminiscent of Dario argento's style and aesthetic. You could definitely tell the director was respectfully paying homage to the master Italian horror directors biggest achievement.It was mysterious, creepy, sexy, and yes horrific. That climax whoo baby. Yes Please!
Love what they did to the story kept true to the original by holding onto the mystery card. But did something different and refreshing. Right amount of blood and horrific imagery and great cast. This is how horror should be done folks, giving us something we haven't seen a hundred times over.
Suspiria (2018)
This is what horror should be all about!
Seeing a lot of low user reviews here, something which I can perfectly understand. I would not be surprised if the shinning would get the same amount of naysayers had IMDb been around back then. The truth is this film will grow stronger with time and eventually be seen by many as what it is a Horror Masterpiece.
Easily one of the best horror remakes I have ever seen. I really didnt know what to think when I heard the classic psychedelic horror film Suspira was being remade. I just remembering hoping they wouldn't mess it up... and yeah They definitely didnt. The look and feel and directing was masterfully done. Very reminiscent of Dario argento's style and aesthetic. You could definitely tell the director was respectfully paying homage to the master Italian horror directors biggest achievement.It was mysterious, creepy, sexy, and yes horrific. That climax whoo baby. Yes Please!
Love what they did to the story kept true to the original by holding onto the mystery card. But did something different and refreshing. Right amount of blood and horrific imagery and great cast. This is how horror should be done folks, giving us something we haven't seen a hundred times over.
Rome (2005)
Oh come on!! Where's season 3!!?????
This show was truly one of the great ones, still casting a shadow over many period dramas popping up here and there today like an idol or guideline of how it should be done. I love this show and was so saddened by the fact that it was canceled prematurely after only 2 glorious seasons. The story of ancient Rome and the death of it's great republic is told with great bravado by this series stellar cast. As I watched, I saw no pointless charecters sticking out like a soar thumb, no actors phoning it in and the chemistry between certain charecters was completely transcendent. I put it up there with Gladiator in terms of an excellent and entertaining depiction of Rome that has no other rivals quality wise. And even one better it really gives you a picture of a day in the life of romans, the makers of this show really did their homework. Who knew history could be so much fun! You can definitely tell looking back on this show that it was a major passion project of the great John Milius. As far as shows go this was one of HBO's finer moments but apparently due to the extremely large production they had to eventually pull the plug, shame on you HBO! This is a do not miss through and through.
Forever (2018)
Loved every minute!
This show surprised me... From the adds and preview I was expecting a mildly entertaing dramedy with scarce laughs. But what I got was a quirky dark comedy chocked full of funny moments with a neat mysterious sub plot. Fred and Mia do great together in a pretty close to perfect ensemble. It starts off as a bit of a slow burn taking it's time to work up to the real premise but when the ball really got rolling I seriously couldn't stop watching. Some idiot on this site gave 'forever' a 1/10 rating with the headline: Tragic....
The only tragic thing about this show is that it's so freaking good that you'll probably end up running out of episodes and binge it all in one day like I did. Okay so the premise isn't that revolutionary or mind-blowing but it's really how they deliver and set the mood. The writers do a great job balancing comedy and drama. Every episode is different and its own unique story inside of a story. This show is funny, sad, exciting, eerie, but most of all entertaining... Bravo! I want more.
Jordskott (2015)
I appreciated the hell out of this series!
I gotta say this little Swedish gem worked for me on so many levels. The acting was really good as well as the directing. The show had a really cool creepy vibe to it (especially on season 1) that really built on top of the uniquely intriguing plot. The mystery surrounding the town and its inhabitants is expertly delivered throughout the first season. The twists and reveals blew my mind, there's no way you can get 3 episodes in and give up. This show makes true blood and Grim look like garbage. Jordskott's modern take on fairy tales is like nothing I've ever seen... It's dark and mysterious and I was as hooked on this show as some of the characters in jordskott are on their black sludge they drink to survive.
The Woman in White (2018)
A fair and honest adaptation
I will keep this brief for the sake of anyone coming upon this classic gem of a mystery for the first time. Completely disregard any review of this mini-series that's been rated lower than a 4. The people giving it super low ratings will bang on about it being an unworthy adaption or that the spirit of Willie Collins is completely lost on the writers and directors of this series.
Ok I lied, not so brief of a review... but anyways these sour puss pretentious wanna be thespian mentioned above are people that have their minds made up before watching any literary classic adapted for the small screen. To them the book is always better no matter what. But guess what no duh... the books always better but that doesn't mean adapting a classic is a crime. I read the book. And having such I can tell you the makers of this show did a good job. The characters and sets were on point and the mystery delivered. I couldn't ask for more in an adaptation, much better than "the moonstone" another recently adapted Willie Collins story brought to the small screen. Sorry for the rant but I hate snobs. Watch and decide for yourself. The acting was great.