Change Your Image
daviswilliam-43211
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Old People (2022)
Maybe it's just me
SPOILERS AHEAD ***************************
But I couldn't watch any more after the married couple got brutally murdered. It's really very gory and just f'd up on so many levels. This is coming from someone who loves most horror but this scene just really didn't sit right with me. Honestly after the first murder happened I was hesitant because of how graphic it was, to watch any more. But I kept on until the married couple scene.
But no more, I had to turn it off. It really churned my stomach. I'm okay with most heavy content and some gore, if it's not overdone and fits. This was just too much for me. But hey, maybe it's just me.
Aside from that the movie was so-so anyway so far so I don't feel like it was a bad decision to turn it off. I'm pretty sure the rest of the movie would have been lots of gory deaths with some "family values" sprinkled in.
The message is relevant though. We throw our parents in homes and often forget about them. Many are mistreated and many feel forgotten and hurt.
Glorious (2022)
Very out of the box - Very dark
Wow, talk about an original movie. I was thoroughly surprised by this one. And the ending was so shocking. I was completely surprised by the twist and I'm normally one of those people that can guess the twist pretty early on. Usually they make it obvious but not in this one.
I definitely believe that this movie was made for a fairly specific audience. I'm going to just be frank here, but I can tell people's general IQ's by their reviews. If you didn't understand it, then I suppose you should stick to more straightforward movies, with obvious plots.
For those that did understand it but didn't love it, I definitely get it. It was so dark. What a depressing ending. And to think it was quite funny at times! Bordering on a comedy while still being very dark and gruesome, it could turn off a lot of viewers. Aside from that the plot is nearly paper thin and nothing much actually happens. But in the end you find that, in a way, there is a reason for that and the execution is actually done very well as everything comes to it's macabre conclusion.
There are no crazy special effects, no big budget. It's set in one location with a few flashbacks but not many. You know almost nothing about the protagonist other than that he's recently broken up with his girlfriend and desperately wants her back, and that he is travelling somewhere. That's all we have until we're thrust into this fever dream, acid trip of a long scenario that slowly evolves into a huge "heroic" act near the end that brings about the big twist.
It's certainly a strange movie. But I personally loved the strange ride. The story is very thin, but the overall meaning is very deep and rich. This movie made me think. It also made me a little sad and melancholic. There are many damaged people out there and it' s not usually their fault. They didn't ask to be born into pain and to have pain inflicted on them day after day. But what they did choose was to not rise above their circumstances. They chose to be consumed by their own pain, to succumb to it, just as the protagonist did. To become that which they hate.
I'd recommend this to anyone who could stomach such an acid trip of a horror movie. It's mostly a good trip...
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
The best worst movie I have ever seen
It's funny I dislike pretty much all the other Resident Evil movies except for this one. It didn't try to be anything special. It capitalized on one simple thing: action. And in that respect it did a really amazing job (in a goofy over the top kind of way). But seriously it wasn't trying to be anything else and I personally liked that.
It's pretty much a video game in movie format. I thought it was really cool and very entertaining. The CGI was pretty well done, the special effects were awesome, the fight scenes were fun. A bunch of boss battles. The best worst movie I have ever seen.
Just for reference I generally like thrillers/mysteries that really make you think and this is certainly not one of those. I did grow up playing video games though so maybe I'm biased.
Nonetheless, this guy liked it.
Day Shift (2022)
Took me way too long to realize this was heavy satire
This movie is 90% satire. Another reviewer mentioned Snoop and Jamie Foxx in one movie, killing vampires? What else do you need. Well I have to agree, it was a fun movie. It was terrible, but it was supposed to be, and I had fun watching it. Snoops character was my favorite.
Not to mention the fight scenes were way over the top and pretty damn awesome. I was entertained throughout and once I realized I was supposed to be cringing at the vampires (you'll see what I mean when you watch it) I enjoyed it even more.
Requiem (2018)
Could have been so much better *semi spoilers*
This was a show that, as it unfolded, I found myself more and more interested to find out what happens next. At first, I had suspicions this was going to be a run of mill kidnapping/child abuse, bad people who are trying to cover it up, yada yada plot. And it sort of was but then it kept getting bigger and more complicated and I enjoyed attempting to piece things together. But sadly, it doesn't amount to much in the end.
They built everything into this big closing sequence that really felt visceral and otherworldly only to give a pretty lackluster explanation of a conclusion. I ended up feeling almost cheated. It reminded me of those horror movies that have the stupid twist endings where the villain is somehow still alive after being thrown off a cliff (or whatever: insert horrific death). Matilda is told she will "have all the answers" if she follows through with what they want. The viewer is excited! We get answers. Well... there were pretty much no answers. And I for one, am disappointed. It developed really well until then, but the ending dropped the ball.
Eli (2019)
Bad reviews are all about the ending
I thought the ending was pretty cool and had a serious shock factor! The rest of the movie was done well too. I think it's a real solid horror/mystery. It's not very scary but the mystery makes up for it imo. And for me, the ending was really cool and enjoyable (albeit pretty f'd up). I will say the ending, in a way was kind of scary but not in the classic horror movie sense. It was just really visceral and I liked it because it complimented the twist.
The Nun (2018)
Mostly just entertaining - Unique narrative
The way they told the story was interesting and fun to watch. I won't give away any spoilers but the "twist", if you will, was the point in the movie where I said "Okay, clearly I don't agree with any of the reviews I read before watching".
I was looking for a good movie to kill the time tonight and stumbled on this because I had watched Insidious recently and am, in general, a person who enjoys James Wan's work. The Conjuring is up there in my list of good scary movies. The Insidious series, while not being great movies in general, are still nostalgic and enjoyable and take me back to my early teens years of Netflix and chilling. Yes I said it, it's a strong nostalgia. But that's besides the point! I digress.
I was fully expecting to hate this movie. Or to maybe laugh at how bad it was judging from all of the hateful reviews. People really despised this movie! Honestly, I thought it was great for what it was.
No, the story was not complex. No, the acting isn't perfect. No, it isn't very scary. But bad enough to warrant a 2 star review? One reviewer even went as far as to say the writers/director were purposefully trolling the audience. I don't think so. This movie does a lot of things right too, but everyone seemed to focus on what it failed to do.
It was a very entertaining trip in a foreign land, in a desolate castle, with an ominous and foreboding atmosphere and a hovering evil presence. The movie played out like a haunted house action film - and to me that's not a bad thing! I would recommend to anyone who likes mystery and atmosphere with horror elements.
P.s. Give us some more history/lore on Valek. They had the opportunity to really give some life to the demon and potentially make her even scarier but they missed the opportunity. All we got was a tiny bit of lore. Developing the story more would have been more satisfying and world building, but I guess it might have been a different kind of movie at that point.
Spider-Man (2002)
The quintessential superhero movie
I was a big spider man fan as a kid and I remember this movie so well even though I originally watched it when I was just a child. This movie just hits all the marks. I think plenty of reviews have broken it down well so I won't add much else other than to say that this movie holds a special place in my heart.
It's so REAL. The characters are so human and vulnerable. The action scenes are amazing and visceral. The villain is great. Willem Dafoe does a great job as Green Goblin. Mary Jane embodies the beautiful girl next door who's personality and humanness you can't help but admire. Toby McGuire does such a great job. He embodies Spiderman: Nerdy, innocent, wisecracking (I'm glad they didn't overdo this part though).
The writing, directing, special effects. It's all there and on point. It's as if the Spiderman comic came to life and we get to watch it unfold. Seriously just such a good movie, watch it if you haven't!!
Stranger Things: Chapter Nine: The Piggyback (2022)
I wish I could say I liked it more
Imo there were many many flaws in the last episode. Maybe part of it is just my tastes, but those overly emotional drawn out conversations between people were just a real drag. They seemed so forced and contrived, normal people don't talk to each other like that very often, and if they do, your WHOLE friend group doesn't do it on the same day. I get it was potentially the "end", but nonetheless not everyone is going to have some 4 minute long teary eyed speech together. And if they do, great, I don't necessarily need to see it. Some felt less forced, others felt really forced.
Which brings me to my second point: the protagonists plot armor. No matter what the heck they face they seem to never be in any real danger. Vecna was such a great villain. Really terrifying, extremely powerful, the REASON for all of the events that have happened in the show. What a hardcore backstory for a villain. I mean really really cool. Why then, wasn't their more weight put into his story? Why then, wasn't I genuinely afraid for the protagonists? I knew they couldn't die. I've seen a protagonist die and then magically come back to life multiple times now and it resulted in me not fearing for the kids lives. I mean, really though. A bunch of children kill a dark wizard with the powers of mind control and who can manipulate everything in the Upsidedown as well as make people hallucinate and crush them from the inside out with simply the power of his mind!?
I get that they used their smarts to attack him when he was vulnerable and that was cool but the fact that I knew they couldn't die totally took away my investment in the characters, my investment in the villain, and overall my investment in the finale. The goofy monologues were the nail in the coffin. Could have been so much better, everything leading up to this was really intriguing. Halfway through the season I was so pumped, near the end I couldn't even take it seriously. There were definitely some things done really well (Eddie's fight scene was really cool, the soundtrack was lit, cinematography was interesting) but the flaws overshadowed all of it because they made the backbone of the episode.
Aliens (1986)
If bad action movies are your thing
I guess this would be the cream of the crop. As for me, this is a terrible action flick. It's entertaining sure, but very vacuous. Just not my thing. I see why it has an almost cult like following. But imo bar none the original is better. Alien Covenant is my favorite although very flawed, just like Prometheus. At least there's some interesting content there.
Clifton Hill (2019)
A flawed mystery, but worth the watch.
First off, this film is unique in that it doesn't exactly fit into any one category neatly. It's slightly comedic at times despite being a mystery and the atmosphere is arguably somber enough to be a horror. The plot jumps around and the main character seems to make discoveries seemingly out of thin air at times and you wonder how she put two and two together. The pieces fit together in the end, but not cleanly. There's a lot of emphasis put on the mental health of the protagonist. No one really seems to like her, and she's doing one thing after another that she really shouldn't be doing. It comes across like she cares only for herself and I can't say I liked her character any. But, as I'll explain below, I think these things were intentional.
The ending wraps up the whole story pretty well in my opinion, despite what a lot of other reviewers have said. To me, it seems pretty obvious that the seemingly discordant information gathering was intentional so the viewer would question her detective work. You find yourself, along with the characters from the movie, not trusting the protagonists judgement. Then boom, at the end, she is made to be creating another "cycle", as they put it. She needed to entertain herself, and someone with mental issues like this can sometimes jump into these delusions or extreme ideations. The mirror reflects back her image, just as the mirror and lighting reflected the tiger in the Moulin's magic trick, and you see the smoke and mirrors of her delusion. She just framed an innocent man for pedophilia and murder and the truth of the matter sinks in as the viewer watches her breakdown in the mirrors reflection.
Gravity (2013)
I couldn't keep watching this movie.
Wow, cool special effects! It felt like a bunch of video game cut scenes put together. BUT and a big BUT, I could for the life of me not continue watching this nonsense. I'm no NASA scientist and I'm certainly no genius but damn was this painstakingly nonsensical. I mean it was just 30 minutes of "umm... well that very obviously makes no sense" over and over and over.
I'm not one of those people who believes that movies have to "make sense", in fact I love science fiction and fantasy but if you're making a movie about NASA, space, science/physics at least TRY to make it some of it seem slightly realistic. I mean even just basic biology/chemistry for example: you can't breath your own C02 for 5 minutes straight. You die far, far sooner. Aside from the fact that a relatively small space suit would not contain much (if hardly ANY!) oxygen on it's own without any coming from the oxygen tank. It's a very small container, the space between your body and the interior materials of the suit, it's not a freakin massive balloon guys.
Everything was done for the sake of the special effects. A vacuous effort.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
If you've got the attention span and an artistic eye
You will likely love this movie. It's dark, atmospheric, and thought provoking in it's cinematic spacing. In the silence there is meaning. In the long run time there is meaning. But it is far less poignant than the first Blade Runner and for that it suffers a bit in cohesive story. I however still wholly enjoyed this movie: albeit on the second watching. The first time watching I couldn't help but notice how it, in ways, paled to the original. As it's own film, built in a different time period but same universe, I actually think it works quite well.
I get why the long run time gains some dislike, and some say it's "boring". I think this movies artistic direction will probably be lost on many who will watch and say "why are they talking about nothing" or "why is there so much empty space in scenes and dialogue? Or "why is there so little action?" Maybe those criticisms are warranted but I personally believe those points are what makes this film so brilliant to me. A more grandiose story could have been more fun, but it would have been less "human" and less intimate. Of that I'm sure.
Home Alone (1990)
Well.. I don't think I've ever been this bored.
When I saw this as a kid, man!! Did I love this movie. I'm 29 now, and even while trying to suspend my disbelief that comes with age I couldn't do it. I really couldn't enjoy this movie at all.
Young me would be disappointed. But what is the egg to the chicken?
Hannibal (2001)
Seems to push some people's buttons
I don't really understand the hate this movie receives. Some have criticized portions of the film and some aspects of it. Most of those criticisms are warranted, but some are not. I would like to address one specific complaint.
That is the criticism that this movie is more gruesome and therefore more of a "slasher" and less psychological and engaging. I completely disagree. Hannibal Lecter IS a murderer who has killed countless people, gruesomely I might add. Showing him kill like a loose (but intelligent) dog after being chaste (if you will) for ten years seems extremely fitting. He wants his freedom, he is in the wild, and he will kill for it. What about that seems extraneous and unnecessary?
The only truly gruesome scene in my opinion is within the final act and although not fun to watch, I think was done well to show Hannibal's truly insane sense of twisted logic.
The parts without action are symbolically dense, interconnected, and add to the complexity of Hannibal's character. I have no complaints. If I had to guess I would say that they made Hannibal into more of a person in this movie and less of a caricature and that made people uncomfortable. In the first movie he is caged and therefore more digestible. His aggressive and homicidal nature is more alluded to than anything. Suggestion is a very powerful thing and they did it well. He was terrifying. But he was like the boogeyman. In this movie he is what they say he is, and it's less terrifying and more disgusting. Does that make it any less fitting though?
Now, the movie lacks a lot of what the first movie had: tension, atmosphere, quick story driven pacing, super close up shots of people's faces while they're talking (haha), gratuitous and nasty dialogue. These have been replaced by amazing shots and cinematography in Italy and the U. S. (the movie is beautiful to look at), psychologically rich dialogues (that granted don't go deeply into the content however all interconnect to create a clear message), and development of our understanding of Hannibal's mind.
Even then I can't say comparing the two is really fair. Different directors, different movie. Just accept it as a standalone! The first movie is brilliant, some say a masterpiece. This movie is no masterpiece but I surely believe it is a well done movie and deserves to be judged on it's own.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CGI is cool I guess??
Another movie I just really really wish I had not seen. So bad on so many levels. As a fan of Venom growing up I'm so disappointed with what they've done. Spiderman has been fantastic and I'm thankful for that but man Venom has not gotten the same treatment. A disgrace to the character and to the comic book anti-hero/villain I grew up idolizing aside Spiderman. Tom Hardy is a great actor but this movie is a dud and so is this iteration of Venom. No respect shown to the source content. No chance of getting my money back.
Joker (2019)
Dare I say a masterpiece?
I'm not sure if I dare. However, I can definitely say this movie is extremely well thought out and extremely well acted! What a performance by Joaquin Pheonix. Bone-chillingly good Joker to rival the late great Heath Ledger.
Anyone interested in Batman/DC Universe/character studies/psychology/philosophy/thrillers/criminals and killers even see this movie! It is quite the accomplishment in my humble opinion. I've seen it twice now and both times I've thoroughly enjoyed it. And the ending! I won't spoil anything but it is, yes I dare say, masterfully done.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Remember in Indiana Jones when they get their eyes burned out of their skulls?
Well that would be terrible. What I would actually like would be to forget this movie ever existed and be able to enjoy the trilogy (first movie is hands down one of my favorite movies of all time. Up there with Fight Club.) without knowing this was made.
On the upside I may now take the arduous path of becoming a physicist studying string theory and the like and eventually after many many years at the raw age of 89 single handedly discover the formula for time travel just so I can go back in time and not watch this movie.
Silent Hill (2006)
All it takes is a couple brain cells
To understand the plot. It is seriously simple. I'm honestly questioning the whole of humanity here right now. Like existential crisis type stuff. I have read so so many reviews saying the plot is complicated. I just. I. uh. Cannot comprehend. I'd like to think you just weren't paying attention.. and maybe that was the case. I hope so.
Now on to the movie. Atmosphere/spooky vibe is bar none one of the best. Put yourself in her shoes. How scary would being in a place like Silent Hill be? The acting is not the best but sufficient (as many have already pointed out Sean Beans skills are totally wasted in this and his character really doesn't serve a satisfactory, complimentary presence to the main action in the film. Most of his screen time was him taking jabs at Kim Coates character, and not really doing much until near the end. He should have served to offer more plot). The pacing of the story is unique and enjoyable. You slowly learn bit by bit more about the story until the imminent "darkness" comes and horrors come flooding from beyond rusted iron fences and dark dangerous corridors and then it's about mere survival. I see a lot of horror fans complaining about this movie not delivering "enough gore" or "enough" well.. "horror". I have seen many horror/thrillers and I very much lean towards the ones with more substance and meaning and atmosphere over scares. Gore holds no appeal to me, and I very much do not understand the appeal. There is gore in this movie and it is plenty for me. The focus is the scary atmosphere and the interaction with this decrepit and horrific ghost town via the main character as the plot unfolds sort of in the background. I think they do this so extremely well. Either you get it or you don't, nothing wrong with having different tastes but if you're looking for scares and nail biting gore, you may have been one of the ones who did not enjoy this. But if you're like me and it's about the atmosphere for you and about the plot and the vibe, it is by far one of the absolute best. The musical score really adds to the creepy atmosphere too and ties in with the amazing visual spectacle that this movie offers.
One of my all time favorite horror movies and will continue to be I'm sure. I've gone back to it multiple times and always enjoy it.
1408 (2007)
Great Horror Movie - Except the ending
********Seriously. Major Spoilers ************
I really just can't get on board with the ending. He's reallly the only one who has tried to burn the place down after surviving the first hour and realizing that they are in an endless loop of horrors? Why is he so tough/intuitive as to be the only one who is able to find some form of reality (the lighter and the bottle). And for that matter how the heck was the bottle real? Or the lighter? Why didn't the room pull some kind of trickery? It clearly had the ability to MASSIVELY alter reality but it couldn't alter these two menial items? I suppose maybe it loses power after one hour? The illusions progressively got more and more insane near the end so one could maybe make that reach that it is weaker at the onset of the hour. But how did he guess that if that's the case?
A sounder theory would be that he knew the lighter and the bottle were real because they were items that he brought with him just like how he was able to interact with the laptop... butttt that's inconsistent because he interacted with the liquor bottle yet it refilled itself at the reset following the first hour. So visa vi if it could influence the use of the liquor bottle (either refilling it or making him think he was drinking it when he wasn't) it could influence the use of the lighter and also then the laptop (greater than using his likeness to get his wife to come to the hotel, it would in theory be able to make him think he was using it when he wasn't or something along those lines). So then tell me how he managed to burn the place down. And tell me HOW THE HECK DID NO ONE ELSE HAVE A LIGHTER OR MATCHES IN A SMOKING ROOM. How was he the first person? Or the first to think of it at least? Desperate people will do desperate things. Maybe they weren't aware that it was the room doing these things? Oooooh wait okay, so if they had the lighter what would they burn? Assuming that it could influence anything except what you brought in they may not have had an accelerant like the liquor. But now thinking about it they would have brought luggage and totally could have burned that so that beats that theory. There are more inconsistencies but I figured I'd just focus on the ending and well.. give it a rest. I need to go to bed.
Also yes I know I'm overanalyzing something from a movie that wasn't necessarily supposed to make perfect sense. If you made it to the end of this I commend you. Also ha! You just wasted time reading this. Go read a book or something or get some fresh air. Or get some sleep like me. Just if you're in a room numbered 1408 I'd recommend sleeping somewhere else at the very least. Maybe light the place up first before you go.
Dark Was the Night (2014)
Ehhhhh it wasn't bad
Warning: Kind of spoilers (albeit vague)
I don't what to say. It was a solid b-movie with decently interesting characters who you don't necessarily feel one way or the other about aside from the main lead who you have more backstory of. Which makes the ending even more cheap. I won't spoil it but it really just deflates the whole narrative in classic horror b-movie style. All the investment in the main character and his trauma with his lost son and straining relationship with wife, and feelings of worthlessness it all comes to naught right at his redemption. That just felt cheap to say the least. But hey it's b-movie horror, what else did I expect?
Not bad for a first time watch and I guess I mostly enjoyed it but at the same time I would not recommend it to any horror fans.
The Assent (2019)
Both familiar and unique
I mean yeah this genre has been played to death but I almost always enjoy it. This one is quite unique and plays out like a demonic acid trip. I thought it was pretty cool.
The ending feels weak. It lacked oomph although I still enjoyed it and although I saw it coming. I wasn't completely sure, but I had a general idea. The main twist is really pretty easy to see coming. But that didn't really make it less enjoyable for me.
The overall atmosphere is great. A really solid low budget exorcism movie. I would recommend to horror fans.
No Exit (2022)
New title: "No Good Decisions"
I'm not going to waste my time and list all the 0 IQ decisions the lead made. What the heck was that writing? I mean seriously what a terrible plot. They just HAPPENED to end up in the same place at the same time? So many just plain stupid things happened. There was a bigger picture to the whole plot but it was just so weakly done it didn't even matter.
Aside from the ridiculous events in the movie it really just didn't have much weight. It was painful to watch for multiple reasons and really just dark as hell for no real reason. The only redeeming value is that exclusively as a thriller it delivered. It was "exciting" and tense the whole time. Also the lead was really good. Give her a role in something better.
Watching this was a huge waste of time and only resulted in giving me temporary anxiety.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Meh
I can't really say it was good, I can't really say it was bad. It's not even comparable to the original. Maybe a younger audience will like it? I think this movie was for teenagers.
Hollow Man (2000)
I don't have a ton to add
I think everyone's covered most of the obvious pitfalls of this movie. It started off pretty interesting but like another review I read said, it's really limited by the shallow view of the director. What would you do if you could be invisible? What would others do? What would the implications be for society if it fell into the wrong hands? Hopefully not just be a creepy, pervy melgalomaniac like the main lead.