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loueysmith
Reviews
Follow Me (2020)
Wow
Just wow!!! My god, if any of my friends planned an escapade where I'm watching them be tortured 1 by 1 to death, I would not consider them friends after!!
All standing there shocked that he murders an innocent guy at the end...like, what do they expect?? The range of emotions that this poor guy has been through, watching his friends be brutally murdered....and they don't expect him to snap?!
Even I was convinced it was all real and I'm not easily fooled, but I guess I was thinking there's no way actual friends would pull some horrible murder spree prank on him!
The escape room I could have given them, but a guy torturing and murdering people he cared for, no, that's a step too far!
But I have to hand it to the person who made this movie, as putting aside the annoying beginning part where he was filming and blogging every move he made, the moment they stepped into the escape room, I was gripped!
Just felt really bad for the lead guy, Cole at the very end.
Disenchanted (2022)
I enjoyed it
Would I say this is as good as the first one, no...but it won't be, it's a totally different storyline...and it's a follow on to the fairytale happy ever after that was had in the first.
This movie still had the similar charm to the first one, it was just played out differently and has a more modern feel to it. But that's doesn't make it bad.
You can't put a gap of about 10 years between 2 movies and expect the same results!
The things I didn't like were Patrick Dempsey's attempt at James Marsden's type of character...James pulls this off very well, but it doesn't feel right on Patrick, it just feels oddly placed within the movie. They should have kept him as his lawyer type character throughout. I think the Daughter played her part very well and she didn't look odd, though I did prefer her as her modern day character.
The other thing I didn't like and felt tacky was the battle between villains, they should have just had one villain and kept Amy Adam's as what she did best, playing the adorable Giselle. I guess the idea behind her becoming a villain was due to wanting to have a consequence of her wish (which does bring a level of reality to it, wishes come with consequences, part of life etc) and I do get that, but they could have picked a different consequence that didn't make the movie suck a bit. The villain, even with there being two of them still didn't surpass Susan Sarandon!
Even with these flaws, I still really enjoyed the movie and was able to play it again!
People have compared this to Hocus Pocus 2 (quality wise) and I don't agree with that. I didn't like HP2, everything about that movie was tacky and it wasn't a patch on the original...whereas with this, I think this movie is good and does have it's charm still.
I even enjoyed the humorous parts in this movie.
I do think Patrick Dempsey's age was more noticeable than any other character in this, he looks a lot older!
All in all, I'd recommend the movie!
Cruel Summer (2021)
Brilliant till the end
What was that? You get to the end of season 1 and so many questions unanswered it's annoying. The whole season was brilliant, tons of twists and turns...but then at the end it's left with so many holes and loose ends!!
Both of the leading females were excellent and I liked seeing them transition. The whole story was eerily impressive.
We know she went into the house several times...but are still left to wonder if she actually saw her. You can go inside a house without seeing every room in it. Just cause you go into a home where an abducted person is held, doesn't mean you see that!
A couple unlikable characters were Kate's Mother and Mallory!
Not holding out for a concluded end to season 2.
I was wrong about season 2, great storyline and an actual concluded end...well done!!
Starfish (2016)
Scary
This movie is the exact reason I never eat anything meat related or dairy that's expired. To be honest, I never eat anything at all that's expired, not even eggs (and many tell me that eggs have a couple more days on their best before date) as it's just not worth the risk to your health. I'm not an overly cautious person either, but still would not risk it.
Admittedly I've never come across anyone who suffers for it the way the man in this movie does (it's entirely believable, I just haven't seen it). When I was a teenager my friends Dad contracted salmonella from food he ate at a party and he ended up in Hospital very sick, but even he wasn't as sick as this case is and he eventually recovered fully. But he was the reason I swore I'd always be careful with food. Health should always be chosen over the small pleasure of consuming some sausages, I'd literally rather go hungry than risk it!
This movie is very scary, how he goes from playing with his kid, being a super Dad and happy guy, to becoming disfigured and losing his limbs. It's incredibly sad the whole story, everything he loses, has to overcome, but also the consequences it has on his Wife who has to go through the Birth of her new baby alone, then has to juggle not only being her hubby's support, but a little girl and a newborn baby, plus struggles with money.
It's heartbreaking!
I haven't watched the ending yet, so I'll update this review when I do...but so far, this story is remarkable and so very sad.
And could have all been prevented by chucking the sausages out!!
Just watched the end and wow, that football scene was special and powerful.
Definitely flowed the tears.
The Good Neighbor (2016)
Cruel kids
For the most part of this movie, I struggled to actually like the two kids, their characters were very unlikeable.
One seemed to possess more empathy than the other though!
The sentence that these two cruel people got for their actions and what they caused a lonely old man to do, was just pitiful.
They willingly tortured this man, no one made them. They did it for their own self gain.
I literally cried when the old man shot himself, cause I knew that it was in relation to that bell and that it meant something regarding his late Wife, before the movie even explained what the bell meant.
How two people could be okay with the cruel torture of an old man who just wanted to be left alone, is beyond me.
A large portion of this movie is pretty boring, from a movie perspective to be honest, I watched it to the end as I was curious how it all ended up in court. I actually thought that it would have been Ethan who shot him (given he took a gun) with him having such a hate for him, had it in his head that this old guy was just bad, even knowing he'd helped his own Mother all those years ago.
But I knew when Grainey had the gun and looked at the bell, what he was going to do.
It's a very sad end to a torturous movie.
It's not all boring as such, but not much happens in it really.
I can't recommend this movie, not because it isn't good, because I wouldn't sit through it again, as I'd struggle to again watch an old man be cruely taunted by two kids.
Things Heard & Seen (2021)
Needed a better ending
With the can of protein shake, could the helpful women spirits of the house not shook it out of her hand or something? They'd been helpful in similar ways before that. Surely it would have been better to try and prevent her death.
If she was alerted in some way to that drink, she wouldn't have been so helpless, making it easier for him to cowardly put an axe in her chest!
That part in the whole movie did tick me off.
That would of course changed the whole annoying ending though.
I get what happened at the end, I just still think it sucked and didn't provide justice for at least 1 of the women in that house.
He died at sea yeah, but that's the easy way out...justice would be a man who's incredibly ambitious (to the point of murder, 3 times over, 1 attempted to try desperately to maintain his position as a professor) being forced to have no free will for the rest of his miserable life behind bars.
In my opinion there was no justice for her murder...all that was left was a little girl with no parents.
It's a shame as the rest of the movie was good, and a lot of women could relate to marriages like that one
I was captivated by 3/4 of it...just can't rate the ending in a good light!
The Drowning (2021)
Good story, rushed ending
I don't get, how for 3.5 episodes she's crazy convinced Daniel is Tom, no matter what anyone says about maybe being wrong, she gets a job at his school, gets a fake DBS, spends thousands on getting a fake passport... And only when she actually gets what she wants, told that she was right, he is her Son... she's suspicious he isn't?? That's just odd.
You don't normally just snap back like that.
Then it turns out to be that the Brother is the one who was neglectful of her actual Son, and not only does he allow a phone call to be more important than watching a 4 year old kid near a body of water (I mean, why would any normal adult turn away, being on the phone doesn't mean you have to look away, he could have easily kept an eye on him and talked on the phone, then he would've seen him fall in before it was too late) but once he realizes he's drowned, he pushes him further into the water...as if anyone could actually do that to a little kid, let alone their Nephew.
Then Jodie's putting flowers into that same body of water. If my Brother had done that, he wouldn't be getting flowers!
And Tom/Daniel, I don't feel any proper personality from him, for a teenager he's very emotionless.
Also why are Ben & Kate still mixing with the family they have no ties with anymore?
Marmaduke (2022)
Awesome
I don't get all the negative reviews and how harsh people are about the Actors!
My kids have watched this on repeat over the last week...and I've actually found myself captivated by it as well.
My 6 year old finds it hilarious in certain scenes!
There's not many movies I can watch on repeat and they don't get on my nerves, but this one definitely makes the cut of being very watchable and entertaining. The negative reviewer's need to lighten up!
On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019)
Kirsten Dunst is amazing
She really is, her acting is so good in this, a part of me really doesn't like her character!
But I'm not a fan of people who con others, and she does this constantly and shows little remorse while doing it. She plays quite a cold and manipulative character.
On the one hand I really admire her go getter attitude, but on the other, I don't like that she kinda tramples on people who care about her to get what she wants.
This show is listed as a comedy, and it has to be said, I've not laughed once to this and I'm like 7 episodes in!!
I find it more depressing than funny, I found myself feeling sorry for half the cast, it's very intriguing and it's definitely made me wanna keep watching, but it's not funny!
It's also kinda lost my interest at certain moments too, mostly when the big guy comes into it, I find him very irritating and as another character described, a bit of a clown and an obnoxious one at that. But I guess that's the character he's meant to play!
I'd say watch it, but don't expect to laugh!
The Beach House (2019)
Not that impressed
The acting was fine, but I felt it lacked much story...i mean, where did this infectious virus come from? I also found it way too intense, even before the virus came into it.
Maybe it could have used more humor, I watched Jake Weber in Medium and he's capable of the dry sarcastic humor that would have lightened this movie up!
It's not a movie I'd really recommend, unless you're itching for that 'blah' feeling at the end. And it's not even the ending that sucks, I just feel like I watched another movie which lacks substance, my previous movie was Vivarium, and this left me with a similar vibe.
Vivarium (2019)
There's a lesson here...
Don't get blinded by your want for something!
The woman character was wanting a home so badly, she ignored the signs of the weird estate agent, the guy character just wanted to go along with what she wanted!
This movie was really depressing and not just cause of the ending, there wasn't much to the story line at all, they can't say they were resembling what suburban life is like, as suburban life has more to it's days.
I watched this movie to the end, in the hopes there would be an explained ending or one of them would survive or get out etc but this doesn't happen and you're just left feeling unsatisfied and why did I waste my time feeling.
It's a shame, as the acting from both characters were good.
I definitely won't recommend this to anyone I know, anyone I like anyway!
This Is Us (2016)
Blown away!!
I am absolutely blown away at how good this show is! It's definitely a emotional rollercoaster, but so worth the ride.
Everyone plays their parts exceptionally and I have been gripped since I started episode 1
Such an amazing family, even with all their quirks that at points you could slap them silly for. It's very real, things that happen to them, could very easily happen in real life.
I still cannot believe he goes back into that house for the damn dog (I love dogs as well) I was screaming at the TV set when he did that, and could actually imagine my own Husband doing that for our Daughter, oh man, the effects Daughters have on their Fathers!!
Such a tragic part of the story!
But...all the way through even season 1, you know it's coming at some point.
This is gonna be one of my favorite shows, and that's down to everyone that's in it
The Basement (2018)
Good twist
I found Jackson Davis acting very good, he played all his roles to perfection!
Mischa Barton lets it down a little, but fortunately she's not in it so much to ruin it. I've not found her in anything good since The O.C to be honest.
The one being tortured played his part okay, after the movie got going, at the beginning I found him annoying.
The twist was a good thing at end, I actually didn't expect that.
It's weird, because the scenes with the Wife and best friend were poorly acted, yet the scenes with the Husband and the villain were good!
It is similar to Split, but has a lower budget feel to it. I'm not even sure I'd have tried with as much ambition as he did, to reason with Jackson Davis characters...I always think that if they can play those roles with the conviction that he played them with, you'd never stand a chance at reasoning with them and getting them to let you go! He was far too gone as a Psycho-of course I thought that until I realized what the plot was all along, then he'd of course never made it out anyway.
I'd recommend
The Woman (2011)
Disturbing and gory
The storyline is very weird and disturbing....and I don't just mean because he chains up a feral woman in his basement!
The main guy and Dad is a sick man, he's wired in such a way that's wrong!!. He doesn't treat his kids like a normal Father does-and it's made pretty clear throughout the movie that he's impregnated his Eldest Daughter.
Treats his Wife like garbage, and when she eventually stands up to him, he beats her so much that it's clear he's broke her ribs!
The Son is wired pretty similar to the Dad.
This movie didn't have much flare to be honest for the majority of the flick, but you keep watching to see how it all turns out.
It is somewhat predictable, in the sense it's obvious that the Eldest Daughter is the one who sets the chained up feral woman free.
The ending is something you need a strong stomach for!
And it's also made clear, that she is not the first to be captured and chained up...as another feral woman-more so than the one you watch the whole movie, appears at the end and it's obvious she's been there a long time and literally acts like an animal in every way.
I can't say I recommend watching this, as it's a disturbing story and I couldn't watch it twice!
I'd say the acting is about average for the most part.
Hart of Dixie (2011)
Love love love this!!!
An absolutely perfect show!
With a mixture of everything, from romance, comedy, suspense, drama...and all with the added extra charm of Alabama!
From the second I started watching this, I was hooked!
There's no character that I don't like...and there are a few annoying ones lol but they ALL come with their own charm that they add to the show and make it awesome!
I've watched all episodes a few times now...and love it each time I do.
I obviously root from the very beginning that Zoe & Wade get together, as their spark, is just undeniable. They are both so wonderfully neurotic, they're perfect for each other.
There are so many heartwarming moments within the show, and there's no episode I didn't enjoy...captivated to the end. And not a lot of shows can say that. In fact the only other show that I could watch over and over with ease and enjoy every episode of in a similar way, is Friends.
I highly recommend this show :)
Hart of Dixie: Bluebell (2015)
Love it!!!
This show is amazing!! Each and every episode has had one crazy quirked character and scenario after another.
It's a show that although is very easy to watch and be captivated by, it does reel you in, so you just cannot wait for the next episode.
It has a bit of everything in it, romance, comedy, suspense, drama and all with an added bonus of the Alabama spirit.
Of course the entire seasons I've literally rooted for Zoe & Wade to work it out and be together...which on the first watch, I started to worry wouldn't happen-with the whole Joel love interest. But given that there's been many romance twist and turns throughout the show, I should have known that they'd find a way to get the most neurotic made for each other couple back together eventually!!
I could honestly watch this show over and over...it's a wonderfully engaging escapism!
I did wish that they would have done a Fifth season-of course, we always want more of something awesome :)
But it was a pretty perfect ending on the episode 'Bluebell' such a charming and heartwarming end to a fantastic show. Literally had me crying happy tears!!
Only thing I thought may have happened...was naming the baby Harley, I thought that would've made a wonderful sentimental touch.
Even without this, it's still an unforgettable show....that I will watch again...and again!
Office Christmas Party (2016)
Good fun
This was a great ride!!
Love Bateman in pretty much most comedy roles, so it wasn't a stretch for him to be awesome in this too! Everyone else either played a great comedic role or a very weird role...either way, all the cast delivered and brought some good fun to the party, literally!
Sure there were some really crude parts and OTT parts...but that's what tends to come with these kinds of genres, so you've just gotta go in with an open mind and not get offended.
I know people who get offended at another Bateman favorite like Identity Thief, but I absolutely loved that, was laughing myself off the seat the whole time. It's just good comedic escapism...and isn't that what we watch this stuff for?
This flick didn't have me laughing as hard as that one...but there were some funny moments and even when I wasn't full on laughing, I was still very entertained!
Oh, i laughed hard when that can burst into that guys face, virtually at the beginning...as that's something that could actually happen!
So, I recommend
The Proposal (2009)
Had me laughing
There's much criticism about this flick, and I can't understand why!
It had me laughing quite a bit at many parts to it, and considering it's a romantic comedy, not just a comedy...we can't now expect it to be constant hilarity anyway. Of course there's gonna be a romance vibe there as well, and some sweetness and touching moments...that's why they call it a romantic comedy!
I loved the bit where Sandra B is dancing in the woods, I was in stitches with that, and the bumping into each other naked, Sandra B chasing around with the eagle and puppy...plus many many other comedic moments throughout that were a little more subtle, provided by both Ryan Reynolds (always a comedic favorite) and Sandra B.
The family stuff was more cute and sweet sure, but still entertaining and a good part of it...and even some of their reactions were also funny.
This is a movie I've watched a few times over the years, and will continue to do so. And to be fair, not all romcoms get this much screen time from me.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes to laugh and gets on well with sarcasm
The Holiday Calendar (2018)
Some good moments
There are some good moments in this movie, but the chemistry in Josh & Abbey was without.
As friends it worked fine for them...but they weren't believable as a romantic couple. That first kiss they had seemed more awkward than anything else.
There are many feel good Christmas movies out there, but this one felt a little off and less endearing.
If you have a slow afternoon I'd say go for it, as it does have a good holiday spirit about it, but I wouldn't expect too much from the storyline.
Gypsy (2017)
Good acting but can't relate
This show delivers some good acting, but I just couldn't get into the storyline as can't relate to a woman that has a good life, a family who adore her and still doesn't feel complete.
As that's pretty much what the story seems to be. She injects herself into the lives of her patients in a somewhat creepy way by obsessing over them. It's like she's not finding the excitement she needs from her own life, so is trying to find that missing part.
Seems to need the single life on the side, with added mystery.
And to be honest, aside from all that...there doesn't seem to be much else to this story.
I was expecting it to be a little thrilling, but just found it to be lacking substance.
It's a shame as I do like Naomi Watts
Looking Glass (2018)
Snoozefest
This was just boring and pretty much a pointless movie!
I love Nic Cage and Robin Tunney...and I even like Marc Blucas (back to the Buffy days)...but good lord they were picked for such a dull flick!
I watched this thing till the end, hoping that something would make this worth the watch and there was just hardly any story at all to it.
Some dude put a perverts double sided mirror in a motel room...watched the ongoings in that room for however long, and as a result saw a murder. There was like no story on why this murder happened or exactly what happened really...and that is ultimately why you hang on till the end in this. There's nothing scary or creepy (I mean obviously the double sided mirror is sick, but it's nothing we haven't seen before) and just a plot so full of holes, it could be a golf course.
I do not recommend another person waste over an hour on this...and as for the Actors, pick better roles!
It gets the 4/10 purely because I usually like the main Actors in it.
Somewhere Between (2017)
Gripping!
I don't know where the negative reviews have come from, I think this show is great.
It's had me hooked since I watched the first episode and I'm now near the end!
People say the Mother overacts, I disagree...if my Daughter had been killed or was going to be, I'd be going bonkers too!
It's got so many twists and turns, that it constantly keeps you guessing...sure some parts are more predictable, but others remain a mystery. So it's got me sold!
I'd recommend :)
Ms. Matched (2016)
Oh wow!
I don't know where to start with this movie!
I watched it due to liking Alexa PenaVega in another movie, but not even my likeability for her could make this movie good.
Two main leads barely like each other (some may say that's just a spark igniting-either way they fought like 80% of the movie) and stand for very different things.
Neither of them seem to have much in common, other than the fact that they are attracted physically to each other-which is not enough to carry a relationship!
She stands by her convictions so powerfully throughout the whole flick....in that she would want some fantabulous wedding...only to settle for someone else's ditched wedding at the end, to a man she's barely been able to remain civil to!! I'm sorry, but that ending was just awful...I know it's obviously meant to be some sort of weird nice surprise...but realistically, how could it be? They've known each other how long? And get a long very minimally.
It would have made much more sense to have had the original Groom not have got the jitters (again) those two tie the knot on that boat...and then maybe a glimpse of a prospect of a relationship starting to blossom between Ben and Libby. You can't just simply pull a 180 like this movie did, right at the end. It made no sense!
Secret in Their Eyes (2015)
Impressive
There's not many movies that make me cry within 10 mins into them...but this one did!
The acting throughout was spot on.
Yes it does flick between the years often, but it is easy to tell between them...for instance, Julia Roberts looks about a million years old (which is actually pointed out in the flick too) in the later one and Nicole Kidman's hair is different, as is Dean Norris's. So it's easy to keep up with the story.
And the twist at the end, I was not expecting till he actually goes back to her house at the end, and that was only cause he was recapping things she'd said. I literally thought that when she said she'd killed the guy, she had done. So that was a good surprise and well done.
The ending was particularly fab, it's exactly what I'd have wanted to do to him if anyone hurt my Daughter as well, especially considering how much of a snide creep he was!
The movie does a very good job of making us think that we're looking for the bad guy all the way through.
The scene at the beginning, this one was well acted, you really felt for her and put yourself in her shoes, she didn't care about evidence tampering, she just climbed in and hugged her Daughter and no one questioned that, even her colleague was an emotional wreck when he first realized.
It's definitely a bit of a slow movie, but it's also very worth the patience.
I nearly didn't watch it, through thinking the synopsis sounded a little boring, but I'm glad I did as it was anything but!
All I See Is You (2016)
Average
This is an average movie at best!
It was a pleasure to see Blake Lively in another role (other than Gossip Girl) but unfortunately the storyline wasn't all that gripping.
It's basically a story of which the lead gets her sight back partially, which seems to change the dynamic of her relationship with her Husband, something that still baffles me. But then his behavior baffles me as well.
Getting her sight restored, gave the lead more confidence and gave her a sense of adventure...which after being blind since childhood, you can understand. But then she also became less appreciative of her Husband and less respectful toward him. Having a confidence boost I can understand, being mean to a person who's been there for you and supported you I cannot. That seemed selfish!
But then of course he was selfish switching the eye drops, due to not liking the new change in his Wife. And what he did with her dog was unforgivable. I also don't get why (as she obviously knew) she pretended to not be able to see...why not just be honest, have it out with him and try figuring out what the issue is. Instead of playing mind games with each other.
There's no way that a married couple who really loved each other, would actually do any of these things, just because of regained sight. Unless the only thing they loved about each other was feeling needed and being co-dependent.
I found this story to be a sad/depressives one, but well acted for the most part overall