hampersnow-41369 Reviews

Singapore (1947)

Sadly, not very good

[5/10 · 10 July 2023]

I love old films, old B&W, appreciate Fred MacMurray who was his very best in Double Indemnity and Ava Gardner looks spectacular in this, but otherwise this film is a bit of a dud. The plot just seemed a bit too contrived and at times bordered on ridiculous. I do not think that is true of many old movies. Even worse there is no chemistry between Fred and Ava, certainly not the chemistry he had with Barbara Stanwyck. It tries too hard to be romantic and falls flat. Her acting left a lot to be desired but she was so stunningly gorgeous it didn't matter. I wasn't bored just disappointed. So many old films are classics or have a following and this doesn't qualify it either way. Worth it to see how beautiful she was or to see them as an odd pairing.

Moloch (2022)

Not exactly exciting , scary or anything else

[4/10 · 19 June 2023]

I just finished watching Moloch about 30 minutes ago and while I remembered to write this review, I barely remember the movie. Moloch is just one more example of how movie-making has died. Lots of atmosphere, a few scary moments, but the movie never takes off. Barely understood the story, some kind of curse and folklore, nothing you haven't seen before and done better. It kept my interest, but left no lasting impression and a year from now I'm sure I will see it advertised and ask myself "Did I see that already?". It wasn't well shot, there are no standout performances, the CGI looked amateur level, it's just a dull movie. In both Danish and English.

Freeze (I) (2022)

Turned it off

[1/10 · 18 March 2023]

I sat down with a friend to watch this believing it to be a monster horror film. My friend will watch almost anything, the worst TV shows, low budget garbage, really anything at all, but 15 minutes into this and he asked to turn it off. It really is that bad. This movie , in what we saw, has nothing going for it. There is no atmosphere of horror, it looks like they could only afford partial costumes for some of the cast, the acting was like bad dinner theatre, the one female cast member had a modern haircut and looked like she stepped in from some other film, the monsters looked like cheap knock-offs from the Creature from the Black Lagoon films, and everything about this looked cheap and amateurish. Had we continued watching maybe it would have become a so bad it's funny movie, but my friend who'll watch the worst junk out there insisted we give up and I agreed.

Cocaine Bear (2023)

Awful

[3/10 · 16 March 2023]

I watched this because of all of the hype surrounding it and was completely let down by how bad it was. I have no idea why it was decided to make this a comedy but Hollywood is known for portraying drug use as something funny. On one hand you have some suspense (not nearly enough) and some great horror gore, if you enjoy that thing, and I do, but most of this travesty went for comedy and fell completely flat, unless you are a drug addict and then you might find it cute. I did not, but as a perfect example I watched it with a friend who is no stranger to drugs and he enjoyed it and laughed. I didn't laugh once and couldn't wait for it to end. There wasn't any character to care about or identify with , everyone was trying way too hard and it's just one more movie to prove Hollywood can't produce decent films anymore.

What Lies Below (2020)

Genuinely different, very entertaining

[7/10 · 8 March 2023]

This movie was a complete surprise to me as I watched it with a friend just as something to do. I had no idea what it was about which was nice because as the story unfolds it very gradually pulls you in. I was paying attention so I had some idea of what was going on , but even having some idea of where it was going, I was completely shocked by how it all ends up. Maybe the ending is why some people didn't like this, but I loved the ending and felt it made the entire movie a little gem. This does not deserve it's low rating, the acting is excellent, it's shot well, suspenseful, creepy and most of all genuinely different.

The Devil Conspiracy (2022)

Entertaining

[6/10 · 6 March 2023]

Considering it's current score of 4.5 I thought this would be a big boring mess. Instead it's a very entertaining film with an interesting plot, some great special effects and I was never bored. This is about on the level of a well done supernatural television show, not a big budget Hollywood film, but it's enjoyable and had me wondering what was going to happen next. Not only that but I had no idea how it would end and have to admit that I'm not sure exactly how it did turn out as they seem to leave a bit of a question on that point. Different viewers are going to come away with various interpretations of the ending. Not a classic but worth watching once.

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Just doesn't work

[4/10 · 26 February 2023]

In order for a movie like this to work, a movie that brings together a haphazard cast of characters , you have to cast the movie in a way that a chemistry exists between them. This movie went for heart-warming and failed miserably because there was little chemistry between characters and none between the lead couple. I didn't believe any of it and by the end I just didn't care. I knew exactly how it would end, I ended up being correct , so there wasn't even any surprise. Individually there were some good performances, but as a whole this film did not work, just came across as contrived and predictable. M. Night had one great film, The Sixth Sense, and while this could have been a great film, I'm sure the book had to have better, he failed at bringing it to life onscreen. Hollywood just keeps failing at making good movies even when they have a great idea to work with.

The Offering (2022)

Extremely creepy horror that gets it perfect......almost

[7/10 · 24 February 2023]

The Offering was a surprise in how well it was done and how effectual it was in producing jumps and screams. This is genuinely a creepy movie, taking place almost entirely in a funeral home. Lit and filmed to perfection , well acted, interesting , with a great demon , the people behind this got the horror part right. It's very suspenseful. Refreshing to see a horror film with something other than scantily clad females . The only negative I found to the film at all was the somewhat confusing storyline, but I loved the ending. So many modern horror films fail at atmosphere offering up bad horror in broad daylight. Without being one of those dark films in which you can't see anything going on onscreen, this knows when to keep things in the dark, or at least dim and foreboding.

Spoonful of Sugar (2022)

Interesting, but could have been great

[6/10 · 24 February 2023]

This is an interesting film with some great performances that ultimately doesn't quite work. It's as if there are a few too many ideas going on and something got left on the cutting room floor. It also doesn't help that characters aren't clearly drawn, should you be rooting for them or hating them ? The twist was a nice touch but in the end it doesn't save the film. Someone dropped the ball, either the writer, director or both, but the film doesn't quite gel into something I would watch again. For the performances though, the strangeness of it all and the fact that it uses a rare case of a male as an object of desire, makes this worth a one time watch.

Teen Wolf: The Movie (2023)

Loved the series, this is a bore

[4/10 · 15 February 2023]

I watched every season of Teen Wolf and while it was uneven, I mainly loved it and looked forward to each episode. This movie was aimed at me and boy did it fail. Mainly the film is a confusing , overdone bore, with way too complicated of a story, as if they tried to touch on every season of TW and grab bits of old story lines to toss into this. The series worked because of the chemistry between characters and that was completely missing here. The special effects were awful, and the acting wasn't much better. I felt like the only reason to watch it was to see who aged well and to see most of the gang together again but that was the only reason I kept watching. Sad to say the biggest star to come out of TW was Dylan O'Brien and he knew enough to stay clear of this. For some of these actors, TW is going to be the height of their career and 20 years from now they'll be doing the horror convention circuits, if they aren't already. The movie is cringe-worthy bad and felt like it was 3 hours long.

Taurus (2022)

Mildly interesting slice of a musicians life

[5/10 · 12 February 2023]

Have to admit I only watched this for MGK who I find mildly interesting. I don't like most of his music and if you go into this expecting to hear a bunch of his music, forget it, this movie is about one drug addicted star and their is little music to it. There isn't much of a story to it either, little character development, and it really just qualifies as a slice of life drama. In that instance it works. He's actually a fairly good actor even if he's not given much to do and that seems to be the main problem with this movie. There is no depth to it. We learn nothing about him, or really any of the characters. Maddie Hasson, who could be Florence Pugh's twin, steals the movie as the assistant. There are some well done and interesting scenes and the movie is well shot and scored. It comes across as a realistic look at one segment of the music and entertainment industry but it definitely needed more of everything, more plot, more drama, more dialogue, more background.

Airplane Mode (II) (2019)

Funny

[7/10 · 16 January 2023]

This movie has a very low rating it does not deserve. I have heard of Logan Paul, never watched him and no one in this film was familiar to me as I don't follow social media. I watched it because the trailer looked cute and funny and while the film is a hard R, it is also very funny at times, much funnier than I expected it to be. Yes, it is uneven and some of the gags are overdone, but it's preposterous in a good way. Not as funny as the classic Airplane, but funnier than most of the garbage main stream Hollywood produces and labels comedy. I'd watch it again and that's saying a lot. Beyond a doubt the low scores are from people reviewing the Paul brothers and not the actual movie.

The Possessed (2021)

Better than expected but not as a horror film

[6/10 · 20 October 2022]

I've watched several new horror films in the past week and this film is the only one I would watch again. Not because it was a great horror film, or well done, or well acted, it isn't any of those things. What it is is so hilariously, over the top, they've got to be kidding, bad, that it is very funny and immensely entertaining. I watched it with a friend who rarely gets movies that are so bad they are good, but we weren't long into this when he started to laugh, then I followed and we both laughed throughout it. It get's funny and then gets funnier. Since there is one character who was obviously put in this horror film to add comic relief, I can't help wonder if this really was filmed as a comedy. I know it's based on some real life stuff, but this was preposterous. I find it hard to believe anyone would view this as a real horror film, but as a spoof of possession films, this completely works. Loved it !

Hellraiser (2022)

Ruined by poor writing and casting

[4/10 · 13 October 2022]

I never saw any of the Hellraiser movies so I didn't go into this with any prejudice. While mildly interesting , there was one major factor I could not get past and that was making the lead a completely uninteresting, unattractive , annoying character who seemed to have wandered in from some other teen movie about troubled youth. Add to that way too many scenes of actors screaming at each other and creatures wearing obvious latex suits. I wasn't bored, but there wasn't any character to care about. It's a shame because the basic idea behind the plot was interesting, but the lead character of Riley almost had me turning the movie off. What were they thinking ?

Nix (2022)

Turned it off

[1/10 · 29 September 2022]

Nowadays, there seem to be countless horror films that get the atmosphere right and offer little else. Nix has the opposite problem, while you can give the creators credit for trying to bring a very involved horror story to screen, the movie lacks any atmosphere of horror at all. It isn't scary, suspenseful or interesting in the least. The obvious lack of budget and creativity are missing. So much of great horror depends on the lighting, cinematography and a great score. Horror doesn't take place in broad daylight. The spooky basement isn't spooky in the least. It isn't long before the film becomes insufferable. The worst I can say is, I watched it with a friend who will watch most anything and he asked me to turn it off.

The Invitation (II) (2022)

Same old story going for woke

[3/10 · 18 September 2022]

For the most part, this isn't very good, simply because it offers nothing new, unless you think the woke angle is something new. Take that away and you have the same old story, the main character finds themselves in a big old creepy mansion, with people acting strange and the usual strange happenings going on. How many times has this been done ? There is very little in the way of suspense , scares or gore. It takes forever to get going and it doesn't help that the lead is written as kind of unlikable and acting entitled with attitude. Somehow we're suppose to believe her attitude gives her strength and it doesn't work. I did not see the trailer and I still guessed the outcome way before it happened, this film isn't just poorly made, it's completely predictable. The worst part for me was the nose ring prop. Have you ever watched a film in which a bad wig, or lipstick (bad make-up job) on a male character, detracted from a scene because it's all you could look at ? In this film, the choice to give the lead a nose ring in 95% of the film, left me watching the nose ring and little else, not that most of the scenes were all that interesting to begin with. Just one more recent bad stab at horror.

The Gray Man (2022)

Lasted about 20 minutes

[1/10 · 3 August 2022]

The Gray Man is a perfect example of how Comic book based movies have ruined movies in general. I assume this movie was not based on a comic, but it might as well have been. Some type of action assassin thriller, it would appear to have all the right elements, big stars, exotic locations and unfortunately nothing else. The script was so bad, so cringe-worthy, the action so unrealistic and over the top, the editing so choppy , the plot , completely unoriginal, it was annoying. Years ago such a movie would have been at least a little realistic, but these actors were playing cartoon characters. Hollywood is dead and movies like this are just slop for the brain-dead masses.

The Passenger (2021)

Just Ok

[4/10 · 25 July 2022]

If you go into this expecting a horror movie with suspense and scares you are going to be disappointed. I don't care for comedy-horror and this is more comedy than horror although it is poor at both. The lead actor is charming and appealing and is the best part of the film. It has character development so it takes a while to get going, but once the horror element finally kicks in it becomes obvious why the film makers didn't go for straight-up horror, they're no good at it. It is never suspenseful, thrilling or even remotely frightening. The pairing of the older lead actor with an actress who appears to be a young teen comes across as a bit inappropriate because it seems at times as if they are going for romantic. As a whole the movie just doesn't work.

The Righteous (2021)

A bit confusing, but mesmerizing in parts.

[7/10 · 24 July 2022]

Written , directed and starring Mark O'Brien, a favorite actor of mine, The Righteous is an excellent film that at times soars, due to some superb acting, a great script and gorgeous B&W cinematography. When a movie relies on very little action and lots of conversation, you need to give the audience something great and interesting to listen to and film it well. This movie does both. The problem with the film is that it leaves you with some questions, certain angles in this are not made clear and it doesn't always hit the high notes. The best scenes by far are the ones between O'Brien and Czerny, these scenes are mesmerizing. Both are wonderful actors and in top notch form here. One of the best new films I've seen lately. I wish more film makers were daring enough to film in gorgeous B&W.

A Small Fortune (2021)

How do you stay "stupid" in Canadian lingo ?

[1/10 · 17 July 2022]

This film is awful on so many levels, but most of all it just doesn't make sense. Like so many modern bad films it relies on advancing the plot by having characters do the stupidest, most brainless things possible. The lead actor might as well be playing someone mentally challenged. Actions take place in this film that are completely unrealistic. At times it seems as if the film makers want to take it in the direction of a dark comedy, but it is never funny. It's starts off kind of slow and boring and then dives right into absurdity. This was so bad , it was painful to watch, especially since they seemed to be going for something heart-warming in the end, but these characters were so bland and so fake , the kind that only exist in bad movies, that you won't care. I didn't care, I just wanted it to end already.

Frank and Penelope (2022)

Better than Hollywood

[6/10 · 16 July 2022]

Frank and Penelope is not a great movie, but it is a very good one, charming and entertaining and most definitely better than anything big-budget Hollywood is churning out. Filled with B-list actors, and everyone giving it their all, the movie could have used a bit of trimming . Still I was rooting for the 2 leads, who had great chemistry and it was all played to a great soundtrack and shot well. I hate the new woke Hollywood, love well done indies and this is worth a watch.

The Black Phone (2021)

Kind of Boring

[3/10 · 15 July 2022]

I give this 3 stars, 1 star for the 2 young lead actors who were very good, 1 star for the perfect recreation of the 1970s and 1 star for the masks. Other than those things, this bored me. It's a supernatural-based film with few thrills, suspense or horror. Hawke is completely wasted as The Grabber, the role could have been played by anyone. On another level it's your typical Hollywood production, all adults are idiots or monsters and children need super-human or in this case supernatural powers to survive in life. I was nodding off.

The Lesson (2015)

Under Rated

[7/10 · 7 July 2022]

So many horror films are horror films, just for the sake of being a movie filled with scares, gore and death. The Lesson is so much more than that, it's a horror movie with meaning. It's also a film with spectacular performances, especially Robert Hand as Mr Gale, but the entire cast is so good they don't appear to be acting. Ruth Platt has written , directed and crafted a film that the average horror fan is just not going to get. I've seen this a few times, the first time, several years ago and for me, only the best films stay in my head. I love this movie for the script and the acting, and yes, for just how grueling it is at times. Ms Platt is to be congratulated for taking the horror genre up a notch.

11th Hour Cleaning (2022)

Low budget, but good

[5/10 · 7 July 2022]

11th Hour Cleaning does not reinvent the haunted house movie, but what it does, it does well. Obviously low budget, it was still well filmed and interesting , with great performances from the 4 main leads. I like that we were allowed to get to know the characters, this is not a bunch of teens, but about real everyday people, and that was a nice change. It was amazingly short, in fact a friend I watched it with liked it enough to want it to go on longer. I think the film makers and actors succeeded in making a good horror film on a small budget. Worth a watch.

3 Demons (2022)

What was that ?

[2/10 · 6 July 2022]

Watched with a friend and we both agreed this is one of the worst films we've sat through recently and made it through to the end. We only watched the entire thing, hoping there would be some explanation to what was going on, but good luck with that. As someone else mentioned, it just seems to be some random scenes that make no sense just all strung together and called a movie. Trying to find anything positive to say, the lead actor did his best and was somewhat appealing. The negatives were everything else. This film, if you can even call it that, had no plot, wasn't well written, was poorly shot, with bad sound, the demon costumes were bargain basement and there was no horror atmosphere to any of it. There were no scares, we just sat there confused. It wasn't so bad we turned it off early, because we thought something, anything at all may end up being explained, but we had no idea what was going on and couldn't care less, except to be glad it finally ended.