calypsokidd Reviews

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

And then Fuddruckers...

[6/10 · 9 February 2024]

Lisa Frankenstein is one of those films that I don't like as much as I had hoped I would upon the first viewing, but I like it more and more every time that I see it. In that respect it is similar to Beetlejuice for me personally. A totally campy film with a lot of things that don't make sense or aren't fully explained; it feels like there are some deleted scenes that should have been left in, but maybe they were concerned about the film running too long and kept it short and simple.

Kathryn Newton gives an excellent performance as the main character, and her dad reminds me so much of the dad in Coraline.

It's simply entertaining dark humor in a teen angst storyline! I totally recommend it for a fun night out.

Infinity Pool (2023)

This film is total crap.

[1/10 · 27 January 2023]

Infinity Pool is one of the weirdest films that I have ever seen, and not in a good way. If you have seen The Human Centipede or Midsommar you might be prepared for the level of weirdness you'll experience. At least those films had some redeeming qualities but this one is just a mess. A poorly written story with huge plot holes and totally unbelievable to the point that 'suspension of disbelief' doesn't even begin to cover it. There's not a single likeable character to be found anywhere in the main cast and you just want the film to be over. Even when you finally get to the end it is highly unsatisfying. This may be the worst film that I have ever seen.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Another disappointing effort by Marvel

[4/10 · 10 July 2022]

Thor: Love and Thunder spends too much time trying to be a comedy without actually being funny. It works with the Deadpool films but not so much with Thor. They need to focus more on the drama, and what's with the Guns N' Roses fascination? It's sad when the DC film that came out this year (The Batman) is better than any of the Marvel films (Morbius, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness or Thor: Love and Thunder).

Ghosts (2021– )

A poor copy.

[4/10 · 21 February 2022]

A poorly written copy of the British version that falls flat and has disappointing timing. Watch the original version as it is much more impressive and entertaining.

Spencer (2021)

Rubbish

[3/10 · 6 November 2021]

Though I did not care for Kristen Stewart's acting in the Twilight films I have come to be a fan due to her performances in films such as American Ultra and Charlie's Angels. She was, however, the wrong choice to play Diana. Kristen Stewart looks and acts nothing like the actual Diana, Princess of Wales. Not only her but most of the Royals were miscast in this film; Netflix did a superior job of choosing the actors and actresses in their series The Crown!

The studio also would have done well to not spend so much time focusing on just a few days in Diana's life and then to get much of that wrong with fabricated rubbish. A very disappointing result for anyone who has actually followed her true life story.

Malignant (I) (2021)

Almost the worst film of 2021

[2/10 · 11 September 2021]

Shockingly bad acting and weak writing make for a lame film. This would have been easier to sit through if it had been done as a comedy in the mold of the Scary Movie franchise. Do not waste your money paying to see this.

Finding You (2020)

One of my favorites for 2021

[7/10 · 31 May 2021]

Finding You is an entertaining romantic drama. It stars Rose Reid as the adorable Finley Sinclair, a violinist who is focused on being accepted to the Manhattan Conservatory of Music. After a failed audition she and her mother decide that spending a semester in Ireland may help her (as it did her older brother several years earlier). While in Ireland she becomes entangled in distractions such as a relationship with a world-famous actor, dealing with a cranky old lady who is living out her last few months in a care home, and searching for a cross in a cemetery which her brother had drawn for her for some mysterious reason. These distractions, however, all end up helping her in achieving her goal and more.

I have heard some criticism of this film for having too many plotlines but life itself often has more than one plotline going on at the same time does it not? As long as the story lines coexist together smoothly and without any holes, as they do exceptionally well in this case, I see no reason to find this as a fault. For a two-hour film it never drags on or leaves the viewer asking how much longer it will go on.

Finding You is a lovely and uplifting film that I highly recommend!

A Ghost Story (2017)

A complete waste of a perfectly good bedsheet.

[1/10 · 17 May 2021]

Seriously? A sheet with two eyes??? Twenty minutes in I realized that this was going to be a stupid film...and it was. Even worse, there are so many unnecessary pauses that drag the film out and make it even more grueling to watch. It is easier to take Casper as a serious ghost story than this garbage. A complete waste of time.

Separation (I) (2021)

Lazy writing and directing

[4/10 · 1 May 2021]

I cannot believe how poorly written and directed this film is. The premise has so much potential but the story and film get so many details wrong by just being lazy. Separation is not worth going to the theatre to see; if you must watch it then wait to see it on cable or online.

Jessica Jones (2015–2019)

Fails to live up to potential

[5/10 · 29 March 2021]

The storyline had so much potential but a lack of believability, even for a super hero series, and continuity errors make it difficult for me to give this series higher than a five rating.

Tom and Jerry (II) (2021)

Horrible

[2/10 · 27 February 2021]

Weak writing, weak animation, no character development to speak of, poor musical choices that add nothing to the film...I can't believe that an actress of the caliber of Chloe Grace Moretz agreed to be a part of something as lame as this. It isn't even entertaining for children!

Monster Hunter (2020)

Don't waste your money!

[2/10 · 18 December 2020]

Possibly the worst film of 2020. This film is so bad I considered walking out, but I stuck it out to the end...and the ending was the lamest part of the film! A poorly written script with very weak attempts at levity, plot holes and missing background storylines that could have made this more tolerable. It reminds me of a bad 80's film. A really, really, really bad 80's film.

The New Mutants (2020)

Disappointing script and story.

[5/10 · 29 August 2020]

The New Mutants is a well enough acted film by all of the participants, but the writing for the film is exceptionally weak and the story is completely unoriginal. A disappointing experience for the first film I have seen since movie theatres re-opened.

Father Brown (2013– )

Far too unrealistic to take seriously

[4/10 · 2 August 2020]

I'm sorry but to watch this program you have to suspend disbelief to the tenth degree. First off, all of these crimes and murders constantly occur in this small British town? Really? Secondly, every week the guilty parties confess so quickly and easily like they can't wait to be punished! It is so unrealistic I am unable to take it as seriously as it asks me to.

Z (I) (2019)

Creepy weak

[4/10 · 9 May 2020]

Z is a horror/suspense film that is short on both scares and suspense. Add to this a plot that is full of holes and the result is a below average disappointment.

Last Christmas (2019)

Huge Disappointment

[5/10 · 9 November 2019]

Last Christmas is not nearly as good as I expected it to be. This film is a mess. I can't even list all the things that are wrong with it. Emma Thompson playing a Yugoslavian mother? Really??? George Michael songs that, on their own merit are great but, are played during scenes that are inappropriate for what the song is about. Multiple storylines that are shoved together without properly being fleshed out. It's like this was a school project that the students procrastinated on doing and threw it all together in a rush to make deadline. This film had so much potential but in the end is disappointing.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Once Upon a Time...

[5/10 · 30 July 2019]

I usually love Quentin Tarantino films and was looking forward to this one...but left the theatre very disappointed. This film drags on and on for over two hours before finally giving the audience one scene at the end that is satisfying. Worse than being boring, the film is immensely bereft of the classic Tarantino dialogue that makes his films so special. In two hours and forty minutes I can only name one scene that was worthy of being repeated. Just a mess of fantasy that is not worth the time devoted to it in my opinion.

The Intruder (I) (2019)

Suspension of disbelief required to get through this mess of a film.

[5/10 · 4 May 2019]

You know that Geico commercial where the kids are being chased by a killer but instead of getting in the car they choose to hide in a garage full of chainsaws and a cemetery? Well, that is this film. All of the good guys get themselves into dangerous or deadly situations by being unexplainably foolish. In addition to that there are multiple huge plot holes in this film that are never explained. Other than Dennis Quaid's performance as a creepy psychopath I can't really find anything to praise this film for.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

There's Something Wrong About Mary

[5/10 · 22 December 2018]

I was really looking forward to this film but it was very disappointing. It's totally biased, historically inaccurate to the point of ridiculousness, and goes overboard with unnecessary sexuality.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

A biased fantasy film

[5/10 · 21 December 2018]

I loved this film as a period piece but hated how obviously biased and historically inaccurate the storyline was. I also could have done without the continual unnecessary sex scenes.

Hereditary (2018)

Wait for better films...

[3/10 · 9 June 2018]

Hereditary is the worst film that I have seen in 2018 (I've seen 15 so far). It is a very slow paced film, which isn't a bad thing in itself, but it tries too hard to be weird and creepy and ultimately disappoints with a very lame ending. Not worth the price of admission in my opinion.

Lady Bird (2017)

This bird doesn't fly

[4/10 · 3 February 2018]

I was not expecting a lot from this film but it still manages to disappoint. There are sooooo many topics and threads that this film could have explored in interesting and thoughtful ways...from the Father's depression and lack of financial success to teenage angst and insecurities to sibling relationships to homosexuality and religion. I could go on and on...yet Lady Bird chooses to merely scratch the surface of every single opportunity that presents itself! Even the ending is completely underwhelming. While it does have its moments, in the end this is one film that is not even worth the price of a discounted admission.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Best Kong since the original!

[6/10 · 10 March 2017]

Finally, after being disappointed by film after film after film after film this year we have the only film other than Hidden Figures that has lived up to my expectations. Kong: Skull Island is easily the best film about Kong since the original. The story takes place in 1973 as the Vietnam War is coming to an end which, in my opinion, sets a great atmosphere for what is about to come. The backstory feels a little rushed, especially for a two hour film, but that means we don't have to wait very long for the main character to make his appearance. There are many elements and story lines which mirror the original story while still telling a new one. Visual effects are wonderful, as is the soundtrack. Kong: Skull Island is definitely worth seeing, and even more so if you have the opportunity to see it in IMAX 3D. P.S. Don't forget to stay for the added scene after the final credits.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

A disappointing failure for Tim

[4/10 · 29 September 2016]

Tim Burton changed SO MUCH of the original story and left out even more that outside of the characters involved the film version of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is hardly recognizable with the book, and even the personalities and the abilities of the characters have been changed! I can't even begin to list all of the changes that have been made (and none of them for the better). The fight scenes that Tim invented are absolutely comical and the acting of Asa Butterfield, who plays the lead character Jacob, is so bad it brings back memories of Channing Tatum at his worst. I love the works of Tim Burton and wanted to come out of this film saying that it's the best film that I've seen so far in 2016 but instead I have to call it an utterly disappointing failure. Even Johnny Depp could not have saved this mess of a film.

American Ultra (2015)

A fun film!

[6/10 · 23 January 2016]

If you like to watch movies that give you an opportunity to think I would recommend The Imitation Game and Ex-Machina; if you go to the movies strictly to be entertained might I suggest American Ultra. This is a highly entertaining film with plenty of action (albeit most of it is very violent) and a fair amount of humor. Topher Grace and Jesse Eisenberg are both fun to watch throughout the story and even Kristen Stewart gives a decent performance. I have to add that this is only the second film that I have ever seen her in that her acting was not well below par, the other being The Runaways when she did an admirable job of playing Joan Jett. Bottom line: it's not the best film that you will see in 2015 but it is fun!