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lindalozar
Reviews
A Haunting in Ravenwood (2021)
Seen it before
The premise started interesting enough & then went straight to Deja vu. Young widower marries a mentally unstable young woman because he has fallen in love with her. She is nothing like the deceased wife & his friends think it's a good thing. But is she that much different? The deceased wife was the heiress to a fortune. She was an orphan & had no siblings or other relatives with a claim to the family fortune. His new wife is an orphan with no siblings or relatives to lay claim to the family fortune she has inherited. Hmmm.
Unfortunately, this is not an original premise for a movie. This is an up-date on a 1958 movie, The Screaming Skull. While I have enjoyed some re-makes/re-imaginings in the past, I did not enjoy this one.
The actors are too stiff & not natural. They give the impression of people never having acted in front of a camera before, or even performed in front of a live audience. I was unable to have any liking for any of the characters, except the gardener. He's a simple soul who would be awkward around people.
Overall, I do not recommend this movie by any account. Watch the original if you want a better look. Besides, the original isn't all dark & hard to see what exactly is going on.
Death on the Nile (2022)
Should be less
I saw Branough's Murder on the Orient Express, hated it. Two hours bring subjugated to a horrible remake of Death on the Nile has convinced me yo never watch Kennth Branough again. The changes made to the character of Poirot are wrong & he continues this desecration with this movie.
Let's start with the "explanation" of Poitot's mustache. The amount of damage to his face would have been impossible to cover with the mustache & ridiculous soul patch that should not be there.
Linnete Doyle is an American heiress, not some sort of general heiress. She knows what she wants & how to get it. Understands business & doesn't let anyone influence her. This one is none of that. No real business sense, not really smart and speaks with an accent not spoken by someone raised in America.
The rest, ridiculous as to how they were changed around. First, not a single one of them in the original book were related to or friends of Linnete. Each one did have some sort of connection to her: failed investments, malicious gossip, etc. Each had a reason to want her dead, but they were not brought together by Linnet &, besides, what honeymooner wants friends & family with them.
Branough is not a great Poirot. I LIKE Poirot. He's obsessive, he's funny, he trusts his little gray cells, he can see what happens & knows how to interview his suspects. This Poirot really does not know how to treat people, how to be Poirot. Maybe a different name for your detective & movie with "Based on" being the best you can do. Desecration of a good book, good characters just to make a movie you think is better than the original should be a crime.
Curse of Aurore (2020)
Finished film pretending it's found footage
No, honest this is a poorly constructed film. I enjoy watching found footage movies. I love a good laugh after all. But, despite the claim this is pretty much "raw" footage, definitely doesn't feel like it. The main difference between this ff movie & many I actually enjoyed is that this one does not acknowledge that the film may have been edited for coherence.
"Grave Encounters", "Grave Encounters II", the "Hell House" series are obviously & admittedly edited. It adds to whatever suspense might be there & brings things to light.
Besides, for a group going to French-speaking Canada, none are well prepared to deal with the locals. Even the young lady of the group, whose family is from there, doesn't have a very strong grasp.
If you want to nap or even a good laugh, watch it, otherwise ignore it.
Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
Not as out dated as you think
A Carol for Another Christmas, a 1964 movie, basically, trying to show the relevance of the U. N. Is it out dated? Hard to watch? Probably. But watch it & tell me you cannot see the world we know today in the segments with the Ghost of Christmas Past & Ghost of Christmas Present. They are there, you just need to think. The Ghost of Christmas Future, a bit more talkative than past incarnations, but good none the less. But it's not the Ghost you should watch, but the scene that takes place. In today's world, having been through 2016-2020, we have seen that the future being played out. This movie, a TV movie by the UN to show the importance of diplomacy, of communication between nations, may have started as propaganda, but it holds true today. I have seen it 3 times in my life. The original broadcast when I was 7, the first re-broadcast on TCM in 2012 & just found it again today. The movie impressed my 7 year old self & I'm still impressed with it today. It's a movie that can haunt you & make you realize we really need to do something before all is lost. Peter Sellers as "ME" should scare you to see where the future could go.
Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel (2018)
Not all that bad
I found this installment of Hell House interesting. Gives background into the Abaddon Hotel & introduces us to Andrew Tully, the man who wanted to open a portal to hell itself. It intersperses segments of the interview with why two of them at the interview opted to check out the hotel. We have the "town official" who lets us know Alex never had "official" permission to use the hotel. Typical official who says a lot & nothing at the same time. At the end of the interview, everyone leaves. PA comes up to host of the show to let her know that the official had called. Reason? Didn't forget anything. Called to apologize for missing the interview. So who was representing the town of Abaddon?
As a result we see Mitch meeting up with Jessica who convinces him to go with her & her crew to Hell House to find the missing tapes of Andrew Tully. While there, one crew member, Molly, stays outside, hates haunted houses, as lookout. After, maybe,15 min, Molly is inside demanding to know why, if they wanted her outside, they insisted she come inside to help. At that point Mitch realizes something is seriously wrong & they try to get out. The hotel is said to be designed after H. H. Holmes Murder House in Chicago, so very difficult to find the exit. Each exit is missing the door knob, you can't leave. They find themselves in a dining room situation & their host introduces himself as Andrew Tully. The same man who was the "town official". Tully can leave whenever he wants & does. He can send his minions out as he pleases. The "goof" listed is not one since, not only this movie, but the original also, points out that, either by will (Tully) or design (others) can & have left the hotel in the last 30 yrs. Watch if you want something as background noise. Decent, probably could be better.
The Haunting (1999)
Please spare me from remakes
I have seen both the original & this one several times. They both are faithful to the book, up to a point. The original could have worked better with a bit more back ground on Nell, but over all good. This one is a travesty. It starts off fine, a little truer to the start of the source material, but then it goes wrong. We have some strange young man as the 3rd subject instead of the nephew "overseeing" the project. There are children talking to/ trying to reach Eleanor, who is slowly going crazy from all this. There is no subtle flirting with the head of the group, who has lied to get them there. There is no wife showing up unexpectedly, no "trying to communicate with the spirits". Basically, we have 4 people who may or may not be attacked by spirits. Eleanor is sure the house wants to keep her there-the children need her. The house now does a lock-down. They can't get out, Luke gets killed by the spirits when he's, basically, decapitated by the fireplace. Eleanor announces that she has discovered, because of her necklace (a family heirloom), she is descended from Hugh Crane- in fact, a great granddaughter. She gives herself to the house-a pure, willing sacrifice in order to protect the children. Unless the studio was prevented from doing this the right way, there was no reason for the butchering. A new view of the source material is one thing. A butchering of the source material is not.
Plan 9 (2015)
Give me the original back
I, like many of you, heard about this for years. The idea was to make the movie that Ed Wood, Jr would have made if he had had a decent budget. So, you now had a group of people with a decent budget, a plan to re-make the worst movie of all time & turn it into the vision Wood wanted. And, instead, tried to re-make every zombie movie around, but with new improved zombies - they move fast.
Big problem. This is not a "remake" of a beloved horrible movie, but a totally new movie with some elements of the original. Too many people, way too long (103 min compared to 79 min original) too many sub plots, too many zombies, & not enough space aliens. A re-make would have fixed the time travel in the original - day turning into night & vice versa all during (& in the middle of) the same scene. Maybe a less flimsy crypt for The Old Man, one that doesn't look like it can barely hold 2 people, much less a coffin & one person. And what's up with Plan 9? It was Plan #9 on the alien's list of how to conquer the world - raise the recently dead & attack the living. Let's just say that Plan 9 had nothing to do with aliens conquering the earth.
There was, for me at least, one bright spot. Mister Lobo, who played Criswell. Over the top, not too good, but he does provide the relief the movie needs.
If you're like me & enjoy some original PLAN 9 (watching it now), but would like to see what may have happened if Ed Wood, Jr had had a bigger budget, watch this movie. Believe me, some of the material in this movie may have been in a high(er) budget movie.
Scoob! (2020)
Love Scooby, not too sure about Scoob
I noticed the movie was for rent on Amazon, but at almost $20.00 for rental, I passed. I saw it was on HBO Max, so figured I'd watch.
I've been watching Scooby Doo since the first episode, so I am an old time fan. IF the pop culture references weren't there, this may have been passable. There is always a reason that cartoons , movies, tv shows try to limit the amount of current references, especially non-historic, in the show. The movie will not age well at all. I'm aware of the cartoon cross references: Blue Falcon & Dynomutt, Cap'n Caveman & DeeDee. But Simon Cowell?
There was no real plot. Which was it: discovering what Dick Dasterdly was doing or the split between Shaggy & Scooby, the team breaking up? Subplots are fine, but it's supposed to be something underlying the plot, giving something more NOT more important or same importance. Just before this, this the gang split & what? Minimal on Fred, Daphne & Velma. Shaggy & Scooby, together but separate once with the Blue Falcoln, then Shaggy alone, Scooby with the Falcoln. This was a Blue Falcoln & Dynomutt movie.
I don't mind CGI movies, but could we have gotten the characters done right? Except for Scooby & Muttly, no one looked or felt right. Fred was definitely no muscle at all, unintelligent & no traps. Where are the traps? Velma didn't have any bright ideas, no jinkys from her. Daphne was window dressing & that's all. Shaggy & Scooby weren't hungry or complaining about being hungry. Scooby talked too much. Dick Dasterdly had a major oversized face & chin - more ridiculous than it should have been. And the voices? I have no idea it would be a great idea to change up the actors, but it DIDN'T work. The voice actors were good but they were not the characters. They sounded wrong. Scooby was fine, I mean who can go wrong with Frank Welker. But Will Forte is NO SHAGGY ROGERS. If you insist on getting new people, then make sure they can do the voice. It's not always the timber, tone, whatever, but about how much it actually is the character.
Long time fans, catch it free. Don't waste the money. New fans may like it more, but us old timers, not so much.
Le manoir (2017)
Not really
French movie done in French with English subtitles. If you speak/understand French, maybe it's funny. If you don't & are relying on the subtitles, don't bother. I have watched foreign language movies with subtitles, but these are generally German, which I understand most of or Japanese kaiju movies. Between the subtitles & the acting I get a better idea of what is going on. So, if you don't understand French, may not be a good fit.
Catskill Park (2018)
The acting was passable
Let's just say the acting was passable. So, no real problems there. Aldo, don't believe the IMdB synopsis. There is NO 36" snowfall trapping them in their tents. Minor snow, but no 3 ft blizzard.
The rest? Typical found footage. In this case, instead of late teens/early 20s, we have late 20s/early 30s. Two men/two women. The guys have known each other forever, the ladies, kinda. Typical characters, though. The tough guy, three women, takes who ever may be available even though he does have a steady. The other, budding film guy. Series on the web, developing one for regular channels. The women are your stereotypical females. Strong, confident until trouble hits, then weak & unable to think for themselves.
The aliens were not much more than a dummy in a fridge & bright lights with weird noises. That was it. Supposedly they cannot escape from the area, but they're doing this in the early morning hours when it's pitch black out. No flashlights & no reasonable way of keeping on track with getting out.
Is this movie fixable? Possibly. The biggest fix would be to shorten it by about 15 min. Would it detract? No, it would tighten it up & make it better. The biggest problem for FF movies is not the bad acting, the lousy camera angles, the shaky cameras, out of focus, they don't help. It's the simple fact that they believe we want every shaky angle, every close up, every weepy, snot running apology or explanation.
Overall, it's not a bad watch, but too long, too tedious, & too tired.
Inner Ghosts (2018)
Good, but...
The movie, to start with, wasn't all that bad. But the ending destroyed any good will the movie had. Three main characters, all female. All three mediums, 1 former medium, back in business, two mediums in training. For women involved in the paranormal, aware of the possibilities of contacting the dead, knowing full well that it isn't all unicorns & rainbows, they sure are hysterical. The older female, Helen, having done it in the past, has the sight, she is not as bad, but gets thrown when someone who maybe a demon attacks her. The two somewhat younger females (appear to be mid to late 20s or early 30s), have no idea about behavior. I know, they just saw their mentor slaughtered, but, ladies, you do have time to get untied & out when the killer goes to take a nap after round one of his "experiments" involving a machine designed by the dead for communication with the dead. They are tied up, rolling back & forth on the floor, crying & screaming, instezd of trying to see about untying each other. This is where everything starts unraveling. Nothing makes sense. Strobe lights, screaming, odd music, nothing gives a nice view of the end, or even an attempt at a decent ending. From the looks, about 10 minutes (at least) could have been cut out of the middle. This could have changed up the end, more time, better exposition. But, no. Overall the movie is good, but, please, don't bother with the actual end. It won't answer any questions, won't even end the movie on a decent note. You get the feeling that nothing makes sense.
The Spooky Pumpkin (2020)
Really?
Seriously, what was this about? If you want to nap or see what you should not do in a low budget student/indie film, this is the movie/over-long short for you. Bad writing, bad acting, bad continuity, bad everything. Of the 4 kids, who owns the cabin? Is it Alex's family? He was asked how to get there. Maybe David's family? He's complaining about Alex dropping the firewood on the floor & how he, David, will be in trouble with his dad if there is a dent. Alex's family, David's family, or are they siblings? No idea, nothing is said. How about Timothy the weird neighbor boy? Just a strange kid & he does know Alex.
Are two of them boyfriend/girlfriend? Are the two that have to, reluctantly, share a room former boyfriend/girlfriend? No clue.
Time frame? Evening, morning, afternoon? What? Season looks like early summer, so what's with all the pumpkins? In fact, they really aren't spooky at all. Lame pranks.
Then, the final insult. The 4 kids initials- David, Emma, Alex, Danielle- spell DEAD. So, they all die, right. Nope. Someone didn't get the idea of what that really meant.
Could it be improved? Yeah. Better continuity. Better interaction between the actors-as far as I was concerned these were 4 people who never met until that day & were told to act like they were best buds. The two easiest things to fix without costing extra money. I may be a long time out of college, but I know enough kids who have done this in high school & college to know it could have been done right, even with a script as week as this one.
Clowntergeist (2017)
Love bad clown movies, but...
I enjoy evil clown movies. Funny, scary, both. They're all fun, but not so much this one. At 80 minutes not very long, but for this script way too long. Normally the climax comes in about 10 -15 minutes from the end. Sometimes a movie will have multiple endings, one right after the other, literally (see EVENT HORIZON). This one, in the last 20 min had several points where the movie could end & everyone would have been happy. The end felt more like several different endings were shot, movie too short, so put them all together. Not a very satisfactory ending, would have been better putting effort into early part of the movie. No idea why the clown attacks the 2 girls. Is the clown really a great ape? No idea. If you want noise in the background, not too bad of a movie. If you want to watch & want something not too scary, go with KILLJOY or some other clown.
Into the Dark: Treehouse (2019)
Really?
I've never watched this series before, but if this is any indication, forget it. I have seen "revenge" type movies in the past and this was the absolute worst. In fact, this one took the cake. It's "all a dream". Or was it?
#Screamers (2016)
Don't bother
I love watching horror movies: good, bad, found footage, you name it, I'll watch it. But this one has to be the absolute worse I've ever seen.
It starts with a day in the life of a company. Is it new? Been around a while? Who knows, you can't tell. On one hand, there seems to be a little money. New algorithms, new ways of getting subscribers, new ways of getting ads. But they seem to be working on a very short show string budget. There seems to be some sort of interview going on, and it sounds like they're doing better & been around for a while. But who knows. The owners sure don't.
As to the actual horror part? Couldn't find it. Must have been the screams that were trying to scare everyone there.
Don't bother with it unless you're looking for a good nap.