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Poor Things (2023)
I regret watching this
Clearly a lot of people enjoyed this grotesque movie, but it wasn't for me. Some of the scenes in it made me feel sick, and maybe they were supposed to, but it seemed unnecessary. Don't even get me started on how pretentious the movie was.
I also found this movie very frustrating because the acting was good, the sets and costuming were good, and some scenes used striking cinematography. These things all made me feel like I should've liked the movie, but I don't. It could have been put to much better use.
The sex and nudity is beyond gratuitous. I'm usually not bothered by sex scenes in movies, but for this particular film it felt perverted. Maybe the director has a weird fetish.
Ultimately, this film made me want to crack my own head open and pour bleach over my brain. It's one of those movies I'd like to block out. I don't think I'll ever watch anything else by Lanthimos.
The Twilight Zone: The Incredible World of Horace Ford (1963)
My least favorite Twilight Zone episode
I recently decided to rewatch all 156 episodes of the Twilight Zone, and this one turned out to be my least favorite.
There are 2 things about this one that I especially dislike. For one, Horace Ford is annoying to the point where he's difficult to root for or even like. He is very childlike as a person, which is a major point in this episode; he's obsessed with his childhood. My other reservation is that due to its hour long runtime, it feels really stretched. Not all of the hour long episodes feel like that but a few of them do, and this one especially. And it's cheesiness did not help!
I only recommend watching this one if you want to be able to say you've seen all 156 episodes. Otherwise, skip it.
The Twilight Zone: Five Characters in Search of an Exit (1961)
One of the best Twilight Zone episodes!
This episode beautifully showcases the bizarre magic of The Twilight Zone. The title describes its story very well and straightforwardly; 5 random different people find themselves in a room or enclosure of some kind, with no doors or windows. None of them know where exactly they are or why they're there, so they try to figure out how to escape.
One of the aspects I especially liked about 'Five Characters in Search of an Exit' is that it could very easily be done as a stage play. It is very acting-driven and does not rely on visual effects. It also features great performances from each of the 5 main players.
I will not spoil the plot twist, but this story has a reputation for belting viewers with a complete shocker. The first time I watched this episode, it seemed to come out of nowhere. Absolutely worth a watch!
The Twilight Zone: The Mind and the Matter (1961)
One of the few episodes I didn't like
The Twilight Zone is my favorite TV show, but this is definitely one of my LEAST favorite episodes of the show. I think it is the worst episode of season 2.
I dislike this one for two reasons:
1.) Shelley Berman's performance was incredibly obnoxious. It is fitting for his character, but it also caused me to get tired of watching him very quickly.
2.) I thought the whole story was stupid and pointless, and too ridiculous for me to take it seriously.
I recommend this one only if you want to be able to say you've watched all Twilight Zone episodes. Otherwise, probably best to skip over this one.
The Twilight Zone: Once Upon a Time (1961)
Perhaps the best comedy episode
The Twilight Zone has included a handful of stories that seem to be more comedy than anything else, and of that batch of episodes, this one is my favorite.
"Once Upon a Time" is a comedy, with an element of sci-fi present, which is also true of "Mr. Dingle the Strong" in season 2. In both of these cases, the sci-fi aspect seems more like a parody on sci-fi, but a parody by faithful imitation. The idea of time travel has been employed in many Twilight Zone stories, and this one strikes me as one of its best uses!
Personally, I adore this episode because 1.) it stars Buster Keaton, my childhood idol, 2.) the episode itself is like a homage to old silent comedy movies, the type Keaton was famous for, and 3.) not only is it funny but it presents a nice break from the usual dark atmosphere of the show. This episode was specially written for Keaton, and I think the whole thing was very well executed.
If you like to watch old silent comedy films, you'll probably enjoy this episode. Recommended for all Buster Keaton fans, and any Twilight Zone lovers who enjoy the more light-hearted stories!
The Twilight Zone: A Penny for Your Thoughts (1961)
One of the more feel-good episodes of The Twilight Zone
Most of the Twilight Zone episodes that are generally considered to be the best are rather dark (ex.: "Time Enough At Last", "To Serve Man", "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"), but this one presents a nice contrast. At least, that's my opinion of it.
"A Penny for Your Thoughts" is a pleasant story of an ordinary man who suddenly finds himself able to hear other people's thoughts, all because he flipped a coin which landed on its edge. It's a strange phenomenon, but he soon finds a way to use it to his advantage. I find this to be one of the most pleasant episodes to watch, and Dick York gave a splendid performance. Personally, I consider it to be one of the show's best stories and I recommend it to anyone who happens to be reading this review!
The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989)
One of the dumbest films I've ever watched
I tried to approach this one with a positive attitude but overall it felt like a waste of time. I watched this movie because I enjoyed the first Toxic Avenger a lot. My expectations for Part II were not that high, but this film was just silly.
Basically, Toxie kills a bunch of bad guys and goes to Japan to hunt down a drug lord. There were a couple of moments that made me chuckle, and that's really the only complement I can come up with.
I'm giving it 2 stars for effort; at least I could tell they tried.
Midsommar (2019)
I still don't know
I watched this movie in the theater, and upon it's ending I did not know how to react to what I had just witnessed. I couldn't decide if I liked the film or not, and I had never seen a film with such a contrast between gorgeous and grotesque imagery. Having already seen the director's other film Hereditary, I had an idea of what to expect in terms of content. Midsommar is basically a horror movie that does not present itself as a horror movie, which kind of makes it more disturbing.
I will not go into much detail because doing so would spoil parts of the film. However, there are a few specific things I wanted to point out. For one, towards the start of the film, there is a scene in the protagonist's apartment where we see a couple of intriguing (but somewhat gory) paintings in the background. They're easy to miss if you're not paying attention, but I'm pretty sure they were meant as foreshadowing. Later on, the central character has a nightmare in which disturbing aspects of a tragedy in her personal life and an event she had witnessed the day before are mixed together. This sequence is effectively upsetting but well put together. Also, the interior of the cabin which the main characters sleep in is decorated with illustrations, but the more you see them the creepier they seem to become. The final scene manages to look bright and colorful yet visually disturbing and extremely grotesque. The conclusion of the story itself can be a little confusing, but the director likely wanted to leave it open to the audience's interpretation.
I've seen a little bit of criticism on social media claiming that this film demonizes pagan/folk culture. While I understand that viewpoint, there have been many cults and pagan cultures to exist with bizarre rituals similar to that of what we see in this film. I don't suspect a lot of people are going to watch the film and think that Sweden's pagan/folk festivals are exactly like what's depicted in Midsommar. The May Pole is a real thing, though.
Finally, in comparison to Hereditary, Midsommar is more visually disturbing, while I found Hereditary to be more nightmarish. Also, Midsommar feels more surreal, partly because of the amount of drug use, which plays a major role in the film. Florence Pugh gives a petrifying performance that really seems to mirror that of Toni Collette in Hereditary. Both films contain a lot of aesthetically striking shots, and each film has a psychologically deep plot. Hereditary is a nightmare; Midsommar is an acid trip gone horribly wrong.
Begotten (1989)
BORING
This is an experimental film, and I've never been especially fond of films that fall into this genre. I know that some cinema fanatics are into them, but even so, Begotten is boring as hell.
The plot doesn't make much sense, and had I not read a description online, I would've had no idea what this film is about. The story supposedly goes like this: God commits suicide by disemboweling himself, "Mother Earth" manages to impregnate herself using his corpse, and she gives birth to a son who ends up getting attacked (and maybe killed) by a tribe of cannibals.
There's no dialogue at all and cinematography over the course of the film ranges from semi-decent to to unwatchable. In some scenes I couldn't even figure out what I was being shown.
Lastly, the reason I watched this film in the first place was that I suspected it would be disturbing. (This was during a period of time when I was on a mission to see the most disturbing films of all time. By the way, if that applies to you, I recommend A Serbian Film and The Human Centipede; those should do it for you.) There is some bizarre imagery that could be considered disturbing, but as a whole I found it more boring than anything else.
American Horror Story: Chapter 10 (2016)
A satisfying way to end a great horror story
Roanoke was definitely my favorite season of AHS (with Asylum in second place). The story kept me interested throughout all 10 episodes, and of all the seasons (or "horror stories" if you will) of this show that I have watched, this one seemed to rely the least on shock value, which in my opinion makes it superior. There were still plenty of horrific moments. This episode did a fine job wrapping up the story and tying up loose ends.
I did have a couple of slight reservations:
-A minor character is introduced named "Bristol Windows." Ryan Murphy and his buddies have a habit of creating characters with odd names, but come on! (Maybe it was intended to be comical; I don't know.) Her portion of the episode really didn't add anything (she was basically a YouTube personality and fan of My Roanoke Nightmare), and I would've just cut her scene out.
-The Chens' appearance; that just seemed like something out of The Grudge. Fortunately it was very brief.
SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW
On the positive side, Lana Winters appears in this episode! This directly connects this story to Asylum, and there was something about her presence that made this episode more pleasant. The confrontation between her and Lot Polk was easily one of the best scenes.
In this episode another fictitious in-universe TV show is introduced (following My Roanoke Nightmare and Return to Roanoke): 'Spirit Chasers.' This one is almost a parody on reality shows centered on ghosts and catching supernatural occurrences on camera, and the part of the episode devoted to 'Spirit Chasers' was quite amusing. Spoiler alert: they all die, though that shouldn't come as much of a surprise; by this episode all main characters are dead except Lee.
The ending of this episode is a little ambiguous and I don't really know how to react. My interpretation is that the destruction of the house represents an end to the madness and gore that has taken place around the house since it was constructed. You pretty much have to watch this one yourself and make up your own mind about the ending. It's entertaining nonetheless.
Also, Lot Polk's death was possibly the most deserved in the season.
The ABCs of Death (2012)
A mixed bag
Some people are going to love this movie, some people are going to hate it, I'm standing in the gray area in between.
The best segments: DGSY
The "not quite the best but still very good": HINQT
The OK segments: ACEJLMRUVZ
The worst: BFKOPWX
A few comments on individual segments: Out of all of them, my favorite was 'D is for Dogfight.' It is also the only segment out of the 26 that I felt emotionally moved by. I'm not going to spoil what happens in it but I recommend watching it, even if you don't want to see the other 25. I had a very high opinion of 'G is for Gravity,' though most people who saw it didn't, and I can understand why. That segment was made with practically no budget, even though supposedly the director was given money to make his short film. 'I is for Ingrown' (the title really has nothing to do with the story) is basically an anti- violence PSA. It is very disturbing, but in this case I think it needs to be. 'T is for Toilet' is hilarious but messed up at the same time. This segment is claymation, animated by Lee Hardcastle. Try to imagine Tarantino as a clay-animator; that may be the best way to describe it. I'll also add, it's very unique. 'W is for WTF' was probably the worst out of all of the segments. It literally made no sense, and it was obvious the director didn't know what to do with that letter. My reaction after that part ended was "what was the point?!" 'X is for XXL' was the bloodiest of them all. It has an important message against body- shaming, but the segment itself is so mindlessly gruesome that I feel it took away from the point of it. Lastly, 'Z is for Zetsumetsu' (one of the Japanese segments) was definitely among the weirdest. The plot line was very nonsensical and difficult to follow. And when it was over all I could think was "what the hell was that all about?!"
So, some parts are good, others aren't. If you have a morbid sense of humor, you'll probably like it. This movie is, essentially, a mixed bag.