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Animals | Film Review

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  When their son is taken hostage, mayoral candidate Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck) and his wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) must do whatever it takes to get him back. I was really looking forward to this movie. Not only am I a huge fan of Ben Affleck both as an actor and a director, but I'm also a fan of Ray Fisher and make sure to see whatever he does, so I was aware of this movie long before it came out. And I ended up being hugely disappointed with it. It has a really great cast. Every single actor has a great track record and with a great script, could have done so much with the characters in this movie. But there were too many issues with the movie to allow any of them to give great performances. The pacing doesn't work, everything happens too quickly. The son is taken before we really know what's happening, and when the story starts to twist and turn, it just doesn't feel like it makes sense or has earned its twists. We never really get to know the characters. And for...

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  This is a first-time watch, and the one of the last movies I need to watch for the bucket list. The reason I've left it so long is that, after looking it up, it's recommended to watch the TV show first. So I left it hoping that I'd finish the show and then come back. But unfortunately, and this is a very unpopular opinion, I couldn't get into the show at all. I tried but it just wasn't for me. If the movie wasn't on the bucket list I would have left the whole Twin Peaks world alone. So this review is coming from someone who has only seen a few episodes of the show, which made me sceptical about whether I'd like, or even get it. And as I expected, this one wasn't for me. That's not to say there weren't enjoyable moments, or that I don't appreciate what it was, but this was a movie for the fans of the show, which I'm not. I'm really glad that I at least saw the beginning of the show, because I had no idea that the movie would be so cl...

A Tale of Two Sisters | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  I didn't know much about this film before putting it on, but it was listed as a psychological horror, which always excites me! I liked this film. Before watching, I saw that there's an American remake that I've already seen and absolutely love, so I thought the twist was spoiled from the very beginning. But in watching the film, it felt completely different, to the point that the twist in the remake didn't make sense here, which made me even more intrigued. Plus, the fact that I love the remake meant I already knew I loved the story. One of the best things about the film is the connection between the sisters. Their relationship feels extremely authentic, and they're the people you care the most about. Because I loved the remake so much, and watched it so long ago that it now feels like a nostalgic childhood movie, I couldn't help but compare the two. While I probably enjoyed the characters more in the remake, and felt better connected to both our main characte...

Spider Island | Film Review

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  When a group of influencers travel to a secluded island, they find themselves having to fight for their lives against deadly spiders. I was really excited to see this film. Sometimes with creature features, the worse they are, the more fun they are to watch, and this one looked like it would be so bad it's good! I had a great time with this movie. It was as bad as I was expecting, in the best way. It starts in exactly the way I'd imagine an influencer holiday event. The acting wasn't amazing but I did believe all the characters the actors were playing. It's great that some of the actors were real influencers - it would have been fun if this was the makeup of the entire cast. You're on edge from the very beginning. There is a good ratio of spider sightings and attacks. Sometimes, with movies like this, the focus is too much on the characters and not enough on the creatures - this one had a good mix, though I still would have liked to see more of the creatures. It d...

Black Christmas (1974) | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. There have been two reboots and I've seen both, but for whatever reason I never saw the original, so it's been on my list for a while. I liked this movie a lot. This film is credited as one of a few that popularised the slasher genre. It's so interesting to see how the genre has changed from then to now. Some of the dialogue feels really shocking for a 70s movie, which just adds to how horrifying the movie was considered at the time. It also explores ideas that feel very current in today's society. The movie was really ahead of it's time, particularly for exploring these issues with a horror backdrop. The group of characters is great. It would have been good to get to know them all better, but they're all distinct and well written. You feel invested in their stories even if you don't know them that well. The pacing is great. We get time to sit with each kill before seeing the next one. This allows the impa...

Brotherhood of the Wolf | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  This is another one that I was wary about. Not only does the title feel like a werewolf movie (which I was very glad to find out it wasn't) but it's also one of the longest bucket list movies, so I went in apprehensive.  I didn't love this movie. It does a good job of creating the beast with words before we get to see it. It feels more like a legend than a real creature, and the audience is on edge waiting to see it. Which makes sense when you know that the movie is partly based on a French legend, and partly based on a true story. The reason why the film is so long is because there are many plotlines outside of the main 'beast' one. Unfortunately none are as interesting as the beast plot, so I found myself just wanting to go back to that. In all honesty, I didn't find the plot particularly interesting. Hearing about the beast and seeing the results of the attacks worked for a while, but this becomes a bit repetitive as most of the time is spent trying to catc...

One Night Only | Film Review

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  On the one night of the year when singles can legally have sex, Owen (Callum Turner) and Allie (Monica Barbaro) seem to be the only people in the city looking for something that lasts longer than just one night. There was a lot said about the premise of this movie before it came out, most of which pointing out how ridiculous it sounded and how many logistical problems it would cause. So I don't think anyone was really looking at this with any element of seriousness. And as someone who was also sceptical, I was surprised that I actually liked it! For a start, even though the concept does feel a bit stupid, it's also original and interesting, so you have to give it props for that! It has a really fun soundtrack and makes music an integral part of the story. You instantly like the characters - though the cast feels odd. The film is full of people that you wouldn't expect or choose for the roles they play. Much of the movie tries to go in a more comedic direction, but it'...