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Don't Say Good Luck | Film Review

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  Sophie (Sunny Sandler) just got the lead in the school musical. But when life at home takes a dramatic turn, she is forced to balance competing priorities with the fear of a changing future. This movie wasn't really on my radar until I saw people talking about it on social media. I didn't know much of what it was about, which ended up being a good thing. I liked this film a lot more than I initially thought I might.  I really liked the way music was incorporated. One thing I had seen on social media was a clip of the main character singing, and I really liked that music was used throughout rather than just in one scene. The actors are all great, but in particular I really loved Melanie Lynskey and Max Greenfield in these roles. You connect with this family really quickly and only get more invested in their lives as the movie continues. That said, I would have liked for some of the relationships to be explored a bit more. This is a mother/daughter story, but there are other f...
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Kuroneko | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  (aka 'A Black Cat in a Bamboo Grove', making the film virtually impossible to find!) This was the most elusive film on the bucket list for sure. I'd been looking for it all year and watched it as soon as I found it just to make sure it wouldn't disappear! I liked this film, though there were some aspects that I liked in theory more than in their execution.  It begins in a really uncomfortable way, and I'm really glad I didn't go in blind to this one. It makes sense for the story, as the initial incident is the catalyst for the rest of the film, but it was a shock for that to be the first thing we see.  Revenge films usually focus on men, with women often being the victims. I loved that with this one, even though the women are the victims, they are also the perpetrators of the revenge.  They're such strong characters, and it's really fun watching their acts play out.  If anything, I would have liked to see more of this revenge plot - it would have been ...
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Alucarda | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  This is another one that I'd never heard of before seeing it on the bucket list. I deliberately went in blind, so I had no idea what it was about. I didn't love this one. The first thing you notice is the way it's filmed. Despite being made in the late 70s, visually it looks older than a lot of earlier movies. Based on the locations and costumes, it's hard to work out anything about this film, from location to time period to how real its supposed to be and how seriously we're supposed to take it. It gets crazier than I initially expected. If you go in blind, it's the kind of movie where you really can't tell where it's going or what the message, if any, will be. It was great to actually get to know the two main characters somewhat. They could have been more developed but they're fun to follow. Its interesting looking at the variety of horror movies that focus on or become satanic. This one feels slightly more grounded than some of the others but de...
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The End of Oak Street | Film Review

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  When Oak Street is transported to an unknown time and place, the Platt family must work together to make it out alive. I was looking forward to this film, while also acknowledging that it probably wouldn't be amazing. But I love a dinosaur/creature movie, so I was definitely interested! I kind of got what I expected with this. It was fun, but didn't have a lot else going for it. For a start, it took a while to get used to some of the acting choices. I wouldn't say the entirety of the acting was good anyway, but after a while when you get into the film, it's not as jarring as it can be towards the beginning. The character development was odd. At the beginning, it tried really hard to give these characters backstories and full lives in hopes that the audience might be able to connect with them. But then this just went completely out of the window. When we didn't need to care about the characters, we were given too much, and when we actually needed to care about them...
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Bram Stoker's Dracula | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  This was a new watch for me. I have a lot of love for vampire media, but I've found that I typically prefer it as part of other genres, such as romance or drama. I have seen some vampire horror movies that I've loved, but I've also seen ones that I haven't, so I tried to go into this one as neutral as possible. There are some really good things about this film, but in general, it's not a story I love. The cast is so great, particularly looking at it from today's standards. Having all of these amazing powerhouse actors playing these iconic roles is so great to watch. One thing that immediately stands out is the set designs and architecture. It's clear that a lot of thought was put into the design of the castle and it really pays off because it adds so much to the tone and atmosphere. The castle is almost a character in itself, and it does a great job of helping the characters to look more real and authentic. And with this comes the costumes and designs of t...
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Cat People (1982) | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  This is another one that I'd never heard of, but it had a really intriguing premise, so I was definitely interested in seeing it. I liked this movie. Even roughly knowing what the movie is about, it's still a shock to see what happens when we get into the main plot. But it's a fun shock that makes you more interested. The story surprised me. I didn't expect so much of it (or any of it) to be about an investigation. This aspect of it was great because it introduced us to interesting characters, but it wasn't the most entertaining route for the story to take. But the more the two areas intertwine, both get elevated. As two separate stories one is much more interesting than the other, but when the characters start interacting, both stories improve. I love that the film is set in New Orleans, and I would have loved for the setting to become more of a character. For most of the film, you can't tell where it's set, which is a shame because New Orleans is a reall...
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Trouble Every Day | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  This was one of the more elusive films on the list. I hadn't heard of it before and I went in blind. This one wasn't for me. From the start of the film there isn't a lot of dialogue, which threw me. It took a long time to understand what was happening, who the characters were, or what situation we were being thrown into. It takes a while to really understand not only what we're watching, but why we're watching it. And even after seeing it and sitting with it I'm still questioning why. The whole film has a really weird overtone that definitely contributes to the horror. Even though nothing scary is happening, you're on edge just because of the way the characters look at each other or their lack of dialogue. The filmmakers have a way of making non scary things feel really unsettling. Another unsettling aspect is the music. In so many scenes it feels out of place and jarring, which just makes the atmosphere really uncomfortable.  It's not the most interes...
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