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destinmoulton
Reviews
The Forgotten (2004)
X-Foils
Every part of this is X-Files to the core. The music (synth piano and orchestration), the story (scifi), the cinematography (gray low light), the car (Ford Taurus). It is very weird because if you just put on 1990s goggles and imagine you are watching TV it is pretty good. But it isn't really movie material. The acting is ok but again it is very TV. The editing is X-Files. The villain is X-Files. I am sooo befuddled as to how this was made when it was made and is soooo 90s. This is friggin weird. I so want to give this a 10 as an episode, but it is a movie starring movie people and it is made as a movie - so wtf do you rate it?
The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
Poe Collection
Each episode is an homage to a classic Poe Story. There is a lot to really like: Bruce Greenwood is great - he has a few monologs that he nails and he really sells being haunted. Carla Gugino is having a lot of fun in the variety of roles she gets to embody. The kids are hit and miss. There is an obvious connection with Succession. I don't really like that they took music from Succession - this was a bad decision because it wasn't played for satire so it was distracting. The kids dialog tries to replicate some of the bravado of Succession but it comes off as a weak attempt as some of the lines sound bizarre when decoupled from characters that can deliver them. I think they should have played with the campiness a little bit. Mark Hamill gets it: he is playing it with a slightly campy nod but without trying to directly mimic anyone. None of the actors are bad, there are a couple that are just slightly off cast. With a few tweaks it could have been monumental, but this is definitely one of the best Netflix products of 2023.
Hellboy (2019)
Very Mixed
The good: there are some fantastic practical effects. Some of the character design is on par with Del Toro. Some scenes are spectacular (Baba Yaga's house). The lighting in many scenes is really good. A lot of the CGI is really great.
The bad: Hellboy isn't very Hellboy. The writing doesn't give him much to work with. The trademark Hellboy sass is weak. Why the hell doesn't he ever use his awesome arm? Lameboy. Also, some of the music is just not right.
The weird: Daniel Dae Kim shouldn't pretend to have a British accent. It was cool to see him in a big movie and his acting is fine but why not just let him be himself?
Scenes have little to do with each other. The witch/Arthur plague throughline is scattershot. Again though: some of the scenes are really memorable but the fun is missing. There was an R rated opportunity to really go dark humor but it is just flat. Example: Baba Yaga disgustingly makes out with him and he didn't respond at all. Such weird decisions. He should have vomited on her or slapped her or done *anything*. The lack of Hellboyishness is really the throughline.
This movie had such potential. There are some sequences that are solid 10s but there are some choices that are so ADHD that it makes it really bad. I should give it 4 or 5 stars but I will give it a 6 for the genuinely awesome work intermixed in the morass.
Moonbase 8 (2020)
Brilliant
Definitely not for everyone, but if you like Tim and Eric or Portlandia you will probably really enjoy this. The premise is a simple way to put three brilliant comedic actors into hilarious situations. Yes some of the jokes are dumb. That is the point. The humor is built on quirky character traits and bizarre nuance. It is meta and surprisingly deep. There are some single scene details that are staggeringly funny. I am guessing that a lot of the dialog is improvised and thus not always sensical, but it is so well delivered (and received) that it makes for some marvelous scenes. The budget seems limited in a great way because it it makes the absurdity and creativity even richer.
Psycho Goreman (2020)
Fun!
Surprisingly great practical effects. Great child actors. Some very funny dark humor. Rather than cheaply appealing to 80's nostalgia like so many mediocre efforts, this movie creates an authentic atmosphere cheesy horror classic. I am super impressed.
Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan (2021)
Nonsense
The only thing with more disjoint unnecessary "personalities" than Billy Milligan is this "documentary." There is no cohesive chronological narrative presented nor any semblance of journalistic integrity in trying to present an objective story. I feel really bad for the interviewees. Many of the interviews are done in incredibly uncomfortable environments. There is no attempt to present credentials for the specialists. Many of the interviews are completely unnecessary -- to fill time they interview multiple French "psychologists" (again we really are not presented with their credentials). I am not trying to claim that they aren't doctors or psychologists, but good documentaries allow people to introduce themselves and present their points in longer form ("30 for 30" is great at this). The soundtrack is obnoxious. The intensity of interviews are "ramped up" with the music in a nonsensical manner. This belies the fact that the editing is really chaotic -- I think this is due to the cookie cutter sensationalist formula that Netflix thinks people like. Billy likely was a psychopath: a person lacking empathy. This documentary is also psychopathic: it makes zero attempt to empathize with the victims. Through the murk I got glimpses of what an amazing story this is and how terrible this was for the victims. It is a shame that in 4 episodes only 10% of this was conveyed.
Deep Murder (2019)
Great Potential
Rides a very fine line between meta campy and bad. There are a few scenes that are not intended to be cringe worthy that are just poorly acted. There are also several very well acted sequences. A mixed bag.
Exterminadores do Além Contra a Loira do Banheiro (2018)
High Paced Fun Comedy Horror
This movie is fun. This has the campy style that the terrible new Ghostbusters should have had. Humor without terribly improvised nonsense. Scares that are simple and practical. The production quality is surprisingly good. The effects arent "bad" as other reviewers complain - they are simple and fit the production style. The cast is authentic and likable without being overbearing. I had fun watching it - something that I can't really say for most modern "save the world" big budget plots. Simple plot with fantastic pace and a lot of very referential material done in a reverential way. This isnt "so bad it is good", rather it is good. Not perfect but really good.