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Ghost Stories (2020)
Edited my review when I realized the bad ratings were cultural
Reading through the reviews a bit more, I've come to realize that what Indians expect from horror and what some USians, Brits, Canadians and others expect from horror is not quite the same. It makes sense. We all have different cultural fairy tales, urban legends and monsters, and what might sound horrifying to one regional group might seem kinda silly or boring to the next.
If this Indian movie was made for Indians, then clearly it flopped - judging by the reviews. But for the rest of the world, it could be pretty great. It's one of the best horror anthologies I've seen (maybe my expectations are just so low as an American?)
The first 3 films were the best, and the first was my favourite, followed by the 3rd and then the 2nd. The 1st story gave me chills and I don't scare easily. By the end my stomach hurt imagining what it would be like to be in that situation. The 3rd story was really interesting and scary on a more intellectual level. The 2nd was an unusual take on a more common horror theme.
None of these stories explain everything to the viewer, and personally I prefer some ambiguity. I don't want all the answers explained to me. They aren't hard to figure out if you just think a tiny bit.. Some reviews said the 4th story was an attempt at an American style horror story. As a USAmerican - yeah, no. Just don't. There's a reason why a lot of US American horror fans prefer horror from other countries. It's better.
I'm not sure what Indian audiences thought of Tumbbad (and if they liked it, if *why* they liked it is different from why my friends and I liked it), but it's one of my favourite horror films and I've been searching for more movies like it for ages. Incantation had a similar feel, but wasn't nearly as epic, though I still really enjoyed it as well. I wouldn't call Ghost Stories similar to them in any way, but it did kinda scratch that itch. It was unique and creepy.
Originally I said I was truly surprised this movie has so much hate, it just didn't make sense to me. But I don't feel that way anymore because I realize it's cultural. There's no way I could understand that as a culturally Jewish American-Scots-Irish person - about as far from Indian culture as you can get. But I do encourage others around the world, especially in the US, to ignore the negative regional reviews and give this movie a chance. Your expectations may be very different.
Severance (2022)
The only series I've ever rated a 10
Just when you think there are no more original stories, Severance happens. This is one of the most unique and innovative shows I've ever seen, and might even be the best series I've ever seen. Now that the season finale has aired there's a Severance sized hole in my life. The wait for season 2 will be long... There are quite a few good shows on Apple TV, but this one alone is worth paying for the service.
Kolskaya sverhglubokaya (2020)
Zygote
Out of all the reviews that mentioned different movies they felt this one drew from, i couldn't believe no one mentioned the short film "Zygote" by Neill Blomkamp. This entire movie is basically just a longer version of that 23min film, just with bad dubbing and a lot of filler. Superdeep isn't bad, but watch Zygote which is done so much better and save yourself some time. If you can't find it online, it's featured in Oats Studios on Netflix.
Honeydew (2020)
Silly but worth it for Barbara
This is a low budget movie with some potential creep factor, but mostly comes across as incredibly silly. Especially with a particular casting choice that couldn't help but make me laugh when it was revealed. But Barbara Kingsley was great. She was the reason I kept watching. She totally stole the show and her lines felt effortless and natural. She's funny and creepy in the best ways. I hope to see her in more stuff, especially horror. There really are worse movies to spend a couple hours on. Good to watch while you clean or sort paperwork. Not sure why people hated the end that much, it was about what I expected. Definitely not worse than any other part of this film - although it did go on a little too long. I give it a solid 5, even if 4 of those stars are for Barbara. I don't regret watching it and would recommend for background noise/entertainment.
The Accidental Husband (2008)
Did she lose her dang mind??
The synopsis should read: Intelligent, professional woman loses her mind and falls for manipulative love addict. I mean, really. He tries to marry one woman 5 months after meeting her and when that falls apart, confesses his love for another woman a few days later?? The sequel would have been him paying child support while he cheats on her best friend that he cheated on her with when she was nine months pregnant. Did she forget she was just telling his ex-fiance that 5 months was too soon to get married? Fiance probably realized he was a love/sex addict and saved herself, only to have her radio therapist fall for the same man! Someone call Dr. Phil... Dude must have a golden dong to make someone who was a rational, career oriented, brilliant young woman five minutes ago throw all reason away and have a baby with a virtual stranger. This movie literally makes no sense, and I would totally watch it again because somehow the things that are the biggest red flags in real life once again make a fun romcom. It would be nice to see a woman behave like a normal human being in real life in a romcom one day though...
Servant (2019)
Great story but everything else is terrible
I love this show for the story. Not sure how anyone could be bored or think nothing happened in the first season. Did they even watch it? I found it very compelling and that's what keeps me watching. Everything else, however, sucks. The acting is so over the top and ridiculous. The dialogue is so bad sometimes I end up laughing at what are supposed to be serious scenes. The direction is awful. Every character is a stereotype and no one acts like how an actual human being might behave in this situation - except maybe for the girl/nanny. And the baby. The baby is probably the best actor on this show. 10/10 believable baby. Who is telling the cast to act like this? Did all the directors get together and decide that overacting was what this show needed? It's distracting and drives me nuts. Buuuut the story is good and now I need to know how it ends so I keep coming back... Can only hope it won't disappoint in the end.
Fingersmith (2005)
Good story, but the remake is better
This may be the first time I've ever liked a remake better than the original... I'm guessing the writer had some ideas on how to improve the story for The Handmaiden and threw those into that script. I do love The Fingersmith story, and this miniseries was good, but I'm glad I saw The Handmaiden first because that's the better of the two screen adaptations imo, and this way it wasn't spoiled for me.
The Stolen (2017)
Fun despite the babies
I don't like westerns, which is probably why I love this modern western trend that traditional western fans hate so much. But I wasn't really loving the idea of watching a western about a forlorn woman running around looking for her lost baby. I'm not a baby person. Like, I get the concept of a heartsick mother looking for her lost child, but as a childfree woman in her 30s who is perpetually icked out by motherhood, I just wasn't sure this was the modern day western for me.
I liked the time period and the location, and the strong female lead though, so I gave it a shot, and I'm glad I did. It was fun and engaging. It had its plot holes, like most movies, but I really liked it. Gotta say though, that was one ugly baby. The moment I saw it I thought, Jesus let the dude have it and just start over! I'm sure you could make a cuter one... Yikes...