Black Phone 2 Review

 

Alright! I've been waiting years for this sequel and the time has finally came.

Black Phone 2 is a supernatural horror movie and the sequel to 2021's The Black Phone. Blumhouse Productions and Crooked Highway produced with Universal Pictures distributing. Scott Derrickson returns to direct and write the story along with his frequent writing collaborator C. Robert Cargill.

The story is, it's been four years since Finney survived his terrifying encounter with the notorious child serial killer The Grabber. Then one day his psychic sister Gwen starts having dreams of The Grabber and him killing more children. They both quickly realize he's back and is seeking vengeance.

Initial Reaction

The reason for why I wanted to see this is as simple as it gets. The first film was really good and I had a lot of fun with it. So when the sequel got an official trailer, I was set and ready to go.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

It's the pacing. While there are times when the movies goes by at a good pace, oftentimes it does slow down because the characters go into an exposition dump to explain the more supernatural elements of the story. Which is understandable because while there was supernatural elements in the first, this cranks it up a lot. So while it's good to have some explanation to things it still felt like those elements could've been told at a better pace that way the runtime didn't suffer.

Pros

Let's first start with the scary stuff. While the violence is intense I felt as though the more scary was the feeling that it gave you. First there's Derrickson's use of Super 8 footage. While grainy fuzzy 80's home video footage can give nostalgia to some, Black Phone 2 does an excellent job making you feel unnerved by it. But the best aspect to me was the location. You don't get that claustrophobic feeling like you did with the first, because the characters this time around are a camp. But for the most part you get a feeling of isolation. Finn, Gwen, and the others have to wait for somebody to come, but it's still hard to call for help because the roads have been closed due to a snowstorm and they can't call for help on a phone. But even when the sense of isolation is gone you still have Ethan Hawke's The Grabber to worry about. Whether he's there or not you always have this need to look over your shoulder because you can't help but have this feeling of being watched. Now I want to give credit to the story. Unlike the first movie where Gwen was a supporting character, this time around she's the main one. She has a really good arc where she has to come to terms with her psychic abilities and learns they're not some curse but a gift. But she also has an arc where she has to go full sister mode and call out Finn for not dealing with his problems in a more healthy way. Speaking of Finn, while still playing main character he also has great stories going for him. Firstly we see him dealing with his PTSD in some unhealthy ways. Smoking pot, getting into fights at school, and the standard of not wanting to talking about and just move on as quickly as possible. But the other aspect is him being a protective older brother to Gwen. Whether the odds are stacked against him or not, he's knows it's his job to protect his sister. But I also want to praise the ending. Without giving any spoilers I will say that last phone call is a great emotional payoff. My last praise goes to the performances. Now Ethan Hawke as The Grabber isn't physically in the movie all that much, but while he's physically performance is good, I think he's chilling Grabber voice is amazing. He killed in the first and this is no different. Then there's Mason Thames. While Mason does bring out Finn's edge in more rageful moments, I thought he also brought a great quiet intensity as well. Then there's Madeleine McGraw who I'm not gonna be surprised if she gets a ton of praise. She acts as the heart of the movie, and does a fantastic job bringing out Gwen's journey from frightened sister to someone being more defiant.

While there's some pacing issues Black Phone 2 still offers some very fun scares.

My final rating is, Good.

Yeah wasn't quite up there with the first but unlike some sequels it still has a lot to give. But that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Oct 20th, for a brand new Fan Film Mondays. For that one it'll be about Friday The 13th. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Final Destination 3 Review

 

Funny story, I wasn't scared of roller coasters but I did find them to be a bit sketchy. But then I watched this movie and afterwards I had a reframing moment. Little kid me sitting down watching this on Sci-Fi (now SyFy) came to the thought of "Wow, these filmmakers seem way more scared of roller coasters than me. I'm might be being a big pussy". So afterwards the next time my family took me to an amusement park (I forget which one it was) I took the chance, rode a roller coaster, and now I'm a fan of them. Now enough of the childhood stories! Let's get to the review!

Final Destination 3 is a supernatural horror movie and the third installment of the film series. While Zide/Perry Productions once again produced, the company was helped by the returning Hard Eight Pictures but production was also handled by Practical Pictures and Matinee Pictures with New Line Cinema once again distributing. James Wong not only returns to direct but once again writes the story along with a returning Glen Morgan.

The story is, it's been years since the explosion of Flight 180 and the Route 23 pile up, high school student Wendy Christensen, her boyfriend Jason Wise, along with their friends were enjoying celebrating their graduation at an amusement park. Things quickly change when Wendy had a vision of them along with other classmates dying in a horrible roller coaster crash. After the crash, Wendy finds out her and the other survivors are gonna die in the order they would've in the original crash. Her only clues in the hopes of saving them is the pictures she took at the park.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Boy there's quite a bit this time around. For starters there's characters. Yeah yeah yeah I know, these movies aren't known for strong characters as I've also mentioned previously with my review of the first two movies. But here I forgot I a lot of characters. By the end I remembered Wendy, Kevin, Frankie, and Ashley and her friend Ashlyn. But I forgot a lot of other characters as well but some of them are just written for the body count. Then there's the dialogue. Again I know this is Final Destination and not Tarantino. But the very beginning has some very in face dialogue. I'm serious count how many times in the opening characters use the words "kill", "death", and "die" or use some old saying or hyperbole related to the word death. Now despite these issues there's still plenty to enjoy. Much like the previous there's some good use of dark comedy and I do like how Wendy's arc touches upon themes of guilt and how she's feeling powerless when usually she's the control freak in a lot of situation.

• Positives

Once again some of my praises well be kept brief because there repeats, starting with the pacing. Much like the previous installments that is an easy watch to get through and can be easily rewatched again and again.

Then there's the kills. Once again the kills provide a darkly fun guessing game of what exactly Death has planned for the unsuspecting victim or victims. But I think my favorite is the opening roller coaster ride. Like I said doing this time I was viewing roller coasters as not scary but kind of iffy things, but seeing those deaths cause a reframe in me. Because wow, nothing in my imagination was nearly as bad as what the opening did. Yes I suspect the seat straps to come undone and I fall out, but never once did I imagine gruesome as hell dismemberments. So yeah, big fan of the roller coaster disaster.

The last thing I'll praise is Mary Elizabeth Winstead's performance. Winstead shines in this, she gives her character [Wendy] a determined yet haunted hero, bringing a bit of emotional depth to what otherwise could've been a standard or bland character. Not to mention she also has some pretty good chemistry with Ryan Merriman, where they're either being comedic and being protective of each other by just being a shoulder to lean on or saving each other when Death comes close to nearly killing them.

While this isn't the strongest Final Destination film in the series it's far from being the worst. Issues might be present but there's quite a lot to enjoy.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's a wrap. Due come back on Saturday, Oct 18th, where I'll take a break from Final Destination and review a horror sequel I've been waiting for since 2021, Black Phone 2. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Final Destination 2 Review

 

Time for round two of the Final Destination series.

Final Destination 2 is a supernatural horror movie and acts as the sequel to the first film. While Zide/Perry Productions produce, New Line Cinema distributed. Jeffrey Reddick wrote the story, but the screenplay was written by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, with David R. Ellis directing.

The story is, it's been one year after the explosion of Flight 180, and college student Kimberly Corman and her friends are heading to Florida for spring break. Then Kimberly gets a premonition about a pile up on the highway she along with other drivers are taken. While Kimberly and eight other people survive, they soon start dying in mysterious and gruesome ways. They learn it's Death itself, but unlike the Flight 180 survivors Kimberly and the others might have a found a way to defeat Death.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

There's two things that could've been approved on. One of the being the characters. There's only two you'll truly care about, those being Kimberly and Thomas Burke. These two are the main focus on their connection is the heart of the story. The same can't be said for the other characters. I didn't hate them I just thought they were okay and serviceable. There's also another character from the first movie that comes back, and I did enjoy their part, but you really need to watch the first movie in order to understand who they are and why they're just broken.

Then there's the story. Yeah I know Final Destination isn't known for it's strong storytelling and yes it's easy to argue they can be the same a lot of times. But even with that in my mind while the story has some of the same beats as the first, there is that one thing that separates it from the first. That being how "only new life can defeat death". Because of that new bit of information, our characters find a possible way to defeat death and find out who the new life is. Without going into spoilers, this plot point gives our characters even more stakes and also kind of acts like a ticking clock.

• Positives

Now I'll keep this part as short as possible because some of praises will be similar to my review of the first movie. Start with the pacing. Unlike the first movie from beginning to end the pacing is great. You can pop this movie into your DVD or Blu-Ray player or stream it, and never once feel like you've been sitting around for ungodly amount of time.

Then there's the tone. This is the one where the franchise started to add more dark comedy into the mix. Which I don't mind as long as it's done well, and there were some moments that were pretty funny. Like how Eugene takes the chance to be a dick and tell the story of the Flight 180 survivors but the way he describes it is more spooky ghost story than a tragic event. It's a small moment but still gets a good chuckle out of you.

Alright now for the big one, the kills. Once again we provided with some very creative kills. Sure you'll see them coming, but it's also interesting to piece together what exactly Death is gonna do that's gonna get our characters just absolutely slaughtered. And this next part isn't anything new, but man that highway pile up...just...wow. There's a reason why that scene to this day still remains in our heads. 1) A highway pile up is a very real possibility. It's not crazy to picture something like that happening in real life, especially since highway pile ups have sadly happened in real. But my point is, Final Destination 2 was probably the reason why some people didn't rush to their driver's license. The other reason for why that pile up still remains in my memory is because it's just some amazingly done practical effects with some moments that probably had some CGI sprinkled in. That scene was so crazy that one of these days I gotta see some behind the scenes footage to see how that was done.

Final Destination 2 might go back to some familiar territory, but there's plenty of fresh ideas to help it stand out. And above all else does provide some good popcorn entertainment just like the first movie did.

My final rating is, Good.

Alright the first two are done that just leaves three more to go. So come back on Thursday, Oct 16th, for my review of Final Destination 3. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Tron: Ares Review

After waiting so many years we finally have a new Tron movie, sadly it's not a direct sequel to Legacy but hopefully something good comes out it.

Tron: Ares is a sci-fi action movie and the sequel to Tron: Legacy thus making it the third film of the franchise, with production done by both Walt Disney Pictures and Sean Bailey Productions with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures doing distribution. It's written by Jesse Wigutow and David DiGilio and directed by Joachim Rønning.

The story is, business rivals Julian Dillinger and Eve Kim are both after Kevin Lynn's permanence code. Julian has managed to bring digital constructs to the real world, but they only last for 29 minutes. Meanwhile Eve has successfully cracked the code. Now, Julian brings his program Ares to the real world and assigns him to find Eve and bring the code to him. But when Ares shows self-awareness and an interest in our world, this'll lead to an all put battle.

Initial Reaction

Now unlike a lot of online personalities, I was actually looking forward to this. So no I wasn't considering Jared Leto some sort of pariah nor am I gonna solely blame him for the reason for why this movie could possibly bomb. Doesn't really seem fair to blame Leto when Disney barely marketed the damn thing. But regardless, you should know that despite interest or excitement, I'll still be honest with my review.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Alright speaking of that honest, let's dive into the stuff that was so close to being good but didn't quite get there. Starting off with the characters. Yeah some of these new characters just didn't work. I was attached to Ares because while his story is an A.I. getting self-aware and having an identity crisis, at least it was something. Ares' arc while familiar does tap into a Tron's question of what makes a being "real". But one character fumble comes from Eve. With her story it's very muddled. At one point it feels like she's doing it for a lost loved one, but you do forget about that because it felt tacked on and her story does feel more like her wanting to one up and stop Julian. Speaking of arcs, let's dive deeper into the story. Other than character arcs, the other slight issue stems from the movie does ask some pretty good questions. The biggest of which is weaponizing A.I. Now that's a very real and very up to date question giving how we have A.I. like Grok. But the story doesn't really go any deeper. It's mainly just surface level or not talked about again.

Pros

First let's get into the action. While I did like the chase scenes on the Light Cycles, I always preferred the disc battles. They were always to me the more fun parts of Tron. And Ares is no expectation. I really enjoyed the hand-to-hand combat. And the stuff where ships and drones were attacking was pretty cool too. Then we have the performances. Jared Leto did a really good job portraying Ares shift from machine to human was pretty good. And yes, Evan Peters can be a little cartoonish when it comes to Julian, but I found to be entertaining. Especially since there were times when Peters was much more subtle. But the biggest praise goes to Nine Inch Nails' score. I admit I was a little worried for them because Daft Punk did such a phenomenal job with Tron: Legacy. But NIN did a great job. While they're much more moodier than Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails delivered a music with a hard synth beats and a great song played during a grid chase scene with I Know You Can Feel It. Yeah I know that song was released like two or three weeks before this came out, but I avoided listening to it so I'd be more surprised when I finally saw the movie. My point is, the music is the true MVP.

While I wasn't fully blown away by Tron: Ares, I also don't find it to be a massive disappointment. I just think by the end of the day it's an alright movie that with a few polishes probably could've been better.

My final rating is, Okay.

So there you have it, I'm all done for now. But due come back on Monday, Oct 13th, for my review of Final Destination 2. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Final Destination Review

 

Even though it's been months since Final Destination: Bloodlines was released, I thought it'd be fun to review the previous movies for this year's Halloween season. Granted I could've done a review series for the I Know What You Did Last Summer series giving it also had a new movie that came out, but I'm much more nostalgic for Final Destination.

Final Destination is a supernatural horror movie and the first movie of the franchise. It was produced by Zide/Perry Productions and Hard Eight Pictures and distributed by New Line Cinema. James Wong (years before Dragonball: Evolution made him a punching bad to the Dragonball/anime fans) not only directed but wrote the story along with Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick.

The story is, Alex and his classmates along with their teacher were boarding a plane to go a trip to Paris. But things take a dark turn when the plane blows and kills everybody, but there's a twist. The plane hasn't blown up yet, and Alex and everyone else is alive. Days after getting kicked off the flight, Alex realizes what he saw was a premonition and that Death itself is coming after the survivors who cheated their deaths.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Final Destination's slight issue stems from it's characters. Alex is handled very well. We root for his struggle in trying to stop Death's plan of coming after all of the people who survived alongside him. And you do get a good supporting character in Clear Rivers, she's seems very down but for the most he history is keep a secret so you're kind of curious about who she is before she reveals her backstory. But then you have the other characters. Carter is a d-bag for the most part and doesn't get that much development. Then you have Billy Hitchcock, where I only remember two things about him. 1) He's was the comedic relief and 2) He's played by Seann William Scott. Other than those things he's pretty forgettable. And he's not the only who has this problem either, the forgettable tag can also be given to Terry. Who's only character trait is she's Carter's girlfriend. There was also the teacher Valerie Lewton. They do give her somewhat of a story with her suffering from survivor's guilt but often times that fades into the background.

• Positives

Let's start off with the concept. Now the concept of Death itself coming after survivors after its plan to kill them in a get disaster, is something today's audiences are aware of. But flashback to 2000. You see the trailer for this Final Destination and after watching you're expecting some sort of supernatural force maybe a ghost but then you see the movie and holy shit it's Death itself. For us 2000s kids that was shocking.

The other aspect I'd liked was the pacing. There is a slightly slow beginning but I can forgive that because it's meant to set up some characters, the plane, and Alex's premonition. But afterwards this is a breeze to get through. I think this had a greatly balanced pace. There's nothing slow to make this feel like slog and nothing goes too fast to the point where you miss something.

Then there's the tone. Now the newer movies (although no credit given to the fourth one) do have some more darkly comedic takes. But this one is far more serious which in return does make the more suspenseful moments better, not that I don't think the sequels did bad (expect the fourth movie), I just think nobody can really expect to slightly laugh afterwards.

The last thing I'll touch on is the deaths. Now some of you are probably well aware of the deaths, but don't worry for any of you that don't know I'll keep them quiet. But what I will say it's no surprise why this film and the entire series in general traumatized my generation. This movie made people believe everyday things can kill. If you go on a plane it might explode, your kitchen is a death trap, oh you think you're safe in a bathroom guess again it's also a death trap. Just a lot of stuff that made people afraid to take so much as one step. 😆

Guys even though not all of the characters were the best written, I still love Final Destination. It's a super fun horror flick and it's something you should at least give a try.

My final rating is, Good.

So that's all for today. Come back on Saturday, Oct 11th, for my review of the newest edition to the Tron franchise, Tron: Ares. Yeah sadly I'm doing yet another non-horror movie despite this being Halloween season. But don't worry after that it's all horror flicks. But do check out that Tron review though. Anyways until then, enjoy the rest of your day and remember, death doesn't like to be cheated.

Good Boy Review

 

Alright, I'm finally reviewing a horror movie for the Halloween season. Let's get to it.

Good Boy is a supernatural horror movie that's produced by What's Wrong with Your Dog? with distribution by Independent Film Company (aka IFC) and Shudder. Ben Leonberg directed and wrote the story with Alex Cannon.

The story is, a loyal dog named Indy has moved into a house in the woods with his owner Todd. At first living in the house is peacefully, but as the days go on Indy starts seeing a dark entity covered in mud and quickly realizes this dark spirit is trying to go after Todd. Now Indy must find a way to save his best friend.

Initial Reaction

Originally I didn't know this movie existed until one of my followers on my now suspended X account (still trying to get that back up and running again), reposted a trailer for it. And I peaked my interest. Cause I've never seen a horror movie from the dog's perspective, although in a comedic manner people have said that's the same premise as Courage the Cowardly Dog 😆. But regardless of that I was interested.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Now you guys know I want to be honest with you when it comes to my reviews. Granted I have screwed up a couple of times, despite it being close to eight years now I'm still ashamed of my review for the theatrical cut of Justice League. Having said I do admit I was fully scared of this movie. Yes there were a couple of moments that kind of creeped me. Like the ending that was a little scary, but for the most part I wasn't scared. But I will say as a dog owner I was concerned for the dog's safety. Yeah it's weird if the movie doesn't scare you you still wind up hoping the dog's gonna be okay. That's always the funny thing when it comes to horror movies and animals. All of the human characters can get brutally murdered but the moment a dog, a cat, or any other pet gets killed all of sudden people are sad or scared. We humans are very weird.

Pros

First I want to touch upon Ben Leonberg's directing. Cause when I did further research for this movie I found out this was his first time directing and I didn't get that vibe. He's filming from the dog's p.o.v. was great. Good low angle shots, subtle distortions to mimic what a dog would more than likely be sensing, and for a majority of the movie we really don't see much of Todd's face. It's either we see his body but not his face, his face is blurry, or it's blocked by something. It was really good stuff. I also want to praise the handling of the budget in this. I tried my best to find what the rough estimate of this movie's budget was but I sadly couldn't find anything. But I imagine this was pretty low, but everything looks great. Even when CGI is used, which I imagine was mainly for the ending, it looks great. Then there's the dog actor himself Indy, yes the dog's real name is also Indy. I never in a million years would've caused I'd be praising a dog's acting but here I am. Indy was really good. We see his eyes being expressive, shows a great sense of devotion to an actor who isn't his real owner, and reactions that felt very natural. So yeah, what a go Indy. You're first movie and you knocked it out of the park. The last thing I'll praise is the story. I know I kind took shots at it not being scary, but what really drives the story is Todd and Indy's bond. It brought a sense of heart to an otherwise very depressing story. Even when things got rocky between them, we still see the love that a man and his dog can have. But what I also loved is what we can interpret from this story. Sadly if I go deep I'll be giving spoilers, but what I will say is I loved that after walking out I really enjoyed trying to figure out and piece things together. So well done Mr. Leonberg and Mr. Cannon, ya did great.

While Good Boy didn't really scary me, I still had I really good time with this. I loved seeing Indy try everything he can to protect Todd, and I love seeing Todd and Indy's friendship try to fight whatever it haunting them.

My final rating is, Great.

So that's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Oct 9th for my review of the very first Final Destination movie. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Smashing Machine Review

 

Alright Dwayne The Rock Johnson will finally be doing an acting role that isn't him being a slightly different version of himself. Hopefully he pulled it off.

The Smashing Machine is a biographical sports drama movie based on the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr. A24 not only distributed by also produced with Out for the Count, Seven Bucks Productions, and Magnetic Fields Entertainment. The movie is directed and written by Benny Safdie.

The story is, Mark Kerr is a gifted MMA fighter and he's quickly rising to fame and fortune. But this path isn't painted in gold. Along the way he faces relationship strains and addiction. He'll soon learn personal struggles are way more challenging than fight in the octagon.

Initial Reaction

Now I didn't have this movie listed on my Most Anticipated list, primarily cause I didn't hear about until the like a month or two ago. But when I finally did hear about it I was curious. Cause even though I wasn't one of those people who'd complain about The Rock basically playing himself, I was curious about him playing a very different role. Something I don't think he's done since, and I could be wrong, but I don't think he's done that since Pain & Gain back in 2013.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

The only gray area was the story. First let's get into all of the good stuff. Now I've heard a lot of people be disappointed over the fact there wasn't a lot of fights and it was more about Mark's relationship struggles. Now for me that wasn't a huge disappointment because I've seen those kinds of movies before. And what I'm referring to is Darren Aronofsky's 2008 film The Wrestler and Martin Scorsese's 1980 film Raging Bull. Those were more about relationships than matches so when I saw this this was more or less familiar territory for me. So I was actually intrepid in seeing Mark Kerr's struggle with him facing his very first, his partying, his addictions, and his very toxic relationship with his girlfriend. However, some of these story pieces feel more clumped together then the pieces fitting perfectly. Those scenes did need just one more thread that would've made those moments feel more put together.

Pros

Alright let's get into the truly good stuff. Like the cinematography. Maceo Bishop did a tremendous job. He blended grainy VHS, 16mm, and 65mm so perfectly, it almost had a documentary feel to it. Which makes sense given the movie was inspired by the documentary. But even when we don't have that going on, his cinematography doesn't have that nice polish that most sports film have, his style is more gritty and the aesthetic is much more raw. Especially since Bishop relied more on natural and practical lighting. Then there's Benny Safdie's directing. He only focuses on the more personal stuff. So throughout the movie we're experiencing a more compassionate lens much than a more triumphant journey. So much like I've praised Afronosky showing Randy The Ram preferring the wrestling ring then real life and Scorsese showing Jake LaMotta's fall, I also want to praise Safdie showing Mark Kerr's struggles even if I was slightly critical on the story. Okay, now for the big one. The one thing everybody and their grandmother has been curious about. Dwayne The Rock Johnson's performance. I gotta say I was having faith in the guy and he did a phenomenal job. He stripped away his more blockbuster charisma for a far more vulnerable and anger man. I don't think Johnson is gonna get any Oscars despite how cool that'd be, but I do see people praising him for stepping out of his usual wheelhouse and branch out to something else. Now next year he'll be going back to a more charisma blockbuster personality next year with the live-action remake of Moana (a remake to this day I don't understand why Disney is doing, but yet again I don't understand a lot of that companies decisions), but hopefully when that's said and done Dwayne will continue to branch out more.

So yeah, while the story might have some issues, The Smashing Machine is definitely worth checking out.

My final rating is, Great.

So that's all for now. Due come back on Monday, Oct 6th, for my review of the newest horror movie, Good Boy. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.