Made for about $30,000 (and it really shows) in Manhattan in the early 80s, <i>Basket Case</i> oozes with cheesiness, bad acting, and terrible special effects… but that’s why it works. The film has since become a cult classic, spawning two sequels that are both unnecessary and over-the-top ridiculous.
<b>Final thoughts</b>:
Should’ve killed two birds with one stone.
Recently Reviewed
4,613 reviews
It's crazy that all of this is real and happened not that long ago.
Dan Schneider's behavior came out during #MeToo and then Jennette McCurdy's book. I can't help but think that Quiet on the Set is going to be the catalyst for more of these experiences being unearthed, even beyond Dan and Nickelodeon.
On the first day of middle school, I had to choose a lunch table between my school friends, who were like Vanessa Hudgens' Noel, or my neighborhood friends, who were a Midwest suburban version of Nikki Reed's Evie. I chose the Noels, so watching Thirteen gives me an exaggerated perspective on what could have been.
Thirteen holds up surprisingly well for being twenty years old. Holly Hunter, Evan Rachel Wood, and Nikki Reed are fantastic. The lighting changes as Tracy spirals, and I could see that combined with the handheld camera not being everyone's style, but it works for me in this case.
Favorite (Not Necessarily Best) Four From Every Year Since Birth
Released in 2018 before the film's star, Dylan McDermott, went to film <I><A HREF="https://boxd.it/jRjM">The Clovehitch Killer</A></i>, <I>Josie</i> introduces us to both a reclusive man named Hank (McDermott) and a high school student who's new in town (Sophie Turner).
Hank is a mysterious character. A man of very few words, he spends his days monitoring the students at the local high school, most who mistreat him, or with his tortoises, who are stationed on his porch in a habitat he built for them. Still, there's a mystery that lurks around him, which we see with a mysterious figure dressed in orange prison-like clothing that appears in a few scenes.
An unlikely friendship between Josie and Hank forms, raising eyebrows from neighbors (as they should given that she's 18 and he's in his 40s), but there's something there that doesn't warrant suspicion, only empathy as Hank is a man who keeps to himself, says very little, and has no friends. Josie seems very mature for her age and is covered in tattoos, and takes a friendly liking to Hank. As the film moves on, we learn more about this friendship between the two, and how it eventually affects them both.
England's direction and Ragnone II's writing mesh well here. If you're coming to this film because of England's film <I><A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/film/contracted/">Contracted</A></i> (which I absolutely <B>love</B>!), you're going to be presented with something completely different (and that's not a bad thing). It shows that England has the ability to shine through non-horror genres and with different types of casts. The story and dialog are a bit slow, but it makes sense as the film is set in a rural area of America where everyone knows each other's business. It's the ending that really pulls it all together, and which made my jaw drop.
I love a good home invasion film, but, wow, <I>Kidnapped</I> was something else.
A family, a husband and wife and their 18-year-old daughter, have just moved into their new home, when, on the evening of their arrival, a group of thieves enter.
<I>Kidnapped</i>'s incredibly brutal once the action kicks in, which is almost immediately. Think <I>You're Next</i> meets <I>Funny Games</i>. Throughout the film, the director, through their lens, gave us scene after scene where we felt as if we were there with each family member or villain, experiencing what they were going through.
<B>Final thoughts:</B>
Get taken away with this brutal home invasion flick!
That was a painful rewatch. The things I do for podcasting…
Nick Offerman directly says in the beginning that 22 Jump Street is a bigger budget version of the same story as the first. It does hit a lot of the same notes, but it changes enough to not get stale and the jokes are still funny.
The supporting cast overall isn't as strong as Brie Larson and Dave Franco were, but Jillian Bell is a standout.
This movie only works if you are comfortable allowing yourself to fall in love with Rachel Weisz.
It starts off slowly, and if you can't hang in there, it never wins you back. If you commit at the beginning, it's a clever and fun ride.
The Break Up is one of my favorite romcoms, despite it's low Letterboxd rating. I appreciate that they get straight to the break up without trying to make us fall in love with the couple, and they break up over real issues, not some cute misunderstanding.
My husband and I say "Why would I want to do the dishes?" and "Baby wanted twelve!" but we aren't on the verge of a break up.
Bonus points for the supporting cast.
This most likely sounded great on paper, but it should’ve been burned to a crisp immediately after reading it.
<i>Lockdown Tower</i> begins with a “coating” surrounding an apartment building, trapping all inside from the outside world. Internet and TV are down, and the electricity goes in and out. Now trapped with no escape, the building’s residents do whatever they can to survive, which includes turning on each other.
The film drags for most of the time (and takes place in a five year period). We do not have a specific character to focus on or, rather, there is no one we can or should care about because they’re all terrible. In addition, we learn absolutely nothing about what’s happening outside, which should be the main focus of the film. It’s shown mostly at the beginning, and then it’s thrown to the side, never to be spoken of ever again, just like what I’ll do with this film after reviewing it.
<b>Final thoughts</b>:
What sounds like a potential mix between <i>Await Further Instructions</i> and <i>The Purge </i>(if it were held in a single location) results in a non-scary fight for survival and a terrible ending.
It's hard to rate a film that has such impressive acting and very interesting visuals when you also checked the runtime every ten minutes wanting it to end.
I really expected to love it. I love The Lobster and The Favourite, so it's not an anti-Yorgos tging. Tony McNamara also created and wrote The Great, which I love. I love Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Dafoe. I love all the parts. I guess I do not love the source material.
I can’t believe I kept putting this off. <i>Exists</i> was one of the best found footage films I’ve seen in a long time. Good story and characters, great cabin/woods setting, good direction, and a creature that wasn’t CGI’d up the wazoo = Great film! 👏🏻
<b>Final thoughts</b>:
Uncle Bob was right.
