The Basement

MY RATING: 5

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info:  14 Sept 2018

Genre: Horror
Writers/Directors: Brian M. Conley and Nathan Ives
Running Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

Staring: Jackson Davis, Cayleb Long and Mischa Barton

Rating? TV-MA

SPOILERS? YES

STORYLINE

A seemingly innocent man is abducted by a notorious Los Angeles serial killer who forces his victims to role-play with him so that he can enact his capture, torture and murder fantasies.  

MY REVIEW

This was a suggestion for me from Netflix. The premise sounded interesting and it had a 4.6 on IMDb. It could be that I was a bit distracted while watching by the cutest little half-munchkin kitten Dexter Morgan but I actually thought this was just okay, nothing less, nothing more. It has flaws but its interesting. Should you see it on Netflilx? Well... I wouldn't say that you should, but if you do, please don't do it beccause I suggested. Let's review, shall we?

What I DID LIKE about this movie:


SPOILERS AHEAD!

• Acting was actually pretty good for a sub-B level movie.  Mischa Barton is not the greatest actress in the world, but i thought she did good with what she had. She was a lifeless, almost like she was playing the role like she thought Kristen Stewart would play her.
• Torture porn adjacent. It was ALMOST a good torture movie, if they would have shown a little more of the gore.. and who loves gore? That's right, THIS GIRL!
• Jackson Davis does a pretty amazing job as the Gemini Killer. Multiple personalities aside, it was a cool twist. I mean, again, the name of the guy alone told us what to expect but

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• WRITING. The story was unique albeit overdone. The "Gemini" killer is kidnapping and torturing people in the San Fernando Valley, CA. Right there, right off the bat was the plot all summed up in the name of the killer. Gemini (Jackson Davis). Obviously a twin. Famous musician (Cayleb Long) is kidnapped and his wife (Mischa Barton) and her friend are at the house waiting.. it becomes painfully obvious that the wife is the twin and she knows that her hubby is f-ing the friend and she's gotten her brother, the Gemini killer to off her cheating man. This was not subtext at all. Handed to the viewer on a silver platter. So much predictability that it was actually a bit boring.
• English Accent- Come ON! Invent in some acting classes or get a real Englishman!

There's just not that much more to say. It was not good and not bad. 

IT- Chapter Two

MY RATING: 5

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 6 Sept 2019

Genre: Horror
Director:Andy Muschietti
Writer:Gary Dauberman and Stephen King
Running Time: 2 Hours and 49 Minutes

Staring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader

Rating? R

SPOILERS? NO and YES 
(It's clearly marked where the spoilers begin)

STORYLINE

Twenty-seven years later their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.

MY REVIEW

I want to start with the obvious. Stephen King. I LOVE Stephen King. His novel “The Tommyknockers” was one of the first books I read followed by Christine. He's an amazing writer but this brings me to the inevitable. Stephen King movie adaptations that stick to the bones of the story are difficult and end up going off the rails because I think his words are more suited to paper than the screen. 

Click HERE to read my review for IT Chapter 1.

IT Chapter 2, joins the list of King novels that were better off left in the pages of a book. The read was terrifying and lives in a world of internal psychological fantasy while the screen adaptation fell flat for me. I mean, I didn't hate it, but it wasn't a completely enjoyable 3 hours. Yep, three hours. UGH! 

This part of the review is Spoiler Free, so enjoy but if you want to remain so, STOP when I say so.

Director Andy Muschietti used a bit too much narrative and tried to fit way too much story into the already long film. Some of the pieces should have been left on the cutting room floor. Let’s not even talk about the few continuity issues.

Was it scary? Nope. It was light on Pennywise and heavy on the Losers, not entirely a bad thing, but Pennywise is IT!  I was in love with  Bill Skarsgård's performance in the first movie. I hate to say it but I think they showed all of the good Pennywise scenes in the trailers. Speaking of the Losers - - Richie Tozier, played by Bill Hader was solidly my favorite. I’ve read a few reviews that extol his performance as the highlight of the movie. While he was good, his part was pretty much a mash up of one-liners that he delivered with perfect comedic timing. He also had a few emotional scenes that proved his humor could be tempered with emotion. He was my favorite Loser.

James McAvoy delivered a great performance as Bill Denbrough. I liked that McAvoy played Bill with a bit more edge than you would've thought from the character that we were shown in Chapter 1. His story line though, I think could have been better. 

The rest of the Losers Club was good, but no one really stood out with a great story however all provided a decent performance. James Ransome as Eddie Kaspbrack. Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon. (Isaiah was the fun Old Spice commercial guy.)  Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom,  Andy Bean as Stan Uris and finally, Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh.

Thanks Morbidly Beautiful for the Pics

Did I love this movie? No. Was it passable? Yes.  I mean, you should see this movie if you are a horror fan and liked the first one. It’s not the worst wrap up to a story, BUT, don't spring for the fancy theater, get one of the discount ones, matinee if you can find one.

The next section contains SPOILERS- STOP!!!

I warned you. So, it’s your own fault if you keep reading this and spoil the movie! Let’s start with the story. Again, Stephen King novels are notoriously difficult to translate into film. So, Mike Hanlon in a drug induced haze, discovers the way to kill Pennywise is to perform this Ritual of Chud. What he doesn't share with the Losers, who he’s convinced to help him perform the ritual, is that the one time the ritual was performed it was an abject failure.  This ritual sent the Losers on a movie long journey to find their talismans. Although the personal journey’s they take give the view insight into their stories and reintroduce Pennywise in various forms, the tasks and items they brought were summarily discarded. Seemed a waste.

The movie did however; bring in the Native American history that was prevalent in the book. It almost brought in the whole Wendigo part. There was a little hint of a picture in Mike’s montage. 

I am still shaking my head at the whole love triangle between Bill, Mike and Bev that seems a little overdone. Didn't really need to go that far to show the audience that Bev had no idea that Ben was the original author of the love note. Your hair is winter Fire. January Embers. My Heart burns there too.  Worst near haiku known to man.

The Eddie/Richie gay subtext was there in a way that I think even Stephen King didn't intend to show in the book. It was less than obvious on the first read, but it showed up on the second and third. It was a nice add-on for me to see this aspect played so well by Bill Hader and James Ransone. My heart broke a little for Richie as he held the recently deceased Eddie in the sewers and kissed his cheek. 

The opening scenes with the locals gay-bashing and beating the couple was unnecessary. Small town small-minded dicks are everywhere. I thought Pennywise only killed kids. Did he need to kill the random adult?

Fear paralyzes Pennywise and he is “diminished” by the Losers standing making fun of him. Felt reminiscent of the scenes in Nightmare when Nancy turned her back on Freddy. It was hard to take the idea at face value for which fears exist only in their subconscious.

CGI was overdone. IT was less of a spider and more of a crab? That was just weird.

I absolutely LOVED the last voiceover..  

“People want to believe they are what they choose to remember. The good stuff. The moments. Places. The people we all hold onto. But sometimes, sometimes we are what we wish we could forget.”

The Rezort

RATINGS

IMDB: 5.3

MY RATING: 5

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 15 June 2016
   Netflix 11 Nov 2018

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: Steve Barker
Writer: Paul Gerstenberger
Running Time: 93 Minutes

Staring: Dougray Scott, Jessica De Gouw and Martin McCann

Rating? Unrated

SPOILERS? NOT REALLY, one little one  :)

STORYLINE

Following a near-apocalyptic zombie outbreak, humans are back in control. In this day and age, people know how to handle the "Z's". The latest craze is "Zombie Safari". A chance to shoot the undead in the wild. The ultimate therapeutic revenge following the losses suffered during the outbreak. Little do the vacationers realize they're actually in a highly controlled environment, where the zombies are always kept at a safe distance. Nothing is left to chance, nothing is unplanned. So far.

MY REVIEW

Following a pandemic where millions of people were killed by zombies, why the hell not? The plot and general direction of this movie was strong. It's definitely not a high budget festival of delightful scenes, but it's a passable, original, jump-scare filled movie. Set your expectations to moderate and you'll be okay.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Writing/ Editing- Good job on the part of the writer Paul Gerstenberger in getting both an action packed first act. Makes sense, since most of his repertoire is TV shows.
• Set Design and Location- Filmed in the Philippines., the set is amazingly beautiful. I love the juxtaposition of the island paradise and the flesh eating zombies..
• Firearms, lots of guns, lots of BIG GUNS. (Insert prior military girl boner)
• Zombies- The powers who were in charge decided to make the spectacular decision to go with the classic Romero style zombie. Good choice team. #Team Romero

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Writing/Editing- I would have liked if the "incident" was a little more slow to develop. It just kind of happens so fast that the view does not have a chance to take in the severity of the situation.
• Special Effects- I know, it's low budget, but even low budget movies can get a decent special effects artist to help with the basics. If  you couldn't get it right with the big show-stopper style make-up, then you should have paired it back and did what you could. Could I have done it better? Nope. But I have watched all 10 seasons fo Face Off.
• The "Why?"- So, we get little tiny bits of what happened and why, SPOILER, a zombie rights advocate (really, yes, that's what I said) made a computer virus that caused the incident. 

On a more personal note..... 

His Lordship, Oliver Cromwell was particularly adorable today. Well, so was I, so we both took some pictures. I finished another piece today. I am calling it "Tuscan Summer".

Terrifier

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 15 March 2018

Genre: Horror, Thriller
Writer and Director: Damien Leone
Running Time: 82 minutes

Staring: Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi and David Howard Thornton

Rating? UNRATED

SPOILERS? NO 

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5 (almost 6) of 10

MY RATING: 5 of 10

STORYLINE

A maniacal clown terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way.

MY REVIEW

It's flawed, but it's not pretending to be something that it's not. It's a hack-'em-up blood-and-guts horror movie with At the Clown. We were introduced to Art in the 2013 movie All Hallows Eve from the same writer/director. He's a weird and creepy evil mime/clown. It's low budget, it's gruesome and it's pretty disturbing which all work for me. a few things that I didn't care for, hence the 5 of 10 rating. It's torture porn.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• COSTUME DESIGN- Michelle Gianchetti and Elisa Vecchio were the two responsible for Art the Clown as well as the rest of the make up and for such a small resume, they were responsible for what I thought was the best part of the movie.
• CINEMATOGRAPHY- Camera angles, wide shots of the gore and torture. Good show!
• SET DESIGN- Excellent!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• DIRECTION- Yeah, it could have been better. I think some of the acting was sub-par and the scenes could have been more cohesive, but it's not supposed to win an Oscar.
• WRITING- This movie seriously needed some additional writing. There was not really a plot, but in this genre, you really don't NEED one. It's cliche. 
• SCORE/SOUNDTRACK- not memorable. 
• EDITING- So, there were some scenes that just didn't work, I think it could have just been the editing where the continuity was off.

On a more personal note..... 

Selfie with my "solar System" necklace. Rocket J. loves the new shower curtain in the hall bathroom. He just sits there and hides underneath. Strange kitten! AND I tried to wear some ridiculously tall platform wedges at work. I lasted most fo the day. Glad I brought my back up flats!

Predator

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 14 September 2018

Director: Shane Black
Writer: Fred Dekker and Shane Black
Running Time: 1 Hour and 47 Minutes

Staring: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Jane and Alfie Allen

Rating? R

SPOILERS? Not Really, hints, not Spoilers

REVIEWS

IMDB: 6 of 10

MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. Now, the universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

MY REVIEW

You know what? This was a fun movie. When you take out the things that were not realistic and JUST look at the movie for what it is.. a Predator movie, it's okay. There were definitely some things that I just sat there and shook my head through and a few bits that as a prior military member, I absolutely could not get past. All in all, it was good.

Would I pay to see it in the theaters? Not really. Wait until it comes out on Netflix or HBO and watch there.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• GET TO THE CHOPPER! Oh my goodness, when you hear and see this in the movie, you will laugh at the homage to the original. It was pretty dumb, but it was awesome!
• LARGER PREDATOR- Yes please. I did quite enjoy the idea of a predator hierarchy in the world where they live. It was an interesting plot device. Quite possibly the only one that made sense.
• HUMAN DNA? It was pretty obvious in the story so it's not much of a spoiler. It makes sense since they are supposedly hunting here on earth for the last 30+ years. It's a good idea for a future story. I'd watch that movie.

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• HUMOR- I get it, the writer/director Shane Black was best known for Lethal Weapon, the Nice Guys, Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It's Predator. It's not supposed to be that humorous.
• MILITARY CONSULTANT? Seriously, as a prior service member, I just lost it a few times with some of the ridiculous things. Please PLEASE hire a military specialist next time you want  to make a movie Mr. Black? The basics- (1) No hats inside buildings. (2) Military guys cannot have shaggy hair. (3) If a bunch of military guys are murdered by a supposed crazy person, there WILL be an investigation. (4) Who the hell was firing at the good guys? Storm Troopers? They missed every shot!
• THE BASICS- You could have spent the money you saved on a military consultant to hire an acting coach.
• STORY- The story was unrealistic and the plot seemed to be lacking any consistent thematic decision making. I think I've seen this movie before, but it was called RoboCop 3.
• THE PREDATOR- When did it become so easy to defeat a predator? I remember it took Arnie and like 8 others to beat one back in the day. Now he can be defeated in 2 hours by a mental patient and a few of his buddies?
• PREDATOR DOGS? Okay, please tell me that I am not the only one who thought this was going to be freaking awesome? I had good feels when I saw the  trailer. But what I ended up with was a really bad CGI morphed dog that was intensely overdone. All II could see while they were on screen were the stupid demon dogs from Ghostbusters, you know.. Zuul the Gatekeeper and Vinz Clortho the Keymaster, loyal minions of Gozer the Gozerian.  

What QUESTIONS do I now have?

• Why was the kid working for the Client/Space Force/Military? Isn't he like 10? Shouldn't he be in school instead of working?
• I don't understand Olivia Munn's character? So, she wrote a letter about aliens and now she's a biologist that they picked to help understand alien tech?  
• Why was the interior light on in the military bus while they were driving?
• Why were the crazies in the bus in civvies and not in uniform? I've got some inside information that YOU STILL HAVE TO WEAR a uniform while you are in psych hold.

On a more personal note..... 

Worked on a new piece of art, Finished Friday night after the movie. Rocket and Isabella were absolutely adorable!

Ant-Man and the Wasp

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 6 July 2018

Director: Peyton Reed
Writer:Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers
Running Time: 1 Hour and 58 Minutes

Staring: Paul Rudd,  Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Hannah John-Kamen, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? NO 

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.7 of 10

MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

As Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly)  and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) present an urgent new mission that finds Ant-Man fighting alongside the Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.

MY REVIEW

So, in all honesty, I was prepared for this to be a "sequel." you know, where the first one was decent and the second is passable...(Ant-Man, my review from July 2015). It wasn't bad. It was actually pretty funny in some spots. It just wan't THAT great. I never found myself rooting for the hero/heores. Ant-Man is a very typical anti-hero with him being an ex-con and just kind of passable in most areas.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• It was fun. Plenty of one-liners and moments that are pretty amusing, not enough to make me laugh out loud though.
• 
  

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Could the writers have added a few more words? It's like they just re-used the word QUANTUM to further the plot. I mean it was like 46 times!
• Pacing could have been smoother.
• Maybe one too many jokes. It felt a little overwhelming with stuff that you were supposed to find funny.

On a more personal note..... 

Had a great time this week with my friend Missy and her little mini person, Ava. That kid is growing on he, but I would not trade my cats for anything. Also, F&%k Pollen!

Night of the Living Deb

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 8 Oct 2015
     Netflix 21 Feb 2017

Director: Kyle Rankin
Writer: Andy Selsor
Running Time: 85 Minutes

Staring:  Maria Thayer, Michael Cassidy and Ray Wise

Rating? Unrated

SPOILERS? Yes-ish

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5.5 of 10

MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

After a girls' night out, endearingly awkward Deb wakes up in the apartment of the most attractive guy in Portland, Maine. She's thrilled, but she can't remember much of what got her there. Pretty boy Ryan only knows that it was a mistake and ushers her out of the door.. into a full-scale zombie apocalypse. Now, a walk of shame becomes a fight for survival as the mismatched pair discovers that the only thing scarier than trusting someone with your life... is trusting them with your heart.

MY REVIEW

I love zombie movies. I love awkward comedies. I love ridiculous tongue in cheek humor. This movie was all of that and more. I didn't go into it with much hope, but wow, was I wrong.  It was by no means perfect or even good, but it was funny for the most part and a even with the lack of a good story but a prescient warning that is subtext for most zombie movies that sits on the surface.  
Basically, it's Shaun of the Dead if it were written by 11th graders. It's a spoof. Funny, but not hilarious.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• I love the romantic comedy- Deb and Ryan. Hilariously mismatched and like all romantic comedies, they are thrown together and have to sort it all out in the 85 minutes they have on screen. It works for the most part, but still a bit off.
• Maria Thayer- I love her. She is just an adorable ginger and is PERFECT!!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Bad writing and dialogue. This is a made-for Netflix type movie and it's not perfect. There are some major plot holes and some very un-nuanced story telling. It's the type of movie that you watch and not have to think. They feed you the story with a very large spoon. Even the idea that the water is contaminated which caused the zombie outbreak is just flat-out told in words instead of plot. Know you're audience.

On a more personal note..... Cute little Lego guy I got from a friend at work. Rocket, Jinx and Dexter sleeping on the cat tree and the Game of Thrones Iron Throne printed on my 3-D printer in a metal mix that I got wet and rusted.... Pretty damn cool!

The Unborn

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 9 Jan 2009
     Netflix 11 Sept 2016

Writer and Director: David Goyer
Running Time: 1 Hour and 28 Minutes

Staring: Odette Annable, Gary Oldman and Cam Gigandet

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? NOPE!

REVIEWS

IMDB: 4.8 of 10

MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

A young woman fights the spirit that is slowly taking possession of her..

MY REVIEW

It gets partial credit for trying. It was quite nearly a good movie. Having seen the trailers and knowing that David Goyer also directed "The Dark Knight", I gave it a go. I was hoping to be entertained for at least 90 minutes. I was mistaken for most of that.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• A few pretty decent special effects.
• Points for making this a horror-comedy, at least unintentionally!
• Lots of things keep happening that further the thin plot. It was able to salvage itself. Just barely.
• Cam Gigandet was worth the watch! (Adorbs!!) This guy!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Much too "by the book" for typical horror.. Childhood trauma, nightmares and not-so-subtle homages to classic horror. 
• With heavy and obvious steps, this movie tramples into your face with it's obvious scares that are utter failures.

On a more personal note..... I made a lovely trifle for the dessert. We are having a few people over for dinner and I wanted something tasty and light to serve for dessert. This is layered with Butter Pound Cake, Fresh vanilla Cream, Strawberries, Chocolate Ganache and some dark chocolate shavings. Then, I finished the 4th in the series of Italy drawings that I was working on.. Cinque Terre. Love this one and ABSOLUTELY loved my memories of being there! Bought some chalk as well today and tried a little something with that. This little tree is the product of about 15 minutes with some paper and chalk! 

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They're Watching

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 26 March 2016
     Netflix on 9 Sept 2016

Writers and Directors: Jay Lender and Micah Wright

Running Time: 95 Minutes

Staring:  Mia Faith, Kris Lemche, David Alpay and Brigid Brannagh

Rating? Unrated

SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5.7 of 10

MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

The renovation of an old house in a village somewhere in Eastern Europe, will bring the crew of an American home improvement TV show, up against superstitions, misunderstandings and bloody violence.

MY REVIEW

Horror and Humor so sometimes go hand in hand and in this film, it worked in some ways and it fell flat in others. It was a pretty interesting idea for a movie and it genuinely kept me guessing. I have to give them credit for an original plot! It can be best described as a really good bad movie.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• I LOVED how they used the House Hunters International theme at the beginning. I was immediately drawn in and smiled. 
• Originality!! Well done!
• It's a slow-play horror. Takes some time to get going.  

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• The cheesy humor is played on especially thick at times. I could've done with less.
• Despise "Found Footage" style movies.
• Over the top acting.
• Terrible CGI. (Low budget)

On a more personal note..... Baby Dexter and Isabella enjoyed a little time in the backyard today. Bella is less concerned with having her photo taken as Dexter seems to be. He loves it! Then Dex helped me with some art.. I finished the 3rd in the Series of Italy.. Florence. I remember standing in front of the Duomo a few years ago taking in all the sights and sounds of Florence. Then we went over to the Ponte Vecchio and had a 7 euro ice cream cone! Ah, memories!!

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Manson's Missing Victims

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 28 December 2008 (Made for TV)
     Netflix 18 December 2016

Running Time: 48 Minutes

Rating? Unrated Documentary

SPOILERS? Not Really

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5.1 of 10

MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

It's almost universally believed by those who were involved with, or who have studied, the Manson Murders that there are far more victims still out there. This documentary looks at some of their graves.

MY REVIEW

This documentary is NOT for everyone. If you are interested in Historical Crime, then yes, you will like this. It's got a few researchers looking at the idea of the unidentified victims that may or may not have succumbed to these murderers.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• A fun watch.
• Interesting take on the Yuma Co. Sheriffs department stalling evidence collection.

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• LOTS of conjecture and circumspect. Lacking on the evidence.

On a more personal note..... Looked super cute today in my black and white polka dotted dress with a red belt. By the end of the day after the gym, I was literally done, hence the tube dress and lack of interest!! And one from yesterday with baby Rocket.

The Witch

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 19 February 2016
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Staring:  Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Etc...
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.5 of 10
MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

New England, 1630: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life, homesteading on the edge of an impassible wilderness, with five children. When their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and their crops fail, the family begins to turn on one another. 'The Witch' is a chilling portrait of a family unraveling within their own fears and anxieties, leaving them prey for an inescapable evil.

MY REVIEW:
I'd start by saying the movie was not what the trailer lead me to believe. This is not as much about scary moments or jump scare and more about a family coping with a lost child, and the movie trying to build suspense and just make the viewer feel uncomfortable. Because of this, I can see why some people will see it as really slow with not much happening.

Some PLUSES for me: - Anya Taylor-Joy (the older daughter) is amazing in this movie and I also think Ralph Ineson (the father) did a good job. - the score is really good, there are periods of intense silence and periods of creepy music at just the right times to build tension - the cinematography with nice wide shots combined with the score works really well in most moments. I am a HUGE fan of the “Bad Guy Wins” idea of movies.

For the MINUSES: - I felt like the other child's acting was pretty bad and over the top and just took me out of the movie in most scenes where they are the focus (thankfully there were not THAT many) - a bit too slow of a pacing during the first half even for my taste

So, just like I said in the title, KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO. If you go and expect your typical horror movie with jump scares and a hidden 'baddie' slowly revealing itself along the movie in scary scenes, THIS IS NOT IT. This is mostly a family drama that tries to build suspense and make the viewer feel uneasy.

Good, not great.

On a personal note: This week was my last week working at ADS. It was a long 8 years and I will truly miss all of my friends!! Last night, a large group of usual went out for drinks. I love this picture of me and my Jeff's from the office. I was only missing one of the 4 and I am so glad that they were there! I will miss having the Jeff's and always having to stop in a conversation and say whether it was about Jeff M., Jeff G. or Jeff W.! Let's be honest, it was usually about Jeff M.! I love that I had over 40 people come out on a school night to wish me well! It'll be a huge change for me. The best part is that I am literally moving to the building across the street! (Like 200 yards!)