So you've hit my movie reviews page... Howdy! As is probably self-explanatory, this page is for personal reviews on movies that I've watched. For this page I use a similar grading system to that of my anime reviews page... Mind you, I'm not a professional! This is just for fun, and feel free to agree to disagree if you find any of my opinions objectionable for whatever reason.
THE GRADING SYSTEM
Each film I review will be graded on a total of 5 qualities, all of which will be graded on a scale of 1 to 10.
- STORY - Good stories matter! Is the basic plot or overarching storyline good? Did it keep my attention?
- WRITING - If the story's a bust, well... is the writing good? Were the writers able to make it work?
- CHARACTERS - Were the characters, good or evil, likeable to watch? Did I enjoy them as characters?
- SCORE - Was the music good?
- DIRECTION - Was the movie well directed? Were the visuals nice? If animated, was the style visually interesting?
Each of these will be factored into tallying up a final score of... 1 to 12 cookies!
Why cookies? Well, why not...?
And why the odd number of 12? Well... makes things a little less harshly divided! The scores I give can have more of a steady progression to them. Does that make sense? I'd sure hope so.
Anything that gets a coveted 12 outta 12 cookie score gets a special label ... "Pure Sugar"! Anything that gets a 1 out of 10 receives the unwanted label "Rancid Egg".
NUMBER RATINGS
- 1 - Awful! (Rancid Egg)
- 2-3 - Bad
- 4-5 - Meh
- 6-7 - Okay
- 8-9 - Good
- 10-11 - Great
- 12 - Perfect! (Pure Sugar)
Lastly... Reviews will also include my overall thoughts on the film, specific comments I want to make, as well as what my favorite moment was, if I had one. I will also include the general timeframe of when I watched the film (example: July 2023 or Summer 2023 if I don't remember the month), as well as how I watched the film, be it in theaters, on streaming, archival websites, or via physical media (DVD or VHS).
HALLOWEEN (1978)
STORY: 6/10
WRITING: 8/10
CHARACTERS: 7/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
A classic horror movie and must-watch on Halloween for a reason, but... and this might be a bit of a controversial take... kiiind of overrated? I don't know, I think I just... expected more from the movie, considering the massive franchise it spawned and the impact it's had. Not that it's bad, but I left it feeling kind of underwhelmed. I suppose you could say this though with many, at the time, groundbreaking movies that changed the game. My reaction to The Exorcist had been tempered, too... so what was different here?
In my opinion, the movie spent more time building up Michael Myers as a potential threat, as opposed to making him a current threat. The suspense was done very, very well, don't get me wrong, and Michael's backstory at the beginning certainly establishes him as an antagonist that has killed before. But, after a certain point in the movie and watching a lot of scenes of people getting it on on Halloween, I was just thinking "When's Michael gonna actually do something?
I don't want to be too negative on the movie here though, because it's not like it didn't earn the status it has today. The suspense the movie builds (and I believe this is one of John Carpenter's biggest strengths in his movies), is masterful. And the music? GOD!!! What can you say about Halloween's music? It speaks for itself! It's so memorably haunting, it'll get stuck in your head forever. I know I can still hear the movie's theme in my head...
FAVORITE MOMENT: Michael's backstory
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (PRIME VIDEO)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫⚫⚫⚫ 8/12 COOKIES
THE THING (1982)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 10/10
CHARACTERS: 10/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
The suspense and horror John Carpenter started with Halloween and The Fog is absolutely PERFECTED in this movie. Like, man... The Thing was SO good you guys, it was so good. Alien invasion movies are becoming my jam here with this one.
The thing (ha) I like the most about The Thing is it's atmosphere and the way it subtly hints and builds its story. Similarly as Body Snatchers does, this movie feels so paranoid and does a good job making you suspicious of its own characters. There's this uncertainty felt heavily throughout the film that weighs on the viewer throughout it's duration, and I feel it's perfectly depicted in not only the blood testing scene, but the ending itself as well.
The ending follows the trend of other 70s/early 80s movies and having an ending that just that stops on an unsure note, leaving it up to viewer's horrific interpretations on what might've happened next. Here in this movie... the ending is bleak while leaving enough open that any viewer interpretation is valid. Has the Thing finally been eradicated, and has humanity been saved? Well, it doesn't matter for our characters, as MacReady and Childs still likely aren't making it out alive. Is one of them the Thing? Neither will know, and both will die probably never knowing. And they share a drink in futility of the situation before the movie just... ends. And honestly it's a perfect ending. The movie could not have ended any other way.
There's so much I can say in praise of this movie, because there's so much it does spectacularly. It's fantastic. Sure, some parts were personally hard for me to stomach due to the body horror/gore but that's a thing of just my limits with certain media, not any kind of flaw with the movie. It's also a testament to how good the special effects were with how much the gory parts made me squirm.
FAVORITE MOMENT: The ending, it was perfect
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (PRIME VIDEO)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 12/12 COOKIES ✨ ~ PURE SUGAR ! ~ ✨
ALIEN (1979)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 10/10
CHARACTERS: 10/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
FAVORITE MOMENT: Ash's final words + any moment that had Jonesy in it
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (PRIME VIDEO)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 12/12 COOKIES ✨ ~ PURE SUGAR ! ~ ✨
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 10/10
CHARACTERS: 10/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
FAVORITE MOMENT: David and Jack's duplicates ambushing Matthew and Elizabeth
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (HBO MAX)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 12/12 COOKIES ✨ ~ PURE SUGAR ! ~ ✨
KITE (1998)
STORY: 8/10
WRITING: 9/10
CHARACTERS: 10/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I was aware before going into this film that it was... *ahem*... on the saucy side. I knew there was a censored and uncensored version, and decided to watch the censored version - which to be honest... I feel was the better choice for me personally. I cannot see what the porn scenes could've added to the story here, the censored version feels so complete by itself.
I loved the way this movie felt. The sharp style, the action, the atmosphere... it's incredible, and though I certainly understand why this movie is controversial and would say it has quite a few objectionable qualities, it... I dunno. It left a mark on me. The story overall isn't a happy one - in fact, it's rather dark and violent. But despite this, there's this underlayer of hope Kite has. A hope that love can prosper in a cruel world. Put very aptly by a Youtuber I watch who covered this movie, it's a contrast of objective cruelty versus subjective empathy. Sawa's interactions with Oburi are solemn and quiet, but ultimately rather sweet. You can tell that on this deep level, they understand and sympathize with each other. And it's just... gah it's so good.
The action here was insanely well done too, and the sharp art style of the film lended itself greatly to this. It felt very fluid, but snappy as well.
I certainly wouldn't broadly recommend this one to everybody given the subjects it covers and its overall contents are found pretty objectionable, but I enjoyed it and ultimately felt there was heart in it under the sex and violence it provides the viewer. If you think it's your kind of thing, I certainly won't discourage giving it a look.
FAVORITE MOMENT: ALL of Sawa's interactions with Oburi
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (CRUNCHYROLL)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫⚫ 10/12 COOKIES
TRICK 'R TREAT (2007)
STORY: 7/10
WRITING: 8/10
CHARACTERS: 8/10
SCORE: 9/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Pretty nice anthology movie, though it does have some weak spots and may be difficult to follow if you're not previously aware of it being an anthology. All stories in the film are connected well and stand on their own, but have their own weaknesses.
The Principal story had to be my least favorite. It was boring, and though cruelty is to be expected from a horror movie every now and then, the very disproportionate punishment Charlie received for such a minor crime (being violently poisoned because he stole some candy) particularly rubbed me wrong. I do understand that this was supposed to show Principal Wilkins as a violent and unhinged man, and was likely supposed to be uncomfortable, but that doesn't particularly mean I had to like it. I liked seeing Principal Wilkins get comeuppance later in the movie when he was devoured by sexy werewolf women.
The Schoolbus Massacre story was my favorite, if just for a single scene near its end that made it a VERY rewarding revenge story. After ableist treatment and being subjected to and immensely nasty prank from her friends that made her fear for her life, Rhonda gets quiet revenge by leaving her "friends" to be torn apart by zombies. The way Rhonda presses the "up" button on the lift and quietly waves goodbye as they scream at her is IMPRINTED in my head - it was such a good scene.
FAVORITE MOMENT: Rhonda leaving the other teens to die
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (HBO MAX)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫⚫⚫⚫ 8/12 COOKIES
THE EXORCIST (1973)
STORY: 7/10
WRITING: 9/10
CHARACTERS: 10/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
A great movie for it's time, but don't take me saying that to mean it isn't today. As someone grew up with unsupervised internet access and surrounded by less religion than my family, my reaction to this film likely always was going to be more muted, than say, someone who watched it at the time it released in the 70s. And I don't mean this as a slight on the film at all, I simply mean that I didn't find it particularly scary. Some moments were suprising, sure, and a few made me wince a little, but overall I watched a lot of this film very stone-faced. Weirdly, it was the medical scenes that made me squirm the most here.
The Exorcist is a movie, I feel though, that is at it's best when it's building suspense. Those quiet moments in the film, where you're not sure what the characters will come to witness yet, are the most tense the film has to offer. The dread it builds, and the scarce use of music, make for stellar atmosphere - and that, along with its characters, is where I feel this movie excels the most. The Exorcist has perfect atmosphere for a horror movie.
I mentioned the characters, and the characters were excellent as well. I particularly liked Father Karras and found him a very compelling character. I can see why one of my Tumblr mutuals is absolutely insane about him.
FAVORITE MOMENT: The demon possessing Regan pretending to be Damien's mother
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (HBO MAX)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫⚫⚫ 9/12 COOKIES
THE SHINING (1980)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 9/10
CHARACTERS: 8/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Also watched this one with my dad! The Shining is a horror classic, a staple even, and it wasn't hard to see why when I watched it. This movie fucks with your head a lot... It's psychological horror at its peak. Just how much of it all was a figment of the characters' imaginations? How much of it was the hotel, or how much of it was Jack? Who knows, man. The movie's leaving that up to you.
Everyone loves the "Here's Johnny!" scene from this film, for good reason, but the eeriest scene to me was where Wendy found Jack's manuscript and it was just an endless repeat of "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". It was very masterfully done both as a standalone and as the turning point of the film. The realization that Jack's lost it, no, how long he's been losing it.
Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Kubrick's direction... He may have been an awful, awful man but he was a movie legend for a reason. His movies look like straight up art and are masterfully shot. My dad was geeking out over the direction while we were watching, and internally? I was too. The movie looks amazing, and that's one of the reasons why its still so iconic today.
FAVORITE MOMENT: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (HBO MAX)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫ 11/12 COOKIES
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
STORY: 9/10
WRITING: 10/10
CHARACTERS: 9/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Watched this with my dad! It's one of his favorite movies and I can see why. Also well deserving of its title as a horror classic. Sometimes the movie got pretty grody/graphic but I felt the fear factor really lied within the way Hannibal could see into Clarice's psyche and the way he communicated with her. I thought their interactions were some of the strongest moments in the film and I don't think I'd be alone in thinking that.
The movie had very interesting and striking direction - its liberal use of close-ups, particularly when two characters were in conversation, was very striking to me. I thought the lighting was particularly well done in Hannibal's scenes, as it seemed like he always had this sharp light on him that made him look more menacing. Apparently the director also worked on Philadelphia, which I remember watching in my 12th grade sociology class. That had pretty striking direction, too!
My favorite scene however, which I thought was the most tense, had to have been Clarice's nerve-wracking search for Buffalo Bill when she finally reached his house. I thought it was very well done, particularly Jodie Foster's acting. Oh, and Jodie Foster was GREAT in this movie. All the actors were great, but I enjoyed her performance the most because there was something especially human she brought to Clarice as a character.
FAVORITE MOMENT: Clarice searching for Buffalo Bill in his house
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (HBO MAX)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫ 11/12 COOKIES
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 8/10
CHARACTERS: 8/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This one was hard to watch, especially as someone who has disabled friends and family members. Jane is such a twisted character and I was just waiting all throughout for her to get some kind of comeuppance for her actions and for Blanche to be alright. I haven't watched many movies from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, but the two of them were stellar in this movie, and Bette Davis particularly plays a very good villain.
This is said a lot about horror movies from this time period, but the black and white film really does lend to the scare factor and make it all the more creepy to watch. The movie itself is very "of its time" in some ways.
It's a great psychological horror film. It makes you sick to your stomach to watch Jane's actions and the torment Blanche is put through, but it's supposed to make you feel sick and uncomfortable. I absolutely would advise not watching it if you're disabled though, as it could be immensely triggering (the entire plot is a disabled woman being tormented and abused by her family member...)
FAVORITE MOMENT: Blanche calling the Dr. Shelby for help
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA ARCHIVE.ORG
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫⚫ 10/12 COOKIES