THE FOG (1980)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 9/10
CHARACTERS: 10/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
It took a little while to build up, but when The Fog finally got going it I was really hooked on it. It was a pretty intense, almost without even needing the "killers" of the movie. The glowing fog covering the town was threat enough in and of itself. And the MUSIC? Oh god, the music for this movie was perfect. It was so perfectly eerie.
The movie's slow start is its only fault for me, but that build up really does pay off when the story kicks in full force. I liked Stevie (and also thought she was hot. of course) and was really afraid for her and her son near the end of the movie. I was afraid for all the characters, honestly. Before the end I really thought it was gonna be one of those "everyone dies" type of horror movies. Not that there's a problem with those, but thank god it wasn't.
I really liked the direction of the movie. It didn't have a lot of fancy special effects, but it didn't need any, really. It was shot very well, and the glow they put over the fog made it all the more of an ominous force.
FAVORITE MOMENT: Stevie calling for the town residents to save her son
WATCHED OCTOBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (TUBI)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫ 11/12 COOKIES
M3GAN (2022)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 9/10
CHARACTERS: 10/10
SCORE: 8/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Watched this one with my dad! It was really fun for a horror movie but that's not to say it wasn't scary either. It had a campy feel to it that kinda calls back to old horror movies of the 70s and 80s, and my dad thought the same too. I had initially dismissed this one when it was being promoted, thinking it wasn't going to be very good judging by the trailers, so I was kinda taken aback by how good it really was when I finally watched it. I LOVE a good rogue AI story too.
M3GAN was a really good villain and genuinely terrifying at some points in the movie. I was fearing for the main protagonists even before the climax came. And while M3GAN was a scary villain, I couldn't help but find her bond with Cady sweet too. Their interactions outside of the murder and bloodshed were very sweet. Jenna Davis' perfomance was excellent here.
The direction/effects were amazing in this movie, too! I can't wait to see how the second movie turns out... apparently they're planning a sequel? Found that out while looking it up for this review. I'm interested, nonetheless, considering how the movie left off.
FAVORITE MOMENT: The dance scene + M3GAN killing David and Kurt
WATCHED SEPTEMBER 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (PRIME VIDEO)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫⚫ 10/12 COOKIES
BARBIE (2023)
STORY: 8/10
WRITING: 7/10
CHARACTERS: 9/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Watched this one in theatres with my mom and my brother! In some ways it lived up to the hype it got, in others it didn't. Barbie was a super fun movie, and I loved how campy but heartfelt it was. I really enjoyed Barbie's character arc in particular, and how it got actually a little existential near the end. I'll always be a huge suckers for stories that have (seemingly) non-human characters learning what it means to be human.
Now, I'll be honest... I did not like Ken. As far as hyped up parts of the movie goes he was the biggest disappointment. Ryan Gosling did an amazing job acting, of course, but I just could not stand Ken as a character and I HATED the way he treated Barbie once they went to the Real World! And Barbie had to apologize to HIM in the end? That's just kinda bullshit.
Now, the direction and the score of the movie I can't praise enough! I still have some songs from the movie stuck in my head over a month after watching it, and the sets and VFX and everything visual about the movie were just so colorful and fun! It was eye candy to watch, and I loved some of the deep cut Barbie references there were, like some of the more controversial Barbie models getting cameos. I have an original 1991 Teen Talk Barbie in my room so when I saw her cameo in the movie I was kinda like that meme of Leonardo DiCaprio pointing.
FAVORITE MOMENT: "What I Was Made For"
WATCHED SEPTEMBER 2023 VIA MOVIE THEATRE
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫⚫⚫ 9/12 COOKIES
CARRIE (1976)
STORY: 10/10
WRITING: 9/10
CHARACTERS: 9/10
SCORE: 10/10
DIRECTION: 10/10
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Well deserving of its title as a horror classic! I watched it at 12AM with the lights out for extra atmosphere. The movie does an excellent job of making Carrie herself both parts sympathetic and scary. You can't help but feel horrible for poor Carrie throughout the whole movie - but then when her powers come into play you can't help being a little afraid of her as well.
At some parts I did feel the writing was a little weak, that the movie was trying to pad itself out a bit in certain scenes. Ultimately it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the movie, and some of the padding admittedly added to the suspense it was building. And maybe this is a sign of the effective the character writing in this movie is, but damn I couldn't stand Carrie's bullies! They were horrible, insufferable people and the way they acted about her made me feel all the more for Carrie.
The direction was great and it and many of the practical effects still hold up well today! I didn't feel like the movie had much visible age to it despite being nearly 50 years old. And the Prom scene? There's a reason it's still referenced in a lot of media today. It's a great climax for this movie and it's chilling to watch. If you haven't seen the original Carrie before, take my recommendation as a sign to if you want!
By the way, I thought the gym teacher was really hot.
FAVORITE MOMENT: The Prom scene
WATCHED AUGUST 2023 VIA STREAMING SERVICES (TUBI)
FINAL SCORE: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪⚫ 11/12 COOKIES