Terrifier 3

Ohhhh fuck you!!

I'm too committed now, as much as I was hoping we could shed the sequels beyond #3 I guess Terrifier 4 here we come! I hope they call it The Final Chapter like with Friday The 13th. Alright so, shit where do I even start? Well it's 5 years after the last movie set during the most un-wonderful time of the year with Sienna getting out of a mental hospital and visiting some extended family for the holidays while Jonathan is attending college, but guess who's coming to Christmas dinner? I'll be up front, despite my opening remark I very much liked this film. It has the same quality of filmmaking in all departments as Terrifier 2 but since we follow our leads from before and given how much I loved that movie it's super easy to get invested. Lauren is acting her damn heart out in this movie, thankfully metaphorically than literally, dealing with the abundance of psychosis following such events and having to wrestle with some massive PTSD once her and Art cross paths again. Elliott is in a diminished role but we still get to see that Jonathan has been coping a lot better and get to see him in the college life. But what we lose with Jonathan we gain with new character and light of my life Gabs played by Antonella Rose, who is so cute and is such a respite for poor Sienna that you get attached quick. They do a proper good job expanding on the previously established characters and weaving in the new ones to form a solid plot. Of course Art is still up to terrorizing on a much bigger scale it would seem, with David having more vignettes to clown around in (Slapping my knee folks!) and I gotta admit I appreciate a horror film that holds zero reservations. This movie flat out says, man fuck them kids! They're not getting away unscathed here by a longshot, and I'm just like daaaamn! Is it so morbid though that you can't enjoy it? No you certainly can, from technicals to plot to that accursed cliffhanger. I was livid in that theater when credits rolled, obviously no spoilers, but considering the fact I was that emotional about it means two things, that I'm all in on these characters and that I need retribution because my feels were messed with! Have fun waiting two to four years for that conclusion said Terrifier 3 to me, which I shall reply with: day one you bastard! Now the big question at the moment is do I like it better than the second and I can say no buuuut it's still pretty good and gets a big thumbs up from me. It's kind of a testament to this series that I literally just stepped into it and I'm this dedicated, so clearly there is something there and I'm happy I got to experience this trilogy. 3.5 stars, 8/10!

Terrifier 2

Now we're talking.

Consider me not only a big fan of Terrifier 2, but count it as one of the rare few sequels that are better than the original, and just for good measure goes on my favorites list of modern horror post 2010! I'm honestly pumped for the third movie now and got plenty of questions from the end of this. So we pick up a year since the first movie where we follow siblings Sienna and Jonathan who are our new targets for Art, and when I saw the over 2 hour runtime I was slightly skeptical because of the progression of the first movie but nary a minute is wasted in any shape. This is a finely crafted movie with multiple improvements over the first though even I'll say the first movie was decent and a pivotal stepping stone. The writing is tighter, I loved the characters, the effects are even bloodier and more gross, the quality of the sets and direction are great, and it's surprisingly a movie that gets you in the Halloween spirit. It's almost Trick r' Treat levels with the abundance of costumes, decorations, traditions of creating or buying costumes, the giving of candy, and Halloween parties. It's soaked as much in blood as the spirit of the season. And yeah those effects put the first to shame, showcasing the superiority of practical gore effects that made me flat out go "Eww." many a time but I'm thrilled to announce there's more appeal to this movie than just the stellar effects. I'll admit I did like the characters from the first movie and actually didn't feel the writing was all that bad either, but the characters in this from major to minor I love to the moon and back! Sienna played by Lauren Lavera had my heart pretty much from the word go or rather should I say the creation of her costume and pictures of dragons on her bedroom wall, the girl is 5 feet of badass and is very relatable and extremely likeable, seeing her interact with her friends and her family makes you care and I wanted to see everybody make it out alive but that wouldn't make for a grand slasher film I know. Elliott Fullam as Jonathan had my respect from the get go too, seeing album art of King Diamond and Slayer adorn his bedroom was the right way to get me to like him and that faith was not misplaced, showing an intelligent boy on the cusp of puberty who is deemed a problem by everyone except his sister lending an underdog tone to him. Plus the whole dynamic of siblings against the evil while the parents are none the wiser was a great callback that I missed in cinema. David is on better form than even the last one as Art The Clown, still getting me to laugh loudly while still being a palpable threat with not an ounce of malice missing! It gives way more supernatural edges to his character which thusly makes me want to know more. Plus the score flat out shmacks, couldn't be more my type of vibe! Also I just damn well want to clap at that aspect because way way too many times have I seen a horror movie where the killer is supernatural but nobody else is, and the fact that our protagonists got some magic shit of their own here is downright fucking awesome! The only other examples I can think of off the top of my head is Nightmare On Elm Street 3 and Friday The 13th Part VII, and that aspect made those movies more interesting. It's downright illogical to think otherwise, why should the villain be the only supernatural force? So brava, brava, bravissima! I don't know what the hell happened but this movie hit all the right buttons for me, wellll...okay there were two things I flat out hated but that's just personal taste and not a slight against the movie. 1. A friend of Sienna's said no candy for adults which that sentence alone wanted me to see her d-e-d, and 2. Art gives out candy in one scene but it's that horseshit one piece per person. What the actual hell Art?? Are you kidding me?!! NO! You will not find any of that rubbish at my household! Weird thing to bitch about but I was downright offended at that and you know I'm right in the end. Tangent over, back to the review. So yeah, I was all in on this movie as ot progressed and it didn't disappoint. It took 4 years for this to hit theaters but the wait was worth it, and again applause worthy situation for Damien Leone who made it all happen I mean it must feel like a dream come true at this point. Is it possible for the third to top this? It's a tall ass order I'll admit because I'm giving this 4 glowing stars, 9/10! Easiest recommendation in a while from me. I can fully understand why there's a fanbase now and I can't wait to talk about the next one with you so stay tuned.

Terrifier

So this is the clown I keep seeing.

Art The Clown has been on my radar for only about a year or two, so I attribute that to the fact that the fanbase has only grew and grew since 2018 when this movie came out. Big congrats to Damien Leone of course who created the character and who's helmed the director chair of all 3 movies, and considering this was a super low budget independent horror movie it's all the more impressive. At an estimated budget of $35,000 this is a movie that proves you don't need multi-millions to craft gruesome practical effects or garner a large fanbase. It's the epitome of dirt simple storyline with two friends out and about on Halloween night that get stalked by this wonderfully deranged serial killer dressed as a clown, with more fresh meat for the grinder being introduced as the movie goes on. Now I am aware Art has been around since before even this movie with two shorts films under his belt but I decided just to focus on the trilogy here with the new movie coming out. It's a decent flick, I wasn't expecting groundbreaking material but more a humble beginning for a horror franchise and that's exactly what I got. The independent film style is apparent but I've seen my fair share of lowbudget horror movies and honestly I'm a fair bit impressed with all that they did with 35,000 bucks! Multiple sets, admittedly some are reused but they work just fine with the story. The effects though not lifelike still got visceral reactions from me and are just nasty at times! The acting is actually pretty decent with big time love going to David Howard Thornton and Pooya Mohseni who for my money were grand, but everybody commits and the dialogue isn't too shoddy either. It does make me rather look forward to jumping into the second movie to see if much changes since I have no concept of the production, but I sense it will go bigger and better. There was a point at roughly the halfway mark where I was wondering where the story would go, they kinda pull a Hitchcock on us and I know people will give this movie flak for how the plot progresses and some of the actions by the characters but this is a slasher film at it's beating heart, and you kinda have to accept it. But it can still be good and entertaining even if it does do the tropes. I could roll with the plot, I got grossed out at some of the kills, hell Art could somehow make me laugh now and then, and I'm happy the indie horror genre gets some attention. I give it 2.5 stars, 6.5/10, with hopes for the future.

The Rings Of Power (Season 2)

Elen síla lúmmen' omentielvo.

Soooo how long until that next season? Not that it ended on the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers but I'm invested now gosh dang it! Is it an improvement on the first season? Well I certainly understand and enjoy the foundations set during the first season but seeing it be built upon did make the experience all the more better. And much like The Acolyte I was delving into the deep waters on social media every week finding great enjoyment in fans of this show, talking theories, praising characters, thirsting the hell over the Great Deceiver, good times! So barely a smidge of time has passed since the forging of the Three, with the elves of Lindon coming to terms with this new power, Celebrimbor forging the Seven with a less than altruistic hand, the dwarves having hardships all their own, Numenor in upheaval, and the Istar seeking answers in faraway lands. The escalation feels just right, we've gotten introduced to these characters so now we get to see them be put through the ringer (ba dum tss!) and go through some tribulations. Galadriel forgoes the tunnel vision warrior and seeks a bit of redemption involving her psycho ex-boyfriend, Morfydd is still bringing it maybe even more so than the last with plenty of intense eye acting to boot. Elrond has become very distrusting and shuns the usage of the Rings but honestly can you blame him over that debacle and a half cause I sure can't, with Robert showing a lot of the hits Elrond is taking and props to him for bringing further warrior credit to this character. Durin faces a crisis in Khazad-Dûm and grapples with parental figures, with Owain's performance and just the overall dwarf storyline honestly making my second favorite plot thread of this season. However number one probably with most other viewers goes straight to Charles and Charlie documenting the forging of more rings and the subsequent fall of Celebrimbor at the hands of the Lord of Gifts Annatar, I would be here all flip flapping week praising this storyline and these performances, a sheer mastercraft of acting in not just fantasy but fiction, giving so many shades of delicious devilry Charlie can dig deep into as Sauron proving the reveal was not just a one trick pony while Charles gives even at a certain point a Shakesperian style potrayal to a pivotal character in this lore. And for a brief moment let's talk Sam Hazeldine as our new Adar, I did enjoy the performance taking on the shape of a more angry and ruthless leader of the Uruks that undoubtedly is markedly different from his predecessor yet it still works well within the narrative and I did wonder if he would live to see another season. While I know the events to come for Numènor to see it all slowly come into place was infuriating but in the right way, with Cynthia, Lloyd, and Trystan delivering almost a straight up political drama in the midst of it all as a struggle for the throne is in effect. I'll admit though obviously there was a point to catching up with the Southlanders, and indeed Ismael, Maxim, and newcomer to the cast Nia have moments that stop it from being uninteresting or filler I know it's more stepping stones for season 3 type stuff. But bless them all the Harfoot storyline was the shortest of all the plot threads which I feel is a shame because I can dig that story and really like these characters, finally giving Daniel the room to stretch his wings and while I can argue against the ending of that segment Markella pulls through all the way still being a ray of sunshine along with Megan in this darker more serious season. I honestly love how the show wastes zero runtime on catching you up, a helpful recap exists but they throw you right into the fire blowing full steam ahead because you know the drill, if you stuck around for part one you're ready to strap the hell in and get seated. It really is a tremendous difference between watching each week and marathoning in one go, which is funny coming from me because technically I did both but having that downtime, that buildup of anticipation, when Thursday hits no matter what comes through that gate you will stand your ground. Oooooohhh boy did we get some, so much in fact it's overwhelming my memory core to name them all! Do I hear lightning in the distance? It's about that time. Opening sequence, holy balls of fire that was something I wanted to see since mentioned in season one and it didn't disappoint for a second! Seeing the rings in action, yes please. Unknown Dark Wizard, you have a fair bit of my intrigue and solid acting as well I'll say! Glüg nation I see you and respect you strongly. Ohh sweet heavens the Ents, the Eeeennnnts, to say I got emotional over trees would be an understatement dear friends. I know I live a Hobbit lifestyle and have far before I knew the words 'Hobbit' or 'Shire', but I can roll with the dwarves man I truly feel I could fit in well there. Disa you still own my heart. I really really want Annatar's robes and perhaps even a dark crown for...reasons. Totally not to woo lady elves. Which by the way Twitter you gotta chill, I haven't seen this much shameless crushing and degeneracy since well, Qimir. But are they wrong about the whole Haladriel thing or even the Oshamir thing? Nnnno! Friggin' Barrow-wights bro, absolutely stellar and terrifying, 10/10! Kemen you little shit I know guns aren't even a thing yet but I want someone to shoot your roman looking bitch boy ass down, or donated to the nearest temple [cough cough wink wink]. All the orc actors, absolute treasures and I will goddamn well clap! Bear McCreary you absolute madman I will listen to the entire soundtrack, starting with the obvious crown jewel of both seasons The Last Ballad Of Damrod, because how could I not. Big time props to whichever writer it was who first go around gave us the Elrond & Durin bromance and this go around gave us the manipulations of Sauron, which by the by I am so sorry if anyone has been through such toxic nonsense. That was the standout pieces of writing for me. And lastly, this is just my opinion so don't turn me into a sword pincushion, best adaptation of a character from page to screen hands down Old Tom Bombadil. I said what I said and I meant what I meant. Same amount of detail and even a larger scope, with a lot more love I think to the costumes with bevvies of elves, dwarves, and orcs present. The special effects and prosthetics are spot on and just overall technical wise it's an improvement in my book. There really was only two dislikes for this show so far, I don't know if they would be considered spoilers but I'll treat them as such anyway. The first which was polarizing for many fans, now do I get it? Yes. Do I understand why? Yes. Does that mean I have to like it? NOPE! The second I felt was just very slapdash writing and lacked proper reasoning as to why a party splits up, maybe I missed something I was in a teeny bit of a rush to get the show done before the other more boring work began so I will endeavor to watch it again but it just felt way off in left field. Otherwise another great season that come last episode made me a feverish mess trying to guess what would happen next, 4 stars easily, 9/10, and we finally get to the spooky goodness next week with a modern horror trilogy so until then. Namárië.

Joker Folie À Deux

I do apologize for the halt in the Rings series, yesterday was indeed a day and I barely got any work done so accept this movie review as my burnt offering.

Madness For Two? Don't mind if I do! If there ever was a word to concisely sum up this movie it would be, ballsy. I mean a comic book musical movie, that is polarizing enough as is! But me being a bit of a theater kid and fan of musicals, my reaction when that tidbit of information was, far out. This movie is one part court drama, one part romance, with a splash of musical and is that everyone's beverage of choice? Of course not, but I'll recommend it anyway. So we pick up not long after the ending of the last movie with Arthur in Arkham getting ready for his court case when he meets musically inclined Lee and a mad romance blooms, with Arthur almost having an identity crisis during the trial that could lead to his death. How on earth do you make a sequel to Joker? The answer is, you go off the rails and do your own shit unapologetically making an already unique movie all the more a beast of it's own. We kick off the movie with a Looney Tunes style short, which is a splendid gauge cause if you don't like that the musical madness ain't gonna do much for you either. Well while we are on that topic how was the music? I didn't expect original composition per sé but the selection of songs they picked were good ones, and there is indeed many a musical moment, and the vocal performances from Joaquin and Lady Gaga worked well. Even the romance while kind of a switcheroo in the Joker/Harley dynamic I found to be interesting and just fine, not super deep but functional. I felt the movie did a very good job proposing the question of is it Arthur or is it Joker? Is there indeed a split personality or is the man also the legend? It's not super involved or has monologues of flowery dialogue, because Joaquin can do so much with his face and before he even meets Lee he's kind of in a rut very much like comatose Joker in The Dark Knight Returns. How the Joker got his groove back would be a fun subtitle. The pacing is good, it gets artsy from time to time which of course my cinema snob heart sings to see, the direction taking in terms of plot is in short bold, and I am almost waiting with baited breath how this movie will be recieved now or a year from now or even a decade from now. 3 stars from me, 8/10, and we cap off the week with the forging of the Seven.

In Retrospect: The Rings Of Power (Season 1)

I'm not even done with season 2 and I can tell you the rewatch is worth it!

Granted almost every single aspect is like a knife twist in hindsight but still a damn good season. I mean for goodness sake if Charlie Vickers and his performance knowing what we know at the end ain't gonna do it for you, I really pity you. It's an eye opener no question about it, and having that foreknowledge of these characters, what they are about to go through, how much more we know about them improves an already strong season. 1st seasons are always setting that foundation to build upon, and while this is far from boring or tedious there was a reason they did this. Hell you could even argue season 2 is a slow burn but we gotta bide our time before we discuss that. Admittedly the dwarf storyline still holds much sway over my heart to this day and is still my favorite, no shock there I know with Rob and Owain putting the work in to make these characters not only come alive but feel like real people. I'll never shut up about them! Got a different read on Galadriel this time too, better understanding the flat out PTSD anger and tunnel vision that certainly didn't impede my enjoyment first time around, Morfydd still rocks and I will continue to say for any brain stem lacking mouth breathers out there that elves are not perfect and not above fault either, the truth hurts princess grow a wang and then sit on it. Adar is still #1 in my heart and while there will be notes on the character in the upcoming review I'll state right now that I really like both performances from Joseph Mawle and Sam Hazeldine, this is no slight against Sam but the emotions and vestiges of light that are seen in Adar are what made him the best character in my book. Still one of the most interesting and faceted original characters in modern fiction for my money. I just can't take my eyes off that norwegian black metal looking elf dude for a second. Also more props to Daniel Weyman as our totally unknown wizard, for a guy who only gets full sentence dialogue in the last flip flapping episode a lot of credit has to go to any actor that has to work with just body language primarily. And of course Sophia, my queen, my light, Disa I'd marry you myself if you weren't already taken even when you get mega Lady Macbeth near the end! I do appreciate also the balancing act of all the plot threads, true the Harfoot story is very much a side quest to the main Galadriel/Southlands stuff buuuut if we're being bold with honesty the whole forging of the Three kinda was last minute this season. Doesn't make it bad, it's just the truth. Mind you the level of detail and the practical effects utilized were a neverending treat to drink in, and ooh Amazon! Amazon! Why the hell are you not selling me merch and props and box sets Amazon! This is your show, I know the estate has to sign off on stuff, but come the fuck on Bridgette! You're sitting on a pile of treasure that would make a mithril vein look like two copper coins. Call me, I got ideas! I'm honestly thrilled to talk about the next season, and it's funny when I heard a Lord Of The Rings show was going to happen I was so feverishly against it until details came out about the setting taking place in the Second Age and I've been having a blast with it all. I've read The Silmarillion more times than I have The Lord Of The Rings so to see these events finally realized in some shape or form is a happy occasion. And I promise not to go apeshit and talk about everything come next review, I shall attempt to restrain myself. Until then my friends!

The Wild Robot

My headcanon is Roz became the robot in Castle In The Sky. Somehow.

I kinda forgot about this film ain't gonna lie. I saw the poster, absolutely zero trailers, and only until about 2 days ago added it to the calendar. I didn't even know it was based on a book until end credits. So basically walking in blind as a bat, how was it? Pretty good actually! The premise does grab your attention from the start, this helper robot who without any memory of what transpired before finds itself on an isolated island with no humans as it tries to follow it's programming. That is a really cool premise! But then a thought occured to me, will the animal inhabitants talk? Depending on the person you are that could be a good or bad thing, but the answer is yes. I feel that would have been way too experimental to have a robot speak but nothing else does and this is a family film from Dreamworks after all so what can you do. So we follow the odyssey of this robot as she learns the language, adapts, and quickly finds a purpose in raising a baby goose. Honestly when the goose grows up it starts hitting more clichéd writing, and indeed some would even argue that the movie gets a little too kid friendly and leans hard in the sentimental department. I had no severe issue and did still find myself emotionally invested but it certainly was something to take note of. I feel I could counter that claim however with how much death is in the movie, there is a clear difference between a Kid's Movie and a Family Film, family films have casualties in them! But anyway, onto performances. I'm a bit of a mark for Lupita Nyong'o, and I'll be damned I have a big heart for robots but she dang near takes the cake putting a lot of cheer and humor into Roz nailing the emotional punch throughout the entire picture. I was all in on her and never have I seen a machine go through so much physical abuse, so I got a bit defensive of her. Pedro Pascal of all people plays a gluttonous fox named Fink who pretty much takes the patriarchal image of this oddball family unit, I honestly couldn't tell it was him and I'm just thrilled they didn't pull no liar revealed trope with his character. Kit Connor as the runt of the litter goose Brightbill is a character we have seen time and time again, the acting was just fine no strikes against him, I do just wish we had a better story for him to play in. But whatever shortcomings the story has the animation almost makes up for it entirely, infusing 3D animation with water color backgrounds and rich color, this is a cool looking movie. It has moments even of just pure art! Dreamworks you may have landed face first with The Bad Guys but you did strong work here! Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it worth seeing? I would say yeah. It's been a good while since I saw a new animated movie so I'm happy. I give it 3 stars, 8/10, and you know what next month is but probably not what we're starting with.