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!

Green Book

Okay, okay, I get it now.

I was very shocked to see Green Book win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, there was a lot of potential winners and Green Book was honestly the last on my list for winners. But now upon seeing it, it makes a hell of a lot more sense why it won. I saw the synopsis and trailers and it didn't look like a bad film, and when I finally watched it I can safely say this is a really damn good, if not great movie. The story centers around a jack of all trades regular joe named Tony who gets hired by a popular musician named Dr. Donald Shirley as his driver as they tour through the deep south. In the 60s. So a rough and ready Brooklyn boy is just what the doctor ordered as they tour and they form a friendship. And that's what I loved above all, you can fully tell they become great friends. They bicker like a married couple, the Doc always tells Tony off like a parent, their personalities offset each other perfectly. Doctor Shirley is a very sophisticated and polite man while Tony is a bit of a slob and has a bit of a bad attitude but by no means is a horrible person. He's just a normal guy who gets this job to drive this musician around and keep him safe, but as time goes on he gains more respect for the Doc and always stands up for him no matter what, fighting a lot of bigotry and standing by his friend even when he gets carted off to jail. It's a wonderful relationship played by two great actors. Viggo Mortensen is perfect in this role and is just so damn enjoyable, you really grow to like him fast. Mahershala Ali is great, I can't give him enough praise if I tried, he's funny, heartfelt, and very intelligent. I almost completely call bromance on this, I absolutely adore it. They even have a Christmas scene, Tony invites the Doc over for Christmas and it is so damn schmultzy I can't help but love it. I can fully appreciate the story, the people, and the head on potrayal of southern culture in the 60s. They have no issue just stating the facts of that time and place and don't shy away from it. It's a great movie and one I have no problem seeing again, I saw it over my break and knew immediately I had to contribute to the good things said about it, give it a shot if you're not sure whether you want to watch it, you won't regret it. And just as an added bonus for me we have Linda Cardellini being the supremely sweet and charming woman as she always is, and if that doesn't give a movie brownie points in my eyes not a damn thing will. 4 stars! Definite recommendation and next time we take a look back at a movie that split both audiences and critics but I was definitely in the love camp.

It's A Wonderful Life

It's A Wonderful Life, Christmas classic, beloved by all, and......I really do not get the love for this movie.

This is not an uplifting, happy, or joyous movie that makes you appreciate life. Hell, it's not even a Christmas movie until more than halfway through! I just...I can't....why is this movie so loved?? Honestly, it's one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen. I really did not like this movie! It's not a bad movie, not by a long shot! But dear God, I just could not get into it. Did I watch the wrong movie? You know the movie where we spend the better part of an hour and a half watching the life of an ordinary guy, his buisness ventures, romance, and decline until there's about maybe 40 minutes left and his guardian angel goes Rod Serling on his ass, showing him the world if he was never born, then we get a mere glimpse of happiness and genuine pleasant moments before the credits roll? A Christmas movie where suicide is brought up multiple times, the stereotypical rich asshat actually wins the day in the end, one of the most cruel and genuine suspenseful scenes where a man berates his family and almost looks like he is about to beat his wife and children, and just gets more and more dark and depressing until...maybe the last 10 minutes. I'm sorry, this is a Christmas classic? How much xanax did you take in order to enjoy this movie? Please, tell me. Cause I need some! True, the movie has brief comedic moments but they are so few and far between. It deals with some pretty heavy stuff but the problem is, Jimmy Stewart's character has had a not so great life to begin with, so honestly when he Twilight Zones and see what the world is like without him, and he comes back it doesn't feel triumphant or uplifting in the slightest. It just still feels tragic. I'm sure I'm nothing but a dirty, rotten, heartless bastard for not liking this movie but it is not a happy, or uplifting, or even a Christmas movie. This movie bombed big time when it first came out, critics hated it, and not many people saw it. So how did it become ressurected as this "Christmas classic"? Now I will say the performances are all good, with Jimmy Stewart having a lot of humor and frantic energy but good God does he get over the top happy near the end. I honestly was kind of rolling my eyes at how joyous he was being back to the real world, it just seemed so cheesy and forced. I really did not go in to this movie like, "Bring it so called Christmas classic, show me the joy of life, and the spirit of happiness.". No! I was happy to finally see this movie with hardly any expectations, and what I got was an underwhelming, kinda dull, and downright depressing movie. Jesus H. Christ, no wonder suicide rates skyrocket around this time of the year since we got this movie playing! I am dead...fraking...serious. This is not a joke. It's A Wonderful Life is actually the exact opposite of a wonderful film.