Once again, it is Film Friday and time to review every movie I watched over the last month.
The Lazarus Effect (2015)
This had a great cast and such a creepy premise, but it wasn’t nearly as much fun as I expected. The main problem was that it just didn’t take enough time to build up the suspense. The creep factor was introduced and they spent a little time on suspense. Then the creep factor took the big, expected jump. But zero time was spent on that increased level of suspense before they were already fighting the evil and it was over. Too much action; not enough suspense or psychological horror. Just completely ruined it for me. 1/5
Pulse (2006)
This was a decent thriller with another excellent cast. Kind of cheesy as any movie about technology would be, but not so much as to be unconvincing. And it kept me hooked the whole way through. Very creepy. I’ve never seen the original Japanese movie it was a remake of, but I could definitely feel that it had Japanese origins somehow…can’t explain why. Maybe because of the unique concept. I’m sure the original is even better. 3/5
Dune (2021)
I thought the cinematography was stunning. The story was intriguing. But the characters…eh. I couldn’t bring myself to feel much for them yet. I found it to be a bit too devoid of humor and humanity. And the score wasn’t memorable, which I feel like would have helped that some. That all sounds negative, but my overall impression was positive and I am very much looking forward to watching the next one! 4/5
The Cat Returns (2002)
While I can see why this seems to be considered one of Studio Ghibli’s weakest films, I still thoroughly enjoyed it! We were laughing the whole way through because of how absurd the whole “Cat Kingdom” was (in a good way–it was supposed to be funny). The animation was gorgeous as ever, the plot was fun, and the voice acting was *chef’s kiss*. So while I wouldn’t count it among my favorite Ghibli films, I loved it and would absolutely watch it again. 4/5
Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
This was a low-budget, made-for-TV movie and felt like it, and I thought it was really fun. It had its issues with plot and such, but it wasn’t laughably bad (just low-budget bad, which I can get through if the plot itself is engaging), and the acting was actually good! I liked the connections the teacher formed with some of the students and was immediately intrigued to see where the story was going to go. The villains were hilariously awful (again in a good way, and those actors were so committed to their roles), and I even enjoyed the heartfelt ending. 3/5
Sometimes They Come Back…Again (1996)
This was so bad. And not even in a funny way. It was just bad bad. It had no relation to the first movie whatsoever, plot-wise. I didn’t like the whole Satanic element that was added, I guess in an attempt to give the villains’ death more gravity, but just made it absurd and ridiculous. What was a simple story about brotherly love, horror, and redemption in the first film turned into a cheesy, convoluted Satanic cult and romance gone wrong, and very little actual horror because it was just so stupid. 1/5
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