Author: Verse

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 3/5

Categories 3/5, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews

A Nightmare on Elm Street trips over a lot of rough acting and disproportional responses by characters. Also there is no way all *that part* happened in the span of 10 minutes.

Some effects do not work at all, like stepping into bowls of oatmeal or the terrible door-pull, but they are sparse. The worst offenders take place anytime anyone is running anywhere. I don’t think Wes Craven knew what running is supposed to look like or how silly it looked having supernatural Freddy sorta-trip over a trash can that wasn’t really in the way. The boobytrap stuff also feels silly and wrecks the tone a bit. That all being said, Freddy is a presence to be afraid of and genre defining moments shine even by modern expectations.

It is easy to see how A Nightmare on Elm Street is significant to film as a whole.

Deadpool 2 (2018) 3.5/5

Categories 3.5/5, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi

Deadpool 2 executes better than its predecessor, but it doesn’t really go far enough. The bond style intro with the Celine Dion original is fantastic and having a bit more of story this time went a long way. The gags are all a bit better and it feels more like a superhero movie with some teeth than the first flick did.

On its own it works well, but is also referential in mostly non-obstructive ways to the first flick.

Deadpool (2016) 3/5

Categories 3/5, Action, Comedy, Movie and Series Reviews

Deadpool coasts on the goodwill it gets from a few really funny scenes, but large parts of the movie are below average. Even a fourth wall breaking comic book character should have a solid story and interesting bad guys.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) 3.5/5

Categories 3.5/5, Action, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews

I’m actually excited about this movie, even though I only initially tuned in as a way to waste some time. I heard the reviews, and I was ready for something bad. This isn’t that though. I thought the characters were great and the setting was fun. It is not a perfect movie but I hope there is a world where Jack Kesy gets to be Hellboy again.

Fallen (1998) 2.5/5

Categories 2.5/5, Action, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Movie and Series Reviews, Mystery, Thriller

Carried largely by an idea and a stellar cast, Fallen is unable to bear the weight of talent. People like to do hypotheticals about movies that could use a remake, and this is a high candidate in my opinion.

Despite its failings, its uniqueness make it still an enjoyable watch and I am a sucker for its vibes. If only it were a little tighter in its writing, rethought its camera tricks, and came across just a bit smarter.

Dave (1993) 3/5

Categories 3/5, Comedy, Movie and Series Reviews, Romance

Everything is stretched a bit and nothing from beginning to end is a surprise, but it is very cute and sometimes you just want an easy movie. Frank Langella has a scene that takes the cake and is legitimately memorable.

Speak No Evil (2024) 3.5/5

Categories 3.5/5, Drama, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Thriller

The theme of masculinity runs through the film, and I can see a lot of people misplacing frustration at certain characters actions and missing the point. It is definitely more of a slow moving train, but its actors all do a job of carrying that pace.