Trainlocks

Dommy inspired me to rewatch this.. now you see me on paper has a good cast list of actors, and intriguing little plot twists that keep the movie pushing in a well paced manner . However, rewatching this movie made me realize it’s not that good, although I still enjoy it plenty. Looking deeper into this it’s not hard to realize that it’s shallow and relying on tricking the viewer all for it to culminate into an easy to predict final plot twist. I say all this knowing I enjoyed it, but maybe that’s just the nostalgia in me that thinks it might deserve higher. Definitely no hate to this movie though.  • Story / Plot: 5.00 • World Building / Setting: 5.00 • Characters: 6.00 • Writing / Structure: 6.00 • Performances: 6.50 • Craft / Presentation: 7.00 • Concept / Originality: 4.00  • Pacing: 7.00 • Ending / Resolution: 5.00 • Personal Enjoyment: 7.50 Average Rating: 5.90 Final Rating: 5.75

Sad, lonely and depressing. 28 Days Later explores a grounded reality of what would occur within the beginning stages of a deadly virus outbreak. From the jump we are thrown into a vast emptiness that extenuates the feeling of disaster. When Cillian Murphy wakes up he’s greeted to a ghost town, everyone completely gone. The world on pause. Throughout this we follow him through what remains, landscapes of nothing, everything and everyone destroyed, on fire, or dead. Melancholic music floats around in the background, building the severity of the situation — giving an introspective feel into the head of a hurt, and confused man. We explore loss, and grief. When he visits his parents and learns of their fate. Or when we meet well purposed people, who only want to survive. Latching on, and trying to hold on together. Death is imminent, and they know it. This film wasn’t meant to be another zombie film, I believe it was a look into human nature. The utmost dangerous thing above all, is one another. When the cast group at the soldiers compound, it doesn’t take long before we know something is wrong. Despite being able to lean onto the shoulders of strangers prior, not everyone has good intentions.  In the beginning of the film the scientist who warns the protestors states that the monkeys were infected with “rage”. I believe this is where the movie directs into its themes. The virus is symbolism for the rapid, uncontrollable emotional spread of all the living humans. How long does it take for one person to snap? Knowing everyone is dead or going to die? Exposed to fear and isolation, knowing the world gave up on them. It’s no wonder morality shifts so quickly, In just 28 days…  • Story / Plot: 7.25 • World Building / Setting: 7.75 • Characters: 6.5 • Writing / Structure: 7.5 • Performances: 7.75 • Craft / Presentation: 6 • Concept / Originality: 6  • Pacing: 6.75 • Ending / Resolution: 7 • Personal Enjoyment: 7 Average Rating: 6.95 Horror Rating: 7.00 Final Rating: 7.00

What an absolute marvel of a movie. Spielberg dropped this shit in 1993 and threw the industry on its ass (probably). Right out of the gate of this movie you feel the grandiose scale, the visuals are absolutely stunning, the music is nothing short of iconic. The cinematography is great, Spielberg really knows how to hone in on making every single shot feel intentional. From the set design, to the costume design, or locations, everything feels real. Not every character is that great, however, Jeff Goldblum is da goat. That dude probably had one of the funniest roles once it came to actually facing against conflict. He basically pranced around for 10 minutes, got injured, then sat back the remainder of the movie with his leg up and shirt off. 😂😂 Aside from his physical setbacks, his dialogue is some of my favorite! His scene where he argued against Hammond over the parks moral ambiguity, stating "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should." goated. Speaking of which, the theme of man playing God is one I love. Hammond is essentially like a man-child to me. He has a large imagination, he's fanatical in his actions, he eats tubs of ice cream when the power goes out, and he also doesn't see the issues with cloning killing machines. He doesn't account for the consequences beyond containing them. He ignores all pleads, all because of his obsessive child-like behavior. Aside from those two, I don't really like much of any other character. Grant (Sam Neil, RIP) is fine, his range isn't my favorite, but he works with what he's given. Ellie (Laura Dern) is also, an okay character. She makes pretty fucking stupid decisions here and there, but she isn't bad. I feel as though Spielberg more or less geared this toward a younger audience, in a way. The idea of children being on this island for any reason whatsoever is a little absurd to me? My point is that it's almost like they're inserted to build Grant's relationship with children and show his growth. I know this was probably in the book too, however, I feel like this did effect it a little. Also, the kids were simply just annoying as fuck. Many characters, such as Wu, are cut out as soon as everything goes south. Actually, mostly every character disappears aside from the main core. I think if we saw more people go against these stakes, it would be better. The pacing isn't my favorite as well, I felt like some parts definitely could've been cut out, or shortened. I think what Spielberg does best is embellishing his cinematography as carefully as he can. The T-rex scream, or the water tremors. His suspense buildup carries out perfectly every time. That man knows how to make an iconic shot. He knows how to build it up and make it feel real. Yeah this movie has it's issues, and surely shows its age in some areas. But honestly this might be one of, if not the only actually GOOD Jurassic Park film (at least for me) This franchise has gotten so dogshit over the last 20+ years that I almost forgot this was it's foundation. • Story / Plot: 8.5 • World Building / Setting: 9 • Characters:6 • Writing / Structure: 7.5 • Performances: 6.5 • Craft / Presentation: 10 (for it's time, surely.) • Concept / Originality:7 • Pacing: 6.5 • Ending / Resolution:7 • Personal Enjoyment: 7 Average Rating: 7.50 Final Rating: 8.00 Happy Rating

Probably one of my favorite found footage films now. The Paris Catacombs reeled me in, the esoteric phrased title piqued my interest, and the central theme of alchemy kept me in my seat. This definitely surprised me, I didn't really know what to expect going in, only knowing that this was THE catacombs movie from what I've seen. We start the movie being introduced to our main lead, Scarlett — a relentless, obsessively driven alchemist scholar (?) who is seeking the Philosopher's Stone. Throughout her journey of finding the stone's location, she is driven to the catacombs. As all horror movies go, things go wrong. However, in this movie everything is structured in a way that defines Dante's Inferno. The catacombs representing the nine circles of Hell. The cast goes through a complete transform as they traverse Hell. Being faced with past traumas, being forced against their unresolved guilts. AASB explores themes of redemption, guilt and alchemical purification. They go through horrific shit because it's the process of transmutation (As explained in "AS ABOVE SO BELOW", a Hermetic text also known as the Emerald Tablet.) Scarlett in the beginning of the movie states that the Philosopher Stone can turn rock to gold. Meaning, that their souls itself would go through the same purification process as they seek upon the Stone. Another example of this would be when they found the Stone, and a room of treasure sat nearby, and once opened it would collapse. That was the test. It's surviving by letting go, and accepting their spiritual rebirths. The best parts about this movie are it's themes. As for the horror, it wasn't that scary. I loved every bit, but I didn't get scared once. Scarlett's character has some actual depth. However, she is still annoying. Though, I understand that her obsessive persistence is key for this movies happenings. Overall poor character development and a bunch of lore that goes mostly unexplained, which I can see one finding confusing if they know nothing about it. Very good film overall. I hope my next rewatch I appreciate it even more  • Story / Plot: 8.5 • World Building / Setting: 6.5 • Characters:4 • Writing / Structure: 5 • Performances: 7.5 • Craft / Presentation: 7.5 • Concept / Originality:8 • Pacing:7.75 • Ending / Resolution: 7.5 • Personal Enjoyment: 8.5 Average Rating: 7.00 Horror Rating: 5.00 Final Rating: 7.00