Monthly Movie Recap - August 2018

Let it be known that I am now in full on Halloween mode!

Reminders:

• Linked titles will take you to Amazon where you can buy it (or anything else) to help fund my habit
• You can find me on Letterboxd, a social site based around movies

On the streaming front this month:

• Netflix: I caught most of Disenchantment. It's definitely more Futurama than Simpsons, which is okay with me! It's been fun so far. I'm liking the main characters and the jabs at fantasy tropes.
• Prime: Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams. Another sci-fi anthology series. There's some really solid ones and only a couple that I was "meh" on. Worth checking out if you're into Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.

There's quite a pile of mediocrity in this month's line up I'm sad to say but thankfully it starts off really strong.

A Quiet Place (2018)
I was expecting more from the hype around the movie but having said that, it was really great! It did make me flash back to M Night in a few places (Signs, The Village). I applaud them making you have to pay attention to get some of the back story but I still have a few questions about the world/scenario. Absolutely love the creature design.

Now Hear This: I really feel this is a gem. I actually cared about the characters, there's smart writing, and some edge of your seats moments.

Rating: 8/10

Jeepers Creepers (2001)*
Having decided to finally watch the series, I had to go back to the start because I hadn't seen it since release. I remembered thinking it was a decent horror flick and not liking the somewhat jokey ending. Felt pretty much the same on this rewatch, only slightly less of a bad reaction to the end since I knew it was coming.

Rating: 6/10

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
I feel like at least 90% of the movie takes place around or in a school bus. Maybe a better director could make that engaging but I think if they just walked off the bus one by one to get killed it would have been more exciting. Speaking of kills, it needs more gore! The best thing about this one is that Ray Wise is in it, just a shame he wasn't in it more.

Rating: 5/10

Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017, Netflix)
Here we are, three movies in and we learn practically nothing new about the Creeper. Not only that, but his previous MO had been to kill for body parts and in this one he seems to just be killing anyone he crosses paths with. Strike Three (SPOLIER ALERT): they shoe horn this one between the couple days that pass between the first two creating some continuity problems. Despite the higher body count, again, not enough gore for what this should be. There are a few really well shot scenes but that alone can't save this.

Three strikes: I'm out! After watching these in close succession, I found they aren't for me. I've developed a dislike for the Creeper as they can't seem to decide if he's Leatherface or some winged monster. He could be both but they never get the mix down right.

Rating: 3/10

CHiPS (2017)
Ah, another nostalgia cash-in attempt. I don't mind these when they're good, this one was kind of funny...sort of? If you're going to use the name to get an audience you have to do more than just use the TV characters' names. If you like the trailer, you'll probably like the movie. I mean, I didn't suffer through it but I guess if they just called it Motorcycle Buddy Cops, it would have done even worse at the box office.

Rating: 5/10

The Last Sharknado: It's About Time (2018, SyFy)
Boy did they nail that title! Two would have been fine. Three? Time to wrap it up. But like the Fast & the Furious, I'm riding this series out until it dies a horrible death. Look, I'm not expecting high cinema here but it's missing any sort of fun. If you told me they based this on watching a kid play action figures I would totally believe it. If you've come this far, you may as well watch it but don't say I didn't warn you.

Rating: 2/10

The Strangers (2008, Netflix)
This was pretty middle of the road for me. Home invasion is a tricky genre to keep me interested. I was never really bored but there were times I wanted things to move along. My biggest gripe is that the Strangers seem to have supernatural stealth and movement powers allowing them to do things like tap someone on the shoulder only to vanish when the person turns around.

Rating: 5/10

Month Total

New: 6  Rewatch:1

Year Total

New: 48   Rewatch: 4