Well, here we are at the end of another year. This was probably my
lightest month for movies since I started keeping track. I was up for watching
some so bad it's good holiday horror and ended up with a lot of coal in my
stocking.I have no one to blame but myself as I rarely watch trailers to see
what I'm in for.
Series
IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max)
I'm a King fan but only know IT from its film incarnations. The series started
out a little shaky but quickly gained its footing. The kid actors are all
great and their performances make each one endearing. Pennywise may not be in
every episode (which is good!) but when he does show up, things are bound to
get horrific and/or bloody.
The Creep Tapes (S2, Shudder)
On one hand, sometimes less is better. Seeing this much of "Peachfuzz" takes a
little away from the films. On the other hand, watching Mark Duplass perform
this role in all its unhinged craziness is a delight.
Movies
Twas the Night (2023, Tubi)
I honestly couldn't tell you what this is about other than it's a holiday
themed anthology. There's a wraparound story to supposedly tie everything
together but like most of the rest of the movie, it fails to do what they want
it to. I feel like the folks that made this had an idea in their heads that
just didn't make it to the screen. For some reason, people in Purgatory are
judged by Krampus?
Rating: 2/10
I Trapped the Devil (2019)
It's a slow burn that could have used a little more fuel for the fire. There's
a lot of atmosphere in the way it's shot and the actors are very good but I
feel like it would be better as a 30 or 60 minute episode of the Twilight Zone
or something similar.
Rating: 4/10
Krampus vs Vikings aka Pagan Warrior (2019, Tubi and
YouTube)
Hey, we have a Krampus costume and access to a castle, let's make a movie
around that! Low budget, bland actors, laughable stage combat, and typos in
the text opening aside, the biggest crime committed here is that Krampus is
summoned by witches to help a Saxon get revenge on Viking invaders. That's not
how Krampus works! There was at least one scene where the horns on his head
were noticeably askew.
Rating: 3/10
I remembered the Blumhouse "Into the Dark" Hulu series of holiday horror
movies so decided to try my luck in that neck of the woods...
New Year, New You (2018, Hulu)
I'm sure there's an audience for the type of movie this is, but I'm not it. I
found it hard to get invested in most of the cast. It doesn't get off the
ground for me until the second half and then it's a lot of chasing around in a
dark house where I was never quite sure of the layout which made it difficult
to keep track of what was happening where.
Rating: 4/10
A Nasty Piece of Work (2019, Hulu)
At least I ended the year with a winner! This thing has more twists than a multi-story parking garage ramp, you know the corkscrew ones? Julian Sands (channeling his best David Warner) and Molly Hagan are wonderful as a rich couple with an epic love/hate relationship. How far would you go to get that promotion?
Rating: 8/10
Letterboxd tells me I logged 93 movies this year but my on going total only shows 92. I wonder what I forgot to post about?
This Month
New: 5 Rewatch: 0
Year to Date
New: 82 Rewatch: 10
