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baleighhaas
Reviews
El orfanato (2007)
Beautiful, Sad, and Moving
I just got done rewatching this movie and figured it's time I leave an actual review. I am a huge fan of horror movies, from ghost stories like Insidious to slashers like Saw. I love horror, and I have since I was a kid. I watched this movie for the first time not long after it came out, when I was around 11 or 12. Even at that age, I loved it and it stuck with me. I've watched it quite a few more times over the years, and it still sticks with me and leaves me thinking about it for days after watching it. I would classify it more as a supernatural drama than a horror movie though.
I don't want to give away key points, but here's the basic story: In this film, Laura, Carlos, and their adopted, HIV-positive son Simon move to the orphanage where Laura grew up and was adopted from so they can start a home for children with disabilities to help care for them. At a Meet and Greet type of event, Simon goes missing. Laura and Carlos are trying their hardest to find Simon, but months go by with no luck and not really any leads. Laura's desperation leads her to bring in a team of paranormal investigators. This team discovers that there are spirits of other children still in the orphanage, stuck there because of a terrible event that occurred. Carlos and Pilar (a police psychologist) are skeptical, but Laura believes the paranormal team, takes their advice, and not only continues to search for Simon, but she begins to search for answers about the spirits in the house. In the end, she gets all her answers, and she gets her greatest wish: to see her son again.
There are a few jump scares, there are suspenseful parts, but there are also some incredibly touching and dramatic parts, leading me to my classification of supernatural drama. Really, at the end of the day, this is a movie about a mother's deep love for her son that has a ghost story woven into it. Even the story behind how the ghosts became ghosts is based around another mother's love for her son.
This movie explores grief, desperation, determination, love, and family in such a beautiful way. It shows how some people can process grief in a more "rational" way (for lack of a better term) as Carlos does, while others like Laura are so desperate to see or be with their loved ones that they are willing to try anything and everything they can to just know their loved ones are okay and that they're there. The end always leaves me crying both happy and sad tears at the same time. I really don't think it could have ended any other way. It was a truly sad, touching, heartbreaking, yet beautiful ending that will always leave me in tears. And don't even get me started about the music in the end scene...it was perfect.
I know the story may be slow in some parts, but it builds up and is worth it in the end. The actors, the crew, the entire team did a fantastic job on this movie. Even my family who don't particularly like watching foreign movies and reading subtitles enjoy watching this movie. Please give it a shot. The actors' performances alone are a good enough reason to watch this film. I can easily say this movie is in my top 10.
It's one of those movies that I kinda wish I'd never seen before so that I can experience watching it for the first time again.
The Bold and the Beautiful (1987)
Used to love this show...
My mom & I used to love this show. And I mean LOVE it. We would watch it everyday and catch up with episodes we missed online. This show and Y&R were a daily routine. But alas, those days are over. These writers are so lame, lazy, uninteresting, and uncreative! Maybe once a week or once every two weeks something that's actually somewhat interesting will happen, but the rest of the time I'm fairly certain they just copy and paste the text of one script into the scripts for the rest of the week. I'm so tired of hearing the same 2 or 3 lines between characters, for 30 whole minutes, every single day of the week! The show is just so boring and predictable now that most days we find ourselves not even wanting to watch it. We'll go online for the episode recaps, but actually sitting and watching the show is a complete waste of time. When new characters are introduced, they become boring so quickly that I don't even have time to get attached to them. Maybe when they get better writers who actually have imagination, I can start watching the show regularly again, but for now, we're fine watching one episode a week. I honestly feel bad for the poor actors and catch myself wondering if they ever stand up to the writers and saying "I said all of this yesterday, can we PLEASE move it along?" I doubt they'll read this review, but I hope they do because everything my mom & I (and many other people whose reviews I've also read) loved about this show is gone. I don't want to hear the same script everyday for one to two weeks anymore. I want something fun, interesting, new, and unique! Get creative, get new writers, or get off TV...sorry not sorry. I keep giving this show chances (when really I should've stopped a long time ago) just hoping that it will return to its former glory, but truth be told I don't have much hope for it anymore. Unless something changes (NEW WRITERS!!!), in my opinion, it's beyond redemption. I hate saying that, but these writers must be the most boring and obnoxious people on earth if this is the material they come up with. I'm so sorry cast members, I feel so bad for y'all...you deserve so much better.
Armageddon (1998)
Underrated, deeper messages that some don't see
This film is so underrated and there are so many reviews bashing it, and yes the situation is unrealistic, but there are deeper messages that some people don't seem to acknowledge, which I personally think make the movie very meaningful.
Firstly, a large asteroid heading toward earth is a possibility, and the movie makes us acknowledge this. Cities being destroyed all over the world and a large asteroid coming toward us signify that destruction can happen anytime, anywhere, whether we're prepared or not. Nothing lasts forever, and we shouldn't take our lives or our world for granted because everything could change in the blink of an eye.
Secondly, it shows how complicated relationships can be. Not just intimate relationships, but relationships with family and friends as well. We can treat each other poorly, we can be distant, we can fight, but we can also choose to set aside our issues, set aside our differences, be selfless and care for each other, and repair relationships. When we are faced with destruction and danger, we can realize how valuable those in our lives really are. We don't need to go around treating each other badly, and in the end we shouldn't just focus on negative feelings and emotions because they take up too much energy and bring unnecessary suffering and negativity into our lives. If we make peace with everything and everyone, we can truly be happy, even if we are faced with destruction. Never take your loved ones for granted, and take a few seconds of your day to tell them you love them, are proud of them, etc.
Thirdly, anybody can be a hero. Whether you're a pilot, an oil driller, a parent, a regular working man, or even a homeless person (not meant to be derogatory, I myself have been homeless more than once), you can be a hero. You can muster the strength and compassion and courage to do something amazing for someone or even for yourself. It could be a small act like a kind remark to someone who is suicidal to remind them that they matter and adding happiness to their life and in turn making them think twice about taking their life and putting them on the path to a happier life, or it could be a large act like jumping in front of a bullet and risking your own life to save somebody else. No matter who you are, you can be a hero.
Finally, in any task, we need to have the dedication, strength, and perseverance to follow through, because it could be life changing. It can be very rewarding. You can teach an old dog new tricks, and you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
Again, I agree that this situation is totally unrealistic and some people can view the movie as stupid, and you're absolutely entitled to your opinions, but try looking deeper into the movie to find the messages and figure out what they mean for you. This movie is deeper than it seems, and its messages should be appreciated.
Serial Killer with Piers Morgan (2017)
Terrible & Disappointing
Let me start off by saying that I love true crime shows and even if some aren't really that great I will still sit and watch them because the subject interests me so much. This show, however, was completely different. I could not sit through this show. It took me three days to get through the first episode, and I've tried to watch other episodes too but I can't. For starters, it is so slow paced, I almost fell asleep. Piers also obviously loves to hear himself talk because he'll be sitting there "interviewing" others, but the interview consists mostly of him making statements, making more accusations and being just plain nasty to the inmates, he won't let anyone talk, give input, or debate with him (for example, in the first episode he would make a statement and when the inmate would challenge it or try to reply, Piers would interrupt; he almost never let them finish what they were saying and they certainly didn't get to tell their story), he is using this as an opportunity to go into the prisons and essentially tell the inmate their own story without letting them have their own input or telling their own story...there are so many reasons that this show is disappointing. I was really hoping this show would be good and give inmates a chance to tell their stories, talk to victims or their families, but instead he talked down to the inmates and basically had an attitude like "I'm better than you," which for me is NOT okay no matter who you are...inmate, criminal, friend, family member, whoever, there is no reason to act the way Piers does. Just as a tip: Unless you're looking for something annoying to watch, something boring, something to fall asleep to, or an example of a terrible "journalist," don't waste your time on this train wreck and the jerk that calls himself a journalist.
American Dad!: American Fung (2015)
30 minutes I'll never get back
The plot sucks, the jokes suck, and the characters suck. Basically, this is the worst episode of any tv series ever made and if I could give it negative stars, I would in a heartbeat. Just wasted 30 minutes of my life that I'll never get back to watch this train wreck. The seasons are slowly going downhill and have very few laughing moments, but I never thought it could get THIS bad.
Grave Encounters (2011)
Love this movie!
I came across this movie by accident shortly after it was released and I loved it. Years later and it is still one of my favorite movies. There are a few questions that it leaves, but in a way they're better left unanswered. We don't know how the producer got a hold of the tapes, but that's part of the mystery. Found footage, paranormal investigation, and insane asylum movies have been done before, but this one ties them all together in a brilliant way. This movie is underrated and not as well known as I think it should be. If you're looking for something with some decent chilling moments, some good jump scares, and a little mystery and suspense, I recommend giving this one a shot. Some parts may be cliche or corny, but the movie is still enjoyable and worth a watch.
Grave Encounters 2 (2012)
No. Just...no.
I was a little unsure about this movie since it is, after all, a sequel to a found footage film, taking place in the same location, and involving some of the same actors as the first one. I really liked Grave Encounters, and I wish it would have just been left alone. It didn't need a sequel. Unfortunately, a sequel was made, and I wasted an hour and a half of my life watching this garbage. These are the things that made me absolutely loathe this movie: **SPOILERS AHEAD**
1) In this sequel, Grave Encounters was actually released as a movie, and the people within this film are watching and reviewing Grave Encounters. I see how filming this movie as if it were real life could be a good concept, but it was not executed properly at all and at no point did it feel like any of this could occur in real life...it was so obviously scripted. It didn't feel real at all.
2) The acting wasn't anything special. Sure, a couple of the cast members were decent, but the majority of them delivered cringe-worthy performances.
3) Sean Rogerson (a.k.a. Lance Preston) was still alive and was able to interact with the group of film students inside the hospital. In the first movie, Matt was briefly able to interact with the group, but other characters like Sasha and T.C. were not able to interact with Lance or the rest of the group. They had been absorbed and were carried into the spirit world or another dimension. When Sean Rogerson appeared, he kinda looked like a caveman, and his behavior was the polar opposite of how he was left at the end of the first movie. In this one, he was really high-functioning, energetic, and seemed like he was on drugs. I personally think that Sean is a good actor, but in this movie his talent was wasted.
4) The building was able to communicate via the internet when Alex, the lead character, posted his review of Grave Encounters on YouTube. Let me point out that this was the building that was communicating with Alex, not Sean Rogerson. The building's YouTube name was also DeathAwaits. So stupid.
5) The cameras were levitating and flying. This occurred on multiple occasions, beginning with a camera levitating and facing a mirror like it was looking at itself.
6) The building promises that one person will be released through a free-standing red door that has chains and padlocks wrapped around it if that one person kills everyone else and collects all of the tapes from every camera and makes a movie so that the building can be seen.
7) The building shapes and shifts, walls appear at random points, and if you close a door and open it again different parts of the building will appear. It's not like the first one where the building just seems to go on forever, but it actually shifts around. The main characters are even shown getting out, running across the property, going back to their hotel, and getting on the hotel's elevator to leave, only for the elevator doors to open up and reveal that they are still in the building. The original cast was traveling through the hospital and never even got to see the outside, their car, a hotel, anything. They were simply trapped in the building. In this film the building kind of reminds me of the hotel in 1408 (2007) with John Cusack.
There are many more things I disliked about this film, but I hope this gives you a good idea of some of the stupidest, laughable, and worst parts of it. If I could rate 0 stars, I would in a heartbeat.
Patient Seven (2016)
Good watch, but pretty repetitive
This is the first movie I'm reviewing on here, because I think this movie deserves it. The beginning explained the movie very well so you weren't starting out with any questions. It basically laid out what the (almost) entire movie would be based around.
The psychiatrist/author is going in to interview 6 patients for a book he's writing. Prior to interviewing each patient, he speaks into a tape recorder and gives a short summary of each patient, so you know kind of what to expect when the patient walks in.
For each interview, you aren't listening to the patient tell the entire story. Instead, you hear them speak briefly at the beginning and end of the interview, but you get to see their story as it appears to them. It's like 6 little movies within the movie, which I liked. While the stories would be interesting if the patient told them, it would get boring after a while. Each story is pretty entertaining, but all of the interviews begin the same way and they pretty much end the same way which makes it rather repetitive.
The doctor has this cold demeanor about him, yet he says he wants to help the patients, but after the first couple of interviews you can see a trend in his behavior, so the conversations he has with each of the patients is predictable. The patients' stories are each unique though, so that helps with the pace of the movie. In my opinion, the cast members all play their roles well, portray the patients' personalities well, and are all pretty talented.
I can say that the end has a small "twist" in it. However, the "twist," for lack of a better term, can also be rather predictable in certain parts. Like some other reviewers have said, the end does leave a good amount of questions, which is the biggest con, but it doesn't make the movie as a whole unwatchable.
All in all, I would say that this movie is worth watching. It contains different stories and different personalities to keep it interesting and keep up the pace, but it does have many predictive or repetitive elements. It may not be one that I would watch again, but I'm not disappointed I watched it. If you're looking for something to watch in your spare time, give this one a shot.
The Vatican Tapes (2015)
Better than I expected!
Reading the reviews on here I saw some negative ones so I was hesitant to watch this move, but I gotta say I'm not disappointed. It really is better than I expected. It isn't the absolute best horror or exorcism movie in the world, but I still really enjoyed it and would watch it again. I'm glad I decided to ignore those negative reviews and give it a shot.