19.
Visions (2015)
Isla Fisher can't act, and that's honestly my main problems with this one. I was also distracted by her character's husband being Anson Mount of
Inhumans infamy. At least in this one he flexes a bit of actual acting chops.
The plot involves Isla accidentally killing a kid in a traffic accident then being haunted by various spooky visions (oh hey, that's the title! ...fuck off.) It basically meanders around without a plot until the last 20 minutes where "it all comes together." I do have to say, the way it does come together is slightly clever, but that's really the only reason why this is a 2 on my scale instead of a 1.
2 / 5
20.
Martyrs (2008)
I am by most measures vehemently opposed to the "torture porn" genre. It's not that I can't handle it - some of my favorite movies include scenes of abject gore. I just feel that most of the time, it's used in place of an actual plot or characterization. Oh, this person is getting their leg sawed off - we have to feel for them because we know how sucky it would be to happen to us. It's the bottom rung of empathization.
That said, I thought (the original) Martyrs rose above it's constant use of gore and shock moments. They're here in abundance, but there's a lot to pick at and digest under the surface too. I was actually really loving this movie until around the last act, when it does indulge its torture porn sensibilities just a bit too much. Even still, if you can stomach it, this is probably worth a watch.
4 / 5
21.
PhantasmWeird, weird movie. The thing is, for most of it I was on board with the direction - this movie does a thing where a character will begin talking in one scene and then it suddenly shifts to a future scene that they're describing, and I thought it was used really well. Great creepy atmosphere, with several shots in particular I wouldn't mind having framed on my walls. The plot is where it's sort of a letdown to me, though. It feels very muddled, and not in a Lynchian "this all makes sense I'm sure" way, more of a "the director had these cool ideas but couldn't properly communicate them" kinda way. In any case, it's worth a watch just because it feels unique and fresh (despite coming out almost fourty years ago.)
3 / 5
22.
They LiveDon't know how I avoided this until now but yeah, it's another Carpenter classic. This reminds me of a lot of Black Mirror episodes I love - I love them mostly because I came up with similar concepts and stories as a kid.
Pretty self-serving, but I do enjoy seeing others take such concepts to their completion.
4 / 5
23.
Sleepaway CampLaughed out loud several points in this movie. Dunno if it's "so bad it's good" but it's up there. It's not actually terrible - it's a pretty generic slasher mystery, sure, and even the camp feels cribbed from Friday the 13th, but it's pretty entertaining seeing the younger age group curse and bully just as well as their college-age F13 cousins. I knew about the twist years ago but even still it's hilarious - had no idea they'd show the penis, nor would it have bush, nor would Angela's face actually be so fucking weird at the end.
Not much of a plot but points for inventive kills - the beehive one was particularly ingenious.
3 / 5
