What’s in the Letterboxd?

I’m still not sure if individual reviews for movies are worth the time to write up and post, but I might do a few to experiment with. But since my game group has been watching movies lately instead of playing games, I thought I’d at least cover some of the stuff I’ve watched this year.

Letterboxd Profile

January

It all started when I wanted to catch up on all the Alien movies I hadn’t seen, which were the ones made in recent years. These were all movies I watched on my own; my game group hadn’t yet converted into a movie group.

There might be slight spoilers for some of these. Anything with major spoilers will be marked.

Prometheus — 7/10

Almost great, but flawed. Seemed like they couldn’t figure out what thing was the monster, so they just used all the ideas they could come up with.

Alien: Covenant — 6/10

Definitely not as good as Prometheus. Basically, nothing in the movie ever happens if characters are smart. It’s a constant stream of people doing/touching things they shouldn’t. And the retcons are weird. Classic case of, “you really don’t need to explain where everything comes from.”

Alien: Romulus — 7/10

Good, but it felt very strange how many times they had to squeeze in references to previous Alien movies, even if it made no sense (and awful Ian Holm CGI). And the whole thing felt very video-gamey; a new “level” every 10 minutes with some new puzzle for getting out.

The Widow — 7/10

This was a short film I came across on YouTube. It’s a good, unsettling short film about a middle-aged woman trying to meet a good man. A couple of stand-out moments definitely make it an easy recommendation for 16 minutes.

Bu • Su — 8/10

This was something I randomly came across on YouTube and watched. It’s a surprisingly well-told coming-of-age story with a lot of Japanese character to it. I really enjoyed it.

Dark Water — 8/10

Still a really good Japanese horror movie. I had read the original short story in recent years, and couldn’t really remember all the stuff they added to the movie to expand the story, so re-watched it finally. It maybe doesn’t have the best acting in it, but it’s still an easy recommendation for horror fans. Sadly, it’s vanished from streaming services; you can buy, rent, or watch an uploaded version on YouTube.

Troll Hunter — 8/10

A really unique ‘found footage’ movie from Norway, and tons of fun. You immediately know what the movie is about, and it delivers exactly that, but much better than you’d expect.

House — 10/10

Quickly became one of my new favorites. Absolutely feels like a crazy drug-trip, but it’s incredibly fun. I definitely felt the influences it might have had on the Evil Dead movies—that crazy, surreal mix of horror and comedy. Kung-fu is best.

Battle of Demons — 3/10

Couldn’t finish. Abysmal writing, flat directing. It’s for die-hard romance/drama fans only. Should have known from the description: a school for demons, and the guys have to find human girls to marry, and multiple guys fight over one girl… it’s probably even more cringe than you’re thinking.

Valhalla Rising — 7/10

I knew what to expect, so the slow, glacial pacing didn’t bother me at all. Honestly, I think the only thing I didn’t like was the “art house” trope of having characters stand around, looking off into the distance with no emotions, with no music, and having someone whisper something philosophical while the other characters sit there in silence. It happens a few times in the movie, and it feels a little more ridiculous each time. At least they don’t trail off into insane babble.