Month: May 2023

Spoiler-Free Review of “Death’s Roulette” on Paramount+: A Satisfying and Compelling Thriller

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“What are we all doing here?”

Death’s Roulette (Uno para Morir) released on May 5th 2023 on Paramount+. The Spanish thriller film stars Who Killed Sara’s Manola Cardona, Maribel Verdú, Carla Adell, Juan Carlos Remolina, Adriana Paz, Dagoberto Gama, and Fernando Becerril. The film runs for approximately 90 minutes.

Seven strangers wake up in an isolated mansion only to discover that they have each been chosen for a deadly and twisted game.

Here is the trailer:

Death’s Roulette is addicting from the opening sequence, bringing us a fun mix of Escape Room and Saw with a touch of Who Killed Sara? to make things over-the-top in the best way possible. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

 
Images courtesy of Paramount+

Starts off with a bang!

There is no set-up or fluff to deal with in this one. The audience is thrown right into things and I was completely hooked by the opening of this film. The premise may have been done before, but this film takes a step back from horror and re-invents this idea into more of a murder-mystery-thriller, which worked really well here.

Images courtesy of Paramount+

If you’ve been missing the addicting series, Who Killed Sara?, you’re in luck! Manola Cardona stars in this film and does a fantastic job. The entire cast played their parts really well and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Plenty of insane twists and reveals!

Sure, some of them are a bit outrageous, but they are SO ENTERTAINING! As long as you just go with it, you’ll enjoy them more. 

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Paramount+

The brief flashbacks weren’t really necessary…

There weren’t too many of them, but I honestly didn’t need them at all. They took away from the fast-paced intensity and felt more filler than anything else.

I also thought there may have been one too many twists at the end, but I appreciate that the film didn’t let us off the hook so this wasn’t a major con.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Paramount+

I’m in!

Crazy, addicting, and so intense from start to finish!

If you’re looking for an entertaining thriller to just simply enjoy, you’re in the right place. This film has some outrageous moments, but it is really entertaining and a lot of twisted fun!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Death’s Roulette in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

Scream Hunt is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!

 

Spoiler-Free Review of “Alone at Night” on Hulu: Ashley Benson Stars in the Latest Pandemic Slasher

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“How much will it take to make you mine?”

Alone at Night originally had a limited release in January 2023, but is now available to stream on Hulu as of May 5th 2023. The slasher-horror film stars Ashley Benson, Jake Weary, Paris Hilton, Luis Guzman, and Pamela Anderson. It runs for 90 minutes.

After a bad breakup, Vicky heads off to a remote cabin in the woods to continue her Cam modeling when she is soon stalked by an unknown killer.

Here is the trailer:

Alone at Night is a mix of Sick and Cam with a fun cast and some twisted moments. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Hulu

Fun cast!

Pretty Little Liars fans should be proud of Ashley Benson, who really gave it her all in this film. She showed off quite a lot with her Cam modeling, but it’s all in good fun and adds to the overall tone of the film. I thought she did a great job with what she was given.

The rest of the cast was really random, but they all added something to the film. Luis Guzman was the standout performance for sure, but even Pamela Anderson rocked her role with flair.

Twisted killer!

There will be no spoilers in this review (even though you’ll probably be able to figure out the killer pretty easily), but once they were revealed, we got some creepy and disturbing moments that were worth the wait. This slasher wasn’t perfect, but it provided me with enough entertaining moments.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Hulu

Random reality show nonsense…

I’m all for having Paris Hilton in another horror flick, but we got this random reality series called “Trap House” within the movie. Vicky was watching the show, which was fine, but then we actually cut to several scenes involving them, which was bizarre. They tried to tie things in, but it didn’t work and it took away from the overall vibe of the movie.

I’m not sure if they were just trying to fill time or what, but I could have done without these scenes all together…

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Hulu

I’m in about 75 percent…

I’m all for more slasher films and Ashley Benson did a decent enough job here, but I wish the film would have trusted its content instead of trying to cram in some other fluff to try and make it more relevant.

Either way, I enjoyed my watch overall!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Alone at Night in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

Scream Hunt is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.Thanks for your support!

Spoiler-Free Review of “I’ll Be Watching” on Demand: Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley Star Together Again

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“We need to move on…”

I’ll Be Watching released on May 2nd 2023 on Demand. The sci-fi thriller film stars Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty-five minutes.

After her sister is murdered, Julie moves into a new home with her tech-genius husband, but when he goes away on a business trip, she fears someone may be trying to break in to do her harm.

Here is the trailer:

I’ll Be Watching attempts to breathe new life into a familiar premise with two likable leads, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment

Eliza and Bob…together again!

Well, they are married in real life, but I absolutely loved them both on The 100 so I was super excited to see them in this film. Their characters were a little different than I expected and part of me was screaming for Eliza to unleash her inner Wanheda on everyone, but it was really nice to see them on the screen again and I hope that they work on more projects together soon!

Images courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment

Picks up toward the end.

It took a while to get there, but the last thirty minutes of the film was as intense as it could get and I appreciated a few of the twists and reveals thrown our way to prevent this film from becoming completely predictable and stale. Sure, it was ridiculous and there was one particular scene I could have done without, but if you enjoy Lifetime-esque films to watch on a Saturday night with a glass of wine, then you’ll probably find enough to enjoy with this one.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment

Really slow start.

The first hour of this movie was really hard to get through. As much as I love these two actors, there just wasn’t enough happening. I wanted so much more for this film. It had a cool concept (even though it’s been done before), but I think it played it safe. It tried with some of its twists, but it just didn’t do enough to fully captivate me. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve seen. It just could have done a lot more…

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment

I’m 50/50 on this one…

Heavy on the Lifetime thriller tropes, but it does have some redeeming moments.

I just wanted a lot more for Eliza and Bob…

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on I’ll Be Watching in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

Girl Number Thirteen Lurking Promo

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!

 

Spoiler-Free Review of “Fatal Attraction” on Paramount+: Less than Sizzling…

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“I chose to lose control…”

Fatal Attraction is a new erotic thriller series based on the iconic film of the same name. It released on April 30th 2023 with the first three episodes available to stream now. There will be eight episodes in total that will air weekly. The series stars Joshua Jackson, Lizzy Caplan, Amanda Peet, and Alyssa Jirrels. Each episode runs for approximately 53-59 minutes.

A toxic affair damages the family and reputation of Dan Gallagher in this re-imagining of the 1987 film.

Here is the trailer:

Fatal Attraction attempts to provide some layers and background for these familiar characters, but does it translate well on the small screen? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Paramount+

Solid cast.

Joshua Jackson is no stranger to steamy love affairs and played one of my favorite characters on Showtime’s The Affair and Lizzy Caplan starred in Masters of Sex…so these two seem perfect to get this erotic thriller off and running. I like both of them as actors individually and they were the main reason why I tuned in. I’m a fan of the original film and I don’t think that anyone can come close to those performances, but it certainly helped having some familiar faces on the screen.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Paramount+

Slow, dull, and NO chemistry!

Where do I start? The episodes were on the long side already and I felt like it took three hours just to get through one. The pilot was excruciatingly slow and boring. We randomly skip back and forth between timelines and I was so confused at times.

While I like both Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan, I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them. It felt so formulaic and forced. There was no charge between them. It just felt like two actors going through the motions.

I’m sure the series will pick up, but I’m already so bored out of my mind and I feel like I honestly wasted my time with this one.

This film should have been left alone and I don’t think that the series is doing anything that new or unique even though it promises to.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Paramount+

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

Not everything needs a re-imagining or remake and this is the perfect example. I’d recommend re-watching the film instead. 

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Fatal Attraction in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

Girl Number Thirteen Lurking Promo

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!

Spoiler-Free Review of “Fear” (2023) on Demand: Your greatest fear is…

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“Fear is very real…”

Fear is a horror film that released on April 25th 2023 on demand. The film had a limited theatrical release back in January 2023. It stars Joseph Sikora, Annie Ilonzeh, Ruby Modine, and T.I. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty-five minutes.

A weekend getaway during the pandemic turns deadly when a group of friends reveal their greatest fears to one another.

Here is the trailer:

Fear has a creepy concept and a decent enough cast, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Hidden Empire Film Group

Solid cast.

Even though this film clearly had a lower budget, it actually had a recognizable cast that I was pretty excited about. The acting was solid enough and I would like to see some of these actors in more horror films in the future.

Some interesting ideas…

Sure, the fears coming to life concept has been done numerous times before, but I like it and I was hopeful that it would translate well in this film. I liked the setting for the film and the story behind it. I think this could have been explored more, but I was drawn in enough to keep watching.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Hidden Empire Film Group

Lacking in so many ways…

This was really frustrating because I really wanted to like this movie. I’ve seen too many horror films set during the pandemic and this one probably should have been released around that time if it wanted to make more of an impact.

The scares were really watered down and silly for the most part. I think that things improved by the time I got toward the end, but I was struggling with this for the majority of the film.

The characters were dull and uninspiring, which was also disappointing…especially since we got a good cast to work with. I honestly didn’t care about what happened to them and it was so obvious who would make it out alive, which made me care even less…

Also, we had a few interesting sub-plots going on and the film basically just abandoned them. I’m not sure why because I thought that these stories were more interesting than the rest of the film.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Hidden Empire Film Group

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

This movie was a watered down version of films I have seen before. It squashed its potential by taking a predictable approach that didn’t have a satisfying conclusion.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Fear (2023) in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

Scream Hunt is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!