Tag: 1960's

Spoiler-Free Review of “The Curse of the Necklace” on Demand: Nothing New Here…

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

“I think you’ll really like this…”

The Curse of the Necklace released on Demand on October 1st 2024. The supernatural horror film stars Sarah Lind, Violet McGraw, Madeleine McGraw, Henry Thomas, Roma Maffia, and Felix Solis. It runs for approximately an hour and forty minutes.

Set in the 1960’s, a mother tries to cope with separating from her husband, but when he gives her a cursed necklace that her daughter tries on for fun, a spirit wreaks havoc on her entire family.

Here is the trailer:

The Curse of the Necklace has an eerie enough premise and a recognizable cast, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The McGraw sisters have potential!

The McGraw sisters have been giving us some solid performances in horror so far. Madeleine starred in The Black Phone and Violet was recently in M3GAN. It was great seeing them appear together in a horror film. Obviously it made them more believable as sisters, but I think they have a lot of talent and a real future in this genre.

Also, Nip Tuck’s Roma Maffia was a scene stealer and prevented this movie from being a total dud.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

A movie I’ve seen a million times before.

Family trauma mixed with some kind of supernatural evil presence. It’s a formula I’ve seen over and over again and this film fell right into that trap, giving in too easily to tropes and presenting us with watered down scares. There were a few genuinely creepy and disturbing moments, but I had to really search for them.

The dialogue wasn’t great (even though we had a great cast) and the plot felt like it was slapped together last minute. Everything just felt very predictable and ultimately forgettable. This movie borrowed too much from other films and never really found its own way, which was disappointing.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

The Curse of the Necklace had some glimmers of creepy potential, but it relied too much on watered down scares and a trope heavy plot.

The McGraw girls need to be in more horror films, however!

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

PLAY BY THE RULES…STAY ALIVE…

A harmless night of fun turns deadly for six college friends but the game has only just begun. Take a mystery thrill ride right from your own living room. Dash and Seek is out now!

Play if you dare…

Dash and Seek is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Apartment 7A” on Paramount+: Julia Garner Is Delightful

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

“I came here for one reason…to make something of myself.”

Apartment 7A released on Paramount+ on September 27th 2024. The horror drama prequel film of Rosemary’s Baby stars Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Jim Sturgess, and Kevin McNally. The film runs for approximately one hour and forty-five minutes.

Set in New York City during the 1960’s, Terry dreams of becoming a famous dancer, but an injury puts a hold on her career. Down on her luck, she accepts an offer from a wealthy couple to stay with them in their apartment, but she soon discovers that something evil may be lurking within the Bramford.

Here is the trailer:


Apartment 7A is stylish and sinister, but is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Paramount+

Shot beautifully.

I really enjoyed this movie for aesthetic reasons. I loved the choice of lighting and fashion. I felt like I was seamlessly transported back in time. This was a visually striking film, which worked in its favor. I also really enjoyed the dancing. I don’t think it overpowered anything and it allowed this film to subtly dip into different genres without losing track of its main intention.

The Easter eggs were clever and well-placed as well.

Images courtesy of Paramount+

Julia Garner is wonderful!

The Ozark star showed off her range and talent in this role. While I didn’t necessarily picture her for this movie initially, she really gave it her all and elevated it in a lot of ways. Dianne Wiest was great too.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Paramount+

Nothing new here.

This film was supposed to be a prequel, but the majority of it felt like a remake instead. This was slightly disappointing because I was hoping to explore this world more and we had the opportunity to, but instead we got a remake. I still enjoyed it overall, but I think we missed the mark a little here.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Paramount+

I’m in!!!

Apartment 7A is a decent enough watch, featuring a performance by Julia Garner that should not be missed!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Apartment 7A in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

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 “He Went That Way” on Demand: What did I just watch?

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

“Do you need a ride?”

He Went That Way released on demand on January 12th 2024. The crime thriller (loosely based on true events) stars Jacob Elordi and Zachary Quinto. It runs for an hour and thirty-five minutes.

Set in the 1960’s, a celebrity animal trainer and his chimpanzee, Spanky, offer a ride to a young stranger, but he quickly discovers that his passenger is actually a serial killer.

Here is the trailer:

He Went That Way is odd and uninspiring, allowing a chimpanzee to upstage the two leads of this strange thriller. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Beautifully shot.

The backdrop of this film was exceptionally well done and I thought the majority of it was aesthetically pleasing. My attention was drifting a lot during this film, but the cinematographer did a solid job here and I thought the road trip aspect was captured well.

Spanky steals the show…

I was honestly bored out of my mind watching this one, but who would have thought that a chimpanzee named Spanky would actually be the most entertaining? We had two well-versed leads here, but they were definitely upstaged…

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Exhausting pacing with no real direction…

I think this goes to show that not every true crime story should be turned into a film. I actually found myself looking up these crimes during the movie, which was a lot more interesting than what I was watching. I just don’t think that it translated well at all in the film. The plot just felt really messy and choppy, never fully grabbing my attention.

The bond between our two main leads needed to be fleshed out more.

I think this would have made the movie a lot more interesting. Both characters needed to be fleshed out a lot more so that we would actually care about what happened to them. I think this film thought it accomplished that it, but it never truly did. There were a couple of worthy moments between them and more so between Spanky and them, but it never reached its level of potential.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

He Went That Way never finds its direction, making this a strange watch overall that never resonated with me until the end credits.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

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 “Dark Harvest” on Demand: A Solid Halloween-Themed Entry to Horror

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

“It’s Halloween…you know what that means…”

Dark Harvest (based on the novel of the same name) is a supernatural horror film that released on October 13th 2023 on demand. It stars Casey Likes, Emyri Crutchfield, Elizabeth Reaser, and Jeremy Davies. The films runs for an hour and thirty-three minutes.

Teens participate in a yearly “run” to hunt down a supernatural creature that emerges from the cornfields on Halloween night.

Here is the trailer:

Dark Harvest is a gory mix of The Purge and The Hunger Games with a nightmare inspiring villain. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of MGM

Fun for Halloween.

I’ve been loving all of the new entries for Halloween this year and Dark Harvest is another decent entry for sure. Sawtooth Jack is a terrifying villain, but the real horror lies within this small town filled with dark secrets and betrayals.

While this film is far from perfect, I absolutely loved the Halloween feel!

Impressive cinematography.

I was honestly really blown away by this. This film was shot very well and I loved that it took place in the 1960’s. It really had a unique feel to it. I’ve seen plenty of modern day horror entries so this was a nice change of pace. 

The Cons

Images courtesy of MGM

Confusing at times and goes off the rails…

I think I needed to read the book first to really understand what was going on. The audience is thrown into things and I found myself trying to piece together the premise on my own. The characters needed a lot more development so that we would care about what happened to them.

I did think that Emyri Crutchfield was the strongest performer by far as Kelly. A lot of the other characters just kind of faded into non-existence and our main protagonist was slightly frustrating.

The first half of this film was actually really decent and I was impressed by the extreme gore displayed, but some of the twists had me scratching my head and were a little too bonkers for me personally. That may just come down to preference though…

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of MGM

I’m in about 75 percent…

Fun Halloween horror with some moments of brilliance, but there were a lot of messy and confusing aspects to deal with as well.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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 “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix: Your Move

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

“Chess isn’t the only thing in life…”

The Queen’s Gambit is a limited series that premiered on Netflix on October 23rd 2020 with seven episodes. The series stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Harry Melling, Moses Ingram, and Marielle Heller. Each episode is approximately 50-60 minutes in length.

Based on the 1983 novel of the same name, The Queen’s Gambit follows the journey of chess prodigy orphan, Beth Harmon, who embarks on a quest to be the world’s greatest chess player. Over the years, Beth deals with addiction and grief while struggling to prove her worth in the male dominated game to earn her rightful place. The series takes place during the 1960’s.

Here is the trailer:

The Queen’s Gambit has so many defining layers that draw you into this world immediately. While female empowerment automatically comes to mind, the story that is told extends well beyond that, reminding us that even those of us with extraordinary talents can damage everything with the choices we make.

The Queen’s Gambit is filled with aesthetic appeal, a talented cast, and an inspiring story, but is it worthy of your next binge-watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

The Queen's Gambit Anya Taylor-Joy

Images courtesy of Netflix

Anya Taylor-Joy is perfection.

I was already a fan of hers, but she blew me away in her portrayal of Beth Harmon. She was magnetic on screen and so convincing down to the tiniest detail. Her wardrobe was fantastic and her emotions were so raw and convincing. I think she absolutely deserves some awards in the future for this role.

A story that pulls you in from the very start.

I didn’t immediately add this show to my watch-list and it’s not normally something that I would select on my own. However, I am beyond thrilled that I took this recommendation and I quickly found myself lost in the story.

There’s something about this story that transcends its premise. It has a lot of heart and inspiration embedded in its core, but it also doesn’t hold back when it comes to the mistakes and hardships either, which made me connect to it even more.

The Queen's Gambit addiction

Images courtesy of Netflix

Important lessons that really strike a chord.

While I loved the female empowerment elements in this series, I thought that the struggle with addiction was even more vital. Spiraling out of control into addiction isn’t usually defined in one moment. It’s slow and develops over time. Perhaps it stems from a past event or something beyond our control, but when it starts to cripple and destroy the extraordinary talent that so many of us would love to covet, it’s absolutely heartbreaking to witness.

The series could have really hit us over the head with a lot of this and I thought that its approach was simple, but effective. I think that there were a lot of really important messages throughout this series that should not be ignored and when we talk about overcoming something in life, we are the only ones with the power to change it.

The Cons:

The Queen's Gambit Cons

Images courtesy of Netflix

I don’t have a single con to mention…check.

So am I in or out?

The Queen's Gambit Netflix

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in 1000 percent! Checkmate!

I honestly went into this show without knowing what to expect. I thought that it might be somewhat interesting, but I was worried that I would lose interest quickly. Well, I was completely wrong and I am so glad that I started watching this show.

It was one of the best shows I have watched all year and it truly resonated with me. I recommend that you move this to the top of your watch-list even if it doesn’t seem like your cup of tea…trust me, you’ll love it!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Queen’s Gambit 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.

My new supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen releases on November 12th 2020! Available for pre-order! I hope you enjoy!

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!