Spoiler-Free Review of “Thanksgiving” in Theaters: A Delicious, Blood-Soaked Delight!

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

“There will be no leftovers…”

Thanksgiving released in theaters on November 17th 2023. The slasher-horror film (directed by Eli Roth) stars Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Addison Rae, Rick Hoffman, Milo Manheim, and Gina Gershon. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-six minutes.

A year after a horrific tragedy on Black Friday, a masked killer begins to pick off those responsible one by one, leading up to a deadly feast.

Here is the trailer:

Thanksgiving successfully channels 90’s slashers to breathe new life into the genre, supplying us with plenty of fantastic chase scenes and gory kills. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Channels 90’s slashers in the best way possible!

I absolutely loved this aspect of the movie. It recognized the perfection of this era and borrowed from it in a clever and satisfying way. So many moments reminded me of films like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, but it wasn’t overdone. Thanksgiving still managed to find its own identity in the process, hopefully carving the way for more slashers to come.

Images courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Gore galore!

OK, so first off…that opening scene was jaw-dropping! But the gore didn’t stop there. Each kill was inventive, entertaining, and filled to the brim with seat-squirming moments. If extreme gore isn’t for you, I’d stay clear, but for those of you who can’t get enough of it, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Predictable here and there…

This didn’t take away from the entertaining moments, but perhaps a little too much was revealed in the trailers. That being said, I still loved every second of it. I guess I just wanted a few unpredictable twists thrown in for good measure…

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of TriStar Pictures

I’m in 100 percent!!!

A clever, entertaining slasher that delivers and then some!

Slashers are DOMINATING cinema right now and I’m absolutely loving it. More please!

I hope you enjoyed the review and please feel free to share your thoughts on Thanksgiving in the comments section!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, HER NIGHT FROM HELL HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN…

After working the night shift, Ashley becomes entangled in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a local street gang, forcing her to come up with a plan to survive the night by turning the tables on them.

Ashley must fight for her life and take them out one by one if she wants to make it to morning…

My young adult revenge thriller comes out November 30th 2023! I hope you enjoy!

Make it Through the Night is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “He’s All That” on Netflix: The Bet is Back

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

“I can take anything or anyone and make them popular…”

He’s All That premiered on August 27th 2021 on Netflix. The reboot of 1999’s She’s All That stars Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, Madison Pettis, Rachael Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard. It is approximately 90 minutes long.

It’s been 22 years since one of my favorite rom-coms first premiered and I had mixed thoughts going into this watch. The original film is far from perfect, but it is a cult classic in my opinion. It has humor, a fun cast, and an epic red dress. It’s one of those movies that you can watch over and over again.

He’s All That presents us with a role reversal which has the potential to shake things up. Two original cast members appear in the film, (Cook and Lillard) which may also help persuade you to give this a watch.

Here is the trailer:

He’s All That has a lot to measure up to. She’s All That is one of my favorite movies so this will be no easy task. The role reversal has the potential to make things interesting, but does this film find its own identity or is it a watered down imitation? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Matthew Lillard is the best part of the movie…

I absolutely adore Matthew Lillard. He is the best part of Scream and a hidden gem in She’s All That. I was super excited that he was going to be appearing in this movie along with Rachael Leigh Cook. Even in such a small role, he steals the show and I was literally cheering for him at one point.

You will too!

It was smart to bring these two back although I would have liked to have seen Freddie Prinze Jr. in it as well, but I’ll take what I can get!

Images courtesy of Netflix

Decent chemistry.

The two main characters actually had really good chemistry on screen. There were some genuine sweet moments between them and I actually really liked the karaoke party along with the Great Gatsby one. Sure, we didn’t have Taylor Vaughn spilling a drink on poor Laney Boggs, but there were some entertaining moments in this film.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Social media focus replaces humor…

There are so many laugh out loud moments in the original film and while I saw the attempt in the reboot, it did not translate well. The acting left a lot to be desired as well, although I thought Buchanan was actually pretty decent.

There was such a focus on social media in this film and I don’t think it actually made it stand out in any way. A lot of films have been relying on this with a new generation and audience, but it doesn’t replace pure entertainment…

A watered down version of the original.

The reboot actually had a solid idea with the role reversal, but it did not do anything new or unique to separate itself from the original. We had several of the same moments sprinkled into the film that didn’t have the same impact and although we had a decent make-over scene, nothing will ever compare to Rachael Leigh Cook walking down the stairs in her red dress.

The film tried to present us with a positive message at the end which I appreciated, but I really wanted this film to branch off and do something different and instead it followed the formula of the original by the numbers while losing its magic in the process.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m 50/50 on this one…

The movie is not bad and has some entertaining moments. Since it is on Netflix, you can easily turn this film on if you have nothing else to watch. The movie isn’t too long and plus you get to watch Rachael Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard for a little while (the main reason I tuned in). 

I really wanted to like this movie and I think it could have really embraced the role reversal, but this film didn’t come close to the original one for me. 

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on He’s All That 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!

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