Tag: Dave Bautista

Spoiler-Free Review of “Knock at the Cabin” in Theaters: Moving and Engrossing Watch

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

“Our choices make our destiny…”

Knock at the Cabin released in theaters on February 3rd 2023. The M. Night Shyamalan thriller stars Dave Bautista, Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty-nine minutes.

A young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four strangers while vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods. They are told that they must make an impossible choice in order to avoid the apocalypse.

Here is the trailer:

Knock at the Cabin is a thrilling and emotional roller-coaster ride, creating an effective story that hooks you right from the start. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Doesn’t mess around…

This film gets straight to the point without any unnecessary fluff or set-up. I was pulled in immediately and I thought that the pacing worked really well. I never felt like I was watching this one for too long and I was completely captivated by it.

This was such an intense story and premise and I think it executed everything perfectly. It was a lot better than I anticipated, which was a nice surprise.

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Emotional and touching.

I was really invested in this film because the chosen family was so convincing and believable. The flashbacks sprinkled into the film worked seamlessly and created necessary layers for these characters so that we actually cared about what happened to them without ever overdoing it. It just worked naturally, giving this film a solid balance that helped it surpass your average thriller.

The performances were chilling and top-notch.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Predictable at times…

This wasn’t a huge con, but I saw certain outcomes coming a mile away. We didn’t really get any insane twists thrown at us either, which was actually kind of refreshing since M. Night Shyamalan movies are usually hit or miss for me because of this very reason. If you’re looking for crazy twists, you won’t necessarily find them here, but I think as long as you manage your expectations, you’ll still enjoy your watch.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

I’m in!

A thriller that will stay with you well after it’s over!

This movie really makes you think a lot about things and it explores a chilling concept that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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! I hope you enjoy!

READ IF YOU DARE…

Dash and Seek is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” in Theaters: An Entertaining Mystery

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

“I need a great case…”

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery released in theaters on November 23rd 2022 and will be available to stream on Netflix on December 23rd 2022. The whodunnit mystery film stars Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, and Leslie Odom Jr. It runs for approximately two hours and nineteen minutes.

Detective Benoit Blanc returns when he gets mysteriously invited to a billionaire’s private murder mystery party on a remote island in Greece. 

Here is the trailer:

Glass Onion is a delightful sequel with the perfect blend of humor and mystery to keep you entertained until the very end. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Glass Onion no spoilers 1

Images courtesy of Netflix

Talented cast.

The first Knives Out film had an all-star cast and the sequel does not disappoint in this department. I loved all of the characters and I thought the performances were top-notch. Kate Hudson was a scene-stealer!

Daniel Craig was fantastic as always as the quirky Benoit Blanc and Janelle Monáe was absolutely incredible in this. 

Glass Onion no spoilers 2

Images courtesy of Netflix

Perfect balance of humor and mystery.

I loved the quirky dynamic between the group, which added to the humor. This was such a clever and entertaining mystery with an Agatha Christie feel. The sequel felt different from the original film, but that actually worked in its favor. The sequel was fresh and fun, even though some reveals were slightly predictable.

There were also plenty of well-placed twists to throw you off your detective game so you may not have it all figured out…

The Cons:

Glass Onion no spoilers 3

Images courtesy of Netflix

Takes a little while to get going…

I get that we needed some set-up to get to know each of our suspects, but I would have liked for everyone to have gathered at the island a little bit sooner. That being said, I still enjoyed all of the extra fluff.

So am I in or out?

Glass Onion no spoilers 4

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in!!!

A captivating mystery stuffed with entertaining moments.

Mystery fans will thoroughly enjoy the sequel, which cleverly finds a voice of its own, separating itself from the original film in the best way possible.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

Blood Rose Island Ad

When sisters, Nina and Gemma are vacationing in Hawaii with their friends, they get invited to an exclusive party on a private island that seems too good to be true. There’s only one rule…they can’t miss their ferry at midnight or they’ll have to wait until morning to leave the island. Only they didn’t realize that breaking this rule meant they would be hunted down on the island one by one.

Who will make it off the island alive?

I hope you enjoy my new island thriller!

Blood Rose Island is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Army of the Dead” on Netflix: Ocean’s Eleven meets World War Z

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

“This should be a simple in and out…”

Army of the Dead is a horror action film that released on May 21st 2021 on Netflix. The film stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Tig Notaro, Omari Hardwick, and Garret Dillahunt. It runs for approximately two and a half hours.

The film takes place after a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas as a group of mercenaries go through zombie territory in order to pull off a heist with a lot of cash.

Here is the trailer:

Army of the Dead looks like it could be filled with a lot of gory zombie fun, but does its dragged out set-up get in the way of pure greatness? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Army of the Dead Spoiler Free Review Cast

Images courtesy of Netflix

Fun dynamic between characters.

This movie had an Ocean’s Eleven vibe going on and I actually thought this worked in the movie’s favor because you cared more about what happened to the characters. Dave Bautista played the exact role I needed him to play and we also had some other stand-out performances as well. 

It was honestly really funny to see good guy Garret Dillahunt from Fear the Walking Dead play a complete jerk and I think that the comedy sprinkled throughout the film actually really helped. The film didn’t take itself too seriously and that was important because all I wanted was an action filled zombie flick and I think it delivered on that.

Lots of action.

If you came for lots of violence and action, you will not be disappointed. Once the film gets going, you will have plenty of that to go around. The Vegas setting worked in the film’s favor and the zombies were actually pretty formidable too, which prevented this film from feeling overdone and stale.

The Cons:

Army of the Dead Spoiler Free Review 2

Images courtesy of Netflix

Way too long and issues with pacing.

My biggest con about this film is the length of it. I don’t want to watch a zombie action film for two and a half hours. I don’t really want to watch any film for that long, but I make exceptions here and there.

This movie should have been an hour and forty minutes and I think the dragged out length really hurt this film. We don’t even get any real gritty action until over an hour into the movie and that’s when the film takes off, but this film could easily lose an audience within the first hour.

While I loved the introduction to the gang of characters, we could have fast forwarded through a lot of the unnecessary fluff. The heart-to-heart talks and slow moving flashbacks were a little too much as well.

I think that if this film had broken away from that and just embraced its real identity, it would have been much better in my opinion.

So am I in or out?

Army of the Dead Spoiler Free Review 3

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in!

While I was on the fence about this movie during the first hour, things picked up once we got to the meaty part of the plot and the action, gore, and comedy really delivered for me. I thought this movie was a lot of fun. It wasn’t anything truly epic or outstanding, but it was thoroughly entertaining.

The movie was way too long, but luckily it made up for that in the second half. If you are looking for some zombie fun with a lot of action, you’re in the right place.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

Scream Hunt Coming Soon

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…

My new young adult horror thriller comes out October 7th 2021! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

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