Tag: Gone Girl

Spoiler-Free Review of “Wilderness” on Prime Video: Gone Girl Style Thriller Has its Moments

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

“We trust each other…right?”

Wilderness premiered on September 15th 2023 on Prime Video with all six episodes available to stream now. The revenge thriller series (based on the novel of the same name) stars Jenna Coleman, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ashley Benson, and Eric Balfour. Each episode runs for approximately 50-58 minutes.

A spontaneous vacation turns into a nightmare when a seemingly happy couple begins to unravel, leading to a downward spiral of betrayal and revenge.

Here is the trailer:

Wilderness attempts to channel films like Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman with a Lifetime-esque tone, leading to plenty of juicy twists along the way. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Prime Video

Dream cast.

I’m a huge fan of Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars and I was super happy to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, Eric Balfour on this too. The cast was the best part of this series. Everyone played their part very well, but I wish some characters had gotten a little bit more screen time because everyone was electric together on screen and the character dynamics really worked.

Jenna Coleman put forth a strong effort as Olivia, giving me quite a few chills throughout my watch. She was fantastic.

Images courtesy of Prime Video

Starts off with a lot of potential.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first few episodes of this series. The premise was juicy and enticing. It seemed to fit neatly into a guilty pleasure watch and I even liked the random soundtrack (heavy on Taylor Swift) that overpowered certain scenes. Somehow that worked…

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Prime Video

Goes off the rails…

I would say that I was hooked by the end of episode two (which was the strongest episode by far). Once we got to the second half of the series, things became really chaotic and confusing. We started to spiral off into something messy and uninspiring. I was still invested enough to finish the series and there were a few redeeming moments worth sticking around for, but this was disappointing because the show started off so strong.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the voice-over narration and it led me to believe that we were headed toward a more extreme ending than we actually got.

I think what’s so frustrating about this series is that it did enough to earn a watch, but it could have been so much better. I think it played it safe rather than throwing itself into something unpredictable, which might have worked out a lot better in my opinion.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Prime Video

I’m in about 75 percent…

Watered down guilty pleasure thrills with a cast to be excited about, but don’t expect this series to do anything that extraordinary. It was a decent watch if you enjoy revenge thrillers, however.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Wilderness 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 “Echoes” on Netflix: A Trashy Thriller with A LOT Going On

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

“My sister is missing…”

Echoes released on Netflix on August 19th 2022. All seven episodes are available to stream now. The thriller drama series stars Michelle Monaghan, Matt Bomer, Daniel Sunjata, and Jonathan Tucker. Each episode runs for approximately 42-47 minutes.

Gina travels back to her home town to track down her missing identical twin sister, as deadly and dangerous secrets are revealed along the way that could shatter her life completely.

Here is the trailer:

Echoes has a decent Gone Girl-esque set-up and a well known cast, but its messy plot and endless twists over-complicate things. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Netflix

A strong start.

I was actually really pulled into this story initially. There was a major twist at the end of the first episode and I thought the mystery was decent enough to keep me coming back for more. Michelle Monaghan put forth a valiant effort with her performance and I thought the actual premise was really interesting with lots of guilty-pleasure potential.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Annoying voice-over narration…

Gina spends a lot of time “talking” to her identical twin sister over their video diary to find out where she is and what’s going on, but I found this really distracting and annoying. I’m not a fan of voice-over narration, but they really overdid it with this one.

Images courtesy of Netflix

A really messy plot.

I’m frustrated with this show because it started off really good and I thought I had an exciting binge-watch to enjoy. As the episodes continued, things started going off the rails completely. The plot was super messy and trashy. The performances got weaker and the twists were overdone, which ruined the initial shock value from the first episode for me.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Netflix

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

If you’re looking for a Lifetime-esque trashy thriller, there is enough going on to make your head spin (if that’s your kind of thing). I was intrigued at first, but I started to lose interest as the episodes continued unfortunately. I think this might have worked better as a Saturday movie of the week instead.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Echoes 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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Spoiler-Free Review of “Deep Water” on Hulu: Erotic Thriller has its moments

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

“Do you know I love you?”

Deep Water premiered on March 18th 2022 on Hulu. Based on the novel of the same name, the erotic thriller stars Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Finn Wittrock and Lil Rel Howery. It runs for approximately an hour and fifty-five minutes.

A husband allows his wife to have affairs, but winds up being the prime suspect when her lovers suddenly go missing…

Here is the trailer:

Deep Water is brought to us from the same director of Fatal Attraction and Unfaithful, attempting to find another Gone Girl gem, but does this film do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Hulu

Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck are magnetic on screen.

I really like Ana de Armas as an actress and she can play crazy really well. I thought both actors did a good job with their portrayals. Both characters were far from normal and yet they still had a lot of chemistry between them, which made the film more entertaining.

Picks up steam as things progress.

The movie was a little on the long side for me. Normally I expect these soapy erotic thrillers to run around 90 minutes, but once the plot started to advance, things got really intense and the scenes leading up to the ending had me on the edge of my seat.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Hulu

Tries too hard to be the next Gone Girl…

Even though Ben Affleck did a good job in this, I couldn’t get this comparison out of my head and even though the films are very different, it felt like it was trying to live up to this hype. I also was looking for a crazy twist or reveal to really make my head spin and things played out in a predictable way for the most part.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Hulu

I’m in about 75 percent…

If you like soapy-Lifetime-esque thrillers, you’ll enjoy this one on a rainy Saturday evening. There are some intense moments embedded into this film that were actually done really well, but I wanted a little bit more overall. Either way, it was an enjoyable watch for the most part.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Deep Water 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…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “The Stranger” on Netflix: A Complex Thriller Worthy of your next Binge-Watch

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

“A secret revealed is a secret destroyed.”

The Stranger premiered on Netflix on January 31st 2020 with 8 episodes (40-45 minutes in length).  It stars Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, Anthony Head, Dervla Kirwan, and Hannah John-Kamen.

The show is based on the book of the same name by Harlan Coben.  It is a mystery thriller that follows the lives of several families, as secrets are exposed by a stranger, creating a vortex of lies, murder, and a quest to uncover the truth.

This is not the first crime thriller that Netflix has released, but it’s difficult to deliver some worthy twists without over-complicating things.

If you enjoy movies like The Call, The Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl, this new show will make you feel right at home, but does it do enough to stand out as a worthy thrill ride?  Let’s find out…

The Pros:

The Stranger Netflix 4
Images courtesy of Netflix

The mystery will keep you invested and guessing the entire time.

Adam Price basically has his entire life turned upside down when a stranger approaches him with a shattering secret about his wife.  As we begin to uncover the truth with Adam, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat, which makes the watch entertaining and fast-paced.  Unnecessary set-up does not get in the way, as we dive right into the mystery from the opening minutes of the series.

An amazing cast.

Richard Armitage does a fantastic job with his role, but I was also really impressed by Siobhan Finneran’s portrayal of Johanna Griffin.  Let’s not forget that we also have Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, Anthony Head playing a supporting role to perfection.  The list goes on and on and every single performance was spot on.

The Cons:

The Stranger Netflix Show 1
Images courtesy of Netflix

Way too many sub-plots.

Yes, this is one of those shows where everything connects.  However, we certainly get a lot thrown our way and some of it seems beyond outrageous.  If you pay attention, a lot of the connections and reveals make sense later on, but some of them are actually never explained, so I’m wondering why we didn’t just focus on the main mystery, which was compelling enough.

It’s easy to get lost in this show and perhaps it is too complex for its own good, but there are enough reasons why you should still watch the show in its entirety anyway.

So am I in or out?

The Stranger Netflix Show 2
Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in 100 percent!  While the show may be unnecessarily complex at times, it is the epitome of the perfect weekend binge-watch.  You can watch all eight episodes in one sitting and you will probably want to because each episode leaves you wanting more, as you try to figure out the mystery going on.

I tend to thoroughly enjoy mystery thrillers with a touch of Lifetime drama thrown in and this show exceeded my expectations.  While this isn’t the best show or thriller I have ever seen, it delivers as a quick and entertaining show you can watch while throwing in some unexpected twists and moments that will keep you guessing.

Keep these coming, Netflix!

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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**Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural?  Do you enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, paranormal romance, horror, and mystery?  Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon!  Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well.  I really hope you enjoy!

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