Tag: Keep Breathing

Spoiler-Free Review of “Survive” on Demand: Sophie Turner Gives it Her All

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

“I’ve never been good at lying…”

Survive originally released on the short-lived streaming platform, Quibi in 2020 as individual chapters/episodes, but has now released officially in the US (on Demand) on June 20th 2023 as a full length film. The survival thriller stars Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins. It runs for an hour and forty-eight minutes.

After their plane crashes in the snow-covered mountains, Jane and Paul have to work together to make it out alive.

Here is the trailer:

Survive is packed with intense and edge-of-your-seat moments with a strong performance from Sophie Turner, but does it do enough to earn a a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Gunpowder & Sky

Sophie Turner gives an emotional performance worth experiencing.

The Game of Thrones star is no stranger to cold winters, but she showed off her range in this film and elevated it in a lot of ways. I thought both actors did a good job and I enjoyed the chemistry between them. I was rooting for Sophie’s character the entire time. She was exceptionally good in this and I hope to see her in more films soon!

Images courtesy of Gunpowder & Sky

Good balance of intense survival moments and emotionally-stirring ones.

In a lot of ways this film reminded me of the Melissa Barrera series, Keep Breathing. There were some nail-biting moments for sure that kept the pacing moving with a lot of emotional layers and revelations built in, which worked seamlessly. It helped me care a lot more about these characters and left us with some important life lessons as well.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Gunpowder & Sky

The opening is a little heavy.

I get that we were trying to understand Jane’s character and where she was at in her life, but it felt very emotionally draining and it was tough to watch at times. Luckily the pacing picked up around the thirty minute mark so this wasn’t a major con.

I enjoyed my watch overall, but I’m not sure that this film did anything that unique in the survival/wilderness thriller genre. I’ve seen this type of movie many times before. That being said, it still had a lot of heart in it and some sincere moments.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Gunpowder & Sky

I’m in!!!

Sophie Turner breathes life into your typical survival thriller.

I was genuinely moved by my watch and I thought that both actors did a great job with what they were given.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Survive 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 “Distress Signals” on Demand: Slow Burn Survival Thriller

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

“Can somebody come get me?”

Distress Signals released on Digital and Demand on May 12th 2023. The survival thriller film stars Christine Nyland and Terence Krey. They also wrote and directed the movie. It runs for an hour and twenty minutes.

After taking a nasty fall that separates her from her friends, Caroline must figure out a way to survive and escape the woods.

Here is the trailer:

Distress Signals follows a simple formula that is actually really compelling with an eerie final act that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Unquiet Films

Christine Nyland is captivating on screen.

I was extremely impressed to find out that she was also part of the writing and directing team for this film. It’s difficult to carry films that predominantly center around one character with minimal dialogue and yet she did a good job and held my interest.

I was literally cheering for her during certain moments and even though I wanted to know a little bit more about her character, she commanded the screen in an effective way.

I also enjoyed the subtle soundtrack and I thought this film was shot really well.

A final act I did not see coming!

For the most part, this film follows your standard formula for a survival thriller. In a lot of ways, it was a decent enough mix of Alone (2020) and the series, Keep Breathing (starring Melissa Barrera). Caroline has to handle overcoming an injury, finding her way out of the woods, dealing with potential predators, and finding food and water, which I’ve seen a lot in similar movies.

But things don’t stop there and they take a major shift in the last thirty minutes or so, where we get some shocking moments I did not see coming. I really enjoyed the last act and I wanted more of it! 

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Unquiet Films

Slower pacing…

If you’re looking for a jam-packed thriller filled with lots of action, you won’t get that here. This is a different kind of a thriller. I still enjoyed it, but I wanted more grit and edge at times. I also wish that the last act had been fleshed out a little bit more because it was the best part of the movie.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Unquiet Films

I’m in about 75 percent…

Distress Signals may seem like your average thriller at first glance, but its slow burn approach does pay off in the end. If you enjoy survival/wilderness thrillers, there is enough here for you to appreciate.

I wanted a touch more to make it stand out from similar films, but I enjoyed my watch overall.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Distress Signals 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 “Keep Breathing” on Netflix: Melissa Barrera’s Survival Drama has its Moments

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

“I don’t give up…”

Keep Breathing premiered on Netflix on July 28th 2022. All six episodes are available to stream now. The survival drama limited series stars Melissa Barrera, Austin Stowell, Jeff Wilbusch, and Juan Pablo Espinosa. Each episode runs for approximately 32-35 minutes.

After her private plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, Liv must find a way to survive as she copes with her past personal traumas during her journey.

Here is the trailer:

Keep Breathing has plenty of intense moments built in with a believable performance from Melissa Barrera, but does it do enough to earn a a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Keep Breathing Spoiler Free 1

Images courtesy of Netflix

Melissa Barrera gives an emotional performance.

I’ve seen a lot of survival dramas and thrillers and it’s far from easy to carry an entire film or series when you’re basically on your own. Melissa Barrera manages to captivate her audience with a heartfelt performance that redeemed this series in a lot of ways. Even the quiet moments felt real and made an impact. I enjoyed her in Scream (2022), but she took things to another level and really showed her range in this series.

I hope to see her in more things soon!

Keep Breathing Spoiler Free 2

Images courtesy of Netflix

The survival moments were really intense.

The episodes were on the shorter side which helped things, but I thoroughly enjoyed the survival moments during this series. I was actually on the edge of my seat quite a few times (especially in the beginning) and I thought the series really captured the trial and error parts of survival effectively. This was the most interesting part of the series for me and I was rooting for Liv the entire time.

The setting was also really beautiful and I think the series captured it well.

The Cons:

Keep Breathing Spoiler Free 3

Images courtesy of Netflix

The flashbacks made the series drag at times…

I totally understand the point of the flashbacks. Liv is trying to survive in a scenario that seems almost impossible and starts to think about her past and why she is trying to stay alive now. Even though the episodes were short, I often felt like I was watching this series for a long time.

Things just moved way too slow, which was really frustrating. The content was also really heavy and emotional. That’s not necessarily a con, but it didn’t help the pace when I was connecting more to other parts of the series. 

So am I in or out?

Keep Breathing Spoiler Free 4

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in about 75 percent…

I enjoyed my watch for the most part and was genuinely moved. I thought Melissa Barrera did a great job, but I don’t think that all the pieces came together seamlessly to make this into the entertaining watch I really wanted it to be.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Keep Breathing 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!