Spoiler-Free Review of “Hard Home” on Demand: Simone Kessell Gives It Her All in a Lifetime-Esque Revenge Thriller

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

“Welcome home…”

Hard Home released on June 25th 2024 on demand. The revenge thriller film stars Simone Kessell (Yellowjackets), Andrew Howard, Rosie Day, and Joseph Millson. It runs for approximately an hour and twenty-five minutes.

After the murder of her daughter, a mother lures the killer into her high-tech home so that she can trap him there and get revenge on him.

Here is the trailer:

Hard Home features a fierce performance by Simone Kessell, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Don’t mess with Simone Kessell!

I love her on Yellowjackets and she is the main reason why I tuned into this one. She elevated this film as much as she could and gave us some seriously bad-ass moments. I think she’s a fantastic actress and I hope to see her cast in some better films soon because she deserves to be in the spotlight.

Unfortunately the pros stop here despite this having an amazing lead and a cool premise…

The Cons:

Messy and repetitive flashbacks…

Wow, they were so bad and annoying! There was literally one phrase that kept being repeated over and over again. It drove me bonkers and not in a good way. I’m all for flashbacks fleshing out some development and missing pieces, but these were forced and overused.

A plot that never really goes anywhere.

This film was just under 90 minutes, but it really dragged. I was bored out of my mind whenever Simone wasn’t kicking ass. The concept was there, but there were so many missed opportunities in this film. It just never quite found its way, which was disappointing.

So am I in or out?

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

Hard Home is a pointless, messy, and utterly boring revenge thriller with little to say.

Simone Kessell eats up every moment of screen time, but she deserves a MUCH better film.

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

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Silent Night” (2023) in Theaters: A Revenge Thriller that Has its Moments

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

“Kill them all…”

Silent Night released in theaters on December 1st 2023. The revenge thriller-action film (directed by John Woo) stars Joel Kinnaman, Kid Cudi, Harold Torres, and Catalina Sandino Moreno. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-four minutes.

On Christmas Eve, a man witnesses the tragic death of his son when a stray bullet from a local street gang takes everything from him. After recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, he vows to take revenge on those responsible the following year.

Here is the trailer:

Silent Night features a strong lead performer accompanied by lots of blood-soaked action, but is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Joel Kinnaman gives it his all.

Without being able to talk, I was pleasantly surprised by how well he commanded the screen. I loved him in The Killing and was super excited to see him in this. His acting was on point and I honestly felt his pain and grief throughout the film. This is no easy task when you can’t express yourself verbally and yet he managed to really make me feel something, which says a lot.

Brutal and flashy violence.

If that’s what you came to see, it will deliver on that…but it takes a while to get there. That being said, I thought a lot of the fight scenes were well done and John Woo fans will have something to be excited about.

The Cons:

A revenge thriller I’ve seen before…

Sure, you can wrap a bow on it with a “no talking” gimmick, but the film doesn’t really stray far from your standard revenge thriller. I actually think the “no talking” aspect hindered it in a lot of ways and made this an exhausting watch at times.

It also took way too long to get to the heart of the film. Yes, the moments leading up to it added to the emotional motivation, but I felt like we were crossing off calendar dates for hours and I couldn’t take some of the silent stare downs much longer.

Luckily we got to plenty of satisfying action, but I wouldn’t say that this was anything that new or extraordinary…but it was still enjoyable enough for action fans. You just have to sit through a lot of boring fluff to get there.

So am I in or out?

I’m in about 75 percent…

Silent Night delivers in the action category, but its slow burn approach and insistence on staying true to its gimmick loses a little holiday magic.

Perhaps I set my expectations too high because I thought the trailer was brilliant, but this wasn’t the revenge action film I was really hoping for.

I hope you enjoyed the review and please feel free to share your thoughts on Silent Night 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 is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Make it Through the Night is available here!

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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:

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.

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:

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?

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 “The Wrath of Becky” in Theaters: Blood-Soaked Sequel Delivers!

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

“Who the f*ck is this girl?”

The Wrath of Becky released in limited theaters on May 26th 2023. The horror-thriller film stars Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Denise Burse, Courtney Gains, and Kate Siegel. It runs for approximately an hour and twenty-five minutes.

Two years after escaping a violent attack on her family, Becky attempts to start over in the care of an older woman, but when a violent group invades her home and takes her dog, Diego, Becky embraces her old self to turn the tables on them.

Here is the trailer:

The Wrath of Becky allows Lulu Wilson to shine in the best possible way, bringing us a bloody and wickedly entertaining sequel that has plenty of gruesome moments. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Lulu Wilson knocks it out of the park!

Becky (2020) was such a welcomed surprise when I first watched it and it had so much edge and grit. Lulu Wilson was electric in that film, but she really goes all out in the sequel, proving to be an unstoppable force. She is bad-ass, ruthless, and absolutely charming! I loved her in this film and I was rooting for her and Diego the entire time.

Seann William Scott played a worthy opponent. I was worried that it wouldn’t feel the same without Kevin James, but Scott stepped in and was super entertaining as well, making this the perfect match-up.

Entertaining kills!

This should come as no surprise since the original film didn’t hold back in the gore department. The kills were brutal and stomach-turning. The sequel doesn’t let the audience down. The kills were inventive and really satisfying, adding in some dark humor as well to spice things up.

The pacing worked really well in this film. I never felt bored at all. Nothing was dragged out and the ending was really intriguing! More please!

The Cons:

The voice-over narration…

I’m not a huge fan of this in general so this may just come down to preference, but the voice-over narration felt off brand, especially since I just re-watched the original film. It didn’t really take away from anything and I get that the film was trying to fill in the blanks from the past two years and also bring in a new potential audience, but it wasn’t for me.

That being said, some of it was really witty and enjoyable so I can’t fault it too much. I also wanted a little bit more from the final showdown, but maybe that’s just because I liked it so much and didn’t want it to end.

So am I in or out?

I’m in 100 percent!!!

Lulu Wilson is out of this world and my new favorite bad-ass queen! The Wrath of Becky is a solid sequel that doesn’t hold back.

It’s bloody, entertaining, and an absolute blast!

This is quickly becoming one of my new favorite franchises and I hope the fun continues!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Wrath of Becky 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!

**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 Apology” on Shudder: Intense and Emotionally Brutal

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

“The hardest part is the not knowing…”

The Apology released on Shudder on December 16th 2022. The holiday horror-thriller film stars Anna Gunn, Linus Roache, and Janeane Garofalo. It runs for approximately 90 minutes.

Twenty years after the disappearance of her teenage daughter, a recovering alcoholic is preparing to host her family’s Christmas celebration when there is a knock at her door during a winter storm from an old friend with a secret.

Here is the trailer:

The Apology features a powerful and gripping performance by Anna Gunn with some edge-of-your-seat moments of intensity. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Anna Gunn is beyond brilliant.

I tend to associate her with the annoying character of Skyler White on Breaking Bad, but wow was she incredible in this film. There weren’t too many characters in this so she needed to command the screen and she did so in a big way! She showed so many emotions and I thought her character was very believable, making you want to root for her that much more.

A simple, but effective premise.

I love simple revenge thrillers and I thought this film took on a different approach, which I actually really enjoyed. We could have had her character running around outside in the snow or finding different ways to call for help, but she mostly had to focus on her own wit and resources. The ending was powerful and even though there was quite a bit of talking in-between, it made the scenario seem that much more horrifying and realistic in a lot of ways.

The Cons:

Reveals too much too quickly…

My biggest issue with this film was that we found out the hook way too soon. Sure, there were other details that needed to be revealed, but I would have liked for things to drag out a little bit more before we realized the situation that our main character was in.

I also thought her character deserved a little bit more development, especially since Anna Gunn was so incredible in this role. It would have helped me connect with her character even more. Either way, I still enjoyed everything.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!

A gut-wrenching emotional performance combined with a simple, but effective premise, making this a unique watch from start to finish.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

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 “The Protégé” in Theaters: Don’t Mess with Maggie Q!

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

“You taught me how to find things that didn’t want to be found…”

The Protégé premiered in theaters on August 20th 2021. The revenge thriller film stars Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Keaton. It is approximately 1 hour and fifty minutes long.

Anna was rescued as a child in Vietnam by an assassin. She develops her own skills as a talented assassin over the years, proving to be the best of the best. After her mentor is killed, she seeks out revenge, leaving a pile of bodies everywhere she goes.

Here is the trailer:

The Protege brings our beloved Maggie Q back to the screen to show off her fighting skills, giving us plenty of action along the way. But does this film do anything truly unique and is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

All hail Maggie Q!

Maggie Q is one of my favorite actresses of all time. I loved her in the show Nikita and she really goes all out in every film, committing herself completely to each and every role. But she’ll always be the fashionable assassin to me and that’s what she got to play in this film.

Her fashion was so on point (seriously I want every single outfit from the film) and she showed off her fighting skills and then some. She is the BEST part of this movie.

Lots of action.

The fight scenes are brutal and really entertaining to watch. I have seen a lot of films before featuring a female assassin, but Maggie Q reminds us why she is the queen of the assassins. She is so incredible to watch on screen and she somehow makes even the most violent scenes watchable. The choreography behind the fight scenes was really well done.

The Cons:

Revenge thriller by the numbers…

The plot was lacking in a lot of ways for me. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it just felt very predictable and generic in a way. The fight scenes kept the pace going, but the moments in-between felt uninspiring, which was really disappointing.

No real character development.

Maggie Q deserves a lot more here. We do get glimpses into her past, but we don’t explore her present fully. It just felt like we were jumping from one scene to the next without really understanding her character.

Several of the sub-plots also just went away, which made me wonder why we even spent any time on them…

So am I in or out?

I’m 50/50 on this one…

I’m in for Maggie Q. Her wardrobe was incredible, the fight scenes were out of this world, and I’m always thrilled to watch her in pretty much anything.

That being said, she deserved a better film. While the action was entertaining enough to make this an OK watch, it could have been a lot better so that was somewhat frustrating.

Overall, I was entertained, but I just wanted more!

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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 “Who Killed Sara?” Season 2 on Netflix: Addicting in all the Right Ways

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

“The path to vengeance always leads to two graves…”

Who Killed Sara? season two premiered on Netflix on May 19th 2021 with eight episodes available to stream now. The series stars Manola Cardona, Alejandro Nones, Carolina Miranda, Ximena Lamadrid and Eugenio Siller. Each episode runs for approximately 40-45 minutes.

The Mexican crime series, ¿Quién mató a Sara? season 2 still focuses on Alex’s journey of revenge, but it also unlocks more secrets of Sara’s past as we learn that things were not as they seemed, leading to devastating consequences.

Here is the trailer:

Who Killed Sara? season one was such a delightful surprise and was beyond binge-worthy, but can season two keep up the pace? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Thrills, reveals and cliffhangers during every episode.

Much like the first season, the second season also starts off with a bang. At the end of the first episode, I was literally hitting play so quickly to get to the next one and the show does a good job of replicating this clever formula during each episode to keep you coming back for more.

There are so many twists in the second season and the fast overall pace continued which made the second season just as binge-worthy as the first.

Pieces of the puzzle unlocked.

The first season aired in March and I was beyond thrilled to find out that we would get the second season so quickly. I had so many questions at the end of the first season and the second season helped us fill in the blanks by witnessing more of Sara’s past.

The flashbacks were necessary and important, as we started to piece together the mystery at hand while allowing us to connect with some of the other characters more.

The Cons:

Sub-plots and unnecessary fluff.

If you watched the first season of the series, then you know that you will be getting a lot of intense action, but you also will be getting some outrageous sub-plots and some unnecessary fluff and sex scenes. I think that the second season toned things down slightly, but some of the sub-plots were stronger than others…

Confusing time jumps.

The flashbacks to Sara and Alex’s past when they were teenagers made perfect sense to me and fit into each episode seamlessly. However, the second season also decided to add in time jumps during present day which were kind of confusing. We would witness an event and then in the next episode, see it from another character’s perspective, but I had to keep reminding myself about where we were in time and what was actually going on.

So am I in or out?

I’m in 100 percent!

I didn’t think that season two would be able to live up to season one and it exceeded my expectations. I watched all eight episodes in one day because I had to know what happened.

Who Killed Sara? is a binge-watcher’s dream. It is a non-stop thrill ride that will leave you guessing and wanting more with each episode.

The mystery is far from over based on that cliffhanger ending and I can’t wait for this show to return!

It looks like we should be getting a season three based on the message at the end of the credits, but we’ll have to wait for Netflix to confirm its release date.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Who Killed Sara? 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 new young adult horror thriller comes out October 7th 2021! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Who Killed Sara?” on Netflix: A Steamy Murder Mystery

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

Revenge can be a powerful motivator.

Who Killed Sara? premiered on Netflix on March 24th 2021 with ten episodes available to stream now. The series stars Manola Cardona, Alejandro Nones, Carolina Miranda, Ximena Lamadrid and Eugenio Siller. Each episode runs for approximately 40 minutes.

The Mexican crime series, ¿Quién mató a Sara? centers around Alex, who was wrongfully framed for his sister’s murder. Eighteen years later, he is determined to get revenge and expose the real killer, as family secrets are exposed and new alliances are formed.

Here is the trailer:

Who Killed Sara? may initially seem like a soapy guilty pleasure drama and there is plenty of that to go around, but does the murder mystery measure up? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Netflix

The murder mystery is a good one.

The series starts off with a bang. We are immediately brought into the center of the horrific flashback, which presents us with a horrible crime, setting up the motivation for our main character to get justice for the murder of his sister.

The murder mystery kept me invested the entire time. There are plenty of twists thrown our way to keep us guessing and I thought that the show did a good job of presenting us with multiple suspects without giving too much away.

The overall pacing of the show worked really well. The episodes are short and the flashbacks were actually relevant and furthered the plot along.

Images courtesy of Netflix

Characters to root for.

There are some really awful characters in this show, but the main characters have complex stories and layers. I felt the chemistry between them and I also wanted to know more about each and every one of them. As secrets and dark pasts are revealed, you start to piece together the mystery at the center of it all, which worked well.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Unnecessary and outrageous subplots.

There are a lot of characters and a lot of subplots to keep up with. Plus, we get a lot of unnecessary and extra sex scenes that pushed this thriller over to the soap opera side, but I thought we were reeled in enough by the mystery to prevent this from overpowering the show.

However, I thought some of the dialogue and references seemed outdated and ridiculous. If we start to map together how our main character is figuring this all out and how others are getting away with things, everything starts to become a bit silly, but as long as we manage our expectations, the guilty pleasure mystery is enough to keep us entertained.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in!

Yes, the show can be borderline outrageous and ridiculous, but it also delivers a well thought out mystery that keeps you wanting more. This show is the definition of a guilty pleasure binge-watch. If you enjoy the UK Harlan Coben mysteries and shows like The Undoing, you will feel right at home.

Who Killed Sara? was thoroughly entertaining and it kept me guessing until that cliffhanger ending. Wow! Luckily, Netflix has already confirmed that we can expect to see a second season in the future. Phew!

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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