jeffreygunn's Reviews

Chicago Fire (2012– )

4/10

3 April 2024

False bravado, cheesy "mood" music, at times strangely unable to match the actual mood of the scene (music that would and should ordinarily establish a light-hearted, goofy back serious, would be dramatic moments. Vice versa is the case at times, as well).

Otherwise there's nothing original, groundbreaking, revolutionary, whatever adjective you'd like to use. Take the characters out of a fire station and put them in a police department or hospital and it would be difficult to see the difference.

Producers, networks, writers please, come up with something else. These shows are all just white noise now. I love the city of Chicago, but the shows that near its name bring shame upon the great town.

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Dark Entities (2023)

4/10

A spoof

17 April 2023

Warning: Spoilers

I get it. This movie is a spoof of 70s and early 80s horror movies. If it isn't it really should played as such. The Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker team would have done a nice job with this material, from the word-for-word regurgitation of lines from "The Shining," or "The Exorcist," to the concepts stolen from "The Amityville Horror," "Poltergeist," or James Wan Conjurverse, I just think this movie works better if it's not to be taken seriously. It's like a thriller movie version of "The Room."

I will say, pretty good, if not way too ambitious, first attempt. Much of what made movies of this era and genre good was their simplicity. Mood horror is scary because it's not over the top. Next time out scale back and try to scare with characters not broad concepts and really don't pay that many homages to other films.

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Eegah (1962)

2/10

Watch out for snakes!

20 March 2023

Warning: Spoilers

There are actually a few good elements of horror in this stinker: Richard Kiel's beastly bod, the creepy desert setting, Kiel's off-camera mumbling a safety warning by, apparently, a member of the crew, Arch Hall, Jr's face, I could go on, but there aren't any more really. This is silly, poorly acted (poor acting would be an upgrade actually), but I can't help but feel that there's a sort of sweetness, if that's the correct word, in this "beauty" meets beast story (2 beasts actually with Kiel and Hall, Jr.). If nothing else the MST3K writers were given a running gag for the rest of the original run.

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The Munsters (2022)

2/10

Stick to music Rob

2 October 2022

The visuals were cool, looked like you're at a really cool haunted house. Otherwise, flat, unfunny, and uninspired. Impossible to even tell it was a reboot of the Munsters, which was such a great show. This was just a waste of time and effort. And sorry, Sherry is a very poor replacement for Yvonne de Carlo. Should have been produced for Nickelodeon or something, but not for discerning fans of the genre and certainly not for fans of the original show. Rob should have taken some cues from the Addams Family movies, but he's too worried about the look and the visuals to worry about narrative and story. Too bad.

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The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969–1972)

5/10

Dull

12 June 2022

I remember watching this show in daytime syndication from time to time when I was a kid and I just remember how dull I found it. I haven't seen an episode in probably around 35 years or so perhaps I would think differently now, but it was a real snore to me as a kid.

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Superbad (2007)

3/10

Don't get it

3 February 2022

Tremendously overrated movie. Wants to, apparently, be underage "Dazed and Confused," but falls so short. It's a movie that tries to throw up its comedy in your face, which is really not effective.

Jonah Hill is such a loser in this movie, as he is in everything he's been in since, regardless what Leonardo di Caprio seems to think.

Steer clear no matter what your friend says. Watch "Dazed and Confused" (1993) or maybe "The Stoned Age" (1994) and you'll get more. Not as many future millennial stars, but is that really a problem?

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The Grinch (2018)

6/10

Chocked full of post-millennium animation cliches.

19 December 2021

I would love to rate this higher, but it's impossible. From the hip-hopped "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch," to the overly precocious and unrealistically industrious Cindy Lou, to the bland narration (Pharrell) this movie went all-in on cliches. Seemed more like a Disney or Nickelodeon original than big budget Illumination movie.

If the writers and producers had actually cared about this movie and spent more time on it, perhaps it would be more solidly entertaining.

Cumberbatch was fine, as was Keenan and most of the adult voice actors. The children were irritating, but perhaps it was not their fault.

This could have been a much better movie, even a one day a classic, but will forever fall short, unfortunately.

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Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967)

1/10

Thud

20 September 2021

Few films, with seeming intent, have influenced one to hit himself really hard on the head with a hammer. This film, however, is one of the few.

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Coming 2 America (2021)

5/10

Wasn't expecting much, but still disappointing

6 March 2021

Warning: Spoilers

Someone said that sequels, by definition, are inferior versions of the original, and in the case of "Coming 2 America" this couldn't be more spot on. In the one meta moment of the movie the film itself tells you this, and that it is unnecessary. This is a tired, predictable, bland attempt to follow up a classic comedy. One that doesn't realize any sort of vision of originality and also doesn't realize that loud and outlandish on their own is not funny. All the call backs to the original "Coming to America," even the literal callbacks, "Avengers: Endgame"-like scene replays of the original film, could not make this film interesting. To me they even pushed this one further away from the honesty and freshness of the original instead of tying it closer to it. I hate writing this because I really wanted to like this movie. The returning aide characters were, again great, particularly Sexual Chocolate, and I really enjoyed how an early scene reminded us that "Coming to America" exists in the same universe "Trading Places," but the rest was a mess. Bland, tacked on, and just not too funny.

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Deck the Halls (2006)

2/10

Pick a classic, son it this.

3 January 2021

Ugh! There are so many good to great Christmas movies so there's no need to watch this one. Likable cast, ridiculous premise and questionable to no execution.

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The Blair Witch Project (1999)

2/10

Most overrated film of all time.

4 November 2020

The resin this movie was successful was really because of the studio and production team's foray into viral marketing, one of the first movies to do this. That shows just how naive we were about the internet in the 90's. That can be the only explanation for how this movie made so much money, about $250 mil on a budget under $100,000. If I'd done some viral, guerilla marketing about a film I'd made of paint drying it might have made $100 mil at the time. There's little more to watch in this movie. There's nothing redeeming. The characters are not, they're thoroughly unlikeable. Despite the fact that this is suppose to be real (some people actually thought it was, which unbelievable to me), everything seems manufactured, and in the end nothing happens. Elementary school haunted houses create more tension and horror. This movie's success is unfathomable to me, but then Taylor Swift is successful, which I don't understand either.

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Black Sabbath (1963)

8/10

Great anthology!

28 October 2020

Warning: Spoilers

I wish I'd seen this earlier in life. A trio of wonderfully horrifying vignettes, climaxing in the excellence in gothic horror in "I Wurdalak." I mean Boris Karloff is a vampire! How could it get better than that?

The movie does have some editing problems and it succumbed to other pitfalls of movies of its kind in the 60s and 70s such as pace and sound, but those missteps are never really distracting. A top-notch horror/thriller. Mario Bava was a genius!

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The Amityville Horror (2005)

3/10

Stinker - don't waste your time.

22 October 2020

I resisted watching this for quite some time, not because the original was a classic or anything, because it isn't, but I'll admit all I heard was that it wasn't good. I finally watched and guess what - it isn't. Sorry Ryan Reynolds, your Canadian charm can't save this dumpster fire. If the director and producers had t put so much into this movie it may actually have been better. The reason that horror movies of this sort are better in the 60s, 70s and early 80s is because the production value is less. I think the people making this movie knew it sucked, that's why they threw so much into the production to try to hide everything it wasn't. Well, it didn't work.

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The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

7/10

Interesting

22 October 2020

Great mood, great cinematography, sets, production value, a very typical Corman movie, but oh the acting! Aside from Vincent Price, who as always is excellent, the rest of the cast seems like they were plucked directly from a high school play, and not a good one. Look past that and this is a suspenseful period piece.

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Halloween (1978)

10/10

Textbook low-budget flick.

14 October 2020

Regardless of genre this movie, like "Chinatown" (1974), should be required viewing and study for all film students. This is how you put a film together. Simple, understated, but at the same time thrilling and horrifying. This is how you make a movie for just over $300,000 and make it look like it was made for millions. Beautiful story telling because there's no peripheral garbage to distract the audience. This movie respects its audience, perhaps out of necessity, meaning it couldn't afford more reveal of the "shape" or more time for background. Whatever the circumstance it was perfect. Modern horror fans may think I this movie is boring or rebel due to lack of blood, but that's what sets this movie apart, makes it unique and so absolutely memorable, outside of the fact that it's the grandaddy if all Morse remains slasher flicks.

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Chicago P.D. (2014– )

3/10

Hackneyed

17 August 2020

Since when is cliched, hackneyed television considered so highly? Nothing in this show is interesting or original and really should signal the end of the hour long cop drama. It can take the hospital drama with it in my opinion.

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Predator 2 (1990)

3/10

No wonder

3 July 2020

It's really no wonder why these movie makers haven't done anything worth while since this movie. I will say that 80's incompetence is different than regular incompetence, but they've seemed to have been able to meet the incompetence bar either way, here.

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Bloodsport (1988)

4/10

Ugh, the acting

20 June 2020

I saw this movie when I was in high school and I knew it had something and also missed something. The action is really good, a lot of adrenaline, but one thing I remember from watching it so many years ago when it came out - the acing is bad - and it remains, he qztong is really bad. Even Forest Whitaker, who is an accomplished actor, is bad here, most likely because he has nothing to work with.

Folks, it's just really, really bad.

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Teenage Strangler (1964)

1/10

Gut punch

17 June 2020

This campy chunk is a real gut punch of a movie. It was much better a few years earlier when it was Ed Wood's "The Sinister Urge."

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The Deadly Mantis (1957)

4/10

Movie of its time

27 May 2020

Definitely a movie of its time and that's not necessarily a compliment, replete with all the corniness and sexism of the age. I will say, however, the effect of the mantis was pretty good given the age in which it was made. That qualified it as something more than a 1 Star movie for me.

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Danger!! Death Ray (1967)

2/10

_Bond_

17 May 2020

Movie was obviously created by someone who'd read/watched Bond and Fleming, but didn't understand what he'd seen or read.

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Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

4/10

Sorry Kev, this one's a miss

21 March 2020

Warning: Spoilers

From the poorly cast MJ , to the the weak story this was a very poor MCU entry, bordering on Ironman 3 and Thor Dark World. It's a shame. Sometimes a movie can be too meta and this was certainly a case. I love Spider-Man, but sorely disappointed with this one.

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Indebted (2020)

2/10

Another uninspired attempt

21 February 2020

Good sitcoms or television shows in general regardless of genre seem more and more difficult to come by these days and unfortunately this one does not deviate from that pattern. With the writing talent of Andy Ackerman and Gail Mancuso involves so much more could and should be expected, but fall sadly flat. The overall plot is played and uninteresting, the casting is underwhelming (Steven Weber is very talented, but woefully misscast) Fran, for all her talent, seems tired and flat and the lead young actors, the millennial children, particularly Adam Pally, are in so far over their heads and level of talent, or lack thereof, it's pathetic.

They either need to retool , preferably with an almost completely new cast, or scrap it on the pile like so many other tired attempts at comedic television entertainment.

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Silver Bullet (1985)

4/10

Uh...

23 October 2019

Where do I start with this. Unfortunate a somewhat typical movie based on a Stephen King work. There are exceptions, of course.

Pretty mundane story really, mediocre acting and lesser fx, though decent for the mid 80s. Gary Busey, though, all that needs to be said.

Otherwise, it seemed to be a class war, and a bunch of hillbillies got what they deserved.

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The Black Cat (1934)

8/10

Meeting of two heavyweights

22 October 2019

Chilling master piece, and great if for no other reason than it features the two giants of horror in 1930s and 40s Karloff and Lugosi in their first head-to-head meeting on screen. Paced little slowly without true scares, but a feeling of unease and dread throughout. The only thing, in my op ion, holding this film back slightly is the score, which was out of the ordinary to have during this period in movies. A more appropriate score with slower, more brooding music, or better yet, no score at all, would have aided to this movie's feel. Otherwise, Lugosi as the somewhat ironic anti-hero was his malevolent best and possibly Karloff's best performance outside of the original Frankenstein. Chilling and demonically creepy. Pay attention to the stories told and implications in the plot and you will understand why this is a great horror film. Much more psychological than monster horror. Ahead of its time in a lot of ways.

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