Coming Attractions- I Saw The TV Glow (2024)

 

Director- Jane Schoenbrun

Cast- Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Helena Howard, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, Lindsey Jordan, Amber Benson, Conner O’Malley, Emma Portner, Phoebe Bridgers, Haley Dahl, Kristina Esfandiari

Release Date- May 3, 2024

Going by the trailer, I Saw The TV Glow definitely has the potential to be a unique and memorable coming-of-age film. The vibrant colors, the nostalgic retro look from the TV show, and the premise has a lot of promise, with fantasy bleeding into the real world.

Justice Smith is at his best, when he’s playing the jumpy and nerdy kid, who delivers on the courageous moments, when the situation calls for it. Franklin from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, or if you’re into survival horror games, Ryan from The Quarry are a few good examples. The trailer shows a good amount of footage. But there’s still enough restraint to try and piece together some clues to figure out the mystery, and the questions surrounding Maddy’s disappearance. 

The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster (2023)(Minor Spoilers Review)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- After her brother Chris’ (Edem Atsu-Swanzy) death, Vicaria ( Laya DeLeon Hayes) promises to cure the disease that destroyed her family. The disease? Death. Vicaria plans to resurrect Chris, and she succeeds, but the results are disastrous.

Vicaria runs into trouble with a gang leader named Kango (Denzel Whitaker) and his ruthless right hand man, Jamaal (Keith Holliday). Meanwhile, Chris’ rampage grows more violent and bloody, as Vicaria fights to protect a pregnant Aisha (Reilly Brooke Stith), Jada (Amani Summer), and her father, Donald (Chad L. Coleman). 

My Thoughts- Vicaria is a smart kid, the mad scientist with a good heart. She fiercely stands on what she believes in, and there’s no denying Laya DeLeon Hayes delivers a strong performance in the leading role. Yeah, she’s a smart-ass, who’s quick with clever comebacks, but Vicaria’s environment punishes anyone with a passive personality, so she has to be tough to survive.

Amani Summer brings a positive spark to the cast. She’s sassy, and her peculiar friendship with Chris’ is ironically hilarious. This carefree little girl is friends with The Monster, and for the vast majority of the movie, Jada is really the only person, who Chris consistently communicates with for some kind of normalcy. 

Chad L. Coleman has one of the big highlights here, during the scene, where Donald and Vicaria are at a meeting with Vicaria’s teacher, Mrs. Kempe (Beth Felice). You can see the fire in his eyes, and really hear the anger in his voice, as he’s tearing into Mrs. Kempe. A really good scene that shows a supportive and loving father standing by his daughter, and Coleman delivers a good emotional performance overall. 

Donald is a broken and exhausted man working two jobs. He developed a drug habit to cope with the loss of Chris and his wife. The scene, where Vicaria finds a picture of Chris face down in his room was a nice touch. You have to believe Donald couldn’t handle looking at the picture, because it’s just too painful.

TABGAHM pushes the idea that death is a disease, a disease that causes catastrophic emotional damage. Donald is struggling to be the leader and the provider that Vicaria needs. Vicaraia is trying her best to live a normal life, but she’s angry, because death has taken so much away from her. Add in the fact that she’s still a kid, and you can understand why Vicaria is having a lot of trouble processing losing her brother to gang violence and her mother’s death. 

The struggles and setbacks in the black community are prevalent throughout TABGAHM, and the social commentary works. Vicaria mentions Valerie Thomas as an inspiration, and while she has big goals and high expectations for herself, Vicaria is not ignorant to the fact that she lives in a rough neighborhood. 

There’s a scene, where Aisha is trying to stress the importance of knowing the differences between the truth and lies for Freeman (Dale Cordice Jr.). The problems with public schools presenting a fabricated version of history, and to illustrate the differences between the truth and lies, Aisha shows Freeman two books: one on Malcolm X, and another book on Christopher Columbus. Aisha also stresses the importance of learning to Jada, pushing a routine for her to learn the alphabet.

Vicaria tries to help one of the neighborhood kids named Jerome (Ellis Hobbs IV). She wants to steer him away from Kango and his gang, but Jerome feels the need to join the gang because of a lack of options. As a child, Jerome is still smart enough to know he’s in shark infested waters, and no one is coming to save him.

Vicaria scolds Kango for poisoning and flooding the community with drugs, but Kango’s simple counter argument is, that he’s just a product of his environment. Kango is cold hearted. He knows he can capitalize off of being a drug dealer and a respected and feared man, who doesn’t care about taking or ruining lives, while lining his own pockets. 

The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster is a refreshing and inventive version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a brutal and gory tale of vengeance, featuring an emotional story about the hardships of dealing with death. Laya DeLeon Hayes is fantastic in the leading role. And TABGAHM doesn’t hold back on the bloody gruesomeness and gross out moments. It’s more than enough to pull a reaction out of you, especially the scenes, where Vicaria is preparing Chris for the big resurrection.

I’m glad writer/director Bomani J. Story decided to take the path for a happy ending. Severe mistakes were made, lessons were learned. Vicaraia’s life would’ve drastically changed either way. But the ending really balanced things out for a film that’s heavy on a harsh reality, and a seemingly never ending cycle of death and hopelessness.

Rating- 8/10

The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster (Spoiler Review)(2023)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- After her brother Chris’ (Edem Atsu-Swanzy) death, Vicaria ( Laya DeLeon Hayes) promises to cure the disease that destroyed her family. The disease? Death. Vicaria plans to resurrect Chris, and she succeeds, but the results are disastrous.

Vicaria runs into trouble with a gang leader named Kango (Denzel Whitaker) and his ruthless right hand man, Jamaal (Keith Holliday). Meanwhile, Chris’ rampage grows more violent and bloody, as Vicaria fights to protect a pregnant Aisha (Reilly Brooke Stith), Jada (Amani Summer), and her father, Donald (Chad L. Coleman). 

My Thoughts- Vicaria is a smart kid, the mad scientist with a good heart. She fiercely stands on what she believes in, and there’s no denying Laya DeLeon Hayes delivers a strong performance in the leading role. Yeah, she’s a smart-ass, who’s quick with clever comebacks, but Vicaria’s environment punishes anyone with a passive personality, so she has to be tough to survive.

Amani Summer brings a positive spark to the cast. She’s sassy, and her peculiar friendship with Chris’ is ironically hilarious. This carefree little girl is friends with The Monster, and for the vast majority of the movie, Jada is really the only person, who Chris consistently communicates with for some kind of normalcy. 

Chad L. Coleman has one of the big highlights here, during the scene, where Donald and Vicaria are at a meeting with Vicaria’s teacher, Mrs. Kempe (Beth Felice). You can see the fire in his eyes, and really hear the anger in his voice, as he’s tearing into Mrs. Kempe. A really good scene that shows a supportive and loving father standing by his daughter, and Coleman delivers a good emotional performance overall. 

Donald is a broken and exhausted man working two jobs. He developed a drug habit to cope with the loss of Chris and his wife. The scene, where Vicaria finds a picture of Chris face down in his room was a nice touch. You have to believe Donald couldn’t handle looking at the picture, because it’s just too painful.

TABGAHM pushes the idea that death is a disease, a disease that causes catastrophic emotional damage. Donald is struggling to be the leader and the provider that Vicaria needs. Vicaraia is trying her best to live a normal life, but she’s angry, because death has taken so much away from her. Add in the fact that she’s still a kid, and you can understand why Vicaria is having a lot of trouble processing losing her brother to gang violence and her mother’s death. 

The struggles and setbacks in the black community are prevalent throughout TABGAHM, and the social commentary works. Vicaria mentions Valerie Thomas as an inspiration, and while she has big goals and high expectations for herself, Vicaria is not ignorant to the fact that she lives in a rough neighborhood. 

There’s a scene, where Aisha is trying to stress the importance of knowing the differences between the truth and lies for Freeman (Dale Cordice Jr.). The problems with public schools presenting a fabricated version of history, and to illustrate the differences between the truth and lies, Aisha shows Freeman two books: one on Malcolm X, and another book on Christopher Columbus. Aisha also stresses the importance of learning to Jada, pushing a routine for her to learn the alphabet.

Vicaria tries to help one of the neighborhood kids named Jerome (Ellis Hobbs IV). She wants to steer him away from Kango and his gang, but Jerome feels the need to join the gang because of a lack of options. As a child, Jerome is still smart enough to know he’s in shark infested waters, and no one is coming to save him.

Vicaria scolds Kango for poisoning and flooding the community with drugs, but Kango’s simple counter argument is, that he’s just a product of his environment. Kango is cold hearted. He knows he can capitalize off of being a drug dealer and a respected and feared man, who doesn’t care about taking or ruining lives, while lining his own pockets. 

Well, you had to know bad things would happen, when Vicaria finally resurrected Chris. Chris’ gruesome killing rampage quickly turns into a big problem, and it gets to a point where a conflicted Vicaria has to make a tough decision: she has to kill Chris….again. Chris leaves a mark on whoever he touches, a noticeable diseased mark that gives the appearance of burnt, rotting flesh. Truly an eerie and ironic twist, because Vicaria wanted to cure death, but she’s directly responsible for spreading the disease throughout the neighborhood. 

It’s a gut wrenching decision to make, and it’s easy to understand the struggle Vicaria is going through. Yeah, you could say it was a foolish plan to try and bring someone back from the dead without consequences. But you have to remember, Vicaria is just a kid, who was heartbroken over her brother’s death. It wasn’t fair that his life was cut short at an early age. IF she had the slightest chance to bring Chris back, Vicaria was going to take it, and no one was going to stop her.

Everyone’s dead! Or is there still a chance to bring them back to life? Towards the end of the film, Chris has already murdered anyone in his path, but after an unexpected hint from Jada, Vicaria realizes she still has a chance to revive the people Chris killed. Vicaria comes to the realization that Chris’ victims are still “fresh.” 

The reason why Chris’ resurrection was a failure is, Vicaria waited too long to the point, where Chris was basically just a rotting corpse. Chris could recognize his family, but overall he was too far gone, a zombified killing machine without a conscience. Vicaria makes an important point before Chris dies. Chris wasn’t truly a monster. People around the neighborhood and the police told him he was a monster in one form or another. They were terrified of him, so naturally Chris had a violent reaction to the backlash. But the spirit of the kid, who loved his sister and his father was still alive, especially in Chris’ final moments.

TABGAHM ends with the start of a happy reunion, when a coherent and resurrected Aisha wakes up after her death. Vicaria has this big smile on her face, because she realizes she finally got it right. Vicaria can successfully bring her family back from the dead the right way. Considering everything she had to suffer through, Vicaria definitely deserved a happy ending. 

The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster is a refreshing and inventive version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a brutal and gory tale of vengeance, featuring an emotional story about the hardships of dealing with death. Laya DeLeon Hayes is fantastic in the leading role. And TABGAHM doesn’t hold back on the bloody gruesomeness and gross out moments. It’s more than enough to pull a reaction out of you, especially the scenes, where Vicaria is preparing Chris for the big resurrection.

I’m glad writer/director Bomani J. Story decided to take the path for a happy ending. Severe mistakes were made, lessons were learned. Vicaraia’s life would’ve drastically changed either way. But the ending really balanced things out for a film that’s heavy on a harsh reality, and a seemingly never ending cycle of death and hopelessness.

Rating- 8/10

Truth Or Dare (2018)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- During a spring break trip to Mexico, Carter (Landon Liborion) lures Olivia (Lucy Hale) and her friends into playing a seemingly harmless game of truth or dare. Olivia, her best friend, Markie (Violett Beane), her boyfriend, Lucas (Tyler Posey), Tyson (Nolan Gerard Funk), his girlfriend, Penelope (Sophia Taylor Ali), Ronnie (Sam Lerner), and Brad (Hayden Szeto) all join in on the game. But things take a dark turn, when Carter reveals the sinister consequences for the game: all players must fully participate, and death is the penalty for lying, or anyone who refuses to follow through on their dares.

The group lures another player named Giselle (Aurora Perrineau) out of hiding in an attempt to find more answers. Giselle mistakenly reveals Carter’s real name, but Olivia and the others are forced to deal with a bigger problem, when Giselle reveals an unknown rule for the game.

My Thoughts- Lucy Hale and Violett Beane carry the weight for the more serious and emotional side of Truth Or Dare with a pair of solid performances. Sam Lerner, Nolan Gerard Funk, and Hayden Szteo balance things out with comedy. Tyson and Ronnie are both narcissists. The big difference is, Ronnie is more of a goofball and a fool. Tyson has the bigger and more fragile ego, as he continues to forge prescription slips, while he also masquerades as a legitimate doctor. 

Aurora Perrineau deserves a lot of credit for her performance. The poor hygiene and the dirty clothes were a nice touch, but Perrineau perfectly encapsulates how the game can destroy someone mentally and emotionally. Giselle is broken and desperate. There’s a lot of similarities to Carter’s motivations, because Giselle wants her freedom from the game, by any means necessary. 

Follow the rules, or you die. Humiliation and betrayal? Yes, it can hurt, but if you refuse to play, certain death is the ultimate penalty. That’s truly terrifying for something that’s supposed to be nothing more than a silly kid’s game. 

Truth Or Dare takes things a step further by using the main character’s traumas, issues, and secrets for the truths and dares in the game. An already drunk Penelope having to drink a bottle of vodka, while walking the edges of the roof, because she has a drinking problem. Brad being forced to tell his strict father, Officer  Han Chang (Tom Choi), the truth about his homosexuality. And Olivia carrying the burden of  telling Markie about how her father tried to force himself on her, before he committed suicide. To add to that, an angry Olivia told Markie’s father that his daughter would be better off, if he was dead.

Sure, some of the truths and dares are just harmless fun at first. Ronnie backing out of a dare to show his “business” at a bar is a good example. But things quickly escalate to truths and dares that have more serious consequences. Truth Or Dare does a good job of matching the severity of the truths and dares with the actual gameplay. If the participants do manage to successfully complete either one, everyone is scarred one way or another, after everything is done.

The friendship between Markie and Olivia is, well it’s complicated. Olivia has feelings for Lucas, but she lied to Markie (Lucas is like a big brother to me!) about it. Olivia finally exposed Markie’s infidelity after a dare, embarrassing Lucas in the library. And to make things more awkward, Olivia lied about being forced into choosing to have sex with Lucas for one of her dares. There’s also the problem with Olivia carrying around the guilt of hiding the truth about the events that led up to Markie’s father killing himself. 

The tension, the anger on both sides, and the feeling of being betrayed by Olivia on Markie’s side plays a big part in the story. But maybe it’s all just too much? The drama between Olivia and Markie is overwhelming. Their story could’ve had its own movie. Hale and Beane did a fantastic job of making everything believable, but the ups and downs in Markie and Olivia’s friendship disrupts the story’s momentum. 

Truth or dare. The High stakes. You play, or you die. This is serious business, but the weird faces coming from the people, who ask the participants to choose truth or dare? Oh, boy. I get it. The people asking the questions are obviously possessed, so their faces look like “messed up Snapchat filters,” but I’d say it’s worse than that. The wide, red eyes, and the stretched cheek to cheek smiles? It just looks too silly. You’re about to ask someone to participate in a game that’ll determine, whether they live or die, but it’s hard not to laugh, when you see the supposed evil faces.

The story from Inez (Vera Taylor) about the game’s origins and the demon Calux possessing the game adds that essential sinister and dark layer to Truth Or Dare. It’s a tragic story. Inez wanted to punish the disgusting priest, who terrorized her and her friends, but Calux killed everyone, leaving Inez as the sole survivor. How did Inez survive? She performed a ritual, which included cutting out her own tongue.

The ending? Calux tells Olivia there’s no way to escape the game after Sam/Carter’s death. But Olivia can temporarily delay her next turn and Markie’s turn in the game, if she can find more players. So Olivia uploads a video to You Tube, inviting millions of potential players to play Truth Or Dare. It’s a clever and logical ending, that could leave things open for a future film. Was Olivia’s decision selfish? Yes, there’s no denying that at all. But if you put yourself in Olivia’s place, it’s understandable how someone could make that decision, when you’re young and facing certain death.

Truth Or Dare features a good amount of grisly images. Ronnie breaking his neck on the pool table dare, a possessed Tyson ramming his own pen into his head, and Inez’s severed tongue are some good notable picks. And Giselle lighting the innocent woman on fire at the gas station really worked to set the tone for the rest of the movie. After that scene, you’ll know this version of truth or dare is not a fun and carefree game. 

There’s also a decent message about friendship involving Olivia and Markie. After everything they went through, Markie and Olivia’s bond was stronger in the end. After all the lies and keeping secrets from her, Olivia chose to make the hard decision to protect Markie. It’s a story about what happens, when friends are pushed to their limits for trust and betrayal, and how different people react, when you reach the point of no return for forgiveness. 

Truth Or Dare has the right ingredients, but it’s a horror film with some noticeable problems. Why would you follow a complete stranger (Carter/Sam) to an abandoned church in a different country? Trusting Carter is an irreversible mistake that has deadly ramifications throughout the movie. And Truth Or Dare’s biggest problem is, it’s just not scary at all. There’s the one decent scene with the homeless man (Andrew Howard) ambushing Olivia to pick truth or dare, but that’s about it. 

There’s also too many unintentionally funny moments, when things are supposed to be serious. Truth Or Dare has a solid cast, and a premise with a lot of potential. But it’s a movie that has one too many misfires, and it joins the already crowded pack of so-so mainstream PG-13 horror films.

Rating- 4/10

 

Imaginary (2024)(Spoiler Review)

 **This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Jessica (DeWanda Wise) moves into her childhood home with her husband, Max (Tom Payne), and her stepdaughters, Alice (Pyper Braun) and Taylor (Taegen Burns). Alice develops an unusual relationship with a teddy bear named Chauncey. Jessica slowly realizes that Chauncey is more than just an imaginary friend, as Chauncey’s games become more sinister.

Gloria (Betty Buckley), Jessica’s neighbor and her former babysitter, offers her help. But Jessica will have to confront her past and traumas from her childhood, if she wants to save Alice.

My Thoughts- DeWanda Wise holds her own well in the leading role, and Pyper Braun delivers a solid performance. Braun does a good job of playing this innocent and bright-eyed kid, who’s way too attached to her imaginary friend. 

There’s a scene during a session with Dr. Soto (Veronica Falcon), where Alice has a breakdown, because Chauncey is trying to intimidate her. Braun shows how the stress of dealing with Chauncey is effecting her. How it’s just too much for a young child to handle, and the therapy scene is easily one of the bigger highlights here. 

Betty Buckley was the right fit for Gloria. Gloria is this sweet old lady, but she’s also kooky. A lot of horror films have that one elderly character, who tries to warn everyone about the severity of the impending threats. Filling the role of the harbinger of doom, Buckley also nails the storyteller side of Gloria, as she explains Chauncey’s origins and motivations to Jessica and Taylor. 

The family dynamic between Jessica, Taylor, and Alice features some familiar cliches. Jessica is trying her best to be the positive and helpful stepmother. Taylor is the bratty and rebellious teenager. She resents Jessica for forcing her way into the family. Samantha (Alix Angelis) is Taylor’s biological mother, committed to a mental institution. Taylor tries to reconnect with Samantha, but the brief reunion has a sad ending, driving a bigger wedge between Jessica and Taylor.

The big fake out happens, when it’s revealed that Chauncey isn’t real, because he’s an imaginary friend! There’s no physical version of the teddy bear. Jessica and Alice are the only two people, who can actually see Chauncey. It’s a logical reveal, because Alice and Jessica both share a connection with Chauncey, but it’s not a shocking reveal. Pay close attention, and you’ll notice Jessica is the only person, who acknowledges seeing a teddy bear throughout the movie.

After so many teases and hints, we’re ready for the big finale in the Never Ever. The Never Ever is Chauncey’s realm, and you can quickly see how it’s a comforting and safe place for children. It’s not too spooky, no rivers of blood or skeletons, and it’s a place where a child’s imagination has endless possibilities. 

In the Never Ever, Alice creates her own world, where she has everything she wants. She’s a princess. Alice also imagines her biological mother into her world, so everything is perfect, right? Well, of course Alice comes to her senses, with some help from Jessica. She escapes the Never Ever with Taylor and Jessica, and Alice lights Chauncey on fire, burning the house down in the process to finally escape Chauncey.

The journey into the Never Ever is rocky, but it’s also predictable. I didn’t buy into the attempted swerve, where Jessica seemingly escaped, but she realizes she’s still stuck in the Never Ever. Gloria sealing the exit, because of her obsession with wanting to stay in the Never Ever? It’s another surprise that’s not too shocking, if you pay attention. 

Gloria was way too obsessed with Jessica, her childhood, and everything that was going on in her life. She was more concerned with gaining knowledge about Chauncey, so you had to know she was just waiting for the right moment to sabotage the rescue mission. 

Chauncey’s monstrous form? It’s not scary or intimidating. I was expecting Chauncey’s demonic look to resemble an actual bear, or at least something that’s more believably ferocious.

What happened to Dr. Soto’s colleague? After the therapy session with Alice, Dr. Soto mentions she knows a colleague, who can help Alice, but they never mention whoever this person is again? Going by what Dr. Soto said, I’m guessing this person was someone, who deals with unprecedented situations. It’s just really strange how they seemingly forgot about this mystery man at a crucial point in the story. 

Imaginary undeniably has a lot of good ideas, and Alice and Jessica are two likable main characters. Chances are most of us had an imaginary friend at Alice’s age. It’s a way to escape the real world, or soften the blow of not being able to make real friends. And it’s obvious Alice is upset about Samantha’s absence from her life.

Jessica having a strong and vibrant imagination in her adult years as an author of children’s books, with her character Simon (a big spider), helps strengthen her bond with Alice. Jessica’s unique imagination is the main reason for Chauncey’s obsession with her, and you could say the same thing about Alice.

The scene with Jessica visiting her father, Ben (Samuel Salary) is a bit over the top, but it gets the point across to show just how dangerous Chauncey is, and the consequences Ben had to suffer through for his sacrifice.

The potential for a truly good horror film is there. I’d go as far as saying it could’ve been great, but Imaginary follows the usual playbook for mainstream PG-13 horror films. The repetitive scare tactic with ghostly figures lurking in the background. The jump scares, and overall Imaginary just feels dull. There’s ONE good sequence, when Chauncey terrorizes the neighbor, Liam (Matthew Sato), but that’s about it. And you’ll see some of that sequence in one of the trailers, so it’s not a big shock, because you already know how it ends.

Rating- 4/10

Imaginary (2024)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Jessica (DeWanda Wise) moves into her childhood home with her husband, Max (Tom Payne), and her stepdaughters, Alice (Pyper Braun) and Taylor (Taegen Burns). Alice develops an unusual relationship with a teddy bear named Chauncey. Jessica slowly realizes that Chauncey is more than just an imaginary friend, as Chauncey’s games become more sinister.

Gloria (Betty Buckley), Jessica’s neighbor and her former babysitter, offers her help. But Jessica will have to confront her past and traumas from her childhood, if she wants to save Alice.

My Thoughts- DeWanda Wise holds her own well in the leading role, and Pyper Braun delivers a solid performance. Braun does a good job of playing this innocent and bright-eyed kid, who’s way too attached to her imaginary friend. 

There’s a scene during a session with Dr. Soto (Veronica Falcon), where Alice has a breakdown, because Chauncey is trying to intimidate her. Braun shows how the stress of dealing with Chauncey is effecting her. How it’s just too much for a young child to handle, and the therapy scene is easily one of the bigger highlights here. 

Betty Buckley was the right fit for Gloria. Gloria is this sweet old lady, but she’s also kooky. A lot of horror films have that one elderly character, who tries to warn everyone about the severity of the impending threats. Filling the role of the harbinger of doom, Buckley also nails the storyteller side of Gloria, as she explains Chauncey’s origins and motivations to Jessica and Taylor. 

The family dynamic between Jessica, Taylor, and Alice features some familiar cliches. Jessica is trying her best to be the positive and helpful stepmother. Taylor is the bratty and rebellious teenager. She resents Jessica for forcing her way into the family. Samantha (Alix Angelis) is Taylor’s biological mother, committed to a mental institution. Taylor tries to reconnect with Samantha, but the brief reunion has a sad ending, driving a bigger wedge between Jessica and Taylor.

Imaginary undeniably has a lot of good ideas, and Alice and Jessica are two likable main characters. Chances are most of us had an imaginary friend at Alice’s age. It’s a way to escape the real world, or soften the blow of not being able to make real friends. And it’s obvious Alice is upset about Samantha’s absence from her life.

Jessica having a strong and vibrant imagination in her adult years as an author of children’s books, with her character Simon (a big spider), helps strengthen her bond with Alice. Jessica’s unique imagination is the main reason for Chauncey’s obsession with her, and you could say the same thing about Alice.

The scene with Jessica visiting her father, Ben (Samuel Salary) is a bit over the top, but it gets the point across to show just how dangerous Chauncey is, and the consequences Ben had to suffer through for his sacrifice.

The potential for a truly good horror film is there. I’d go as far as saying it could’ve been great, but Imaginary follows the usual playbook for mainstream PG-13 horror films. The repetitive scare tactic with ghostly figures lurking in the background. The jump scares, and overall Imaginary just feels dull. There’s ONE good sequence, when Chauncey terrorizes the neighbor, Liam (Matthew Sato), but that’s about it. And you’ll see some of that sequence in one of the trailers, so it’s not a big shock, because you already know how it ends.

Rating- 4/10

Countdown (2019)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- A nurse named Quinn Harris (Elizabeth Lail) downloads the Countdown app, an app that features a clock that’s capable of pinpointing the exact time and date of the user’s death. Quinn shockingly learns she only has two days to live, and to make matters worse, Quinn’s younger sister, Jordan (Talitha Bateman) also downloads Countdown, revealing an identical time frame for her death.

Quinn works together with Matt (Jordan Calloway), Father John (P.J. Byrne), and a tech guru named Derek (Tom Segura) to escape certain death. Father John has a plan to help Quinn, Matt, and Jordan, but time is not on their side, as the demon Ozhin targets the group.

My Thoughts- The death app? Now that’s truly a unique idea for a horror film! Yes, you can say it’s a gimmicky trick, but Countdown still reinforces the inevitability and the hopelessness of death with a modern twist.

Think about the opening of the movie. Courtney (Anne Winters) didn’t want to get in the car with her drunk boyfriend, Evan (Dillon Lane), because she believed she had a better chance of escaping death, if she walked home. What happened? Ozhin murdered her at the house. And to add another eerie layer to Courtney’s demise, she would’ve died anyways, when Evan crashed his car.

Father John’s circle to stop Ozhin? It didn’t work, because Matt was lured away by Ozhin impersonating his dead brother. Derek rigging the app to add more years for a longer life? The clocks rolled back to the original time frames. Quinn planning to kill  Dr. Sullivan (Peter Facinelli) before his time runs out to break the curse? Ozhin prevented it from happening.

It’s a strong reoccurring theme throughout Countdown. You can’t escape or outsmart death. Your fate is unavoidable, and the end comes whether  you’re ready for it or not. Big difference in Countdown is, you know exactly when you’re going to die, and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s truly terrifying.

Read the user agreement! It’s something we’ve all done, myself included, when you’re downloading an app or a new program. You see this massive wall of text, all these paragraphs, and there’s a chance you have no idea what most of it means. So you just scroll down to click or tap that “I agree” button. In Countdown, breaking the user agreement comes with deadly consequences. 

There’s a good amount of realism behind the characters in Countdown not reading the user agreement, because I’m sure it’s something we’ve all done before. South Park’s memorable HumancentiPad episode took the more comical approach to show how bad things can happen, if you don’t carefully read the user agreement. Obviously things are more serious in Countdown. Maybe all the trouble could’ve been avoided, if Quinn and others just decided to read?

Ozhin’s design is fairly gruesome. A demonic creature, the grim reaper who draws closer, as your time in the living world runs out. There’s a good backstory for Ozhin’s origins involving the story with the prince trying to avoid his death. The prince’s backstory proves you can have everything you want. Riches and a luxurious life, but none of that will save you from death. 

And it’s a trick that’s been overused in a lot of horror films, but Ozhin appearing as dead loved ones related to the main characters in an attempt to deceive them still works. Quinn is a good example. Ozhin disguises himself as her deceased mother, Jamie (Andrea Anders). Remember, Quinn never got a chance to say goodbye to her mother, before she was killed by a drunk driver.

Looking at the cast, Peter Facinelli delivers a solid performance as Dr. Sullivan. Dr. Sullivan is a creepy pervert. There’s just something slimy about him, and how he carries himself.

Tom Segura is genuinely hilarious as Derek or “Doc.” Derek is a sarcastic and brash know-it-all, and Segura absolutely nails Derek’s personality. P.J. Byrne’s enthusiasm as the unconventional priest brings a spark to the cast, and you can tell he’s having fun with the character. And he’s only in one scene, but John Bishop makes the most of his limited screen time, as Gerry, an unhinged and nutty conspiracy theorist. 

Segura, Byrne, and Bishop all deliver the laughs in their own unique ways, but it’s a problem. Countdown’s comedic side is far more entertaining and effective than the horror side of the movie. It’s strange, because Countdown has a promising opening. After Courtney leaves the party, it’s dark outside and she’s clearly being stalked by Ozhin. A good spooky sequence, but the problem is, Ozhin lurking in the background gets a a bit repetitive. 

I understand what they were they going for, Ozhin is the shadow that you can’t run from, and it doesn’t matter where you are. But after the fiasco with Courtney, Evan in the hallways at the hospital, and Quinn in the parking lot, Ozhin suddenly appearing out of nowhere loses its wow factor.

If we’re talking about cliches, Jordan being the bratty and rebellious teenager is the only one that’s too on the nose, but there’s a good reason for it. Jordan, similar to Quinn and their father, Charlie (Matt Letscher), is still grieving over the loss her mother. She’s too young to process everything, and she’s upset Quinn is not adequately filling the role of the protective big sister.

Quinn dealing with the ramifications of Dr. Sullivan forcing himself on her is the big subplot. Quinn feels alienated, and Nurse Amy (Tichina Arnold) is one of the only people, who she can talk to, and Sullivan manages to sabotage that relationship. Solid execution for this subplot, because Sullivan is a lying weasel, a cretin who deserves his comeuppance for targeting women, while abusing his position of authority. 

The swerve during the ending, with Jordan using the syringe to revive Quinn? Well, you had to know Quinn had something up her sleeve, because she didn’t want to leave Jordan behind. And it’s no surprise Quinn’s plan didn’t work. Countdown ends on a cliffhanger, revealing Countdown version 2.0 downloaded itself on Quinn’s phone. Sorry, but it just wasn’t believable that Quinn beat the clock, because it’s proven throughout the movie, that no matter what you do, it’s impossible to cheat death. 

Countdown is a gimmicky horror film, but the potential is undeniable. It’s a story about loss, learning to deal with death and everything that comes with it, and the fear of not being able to alter your fate, when you have good intentions to do so. There’s a good scene during the ending, where Quinn, Jordan, and Charlie visit Jamie’s grave together as a family. They’re looking for the closure they all desperately need, a good somber moment, when you consider all the obstacles the family had to endure to get there, especially Quinn and Jordan.

Countdown is hampered by the usual PG-13 mainstream horror movie setbacks. Too many predictable jump scares, a step by step process of storytelling, and a cheap cliffhanger that’s most likely not going to go anywhere (Countdown was released in 2019). There’s a solid story to work with here, and using an app for death is a creative idea. Countdown is not a horrible film, but it could’ve been so much better.

Rating- 5/10