Reviews

The depths of creepy are in awe of Sarah in all her sinister glory. Truly a film that captures the essence of evil. It calls to mind that famous Stephen King quote, "The trust of the innocence is the liars most useful tool." It has been a long time since I was afraid to look during a horror movie from anything other than disgust. But the opening of the door near the end held my nerves on edge. That slow build up and the irresistible curiosity balanced perfectly with fear. Would she come out fast and attack him? Would she come out slowly and be the sweet girl he expected, if only a little odd looking? Any combination of the options ran through my mind during that perfectly timed wait. I never could have expected what happened, even with all the horror movies I watch. A truly sinister tale worthy of the name horror.

A genuinely unique setting.

Amazing chemistry from the actors.

The lighting sets the mood in every scene.

While the basic overarching story is a cookie cutter scenario, and keeping in mind I hate cookie cutter stories. The actual delivery of this particular piece was on point. Unfortunately this is one of the situations where I broke my rule. I am unable to compare it to the book because when starting the show I didn't realize it was an adaptation of one. That being said the show was intriguing enough to cause me to want to read the series rather than waiting for a second season, and upon looking up when a second season was going to come up we found that this show had been canceled by netflix. While I realize I'm just a "Watcher" and while I don't fully understand the reason for it's cancelation. I would compel netflix to reconsider. In the age of the internet, when everything is available to everyone, it takes time for anything of quality to gain traction, and this show has great quality. I already recommended it to my sister before finding out it was canceled. I can almost guarantee she would recommend it to at least six others and after I play it for my teenagers I can say that all of their friends will be watching it within the week. Though before my husband randomly decided to turn it on, I had never heard of Lockwood and Co. Being a large book buff, this is rare for me. But I am sticking to Stephen King this year. I hope to read the series next year, and I hope Netflix or another network picks it up for a second season. If any show deserves one, it's Lockwood and Co. It's the most captivating thing I've watched since Sweet Tooth.

This movie was over the top in all the right ways. It lit a spark in my heart which I haven't felt since I was a little kid. A hilarious, and enjoyable experience. It was everything a recreation of A Christmas Carol should be and so much more. Surprisingly satisfying to watch. Now I'll explain the gushing praise: It addresses a serious issue which many people in our society face on a daily basis, in multiple creative and inventive ways while pointing out the flaw in the logic of thinking any person is irredeemable. While the movie calls them irredeemable, one could easily translate it to popular internet terms like canceled. It directly addresses how condemning and ostracizing someone simply for being human is wrong. Humans must be allowed to make mistakes without facing eternal damnation if we want them to grow into better people. Props to the costume, choreographers, whoever wrote those dazzling songs and the script which lit a spark in my heart. Also to the actors, who I'm down playing because I'm bias and they're some of my favorites. Well played. I also want to point out the lighting and set designs set the perfect tone for each scene. Fantastic. There is one star I did have to take away is because of the company which produced the film... but at least they put something good into this world. I loved that the movie had a resolution and that it both was and wasn't cookie cutter while also making fun of cookie cutter movies. Many stories and movies these days keep with the cookie cutter outline while completely lacking moral or resolution, I'm really glad this didn't. I went into this movie thinking it was going to be horrible, but I deemed it Christmas Movie Marathon day because we're quarantining and I wanted to get my kids minds off it and this seemed like it would be the perfect distraction. It was, but not just for the kids. To all who helped make this movie: Thanks for the laughs, the distraction from our woes, and the tiny spark you relit in my heart. It's been a while since I felt that... P. S. Please make more unique none-cookie-cutter movies with morals and logic. Happy Christmas, and Merry Holidays.

Despite the fact it didn't completely ruin my childhood, there were a lot of inconsistencies with it which didn't carry over from the first movie. The acting was on point, but the characters were written more like caricatures and were far less believable than the original film. Breaking out randomly in song, and lacking depth. On top of which every male in the movie had noticeably lower intelligence than the girls. I'd say, while it was alright, it was no where near as iconic as the first movie was. Where the first was created for everyone in the family to enjoy, this seemed targeted specifically to very young girls.

This show is full of laughs, love, and life lessons. It teaches strong morals that you'll remember for ages. Some episodes are tear jerkers, and some will have you rolling on the floor laughing. Most kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. It was one of my favorite shows growing up. I'm so happy to finally get to share it with my kids.

Good acting, amazing set, and dramatic music which tied it all together and gave it the feel of being in the timeframe which the book itself was set it. The setting looked exactly as I pictured it in the book. While a few things were different, they were extremely minor. Nearly every detail and line, from costumes to set, to spoken words were near verbatim from the book. It doesn't get much closer to a perfect adaptation than that. This is the kind of care and painstaking careful reconstruction that brings well loved stories to life. Fantastic.

There is so much to dissect here. So many different avenues of thought. After finishing it, it's not just thought provoking, the downright traumatizing scenes in this movie demand contemplation long after it's over, with thoughts so conflicting and complicated that I'm left unsure whether or not I liked it at all. Either I loved it, or I hated it. There is no in-between here. But the truth is I both loved and hated it all at once for different reasons. Out of all the movies I have ever seen, I can say with complete honesty, that this one came closest to a unique work of art. More of an abstract painting brought to life than a movie. Done in such a way that throughout the entire movie you're continually asking yourself questions, and long after your mind will not be able to rest. This continuous and unrelenting demand for the viewer to think and question is probably the very thing I loved about it. There are a lot of possible religious undertones to it, though their brought about in such a way that it could be illuding to any part of society or existence. To the point where anyone would be able to find hidden meaning behind even the smallest of acts.

It feels wrong to give it any stars, not because it was not good, but because doing so would suggest that it is possible to rate it, and true art is impossible for anyone to rate or measure by any means... In the end, all I can say is, well done.

I had the pleasure of reading this book earlier in the year, and while I hate that they cut his wife out of the story because of the pivotal roll she played in showing how disconnected from reality the people are, I also love some of the changes they made to modernize it. The changes they made to the ending actually make it more believable while still holding true to the spirit of the original story. The acting wasn't just good, it gave me goosebumps. When he's standing there at the end, eyes gleaming, having come full circle, finally knowing what that woman was feeling when she was standing in that same position, it provided a balance and harmony which couldn't have been better done. While it wasn't exactly like the book, it was one of the best recreations I've seen. Well done.

A genuine reflection of the real-life issues facing many American's today. It was real and that made it relatable. It also gives the other half of society a close look at the day to day issues many people are plagued with. Well done.

I finished the book and the movie in the same day, I can say I'm a little disappointed in the movie. The book went straight to my favorites list while the movie changed all the stories within the story around as well as key details of the story itself. Had this been a stand alone I would have been able to praise it a lot more, but it was an adaptation which failed to stay true to the original story. Even going so far as to change the reason for his burning the night books and his relationship with his best friend outside the apartment for absolutely no reason other than pandering to the audience's empathy.

The things they decided to change took away character depth as well as character growth throughout the story. A thing which would have left audiences feeling far more satisfied at the end.

Setting this aside we'll look at the good parts.

The acting was good, despite their character backgrounds having been changed to the point where they barely resemble their storybook counterparts. The set was amazing and gave the feel of mysticism and enchantment. The makeup and special effects were eye catching and mesmerizing. Though these details only bring up the score so much. There was one particular prop used however that I felt had amazing attention to detail and that was the old book with all the original Grimm's fairytales in it. Whoever built that should be hired for the sequel when it comes out. Or for the remake if it ever happens. In which I'd suggest hiring everyone just as it was but this time sticking to the original story. There was only one other part I took serious issue with. I had been looking forward to seeing the Witches candy cane fingers, which were described with fantastic and creepy detail in the book. The lack of them was a huge disappointment.

In the end, considering how horrible Hollywood has messed up great stories in the past while trying to keep their cookie-cutter same story, same characters, only different names/background run of the mill overly reproduced garbage rather than staying true to the story, I have to say, this one stayed closer to the book than I expected.

Not horrible. Keep getting better Hollywood. Inch by inch, baby steps.

This has been one of my favorite renditions of Cinderella since I was a kid. With memorable music, great choreography, amazing actors, and some of the best costumes I've seen in this movie. I'm still remembering and singing the song years later. It might be the nostalgia talking, but this is still my favorite musical rendition, way better than the cartoon.

Seeing this show on HBOMax I remembered watching it as a kid and got all nostalgic. I put it on for my kids and they were instantly hooked. We ended up watching a little of it each day and on movie night I was about to put on the Matrix, when the kids asked if they could watch The Nanny instead. This show represents everything that was right with television. Deep moral lessons brought about with comedy and grace. While teasing at tropes it never ceased to be completely original. It broke through barriers, fulfilling values in marriage, friendship, and family which other shows often lack to their own detriment. Having watched all six seasons with my kids, we all agree it is one of the best shows in the history of television. We hope to find more like it in the future.

A lot of powerful moments in this show. As a whole I was one of the people theorizing and going online to see what others thought was going on. There was so much mystery and curiosity about it that it kept our family hungry for more. We would have probably binged it all in one sitting if we could. A truly great work.

It was difficult to relate to the main character, and parts of the movie were too dark to make out anything at all. Special effects were alright and the species introduced were done well but it was hard to get into.

The depth of care that must have gone into creating this story is nothing less than one of the best creations I have ever witnessed in the movie industry. At its height I would rank it as high as the quality of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is high praise coming from me. Even after watching it on HBO, I would pay to see it at a movie theater with my family. This movie has brought DC back in the eyes of this fan and made it relevant again. It stayed true to its lore and has opened many doors for some of my favorite comics to be made into live action films. I can only hope the care and consideration that went into this film goes into those. There aren't enough thank yous in the world for Zack Snyder, for creating this miraculous work of art.

A brilliant outlining of the exact problems we face as a societal whole today. The only issue I took with it, is that it didn't come up with any solutions. Our society has developed the habit of pointing out problems without suggesting any solutions for it. It ended on a hopeful note, but that was it. Hope isn't a solution. While watching this I was reminded of a book series I read last year. Deep Learning by David Feldspar. I was amazed then to lean everything on the technical end then. But this movie highlights the issues we'll face with it as a society. That of the increased and rapid growth of identity politics, and how it's splitting our society apart. That of false news being spread on the internet and the number of people who become radicalized extremists because of it. The complete shut down of communication between friends, families and neighbors, and the end result of what happens in society when communication breaks down. The addiction that people most are suffering from. Most importantly, the effect all this is having on our children. The manipulation of our youth is something that must be stopped at all costs. To put minds that are still forming into such a manipulative, cold, and calculating environment is one of the most dangerous things we can do to our youth. Kids need other kids to survive. Not online, but out in the real world. Riding bikes outside or playing baseball in the park. They need fun, interaction and exercise to help their brains develop properly. There are a few books I could suggest on the developing mind, but that's off topic. I'd like to address the issue of false accounts and propaganda first. These false accounts are a threat to our society and are the main source of most false propaganda we see. One of the first things that would help protect our people from false propaganda is the abolishment of these false accounts on social media including twitter, facebook, etc. This isn't impossible, as other countries have already successfully implemented ways of doing it. In fact, it should be a mandatory function for any social media account to run. The ability to link a real person to each account means that everyone would be held accountable for the things they do or say online. As I said before, most of the false propaganda we face stem from fake accounts. Accounts which are made from outside the country, and sometimes maintained for years creating groups and gaining influence on the web. Eventually these accounts start spouting false propaganda and people will buy into it. To have each account require verification of identification before it's made would be a start to solving this society impacting issue. It could be as simple as requiring their account be linked to their pin, as has already happened in other countries. This would ensure that all accounts stem from citizens and not robots or groups who want to undermine and divide our society. The benefits of implementing this far outweigh the inconvenience of neglecting the issue to its fruition. It's a critical step in protecting our people from the inevitable outcome that will happen if nothing is done. Many might dislike it at first, or ironically think it is an invasion of privacy, but with all the other information already being taken from us, this argument is laughable at best. This is a change that we need to see if we're to keep our society from falling apart at the seams. It would stop false accounts sourced from other countries being made and impede the flow of the false propaganda they're trying to push at our people. Another thing which would slow the division of people would be to use these algorithms to identify when a person is falling into an echo chamber before it's too late, when they are only seeing one type of feed. Something you could do when this happens is to have opposing views pop up on their page, along with psychological quotes that will help them learn to communicate in a healthy manner. Things like, "Communication is the real work of leadership," or "Treat others the way you want to be treated," or "We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share." Most people love quotes like this, and I'm sure there are better ones out there than these. This method of helping people learn to communicate in a healthier manner could impact our society as a whole for the better. Communication breakdown is one of the main issues we're faced with when dealing with the problems social media has presented us with. As it is the main source of the problem, it has a responsibility to be part of the solution. Teaching others how to communicate in a healthy, understanding way is paramount to healthy functioning society, and is in social medias best interest because if they allow society to break down completely, they'll lose the very product they were selling, the people. Expanding on this there could also be quotes on the importance of respect. Or video's framing the importance of kindness or healthy communication in society. Even just scrolling past them in their feed, the people would take them in slowly and understand subconsciously that these things are important and should be implemented in everyday life. The addictive aspect of social media is an important one to address too. On Netflix there is a timer that used to pop up to tell you how long you'd been watching for, and to ask if you wanted to continue. Implementing something like this could go along way, maybe there could even be fun facts about ergonomics, or what the temperature outside is. A message could pop up on your screen and say something like, "You've been logged in for five hours. It's 73 degrees outside and sunny, the perfect day for a walk." Or, "You've been logged in for two hours. Sitting for extended periods of time has been linked to heart disease, and obesity. Don't forget to take a break and move around a bit." These fun and informative little things don't even have to be a pop up. Most people don't like pop ups. It could be as simple as a little timer set in the corner of the screen. Something that says: You've been logged in for: 00:00. And a scroll along the bottom that has the fun facts going past. Maybe it's there all the time, or only shows up every half hour to remind you to take a break. Either way this kind of device is already used on other websites and would probably be easy to implement. It would also help our society by reminding them to stay healthy. Which is also towards the benefit of their goal. A person who lives longer, has more time to click. On the behavioral end of it, and regarding children... there is real potential to help reverse depression before it starts. I would say there is even an obligation for us to find out how to do so since we know it is possible. There is a bridge in Korea, where people go to commit suicide... To try and prevent this people began leaving messages saying things like "Your life is important." And, "Think of your friends and family." After the signs were put up the number of suicides sadly only increased. So, I would say that a psychologist who specializes in depression would be best to help work through this issue in adults as societies have failed at it before. In regard to children, I would say it isn't healthy for kids to be on the computer for extended periods of time, and never on social media. However, that is up to the parents to restrict. Unless an age restriction is implemented and enforced using the same method as is used for identification. I can't imagine letting any of my kids on social media. Having sat in the classrooms, I've witnessed how computers have taken away teachers control over their environment. While I do think it's important for the classrooms to advance with the times, it's not healthy for the children. Empowering them with the ability to taunt and torment each other without the teacher's detection is a horrible idea. Witnessing it, I found it to be a neglectful environment that was borderline abusive when seeing how the children treated each other online. It completely removed the teacher's authority and ability to maintain a healthy learning environment for the children. Though the issue of computers in the classroom was not addressed in the video, it relates. As it's a smaller scale which we can use to view the toxic effects of social media on the children. One exposed another's grades because the other was being cruel to yet another member of the class, who then was cruel to that party, and the cycle continued. In the end, I liked the film. It pointed out some of the toxic results we're getting in society due to social media. In truth, the film felt unfinished as it didn't provide any solutions to the problems it presented us with. What good is pointing out a problem if you're not going to suggest a solution? Now I don't know because I didn't read it but, perhaps that's why nothing happened when the problems were originally pointed out. When one sees an issue, isn't it their obligation not just to point it out, but to try and solve it as well? Or at the very least suggest solutions? Because realizing the problem is there is only the first step in fixing it.

I first watched this in Korea, without dubbing or subtitles. Even without being able to understand anything they were saying, the acting and imagery was addicting. Now back in the states I re-watched it, dubbed and fell in love with it all over again. you don't want to miss season 2's ending, really hoping a third is coming too. Maybe by then I'll know enough Korean to understand it all.