Alls Well When Read (and Watched) #4: Weekend Review Round Up
Black Adam, Terrifier 2, and much more to talk about!
Hello!
With October wrapping up, I wanted to make sure I got as much stuff into this week’s newsletter as possible. It’s been a REALLY interesting few weeks for movies and shows, so I narrowed the list down to a key few things that have kept me talking (plus, I don’t think y’all want to have 3 pages of my ramblings sitting in your inboxes).
A common theme you’ll find throughout this letter is how in the right cases, less is more. If you have a solid story, that plot will do the heavy lifting on its own without you having to add lots of extra stuff in. I don’t want to admit that my rude as hell 8th grade English teacher was correct about “showing, not telling” but with some of the titles below, she was.
Movies I Watched
1. Black Adam (3.5/5)
I may get jumped for this, but I really, really liked Black Adam. Even though I liked it loads, that doesn’t mean I didn’t notice a few things that could’ve been better executed. So, let’s get into what I liked the most, and what I didn't like.
The Good
I LOVED how the status quo was challenged with the theme of “your hero isn’t my hero.” We forget that the figures we love (Superman, Hawkman, etc.) may not be perceived as heroes to other people depending on where they are from, what they are going through, and the current world surrounding them. Not everyone needs a Superman or a Hawkman — some need a figure like Black Adam to bring a different kind of saving and protecting.
The Meh
It was obvious that filmmakers included A LOT of stuff (items, magical history, etc.) because they wanted Black Adam to be considered an epic, something along the lines of Spartacus or Ben-Hur, just with super heroes mixed in. Unfortunately, all this stuff caused the film to feel jumbled, heavy, and awkward at times.
Black Adam is the perfect example of “less is more.” Filmmakers should’ve put a bit more trust into the audience and let the story flow naturally without all the weighty other junk.
Check it out in theaters now!
2. Piggy (3/5)
Piggy, or Cerdita in Spanish, is a low-key gem that melds multiple genres, giving us one of the creepiest, body-image focused, coming-of-age relationships on screen yet. Beneath the scariness and strangeness though is another (very heavy) layer that makes it feel more like a finger-pointing, meant-to-shame-you fable: if you bully someone, this and that will happen to you! If you let yourself get bullied, that and this will happen to you! I personally love anything morally challenging but those who are looking for something plain scary may not dig this film for this reason.
The only gripe I have about Piggy is that I was only able to access the English dub version. I would love to see the film in Spanish as I’m sure there are many language specifics that viewers miss by having to hear it in English.
You can rent this from Amazon Prime.
3. Terrifier 2 (Can’t Even Rate. Can’t Even)
Terrifier 2 is the most un-woke horror film out there currently, and that’s how it should damn be. The film is 2+ hours of just blood, guts, and LOTS of killing from Art the Clown. In fact, there’s just SO MUCH gore that it can be considered perversion or a kink-focused kind of film at this point.
So let’s keep this quick and easy: if you’re not into the really gory stuff or don’t dig seeing a clown chop a guy’s wiener off (quick spoiler there, sorry about that), you’re probably not going to like this. If you already love Art the Clown, loved the first Terrifier, and can appreciate a good killing, this will 100% be up your alley.
If it’s still playing in a theater near you, check it out!
Shows I Watched
1. The Watcher (2/5)
I know there are a lot of people unhappy with the ending of The Watcher but I didn’t care for the entire series. The first two episodes started out strong, giving American Horror Story vibes mixed with who-dun-its, but then I quickly realized that the story didn’t ever really progress beyond that. The rest of the series just kept going around in circles, never letting up on the forced ambiguity. Like, we get it, the main characters are fucked up, sexuality is “bad,” classism is the real monster, but what else? When does all this really come to a head?
The truth? Nothing ever comes to a head because there’s nothing interesting to tell. With the real case that happened 657 Boulevard with the Broaddus family, they did receive the scary letters and were scared shitless but that’s about it. They lived without anything tragic or terrible happening to them. I have to give Ryan Murphy props for doing as much as he could (especially working as case investigations were ongoing!) but it just wasn’t enough to keep the story enticing.
As my parents have said, “you can’t make bullets out of shit.” The Watcher is a perfect example of this.
You can check this out on Netflix.
Special Mentions
1. The Kid Stays in the Picture (5/5)
Straight up: If you loved The Offer, you’re going to love The Kid Stays in the Picture. If you know, you know.
This tell-all autobiographical documentary from legendary film producer and studio executive Robert Evans is all heavy truth, no tall tales. Through Evans’ smooth-as-butter commentary, we can see that he literally was the definition of NO REGRETS as he proudly explained all the ups and downs he endured professionally and personally.
Don’t take this obnoxiousness as weakness though: while Evans can talk, he also can walk the walk. For every moment he was knocked down, he would have 10 more great things happen that would put him back on top of the world. Was it luck? No. This is just the case of a businessman who was brilliant, colorful, and nothing less than himself.
You can check this out on Hulu, Showtime, Amazon Prime, and more.