Caro the Movie Critic

Do you believe in curses? Ghosts? Witches? Well, I don't. But, you can have fun believing in those potions of entertainment as it supplies a Halloween film for mostly the younger demographic. I confess that I did grow up on watching Hocus Pocus  on VHS and on cable because it came out around the right time as I watched this along with my sister. It is a fun experience watching the Halloween flick as a kid. Now, the movie was a financial failure back in 1993, but the movie has grown over time as a cult film, thanks to cable channels such as Freeform. So, it is the 25th anniversary of the film and thanks to some votes, I have decided to review the film and to venture an answer to whether or not the movie holds up. After watching the movie recently, I had fun with the comic inspiration from the three actresses but it see-saws back to an un-focused story with bland child characters who spurts out a few memorable lines but that is it. Nevertheless, it is a fun cable watch. On O...

Drug addiction mixed up with depression can be as dark as the abyss in the ocean. It is deep and could potentially be impossible to overcome. Personally, I have never encountered anyone with this problem but I read and heard stories from the news and they are devastating and surreal simultaneously. It is haunting to know the details behind his sickness, but the vague lead-up to what lead to his sickness and fatal overdose is what is disturbing. People who have that sickness are blind to their problems and reject friends' and families' help because they think that they can handle their situation. You never know who your true friends once they know your problem and can say, "You can always talk to me." or "We are trying to help you." or "We're there for you." It is a blessing once you see that. After experiencing this heartbreaking yet solid movie, I felt like I wanted to help somebody overcome their demons and pay it forward to everyone else....

We are living in tough times. Tough, divisive times. And, I've noticed many films in which filmmakers have subjugated most of their opportunity to unfold a story that has been conveyed in many outlets this year. I know some may be tired of this topic about racial inequality or division between societies but unfortunately, this has been going on for quite a while. I know I am because I always complain and question why do we not get along with each other, why do we not stay friends despite status, race, color, sexual orientation, etc. Many say it is a cold, cruel world and unfortunately, it is true. I'm only just one person voicing concern for not just everybody in this world but for future generations. But, we are taking this one story at a time, regardless of where it comes from: people, books, news, movies, etc. There is another story in the coming-of-age genre where the movie successfully balances both emotions and a powerful narrative to provoke lingering thoughts in our ...

Ah, yes. Another iconic horror villain has come back into the fray. We had Pennywise coming back into our minds and now, we have the hair-raising Michael Myers. He is one of those villains that is at the pinnacle of the horror genre that created inspiration for other villains that did not work out well, including its sequels. I did not mind Halloween II . Director David Gordon Green and comedic actor/writer Danny McBride pitched the script to creator John Carpenter and he replied to say that they get the gist of a Halloween movie and its tone. So, we had a lot of terrible sequels after Halloween II , but besides the Michael Myers creation, all I cared about were the stories and the stories did not work. We come back with a movie, 40 years later after the movie came out and in this movie after the Haddonfield murders. The movie gets rid of its sequels and now has blessed us with a fun sequel with some imperfections. True-crime podcasters, Aaron Korey and Dana Haines (Jefferson Hall...

I'm going to say right off the bat that I'm not an avid fan of horror films. The main reason is because the filmmakers and writers solely treat torture and gore as a source of entertainment without any relevance or context. It is just a creative decision to tempt the audience to emote, more on the cringeworthy side than in the awesome side. And, I got tired of filmmakers using gore as just a  manipulative element of tempting us to react to it to see how they create "blood" in that scene. It is a stunt and a cliche at the same time. And, I was starting to give up on them after a few horror movies in the late 2000s. However, there was a beginning of a potential resurgence in the beginning of this decade that I thought had given the horror genre a chance, more likely a psychological thriller but there is another movie that also has booted its potential of bringing the horror genre back from the grave, in my opinion. 2010: Black Swan Insidious Let Me In ...

I have been clamoring for a Neil Armstrong movie for a long time because his history with the NASA Space program and his mission to the moon is quite extraordinary. However, while I was researching, because this was my most anticipated movie of the fall season, there were some revelations, both personal and public, that I will not divulge because it is in the movie. But, the director and actor, Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling, are going into this movie with such great momentum with their past works with La La Land (which Gosling also starred in) and Blade Runner 2049  (my favorite film from last year), that my excitement could not be contained. My expectations were not quite as met but the movie succeeds on both from a technical and narrative levels. Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is a talented pilot that is offered to work with NASA for their Project Gemini. Neil is pleased but he wanted to focus on his daughter, Karen (Lucy Stafford), who is suffering from a tumor. Unfortuna...

I do not have any experience as a horse rider or personally have any association with horses, but horses are well relevant to where I live. However, horses are beautiful creatures that roam around freely with their owners or live in peace in the fields or in the owners' farms, being solemn and all. But, we do not have many movies from the perspective of a horse rider, in which the filmmakers and writers focus on a rider's subconscious as to how he connects himself with a horse or his passion of riding. And, with help of beautiful cinematography, augmenting the tone and atmosphere,  The Rider is a human story that will be in our minds and hearts after it is over. A horse rider named Brady (Brady Jandreau) was a rising star in the rodeo circuit but he was left with a brain injury that got him sidelined. Now, he lives in financial poverty with his alcoholic and gambling-addictive father, Wayne (Tim Jandreau) and his autistic sister, Lilly (Lilly Jandreau). Because of his brai...

A murder mystery is a genre that can get a viewer intrigued and hooked as to trying to figure out who each character really is. With this movie, it is like Clue tied in with Quentin Tarantino movies more with Reservoir Dogs  and The Hateful Eight  (which was good but underwhelming compared to his previous work). But, this what the movie is a slow-burn Tarantino-esque film that is twisted, violent and a bit overlong. Overall, some of the violent surprises are derailed by a bit of too predictable moments and character arcs, however, I had a fun time experiencing this movie. In 1969, some individuals arrive at the El Royale with their different agendas. Father Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges) meets with struggling lounge singer Darlene (Cynthia Erivo), who is on her way to Reno. Vacuum salesman Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm) is there getting himself acquainted drink and makes some rude comments towards Darlene because of her race, claiming to be joking. Emily Summerspring (D...

There has been backlash to the character of Eddie Brock/Venom because of the Sam Raimi film, Spider-Man 3 , which had a disappointing conclusion. And you could go either way with that dance scene with Peter Parker. Anyway, many comic book fans were clamoring for a more uncanny version of that man meshing with the symbiote to make a more crude, grimy version of the character and also its story. With an excellent lead actor and a solid supporting in the movie's arsenal, it would have have garnered some potential momentum for the movie as gaining word-of-mouth. Unfortunately, we have to see the movie and the result is that it was a great one-man show portraying two characters but a weak story surrounding the very solid lead performance by Tom Hardy. A shuttle from the Life Foundation crash-lands in East Malaysia and astronaut and sole survivor JJ Jameson III (Chris O'Hara) is brought onto the ambulance with something latched onto him, causing the ambulance truck to flip over ...

I'm going to go on record and say that I have not seen the previous versions of A Star is Born . I know that there are two earlier versions both starring Judy Garland in 1954 and later, Barbra Streisand, in 1976. But, movies about music or its creative process can go in different directions being realistic, inspiring or plain corny, not knowing what goes behind-the-scenes of the music industry. When I was reading what was going on behind the production, Lady Gaga took the role of co-lead because she was annoyed as to how the actors were not lip-synching properly or the actors were not singing. So, she wanted to take it up a notch in terms of the musical elements of the film and make it as realistic as possible. But, even though if it is not the most original story ever told, in addition to Gaga's voice talent, the movie is as fearless and passionate, capturing both the appealing chemistry of the main couple and the love story surrounding both themselves and their love of mus...

Halloween season is here as people will get in their most comfortable clothing and sit back and watch fun horror movies, scary horror movies or a little of both. People have horror marathons during October and it is fun for most people who are fans of the genre and/or of the movies. So, this is a movie that is the gateway to opening the month of October and seeing that this movie is directed by Eli Roth, I thought, "Oh, no. Not him." I think he is one of the worst directors in recent years as he made horrible movies in my opinion. I thought Knock Knock  was better than most but still not good. The Green Inferno was one of the worst movies of 2013. And, the Death Wish remake is one of the worst movies of this year. Well, I'll give Roth credit to say that he has made a watchable film from the comfort of your living room but it was not for me. Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) is sent to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) in Michigan after he lost his parents in a c...