It’s “The Bye Bye Man,” or as I call it “Honey, We Ripped Off Slenderman.” In all honesty, “The Bye Bye Man” actually looks like a weak Senator Palpatine cosplayer who died from toxic poisoning from his face make up and became a demon who likes to rip off his shtick from The Babadook, Freddy Krueger, and your every day mime. I’ve experienced scarier stories in young adult sections at public libraries, and could come up with a monster ten times more imposing, and with a name that doesn’t automatically inspire me to chortle under my breath. A movie this bad could only inspire me to gather my thoughts of bewilderment in an itemized list.
Tag Archives: Romance
Tragedy Girls (2017) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]
Did you see “Scream 4”? Do you remember the finale and surprise reveal, as well as the reasoning for the murderer’s devious deeds? Well, then you’ve seen “Tragedy Girls.” It feels a lot like Tyler MacIntyre loved the finale to “Scream 4” so much that he took that one twenty minute explanation, and transformed it in to a ninety minute movie that presents glimmers of brilliance, but stumbles quite often. While many will liken “Tragedy Girls” to “Heathers,” it’s actually about as smug and annoyingly self-satisfied as films like “Detention” and “Easy A.”
68 Kill (2017) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]
A man living in an abusive relationship is put through the ringer and finds his inner strength to survive and move on following a wild and crazy night and day.
Based on the novel by Bryan Smith, written and directed by Trent Haaga, 68 Kill is an insane ride filled by crazy, lunatic characters. The whole thing seems completely nuts and ludicrous but it works. Somehow, Haaga took all the most ridiculous characters and situations and makes them work in a sort of white-trash opera. Here all the characters do dumb things for dumb reasons and they almost all are assholes and lunatics, yet the film is crazy fun to watch and has a story that moves at a good, fast pace and leads to a satisfactory ending. Haaga took all of the most unlikely elements to make one of those film that should not work yet does so beautifully.
Karmina (1996) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]
On her 140th birthday, young Karmina flees her native Transylvania when faced with being promised to the horrible Vlad. As she arrives in Montreal, she has difficulty adapting to the local customs and ways of life.
Sequence Break (2017) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]
A retro-tech fan working as an arcade game technician meets a beautiful girl as a game pulls him in deeper and deeper into a world where multiple possibilities collide.
Baby Driver (2017)
Edgar Wright has proven himself to be one of the most unique and creative living directors today and the man has only honed his craft to deliver a great spin on a classic crime tale about love, and redemption. “Baby Driver” is a remarkable turn for Wright who creates a pulp masterpiece. “Baby Driver” is a powerful and emotional tale about a truly engaging protagonist who is sinking in to a world of violence and murder, and has no idea how to get out. We’ve seen movies about getaway drivers before, but “Baby Driver” works to the benefit of Wright’s strengths including dynamic characters, sharp humor, and amazing editing.
This Is Not What I Expected (2017) [New York Asian Film Festival 2017]
In a hotel he is about to buy, a CEO meets a young chef who is a mess but also cooks the best food he has ever tasted. Through her cooking, they connect.