Oldboy, 2013 - ★★

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I heard so much good about this. Of course no one said that it's better than the original, but people said it has something to give, it has a reason to be, it's different.

I felt it was just like the original, but not as good.

I have to say the acting by all parties was good. Josh Brolin did a great job, as did Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley and I also liked Samuel L Jackson, I feel like he was perfectly cast for that character. The casting was pretty great at all to be honest.

But that's about it. This movie does the same as the original, but without the balls. They gave lots of nods to the great scenes in the movie but mostly doing them not as good or at the most similar. If they changed something, it was to the worst.

It's just an unnecessary remake with nothing new to give. It was entertaining, it was well shot, but it was nothing in comparison to the original Oldboy. I'm rating it 2 stars.

Captain America: Civil War, 2016 - ★★★½

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Watched on Wednesday April 27, 2016.

Her, 2013 - ★★★★½

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Watched on Tuesday April 26, 2016.

Rashomon, 1950

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Watched on Tuesday April 26, 2016.

A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell, 1990

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Watched on Sunday April 24, 2016.

The Record Breaker, 2012

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Watched on Sunday April 24, 2016.

Scars of Dracula, 1970

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Watched on Sunday April 24, 2016.

Adventureland, 2009

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Watched on Sunday April 24, 2016.

A Good Marriage, 2014 - ★★★

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Watched on Saturday April 23, 2016.

Inside Out, 2015 - ★★★★★

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Watched on Saturday April 23, 2016.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait, 1988 - ★★½

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This was on the second DVD on a two DVD package (with the original TCM in a cut version) for 89 cents. Oh and this version actually had a few of their statements cut out so it would be rated for 16 year olds.

It's a pretty standard talking heads documentary talking about the making of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre with some scenes out of the movie. They talk to the 4 original actors of the family, that's why it's a family portrait.

The documentary had a clear structure, starting at the casting of the actors, then going to the making of the movie, talking about different things happening on screen, then going on to their feelings after shooting and ending on the backlash, what it changed for them and what big a success it was.

It had some weird noises in the background, like someone is unwrapping candy. That was pretty annoying.

Some of the artistic choices were also more distracting than interesting, like when they zoom in and switch to black and white mid-sentence.

What I did like was that they actually had some behind the scenes- and making of footage of the actual movie, so it had some more to show than just interview scenes.

All in all, it was an okay documentary giving some background stories, but it was nothing special. I'm rating it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Escape from New York, 1981

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Watched on Friday April 22, 2016.

The Toxic Avenger, 1984 - ★★★

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After I found out the Troma YouTube Channel features their features I watched Poultrygeist and then the making of that movie. I also wanted to watch Lloyd Kaufmanns most famous movie: The Toxic Avenger. And I have to say, it was better than I expected.

Melvin is your normal nerdy boy, wiping the floors of Tromavilles local gym. Some of the teens going to that gym are a little over the top, playing a prank on him that ends with Melvin jumping into Toxic Waste. Slowly after he turns into The Toxic Avenger.

This movie is really just a fun time. The Makeup on the Avenger was really good, as were some of the practical effects used in this movie.

The character of the Toxic Avenger was great, big ugly grunting guy, but also well spoken and charming. The acting was nothing special, but it was good enough, especially for a Troma film.

It is no masterpiece of film history, but it is something special. Troma is a special studio, doing no budget movies that are still really fun to watch, and not in a so bad it's good kind of way. I enjoyed this a lot, and I'm rating it 3 out of 5 stars and a like.

Mausoleum, 1983 - ★★½

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"I wasn't this nervous since I was black" - Elsie, the Maid (this was a quote in the German dub "So nervös war ich nicht mehr seit ich schwarz bin")

First of all, I have to say, I watched this in a bad German dub and it was a cut version (no idea what exactly was cut out).

From the director of timeless classics like Super Seal and Raging Hormones comes now this story of love and fear.
Susan (Bobbie Bresee) is possessed by a demon. So she goes around sleeping with guys and then killing them. Who will be able to stop her?

That is pretty much the story of this movie, not very special, not specially well done, but totally watchable. The acting was alright, I can't say too much about it because the German dub ripped these actors off any emotions they could possibly have.

My favorite character was the maid, Elsie. She has some of the weirdest quotes (and is also the only character quoted in the IMDb quotes section). Although there is one scene, in which she finds out that Susan is possessed by a Demon and the score at that point went to a comedy-like music while she is running down the stairs, then leaving the house. It was so weird and unfitting.

Talking about score, what I found weird about it was, it was a pretty good score, but it felt like it was ripped off. In one scene, with the gardener, there is a clear copy of the JAWS theme, not exactly the same, but so similar you can guess how it goes on.

The Make-up effects in some of the scenes were well done, I have to say I liked some of them.

In the end, this wasn't the worst movie ever, but it also wasn't good. It was weird, and at times lost my attention. The idea was good, what they made of it not so much. I'm rating this movie 2.5 out of 5 stars.

The Lego Movie 2014 -

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Watched on Thursday April 21, 2016.

Poultry in Motion: Truth Is Stranger Than Chicken 2008

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Watched on Wednesday April 20, 2016.

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead 2006

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Watched on Wednesday April 20, 2016.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989 - ★★★★★

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Watched on Sunday April 17, 2016.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, 2014 - ★★★★

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Watched on Saturday April 16, 2016.

Modern Times, 1936 - ★★★★½

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Watched on Saturday April 16, 2016.

Only God Forgives, 2013

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Watched on Saturday April 16, 2016.

In the Mood for Love, 2000

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Watched on Friday April 15, 2016.

Badlands, 1973

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Watched on Monday April 11, 2016.

Horror Movie Recommendations

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A friend asked me for some horror movie recommendations, because there are so many bad ones out there.
So I went through my watched list and listed all horror movies I thought were interesting, different, good in some way, and most importantly, not as well known.

Of course, some of the movies on this list are probably not that unknown in the right circles, but this friend didn't know any of them, or only heard the name.

I decided that would be a fun list to put on letterboxd, so that's what I'm doing right now. (For most of them I had a special reason to add it to this list, if so, they will be added in the notes to that movie.

• At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul

  If you're up for something weird, crazy, but still not bad, the first Horror movie to ever come out of Brazil

• Berberian Sound Studio

  it's all about the mood. Also, Toby Jones is the best

• Blackout

  Actually pretty interesting horror movie about 3 people trapped in an elevator, starring Littlefinger and Charlie Harpers lesbian daughter

• Carnival of Souls

  actually the movie that made me write my first review on letterboxd because it was wayyy better than I expected.

• Cemetery Man

  Just one of the funniest, craziest zombie movies I have ever seen. Also my favorite title ever: Dellamorte Dellamore

• Creep

  an actually good found footage horror movie, released on netflix

• Dead Set

  Zombies in the Big Brother house, actually a British miniseries

• Dead Snow

  Probably a little more well known, Nazi Zombies from Sweden

• Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead

  even more Nazi Zombies from Sweden, this time in a tank

• Excision

  disgusting but still really good and just crazy. Starring Ariel Winter

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Hush, 2016 - ★★★★

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I simply loved this movie.

Hush is a simple home invasion story, a killer visiting a woman who lives alone and tries to kill her. The twist: she is deaf, which gives him a slight advantage.

This movie is just so great. I want to tell everyone to watch it. It is really well shot, the characters are great, the acting is really good, I just love everything about it.

I really like the character of the Killer. He is just such a hateable asshole. Maybe his plan was to just kill her, but when he found out that the main character is deaf, he decides to "play" with her.

Also they got a great idea as to why she doesn't call the police: He took her phone and then cut the wires to her house.

This movie leaves you constantly on the edge, always worrying what is going to happen next.

There is some gore in this, but it's handled really well, it's not too much, it's the exact amount we need to get across what happened. More would be exaggerated, but less would lessen the impact of those scenes.

They took such a simple story that we should have seen a million times and did something new with it, something that we haven't seen this way that often.

And thanks to Netflix, this movie got released worldwide on the same day and I was able to watch it on the day of it's realease. Woohoo.

I rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars and a big recommendation to every horror movie fan out there. Watch it, and tell your friends.

Last 10 Top 10 #13 of 2016

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I'll try to do a ranking of the Last 10 movies I've seen every 10 movies I watch in 2016. This is probably the list with the best overall feeling so far. I didn't hate any of these movies, and as you can see below, the first 4 movies on this list are actually 5 star movies for me, which is just crazy.

Starting off with Room, which I put as #1 because I still kind of prefer new good movies over old ones, but to be honest the top 4 are pretty much interchangeable for me. Brie Larson really deserved the Oscar for this masterpiece of acting and just a great movie. This movie made my heart beat faster, I actually felt for the characters, felt with the characters. That doesn't happen often to me these days.

Hitchcocks North by Northwest is praised by everyone, so of course I had to watch it. And, as usual, Hitchcock did not disappoint. Cary Grant's character was so funny and a lovable asshole. This is probably the most enjoyable movie from the 50s I have ever seen, it holds up more than well and the story is just great. Loved it.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? starring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis was also a masters work. IMDb and the icheckmovies top 50 horror movies lists this movie as horror, which I can understand. But I wouldn't say it's horror, even though horrible things happen. The most impressive part about this movie is Bette Davis acting. This was my first Bette Davis movie, and I was blown away. She stole every scene she was in. I really loved this movie.

I rewatched The Raid because I hadn't seen it in some time and really wanted to, so I finally decided it's time for a rewatch. Those fight scenes are just the best thing ever. That coupled with a great story and a great idea, you get a martial arts masterwork. I just really love this movie and it's probably one that I will rewatch at least once a year.

Before Brooklyn there was Hanna starring Saoirse Ronan (I'm actually able to write that name without looking it up). I have a weak point for movies set in Germany and mostly movies having characters speak German, and real German, not some made up language that is supposed to sound German. So that was a big plus. The story is great, packing and intriguing, and the acting is great by all parties involved. I'm not quite sure if this is more of 4 1/2 stars or actually a five star movie, too.

Hellboy. It actually took me quite some time to get through this movie. I stopped it twice and went on for a few days before finishing it. The makeup was great, the special effects were not. The special effects were actually my biggest manko of this movie, but those were the best they had in 2004. The character of Hellboy (and actually all characters around him) were interesting and fun, as was the story. I really enjoyed this movie and have no idea why it took me so long to finish it.

Rat Race, the remake of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, is actually really fun. It has a star studded cast, a fun story, lots of great characters and actually some pretty cool stunts. Of course it's not as great as my first 5 movies and also not as good as Hellboy, but it is actually a fun time and a great movie to watch just for a good time.

Talking about a movie for a good time, I also watched House of 1000 corpses by Rob Zombie. Not really a good time, neither story-wise nor visually, but for a Horror fan, that's sometimes just not as important. Having Captain Spaulding, one of the greatest characters in modern horror history, is a positive thing. The story, seen similarly a billion times, is still not boring. This whole movie is more of a rollercoaster ride, or maybe like the ride they actually take in the beginning of the movie. It's not the best horror movie ever made, not even close, but it's not the worst either.

Dracula 2000, or as it's known in Germany, Wes Craven - Dracula 2000 is actually a movie I've seen before but didn't remember at all. I just got flashbacks while watching this movie. Dr. Foreman from House MD is an asshole in this movie, and Gerard Butler is Dracula. This is just a movie, I wouldn't say it was superb, I wouldn't say it was bad, but about one year from now, I won't remember this movie and only letterboxd will remind me that I actually watched it.

Last but not least, Addicted to Sexting, a documentary with many negative reviews on letterboxd. I thought this documentary was really okay. It had one really cringey part that I sat through in pain, but most of the time it was pretty funny. You didn't learn many new things, but this was one of those documentaries that is not about education but more about entertainment, which is fine by me. I didn't hate it.

So, that was probably my highest rated list so far, with 4 to 5 5 star movies. Hope you share my opinion, or if not, leave a comment. I got some more classics from the library I gotta watch, so let's see if I can get even more 5 star movies out of it ;)

1. Room
2. North by Northwest
3. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
4. The Raid
5. Hanna
6. Hellboy
7. Rat Race
8. House of 1000 Corpses
9. Dracula 2000
10. Addicted to Sexting

House of 1000 Corpses, 2003 - ★★★

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This movie is really hard for me to review.

It isn't really a good movie. It's weird. It's disgusting in parts. It's actually closer to a music video than to a horror movie.

But regardless, I caught myself actually enjoying this movie. Sid Haig is just one of my favorite humans, and his character Captain Spaulding is such a great character.
Actually, the whole Firefly Family is pretty interesting.

I usually enjoy those movies with real human horror, like Hostel for example. Not some supernatural being that kills people, normal people that are just crazy/rich/bored. So this, kind of crazy, family is really fun.

What I also like and mentioned before is referential stuff, like what Tarantino does or, on another level, what the Scary Movie-Movies do. And Zombie is no different, casting old Horror Guys like Sid Haig and having a whole family dinner kind of similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

So those are two major points why I like this movie. And why I like this regardless of some really weird stuff happening. Some of the scenes are really more music video than actual movie, like some weird color choices, some weird homevideo segments (which I actually kind of dug) and basically the whole ending of the movie.

But all in all, it is a must see movie for horrorfans, it surely has a value in some way. I'm rating this movie 3 stars and a like.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, 1962 - ★★★★★

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Watched on Friday April 8, 2016.

Addicted to Sexting, 2015

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Watched on Thursday April 7, 2016.

Rat Race, 2001

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Watched on Wednesday April 6, 2016.

Dracula 2000, 2000

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Watched on Wednesday April 6, 2016.

Room, 2015 - ★★★★★

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I waited so long for this to come out. Now I finally got to see ROOM.

This is the story of a mother (Brie Larson) and her son (Jacob Tremblay) who live together in a room. Just a room. They can't get out, but every now and then at the night Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) comes in and brings them stuff. After the sons fifth birthday they try to flee.

This movie was just really good. 5 stars good, no questions asked.
The acting is superb by everyone, especially of course Brie Larson and Jacob Tramblay.

The story is so good. After some time spent in the room I really felt claustrophobic. I wanted them to get out so bad, only a few movies ever made me feel this much with the movie. In some scenes my heart started beating hard, worried for the characters.

Also this movie felt so real, for some reason I was kind of happy seeing William H Macy because he is an actor I know.

All in all I loved this movie. Only a few movies make me feel this way. And the acting was great, by everyone involved. I have to rate this movie 5 out of 5 stars and tell anyone to watch it. Just watch it.

North by Northwest, 1959 - ★★★★★

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Watched on Tuesday April 5, 2016.

Hellboy, 2004

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Watched on Tuesday April 5, 2016.

Hanna, 2011

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Watched on Wednesday April 6, 2016.

The Raid, 2011 - ★★★★★

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Watched on Tuesday April 5, 2016.

Last 10 Top 10 #12 of 2016

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I'll try to do a ranking of the Last 10 movies I've seen every 10 movies I watch in 2016. Again a letterboxd movie night, and this time a broad spectrum from movies I loved to movies I couldn't care less about.

The Wicker Man was the surprise of this list. I went into it pretty hyped for sure, and it still managed to blow my mind and keep me excited. It's not scary as much as unsettling and weird. But the story, the mystery, is really what got me. I really enjoyed it.

A little less surprising was my #2, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Indi is back in his prequel and yeah, just like the first one it's an enjoyable, well shot movie, with lots of great scenes and stunts and an interesting story. Else I don't think there is much left to say that no one already said.

Another one on the "not really surprising" list is Beauty and the Beast, the animated movie by Disney that was nominated for best picture. It's just a beautiful animated movie with great voice acting, good songs and of course a classic story. I have a weak spot for this kind of animation, because that was the animation I was most used to during my childhood.

Now for probably the first surprise of this list, Scary Movie. Not everyone likes this as much as I do. Many people hate it. But this has more to do with nostalgia. I loved this movie as a kid and I still enjoy it. Of course the comedy is stupid. Of course the characters are over the top. But I really love this style of just parodying everything you can get your hands on. That's why it is my #4.

Men in Black is my #5 but in no way a bad movie. I really enjoyed it, just couldn't put it higher than the 3 classics ... and Scary Movie. Men in Black is a fun comedy and I really love the idea, even though now it is nothing new (because this movie is almost 20 years old), but at the time it was new and fresh. Aliens living peacefully beneath us is such a great idea for a comedy. The acting was good and it was overall a fun time.

Now to the most controversial of them all, Moon. I loved the story. The acting was superb. But I had major problems with it. I don't wanna spoil it, so if you've seen it click on the title for a full review.

The Perfect Candidate. I actually watched this movie twice already. It's the short we watched on the letterboxd movie night and it is a fun one. Of course it has no logic, no budget and is not that well shot. But it has Joe Estevez and Robert Z'Dar making fun of themselves. Also, it predicts the president voted in 2012 as Donald Trump, which is scary.

This lists documentary was Tricked: The Documentary. It is not a bad documentary. It's just not a great documentary. It's mostly talking heads while following a few people around. The subject was interesting and should be talked about more, that's why I watched it, but the documentary itself didn't really keep me interested. That's the reason it's this low on the list.

The Tempest is ... well... it's people showering. Which at first sounds like something I'd be into, but no. Close ups of people showering and being sprayed at with water set to classical music. It's just a short but still it's too artsy for me I guess.

Last and maybe least, Night of Terror. It was fun at the movie night. But almost every movie is fun at the movie night (other than maybe The Worst Horror Movie Ever Made), so that's not a reason to rank it high. The acting was ... basically reciting lines. The whole movie was weird, with too many stories going on at the same time, bad characters and a second movie spliced into it. Also, it was way too yellow.

So my most controversial Last 10 Top 10 so far, also I decided to from now on put links to my reviews into the short reviews I do on here. Hope to see you next time, with another ten movies.

1. The Wicker Man
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Scary Movie
5. Men in Black
6. Moon
7. The Perfect Candidate
8. Tricked: The Documentary
9. The Tempest
10. Night of Terror

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1984

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Watched on Monday April 4, 2016.

The Perfect Candidate, 2012

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Really holds up, even on second watch. Estevez-Z'Dar 2016 for sure.

Night of Terror, 1986

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I think this is the yellowest movie I have ever seen.

The Perfect Candidate, 2012

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Best election movie ever. Pretty sure this will be better than The Purge: Election Day

Moon, 2009 - ★★½ (contains spoilers)

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This review may contain spoilers.

It might be that I'm in the minority here but I did not love moon.

The movie was very good, no questions asked. Shot well, the effects (other than one scene) were good. I loved the Sam characters acted by Sam Rockwell, I loved Gerty voiced by Kevin Spacey.

The acting was great. Sam Rockwell plays multiple versions of the same character in this movie and it was great, I really loved his performance. Kevin Spacey only had to voice a robot called Gerty, and he does it well.

Gerty was also a great add-on, the only other "person" on this space station. And the design was a great idea, also the emoji for him to emote, I loved that.

The story was great. The story was interesting and while I'm sure it was similarly done before, it was the first time I have seen it.
But... this story depends on the twist and while it's really confusing at first about halfway through this twist is revealed and things are cleared up. I'm not sure how well this will hold up on a second watch.

My biggest problem with this movie was the constant circlejerk that happened. After a short time there are two Sam Rockwells running around on the station. And of course they have to interact. But they interact in ways that only characters in movies interact that are both played by the same guy. When have you ever seen two people play ping pong in a movie? It was added in to show off what they are able to do. I could see the director in front of my inner eye, thinking to himself how well he has done this effect. And we have many more of those scenes as the movie goes on. The worst offender was a scene where #2 tells #1 to put on his hat so he won't be cold. #1 holds the hat, #2 puts his hand on it and slightly moves it to somehow help #1 put it on, but it looks like a those scenes in ghost movies where ghosts pull on clothes. Same thing later when #2 takes a knife out of the hand of #1 to show him how the wood is really carved. It just looked awkward and was clearly only there to show off that they can have the same guy on screen, interacting.

Don't get me wrong, I really loved the story and idea of this movie, but those scenes of him interacting took me out of the movie so much, I couldn't enjoy it anymore. And that's why I'm rating this movie 2.5 out of 5 stars. It would have been 4 stars, maybe even 4 and a half, if it wasn't for the director wanting to be a show off. That really annoyed the hell out of me, and I have to rate this movie lower. I decided to put it on 2.5 which is the edge, it's right between great and shit, and that's where I feel with this movie.

Rant over.

Beauty and the Beast, 1991

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Watched on Friday April 1, 2016.