Skip to main content




Rating: 4/5
Review: "And then there were none TV review"

Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Scream season 2 TV review"

Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Slasher season 1 TV review"

The common theme of these three TV series is 'slasher'. All of them have a whodunit mystery. And then there were none shows that it is superior in mystery and thrills than the other two. And then there were none benefits from being staged as a three episodes mini-series. This is a strong difference between the three whodunit series. Both Scream and Slasher have the same weakness; they are overlong. The new season of Scream has 12 episodes (2 more episodes than the first season) and Slasher has 8 episodes. The problem with whodunit TV series is that they usually drag in the middle of the season and the excitement and intrigue of finding who the killer is slowly diminishes.

And then there were none is a breezy three episodes mini-series based on the Agatha Christie's mystery book. The first few minutes of episode 1 sets the mood of the entire series. Sombre music, mysterious characters and an ominous location. It may take a while to introduce the many characters and the whodunit story. But once characters are killed off, the pace will grip you and never let you go. It is complimented by beautiful cinematography, great acting and an atmospheric music score. My only grip is that it could be better as a film. Nevertheless it is a pretty damn good whodunit.   

The second season of Scream continues where the first season last ends. As the cliffhanger of the first suggests that there may be another killer on the loose, the second season's pace is brisk without many characters to introduce. The first few episodes are exciting enough. The suspect could be someone closer the main characters know. There is a lot of teasing of who the killer could actually be. And the suspense may even draw you into a debate. However, since the season adds another two more episodes, it starts to sag in the middle. It decides to develop first on some romantic relationships with a few characters. It is MTV after all. To the fans of Scream of the franchise, I think they will be disappointed the number of kills. To compensate for the lack of kills, it makes you anticipate who will be killed next with a sense of dread. The final reveal of the killer actually surprised me as I never thought MTV would have the guts to do it. Although this is a decent season, I wish it would end here for Emma and her remaining gang. After its good first season, the second season seems tired with a familiar and tame direction. Either it is time to give the series a fresh cast or just stop. Clearly, the creator did not get the memo, the season unsurprisingly ends with another cliffhanger. It is not clear whether the Halloween special will end the Emma's troubles with Ghostface.

The first season of Slasher is not bad but it could better in the suspense and thrill department. The first episode starts interestingly enough. The suspense is carried on to another few episodes before going downhill. None of the characters are likeable. Everyone is guilty in his or her own ways. No one is innocent, fair enough. But that doesn't justify why everyone has to act like a dick. Even the main character's motives are not exactly smart. Slowly, you will start to feel nothing for them as they are picked off one by one. It felt like that they are just an excuse to showcase blood and gore. I must admit that the reveal of the killer is a little surprising but regarding how the writers write the the killer's motives, I didn't care for the killer.

Overall: The three series are entertaining in their own ways. I enjoyed And then there were none the most because of its brisk pace, suspense, psychologically thrilling and good mood and cinematography. I enjoyed Scream but not as much as season 1. Slasher is worth a watch one time but soon it becomes nothing more than just an empty entertainment to watch on rainy days.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rating: 3.4/5 Review: "The Spirit of Ramayana" (103 minutes) "A passable Thai horror movie with an interesting concept but weak execution." As a low-budget horror movie, it has enough entertainment values. In the recent years, there are a few strong Thai horror movies with decent production values and there are many mediocre low-budget horror movies. The Spirit of Ramayana is somewhat in the middle. It may not look that polished but its themes and concept are intriguing enough. The story: The narrative is straight forward however its editing made the movie look messy and disjointed. It is a simple story about Mintra, a young dancer who is rejected for the main role because she cannot pull off an evil and sensual side. However, a spirit helps her to unleash her dark side. On paper, it sounds like a supernatural Black Swan. It lacks the emotional depth of Black Swan as the director seems only interested in churning out cheap scares. As the plot develops fur...
Rating: 4.5/5 Review: "Man of Steel movie review" With all the hype from the trailers, I must say this is what it looks to be expected. I have to say that this is the biggest and epic superhero movie yet. This treats destructions like child's play. It is also the most explosive superhero movie. There are so much explosions that they could literally make you exhausted from watching all those. Although this is directed by Zack Snyder, this does not have much of his trademark except the visuals. His slo-mo trademark is not featured. Instead, the action is rapid fast. Man of Steel is a good entertainment with exciting action scenes and visuals but at the same, a somehow touching human drama. The story: We get an extended opening scene on Krypton where Kal-El is just born. However the planet is going to be destroyed with General Zod adding to the problem. To save Kal-El, he has to be sent to another planet known as Earth. What is interesting about the movie that it do...
Rating: 4.6/5 Review: "Avengers: Endgame IMAX movie review" (181 minutes) This is surely the most anticipated movie this year. This is a non-spoiler review so it won't be very long. The ultimate question is: Is the conclusion worth the wait? Those who have invested 10 over years on every Marvel movie should have no doubts watching this on big screen. I personally find Endgame a little disappointing as it felt safer compared to the brutal Infinity War. The story: It is a direct sequel. And that's all a reader should know. There are some surprises along the way and it ends in a satisfying way. Audience should know that it is a 3 hours movie so they SHOULD NOT expect an action-packed thrill ride like what Infinity War is. It takes its time with characters and therefore it is reasonable to call it an action drama that delivers an emotional and nostalgic ride. Although it does feel a bit long, I found it consistently engaging. Music by Alan Silvestri is a bit lacki...