Drabble Geeks

Geeks…Being Total Geeks.

Category: Entertainment

Let’s Solve a Puzzle Pt 4

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Let me start by saying, “I am confusion.” I went into watching the fourth Saw movie, not expecting much. The third movie was a good enough ending in my opinion, and the story could have been done. But no, I am more confused about the story than I was before and putting more pieces together than the creators probably would have wanted. There is really no real way of describing the story without too many spoilers (if you know, you know). While this is the weakest movie in the franchise so far, my need for answers is overcoming my distaste for it.

The movie honestly starts immediately, and there is no time to gently get yourself ready. As soon as the opening title cards are over, you are in it. While I did like that the movie immediately started and got going, they did a bad job of interesting me in the different characters. The only thing that was really keeping me engaged was knowing that the story would have to get to a certain point and the reappearance of characters they did well to introduce before. While there were new puzzles, the main “puzzle” of the movie was the same as a previous one, with someone who should have known better. I was honestly rolling my eyes most of the time. While I’ll be watching the rest of this franchise, it is definitely to only answer questions and not because I can’t stop thinking about the story and trying to work out different clues or situations. Definitely not that.

Let’s Solve a Puzzle Pt 3

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I’ve just finished watching the third Saw movie and am slightly confused. I am somewhat happy with the story, but there’s more… First, this movie is definitely not for the squeamish, as the body horror is very hard to stomach, and it should come with an epilepsy warning. Also, my theory from the last movie was both correct and wrong. I just knew there was something weird about the second movie, and I was smart enough to pick up on it even though I didn’t know what. It was somewhat explained toward the end. Also, this movie kind of pissed me off.

While this movie does include an escape room for someone to escape, I feel that this person is the worst. He stands there. Where people in the other movies were trying to figure out the puzzles or freaking out, this guy just stands there. In fact, there are no puzzles; he just has to do something and fast. In horror movies, I sometimes get mad when people do stupid things, but at least they are doing something. I have never been so mad at a horror movie “protagonist.” Can I even call him a protagonist? No one really is in these movies, except Kerry; she’s awesome.

The last thing that confuses me is that this movie feels like it is the perfect ending for the series, yet there are more movies. At this point, we have reached a suitable stopping point, especially as it appears to be shifting from a psychological thriller to a more gory horror. I’m going to watch the fourth movie to see if it’s even worth commenting on the rest series. I know it’s a classic, but at a certain point, too many sequels spoil the franchise.

Let’s Solve a Puzzle Pt 2

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I’m back after watching the second movie in the Saw franchise, where instead of two people stuck in an escape room, there are seven. The puzzles were back and still blew my mind. I did get some of them, then there were others that were head scratchers, and I was still piecing everything together at the end. (Is it weird that I was slightly proud if I solved a puzzle before the characters? They technically have more time to figure things out than I do.) The other interesting thing was that there is a converging outside plot line that really kept the intensity high.

This movie was interesting in that it introduced a group dynamic to everything. Not only did they have to worry about solving the puzzles, but they also had to worry about others. While the puzzles were still surrounding human desperation, I’m not too sure that that’s entirely true. Probably just part of it. Connecting back to everything in the first movie, and all that we learned in this one, I’m suspicious of some of the motives. It will be interesting to see if my theories turn up with anything, or if it’s just the writers messing with our heads. I could have done with more of the type of body horror from the last movie, where you didn’t really see anything, you just knew it was happening because of the context and other character interactions. So, if you are squeamish, this probably isn’t the film for you.

Let’s Solve a Puzzle Pt 1

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Happy Spoopy Month, everyone. In honor of the best month of the year, I have started my annual rewatch of the English dub of Ghost Stories, and more importantly for you, I’ve decided that I would begin to watch that famous series Saw, starting with the first one and then slowly working my way through the movies available to me. Spoopy Month is the perfect time to willingly terrify myself for the fun of it, so let me begin making my way through this classic series.

Even though this movie was made upwards of two decades ago, it is still beautiful, in a horrifying, hiding part of the screen with my hands, and needing to pause sometimes type of way. Watching it, I know why it is considered a classic. While it doesn’t evoke the stereotypical monster or supernatural horror vibes, I would definitely classify this as a psychological, ‘is this even real?’ horror. For those who don’t know, and without spoilers, Saw follows two guys in an escape room, and they’re not having fun. Everything is, unfortunately, at times, very grounded in reality as you delve into the depths of human desperation. At all times, I was wondering if there was another choice for characters to make. Some, yes. Others, no. I’m very interested in how the rest of the series unfolds, as it seems that the horror is not necessarily in the puzzles, but in the extent and desperation of the will to live. Also, as a Criminal Minds fan, I’m very interested in how the victims are decided. It feels like there should be more exploration of that and I can’t wait to see.

Patterns on Our Skin

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This will probably be the only time that I admit that it took me too long to watch something. Usually, I stick to my gigantic list to “Want to Watch” and the time comes when the time comes. I will admit that I was completely and utterly wrong about K-Pop Demon Hunters. I thought it was being overhyped, but it wasn’t. If you search around my blog you know that I love Japanese media. When my dad said I should watch it, I blew it off because obviously he confused the two countries. He may have had a point.

K-Pop Demon Hunters may quite possibly be my favorite movie of the year, and not just because I don’t really watch new movies. It has everything. Amazing animation, lovable characters, action, drama, and a dash of romance. Going further than the understanding of three Korean pop-stars who fight and save the world from a demon takeover through song who be too many spoilers for this amazing story. I am also sometimes skeptical of in-universe soundtracks, but the songs are beautiful and heartwarming. I’ve either had them on repeat or stuck in my head for days now. Check it out, if you haven’t, because at this point it is a complete sin. Seriously, drop everything and run, don’t walk, to your nearest Netflix account.

Another thing that I’ve done since watching this movie is find the Korean translations and a couple of people who are speaking on some of the aspects of Korean culture that I, as an American, would not get. It’s been really interesting how much deeper the story gets with some of the extra background people are supplying. I would explain it, but again, spoilers… Just know that I am expecting some amazing cosplays for these characters. I make no promises, however, since my cosplay game is sorely lacking.

Grey’s of the Sea

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I usually don’t watch shows as they come out. I don’t have a TV nor cable. The only things I have are Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll accounts; I usually am binge-watching shows. Imagine my surprise when my friend, Panda, told me that I needed to watch this show that was coming out every single week: a medical drama that takes place on a boat. Well, call me intrigued. That show is “Doctor Odyssey.” Some may have heard of this show from the aside John Oliver made on “Last Week Tonight,” but I was there from week three or four.

Anyway, “Doctor Odyssey” is about a Doctor who seems to be running from his everyday life because of a wake-up call from being a “patient zero” for COVID in his hospital. Enter the two other medical staff on the boat, sorry, ship. Anyway, we know how most medical dramas typically unfold and eventually lead to romance. I really thought this show would be interesting, since from the very beginning it was hinting at an OT3, or one true threesome for those not in the know. There was chemistry between everyone. Unfortunately, at least Panda and I think, the networks got involved, and nonsense started happening. While the medicine and medical aspects were still good, I would not stand the relationship as the show kept going. I eventually started skipping anytime our favorite characters were not doing their jobs. While I enjoyed the show and where I thought it was going, I don’t think the show will continue. There were lots of plot points that would keep that from happening unless there is a time jump, and everything was resolved in the season finale. Maybe start with another group. Either way, it was a good weekend binge if you’re looking for something quick to watch.

~Sent from my iPhone

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Let me begin with the title of this post is honestly one of the most terrifying things a college student can get from their professor. It strikes fear in a similar way that I think this was supposed to in the piece of media that I will be reviewing today.

When it first came out, I was interested in what Baby Reindeer was about. I love a good crime drama, but I have tons of other ones that I have yet to get to. I’ll add it to the bottom of my list, I thought. That was until in my YouTube recommended feed, it said that the “real-life stalker” was being interviewed. And then I saw the video that another victim was also being interviewed. It was only until this came up when this show was moved up on my to-watch list. I also wanted to see if the complaints I was hearing were called for.

Now, Baby Reindeer deserves all of the content warnings and is not at all for the faint of heart. It is gripping and terrifying, yet at the same time, tries to explain the motivations of all the characters, even if it is stomach-turning to think about. Strike one for this fear is understanding that this is a true story, or as true as Netflix thought they could get. In most stories like this, it’s comforting since it is well known that it is fake, even if these are situations that happen in real life. There is no cognitive dissonance here. Strikes two and three, well, aren’t for the faint of heart and cannot really be mentioned here.

One thing that I did have to keep in the back of my mind here was that there was a possible lawsuit in the mix, with it apparently being too easy for people to figure out who different characters were based on. From the little information I knew beforehand, I would completely agree. The only thing I could tell they changed about one victim was their sex. Everything was exactly the same: look, occupation, location, mannerisms. Connecting the dots would have been way too easy, and changing a lot of things would probably have saved everyone a lot of headache. (I completely don’t support people trying to find these people, but the internet is going to internet.) I’m actually interested in the story as it goes from here, as there were a couple of things that were dramatized under the notion of being a true story, rather than “based on a true story.” If anyone hears about this before me, please let me know.

Jolly Good Show

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Since I’ve been on my PhD journey, I’ve gotten really into random shows that I thought I was too “old” to watch when I was younger. When your brain needs to decompress it will decompress. Now adays, I’ve gotten into some older kids cartoons that I didn’t give myself permission to watch. Well, now that I don’t care, I’ve just finished watching Regular Show. I wanted a cute little show that I didn’t necessarily have to keep track of each and every little thing and just enjoy.

Overall, I thought it was a really cute show. It wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny to me, but it kept my attention the entire time and was very amusing. My favorite story line, because it makes absolutely no sense without the context, was about the format wars. I did in fact find this absolutely hilarious, but that is a conversation for people who have watched it. Another thing that amused me is that I think you’re supposed to believe that every one is technically a person. Our main protagonists include a blue jay, racoon, a gumball machine, and a lollypop, I think, just to name a few.

Either way, the show is very episodic and there is no really through line, until the last season, which I thought that was very well done. I highly enjoyed the series, and would definitely watch again at some point.

Come On, Grab Your Friends

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Recently, I’ve been having a blast watching cartoons from a couple of years ago that I didn’t get to watch. I was probably too busy watching something else, but I have finally gotten back to them. They are a great way to decompress after spending hours in the lab running experiments. This week’s addition to that list is Adventure Time.

I remember not really watching this show because it was advertised as very much episodic with no throughline. I don’t know who told me this, but if I find out, I’m going to tell them they’re a big fat liar. Moving on, this was a very enjoyable show. It was nice to wrap myself in a blanket with a cup of tea and binge-watch a season… or two. My favorite duo is definitely Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, the Vampire Queen. Their ever-evolving friendship was just enjoyable to watch. There were also some very deep episodes and plot lines, which are always surprising to watch in a children’s show. If you look past the surface for this supposedly silly show, there is a lot going on, and I think anyone would enjoy this. I just enjoyed every minute of watching it.

How Does It Hold Up: The Lost World: Jurassic Park II

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I’m back after watching another part of a series movie that was a core memory of some people’s childhood. I did watch movies with dinosaurs in them, they just never included humans. I may have just been busy watching cop shows. (Let’s be honest, it was definitely the cop shows.) Either way, I have made my way through the second Jurassic Park movie soon after watching the first, and I have some notes. While I did somewhat enjoy this movie, I didn’t love it as much as I enjoyed the first; it did have a low-key feel to it. Before going into the specifics of the movie, I do love when sequels are able to get the kid actors again, even if it’s just for a short cameo.

Firstly, there was a logical reason for having another movie, which I immediately questioned at the end of the first. With science fiction movies, for me at least, there needs to be a very good reason for having a sequel. There was probably some help since this movie was based on a book to help with the grounding, but I won’t know that until I read it. (Hint, hint.) I also enjoyed that there was some growth within the characters. One, not willingly letting children around dinosaurs? Check. Two, not necessarily profiting off of animals for the sole purpose of entertainment? Check. It was good. I’m now scared about how and why there are more movies. Why? It was a perfect ending. It is very much a “what now, humanity” as it included the very real conversation of how can we preserve animals and leave them in a somewhat natural habitat. Perfect ending in my opinion. The only thing that would have made it better is a way to actually see most of the movie. One or two more flashlights here and there would have helped.

Now, there is one more movie to finish the series. I did watch Jurassic World, and I was meh before, but I’m definitely not a fan of the new movies. I now get some of the easter eggs, but I really don’t care. I’m really hoping the third movie doesn’t disappoint me. I’m crossing my fingers.