All The Possible Things

Going through films that I own. In my reviews I will determine if I will keep them or get rid of them. 

[dougbeamer]

Decisions

I’ve spend a long time trying to figure out how I wanted to do things on social media. What is my presence going to be like? How often will I post? What can I do to keep things alive?

These are just a few questions I asked myself.

When I was single I went to town on how often I posted on YouTube and created whatever I could I thought was interesting, fun, and within the means of getting noticed without sacrificing the love. I went through numerous different tactics and ways.

7 Minutes or Less is a platform that I felt would be good to introduce people to tv shows. It’s gone through a number or different ways I wanted to present information. But now I think I know how I want to do things. Unfortunately, it’s taken a back seat in favor of movie reviews.

Love/Like/Hate felt dead on arrival because I started it and never really came around with any sort of focus. It was on films not trending and in the theater but ultimately I never got around to it. 

But that soon evolved into Cinema Spotlight. 

Cinema Spotlight really helped me focus. I started in late November of 2019 and I continued onwards till today. I’ve loved it. 

I’ve spend a long time trying to do whatever one else was doing thinking it was my own idea when really I was just copying and pasting the idea and plastering it with the sign:

I wasn’t finding my voice and I really couldn’t reshape my approach to new films or up and coming tv shows without seemingly looking like someone else’s idea.

Nevertheless, creating Cinema Spotlight truly helped me find my voice and my own niche. Choosing directors and going through their filmography seemed to be the way to go for me!

Then...recent developments in my life took place that I felt really hit me emotionally. Things were changing outside of my channel and I started to see how I have less and less time. 

Some things I can get into and other things i can’t. In hopes to keep them private I don’t want to put anything out there in the universe that will throw everything I’m talking about out the window. But some big changes in my life are coming and I need to start dedicating my time, effort and even money into them.

But what I can talk about is the expectations I had over establishing myself on this platform, the other social media outlets and the reality of what took place. So were going to dive into that.

So the first thing is between the different platforms I chosen I decided on Vimeo, YouTube, Tumblr (here) Facebook and Twitter.

Between all these platforms some made the cut others not so much. I certainly tried to get things started on here but never seemed to remember long enough that I even had an account. I would start something and never follow through. I would remember, restart and then forget simultaneously. 

It ultimately came down to Facebook and Twitter to be my ultimate promotion outlets. Friends and followers. I settled with that and it wasn’t too bad considering friends would watch what I would do once in a while and the followers I had maintained would watch as well. Bringing my videos to a fair 10-45 view count. Some videos have done better than others. 

So believe you me I am extremely grateful for that.

But...something happened in one month that really...struck a chord with me. It actually hurt on a fundamental level that became not only a wake up call but something I just felt maybe I was misunderstanding.

It came around the time I chose Peter Jackson for my next director. I planned on going through all his films and give a really special treatment to his Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

Before even watching any of his films I decided to prep for the biggest project I would ever tackle in a long time: Collaborations. 

I decided this would be a perfect opportunity to invite fans, friends and followers in to talk about LOTR. That is if they were fans of the franchise to begin with. 

I reached out to friends and asked them if they would like to be apart of it. 8 out of 10 times I got a yes. Sadly, as the weeks went on when I got started...not everyone had the time to sit down and record their favorite scenes or situations to make it by the deadline.  It was even worse reaching out on Twitter.

The people I would have loved to be apart of this LOTR project either were not interested because LOTR was not their thing or they simply chose never to get back to me. Which is what actually hurt the most.

Most of my life I see something I love I spend a long time trying to share it with others who haven’t seen it. I try not to force it and allow one to watch a movie or tv show genuinely so i don’t ruin the experience. But all my life I haven’t been able to share the love I’ve had for these things because i’ve been surrounded by family and friends who I didn’t get into it. They probably loved or liked it fine but not on the same level as me.

I’ve learned to accept that for the most part but i this particular situation with the LOTR project...I did put out there a “call to action”. 

Not that I felt a massive response of “yes” and “nos” were needed in order to feel great about myself but the fact that I didn’t get anything at all. Hurt me to the core.

If you go onto my channel you’ll see the first 5 films Peter has done are reviewed with a preface from me calling all LOTR fans. I ask if anyone wants to be apart of my review let me know and that anyone could reach out to me on Twitter.

Unless I actually reached out to someone personally on Twitter...i never got a single hit. No messages. Nothing on Youtube either. 

There were even a few people on Twitter I reached out to that neglected to even respond back with a yes or no.

In the end, you get the idea. The project was a dud. No friends could be apart of it. No followers or subs showed interest. And before this “woe is me” bull crap goes on any further I blame myself for not doing more. But what hurt with what I had no control over was the lack of interest from anyone.

This came down to logically seeing what the problem was. 

I could see that Honestly I didn’t have the proper heft in anyone’s platform to gain that kind of collaboration. I just simply didn’t have enough of an online presence. Jealousy and resentment kicked in feeling wronged by everyone who ignored me and life taking over which were things I had no control over but felt like it would be just typical for me to have no weigh in to having people falling over backwards to be apart of my project. 

That was on me. Having that kind of expectation. But it really put a damper on the cloud looming over me that month. 

In that time other things came about that just shut me down. I couldn’t handle the rejection or lack of passion from others and I just turned it around and blamed myself for even trying. So I took a break from all social media platforms.

After 3 months I found myself returning reviewing The Frighteners, Peter Jackson’s 6th film just before LOTR.

In that same month of June the unthinkable but entirely plausible thing happened.

My facebook profile was hacked. 

Everything I had within my profile is now gone. You should know I did try to recover it back. But the approach I took ended up becoming timely, costly and frustrating to where I am at the point of just leaving my profile to die. 

This in lue of the big changes i aforementioned there is something I did want to bring to light. I may be taking a small risk on bringing it up and I understand in light of the circumstances this may not even matter but... 

I am going to put my review channel on hold. 

Not because of the things I mentioned before so this isn’t a pity party or a build up of emotions that hinder me from performing. It’s actually a lot different than that.

What I plan to do is focus my energy on something I don’t think I’ve considered in a long while. 

Currently I am trying to write a book. A horror novel that has a lot of details, emotions, story beats and it’s something I really want to dedicate my time to. I don’t know what will come out of it but I do know I want to focus on it and get as much as I can done and hopes to see where it can go.

I plan to return to Youtube at some point but the reason I’m bothering with this announcement is because I see my subscribers as long term investors to my content. You all were generous enough to subscribe because you liked or loved that one video I made. You saw no problem in taking the time to click that button and say, “Hey, you were cool. You are worth my time.”

I feel you should know is merely on that fact that you gave me the consideration. I wanted to give you mine. If i’m able to I’d like to come back in the new year. It’s a stretch but enough time for me to dedicate to this novel. I need to get somewhere with it. 

As far as being on Tumblr...its a hit and a miss sometimes. I don’t know when I can dedicate any time to you other than use this as a platform to talk about my thoughts and feelings. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!!

[brucee-waynee]

Superman looks to the future, Batman looks to the past and I [Wonder Woman] reside in the present, securely bridging the two.  

JUSTICE. TRUTH. HOPE.

[dougbeamer]

Jokes on You

 You throw a joke and tell me to relax

Sadly my brain can’t form the proper syntax

You throw what you call jokes when really it’s defamation 

All I can do is face the humiliation

I joke back and suddenly all is lost

because there were some lines I crossed

So much is said towards me and I have to let it all be

But you really don’t understand what I see

You create double standards in your wake

All to watch me squirm for goodness sake

This doesn’t make me want to open up

merely make me feel like i’m about to erupt

If I have to be careful of my words

What makes you think I should stand for your gird

I have asked you to be mindful oh yes I have

only to watch you give birth to a calve

You could give a shit less of how you make others feel

as long as everyone else follows suit you’re the real deal.

In simplicity, fuck you and your double standards and your sense of humor

I’ll never fit in with you because I’m nothing but a tumor.

[dougbeamer]

Halloween Movie Marathon!!

So! I’m about 6 days late but I wanted to share this with you guys. My girlfriend and I thought what better way to celebrate Halloween than to watch a whole bunch of horror movies all the way till the 31st!

Now, to be honest with you I am very picky about my halloween movies. I love the dark, deep intense stories while Diana LOVES the more lighthearted ones. Once in a while she dabbles in the intense stuff but she won’t do it if she don’t like it!

Without further ado I’m gonna dive on in and I will not be releasing any list just what we ended up watching cause, ya know, lists change! Oct 1st - Hocus Pocus

I absolutely love this movie. Its funny, witty, cheesy and absolutely aware of what it is. Thank you Disney! This movie is probably on a lot of peoples favorites but let me tell you...this is probably the most highly quoted film between my girlfriend and I throughout the 2 years we’ve been together!

Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker ALL were so fun to watch in this film. Hands down all of them were my favorite as the Sanderson sisters. I seriously cannot pin point just one actress whose funnier in this group without cracking up at the other. When I see Sarah I crack up, when I see Kathy I giggle, when Bette does her thing I’m snickering and quoting her.

I can gush about this movie all damn day but i won’t. I’ll say this...if you love campy, horror, halloween themed fun...check this one out! 

Oct 2nd - Corpse Bride

This will be a brief one cause unfortunately I didn’t get to see this one with Diana. Sadly, I don’t 100% love this movie either. I like it fine and I think with others who love it more than I adds to the experience. 

This is another quoted film between us strangely enough but thats because Diana is so damn adorable in everything she does. She plays off my silliness so when I kiss her eye she pretends that I sucked it out. I’ll pop it back and she’ll go, “Maggots, hahaha” Note: She’s changed it to, “Dougy, hahaha”

Animation is superb, story is fun and the voice work I feel is on point. It just didn’t speak to me. 

Oct 3rd - IT Chapter 1

SO! I love this movie. First chapter is a well made scarefest extravaganza and Bill Skarsgard is amazing as Pennywise. He is fiercely intense, hilarious and when the scares don’t work for him because the kids are getting wise to his act...he channels that. I don’t know how he does it. 

The kids are phenomenal in this. Period. Nuff said.

The story itself is just personal enough where I know who the main character is and the rest of the characters fill in the gaps of their own personal problems and history. When they are together they are strong. When they are by themselves...that’s another story. 

Pennywise is in this film just enough where you want more. The kids aren’t annoying and scares range from being actually intense and brief, the music adds to that and don’t get my started on the make-up and practical work. CGI is used and its noticable but to a degree where when it is used its makes sense.

Check this one out if you have the stomach for it.

Oct 4th - No film

IT Chapter 2 was supposed to be watched this day but we had a fun day planned going to a theme park! 

Oct 5th - IT Chapter 2

This long drawn out, hilarious, scarefest is not as great as the first. But I love it. Pennywise is in it probably the same amount of time as he was in the first but it does feel less. LIke he wasn’t utilized enough.

The kids are all grown up, yes, and that doesn’t detract from its value but there is something distant from it all though the rapport between everyone is sky high. What i take issue with is the writing mostly. It really stays in the first draft territory of, “It’s not real!” or “No matter what happens we gotta stick together” or “You gotta be kidding me”.

There is some actual funny moments that I love in this film, sight gags and funny dialogue moments. Every. Single. Kid that shows up as the grown up counterpart is SPOT ON PERFECT!!

The run time didn’t bother me as I loved every second. 

Anyway, this is a mess. Its flawed but I enjoyed this one.

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SET OF FILMS!!

[dougbeamer]

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Own the first and the second. I even own the Director’s cut of the first film.

Verdict: Keep!

(Note: There is no Hellboy 1 review.)

Hellboy 2 dives into the mythos of a war that brewed between humans and elves. The indestructible Golden Army was created to win said war but the bloodshed was too great and a true was made between King Balor and the humans. After said truce, Prince Nuada exiles himself only to return an unspecified time later gathering piece of a crown that would awaken the Golden Army. Enter Hellboy and crew finding themselves tangled in this mess hoping to stop the prince from getting what he wants and venturing into the realm of creatures and magic. Oh and making sure the army doesn’t rise.

Unfortunately we reach the 2nd and final installment of the bellboy franchise that Guillermo graced us with. Ron Perlman reprises his role for his final time unless we are surprised with a 3rd along with the rest of the cast. It’s really unfortunate we didn’t get a 3rd installment.

I was pleasantly surprised when this film was made. I found myself Heading right on into the theater and ready to get blown away by the special effects, make up and overall story. And was I? I wasn’t blown away but I certainly enjoyed the hell out of this movie.

This is the kind of film that gets to do whatever it wants and gets away with it. Guillermo clearly was having a good time introducing different creatures, concepts and adventures to the franchise. For that the special effects are exquisite, prosthetic and make up effects are to die for despite it looking like everything that Guillermo had in his sketchbook. That never bothered me though I’ve heard that criticism before. But the story does suffer a little bit.

You remember I was telling you about my criticisms of the first film? The dialogue, pacing and acting all go hand in hand and the film was a bit awkward in delivery? For the first hour of this film that same criticism is 10 fold here. Spoken dialogue lacked conviction sometimes, the situations blended beats so humor and serious moments didn’t quite mesh and the story sort of drags a bit but not a whole lot.

Despite all this, this is just in the first hour for me. Things focus up really well after that and I must say the prince Nuada segments even in the beginning of the film were the most compelling and action packed for me.

So throughout this film I kept thinking this is gonna be a “liked it” rating and it almost disappointed me because I stated that I loved it previously. I hate laying and I certainly hate the fact that as you grow older you see flaws or things don’t click like they used to.

But by the end I was still in love with this world. I enjoyed the villain Prince Nuada I don’t think he gets enough credit for being a formidable villain against Hellboy. He’s also one out of a few villains that actually tries to get things done himself before using other creatures to do his bidding.

Ron Perlman as Hellboy will always be my Hellboy. David harbor did a great job, don’t get me wrong but Ron is my version.

Selma Blair, Doug Jones and the two actors that play Johann Krauss: John Alexander and James Dodd are all full committed into their roles. I even enjoyed Jeffrey Tambor.

The creatures in this film tell all sorts of stories that I wish the film had more time to explain. One in particular always got me which was this one shop keeper in a underground market that looks like it has a castle on its head. Been always curious about that.

But the real selling point for me beyond all the rest I had mentioned were the fight sequences. Nuada provides enough action that puts our characters to the test demanding their physical prowess. So, it also emotionally charges them too. So I felt everyone had a part to play in this film and not just Hellboy’s past becoming the issue. The fights range from decent to fun. I find them awkwardly staged at points but impressive none the less between prosthetics and CGI. My favorite sequence is towards the end when Hellboy goes up against the Golden Army.

Guys and gals, in the end, I really felt this was a worth successor to the Hellboy franchise. Its fun, creative, and inspiring. I think you should give this a watch just the same as the first film. This is less darker than the first film and I think it succeeds in going in that direction.

With that I loved Hellboy 2 and own it on dvd.

I can’t believe I was this close to saying “Liked it”.

[dougbeamer]

Pan’s Labyrinth

Verdict: Recently bought (really wanted)

Pans Labyrinth is about a little girl Ofelia who finds comfort in fairy tales as her mother, growing increasingly ill, marries a ruthless and sadistic captain apart of the army. When Ofelia finds a fantasy realm beckoning to her by a faun claiming her to be a Princess of a hidden realm, she embarks on a quest that blends the harsh brutal war in the real world and the possible sinister fantasy world Ofelia is destined to be apart of. 

That is my rough synopsis on how to describe this movie. I don’t think I did a good job but this is enough to say that this movie is absolutely the most exquisite piece of filmmaking I have ever seen in my entire life. This movie came out in 2006 and when I watched it then…I knew I was watching something great but couldn’t appreciate what I was really seeing. Here in 2020 and all its glory I’ve found myself excited to travel back to this film. 

This movie…is perfect. You heard me right. It’s perfect. The world is in shortage of perfect films and with what films there are this is one of them. Between the drama between characters and the realistic stakes set in this film and the fantasy elements coming in resembling what the world has done to whats left of it, this film is incredibly nuanced. 

Diving deeper into some of the elements of this film I’ve realized there was quite a bit of disturbing content I don’t think a young child could handle and for someone like myself who is highly sensitive…it can stick with you for a few days. Brutal deaths mostly come from the Captain who is merciless, unforgiving and cruel…in the most sinister kind of way. That’s not to say the fantasy elements are not just as brutal its just not As consequential in setting up what you need to care about.

Consider this…if the real world was bleak and uninviting you might be inclined to just say it’s alright but not ideal. But when you put in cruel characters that do horrible things with no mercy…you start to look to the world Ofelia is seeing as a little more enticing. But what makes this worse is the creatures and the world Ofelia is being beckoned to has challenges that can equally be just as horrifying! So when you have both worlds coming together and neither have much to offer you have some scary shit really bogging down on you.

The only thing that makes the real world worth rooting for is Ofelia’s mother who is pregnant with child. A you are rooting for Ofelia to escape the world she has no choice to live in she is being offered help from the faun to remedy her ill mother. So there are these little redeeming qualities.

But then there are points in this film I can’t even begin to wonder how these story elements were conceived because despite seeing this film once before I had forgotten how our characters got out of certain moments where everything truly felt hopeless.

If the real world wasn’t brutal then this story would have meant nothing to you. If the fantasy world wasn’t slightly intimidating to travel to with some real threats then it would have been just flat.

Guillermo found an equal blend of telling a story that he was obviously passionate about. Between Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone and this film these films are at his upmost highest of his craft. One improving from another. 

This movie impacted me in ways I couldn’t believe and I am anxious to know how this movie effected you. For that I loved Pan’s Labyrinth and would own it on Blu-ray.

This movie blew me away and I actually want to watch it again.

[dougbeamer]

Once again...

I look to utilize Tumblr for what it is and not so much use it as a backdoor channel for promotion. I’ve seen myself trying too hard and starting things I couldn’t possibly finish or keep up.

But now I feel this might be a nice little platform for personal reasons.

I have movies. I can’t say a lot of them but a decent amount. Enough to look at them and go...do I really enjoy that movie after all these years? Or I ask myself because I don’t watch it anymore do i still want it?

At the end of the day I will look to watch, review and determine if this is a film I keep or get rid of. This is not to reflect on anyone else’s opinion so if I’m getting rid of a film you love don’t think its to shame you or make you feel like you need to convince me that its worthy of my collection. It’s all a matter of my process of elimination. 

Trying to get rid of movies so I can optimize on space. 

Postings of said reviews can happen at anytime so there is no set schedule. Things might be in alphabetical order for a bit and then suddenly not at all. Some reviews just might be a sentence long or a word long because I already know for a fact I want it or don’t. 

So, thats basically it. I hope this works out. If you wanna know more go ahead and ask and if you want more content that is movie related check out my Youtube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_E7cccZDwGL41pQlBRcy-g?view_as=subscriber If this is not a correct link let me know and i’ll change it!

[dougbeamer]

Funniest film you ever saw? Scariest film you ever saw?

Funniest: Kung Pow enter the fist. Scariest: The Babadook

[dougbeamer]

1941 - Movie Review - Cinema Spotlight

Spielberg’s career has taken off! After Jaws and then Close Encounters he goes to make a comedy...? Does this one fair well as the first two? Find out in my review of 1941! 

[dougbeamer]

The Witcher - Season 1 - Netflix Review

Hey everyone! December 20th, The Witcher was released on Netflix and it was my last review for the year. If you were ever curious on my thoughts for the show I would love some support!

[dougbeamer]

Close Encounters of a Third Kind - Movie Review - Cinema Spotlight

You like aliens? Yes? Well you’ll like this movie! Don’t like aliens? Well they like you! Enjoy my review for Steven’s 5th film as he hits his stride after his first blockbuster thriller now making his first real big budget scifi! 

[dougbeamer]

Jaws - Movie Review - Cinema Spotlight

In space, no one could hear you scream. But before space was ever a threat the water kept you from swimming!

[dougbeamer]

Cinema Spotlight - The Sugarland Express Movie Review

Yet again another road film only this time instead of hitchhikers, and a man vs machine it now two outlaws running from the cops. 

This is like an unintentional trilogy from Spielberg where it has a lot to do with conflict on the road. 

[dougbeamer]

Cinema Spotlight - Duel Movie Review

Next film review is Steven’s 2nd film in his filmography! While the first film was about two hitchhikers trying to catch a ride this one is about a guy trying to escape a truck who is trying to kill him! Already seeing a theme here for his first two films!

[dougbeamer]

A Life in Film - Cinema Spotlight

My new segment on my channel from Youtube where I take an actor or director and review their films from their first to recent. 

I chose Steven Spielberg and the first official film on his filmography was...

Amblin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YyUb1pc9vI (Direct link to YouTube)

Every Wednesday I’ll be uploading a new video following Mr. Spielberg. Any help, support and comments would be nice! 

[dougbeamer]

Breaking Bad - Season 2 Review (Minor Spoilers)

This week in world of TV shows I review BREAKING BAD SEASON 2! With El Camino premiering on Oct 11th on Netflix I decided to travel on this journey once agai...

[dougbeamer]

Brightburn - Movie Review *Spoilers*

I saw this movie almost a month ago. I tried doing a video review for it several weeks ago and idk...nothing stuck. What I wanted to say just felt like it could be the same as everyone else. I just don’t think I’m gonna add anything new to the consensus.

But then I got thinking about it again for some reason I felt a desire to talk about it again.

So! Let's start with the plot and what this movie is about.

Brightburn is a film that came out in May of 2019 and tells the story of a family Tori and Kyle Breyer trying to have a kid. By a miraculous miracle, a spaceship crashlands on their farm and they adopt the baby boy inside naming him, Brandon. Many years later the family begins experiencing weird things with their now 12-year-old child. He sleepwalks to the barn where the ship he crashed landed in mumbling a strange language and trying to get inside. 

Eventually, Brandon Breyer’s powers take effect and he starts using them to kill people rather than saving people. Brandon Breyer’s is on the full path to becoming a supervillain.

With the plot, in a nutshell, I can tell you there isn’t much more to it than that. If there is anything that I don’t like when making my reviews is explaining the plot. I know I need to in order to give everyone a heads up of what I am talking about but I never seem to talk about the plot specifically enough. I never actually describe it well. My store manager had an opportunity to see this film and said it pretty simply. “It’s like Superman meets Annabell”

While I never have seen Annabell it seems like an apt description. Annabell seems like a small film in scale and terrorizes folks who come close to it. The stakes are personal, intense and not much beyond what you are given. Of course, Superman is the spot on the comparison you can give because this film screams, “WE ARE SHOWING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SUPERMAN WENT EVIL!” as a concept piece.

Every time I think about this film the less I like about it. 

I know there are some people out there that probably L-O-V-E this film and can’t wait to see what is next in this obvious start to a twisted franchise. 

This film is basic. Very basic. Nothing more to it than a kid coming to his own with superpowers with his parents in denial of what he is capable of. The father is less in denial than the mother is who refuses to think her child is capable of such things.

At the beginning of this film, I actually loved it. The took just enough time to create the conflict between these two that they wanted a child. Just then their house is rocked by an earthquake and they proceed to check it out. It was mysterious, it was solid. 

The rest of the film...not so much. 

When I watch a film I lookout for a few things. One of them being dialogue, moments to establish the relationships as true, real and tangible, stakes that make sense no matter how much it derails the people involved, and above all else how the film constructs this. Bring it all together with enough pomp and circumstance to say we are functional.

To me, this movie is barely functional.

Dialogue is stiff. When people talk to one another it's so short and to the point that it feels like there is more than can be said. This may not be a legitimate critique but I do feel like the technique of talking is wasted here.

There was a scene where after Brandon crushed a girl's hand and the following scene the parents were all talking in the principal's office. The mother of the daughter was clearly upset and rightfully so. She was spouting this and that, “he should go to jail” and other justifiable remarks. Until...she talks about Brandon's real mother and calls her an inbred psycho. This obviously crosses a line as Tori simply states that if trash-talking a 12-year-old child helps erica sleep better at night maybe she is the one that needs help. After that, the scene wraps up and it's over. It's not without consequence, of course, but I feel that the scene was stunted with a lot of missed opportunities with dialogue. Instead of Erica overstepping her bounds and Tori putting her in her place within seconds of the scene ending I felt that should have been the biggest conflict in the scene. A longer more emotionally driven scene. 

Granted I know the script has been flipped and instead of Brandon being the good guy he's bad. The parents are sticking up for him wrongfully but are on the side of good and Erica is in the middle. The scene conveys mixed emotions that I feel no one is good, no one really knows what to say or do. Brandon is not arrested, he is suspended and will have therapy there afterward and one simple insult closes this off and they move onto the next subject. With the knowledge of the looming fate, Erica will endure.  I feel the scene should have been at least a few minutes longer where we are given a chance to really understand where other people are coming from. By this point, we know where Kyle and Teri are coming from but not Erica. She is actually smack dab in the middle of a situation she has to immediately respond to. Before that, she only was apart of Brandon’s birthday and saw him throw a temper-tantrum where the electronics around him went out. No speaking lines and that may be enough for her to call Brandon a psycho but allow me to point out...

There is an entire bit of backstory faded out to the prolonged stare Teri was making with her son Brandon. A lot of dialogue was muffled out do to her zoning out. They only time she snaps out of it is when insults are being thrown out towards Brandon and questions of who his real mother is. 

That entire scene should have been insightful! Erica could still stay as the emotional mother who just hears and sees the aftermath of her daughter's hand crushed but we could have known at some point where she stood with the family, what kind of friends they were and some back history. Cause we just found out in that very moment more than just the family knows about Brandon’s adoption. That there in of itself leaves me to believe a lot has to be assumed in order to understand where everyone is coming from.

My mind goes to the phrase Expectations vs Reality. When I think about this movie there were a lot of expectations and when the reality hit we basically see what could have been opposed to what we got. Brightburn had a criticism that its full potential was not realized.

This is where I have to disagree. 

Yes, I have to disagree. 

We have had over 10 years of great storytelling and bad storytelling at our expense thanks to Marvel, DC, various TV shows throughout the last decade. We know exactly what we want in these types of films. So when we get a what-if concept there are only a few ways we can go with it.

Our expectations are seeing a complex take on the tale of Superman becoming evil and the reality is we see a kid who is being manipulated by a ship speaking an evil language. We don’t really see where the kid is coming from except for getting upset that he is different and was lied to for 12 years.

The reality is this is probably the best way to convey a what-if piece. Keep it Simple. Keep it just as grounded as it is right now. My biggest gripe is how everyone talks to one another. How the situations play out are almost perfect to convey such an excellent concept. 

So sticking up for this film in this regard, it did exactly what it was setting out to do. Become a concept piece that would show the makings of a villain that was based on one of the most powerful superheroes we will ever know. In fictional terms of course.

The fact that it didn’t go in any direction we were really hoping it to is not a bad thing though. Sure maybe we could have seen the makings of a villain rise up and maybe the parents are in on it. Maybe the mother takes Brandon under her wing and teaches him to channel his evil tendencies towards people that deserve it much like dexter. Instead, Patricide and Matricide are inflicted, Uncles and Aunts are killed, and next-door neighbors are terrified in cliche fashion before they are horribly killed.

What really doesn’t make this film work for me is not really buying into the fact that this kid who seems well to do, not a single psychopathic bone in his body is suddenly turned when the spaceship he crashed landed in, activates.

The film does not do a good job giving us anything that could give us a clue into Brandon’s head. Is he being controlled? Is he acting out of rage? Well, the answer to that is yes and yes. But when? When are those moments? Because one scene he is going back to the girl (the one whos wrist was broken) and tells her that she is the ONLY person who knows how special he is.

One scene before it or after it I can’t remember which...shows him going into a rage as soon as he figures out what the alien message is saying to him. So he either had a small influence then took what he could and left the rest. Or he gets small doses of this throughout the time he first encountered it. Its really unclear.

One big thing is how people write off each weird happenstance throughout the story of the film. The father, Kyle believes Brandon got in and killed some chickens late at night. The best excuse Tori has is that a wolf opened up a locked door and killed some chickens. 

I mean, the reasonings of what to talk about and what not to talk about is out of this world.

The parents find Brandon's secret stash of naked women that soon turn more grizzly where there are pictures of surgical diagrams and graphic photos of organs. Tori exclaims, “Maybe we should have the talk”

In the next scene, they go on a camping trip and the father and son have an awkward conversation about this. But the only thing mentioned was sexual urges and nothing more. DUDE, you found diagrams and organs! That is much more specific than showing off a desirable swimsuit model! TALK ABOUT THAT! This stuff gets pretty redundant after a while. You get it. Dialogue doesn’t work, the scenes and situations mentioned don’t add up when they need to talk about more important things, the relationship between the mother and father work but not with the kid, sadly. 

I feel this movie did deliver upon its potential I just feel it could have been written better. I could care less that it was a cliche horror murder movie. Give me something basic and grow from there. You could have had the characters a lot smarter, capable, flesh out the scenes better and you would have had one solid film on your hands. 

Perhaps I don’t have anything better to say than anyone else but this movie came close to frustrating me on how it presented itself.

The ending sparked more curiosity and obvious means to a sequel that I feel should have been introduced in the middle of the film. But, hey, that's just my expectations talking. 

I know there are some out there that love the film. One who can justify actions and means of what really could have been going down. But I am a very literal person so if it ain't shown to me I am not going to assume so much happened in-between scenes. I am not a psychic so I don’t know what one is thinking and if you keep a kid quiet I won’t know where he is coming from. 

That is exactly what this film did. It alienated me. Me no likey.

**/***** (2 out of 5)