logging back in after a long hiatus always feels like coming home and thinking I was burglarized but actually realizing that I just left everything a mess 😂😂
The season finale of Outer Banks S4 (episode 10) was the best episode of the whole damn season.
Yes, I’ve come back to give you my detailed review upon finishing. Have fun.
Cinematically, it was beautiful compared to the other episodes. None of that twilight blue tint on every night scene. (Except at the fire at the beginning, which was meant to be a contrast from the orange fire light). And just in general, the vibe was exactly what OBX was beloved for in the early seasons.
The editing was significantly better in this episode, and I can’t quite understand why it was so bad in the rest of the episodes. Dialogue was cringey at best. But the last episode was far better. Maybe because there was less serious dialogue?
Acting, the performances seemed much more genuine and, yes, this is due to the action-heavy scenes, and I truly think these actors thrive more in the extremes - intense action or intense emotion. The middle ground is where they seem to struggle to stay passionate.
It’s true that some actors are stronger than others and it shows. But in the last episode, it felt like everyone was back on equal ground.
Plot wise… I freaking love that we got back to the roots of treasure hunting and ridiculous chase scenes. I truly did not care one bit about the plot-hole heavy storyline of the Genrette/Groff drama.
John B and Sarah became interesting again this season after me being thoroughly tired of their daddy issue plots (and the daddy issues were warranted). Interestingly enough, this pregnancy opens up a new daddy issues can of worms, but they can be reserved for S5.
JJ became the center of the daddy issue plot this time and while I appreciated the expansion of his life story, there were almost more questions and issues raised than before. What do you mean his adopted-dad was real-abusive to him? For what reason? And I’m just supposed to move on from that like it’s normal? Especially when his birth-dad didn’t even exist before this season? Oh I will say I loved the destruction montage, as everyone did. Other than the deadly blue tint, it was done well and signified a very serious mental breakdown moment that contributed to everything else to come.
And let’s not forget Kie, who has no emotional range this season, she has one expression and it’s 🤨 I have no thoughts. She had no thoughts. She was a plot device in general without any real plot (past the diving and hospital scenes). I know she will be back with a vengeance in S5 so that something.
Then we have Pope and Cleo, Pope’s story was probably the most annoying one - what do you mean he got arrested for assaulting a police officer? When literally every kid from the Cut was doing the same thing five seconds ago?? A poor excuse for a plot device if I’ve ever seen one. And poor Cleo doesn’t even get her own plot anymore, she just goes along with Pope. Not to mention the fact that by the end, he’s the only pogue to have actually killed someone. That’s a trauma he’s gonna have to unpack a LOT later. (I loved Pope and Cleo in episode 10 though)
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Rafe. Rafe became one of my new favorite characters this season. Drew Starkey’s acting, first of all, is impressive compared to the rest. He has a depth that truly makes his character lovable despite his MANY flaws. He’s insane, but he starts to make sense this season and I love how he was written and portrayed. Is he still a murderer? Yep. But it’s not his fault he has never been given the proper tools to maintain his mental health and stability. He’s trying to do it on his own and I’d say he’s coping appropriately given the circumstances.
The ending - I know people are upset. But honestly, I loved it. Maybe not HOW it was done (if they wanted him to die a sacrificial death to reflect his loyalty to die for his friends, then it shouldn’t have been done the way it was. He was just standing there like 🧍♂️) but the fact that it was him? Makes sense. It also creates a very critical foundation for the final season. And I knew it was coming (I was spoiled the day part two came out 🙄) but that didn’t stop the death scene from being emotional. And I want to feel things and care when I watch shows. So yeah, I loved it.
The treasure hunt in Morocco brought us back to the roots of what made this show so popular. The chase, the hunt, the danger. It felt great, and I hate that it took 10 episodes to get back to a semblance of quality (in my opinion).
All in all, Part 1 was good. It brought us back into the Pogues world. It introduced us to a new plot and, while I was eternally irritated by the mercenaries in general, I appreciate them having to give us something to follow.
Part 2, episodes 6-9 were not good. It turned into a hate watch at one point. Plots stopped making sense, actions were completely out in left field, and the plot holes became plot craters.
Yall OBX S4 Part 1 has been out for one day so why tf am I unable to go onto social media without finding spoilers WITHOUT WARNINGS???
It is the year 2024, how have we as an online society not learned to properly warn of spoilers during the first week of a show or movie’s premiere???
(I’m looking specifically at tiktok)
It is not that hard to have a 2-3 second buffer at the beginning of a video warning of spoilers before the clip starts.
I have watched 3/5 episodes out so far and I have already been spoiled for the BIGGEST reveal of the next two episodes because someone posted a tiktok that made its way to my feed where the actual dialogue line that is the spoiler was the FIRST thing in the video and I heard the spoiler before I even registered that it was an OBX video at all???
Like yes I know the risks of going online during premiere weeks for media I am invested in. But I just don’t understand why it has to be this way. How can we not learn and make it easier for people to consume normally??
Tremors was released in 1990 and was directed by Ron Underwood. Two repairmen, Val McKee (played by Kevin Bacon) and Earl Bassett (Fred Ward), are ready to move on to bigger things than what can be found in their small town of Perfection, Nevada. But when mysterious deaths start occurring and a local seismologist named Rhonda (Finn Carter) begins to get strange readings, their trip gets put on hold. With the help of other locals such as cattle rancher Miguel Sanchez (Tony Genaro) and the libertarian doomsday-survivalist couple Heather (Reba McEntire) and Burt Gummer (Michael Gross), they must not only figure out what is killing of their neighbors but also figure out how to put a stop to it.
Tremors doesn't get as much love as it should, which is an absolute shame. In my opinion, it is probably one of if not the best B horror flicks of all time. The reason I picked Tremors out of all of the Creature Features is not just from the creatures themselves (called graboids), but for the fact that it's a smart movie pretending to be a dumb one. The characters are smart: they come up with plans and if one fails, they quickly brainstorm to think of another. The audience is allowed to speculate alongside the heroes as they learn more about the graboids and how they work, and the fact that the characters make pretty rational decisions gives such a sense of justification. It's funny, well-shot, and the creatures are entirely practical, and that makes Tremors an absolute gem of a movie.
It can be watched for free on Internet Archive.
Content Warnings for the Film (may contain spoilers): slight objectification of women (really only in the first part of the movie), violence, monster gore (it's orange though, just looks like pumpkins because it was), humans being eaten (not really graphic), dead animals (only aftermath shown)
Once more, get ready for some behind the scenes info because the practical effects in this movie are STUNNING.
The graboids were designed by Tom Woodruff Jr and Alec Gillis and this film was actually the first one their company Amalgamated Dynamics worked on (you might recognize them from Death Becomes Her, Sam Rami's Spider-Man films, the original Jumanji, IT, Alien 3, and Smile). The design was based off of snapping turtles, slugs, and rhinos, and were completely done with practical effects in the first film (although CGI with some practical effects would be used to varying levels in the later films). For their movement underground, boat buoys in a dirt trench covered by a layer of latex rubber was used, and the graboid guts were made of cotton batting stuffed in pantyhose that was then covered in slime and pumpkin pie filling. Since the graboids were so large, quarter scale models were seamlessly blended with full scale ones in order to get all of the shots they wanted, as well as a mixture of animatronics and puppets (both cable and hand). Tom Woodruff Jr actually puppeteered the full sized graboid named Stumpy from underground, with only an oxygen tank and flashlight down there with him. What a fucking king. Also fun fact, Arianna Richards plays the pogo-stick girl named Mindy, who is best known for her role as Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park.
If you want to see some of the Behind the Scenes footage, here's some great videos talking and showing the process behind it.
This review fills me with the greatest joy. This movie still remains in my top 5 movies of all time, a nostalgic good time from my childhood but still a good time today, standing the test of time.
The quality of creature feature for 1990 is astounding, the process for their effects have always fascinated me. Not to mention a truly star studded cast.
And the fact that the fandom still lives on strong today. Yes there are now 7 movies in this franchise… but the original Tremors will forever hold such a special place in my heart and Graboids will forever be one of my favorite “horror” creatures.
Have you guys watched Tremors? I recently watched it again and remembered how much I loved it as a child and how we would always play this game where we’re not allowed to touch the floor haha
This comic is an entry for @beatrice.blue’s #childhoodweek for the prompt creatures! I have been meaning to post 3 comics a week for a long time, so I want to try doing it for a couple of weeks and spread out the prompts for childhood week!