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This felt much more personal than the previous films, with the story placing the Warrens and their family much more at the center. I genuinely enjoyed getting deeper insight into their family dynamic. Judy was my main draw, and I thought she was written particularly well. Ed and Lorraine’s fear of losing her, especially because of her stillbirth, created an interesting emotional thread throughout the film. I liked watching them confront that fear and seeing it come full circle toward the end of the third act. The horror elements were largely what I expected from the franchise: lingering shots, moments held for emphasis, jump scares and creepy imagery. The Mirror Demon lore was probably the part I found most confusing. I initially interpreted its connection to Judy as the demon giving her part of its essence when she was brought back to life, only to return years later to claim what it was owed. I may have misunderstood that though. The Smurls were a nice addition to the story. The bully sister, however, irritated the hell out of me. Her vomiting pieces of glass was an interesting detail, almost like a supernatural metaphor for the idea that words can hurt. Franchises often struggle to deliver satisfying conclusions, but I think Last Rites made a solid attempt at wrapping up the Warrens’ story. It wasn't perfect and had some weaker moments, but overall, this was a good movie. Fun, creepy and surprisingly emotional.

Opus is kind of similar to Blink Twice [ 2024 ], in the sense that structurally they carry the same stuff: certain group of people enthralled by the famous/influential individual who turns out is not like who they initially thought. Blink Twice definitely handled it better though. Overall Opus was pretty good. What's start as a simple movie about an undervalued writer quickly shifts gear when she and a group of specific individuals get an invite from the eccentric pop icon Alfred Morreti at his compound for a week. On the surface it seems like it was just an invite to promote his album and his return to music after a 30 year hiatus but there was darker, and more sinister intention hidden underneath. As the movie progresses, it is revealed that the particular group of individuals weren't randomly chosen, they served a purpose. There were instances that showed that this event was sus af but ofcourse wanting to cling to fame and the good graces of Alfred, it was ignored by all of them except for Ariel. She immediately knew something was up but was ignored. The final reveal where Alfred exposes his true intentions felt flat. There was good build up to it but everything since then until the end kind of felt underwhelming. There were some good things in there, just wish we got to see them fleshed out a bit more. The plot and progession was okay. The acting was good too. The lingering of certain shots to reinforce the emotions we were supposed to feel were done well. Still leaves alot to be desired but a solid movie none the less.

At first it seems like your typical rom-com but when we get that reveal it immediately shifts the tone of the movie and set's it down a roller coaster of a disaster. You can argue that Emma's reveal at the wine tasting, may be the worst out of the other 3: the cyberbullying, the locking the mentally challenged child in a closet and using your girlfriend as a shield while she's being attacked by a dog. All are fucked up but I guess what the characters were arguing is that they aren't fucked up to the same degree. Underneath all of that I think what the film is really exploring is whether love can survive betrayal and whether forgiving someone means reconciliation, understanding or simply letting someone go. I love when movies are able to make me think and reflect on my personal life. Charlie dealt with a reveal in an interesting way. He initially tries to runaway and break off the wedding but backtracks. He then also basically cheats on Emma. Overall, I could tell he loves Emma but he was just conflicted and trying to make sense of what this could mean for him and basically his future. We see that emotional journey that he goes through. Emma was an interesting character too. Emma is not innocent but she is also not the same person at 30 that she was at 15. She does seem to want the benefits of moving on without accepting that other people might need to process what she did or almost did, on their own timeline. Through it all, I genuinely did feel sorry for her. The movie was actually good. Pacing was good, I was fully engaged through out. The were certain small things that added well to what was going on. Zendeya delivered a pretty good performance. Doesn't top Rue from Euphoria but still really good. All the other actors did well too. Overall The Drama is about guilt, forgiveness, identity, trust and the uncomfortable possibility that a person can be more than the worst thing they have done/almost done while still not being free from it. Some truths don't have clean resolutions. Sometimes all you can is face them and decide what happens next.