Disquiet – Paramount+

Thriller

After a near-fatal car accident, Sam (Meyers) wakes to discover he is trapped in an abandoned hospital by mysterious and sinister forces that have no intention of letting him leave.

I’ve seen this before, right? I wish there was an internet database of movie tropes so I could search for the movie(s) with this plot. One of the reasons I’m doing these Roundups is to keep a running list for myself because there’s a bunch of movies out there with similar plots. I almost didn’t watch this, but I was curious to see how much of it I’d recognize from the movie(s) with this premise I’d already seen.

It starts out the same: guy wandering around an empty hospital, occasionally being attacked by crazed “patients”. He finds others like him and they wander trying to figure out how to leave.

The movie differs in that it’s got a soft heaven/hell reference that keeps popping up with the choices that brought them to the hospital in the first place and the choices they make while there. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Interesting take on a popular premise. 3.5 stars.

 

Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders – Paramount+

Horror · Thriller

A family reunion at a remote mansion takes a lethal turn when they are trapped inside and forced to play a deadly survival game where only one will make it out alive.

I loved the board game Clue as a kid, and that love translated into the horror/thriller movie trope of folks gathering at a mansion only to find themselves murdered one by one. Just love it.

This movie is half that and half familial mind-fuck. Patriarch of rich family (Voight) has his children and grandchildren stay the weekend in his extravagant and isolated house to celebrate his birthday. People start dying, family secrets are revealed.

I was disappointed in the climax. It left me feeling gross, actually. I don’t know whether that makes it a good movie or a bad movie. They created a perfect opening for “the butler” to have done it all for revenge—which would have been justified and satisfying. But nope, in what was supposed to be a twist, we got familial serial killing instead.

Great set-up but uninspiring ending. 3.5 stars.

 

13 Sherwood Avenue – Tubi

Horror

In January 2023, a man was found dead in his home. His home’s AI Smart security system captured the terrifying events as they unfolded.

Guy’s got an Amazon-style smart home. Things start small. Packages that he didn’t order begin arriving. Recordings that he didn’t ask for begin playing. Things finally escalate to a manifestation that turns deadly.

Bad Ben immediately came to mind as I watched this, although it’s not really the same. This guy just thinks his AI is malfunctioning and remains clueless throughout. By the end, when he started to get truly scared, he kept fearing it was “him” and that was confusing. Who was “him”?

He and his husband had.a previous break-in, and the husband had the AI installed before going off on a work trip. Did he think the burglar came back and was fucking with him? Was the burglar killed in the house? They never said! He was scared of something specific but we never learn what that specific thing/person is. That was really disappointing.

I don’t want a smart house! 3.5 stars.

 

Beyond The Trek – FreeVee

(Original title: Teleios)

Drama · Sci-fi

A deep space mining vessel has been adrift for two years. It is suspected the crew brutally killed each other, but the reason for the bloodbath is unknown. A rescue crew is sent to find if there are any survivors, what happened and why.

In the future, we have genetically-engineered people. These people are created with enhanced physical capabilities, intelligence and “pleasing dispositions” i.e. zero emotional capabilities. Who better than to stick in a space craft for years-long voyages?

They go about their mission with single-minded attention and insufferably superior attitudes. They find the lone survivor and using the “any means necessary” clause in their contracts, get the information they need.

Things get hairy when secrets are revealed and the “super people” who enjoyed being superior than “regulars” find themselves acting just like the humans they look down upon.

It’s always a delight when I find a gem of a movie. I think part of the reason I persist in watching indie-indie-indie movies is the promise of finding a really good one.

I wasn’t expecting much when I went in. Low-budget sci-fi tends to over spend on effects and under spend on the writing/acting. This was quite the opposite! The effects were not great, but the story and the acting was excellent. There was a lot packed into this movie, but I never felt I was being short-changed, it remained interesting from beginning to end.

I wish all indie sci-fi was this good. 5 stars.

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If you’ve seen any of these, let me know what you think.

Until next time.