Film Veronica Review (Film, 2018) On paper, Veronica has no right to be as good as it is. The plot description is riddled with horror cliches, including the dreaded "based on a true story" text. There's even a marketing campaign for its Netflix release about how people are turning it off because it's too scary to finish (at least a
Reviews Making It Review (TV, 2018) I'm a reality TV junkie. Give me a talent show and I will watch it. Give me unscripted reality and I will...not change the channel, but maybe not actively invest in it. I'm old enough that my high school jazz band used to go hang out after rehearsals and watch the first season of Survivor. The viewi
Film Verónica Review (Film, 2017) Verónica is a psychological horror film from directors Carlos Algara and Alejandro Martinez-Beltran and screenwriters Carlos Algara and Tomas Nepomuceno. It is a familiar story told with beautiful style and precise editing. A psychologist takes on a new patient, the titular Verónica, who is refer
Games House Flipper Review (PC Game, 2018) I love a good relaxing simulation game. I'm always down to try out a new Sims title, or a theme park builder, or--the newest established style in the genre--a career simulator. There's a meditative quality to even the most stressful releases in this genre. You are fully in control of an immersive wo
Film Beatriz at Dinner Review (Film, 2017) Beatriz, an alternative therapist specializing in all kinds of healing, winds up spending the night at her client's mansion for a dinner party. She is a Mexican immigrant and environmentalist, surrounded for the night by a group of cutthroat white business people. The night is to celebrate a controv
Uncategorized Dead by Daylight Mid-Season Patch 2.1.0 Updates I have a very specific pattern as a gamer. I always have a wide range of games ready and available to play at a given time. If I want to game on console, I catch up with titles I wanted to play all at once. On PC, it's the Steam sale and keeping track of interesting Kickstarters and livestreams. I d
Film Skins Review (Film, 2018) Content Warning: Skins is an anthology film where many stories intersect around sexual abuse. Skins (Pieles) is the debut feature length film from writer/director Eduardo Casanova. He is an actor turned director who called on every resource he had--namely a phenomenal group of actors he had perform
Film The Disappointments Room Review (Film, 2016) An architect and her family move out to the country to start their lives over. Their new home, a beautiful mansion needing a lot of repairs, comes complete with a secret room. This room does not appear on the floor plans and is hidden behind a large wardrobe and a locked door. Whatever is in the hou
Film Truth Or Dare (Director's Cut) Review (Film, 2018) I spent five weeks this year teaching high school students how to produce a short horror film. It was an advanced filmmaking class for students who already spent a semester learning how to make web videos. Horror, being my critical specialty, was a perfect match for the students. They were taken on
Film World of Tomorrow 2: The Burden of Other People's Thoughts Review (Short Film, 2017) "World of Tomorrow 2: The Burden of Other People's Thoughts" is a sequel to the 2015 Academy Award-nominated animated short "World of Tomorrow" by Don Hertzfeldt. It is a continuation of the story, as much as you can consider "World of Tomorrow" as having a story. Emily, the young girl visited by a
Film Tully Review (Film, 2018) I'm not afraid to take a strong stance on the issues that really matter in the world. I do not shy away from controversy. I have expressed my feelings on this subject before and I am not afraid to reiterate it. Diablo Cody is arguably the best working screenwriter of our time and one of the all ti
Games Walking Dead: Our World, Jurassic World Alive, and Pokemon Go: Comparing AR Games I feel like I've always had an interest in more interactive games. I'm old enough that I grew up spending a lot of time in arcades. I just remember being drawn more to those games that physically simulated other activities--the motorcycle racing games that tilted as you drove, the sports simulation
Reviews Kakegurui Review (TV Show, 2018) I warned you to stay tuned for this during the Kakegurui anime review [https://sketchydetails.us/sketchy-details/kakeguruianimereview2017] last week. The success of the Kakegurui manga and anime in 2017 led to the production of a 10-episode live action adaptation released in 2018. It's the same st
Film Tau Review (Film, 2018) Cinema has an obsession with exploring artificial intelligence. It's almost innate to the medium. We're talking about a history that goes all the way back to Metropolis in 1927. The trend really took off in the wake of 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968, but the tropes of the trend were already pretty we
Reviews Kakegurui Review (Anime, 2017) Kakegurui is a manga turned anime (turned live action series--stay tuned [https://sketchydetails.us/sketchy-details/kakeguruiliveaction2018]) about an elite school in Japan with an unusual set of rules. Your status is determined by your gambling abilities. The student council ranks students based on
Games The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit Review (PC Game, 2018) The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a free standalone game in the Life is Strange universe. You play as Chris, a young boy who wants to be a superhero. He lives with his father, a grieving alcoholic with rage issues. The pair are spending their first Christmas together without Chris' mother,
Film Ant Man and the Wasp Review (Film, 2018) It feels strange to be at the point in cinematic history where there are so many superhero films being released that we can get past the amazing/terrible dichotomous reaction. Ant-Man and The Wasp is the fifth new superhero film of the year so far. That's not even counting the home video market for
Film Revenge Review (Film, 2018) Warning: the film Revenge and this review contain depictions and discussions of rape and violence against women. I started going into a certain subgenre of horror with my review of Split on Monday [https://sketchydetails.us/sketchy-details/splitreview2017], but backed away because the problematic e
Games Dead by Daylight: Curtain Call DLC Review (PC Game, 2018) Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer survival horror game. You can either take on the role of a survivor or a killer. As a survivor, you work in a team of four players to repair five generators that restore power to the exit gates, allowing you to escape. As a killer, you hunt down the four survivors,
Film Split Review (Film, 2017) Warning: this film does include references to child abuse and heavily implies sexual assault. I’m a horror obsessive. The genre has always been a part of my life and always will be part of my life. But there are problems with the genre. There are elements that are shorthand for compelling backstor
Film Death Billiards Review (Anime OVA, 2013) Unlike the United States, Japan has a successful market for one-off animated shorts. These are called OVAs (Original Video Animation). Where the US relegates short animated films to festivals and online services, Japan often airs these specials on television or in conjunction with theatrical release
Games Dead by Daylight: Low Level Freddy Main Action (OtherRobertGames) [youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKYeYjkqDfo&w=854&h=480]
Film Incredibles 2 Review (Film, 2018) 2004 was a pivotal year in my relationship with films. I always lived close to NYC, but never had the means to take in all the wonderful films being released there for those week-long awards qualifying runs. That changed in 2004 when I packed up and left for college in the city. Every spare cent I h
News Back Sort of. Probably. Maybe? It's a long story filled with twists and turns and splashing into a deep dive of depression I'm only just resurfacing from. So, you know, typical school year. Only not, since it ended with me no longer willing to work for a school I've worked with for 11 years because of
Uncategorized Sixth Annual Cinefessions Summer Screams Challenge – Robert's List I can't believe it's already time for the Sixth Annual Cinefessions Summer Screams Challenge. This is an annual horror/sci-fi viewing contest held every year in June where film fans compete to watch the most genre film/TV possible. There are weekly bonus themes/screenings, plus
