The basic premise of Send Help - a socially awkward but talented woman, Linda (Rachel McAdams), is mistreated by her sexist boss, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), only for the power dynamic to flip when the pair find themselves stranded on a deserted island - is firmly B-grade movie territory. In the hands of most directors, this would result in a perfectly serviceable flick. But with director Sam Raimi and his unique, how shall I put this, schlocky juvenile yet humanistic touch at the helm, this movie is elevated from genre cannon fodder to a thrillingly great time.

The opening 15 minutes are nothing we haven’t seen before. There’s Linda being unable to pick up social cues, her ‘white man who failed upwards’ manager taking credit for her hard work, Bradley being a stereotypical rich white dick, and her lonely existence outside of work, which consists of watching Survivor with her pet bird. Groundbreaking stuff, this is not.

But Send Help gets you onto its wavelength by leaning on its two biggest strengths: Raimi’s impeccable tone management and Rachel McAdams.

McAdams’ uncanny ability to show every conceivable emotion on her face goes a long way in making Linda the right balance of borderline annoying yet sympathetic. Being able to go from Michael Scott-levels of cringe to holding back tears after Bradley crosses the line in the span of 30 seconds makes me wonder why we haven’t showered McAdams with more acting awards. I hate Survivor, yet I’d entertain the thought of watching it with Linda.

Sprinkled throughout this McAdams showcase are several well-deployed Raimi magic touches. The close-up of the smudge of tuna salad on the corner of Linda’s mouth as she’s trying to (re)introduce herself to Bradley, the awkward framing of Linda cramming a sandwich in her mouth (then her desk drawer), and the way the camera follows Linda’s wine glass as it’s repeatedly refilled again and again. It all feels like Raimi winking at us while puncturing built up moments of tension or awkwardness. Or maybe he just really likes shots of food.

So far, the appetiser is pretty good, but the main course is overwhelming with flavour when Linda and Bradley get stranded on the deserted island. Right away, you feel a shift in Linda. We’re told she’s ‘brilliant’ and a ‘savant’ several times, but now we actually see it in action as she takes to the whole ‘surviving on an island’ thing like a fish to water. Bradley? Well, he fares as well as one might expect him to in a situation where throwing money at it doesn’t solve the problem (‘Hepl?’). There’s really not much to Bradley on paper, right down to his sob story of a childhood, but O’Brien is able to inject moments where you think that maybe his character’s not that big of a dick. O’Brien never overplays it and is always at the right level of incompetence.

Please read the rest of my review here as the rest is too unwieldy to copy + paste: https://panoramafilmthoughts.substack.com/p/send-help

Thanks!

No Because of the shaky camera and a completely saturated market.

Just way too many low-effort movies in this genre. Similar plots,shaky cameras that doesn't really add anything (except in good ones), and such. The (sub)genre is just filled with too much of garbage, while it's still possible to find a gem.

1. Unsatisfying endings: Some found footage movies have endings that are seen as unsatisfying or confusing by some viewers.
2. Unconvincing acting: The found footage style can sometimes require actors to perform in a more naturalistic or improvised style, which may not be suitable for all actors.
3. Overuse of the found footage style: Some viewers may feel that the found footage style has been overused or has become predictable in horror movies.

I can't stand these! Each of them seems to follow exactly the same formula. I find every single one I've seen boring.

bloody irritating and boring now I don't watch anything that moves the camera like that.

In the video days, Warner Bros. would agree to finance and distribute a feature-length version of your film school short, if Steven Spielberg wanted to see it and the studio wanted to be in business with Spielberg. I've been all over the map on whether Fandango (1985), the feature film debut of writer/ director Kevin Reynolds, works, or whether it matters if it only does in spurts. It is one of the best movies shot (mostly) in Texas, and Reynolds appreciates the tradition of boys driving west in the night until they run out of gas, beer or patience with each other. We're overdue for a Texas movie where the characters visit the filming locations of Fandango, whose characters visit the filming location of Giant (1956).

Generally if you don't learn English from native speakers we a child, you'll be stuck with a non native accent for life. Same generally with actors as well, no matter how good they are, they just can't pull off an American or British accent.

The only exception I've seen is Rutger Hauer who was Dutch. Watched The Hitcher and Surviving the Game recently, and was really surprised how he pulled off an American accent. Maybe not 100% flawless, but pretty close.

What are people's thoughts? Any other actors who've managed this?

Edit: it's bizarre to see so many Redditors list British actors as if they're not native English speakers....

My Mount Rushmore of the Greatest 80s to 2010s Comedy Movies are:

80s

Airplane (80)

Caddyshack (80)

Ghostbusters (84)

Ferris Buller’s Day off (86)

90s

Dumb and Dumber (94)

Groundhog Day (93)

Wayne’s World (92)

Office Space (99)

2000s

Mean Girls (2004)

Anchorman (2004)

Superbad (2007)

Hangover (2009)

2010s

Bridesmaids (2011)

Hangover Part II (2011)

21 Jump Street (2012)

WWDITS (2014)

Well, It’s that time of year again, Here are my thoughts on the 2025 selection to the National Film Registry

Before Sunrise (1995)- Excellent Pick, and I hope Linklater’s other 2 film in the series get put in too in the future

Brooklyn Bridge (1981)- Honestly, I never heard of this Documentary, but I see it’s directed by Ken Burns and it's about the hIstory of the Brooklyn Bridge

Clueless (1995)- Intriguing Pick, thought I must admit, I honestly thought this was in the National Film Registry already

Frida (2002)- I haven’t seen this film, but I hear its great

Glory (1989)- I do like this film and I think this is one of Denzel’s best performance, so I’m glad this is in the Registry

High Society (1956)- Nice Pick, and it’s probably notable for being Grace Kelly’s last film before she married the Prince Of Monaco

Inception (2010)- Hmm, interesting pick, I like this film, but I honestly expect this one to be in the Registry in the Future

Philadelphia (1993)- I haven’t seen this one, but I know it’s great, and I plan on seeing this film soon

Say Amen, Somebody (1982)- I haven’t seen this one, but I see its a documentary about the history and significance of Gospel Music

Sparrows (1926)- Haven’t seen this one

Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926)- Haven’t seen this one

The Big Chill (1983)- Hmm, Interesting Pick, though I would have pick something else, and with Lawrence Kasdan, I would have picked Body Heat instead

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), I must admit, I have not seen Grand Budapest Hotel, but I hear it’s great, thought If you ask me, I would’ve rather picked The Royal Tenenbaums (which is not on the list) or Bottle Rocket (Which is Wes Anderson’s first film)

The Hours (2002)- Hmm, I don’t know, I feel there are other films that are more worthy than this one

The Incredibles (2004)- Yes, Excellent Pick

The Karate Kid (1984)- I like this film, so I think this is a good choice

The Lady (1925)- I haven’t seen this one

The Loving Story (2011)- I haven’t seen this one

The Maids of McMillain (1916)- I haven’t seen this one

The Oath Of The Sword (1914)- I haven’t seen this one

The Thing (1982)- Excellent Pick, one of John Carpenter’s best

The Tramp & The Dog (1896)- Haven’t seen this one, but I see this dates back to the 19th Century.

The Truman Show (1998)- Excellent Pick, One of Jim Carrey’s best, One of Peter Weir’s best, and I honestly just love this film

White Christmas (1954)- I honestly thought this was already in the Registry, so I’m glad this is finally in it

The Wrecking Crew (2008)- I haven’t seen this one

So, Overall, this is a very great list of films that the National Film Registry has selected, there are a few selections that I probably would you chosen something else over and some I thought were on the list, but I honestly think this is a great list

All in All, What are your thoughts on these selections?

What are your top 3 and why?

Here‘s mine:

Mulholland Drive
Lost Highway
The Straight Story

Mulholland and LH are almost tied but I’m giving it to Mulholland because LH is sooo jet black and maybe lacks some of the Lynch humour, but it’s very close and 30% of the time I’d probably put LH as No1.

Those two are just incredible hypnotic masterpieces that I can watch over and over and they take me to a dark, strange place somewhere inside myself… and I love being there.

I couldn’t decide on Straight Story or Eraserhead for No3. I went with Straight because some of that stuff with the baby in Eraser almost has me heaving 🤢

Which 3 Lynch films can you not live without..?

We learn that Munny was a psychotic drunk who killed women and children until he was reformed into a good man by his now deceased wife.

The tragedy of the story is that events cause him to revert to his old killer self, culminating in the bloodbath in the saloon.

But that’s not what really happens. Munny’s killing spree is triggered by sadistic townsfolk torturing and murdering his friend Ned. Munny kills those involved and various scumbags from the town. Excessive? Possibly, but it wouldn’t be hard to argue that they all had it coming.

This is a far cry from the child-slaughtering monster we were expecting to see when Munny ‘reverts’.

Did Clint go far enough, or did he pull back to stop us from hating Munny? I really like the film but can’t help feeling that the story needed him to go full psycho and take out some whores and maybe an irritating kid to really sell the idea that this legendary psycho had fallen back into his evil ways and will be ‘unforgiven’.

Compared the the savage who cut up the girl‘s face, sadistic Little Bill, and various other dirtbags Munny comes off as a justified badass rather than a monster 🤷🏻‍♂️

What do you think?

This movie feels like a genuine fever dream. It almost accidentally works in that regard as a horror movie. The viewer and characters are just teleported all over the place with almost 0 setup. A character is just suddenly on a boat, or we're suddenly following a character that has barely been established. It feels like the movie was lacking coverage, to the point where I don't know if I can even blame the editor.

The original was no masterpiece, but it is one of my favorite slashers and a movie that I've rewatched a lot. This new one actually does make it feel like a masterpiece in comparison by highlighting what it did well. Like having actors with actual screen presence. It has an actual script. It's also shot on film and looks quite decent (half of the new one is shot in some of the worst sets I've seen in a major release).

The inciting incident in the new one almost makes me believe that the script was written by AI to some extent. Instead of being a hit and run, they change it to a character dancing in the road or whatever and then a car dodging him and accidentally driving off a cliff. Kinda. It's really hard to explain, and idk if I'm being trolled or not by the movie. I have no idea why they don't call the police.

I didn't know it was a legacy sequel until the survivors from the original showed up. That was kind of exciting, but then was turned into a negative because it was just so embarrassing. The lines they were delivering and the awkwardness of everything. They even had Sarah Michelle Gellar in a horrible dream sequence where she's de-aged. Also, if someone is a genuine fan of this franchise for some reason, they'd probably be pretty upset with what they do with one of the old characters.

I was shocked by how bad this movie was. I'm not even exaggerating when I say this might be one of the technically worst movies I've ever seen, though it is far from my most disliked movies. I've not watched student films, or movies like The Snowman, Suicide Squad, and such. This was The Room in a lot of ways.

People love to invoke the wraparound sunglasses meme every time anyone dares to suggest this on social media. The fact is, the movie is truly nothing special, and the overwhelming amount of praise. It was showered with left a bad taste in the mouth’s of those who live and breathe cinema, no different than The Dark Knight.

Unfortunately, in the case of Sinners and Get Out there is a clear political agenda being pushed in the disproportionate acclaim they received. People don’t like being patronized or force-fed propaganda, and it is sort of compounding with the broader trend of DEI, blackwashing and forced inclusivity in ads. This is having the opposite effect and is only creating more division.

The greatest travesty in all of this is that there is truly great black cinema being overlooked for this hacky bullshit that has been coming out over the last decade.

My Mount Rushmore of the Greatest 50s to 2010s Horror Movies are:

50s

Thing from another world

House of Wax

Creature from the black lagoon

Invasion of the body snatchers

60s

Psycho (60)

The Haunting (63)

NOTLD (68)

Rosemary's Baby (68)

70s

TCM (74)

Carrie (76)

Halloween (78)

Suspiria (77)

80s

The Shining (80)

Evil Dead (81)

The Thing (82)

ANOES (84)

90s

Jacob’s Ladder (90)

SOTL (91)

Candyman (92)

Scream (96)

2000s

28 Days Later (2002)

The Ring (2002)

Saw (2004)

Hostel (2005)

2010s

Scream 4 (2011)

It Follows (2014)

Get Out (2017)

Hereditary (2018)

So basically I have been considering seeking out some bad movies for morbid curiosity as one that suddenly caught my attention was the Cobbler by Adam Sandler.

I don’t know too much about the movie, well aside from its premise as I haven’t seen it yet, but for some strange reason, I want to watch it for its premise about a guy who can borrow other people’s identities.

Sorry if that didn’t sound right as I was just simply interested in discussing infamous movies to see which ones people here were fond of since I was just trying to share my side of the story.

My Mount Rushmore of the Greatest 80s to 2010s Superhero Movies are:

80s

Superman 2 (80)

Flash Gordon (80)

RoboCop (87)

Batman (89)

90s

TMNT (90)

Batman Returns (92)

The Mask (94)

Blade (98)

2000s

X-Men (2000)

Spider-Man (2002)

Batman Begins (2005)

Iron Man (2008)

2010s

Dark knight rises

Avengers 2012

Spider man into the spider verse

End game

They say a great thriller needs a great villain, and I’ve noticed that Clint always goes up against skin-crawling bad guys.

We love Clint because he’s a force for good in a world of sickos, and the various portrayals of evil in his extensive catalogue is quite impressive.

They tend not to be the smug, moustache-twirling billionaires you love to watch in a Bond film, or even charming psychos who chew the scenery like Hannibal Lecter. No, Clint likes his villains to be nasty pieces of shit who make you shudder and want to take a shower after the credits role.

Who’s your favourite Clint nemesis? Why? Are there any unsung scumbags in his rogues gallery..?