ramair350

This movie popped up on my Hulu recommendations, and seeing it had a great cast and looked visually interesting, I fired it up and gave it a watch. It pulled me in immediately, and I assumed it was just a standard horror movie about a cabin in the woods (nothing wrong with that ... that has been done probably hundreds of times at this point). But it turns out this movie is much more. It kept my interest and was a fun ride from start to finish. No spoilers, but I was very happy with the story and pacing.

But my biggest surprise was when I went to IMDB to see where it was filmed (California / beautiful Sonoma county), I noticed a score under 5. The movies I have enjoyed that are rated this low are incredibly rare. The reverse is not true; there are now dozens of horrible superhero movies that are about as clever and entertaining as watching someone else play a videogame (for me anyway). Perhaps it is a reflection of a lack of maturity of audiences over time, but I feel like this film has a disconnect of the rating with the quality of the film. I'm not saying it is the best thriller in history, but in a sea of mediocrity this one stood out as being decent and certainly quite enjoyable. I for one will continue to watch the writer and director associated with this film as I see talent that translated to onscreen enjoyment that I would love to repeat with future work.

I enjoyed the film. It kept my attention, and I certainly could not guess where the story would go, so that in itself is a win. The acting is superb.

The writing and story is definitely more on the art film spectrum than I expected. This is not a traditional narrative. Which is both good and bad. Sections of this film would be perfect for viewing on a loop at an art museum. Which is both good and bad. My main point is this: older and mature audiences that enjoy artsy films will like it. If you are looking for a traditional post-war American story, the story could have been much better and executed in a different manner (even editing) would have produced a much more enjoyable and cohesive film package for average viewers like me. I see why critics would love it. Give it a try though - it is worth a watch, but just set expectations accordingly.

This is a solid drama. It pulls you in, and is well-acted. It almost feels a bit short and abrupt, and I would have enjoyed more episodes to dig into the circumstances of what happens.

My gripe is this: the show is very proud of the 30 minute long one-shots. Film critics love that stuff. Audiences could care less if it does not really serve the story. In one amazing episode, I felt it really was beneficial. And in another episode, it was incredibly distracting and as I tell a part when a main actor struggled with a line, and some extras in the background were looking at the camera and for most productions that would have resulted in CUT! And then they would shoot the scene again. At some point, attaching a camera to a drone just to keep up that single shot is borderline ridiculous outside of a film school project. I get what they were going for, but I think critics awarded this thing bonus points for pulling off these long shots without really considering if the typical viewer gives a flip. Most don't.

But don't me wrong: this is very much worth watching and overall a nice but short drama to view. A solid 7 out of 10, which when I give it that rating it means it is a solid show. It isn't Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and Six Feet Under, so despite the show being "rated" at that same level, it does not reach that rare pinnacle of television that will be talked about and watched for decades to come.