Have yet to read the novel, but I'm sure some changes are necessary if it's about to be brought over to the big screen. That said, I don't know whether or not the tonal shift in the latter act really happened in the novel. Overall the movie was still kinda believable up until that point where afterwards I no longer feel the movie was still realistic. I don't mind it at all though, cause a good story is a good story.

The non linear plot also served a nice contrast to Kiran before and after her transformation. I'm quite confident some accolades are in order for this movie, especially some acting nods for Aghniny Haque. Kinda surprising to have her reunite with Djenar Maesa Ayu so soon after Pemandi Jenazah though.

Adapting a short 30 minute-ish audio only podcast into an over 90 minute full feature film is not an easy feat for sure. However I was pleasantly surprised by how good this movie really was initially. It started out strong and I really like how they were able to still make the movie so creepy & tense despite we who have already listened to the podcast kinda got the gist of what will happen next already. Unfortunately the way they dragged the movie in the latter act kinda bogged down the whole movie altogether. But this was in no way a deal breaker as overall the movie was still really worth a watch, even just to witness Diandra Agatha's shift from the innocent naive Mawar to a much more sinister version of herself.

It's a felony for a thriller to be a snooze fest and make the audience doze off instead of being at the edge of their seats. I fell asleep a couple of times during my viewing, so for me Monster kinda failed its purpose.

As a thriller, Monster failed to maintain its suspense throughout as the pacing was quite slow despite the fact that it clocked in less than 90 minutes. The scoring also didn't work for me, I just don't feel that it's thrilling enough to aid the pacing of the movie.

I don't mind the "no dialog" approach this movie took at all, I really just wish it were more suspenseful with faster pacing and more intense scoring perhaps?

imho people should really manage their expectations whenever deciding to spend their precious time watching these kinda movies. I believe they're simply meant for entertainment purposes only, the kinda movies you watch simply just to unwind & pass the time and don't have to utilize your brain power much. That's what Tarot is to me at least.

I'm fully aware that Tarot garnered mostly negative reviews left & right but I'm a sucker for horror/thriller and I almost always will be down for one. Not to mention my penchant for tarot/horoscopes IRL as well. Having said that, I'll have to agree that the story was really weak as in no clear rules whatsoever as to who will die & when, etc etc and filled with all the cliché horror tropes you can recall. The characters are also super bland and made uber stupid decisions.

TL, DR: go see this if you're a horror buff and don't mind a popcorn movie filled with stupid characters whose only purpose was to be death's fodder. Also if you're quite the adrenaline junkie, since you'll get enough rush from all the cheap jumpscares, at least if they still work for you.

Fully aware coming in that it'll be a tearjerker still didn't prepare me for crying so badly that my glasses got foggy & my nose became stuffy.

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Lahn Mah) offers a simple slice of life story, but just like music, movies tend to be way way better when they resonate with the audience on a personal level. I guess this is why I cried so bad during my viewing in which I also brought my mom. Despite no longer having any grandparents, I still relate so much to the movie as there are so many things which feel like slaps to myself as I don't think I've been a very good son to my parents.

So I presume that those who see this movie will definitely enjoy it more if they could relate with the theme. Go see this movie with your elders, may them be parents or grandparents, hopefully it'll wake something within you.

Ok, The First Omen was better, let's get that out if the way 1st. That aside, it doesn't mean Immaculate was anything bad whatsoever. In fact I wonder why it didn't fare better in terms of reviews.

Recently found out that it's Sydney Sweeney's passion project that she actually auditioned for this role way back when she's 17 but the project never materialized so she kinda hold on to it to the point now when she can produce it herself she championed the movie herself from reaching out to the writer, getting a director, etc until the project finally bore into fruition.

Sorta being labelled as a bombshell, Sydney as a Scream Queen was something I didn't expect to see but she kinda "delivered" here, especially on that provocative ending scene. Nell Tiger Free might be more primal & have more physicalities during her "possessed" scene in The First Omen, but Sydney was quite visceral here too.

I also enjoyed the setting & tone of the movie very much, I think it was beautifully shot & the score was decent as well. My only concern was the cheap jumpscares the movie resorted to, thankfully there's just a few of them. I think the movie didn't need that at all, especially the dreaded "oh, it's just a dream" trope.

TLDR, I went into this with bare minimum expectations & I was pleasantly surprised that it was a very decent viewing despite the majority of less than favorable reviews.