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Well I was waiting for my anniversary thread to start/collect all the reviews I've gone over the past six years. But for whatever reason I didn't get an anniversary thread this year so my vanity will be solved by actually doing a review thread.



So for my first review...a film not registered yet....




I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)

I think their is something to be said for quality B pictures. Films that are made with love. I Married a Monster for Outer Space was a film that came out in the 1950's and was part of a double feature with The Blob. Now everyone has heard or seen The Blob and you kinda know the standard 50's science fiction films...but this one is up there with those classics.

A group of aliens come to a small everyday town in an everyday part of the country. A woman is married to her husband and he's just acting a little off...she brings home a dog and the dog can't stand him...it's like it senses that something is wrong.

As she discovers her husbands secret she soon realizes that other men in the town have been taken over by these Aliens. All the husbands get married and suddenly they change? Now while the thesis of the film is obvious the execution is exceptional. A lot of films in this time period would pick one gimmick and have the film just do that one thing. Gene Fowler was not a lazy film maker and even though the budget was low the effects are great and varied.

This movie gives you real bang for your buck, you get the rubber suit, the ray gun animations, the cardboard set pieces, and so much more. Here's an example of one scene in the film.



Sucks to be the hooker....but that one scene illustrates so much about what makes this film so great. The film maker takes his time, he sets the tone/action and gives this b actress a full on scene. And it's important to note that this is a short film, this movie is less than 80 minutes and it just flies by. Almost every scene in this film is perfect and memorable it could have been three hours it has an epic story but it's not.




Glad to see you make your own review thread...and happy belated anniversary.

It's interesting you kicked off your reviews with I Married a Monster from Outer Space as I was just thinking about that movie. Actually I was going through list after list of 1950s B sci-fi movies, trying to find more of those films that I hadn't seen. I've seen I Married a Monster from Outer Space and really liked it but the clip you posted reminds me just how long it's been since my one and only viewing of it. I need to see it again.

You know what would be fun? If we did some kind of 1950s sci fi/monster flicks event. I was thinking of mentioning that but wasn't sure how many people actually like those kind of films...like an HoF or some other movie watching format. You interested at all?



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Well I was waiting for my anniversary thread to start/collect all the reviews I've gone over the past six years. But for whatever reason I didn't get an anniversary thread this year so my vanity will be solved by actually doing a review thread.

Happy Belated Anniversary! I hope you had a great day!

__________________
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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.



You know what would be fun? If we did some kind of 1950s sci fi/monster flicks event. I was thinking of mentioning that but wasn't sure how many people actually like those kind of films...like an HoF or some other movie watching format. You interested at all?

Sure, I recall the last science fiction HOF was popular. I don't know about just sticking to the 50's...perhaps call it the classic Scifi Hall and use 1977 (Star Wars) as the break point





The Green Slime (1968)

Reviews are a funny thing here we have a film that is only at 23% on RT, 44% for the Audience Score, but sitting here watching it...I just had fun with it. Kinji Fukasaku went on to create a cult classic later in his life (Battle Royale) this was just fun and I enjoyed it. This is a Japanese production made with American actors and while the film is cheap...I didn't care.

The plot of the story is straight out of Alien...a group of astronauts investigate a planet where green slime comes into contact with one of the spacemen. The spacemen return to the space station and the aliens grow attack and kill the people on the station. Think of an episode of Doctor Who without the Doctor.



I mean just look at those miniatures....is it perfect no but it feels so different than what we see today. It's a choice and I enjoyed it. Then you look at the planet and it's just wonderful.



Yes it's matte paintings, and paper mache but it feels like a real world and it matches the tone of the film. And this isn't a film for children...this is a straight up Alien/Horror film. Character die bloody firey deaths in this film.


Now the film does have problems, the characters are completely one dimensional. But the funny thing is...this is a giant cast of hundreds of people on this space station. So I didn't really mind because I didn't care about the humans I wanted the Aliens to win. We kinda suck and those little green men have a right to defend themselves from those interlopers. They are just trying to live a peaceful life and we invade their space I for one welcome our new Alien overlords.

While I'll say it's not a great film...it is a fun one a guilty pleasure that is worth watching with a group of friends on a nice big screen.




Sure, I recall the last science fiction HOF was popular. I don't know about just sticking to the 50's...perhaps call it the classic Scifi Hall and use 1977 (Star Wars) as the break point
I'm thinking I'd like to do a quick 1 month per decade series of HoFs (or something similar). First off could be the 50s, then 60s, 70s, 80s and after that just see if there's still interest. Each one of those decades has a unique feel to their sci-fi creature b movies...which of course were mostly made as the bottom of a second bill at a drive-in theater. I've a lot of work the next couple days but hopefully when I'm done I can come back to this idea. Ideally I'd like to start the 1st one on Feb 1st.



Victim of The Night


The Green Slime (1968)

Reviews are a funny thing here we have a film that is only at 23% on RT, 44% for the Audience Score, but sitting here watching it...I just had fun with it. Kinji Fukasaku went on to create a cult classic later in his life (Battle Royale) this was just fun and I enjoyed it. This is a Japanese production made with American actors and while the film is cheap...I didn't care.

The plot of the story is straight out of Alien...a group of astronauts investigate a planet where green slime comes into contact with one of the spacemen. The spacemen return to the space station and the aliens grow attack and kill the people on the station. Think of an episode of Doctor Who without the Doctor.



I mean just look at those miniatures....is it perfect no but it feels so different than what we see today. It's a choice and I enjoyed it. Then you look at the planet and it's just wonderful.



Yes it's matte paintings, and paper mache but it feels like a real world and it matches the tone of the film. And this isn't a film for children...this is a straight up Alien/Horror film. Character die bloody firey deaths in this film.


Now the film does have problems, the characters are completely one dimensional. But the funny thing is...this is a giant cast of hundreds of people on this space station. So I didn't really mind because I didn't care about the humans I wanted the Aliens to win. We kinda suck and those little green men have a right to defend themselves from those interlopers. They are just trying to live a peaceful life and we invade their space I for one welcome our new Alien overlords.

While I'll say it's not a great film...it is a fun one a guilty pleasure that is worth watching with a group of friends on a nice big screen.

Your score is too low. This is one of the greatest cinematic achievements in history. Get your mind right.


PS - I strongly disagree about the one-dimensional characters by the way, the characters and their subversions of expected tropes were the part I really went on about in my absurdly long review of this.





Babylon (2022)

I don't know what it says about me where two of my favorite films of the year feature explosions of bodily fluids but Damien Chazelle's Babylon is the most divisive film of the year and I'm on the positive side. This movie is three hours long and it flies by the 20 minute pre-credit party scene is amazing. This is a film that I don't youtube will let you but you need to pause parts to see all the debauchery in the background.

The party sets up the plot where a Hollywood leading man (Brad Pitt) his gofer (Deigo Calva) and a party crasher (Margot Robbie) have a fun time which leads into a silent film shoot the next day. Robbie gives what I feel is the performance of the year as an unashamed drug addict looking to become a star. She's incredible in this the only thing keeping her from the Oscar is she keeps her clothes on (sort of). But she has five or six sequences in this film that are pure manic energy.

Brad Pitt is also in this as the inverse of Cliff Booth, Jack Conrad the biggest star in the world who has to deal with the changing of the times. Pitt is doing the best work of his career right now, he walks a fine line between being on a full on libertine and a melancholic man. His story really sticks with you and you wish he was more of a focus of the film. Sadly he's more a supporting figure than the lead which is a shame because he's the one who emotionally grounds the film.

Unfortunately because all films have to look the same we have three other stories for "diversity". Joven Adepo plays a trumpet player who gets a full character arc and it frankly feels anachronistic. It really sucks that this character is in the film because it feels less like a contrast and more like an insult. His character sticks out like a sore thumb in this one. What's worse is it contrasts with Li Jun Li as Lady Fay Zhu. Fay Zhu plays a Chinese lesbian who feels authentic to the era turning into the stereotypes of the era but creating her own character. She feels like she belongs in this world unlike Sidney Palmer....who should be in a different film. One you would skip because it's dull.

Diego Calvao plays a gofer who rise to executive in this crazy world. He's very good in this and feels like a real person. He's flawed makes some poor choices but is a solid POV character for the film. He starts to pass himself off as a Spanish from Spain producer in the film...which is a subtle shift that works. His early scenes are better than his later ones and he doesn't have the jaw dropping scenes like Li, Pitt, and Robbie. The climax of the film feels a big detached because Calvao doesn't really deserve what's happening to him.

The final thing that's great about this film is all the bit parts. Chazelles wife gets a nice little meaty role as a director. And you have a bunch of cameo's from figures of the silent age. I couldn't even keep track of all of them. I feel sad for people who are going to end up watching and finding his on TV or on their computer. This is something to be seen on the Big Screen.


Time to post some reviews from Oscar noms...





Glass Onion:A Knives Out Mystery(2022)

Ed Norton is an eccentric who invites five of his friends(and three guests) along to a murder mystery in his remote island in the latest Knives Out film. The group features a men's rights you tuber (Dave Batista), a cancelled fashionista (Kate Hudson), the fired business partner (Janelle Monae), a scientist (Leslie Odom Jr) and the governor of Connecticut (Kathryn Hahn). Five out of six of those characters work one really doesn't and just becomes furniture 15 minutes in and stays that way for the entire film.

This is a much better film for the character of Benoit Blanc. The pandemic is winding down and it was rough for Blanc. This film the character really shines as he has several of the best scenes in the story. This is the film where you can see Johnson really going in great places with the character.

This was also a film where the runtime just flew by, thanks in large part to Edward Norton's character and performance. Norton's bit parts were really good and compelling. Between this and Motherless Brooklyn I feel like he's prone to fall into a modern Bogart style actor. The movie just has one issue and it's a big spoiler so don't click on it untill after to see it.

WARNING: spoilers below
Rian Johnson has the exact same person as the killer. The straight white male big actor is the killer yet again. It's one of those things where if you are going to have a mystery plot with a surprise killer and a diverse cast you need to look outside the basic norms for your killer. It was a bit of a predictable copout that modern films lean into.


The movie is not going to crack my top ten but it's close





Black Panther Wakanda Forever (2022)

Ryan Coogler returns to the billion dollar franchise Black Panther which is also a mediation on loss thanks to Boseman's death which is also a political thriller of sorts between two countries and the use of Vibratium.

The first Black Panther was a well written poorly executed film (not the directors fault) where Wakanda felt like a street the CGI Rhinos looked dumb and Black Panther fighting himself while losing his costume to show his face is the sort of thing that was okay 20 years ago not today. This film is a huge technical step up from the original...while the geography of the nation still seems weird to me (where do all those other tribes live). This film greatly improves on the physics of the powers of the character involved. We also get an undersea world that while still not perfect is better than the cartoonish Aquaman world we saw a few years ago.

Angela Bassett and Tenoch Huerta give standout performances. I can see Bassett getting a second Oscar nom as the first act of the story feels padded but also gives Bassett a lot to work with. Marvel has completely remade Namor into an entirely different character from the books but Huerta performance makes it work. It's somewhat a shame that the filmmakers didn't make him more of a focus point similar to Michael B Jordan's Killmonger.

The big issue with the film is that it's a black female super hero film with Nakia, Okoye, Shuri, and Riri Williams. All of which having different powers and positions in the story but also all sharing the same bland personality. It's a common problem with modern filmmaking where the fear of giving characters flaws and personalities creates a parade of blandness. These characters exist to serve the plot and to sell different versions of toys.

The second issue I had with the film was Disney's marketing objectives fault.
WARNING: spoilers below
The film has a rather large death count yet all the deaths occur off screen. The climax of the film has the Atlalians(now Takaonians) closing in on the named leads at the edge of the ships. Hundreds of Wakandans had died yet. There is something twisted about making a film about grief and treating hundreds of people like they are disposable and forgettable.


With the third issue being that several scenes in the film are just way to dark and blurry. This is an improvement visually from the first film but it's still an issue. A different filmmaker and studio could have fixed it's CGI shortcomings through a better shot selection but instead it's over and done with and off to the next set piece.

But it's still a good film, while it has it's issues the actual plotting is good. At three hours I wasn't really bored or felt the run time until about 2 hours in. While it lacks the interesting character work it does achieve in telling a different type of Super Hero film.







So Triangle of Sadness isn't going to get an Oscar for BP, it has about 75% on RT...it's not as good as Prey!. This is what I hate about the Hollywood PC system because this is a great film with a strong message that's being buried by the far left because they can't handle a film that actually criticizes women. It has the audacity to not just hit the same targets over and over again.

So it's basically an anthology film about a pair of models, the first part is an awkward dinner which runs for about 15-20 minutes. The second part of the story is a cruise with a bunch of rich old people. The third part is the longest part where survivors are stuck on an Island. That's in the trailer so I'm not really spoiling it for you.

The film does get too wicked and it leaves certain things up in the air so I might end up rewatching it but this is my favorite of Ostlund's work





Two of my favorite films this year were Babylon and Triangle of Sadness so hooray for vomit and bodily fluids. To me this is the best film of the year that one that sticks with me more than all the other films. I can understand why this film isn't for everyone...it doesn't do the typical pandering to the female ego. I mean this is a film with flawed male and female characters it's been a while since I've seen one of those.



Dolly De Leon got the big awards push which is a shame because both leads are very good in this. Charibi Dean Krick tragically passed away last year at the young age of 29. This was a star making performance for her, as her character arc was the most interesting and the most tragic. You have this woman who is self aware that her only value is in her looks so she engages in the hustle. But the clock is ticking and she knows it. Harris Dickenson also gives an unshowy lead performance that allows for all of these great character moments. Reminded me of Mark Whalberg in the The Fighter where he anchors the craziness by reacting to everyone else.





Till (2022)

Well I thought this would get a nomination for Danielle Deadwyler but thanks to what I guess was a split vote with Viola Davis Till missed out on any nominations. The film also has an insanely high RT and Audience score so I assumed this was a lock down slam dunk classic that I would remember for years to come.

And then a half hour goes by and I start to get nervous...they aren't telling the story right. And then the hour goes by and a pit fills in my stomach...and then we reach the hour and half mark and realize that their is 40 minutes left to this movie and they aren't doing anything good with this. This is a TV movie of the week that could have come out in 1992.

Deadwyler is very good in this but that's all the film has. The script and pacing is all over the place. This movie doesn't know what it wants to be...as first you figure drama/period piece. But then the film flips around and tries to be a thriller...but it's a bloodless thriller which defeats the basic point of the story. This was a child who was horrifically murdered and the film just completely sanitizes it. Then it moves onto a court case...but the trial is actually poorly executed almost like an aside. This is a film where all the action happens off scene.

The worst thing is that it treats Civil Rights leaders like they are cameo's in an Avengers film. Here's Medgar Evers and there he goes..wave bye to Medgar don't worry we'll reference him during the epilogue. If you are going to make a cheap film at least put some style in it and treat it like a stage play. What we ended up with was just not great....a film with a powerful subject matter told with a film that is forgettable. This film has a huge cast but no rudder or focus....Deadwyler has all of these great scenes but they are tied together with banality. This movie cost 20X what Pearl cost and it looks worse.







The Whale (2023)

I hate to compare films to Till....but why was Till a 98% film and this a 67%. And then I looked at what it was knocked for and well...I'm ticked off. This is 100% a 90% film it's a two hour devastating performance piece by Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, and Hong Chau. A man at the end of his life tries to reconnect with his daughter that he abandoned. The film only has about five characters and we basically never leave this one apartment where this dying man is living.

The things that this film got knocked for are just absurd. The major criticisms of the film is that it's not sensitive enough and that's it's fat-phobic. I don't know what "fatphobic" is but obesity is a disease and it's something to be afraid of. Frankly the entire point of the film is to see how we got to this place where this character is ready to die. His story unfolds over time and we get these portrayals of flawed figures. Humanity isn't exploitative and showing people who are complicated and self destructive isn't a bad thing. The point of art is to show up what life is not just what we hope it should be.

Fraser's delusions and disconnect from reality is the thing that really grounds the film. His desperation and sadness translates not just to the main issue (his death) but also his relationships with the people in his life. Sadie Sink's portrayal of his daughter is utterly fantastic a 17 year old who is basically a monster. The effects of a young woman raised in an atmosphere of trauma. Chau is also good in this as Charlies last friend who is both the woman trying to keep him alive but also the person bringing him food. At the end of the film we're left wondering where these two characters are going to end up going as they demonstrated two sides of a coin for Charlie.

For me this is one of Darren's better films reminiscent of The Wrestler or Requiem for a Dream and likely the film that should win Fraser the Oscar.






Women Talking (2023)

Sarah Polley is a filmmaker that can best be described as maddening. I generally went into this film cold I might have seen the trailer and some of the still imagery so I thought this was going to be one type of film and was surprised that it was something else. This film is practically a stage production the vast majority of the film takes place in a barn with Women Talking. We leave the barn for short periods of time but often time it's very clunky and frankly unsatisfying. This is a clear choice from Polley who chooses to never show us the villains in the story. It's a good idea that could have been executed significantly better.

The other issue I had with the film is the pretense that these are uneducated women yet you don't really get that feeling from the performances and writings. With that said it's a good film it just could have been great. Rooney Mara plays completely against type to the point where I didn't even recognize her until the credits rolled. In the book the POV character is the one male in the story August (Ben Whishaw) an actor that I've never been a huge fan of. In the film he's merely a character with the POV switching to a younger daughter (Kate Hallet) it's an interesting choice that once again could have paid off significantly better in another film.

The basic plot of the film is women were being drugged and raped by men in this Amish(like) community. They are told they had 48 hours to forgive the men or they must stay and fight them...or leave to find another community. A selection of families are chosen as the deciders and the film is in essence a discussion piece. Polley does cut away from the action to show some community life scenes but it's in bits and pieces. Theirs very little actual momentum in the scenes and that's a choice.

If you enjoyed say Tree of Life you'd likely enjoy this as Polley tries to strip away most cinematic trappings and give us something unique. Her vision is both her greatest strength and the film's anchor because you do feel the runtime. When going into this film I would suggest being cautious and not seeing it at the end of the day cause it will put you to sleep. Some of you are really going to love this film, others will not. I admired it's choices more than I enjoyed them.





Infinity Pool (2023)

We are really in a strange era where a father/son team have consistently released some of the most thought-provoking adult level horror films back to back to back. Infinity Pool is the story of two couples on vacation in an unnamed country when an accident occurs the husband ends up in a twisted nightmare of a world. I'm not going to give away too much of the plot because each scene builds upon its self.

If you watched the Yuppie in trouble movies of the late eighties/early nineties you understand what you are getting into. Mia Goth continues her run as horrors best actress using her real voice and playing an actress/trophy wife who is really as the center of his unhinged madness. Her first and last scenes book mark an incredible character arc and stick with you more so than some other aspects of it.

My only issue with the film is the rating as it's a R film that should be NC-17. A number of scenes and set pieces could have been elevated but they were clearly "artistically" shot to avoid the NC-17 rating. This was a huge mistake because so many of the sexual and violent set pieces in the film could have been masterfully done if you could have actually seen them.

Sadly the film was immediately removed from theaters so word of mouth isn't going to help it which is a real shame because this is the closest to a Passolini film we've seen in years and the theater experience enhances it. This one might end up on my top ten list at the end of the year.






To Leslie (2022)

We live in strange times when this is what amounts to controversy. To Leslie is the typical poverty porn that you've seen hundreds if not thousands of time before. If it were subtitled or came from a different country this film would register no complaints. The film has very strong influences on Mike Leigh John Cassavettes or Luc Dardenne.

The story is of a woman who has run out of money after winning the lottery. She has a moderate drinking problem, but her issues are mostly psychological and practical. This isn't an appealing person rather the center of the film is what to do with people we just throw away.

This is a showcase for Andrea Riseborough she gives a stunning performance bouncing between sadness, rage, and pity. It's the quiet moments in the film that hit you the most. The little things about characters who live small lives and yet still have love/hate/pride towards each other.

Michael Morris took no shortcuts with this film. It's shot well, it has real music in it, it has a wide variety of settings and characters. Little things that elevate the work from the 200 other movies about alcoholism you'll see in your life. But what I really found value in the film is it's restraint with the alcoholism. She's an alcoholic but it's not really the driving part of the film it's more about all the things that come with the problems.







The Fox (1967)

Watching modern queer they often have the subtlety of a hammer to the head. But scrolling through TCM in the middle of the night you come across a gem of a film like this...The Fox. It's a simple story a pair of lesbians live on an isolated farm raising chickens in the Canadian winter. A fox comes into their hen house and is murdering the chickens. When the grandson of the old farm owner shows up he offers the ladies his services as a workman.

Sandy Dennis stars in this film as the female of the house...she's best known as the Oscar nominated fourth person in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. She doesn't play against type here because she's the same hysterical frail woman but it works with this story. Anne Heywood plays the more masculine partner in the couple with a European esque turn which reminded me of older Hollywood actresses. She's basically the lead in the story as the film deals with her central struggles between her wife and this new man that shows up.

Keir Dullea is the man in the story, he's best known for the role took on later as the lead in 2001 A Space Odyssey. He bounces between antagonist and protagonist. His nuanced performance is even more threatening because you are not sure what to make of him and his interpersonal relationships between himself and the two female characters.

Mark Rydell directed this film and he's best known for his Oscar nominated work on a very similar film On Golden Pond. Both films kinda do the same thing with their cinematography showing these beautiful wide lonely forests and than juxtaposing them with these claustrophobic small country homes. This is a film that completely engaged me and led to a conclusion that left me thinking about these characters a bit more.

This is a powerful little hidden gem worth tracking down.





Beau is Afraid (2023)

Ari Aster's third horror film is a mixed bag and exercise in surrealism and pop psychology the film is a collection of set pieces that vary between the horrifying and the dull. For some this is a film that is going to hit a number of notes...sort of a Cloud Atlas type film that if you want to love it you will.

The first and last acts of the film are brilliant. Textually dense scenes of anxiety and sexual horror that Aster plays to perfection. Phoenix's shcluby character is a bottle of disability living in a horrifying world. The apartment he lives in feels like a depressed hovel that he is scratching and begging to hold onto. We know the character is suffering from deep personal issues but Aster allows us to laugh at him rather than pity him. It's a fine line that Phoenix and Aster walk and they do it well. Everything is terrible for this guy but you don't really have empathy for him.

The problem with the film is that we get a second act where Beau trapped in this perfect American dream like land. Which unfortunately goes on for ever without a great payoff. It's not the fault of the actors but the weirdness never really comes together in this very long portion of the film. It's a rough juxtaposition between the first part that nailed so many great scenes with a second part that just didn't know what it was going for. I cam see of their are walkouts this would be the point where you would leave the film.

The third act starts with this massive dream sequence that is clever but leads to a random showdown that should have been a better set piece. When we finally reach the end and the final act Parker Posey, Richard Kind, and Patti Lupone show up and manage to salvage the film. We return to the sexual horrors that really worked in the first scene and several truly nightmarish set pieces that fans would love to dissect and interoperate.

But at the end of the day the film just doesn't come together as a cohesive piece. It tries to do too much for far to long attempting to make a horror epic and missing the mark at a few too many points.






Evil Dead Rise (2023)

It's been ten years since the last Evil Dead film, a gore/atmosphere charmer by Fede Alvarez and now we get the return of the series in Evil Dead Rise...a film that's received strangely positive reviews. This is the fifth film in the series and it's a bit of a departure from previous versions.

In this installment we've moved from the Cabin in the Woods to an derelict apartment building with a family of four. During an earthquake one of the members of the family finds a hidden vault with the Necronomicon which leads to the mother getting possessed and running havoc on this small group of people.

This film is a mixed bag, on one hand by lower the age of the victims to mostly teenagers it feels like a throwback to 80's classics. The script also has some solid laughs and chuckles in it. The director and cinematographer clearly had a lot of fun playing around in this setting. But for me the film has more misses than hits. To start off with, the film is dark as in the shot contrast so while it's filled with gore you don't really see as much as you'd like. But the biggest issue for me was the setting.


See the film takes place in an apartment building....but it's an apartment building that is is disrepair and people are leaving...however the actual apartment feels absurdly huge. This is a single mother of three and she's living in this great four bedroom apartment so it's fairly unrealistic but then you have all of these murders and they are happening a room away. All the characters should factor into each death scene but they don't. It's like sound doesn't travel from one room to the other. The characters don't really have any agency or personality other than the familial roles...which is lazy.

The film isn't terrible, it's a serviceable film but it's the weakest of the series and the one I don't think I'll ever revisit. It's like it's a product familiar and disappointing.