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GDT's Cabinet of Curiosities is an anthology show. Different horror story every week introduced by GDT himself. The first one was written by him as well. I don't know if he writes all of them. (He does. Just returned from IMBD)
This episode takes place on the eve of the First Iraq War. An old man dies. His storage unit, in a creepy old building, goes up for auction. Vietnam Vet Nick Appleton buys it. Things don't go well. There is kind of a mix of GDT and Twilight Zone. Naturally Nick is a racist with a chip on his shoulder and there is a comeuppance waiting for him down the road. The story was kind of interesting but not deeply so. I will probably watch more to see where this goes.
Unlike other Netflix shows, this is in the episode a week category rather than a dump of all eight.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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So thumbs up or down? Or should we wait for more of your research?
I've been on the fence on this one...
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Definitely not a thumbs down. The visuals were good. The acting was good. The story was a bit mediocre.
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fair
I will await more of your intrepid recon...
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Well, now. I've fallen behind. I thought I reviewed Ep02 but I guess not.
Ep02 was about grave robbers and the things people find in those graves. It's not pretty.
Ep03 The Autopsy F. Murray Abraham comes to town to do an autopsy on miners killed in a mine accident The insurance company doesn't want to pay because the miners weren't killed because of actual mining activities. Abraham is brought in by his friend the sheriff to get to the truth. Something weird happened in the town and the mine before the explosion. For me there was a lot of visceral horror as Murray performs the autopsy from Y-Cuts to chest rib removal. It does have a good twist ending. This was the best episode yet.
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I’m in. I feel it has more of a night gallery vibe. I think the different directors (all from the horror genre I think) will be cool but I’m suspicious that each ep is destined for Del Toro to showcase another monster of his twisted visions, which is ok because if there’s one thing he does well, it’s monsters.
E1 was fun and I like how the racist vet was shown to be valid because he drank Tab. Do they still even make Tab? Only sheeple drank it, right?
I liked the overall concept of the story and it left lingering questions like what the heck was the storage lot owner butchering? Was it a lamb (as in sacrificial lamb)? And the idea that he kept things hidden for so long was disturbing, right? Especially when it’s revealed what the monster is.
I did like the monster. That won me over on this. Tentacles ftw!
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E2 was a dud. Cliche rat scenes, gross out cadavers staged by people who’ve never actually seen a dead body and have no sense of what happens to skin turgor, a weak attempt to prey upon claustrophobia, and painfully predictable attempts at jump scares. I did like the lovecraftian chamber but it never went anywhere. I was extremely disappointed at the monsters - I expect far more from Del Toro creatures and these looked like throwbacks to 80s puppets. Meh.
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Ep1: A sleazy amoral scumbag, pressured by a threatening loan shark, seeks an easy financial solution to his problems only to get his comeuppance.
Ep2: A sleazy amoral scumbag, pressured by a threatening loan shark, seeks an easy financial solution to his problems only to get his comeuppance.
I'm hoping future episodes will feature a character I can better identify with--not that I'm saying I'm not a sleazy amoral scumbag.
High production values, so I'll keep watching. But would it kill them to introduce an ounce of unpredictability? These seem like very straightforward morality plays.
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I neglected to mention that ep2 had a very disappointing sword. It was touted as some treasure, a presentation sword gifted to the deceased by someone of notoriety, but it was just some plain naval cutlass.
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E3: I concur with Greg. This is the best ep so far. A lot must got to F. Murray, who brings his all his gravitas to a morbid role. It defies cf’s astute observation about the parallels between eps 1 & 2 with a character who is ultimately the complete opposite, and ventures into an unexpected inner space, bookended by gratuitous grossness.
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ep3: Yes, what DM said. High production values evident in a lot of scenes. Underground mining, the makeshift morgue, the autopsies. And the characters came very much alive--including some who ought to have stayed dead. Sort of. Oh, you know what I mean.
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Ep04 The Outsider Return to the mediocre form of ep01 and ep02. Ugly girl wants to be pretty and is presented with a miracle cure. Of course there are costs. It's set in the 80s, I figure and the transformation part is kind of tedious constantly going over information we already know. There are some odd bits but not enough of them.
Truth be told, we didn't see the end of this episode because Netflix decided it was tired for the evening an went away. I have about ten minutes left. Maybe it will kick into high gear then?
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
Ep04: Yes, a return to bad form. Which is a bit surprising, as Ana Lily Amirpour seldom disappoints. Tediously repetitive, mostly predictable, unpleasant to watch from start to finish. And I wasn't convinced the protagonist would take the actions she did. Just unpleasant and unbelievable start to end. Enough said.
Finished all 8. For me, only ep03 was worthwhile. I'm reminded of a youtube channel Accented Cinema video on why Chinese horror movies are so bad. That's because while they can pose supernatural mysteries, the solution must always be real world. There is an occasional good Chinese horror movie, but only because the real-world solution is rather clever. But the possibilities are greatly reduced. There are no ghosts, no haunted houses, no zombies, etc.
By contrast, U.S. horror is 95% zombies, haunted houses or equivalent, ghosts, or other tired fare. Almost all of this series fell into that category, and I was constantly bored. I also subconsciously disapprove of so much supernatural "food" in the U.S. It promotes a space laser lady mentality.
Not that I'm calling for censorship, or quotas. But I think China has a firmer grip on crazy-talk as a result.
Some of these eps would have been too long for me at 30 minutes. So few surprises. So much padding.
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12-26-2022, 10:52 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-26-2022, 10:55 AM by Drunk Monk.)
Unless Greg finds another standout ep, I’m gonna bail on this and recommend you both check out axel Toro’s Pinocchio. That is superb, especially if you like stop-motion animation. The creatures, Del Toro’s specialty, are awesome. I particularly liked his interpretation of angels - all wings and eyes - which is more literal to the original (by that I mean the Bible).
Well, since you’ve seen it already, maybe this is just for Greg, and you should just rewatch Pan’s Labyrinth.
Thanks for the heads up on this.
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