Black Rock (2012)

Number Rolled: 49

Movie Name/Year: Black Rock (2012)

Genre: Thriller

Length: 79 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Submarine Entertainment

Executive Producer: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Katie Aselton

Director: Katie Aselton

Writer: Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton

Actors: Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth, Will Bouvier, Jay Paulson, Anslem Richardson

Two friends are gearing up for an awesome weekend of camping and fun. When they get to the docks, a third friend is waiting. Tensions run high between the women as they get to the island and run into three hunters.

There was very little redeemable about this movie. The plot was weak and the script was even worse. I can’t even blame the lead actresses for their performances because there was no real depth to their characters.

Kate Bosworth’s (Homefront, Movie 43, Blue Crush) character lacked any real motivation throughout the entire movie. Lake Bell (Children’s Hospital, How to Make it in America, No Strings Attached) and Katie Aselton’s (The League, Our Idiot Brother, Treatment) characters were completely based around the history of an argument that took over a half hour to establish and just wasn’t worth it.

The only character I felt was well done was Derek. Played by Jay Paulson (Lucky Bastard, Happy Town, October Road), Derek hit a level of creepy that the antagonist in a film like this really needs in order to evoke the right emotions from the audience.

In the end, this recipe film isn’t worth even its short running time.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 48%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 24%

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 2.3/5

Trust-the-Dice Score – 1.5/5

Movie Trailer: 

John Dies at the End (2012)

Number Rolled: 61

Movie Name/Year: John Dies at the End (2012)

Genre: Horror

Length: 99 minutes

Rating: R

Affiliated Companies: M3 Alliance, M3 Creative, Midnight Alliance, Touchy Feely Films

Executive Producer: Daniel Carey, Dac Coscarelli, Paul Giamatti

Director: Don Coscarelli

Writer: Don Coscarelli, David Wong

Actors: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, Fabianne Therese, Jonny Weston, Jimmy Wong, Tai Bennett, Bark Lee

Dave and John are friends. One day, at a party, they’re introduced to a man who is in possession of a new drug called “soy sauce.” It’s said that the drug can open people’s minds to places they’ve never even imagined. The drug, however, is not what people expect and the side effects border on insane.

John Dies at the End is based off a book that began as a webserial. Somewhere out there, there’s a sequel (to the book) and I intend to look up all three of those things.

Let me put this into perspective. On Netflix, in the “More Like This” section for the film there are four movies that I couldn’t agree with more; Odd Thomas with its quirky supernatural core, Detention with its wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey awesome plot, Rapture-Palooza which refuses to take itself seriously and Rubber which is utterly and completely ridiculous. All those descriptions fit John Dies at the End.

I spent a lot of the movie lost, I’ll admit it. However, I think you’re supposed to spend a lot of the movie lost and questioning things. In fact, the film even starts with a question that’s meant to get you thinking.

The actors elevated the quirky, insane and ridiculous plot to something not only watchable, but interesting. Chase Williamson (Video Game High School, Sparks, Complete Works) and Rob Mayes (The Client List, Ice Castles, Burning Blue) had amazing friendship chemistry on screen and I’d happily watch anything they’re in. 

To be fair, if you don’t like time-travel or crude comedy films, this probably isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you like the four other films I mentioned earlier, you should be very happy with this movie.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 61%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 54%

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 4.8/5

Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5

P.S. There’s a scene that plays during the beginning of the credits.

Movie Trailer: