I've had guests over for quite a while. So I haven't watched things that I meant to. (Parasite, The Outfit, etc.) So I made them watch a few movies that they enjoyed. Exam and Mindhunters (The movie. Not that Netflix show.) [I]Both entertaining, albeit cheesy, thriller movies that do their genre well.[/i] And in return I finally watched Escape Room. And yeah, it was pretty toothless and forgettable. But I wouldn't mind the PG / cheeseball twist aspect so much, if the characters acted believably. But one dead body in, and the fuckers are STILL making marvel-level witty quips about their scenario. Also the puzzle aspect is so poorly utilized, that even the worst Saw movies do a better job. (4/10 Probably. I'd rather watch Hellfest again. The horny teens come across less stupid than the "smart puzzle solvers" in this.) [hr] Other Movie Reviews: The Outfit: Talk about a no-burner. The characters in this movie are so unbelievably stupid that it makes this impossible to take seriously. Predictable and bland from minute one to the end. 3/10 Parasite: I did not expect this to be a black comedy. But it feels incredibly similar to Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. (Writing wise.) It starts out with great family/character interactions and comedy. Then our situation and plot quickly devolves over time into pure nonsense. (Another secret basement twist. Hollywood sure loves these things.) So while the cinematography is undeniably well executed and the acting is usually enjoyably over the top, the pacing of it is all over the place. And I was honestly struggling to get through its both slow and rushed final act. 6/10 Vesper: For someone who doesn’t tend to enjoy a lot of Sci-fi. This was a nice little indie arthouse film. (Basically translated to ‘the pacing is slow’.) Had good music, serviceable special effects, and its world building was pretty neat and the sets were all interesting to look at. And from that description, you can tell that it’s “one of those” movies. The acting and actual narrative could’ve easily been stronger, if it was made into a full series. 7/10 Decision To Leave: Another south korean movie with some nice shots/cinematography. (Didn’t even know it was the same director of Oldboy when I tried it.) But this one is so fucking long, and the second half goes absolutely nowhere. 3.5/10 The Prestige: I don't think the strength of this movie is in its narrative twists and turns. But how well its directed, performed, and paced. With nice attention to detail for extra viewings, and only a few things I'd nitpick about its script. (People all speak vaguely because mystery. And CPR might've saved us a movie.) 8/10