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Sarah (7799 KP) rated The Exorcist in Opera House Manchester (Manchester, United Kingdom) in Shows
Jul 22, 2020
Brilliant set design
I went to watch The Exorcist at the Opera House in Manchester in October 2019. I've never been a huge fan of The Exorcist film, I think it's a tad overrated but I was intrigued to see how they'd bring a story like this to life on the stage. And they've put together a well produced and atmospheric show. The set design is brilliant and the effects are spot on, producing a chilly and at times scary show, which isn't something you'd usually expect in such a big theatre and a large audience. The show is that well produced that it's a shame it's rather let down by the acting. A lot of the acting seemed very over the top and exaggerated, and some was just plain poor. Which is a shame as there was a standout performance from Tristram Wymark as Burke who was downright hilarious and a welcome relief to the scarier aspects of the show. Also having Ian McKellen voice the demon is a work of genius. Hearing such a seasoned actor voice a horrible character is brilliant and the young girl miming him is impressively good, even if she does seem to overact at times.
Overall definitely worth seeing for the production if nothing else, and I would've marked a little higher had it not been for some of the acting!
Overall definitely worth seeing for the production if nothing else, and I would've marked a little higher had it not been for some of the acting!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Fantasy Island (2020) in Movies
Mar 22, 2021
Is Fantasy Island a good movie? I'd be inclined to say no. Is it as bad as everyone has been saying? Kind of...
The absolutely biggest flaw with this movie is it's pacing. The last 20 or so minutes are entertaining enough, and show off a few half decent twists, no matter how silly it gets, but sweet lord it really takes its time getting there. It's not a good slow burn either. The series of events leading up to the films climax is messy and bloated, and feels like a whole load of hot air being blown about.
The cast are ok...they do the best they can with an on the nose script that sounds like it's been written by adults trying to be "down with the kids" but the only person who comes out of this looking good (?) is Maggie Q. Her character was relatively interesting, everyone else was just an arsehole, and Michael Rooker is criminally under utilised. Michael Peña just looks severely uninterested for the whole runtime.
As I said, I didn't find it as ball achingly awful as I'd heard. It's a decent enough premise that unfortunately faffs about in its execution. It's sometimes entertaining, but devoid of any scares. And between this and the 2019 Black Christmas, I'm completely over Blumhouse movies replacing blood with jet black gooey liquid. Have some balls dammit!
The absolutely biggest flaw with this movie is it's pacing. The last 20 or so minutes are entertaining enough, and show off a few half decent twists, no matter how silly it gets, but sweet lord it really takes its time getting there. It's not a good slow burn either. The series of events leading up to the films climax is messy and bloated, and feels like a whole load of hot air being blown about.
The cast are ok...they do the best they can with an on the nose script that sounds like it's been written by adults trying to be "down with the kids" but the only person who comes out of this looking good (?) is Maggie Q. Her character was relatively interesting, everyone else was just an arsehole, and Michael Rooker is criminally under utilised. Michael Peña just looks severely uninterested for the whole runtime.
As I said, I didn't find it as ball achingly awful as I'd heard. It's a decent enough premise that unfortunately faffs about in its execution. It's sometimes entertaining, but devoid of any scares. And between this and the 2019 Black Christmas, I'm completely over Blumhouse movies replacing blood with jet black gooey liquid. Have some balls dammit!
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Orange Is The New Black in TV
Sep 30, 2019 (Updated Sep 30, 2019)
Great show from begging to end
Contains spoilers, click to show
Orange Is the New Black often dubbed as OITNB is an American drama television series created by Jenji Kohan which aired on Netflix.
The show ran for 7 seasons beginning July 11, 2013 to July 26, 2019 and is Based on Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison; by Piper Kerman
The show primarily focuses on Piper Chapman, a public relations executive with a career and a fiance until her past suddenly catches up to her. she is sentenced to spend time in a minimum-security women's prison for her association with a drug runner 10 years earlier.
Forced to change office grey for prison orange, Chapman edges her way through the corrections system in an attempt to adjust to life behind bars whilst making friends & enemies with the many eccentric, unusual and unexpected people she meets.
I didn't start watching until roughly season 4, but was quickly tagged as a fan and was always eager to see what happened next ( 9pm, 3am whats the difference right.....)
Although its was a great show some plot details seemed blurred or rushed at times causing me to ask myself, wait what? But strong physical acting and vocal timing truly helped dig in those finger Nails & shivs and not let go.
The show ran for 7 seasons beginning July 11, 2013 to July 26, 2019 and is Based on Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison; by Piper Kerman
The show primarily focuses on Piper Chapman, a public relations executive with a career and a fiance until her past suddenly catches up to her. she is sentenced to spend time in a minimum-security women's prison for her association with a drug runner 10 years earlier.
Forced to change office grey for prison orange, Chapman edges her way through the corrections system in an attempt to adjust to life behind bars whilst making friends & enemies with the many eccentric, unusual and unexpected people she meets.
I didn't start watching until roughly season 4, but was quickly tagged as a fan and was always eager to see what happened next ( 9pm, 3am whats the difference right.....)
Although its was a great show some plot details seemed blurred or rushed at times causing me to ask myself, wait what? But strong physical acting and vocal timing truly helped dig in those finger Nails & shivs and not let go.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Whisper Man in Books
Aug 31, 2019 (Updated Aug 31, 2019)
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
In The Whisper Man, recently widowed Tom Kennedy moves to Featherbank for a fresh start. What he does not realize is the town has a dark history and, as the old saying goes, history always repeats itself. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and killed people whom he lured out of their house by whispering at their windows at night. Kennedy quickly becomes too familiar with this because his son hears whispering at his window.
The Whisper Man is a dark, suspenseful thriller by Alex North. According to his bio, North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name. This is his first book published under Alex North. Betterreading.com sums up the mystery by saying "So, who is Alex North? Time will probably tell, but in the meantime, the biggest thriller of 2019 has been written by the Whisper Man himself."
The short chapters move the story at a fast pace. I had a hard time finding an appropriate place to stop reading because each chapter ended with me wanting more. There is a supernatural element but it is not the main focus.
I am looking forward to more by Alex North, whomever he is.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/30/19.
In The Whisper Man, recently widowed Tom Kennedy moves to Featherbank for a fresh start. What he does not realize is the town has a dark history and, as the old saying goes, history always repeats itself. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and killed people whom he lured out of their house by whispering at their windows at night. Kennedy quickly becomes too familiar with this because his son hears whispering at his window.
The Whisper Man is a dark, suspenseful thriller by Alex North. According to his bio, North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name. This is his first book published under Alex North. Betterreading.com sums up the mystery by saying "So, who is Alex North? Time will probably tell, but in the meantime, the biggest thriller of 2019 has been written by the Whisper Man himself."
The short chapters move the story at a fast pace. I had a hard time finding an appropriate place to stop reading because each chapter ended with me wanting more. There is a supernatural element but it is not the main focus.
I am looking forward to more by Alex North, whomever he is.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/30/19.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Blood Machines (2019) in Movies
Aug 15, 2020
Blood Machines is essentially a glorified music video for French synthwave outfit Carpenter Brut. That's not something that automatically de-credits the project of course, and sci-fi fans will undoubtedly get a kick out of it.
Aesthetically, Blood Machines looks pretty stunning. The entire 50 minute runtime is bursting with colour, and is visually impressive. The settings are truly otherworldly.
The screenplay and to a certain extent the plot, take a backseat. The dialogue is frequently silly (possibly intentional) and doesn't really offer much - I actually think it could have benefited from no dialogue at all - but the makers hope to distract from this with naked women adorning upside down crucifixes across their torsos. Nothing like a bit of nudity mixed with anti-religious symbolism to fill up the "edgy" quota after all.
I actually saw Carpenter Brut at Arctangent in 2019, completely unaware of who they were, and honestly had a great time. Their music is heavily inspired by 80s movies, and the visuals they use in their live performances reflect that. Here, their music adds to the experience of Blood Machines in spades, and a big part of why I enjoyed it.
If you have an hour to kill and like Sci-Fi, then I would encourage you to check out Blood Machines. It's not revolutionary but it's entertaining enough for what it's is.
Aesthetically, Blood Machines looks pretty stunning. The entire 50 minute runtime is bursting with colour, and is visually impressive. The settings are truly otherworldly.
The screenplay and to a certain extent the plot, take a backseat. The dialogue is frequently silly (possibly intentional) and doesn't really offer much - I actually think it could have benefited from no dialogue at all - but the makers hope to distract from this with naked women adorning upside down crucifixes across their torsos. Nothing like a bit of nudity mixed with anti-religious symbolism to fill up the "edgy" quota after all.
I actually saw Carpenter Brut at Arctangent in 2019, completely unaware of who they were, and honestly had a great time. Their music is heavily inspired by 80s movies, and the visuals they use in their live performances reflect that. Here, their music adds to the experience of Blood Machines in spades, and a big part of why I enjoyed it.
If you have an hour to kill and like Sci-Fi, then I would encourage you to check out Blood Machines. It's not revolutionary but it's entertaining enough for what it's is.
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