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Death on the Nile (2022)
Death on the Nile (2022)
2022 | Mystery
I don't like to go into a film with a negative impression... but... #NotMyPoirot #SlashTheStash.

Linnet Ridgeway goes to Poirot with fears for her safety, and that of her new husband, when an old mutual acquaintance shows up at each new location on their honeymoon.

An Agatha Christie novel always makes for a great plot, and this one has had several different adaptations over the years. Don't go into it expecting a faithful adaptation though, this one comes out a bit spicier. It also takes some liberties with Poirot's backstory, which does add some interesting context to things about him, but at the same time, it's not the source material.

As with Death Train, Death Boat has a star-studded cast. While I love most of them in other things, I found the whole dynamic to be a little all over the place. Tom Bateman and Ali Fazal were solid, Russell Brand was surprisingly good, but everyone else was either rather bland or too over the top. Then there's Kenneth... I'll give it to them, it feels wrong thinking that Poirot is sexy... but there's one moment where even I, a Ken denier, took a sharp intake of breath.

Death on the Nile comes in at 2 hours and 7 minutes, had they cut what felt like 10 minutes of Gal Gadot walking down the length of the ship, it could easily have come in under 2 hours.

I think that identifies the issue I have with these new adaptations. This one in particular has a very theatrical feel to it. A lot of the boat shots early on feel like you're watching it happen on a stage. I don't object to that style, I like watching theatre, but having it thrown in randomly threw me.

My other big gripe was the choice of shots. Death Boat really likes to not show you faces when people are talking. Watching these scenes was off-putting, it felt like they'd been re-edited and had a new audio track overlaid... badly. There's also a scene where the camera swoops backwards and forwards between the people who are talking, and after a while, I could feel the motion sickness building.

It isn't until films like this come out that you realise just how much of one is computer generated. I have to assume that the majority of this budget went on the cast, it certainly wasn't spent on the effects. The de-aging on Branagh in the opening was awful, and must have cost more than hiring a younger actor to do those scenes. The generated scenery wasn't any better, it was painfully obvious which weren't real.

Death on the Nile is, at the end of the day, another classic Christie story, and even with some butchering, there's still a great mystery to unfold. That being said, I would rather sit through one of the other adaptations again if they were all laid out in front of me.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2022/02/death-on-nile-movie-review.html
  
Evil dead rise (2023)
Evil dead rise (2023)
2023 | Horror
7
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Usually when a film series is embarking on a fifth outing the challenges
of keeping things fresh and original yet being new and creative can be a
massive obstacle.

Horror series ranging from “Halloween” to “Friday the 13th”, “SAW”, and
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” all faced issues with moving the series along
yet trying to stay true to the original film that inspired them and in
every case; failing to fully capture what made the original film a hit.

“Evil Dead Rise” is not only the latest entry into the series but a bold
take on the cinematic series as it abandons the remote cabin setting of
the first two films and the reboot in favor of an urban setting.

The film does open in a remote lakeside locale before jumping a day
earlier to California where estranged sisters Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland)
and Beth (Lilly Sullivan) reunite. Beth has been working as a guitar
technician and bristles that her sister refers to her as a groupie.

Ellie is raising three children after their father left and informs her
sister that the building they are living in is scheduled to be demolished
so they will have to move soon which is a shock to Beth as she has learned
that she is pregnant and is trying to figure out her life all the while
seeing what she thought would be a source of stability for her upended.

The arrival of an earthquake allows access to a hidden area in the parking
garage of their building and since the locale was a former bank; the kids
soon find a hidden book and records which the only son Danny (Morgan
Davies) hopes he can sell despite his sister Bridget (Gabrielle Echols)
admonishing him constantly to leave it alone and return it to where it was
found.

The book turns out to be a Necronomicon or “Book of the Dead” and as fans
of the series know; nothing good ever comes from one and thanks to playing
old records left by a Priest describing his thoughts on the book; a
summoning incantation is read and this causes Ellie to become possessed
and unleash grotesque carnage and terror on her family.

What follows is a gory and at times intense game of cat and mouse
punctuated by moments of levity as the demonic infestation knows no end.

The film has the over-the top- gore that is expected of the series and the
makeup and effects are very effective. Writer?Director Lee Cronin has done
a great job capturing the tone of the series while moving it forward as he
cleverly incorporates lines and nods to the series without making them
seem forced.

Some may find the excess of blood too much but the series has always been
known for taking things to the extreme as the blend of horror and comedic
parody is what made the original film such a success.

In the end “Evil Dead Rise” does enough to keep fans of the series happy
and hopefully we will be seeing a new entry in the series in the future.

3.5 stars out of 5
  
Charisma Check (Dungeons and Dating #6)
Charisma Check (Dungeons and Dating #6)
Katherine McIntyre | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
saved the best til last, I reckon!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.


This is the final book in the Dungeons and Dating series, and I strongly recommend you read all 5 books previous to this one. Not strictly necessary, but it will give you a better view of Jasper, and how he is with everyone else, and of this amazing group of people. And you know, cos I SAID SO!


Jasper doesn't do commitment, he thinks he's too broken. So crushing after the straight owner of his fav cafe is a safe bet, cos ain't nothing gonna happen. Then, though, Matt turns up at a shibari lesson and is paired with Jasper. Which sets off all sorts of chain reactions from the both of them.


Oh Jasper, Jasper Jasper! I've been waiting, so very impatiently for Jasper to tell his tale, cos all through the other books, he SAYS he's happy with his lot, not having to commit to anyone, just hooking up as and when, but deep down, DEEP down, Jasper needed someone to love him. It comes out in all the other books, and here? Oh my days!


Jasper has crushed on Matt for a couple of years and while Matt looked forward to seeing Jasper every day, he was straight and in a relationship. Then that ends, the lesson occurs and Matt begins to question everything about his previous relationships and why they didn't work. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't that he needed to be more dominant, like all the girlfriends asked for, but the opposite?


Loved the progression of Matt and Jasper, how well they fit together and moved things along. Jasper was always gonna say yes to Matt, but Matt wasn't sure what he was asking for, til Jasper said or did JUST what Matt needed. And I loved that, while there was some questioning of his sexual preferences by Matt, once he decided that he'd had it all wrong, he was ALL in with Jasper.


But then, Jasper does what he does and I was reading in bed, and I must have said out loud, "oh Jasper, you IDIOT!" cos my partner was, who is Jasper and what has he done?? And I rarely react verbally when reading, so it shows how powerfully what he did affected me, let alone Matt!


And then, against Jasper and Matt's story, we have the Tabletop tavern and what's happening there. Granted, Jasper leaves it late, but once he gets his head out his ass and goes to war, they pull that off wonderfully!


So, now, I'm sad. I'm sad cos all these wonderful people are partnered up and I am so going to miss them! There are lots of people here, with the battle to save the buildings from developers, people I don't recall meeting before. People with interesting hints about and I wonder if we'll get a follow up? I'd love one!


So, 6 books, 5 of those are 5 star reads, and one slipping to 4, but a series I strongly recommend.


5 full and shiny, but kinda sad, stars


*same worded review will appear elsewhere