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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Feb 4, 2021
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Machete Kills (2013) in Movies
Jul 27, 2020
B-Movie Exloitation Film
Like I said in my Machete review, its so weird and odd to see some of these actors working together, cause you would never think in a million years that some of these people would work together like.. Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Walton Goggins, Lady Gaga, Cuba Gooding Jr., Antoino Banderas and Vanesssa Hudgens. Like would ever thought that all of these actors would work together in a B-Movie Exploitation film called Machete Kills is just strange and somehow it works. I dont how, but it just works.
The plot: When the president (Carlos Estevez) of the United States has a mission that would be impossible for just any mortal man, the person he needs is Machete (Danny Trejo), a knife-wielding ex-Federale agent. Machete's mission is to take down Voz (Mel Gibson), a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has come up with a plot to start a nuclear war. Facing death at every turn from assassins, Machete pulls out all of his skills to get the job done.
If you havent see either of the machete movies go watch them.
The plot: When the president (Carlos Estevez) of the United States has a mission that would be impossible for just any mortal man, the person he needs is Machete (Danny Trejo), a knife-wielding ex-Federale agent. Machete's mission is to take down Voz (Mel Gibson), a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has come up with a plot to start a nuclear war. Facing death at every turn from assassins, Machete pulls out all of his skills to get the job done.
If you havent see either of the machete movies go watch them.
Guilty Crown
7.2
Rate It
TV Show
Japan, 2039. Ten years after the outbreak of the "Apocalypse Virus," an event solemnly regarded as...
Mecha Romance Sci-fi
The Krays: The Prison Years
2.0
Rate It
Book
In the 60s, Ronnie and Reggie Kray were Britain’s most notorious gangsters. With violence and...
Diddly Sqaut
Book
Welcome to Clarkson's farm. An idyllic spot offering picturesque views across the Cotswolds,...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Firestarter (1984) in Movies
May 13, 2022
Firestarter is a relatively slow paced, sci-fi tinged thriller, with some nicely executed set pieces conservatively strewn throughout, and it works for the most part. The narrative is prone to drag on occasion, but it's pacing means that we get a host of characters that have room to breathe, and we can get to know. Whether it's Drew Barrymores adorable/unsettling protagonist (who straight up outshines the rest of the cast), David Keiths Roadhouse looking dad of the year, or George C. Scotts dodgy as hell orderly/assassin bastard, the characters are well realised and interesting to follow.
The effects work is top notch for the time, delighting in its multiple explosions and impressive fire stunts, and they make for some memorable moments, especially when Charlie goes full Carrie during the climax, all set to an 80s-as-fuck Tangerine Dream soundtrack
There are certainly better Stephen King adaptions out there, but Firestarter is a competent sci-fi horror that deserves its spot in amongst the big boys of the genre during this era. Interested to see how the upcoming remake holds up in comparison.
The effects work is top notch for the time, delighting in its multiple explosions and impressive fire stunts, and they make for some memorable moments, especially when Charlie goes full Carrie during the climax, all set to an 80s-as-fuck Tangerine Dream soundtrack
There are certainly better Stephen King adaptions out there, but Firestarter is a competent sci-fi horror that deserves its spot in amongst the big boys of the genre during this era. Interested to see how the upcoming remake holds up in comparison.
Merissa (13899 KP) rated A Songbird Novel Box Set #3 (Geronimo, Hole Hearted, Rather Be) in Books
May 21, 2017
A Songbird Novel Box Set #3 (Geronimo, Hole Hearted, Rather Be)
I have bought these books as individual stories, but I will leave my review for all three on the boxset.
Geronimo
Geronimo is Jane's story. We got a small insight when we had Sarah and Justin's story in Rough Waters, but this one goes into detail about how the tragic events of that day affected Jane's life. I loved how Jane and Harry got together, no angst, no drama, just two people out to enjoy as much as they could. Of course, knowing how the previous Songbird novels have gone, I was waiting for the other shoe to fall. And it did! Fate plays a bit part in this story, whether you believe in it or not, but pushing any doubts to one side, I loved how this story panned out.
With a smooth pace, well-written characters, and slow-building angst, this is a story with an abundance of emotion so be prepared! With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, this is a book to lose yourself in. With a nice hook into the next book, the Songbird series continues to delight, and Geronimo is most definitely recommended by me.
Hole-Hearted
Hole Hearted is the latest fantastic addition to the Songbird series, and features Felix, Troy, and Cassie. Felix and Cassie are nephew and aunt who didn't know each other existed until it became obvious that Felix's mum wasn't going to survive her battle with cancer. Troy is a counsellor who wants to help this pair professionally, but also on a personal note.
I won't go into the story itself, except to say that it is exceptionally written, will have you crying if you're anything like me, and will tug at your heartstrings throughout. With a smooth, flowing story, there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. In fact, the only thing that disrupted me was either my tears, or when I had to listen to the music that was mentioned! This playlist was right up my alley, and I loved every song!!
An absolutely amazing addition to the Songbird series, and I really can't recommend this book or the series highly enough.
Rather Be
Rather Be is the tenth and final book in the Songbird series, and gives you the same emotional impact as every book that I have read by this author. Charlie and Nixon were best friends throughout school, and became more during one short break in Yosemite. However, life (and Nixon's father) had different plans than them getting together. So for four years, these two go their separate ways until a chance snowstorm strands them both at JFK airport. Charlie seizes the opportunity of spending time with the man she has always loved but can never have. Nixon can't believe that Charlie is here with him once more, and all his old feelings resurface.
The pacing in this book is superb, it never flags in any area. The writing is smooth and there are no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The soundtrack that accompanies this story is absolutely spot on, and like with all the books in this series, I love how it tells a story too. There was an added extra in this book though, and I LOVED IT!!! Every couple from the previous books in the Songbird series feature cameo appearances in the Chix storyline! Sheer perfection. We get a small snapshot of their lives and that left me with the warm fuzzies. Definitely and absolutely recommended by me.
Geronimo
Geronimo is Jane's story. We got a small insight when we had Sarah and Justin's story in Rough Waters, but this one goes into detail about how the tragic events of that day affected Jane's life. I loved how Jane and Harry got together, no angst, no drama, just two people out to enjoy as much as they could. Of course, knowing how the previous Songbird novels have gone, I was waiting for the other shoe to fall. And it did! Fate plays a bit part in this story, whether you believe in it or not, but pushing any doubts to one side, I loved how this story panned out.
With a smooth pace, well-written characters, and slow-building angst, this is a story with an abundance of emotion so be prepared! With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, this is a book to lose yourself in. With a nice hook into the next book, the Songbird series continues to delight, and Geronimo is most definitely recommended by me.
Hole-Hearted
Hole Hearted is the latest fantastic addition to the Songbird series, and features Felix, Troy, and Cassie. Felix and Cassie are nephew and aunt who didn't know each other existed until it became obvious that Felix's mum wasn't going to survive her battle with cancer. Troy is a counsellor who wants to help this pair professionally, but also on a personal note.
I won't go into the story itself, except to say that it is exceptionally written, will have you crying if you're anything like me, and will tug at your heartstrings throughout. With a smooth, flowing story, there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. In fact, the only thing that disrupted me was either my tears, or when I had to listen to the music that was mentioned! This playlist was right up my alley, and I loved every song!!
An absolutely amazing addition to the Songbird series, and I really can't recommend this book or the series highly enough.
Rather Be
Rather Be is the tenth and final book in the Songbird series, and gives you the same emotional impact as every book that I have read by this author. Charlie and Nixon were best friends throughout school, and became more during one short break in Yosemite. However, life (and Nixon's father) had different plans than them getting together. So for four years, these two go their separate ways until a chance snowstorm strands them both at JFK airport. Charlie seizes the opportunity of spending time with the man she has always loved but can never have. Nixon can't believe that Charlie is here with him once more, and all his old feelings resurface.
The pacing in this book is superb, it never flags in any area. The writing is smooth and there are no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The soundtrack that accompanies this story is absolutely spot on, and like with all the books in this series, I love how it tells a story too. There was an added extra in this book though, and I LOVED IT!!! Every couple from the previous books in the Songbird series feature cameo appearances in the Chix storyline! Sheer perfection. We get a small snapshot of their lives and that left me with the warm fuzzies. Definitely and absolutely recommended by me.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Barton Fink (1991) in Movies
Dec 14, 2019
Verdict: Coen’s at Their Best
Story: Barton Fink starts as New York playwright Barton Fink (Turturro) whose latest play has seen him get the most praise. Barton gets encouraged to head to California to write movies, which would cover him for years to come on the stages of New York. Barton put up in a small hotel, gets given his first assignment, a wrestling picture, something he knows nothing about.
Barton bonds with his insurance salesman neighbour Charlie Meadows (Goodman) who always seems to have inspiration for this story, while meeting authors he idolises, waiting for his big break in the industry, meeting different producers who shows him the hellish process Hollywood can be.
Thoughts on Barton Fink
Characters – Barton Fink is the latest praised playwright in New York, he knows he can be a success on the stage only he gets encouraged to head to the Hollywood boom to make serious money with his writing skills. Barton learns quickly that he isn’t prepared for the demands of writing script especially when he doesn’t know the material they want him to write about, he struggles to settle in the area and the cheap hotel they put him up in, he only makes one friend and sees how the people in the industry always say what you want to say. Charlie Meadows is the hotel neighbour and insurance salesman that befriends Barton, the two often spend the nights talking about life’s events, while Charlie pushes Barton to become more confident. Audrey Taylor is the wife of one of the most famous authors Barton meets, he wants to use her as his muse after seeing how badly she is abused by her partner. Jack Lipnick is the producer that hires Barton, he demands the work and unlike most writers that he hires, he keeps up on Barton’s work.
Performances – John Turturro in the leading role is excellent, we can see him unravelling at the seams as he starts to lose his mind in the writing process. John Goodman is wonderful too as the friendly neighbour with a secret behind his kind-nature. When it comes to the rest of the cast we get some wonderful performance that send us into the era perfectly.
Story – The story here sees a playwright trying his hand at writing movies in the booming industry, only to learn the level of control he really has on what he write and how much time he has to get the work done. This is a story about the movie making process, while we focus more on the writing side of the filmmaking, it is focused on how being locked away in a new city can drive somebody slightly crazy. It is the story arcs that happen around the writing which become most interesting as we see just how things are never quite as they seem, this is Coen Brothers are their best, spinning what could be a routine story that sees things turned on their head.
Comedy – The comedy is the black comedy type, where we see just how twisted the comedy ends up being, with John Goodman getting most of the laughs in the film.
Settings – The LA setting shows what it would have been like in the early stages of the Hollywood boom, the era feels nature through the film.
Scene of the Movie – Flaming hallways.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The cops are too accusation heavy.
Final Thoughts – This is a dark comedy that works very well, it hits the heights every time it needs to thanks to the leading performances from Turturro and Goodman that are outstanding through the film.
Overall: Brilliant Comedy.
Story: Barton Fink starts as New York playwright Barton Fink (Turturro) whose latest play has seen him get the most praise. Barton gets encouraged to head to California to write movies, which would cover him for years to come on the stages of New York. Barton put up in a small hotel, gets given his first assignment, a wrestling picture, something he knows nothing about.
Barton bonds with his insurance salesman neighbour Charlie Meadows (Goodman) who always seems to have inspiration for this story, while meeting authors he idolises, waiting for his big break in the industry, meeting different producers who shows him the hellish process Hollywood can be.
Thoughts on Barton Fink
Characters – Barton Fink is the latest praised playwright in New York, he knows he can be a success on the stage only he gets encouraged to head to the Hollywood boom to make serious money with his writing skills. Barton learns quickly that he isn’t prepared for the demands of writing script especially when he doesn’t know the material they want him to write about, he struggles to settle in the area and the cheap hotel they put him up in, he only makes one friend and sees how the people in the industry always say what you want to say. Charlie Meadows is the hotel neighbour and insurance salesman that befriends Barton, the two often spend the nights talking about life’s events, while Charlie pushes Barton to become more confident. Audrey Taylor is the wife of one of the most famous authors Barton meets, he wants to use her as his muse after seeing how badly she is abused by her partner. Jack Lipnick is the producer that hires Barton, he demands the work and unlike most writers that he hires, he keeps up on Barton’s work.
Performances – John Turturro in the leading role is excellent, we can see him unravelling at the seams as he starts to lose his mind in the writing process. John Goodman is wonderful too as the friendly neighbour with a secret behind his kind-nature. When it comes to the rest of the cast we get some wonderful performance that send us into the era perfectly.
Story – The story here sees a playwright trying his hand at writing movies in the booming industry, only to learn the level of control he really has on what he write and how much time he has to get the work done. This is a story about the movie making process, while we focus more on the writing side of the filmmaking, it is focused on how being locked away in a new city can drive somebody slightly crazy. It is the story arcs that happen around the writing which become most interesting as we see just how things are never quite as they seem, this is Coen Brothers are their best, spinning what could be a routine story that sees things turned on their head.
Comedy – The comedy is the black comedy type, where we see just how twisted the comedy ends up being, with John Goodman getting most of the laughs in the film.
Settings – The LA setting shows what it would have been like in the early stages of the Hollywood boom, the era feels nature through the film.
Scene of the Movie – Flaming hallways.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The cops are too accusation heavy.
Final Thoughts – This is a dark comedy that works very well, it hits the heights every time it needs to thanks to the leading performances from Turturro and Goodman that are outstanding through the film.
Overall: Brilliant Comedy.