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Paul Morrissey recommended The Earrings of Madame de... (1953) in Movies (curated)
Dollhouse - Season 2
TV Season
The show revolves around a corporation running numerous underground establishments (known as...
BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated Annabelle Comes Home (2019) in Movies
Jun 24, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
I love the Conjuring series. I find it fascinating. I'm a little obsessed with Ed and Lorraine Warren so I watch anything to do with the universe. After the second Conjuring film, this is my favourite. It takes a lot for a horror to scare me and though it wasn't terrifying it made me jump a lot! That feeling like you're on a rollercoaster dipping down! I love it!!!!
It's set after the Conjuring (or inbetween depending on your source) after the Warren's have the doll secured in their occult museum. Mary Ellen is babysitting Judy, the Warren's daughter (who we learnt in the Conjuring shares her mothers gift) and her friend Danielle, distraught from the death of her father, pays a visit. The events after are pretty much all her fault. I kind of hate her for it despite understanding her reasoning. While the other films focus mainly on the demon Valek or the Annabelle doll demon (with the exception of the many spirits in the first conjuring) this film has a lot of the other never before mentioned spirits that the real Ed and Lorraine have written about. The White Lady, the Samurai, the Black Shuck. I was actually concerned for how they would portray the Werewolf after such disasters as teen wold or an American Werewolf in London but was happily suprised that they made it work quite well. Of course there is a semi happy ending and all is well, Judy gets her birthday and some friends and Danielle has closure but I'm very much looking forward to the third Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Released this year hopefully!!!!!
It's set after the Conjuring (or inbetween depending on your source) after the Warren's have the doll secured in their occult museum. Mary Ellen is babysitting Judy, the Warren's daughter (who we learnt in the Conjuring shares her mothers gift) and her friend Danielle, distraught from the death of her father, pays a visit. The events after are pretty much all her fault. I kind of hate her for it despite understanding her reasoning. While the other films focus mainly on the demon Valek or the Annabelle doll demon (with the exception of the many spirits in the first conjuring) this film has a lot of the other never before mentioned spirits that the real Ed and Lorraine have written about. The White Lady, the Samurai, the Black Shuck. I was actually concerned for how they would portray the Werewolf after such disasters as teen wold or an American Werewolf in London but was happily suprised that they made it work quite well. Of course there is a semi happy ending and all is well, Judy gets her birthday and some friends and Danielle has closure but I'm very much looking forward to the third Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Released this year hopefully!!!!!
Dorothy Must Die
Book
The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark new series that reimagines the Oz saga, from...
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Saving Max in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Though I was not familiar with this author when I recieved this book, upon reading it I could easily tell that Heugten was well-educated, especially since I actually came across a few words I did not know the meaning of - and I consider myself fairly well-read. Words like eidolon and glistered (both from the same sentence) made me a little intimidated by the book, but I stuck with it anyways. The prose of the text is written excellently and I thoroughly appreciated the book for this alone.
I was originally drawn to the book because it focuses on a mother's fight for the life and freedom of her son - which I can relate to in some ways. The sub-plots quickly intersect when the mother, Danielle, has to rely on her career as a lawyer to fight for her son while working with another lawyer, who happens to be the man she has a one-night stand with after turning to what she terms as "liquid courage." Some scenes in the plot were quite horrific, especially at the end of the book, but they were necessary to the plot. The psychiatric facility of Maitland where the plot centers at is intended to be the foremost facility of its kind in the country, but I found many of its practices either abysmal or downright terrifying. I found it very satisfying when Max began to take a more active role in his own court case, showing to me that he is indeed in charge of his own faculties (mostly) and not responsible for what he is being accused of. The big revelation that Danielle discovers is incredibly shocking and grotesque and reveals a psychosis I never knew even existed, much less the depths of depravity that it takes a person to. I have no doubt that such individuals exist in real life, though I believe that such people are beyond what psychologists or psychiatrists can fix. These kinds of people either need God or corporal punishment, but that is another soap box for another day.
I found the progression of the plot unpredictable, which is a good thing, but the ending not completely fulfilling, since the author obviously opted to leave one loose thread for a possible sequel. While I normally like book series, in this case I would have much preferred a more rewarding ending.
I was originally drawn to the book because it focuses on a mother's fight for the life and freedom of her son - which I can relate to in some ways. The sub-plots quickly intersect when the mother, Danielle, has to rely on her career as a lawyer to fight for her son while working with another lawyer, who happens to be the man she has a one-night stand with after turning to what she terms as "liquid courage." Some scenes in the plot were quite horrific, especially at the end of the book, but they were necessary to the plot. The psychiatric facility of Maitland where the plot centers at is intended to be the foremost facility of its kind in the country, but I found many of its practices either abysmal or downright terrifying. I found it very satisfying when Max began to take a more active role in his own court case, showing to me that he is indeed in charge of his own faculties (mostly) and not responsible for what he is being accused of. The big revelation that Danielle discovers is incredibly shocking and grotesque and reveals a psychosis I never knew even existed, much less the depths of depravity that it takes a person to. I have no doubt that such individuals exist in real life, though I believe that such people are beyond what psychologists or psychiatrists can fix. These kinds of people either need God or corporal punishment, but that is another soap box for another day.
I found the progression of the plot unpredictable, which is a good thing, but the ending not completely fulfilling, since the author obviously opted to leave one loose thread for a possible sequel. While I normally like book series, in this case I would have much preferred a more rewarding ending.
Kane Hodder recommended Monster (2003) in Movies (curated)
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Halloween (2007) in Movies
Jun 3, 2021
The original Halloween is such a goddam incredible movie, that anytime the franchise has tried to stray too far from its roots, the wheels just come off. The psychic stuff in Halloween 5 just didn't work. The cult stuff in Halloween 6 just didn't work. The found footage stuff in Resurrection just didn't work. This time around, it's a remake of the original, directed by Rob Zombie. His particular brand of hateful characters and nasty dialogue can be effective in other corners of horror, but when applied to the Halloween template, you guessed it, it just doesn't work.
It has its moments - Malcolm McDowell is great as Dr Loomis, and the towering behemoth of a Michael Myers we get her is genuinely fucking terrifying. There's also a fine selection of genre icons here and there - Dee Wallace, Brad Dourif, Clint Howard, Ken Foree, Sybil Danning, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Danny Trejo, Danielle Harris - it's an impressive roster for sure.
All of this isn't enough to lift this remake above all of its problems however.
None of the characters are particularly likable, and it's off pacing make for a bloated experience, an issue that's further exacerbated by the more widely available Directors Cut, which further pans out its runtime with an horrifically unnecessary rape scene.
I can appreciate the decision to explore the origins of Michael, but the end results are very mixed. When the familiar stuff kicks off halfway through, it's actually kind of boring. It manages to ape the original at every turn, whilst simultaneously feeling disrespectful with it's token RZ tropes.
All in all, Halloween is a remake that I wouldn't take issue with, but the decision to put Zombie in the driver's seat results in a movie that doesn't feel like it belongs anywhere. An inferior re-tread in every aspect, that leaves a bitter after taste.
It has its moments - Malcolm McDowell is great as Dr Loomis, and the towering behemoth of a Michael Myers we get her is genuinely fucking terrifying. There's also a fine selection of genre icons here and there - Dee Wallace, Brad Dourif, Clint Howard, Ken Foree, Sybil Danning, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Danny Trejo, Danielle Harris - it's an impressive roster for sure.
All of this isn't enough to lift this remake above all of its problems however.
None of the characters are particularly likable, and it's off pacing make for a bloated experience, an issue that's further exacerbated by the more widely available Directors Cut, which further pans out its runtime with an horrifically unnecessary rape scene.
I can appreciate the decision to explore the origins of Michael, but the end results are very mixed. When the familiar stuff kicks off halfway through, it's actually kind of boring. It manages to ape the original at every turn, whilst simultaneously feeling disrespectful with it's token RZ tropes.
All in all, Halloween is a remake that I wouldn't take issue with, but the decision to put Zombie in the driver's seat results in a movie that doesn't feel like it belongs anywhere. An inferior re-tread in every aspect, that leaves a bitter after taste.