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Character portrayal and development (2 more)
Griitty realism
Great plot developments
Probably the best TV show to ever exist (and that's not an overstatement)
The Wire is the one TV show I will recommend to anyone who will give me five minutes to talk about TV shows. The show's take on the issues affecting the slums of Baltimore is outstanding and cleverly developed into a complex but always engaging narrative. David Simon's real-life experience with the issue he portrays shows through and the use of actors - sometimes non-actors picked off the street - really heightens the realism. Absolutely mesmerising.
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Moby recommended Station to Station by David Bowie in Music (curated)
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Holly Johnson recommended Transformer by Lou Reed in Music (curated)
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Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated Unspeakable in Books
Oct 22, 2017 (Updated Oct 22, 2017)
A biting outlook on American politics by a veteran journalist
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges and Salon founder David Talbot have a frank conversation about political taboos in this new series of books on 'forbidden' topics.
Hedges writes about politics with a principled fury and an eye to pointing out injustice, even at the cost of his own career as an acclaimed war correspondent. The book is a long-running commentary on the many issues Hedges confronts in his writing, including war, Occupy Wall Street, and the New York Times's relationship to organs of state power.
At times, he sounds like a bitter preacher, at other times, he is focused and forms excellent arguments against the establishment. His views on the pornification of society are liberating, finally addressing the underlying issues of economics invading the private space.
His observation that the today's ruling elites are out of touch with the country they govern and has borne out in the 2016 election cycle, shows that even the most stridently expressed views aren't necessarily wrong.
Hedges writes about politics with a principled fury and an eye to pointing out injustice, even at the cost of his own career as an acclaimed war correspondent. The book is a long-running commentary on the many issues Hedges confronts in his writing, including war, Occupy Wall Street, and the New York Times's relationship to organs of state power.
At times, he sounds like a bitter preacher, at other times, he is focused and forms excellent arguments against the establishment. His views on the pornification of society are liberating, finally addressing the underlying issues of economics invading the private space.
His observation that the today's ruling elites are out of touch with the country they govern and has borne out in the 2016 election cycle, shows that even the most stridently expressed views aren't necessarily wrong.
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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Finding your feet (2018) in Movies
Jan 30, 2019
Delightful
Contains spoilers, click to show
Finding Your Feet is a sweet movie with endearing characters. The stellar cast consists of Celie Imrie, Imelda Staunton, Joanna Lumley, Timothy Spall, and David Haymen. Staunton plays an up middle-class snob, who after finding her husband in the arms of another woman, moves in with her bohemian sister, Imrie, who lives in a council house and who occupies herself with dancing with other seniors. Her sister convinces her to join the class; she had previously been a dancer but gave it up for marriage and motherhood, and slowly, the snobbery gives way to living her best life and having fun, making new friends, and finding romance and adventure. It's a feel-good, hopeful movie, full of laughter and dance.
What I love about the Brits is that unlike Hollywood, actors are allowed to look like the average person on the street in both face and figure, with gray hair, wrinkles, moles, and a paunch. It's about talent and acting, not whether or not they look like gods and goddesses. It's so refreshing.
What I love about the Brits is that unlike Hollywood, actors are allowed to look like the average person on the street in both face and figure, with gray hair, wrinkles, moles, and a paunch. It's about talent and acting, not whether or not they look like gods and goddesses. It's so refreshing.
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/df5/bf9dbe24-a42f-4ec6-94fe-ab1f3b404df5.jpg?m=1522361176)
Awix (3310 KP) rated Bright (2017) in Movies
Feb 8, 2018 (Updated Feb 8, 2018)
Orcz in da Hood
Fantasy-cop movie mash-up which probably sounded cool at the pitch meeting but doesn't really work as a full movie. Will Smith plays a careworn LA street cop saddled with an Orc (Joel Edgerton) as his partner, as this is a world where humans and fantasy creatures co-exist. The two of them end up contending with the anti-Orc racism of the LAPD and a cult of evil Elves seeking to use a magic wand to bring about the end of the world (Noomi Rapace and her cheekbones are well-cast as the baddie).
David Ayer seems much more comfortable handling the cop movie angle than the fantasy, but then at least this bit of the script actually makes a degree of sense. The movie no offers no clues as to how a world with Dark Lords and dragons and near-omnipotent magic wands ended up so closely resembling our own, with roughly the same history, countries, and cities (they even have Uber, for God's sake). And you have to wonder what kind of social commentary writer Max Landis is intent on when he implicitly draws parallels between Orcs (strong, dim, violent) and real-world ethnic groups.
Looking on the (wait for it) bright side, there is some snappy dialogue and good performances from Smith and (particularly) Edgerton, and most of the action is well-staged. One of those movies that works better if you just don't think about it, but let it wash over you; apparently a sequel is in the works and maybe they will address some of these issues there. David Ayer should definitely stick to writing his own scripts in future, though.
David Ayer seems much more comfortable handling the cop movie angle than the fantasy, but then at least this bit of the script actually makes a degree of sense. The movie no offers no clues as to how a world with Dark Lords and dragons and near-omnipotent magic wands ended up so closely resembling our own, with roughly the same history, countries, and cities (they even have Uber, for God's sake). And you have to wonder what kind of social commentary writer Max Landis is intent on when he implicitly draws parallels between Orcs (strong, dim, violent) and real-world ethnic groups.
Looking on the (wait for it) bright side, there is some snappy dialogue and good performances from Smith and (particularly) Edgerton, and most of the action is well-staged. One of those movies that works better if you just don't think about it, but let it wash over you; apparently a sequel is in the works and maybe they will address some of these issues there. David Ayer should definitely stick to writing his own scripts in future, though.
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/492/19e3e51f-2286-4dbe-a64c-791aa95a4492.jpg?m=1605368905)
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Next Door in Books
Jun 10, 2021
82 of 250
Kindle
Next Door
Compiled by Matt Shaw
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
From the mind behind "MASTERS OF HORROR" comes a new horror anthology to keep you up at night!
Whilst Matt Shaw is busy producing, writing and directing the feature film NEXT DOOR he decided to put together a horror anthology of the same name, and with the same theme as the motion picture. None of the stories in this collection feature in the film; the two products are completely separate other than the central concept of exploring who does live NEXT DOOR to us?
Given the fact these are some of the biggest names in horror, you can bet that whomever is living next door probably won't be the friendliest of characters...
The year is 2019 and technology has come so far that we spend more time staring at our mobile devices, and screens in general, than getting to know our next door neighbour. Gone are the days of knowing everyone who lives on the same street, or in the same village. Instead we leave our houses, avoid eye-contact or give the bare minimum of grunts to those we see and go about our daily lives without a care for anyone else. No more street parties, no more kindly neighbours checking in on you, no more Christmas cards from the little old lady who lives across the street. There's only "us" and our technology.
This anthology takes a look at who lives NEXT DOOR and what secrets they may be keeping. And who knows, maybe it will serve as warning to you that, really, you should be paying attention to those living close-by. After all, Fred West was someone's neighbour once...
Featuring stories by:
Tim Lebbon
Shaun Hutson
Ryan C. Thomas
Jeremy Bates
David Moody
Guy N. Smith
Matthew Stokoe
Justin Woodward
Gary McMahon
Rich Hawkins
Jim Goforth
Matt Shaw
1. A Family-Friendly Neighbourhood by Ryan C Thomas
This was actually quite funny and sweet in a gruesome clever way. All the toys turning into little knife wielding creepy thing only to find out they are their kids souls! They just want to be together 😂
2. Final Feast by Guy N. Smith
Quick little story of the cannibal next door! I loved it!
3. Insurgents by Rich Hawkins
A story of a war ruined mind, a soldier dealing with his demons. Well written just not my normal read.
4. Mirror Image by David Moody
A couple move into a new house with an extra handy neighbour. I enjoyed this one funny how my husband is so crap at DIY too 😂😂
5. Neighbour Hood by Tim Lebbon
Omg this has to be the creepiest one so far and the whole reason I never use my attics’!!!
6. Dinner Date by Jeremy Bates
A bit slower than the others think I just got a little bored. Never accept dinner invitations before getting to know the guy no matter how hot he is! Silly girl!
7. Why Does Randolph Draw by Matthew Stokeoe
Got to be honest I didn’t finish it I just got so bored after page 5! Just wasn’t catching me.
8. Saturday Night Whiskey by Justin M.Woodward
This was really god and well put together a kids last cry for help from his dodgy uncle!
9. Sixteen by Jim Goforth
This felt so rushed even for a short story! Although it’s a good lesson of don’t get involved with swinging neighbours 😂
10. Pornography by Matt Saw
Haha she didn’t see that coming
11. Somewhere in Here by Gary McMahon
This was one creepy ass story and for one so short I’m throughly creeped out!!
12 By Darkness Hidden by Shaun Hutson
This was pretty good a urban legend type story. Villages can be super strange places.
I really enjoyed this compilation got some great new authors added to my list too.
Kindle
Next Door
Compiled by Matt Shaw
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
From the mind behind "MASTERS OF HORROR" comes a new horror anthology to keep you up at night!
Whilst Matt Shaw is busy producing, writing and directing the feature film NEXT DOOR he decided to put together a horror anthology of the same name, and with the same theme as the motion picture. None of the stories in this collection feature in the film; the two products are completely separate other than the central concept of exploring who does live NEXT DOOR to us?
Given the fact these are some of the biggest names in horror, you can bet that whomever is living next door probably won't be the friendliest of characters...
The year is 2019 and technology has come so far that we spend more time staring at our mobile devices, and screens in general, than getting to know our next door neighbour. Gone are the days of knowing everyone who lives on the same street, or in the same village. Instead we leave our houses, avoid eye-contact or give the bare minimum of grunts to those we see and go about our daily lives without a care for anyone else. No more street parties, no more kindly neighbours checking in on you, no more Christmas cards from the little old lady who lives across the street. There's only "us" and our technology.
This anthology takes a look at who lives NEXT DOOR and what secrets they may be keeping. And who knows, maybe it will serve as warning to you that, really, you should be paying attention to those living close-by. After all, Fred West was someone's neighbour once...
Featuring stories by:
Tim Lebbon
Shaun Hutson
Ryan C. Thomas
Jeremy Bates
David Moody
Guy N. Smith
Matthew Stokoe
Justin Woodward
Gary McMahon
Rich Hawkins
Jim Goforth
Matt Shaw
1. A Family-Friendly Neighbourhood by Ryan C Thomas
This was actually quite funny and sweet in a gruesome clever way. All the toys turning into little knife wielding creepy thing only to find out they are their kids souls! They just want to be together 😂
2. Final Feast by Guy N. Smith
Quick little story of the cannibal next door! I loved it!
3. Insurgents by Rich Hawkins
A story of a war ruined mind, a soldier dealing with his demons. Well written just not my normal read.
4. Mirror Image by David Moody
A couple move into a new house with an extra handy neighbour. I enjoyed this one funny how my husband is so crap at DIY too 😂😂
5. Neighbour Hood by Tim Lebbon
Omg this has to be the creepiest one so far and the whole reason I never use my attics’!!!
6. Dinner Date by Jeremy Bates
A bit slower than the others think I just got a little bored. Never accept dinner invitations before getting to know the guy no matter how hot he is! Silly girl!
7. Why Does Randolph Draw by Matthew Stokeoe
Got to be honest I didn’t finish it I just got so bored after page 5! Just wasn’t catching me.
8. Saturday Night Whiskey by Justin M.Woodward
This was really god and well put together a kids last cry for help from his dodgy uncle!
9. Sixteen by Jim Goforth
This felt so rushed even for a short story! Although it’s a good lesson of don’t get involved with swinging neighbours 😂
10. Pornography by Matt Saw
Haha she didn’t see that coming
11. Somewhere in Here by Gary McMahon
This was one creepy ass story and for one so short I’m throughly creeped out!!
12 By Darkness Hidden by Shaun Hutson
This was pretty good a urban legend type story. Villages can be super strange places.
I really enjoyed this compilation got some great new authors added to my list too.
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/7b9/921f4b6c-268e-4342-a909-b8843f8557b9.jpg?m=1583101466)
JT (287 KP) rated Street Kings (2008) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Street Kings follows the likes of Training Day and Harsh Crimes in dramatising the murky underworld of police corruption. In the hands of director David Ayer he’s scattered the narrative with gritty confetti. Pre John Wick, Keanu Reeves was still kicking ass and taking names – he is a shoot first ask questions later kind of guy – nothing new there then.
Reeves plays vodka-swilling undercover cop Tom Ludlow, who is still reeling from the death of his wife and has been implicated in the murder of an officer. Now he has to fight to clear his name with the help of Forest Whitaker.
Ayer is well suited to this genre having written the scripts for Training Day, End of Watch and Harsh Times, so he understands the complexities of the genre in order to deliver a fast paced story. Intercutting the action at the right times.
Of course corruption is not uncommon in fiction and there is always a group of officers hell bent on covering up as much as they can and disposing of as many people as they need to.
The introduction of Hugh Laurie as Captain James Biggs, a man who seems clean cut but is not to be trusted, is a solid addition, although I still seem him as the idiotic Prince Regent in the Blackadder series.
Reeves and Whitaker each turn in a decent performance and there is enough meat on the bone make this a intelligently paced thriller.
Reeves plays vodka-swilling undercover cop Tom Ludlow, who is still reeling from the death of his wife and has been implicated in the murder of an officer. Now he has to fight to clear his name with the help of Forest Whitaker.
Ayer is well suited to this genre having written the scripts for Training Day, End of Watch and Harsh Times, so he understands the complexities of the genre in order to deliver a fast paced story. Intercutting the action at the right times.
Of course corruption is not uncommon in fiction and there is always a group of officers hell bent on covering up as much as they can and disposing of as many people as they need to.
The introduction of Hugh Laurie as Captain James Biggs, a man who seems clean cut but is not to be trusted, is a solid addition, although I still seem him as the idiotic Prince Regent in the Blackadder series.
Reeves and Whitaker each turn in a decent performance and there is enough meat on the bone make this a intelligently paced thriller.
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/9ed/3f3a0f82-be79-4b7f-8871-7d68134d29ed.jpg?m=1595027335)
KyleQ (267 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies
Jul 20, 2020
I wanted to like it.
Ignoring every entry other than Carpenter's original, 2018's Halloween attempts to reboot the Franchise in anew direction.
Oddly enough, comedian Danny McBride was a writer, while director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) directed.
I blame much of my distaste on their overhyping it. They said this would be a slower movie focused on creating suspense ala the original.
In reality, this more than tripled the body count, even surpassing Rob Zombie's remake which was 10 minutes longer.
From the get-go, Michael just wanders about killing people, at one point we just follow him walking down a street randomly killing people. This has more senseless violence then Zombie's outings.
Another thing I didn't like was that, with this only following the original in which after escaping, he killed 4 people. It doesn't make sense that he would be this popular legend still talked about 40 years later.
Also, victims are idiots, it's no shock who gets killed. Honestly, Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) was the only likable character, and even she pushed it a bit.
For positives, Carpenter's score was great, I liked some of the camera work. Intro credits were cool, throwing back to the original. And Curtis was good returning as Laurie Strode.
I really wanted to like 2018's Halloween, but it lacked suspense, characters were dumb, it felt more like a senseless action/comedy than horror. This would've fit the Friday the 13th franchise better. I really hope that the sequels are better.
Oddly enough, comedian Danny McBride was a writer, while director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) directed.
I blame much of my distaste on their overhyping it. They said this would be a slower movie focused on creating suspense ala the original.
In reality, this more than tripled the body count, even surpassing Rob Zombie's remake which was 10 minutes longer.
From the get-go, Michael just wanders about killing people, at one point we just follow him walking down a street randomly killing people. This has more senseless violence then Zombie's outings.
Another thing I didn't like was that, with this only following the original in which after escaping, he killed 4 people. It doesn't make sense that he would be this popular legend still talked about 40 years later.
Also, victims are idiots, it's no shock who gets killed. Honestly, Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) was the only likable character, and even she pushed it a bit.
For positives, Carpenter's score was great, I liked some of the camera work. Intro credits were cool, throwing back to the original. And Curtis was good returning as Laurie Strode.
I really wanted to like 2018's Halloween, but it lacked suspense, characters were dumb, it felt more like a senseless action/comedy than horror. This would've fit the Friday the 13th franchise better. I really hope that the sequels are better.
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/eaf/78ccc884-30d4-471a-b635-0b78c7699eaf.jpg?m=1639134107)
Lee (2222 KP) rated Glass (2019) in Movies
Jan 18, 2019 (Updated Jan 18, 2019)
A strong start to this concluding chapter but ultimately Glass fails to deliver
Kevin Wendell Crumb, or more specifically the Horde within him, are up to their old tricks again - kidnapping and chaining up four cheerleaders in a disused warehouse, subjecting them to the impressive and unsettling array of characters so brilliantly introduced to us in Split. Meanwhile, David Dunn runs a security company with his son, venturing out on walks to try and get a sense of any bad guys out on the streets, continuing the work he began in Unbreakable. Delivering justice in his hooded poncho, he's earned himself many names but social media seem to have settled on 'The Overseer'. He's keen to find and save the cheerleaders and following a brush with their captor on a nearby street, manages to discover their location with the help of his son, who provides help and direction over an earpiece. He sets them free, just as The Beast returns. A fight breaks out and Glass gets off to an impressive start, finally bringing together two distinct parts of a movie universe that's been very slowly built over the last 19 years.
But their fight is cut short by Dr Ellie Staple, a psychiatrist specialising in people who believe they are superheroes. She's brought with her a team of heavily armed soldiers who capture both men and take them to the hospital where Dr Staple works, Raven Hill Memorial. Mr Glass is already being held in the hospital, slumped in a wheelchair - motionless and with just the occasional facial tic to show that he's still alive. Is he faking it? Spoiler alert: yes he is, but then I'm sure you knew that anyway!
With Kevin and David both trapped in specially designed cells, preventing any outbursts of strength or transformations into violent personalities, the movie immediately slows in pace while Dr Ellie sets about evaluating them, trying to prove that they're delusional in their beliefs regarding their abilities. It's another chance for James McAvoy to shine, showcasing 20 of the 24 personalities within him, while David Dunn takes a bit of a backseat, brooding in his cell for the most part. Meanwhile, Mr Glass is quietly masterminding something bigger than anyone can imagine. Pretty much the remainder of the movie is set within the confines of the hospital - a tricky juggling act combining the slow burn mystery of Unbreakable with the thrilling horror of Split, which for the most part I found to be enjoyable, entertaining and at times thrilling. The problems began for me when Mr Glass begins executing his big plan, and all three break free from their cells. This latter part of the movie is full of tension and repeatedly builds towards something that it never manages to fully deliver on, ultimately resulting in disappointment. It kind of just fizzles out, with a few twists and turns along the way that are nowhere near as impressive or inventive as previous M Night Shyamalan offerings. And while I fully appreciate and understand what he was aiming for with regards to the ending, it just didn't quite work for me at all. A bit of an anticlimax to what was a very strong and promising start to the concluding chapter of the trilogy.
But their fight is cut short by Dr Ellie Staple, a psychiatrist specialising in people who believe they are superheroes. She's brought with her a team of heavily armed soldiers who capture both men and take them to the hospital where Dr Staple works, Raven Hill Memorial. Mr Glass is already being held in the hospital, slumped in a wheelchair - motionless and with just the occasional facial tic to show that he's still alive. Is he faking it? Spoiler alert: yes he is, but then I'm sure you knew that anyway!
With Kevin and David both trapped in specially designed cells, preventing any outbursts of strength or transformations into violent personalities, the movie immediately slows in pace while Dr Ellie sets about evaluating them, trying to prove that they're delusional in their beliefs regarding their abilities. It's another chance for James McAvoy to shine, showcasing 20 of the 24 personalities within him, while David Dunn takes a bit of a backseat, brooding in his cell for the most part. Meanwhile, Mr Glass is quietly masterminding something bigger than anyone can imagine. Pretty much the remainder of the movie is set within the confines of the hospital - a tricky juggling act combining the slow burn mystery of Unbreakable with the thrilling horror of Split, which for the most part I found to be enjoyable, entertaining and at times thrilling. The problems began for me when Mr Glass begins executing his big plan, and all three break free from their cells. This latter part of the movie is full of tension and repeatedly builds towards something that it never manages to fully deliver on, ultimately resulting in disappointment. It kind of just fizzles out, with a few twists and turns along the way that are nowhere near as impressive or inventive as previous M Night Shyamalan offerings. And while I fully appreciate and understand what he was aiming for with regards to the ending, it just didn't quite work for me at all. A bit of an anticlimax to what was a very strong and promising start to the concluding chapter of the trilogy.