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The Nun (2018)
The Nun (2018)
2018 | Horror
Having nun of it
#thenunmovie is a camp & #silly mainstream #horror movie that while not great its still an enjoyable & ok watch. After hating every single film so far in the #thecounjuring universe I was tempted to boycott #nun, but after seeing it now I can say its the best film in the franchise (thats still not saying much really). Its defiantly a #fun watch but I wouldn't call it a horror at all (Commercial horror these days is more action orientated & Nun is no different). Relying on big set pieces full of #jumpscares & lots going on these films should be put in a new genre called 'Action Horror' they are essentially the #transformers of horror films. Although there is some awesome #creepy imagery here & some neat practical effects Nun fails at creating a creepy/unnerving atmosphere & the over use on poor cgi at times fails to keep the film feeling grounded. Sets also while impressive lack that dirty, grimey, damp, old, worn & lived in look making then feel like... well a set from a film. Everything's to perfect & neat & even lighting feels unrealistic too. Ideas/cinematography are all stolen straight from other horror films eg #darioargento films, #theexorcist or #nosferatu & while ok they are nothing in comparison. Acting is forgettable, either with characters either being over or under acted by the cast & half way into the film plot seems to be neglected in favour of set piece after set piece. I feel #TheNun will please its target audience (teenage girls looking for jump scares that will most likely talk throughout all the story & character development parts). While far from a good film its an ok film to watch if your not in the mood for thinking & want to see a nun that looks like #marilynmanson running round screaming at people. Oh & just a side note the ending is bad, like tacked on & abrupt bad. #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmreview #filmcritic #thursdaythoughts #gore #hell #conjuring #annabelle #ghost #demon #devil #exorcist #crusafix #satan
  
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Ross (3282 KP) rated Good Omens in TV

Jul 4, 2019  
Good Omens
Good Omens
2019 | Comedy, Sci-Fi
Broadly fine
I am a long-time fan of Terry Pratchett, and a more recent fan of Neil Gaiman, and yet it was only the release of the TV series that prompted me to finally read their joint effort. I thought the book was pretty good, lots of nice silly little jokes spread about, and a good plot keeping up momentum throughout.
I felt the TV series let the book down a little bit. While the overall story and the dialogue, in the main, is true to the book, I felt a lot of it fell flat. A lot of the humour (which comes in the form of charming asides, generally in the narrative of the book) missed the mark and just did not land properly. I did like the expanded section on Azirafale and Crowley's efforts through time, though I think they laboured it too long on the angel's unwillingness and didn't quite show how much they had worked together.
Tennant played Bill Nighy playing a demon, Sheen played David Mitchell playing an angel and they were broadly fine but didn't really sit perfectly for my liking. The rest of the cast were pretty strong (with the exception of Jack Whitehall who I utterly detest and don't think he can act for toffee).
The special effects were on the poor side, but that is only compared to the major big-budget TV shows like GoT and The Walking Dead. The physical effects were excellent.
In all, I am glad they restricted the series to a small number of episodes and did not try and drag it out too long. The ending was not given the build-up it deserved, there really wasn't enough peril before the two single acts that stopped the end of the war (Pulsifer and Adam).
I was very happy to see the relationship between Azirafale and Crowley develop beyond friendship
  
Show all 4 comments.
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Madbatdan82 (341 KP) Jul 11, 2019

Whitehall was a bizarre choice

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Ross (3282 KP) Jul 12, 2019

Jack Whitehall didn't even play the typical Jack Whitehall character. He was fine as ... Adultery Pulsifer, but was dreadful as Newton Pulsifer.

To Look the Devil in the Eye (Broken Halos #5)
To Look the Devil in the Eye (Broken Halos #5)
Maya Daniels | 2019 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
To Look the Devil in the Eye is the penultimate book in the Broken Halos series, and MUST be read as part of the series, or it just won't make sense. This one starts where The Devil in Disguise left off.

Hel knows she needs to, but doesn't want to, help free her dad, Satanael. Eric always has her back and will do whatever he can to support her. Satanael needs to get to know his daughter, and quickly finds out she isn't prepared to just do as she is told, or accept what she knows is untrue.

As with the whole series so far, there is an awful load of sass and attitude, which I adore! I loved reading Maya Daniels' books as each of them has a strong female lead who doesn't take any c**p. Beezlebub is still my favourite demon (sorry Eric, but you're already taken!) but Colt has grown up in this one, and sticks up for Helena when no one else does. The Trowe, Narsi, also grows beyond belief in this book, but you really have to read it to understand.

Now, bearing in mind we only have one book left, you KNOW it's going to go out with a bang, on a humungous cliffhanger (because what else would Maya Daniels do?!). And I wasn't disappointed! Fair warning though, you will probably have to re-read the ending a couple of times, just to make sure you don't miss anything. That's it. I'm done for. Ms Daniels has me reading blurry words as my eyes are leaking. She has officially killed me with the ending to this book.

Do I recommend this book? Only by about 1000%. Just make sure you start at the beginning so you don't miss a single moment of attitude!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Daylight War (The Demon Cycle #3)
The Daylight War (The Demon Cycle #3)
Peter V. Brett | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.9 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Daylight War is the 3rd installment in the Demonwar Cycle by Peter V. Brett. It concerns a world (strongly hinted to be a future version of ours) that is plagued every night by demons that rise from the ground to kill the human population.

In the previous book (The Desert Spear) the rise of Jardir and his attempt to unite the humans by force was described, as was the continuing story of Arlen Bales, Leesha Paper and Roger Inn, the other major players in the story.

This book follows on immediately from the previous book. At the next new moon the demon princes are going to arrive in an attempt to destroy both Jardir and Arlen (both believed by many to be the fabled Deliverer) and both must prepare for the coming.

Most of the story follows Arlen and the people of Cutter's Hollow in their preparations for the next new moon. It also follows the return of Leesha and Roger to Cutter's Hollow following their journey to Everam's Bounty to stay with Jardir, and the many different threads that arise from that encounter and their return home.

As with the previous books the focus is on the characters involved, their interactions and personalities. Even more of the supporting cast is explored, with the main inhabitants of Cutter's Hollow and Jardir's inner circle becoming familiar to the reader. Conflicts and secrets between the characters abound with old feuds settled.

Again the writing is sublime with the descriptions and personalities of the characters a particular highlight. The scenes fighting demons are well written and Brett seems to have worked hard to produce something different in each one so they are never dull or predictable. The ending is brilliant and there are plenty of threads to pick up in the next installment.

Definitely recommended, but have patience it is a very long book.
  
SO
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa brings Japanese mythology and folklore to life, taking readers on an exciting journey through feudal Japan, Kagawa weaves together three characters from different backgrounds all while introducing readers to a wide variety of demons the characters come across. The novel follows these characters as a new age approaches and the Kami Dragon is summoned, granting a wish to the one who holds the pieces of the Dragon Scroll.

Shadow of the Fox is primarily told in the two perspectives of Yumeko and Tatsumi, with the occasional addition of a third. Yumeko is a half-kitsune, half-human raised at the Silent Winds temple to hide her true kitsune nature, though she is forced to flee after everyone is slaughtered by a demon who wants to retrieve a part of the scroll. Readers interested in seeing kitsune magic coming to life on the page may find themselves disappointed as Yumeko shows little of her magic and hides her true nature from her companions.

One of those companions includes Tatsumi, a samurai from the Shadow Clan ordered to bring the Dragon Scroll regardless of the cost. Raised as a weapon, Tatsumi is taught from a young age to hide all of his emotions and thoughts from those around him as doing so would pose a danger. Not able to accomplish his mission right away, he finds himself in an unlikely alliance with Yumeko and begins to question his upbringing.

The first novel in a stunning new series, Shadow of the Fox is a magical adventure with an ominous feel throughout and will have readers wanting the sequel to the story.

<a href="https://60secondsmag.com/review-shadow-of-the-fox/">This review was originally posted on 60 Seconds Online Magazine</a>.
  
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Pat Healy recommended The Killing (1956) in Movies (curated)

 
The Killing (1956)
The Killing (1956)
1956 | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

"Outside of 2001: A Space Odyssey, these are my favorite Kubrick films. The Killing is a tense and lean noir starring the great Sterling Hayden and a cast of character actors (Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Jay C. Flippen, Timothy Carey, et al.), each of whom possesses his or her own special brand of menace and pathos. The film’s dialogue is by the best crime writer who ever lived, Jim Thompson (who worked with Kubrick and Calder Willingham on Paths of Glory as well), and it’s the music in Kubrick’s nonlinear racetrack heist caper, which I think is the best noir ever made. Hayden is one of the most curious creatures to ever grace the screen. I can never take my eyes off him, and as gruff as he is, I always feel for him. The tragic, cosmic joke at the end of this movie will break your heart—even when you’re wondering why you wanted this bum to get away with the crime. Johnny Clay is the ultimate “beautiful loser.” Paths of Glory is, in my humble opinion, the finest war film ever made. While not concerned primarily with combat and focusing instead on its multilayered consequences, the drama is as explosive as any battlefield action you’ll ever see. It lays bare the blatant hypocrisy of the powers that be, who never get their hands dirty but put innocent and well-intentioned men in the trenches to fight their battles for them. Kubrick takes us through the trenches with dazzling tracking shots that show us the weathered faces of the men who fought the Great War, some of whom will later be brought to trial and executed for “cowardice” after not being able to pull off an impossible mission. Kirk Douglas has never been better. And if the final scene in the battered cabaret, featuring Kubrick’s future wife, Christiane, singing a German folk song, doesn’t destroy you completely, you are probably some hideous sun demon."

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Pat Healy recommended Paths of Glory (1957) in Movies (curated)

 
Paths of Glory (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
1957 | Classics, Drama, War

"Outside of 2001: A Space Odyssey, these are my favorite Kubrick films. The Killing is a tense and lean noir starring the great Sterling Hayden and a cast of character actors (Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Jay C. Flippen, Timothy Carey, et al.), each of whom possesses his or her own special brand of menace and pathos. The film’s dialogue is by the best crime writer who ever lived, Jim Thompson (who worked with Kubrick and Calder Willingham on Paths of Glory as well), and it’s the music in Kubrick’s nonlinear racetrack heist caper, which I think is the best noir ever made. Hayden is one of the most curious creatures to ever grace the screen. I can never take my eyes off him, and as gruff as he is, I always feel for him. The tragic, cosmic joke at the end of this movie will break your heart—even when you’re wondering why you wanted this bum to get away with the crime. Johnny Clay is the ultimate “beautiful loser.” Paths of Glory is, in my humble opinion, the finest war film ever made. While not concerned primarily with combat and focusing instead on its multilayered consequences, the drama is as explosive as any battlefield action you’ll ever see. It lays bare the blatant hypocrisy of the powers that be, who never get their hands dirty but put innocent and well-intentioned men in the trenches to fight their battles for them. Kubrick takes us through the trenches with dazzling tracking shots that show us the weathered faces of the men who fought the Great War, some of whom will later be brought to trial and executed for “cowardice” after not being able to pull off an impossible mission. Kirk Douglas has never been better. And if the final scene in the battered cabaret, featuring Kubrick’s future wife, Christiane, singing a German folk song, doesn’t destroy you completely, you are probably some hideous sun demon."

Source