Search
Search results
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
Ant-Man and the Wasp bring us two years after Ant-Man helped the Avengers and before Infinity War, Scott (Paul Rudd) is now under house arrest and is struggling to start a new business with Luis (Michael Peña) and juggle life as a superhero and loving father.
Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) have a new mission for Scott after he has visions of Hank’s wife, the original Wasp (Michelle Pfeiffer). But on this mission, there is more to just trying to save Hank’s wife, a “Ghost” (Hannah John-Kamen) is also trying to get the technology that Ant-Man and the Wasp are also after, plus the FBI and Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins).
Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) have a new mission for Scott after he has visions of Hank’s wife, the original Wasp (Michelle Pfeiffer). But on this mission, there is more to just trying to save Hank’s wife, a “Ghost” (Hannah John-Kamen) is also trying to get the technology that Ant-Man and the Wasp are also after, plus the FBI and Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins).
Andrew Kennedy (199 KP) rated Halloween (1978) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
The night HE came home
John Carpenter and Debra Hill created in just 30 days what some horror directors couldn't achieve in 30 months, a perfectly paced, well acted and truly tense slasher movie.
From the opening tracking shot to the final montage everything about this film is on point.
Donald Pleasance as Dr Sam Loomis delivers each of his warnings about Michael Myers with such gusto that you truly believe that Myers is the embodiment of evil.
Jamie Lee Curtis is brilliantly believable as the girl next door Laurie Strode, who Myers hunts down this Halloween night.
Nick Castle as Myers has such suttle movements and the now much copied head tilt.
The story of the young Michael Myers who viciously murders his sister Judith at age 6. Now 21 Myers escapes from Smith's Grove sanitarium and heads for his home town of Haddenfield.
Once there in one night Micheal will raise unholy hell and with Dr Loomis in pursuit trying to stop his escaped patient.
The music is iconic not just Carpenter's memorable theme but the music throughout helps to raise the tension. The camera work is amazing, one very famous scene in particular always delivers a chill.
This is truly a horror masterpiece.
From the opening tracking shot to the final montage everything about this film is on point.
Donald Pleasance as Dr Sam Loomis delivers each of his warnings about Michael Myers with such gusto that you truly believe that Myers is the embodiment of evil.
Jamie Lee Curtis is brilliantly believable as the girl next door Laurie Strode, who Myers hunts down this Halloween night.
Nick Castle as Myers has such suttle movements and the now much copied head tilt.
The story of the young Michael Myers who viciously murders his sister Judith at age 6. Now 21 Myers escapes from Smith's Grove sanitarium and heads for his home town of Haddenfield.
Once there in one night Micheal will raise unholy hell and with Dr Loomis in pursuit trying to stop his escaped patient.
The music is iconic not just Carpenter's memorable theme but the music throughout helps to raise the tension. The camera work is amazing, one very famous scene in particular always delivers a chill.
This is truly a horror masterpiece.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Haunting (1963) in Movies
Oct 4, 2019
The Haunted House
The Haunting- is one of the best horror movies of all time. Its scary, spooky, haunting, terrorfying, horrorfying and more.
The Plot: Dr. John Markway, an anthropologist with an interest in psychic phenomena, takes two specially selected women to Hill House, a reportedly haunted mansion. Eleanor (Julie Harris), a lonely, eccentric woman with a supernatural event in her past, and the bold Theodora (Claire Bloom), who has ESP, join John and the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn). They are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events, and Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her.
From the great novel- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
In 2010, The Guardian newspaper ranked it as the 13th-best horror film of all time. Director Martin Scorsese has placed The Haunting first on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time.
The film was remade in 1999 by director Jan de Bont, starring Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson, but that version was heavily panned by critics and audiences. Dont watch that film, but instead watch this masterpiece.
I would highly reccordmend this movie.
The Plot: Dr. John Markway, an anthropologist with an interest in psychic phenomena, takes two specially selected women to Hill House, a reportedly haunted mansion. Eleanor (Julie Harris), a lonely, eccentric woman with a supernatural event in her past, and the bold Theodora (Claire Bloom), who has ESP, join John and the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn). They are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events, and Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her.
From the great novel- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
In 2010, The Guardian newspaper ranked it as the 13th-best horror film of all time. Director Martin Scorsese has placed The Haunting first on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time.
The film was remade in 1999 by director Jan de Bont, starring Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson, but that version was heavily panned by critics and audiences. Dont watch that film, but instead watch this masterpiece.
I would highly reccordmend this movie.
David McK (3191 KP) rated T2: Rising Storm in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Following on from the end of <i>T2: Infiltrator</i>, this novel continues the story started in that novel. The infiltrator of the previous novel may have been destroyed, but she has left behind 2 clones who continue her work, while Sarah Connor recuperates in military hospital from the wounds she received destroying it.
For the first portion of the story, then, John is out on his own with Dieter von Rossbach, rather than working with his mother. This allows the character to grow and mature somewhat, while it also provides the opportunity to bring back some other faces from the film in the Sarah Connor portion of the story, most noticeably in Dr Silbermann (the psychiatrist from T1 and T2).
The novel also takes to opportunity to further explore the paradoxical timeline of the world, with one key scene in particular towards the end showing how Skynet became sentient.
For the first portion of the story, then, John is out on his own with Dieter von Rossbach, rather than working with his mother. This allows the character to grow and mature somewhat, while it also provides the opportunity to bring back some other faces from the film in the Sarah Connor portion of the story, most noticeably in Dr Silbermann (the psychiatrist from T1 and T2).
The novel also takes to opportunity to further explore the paradoxical timeline of the world, with one key scene in particular towards the end showing how Skynet became sentient.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes in Books
Feb 1, 2018
I may be good, but Sherlock Holmes is better. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle weaves unusual and fantastical tales about the globally beloved detective in this collection of stories. Each is short and can be devoured in less than an hour. They are some of his more famous short works and highly enjoyable.
Doyle paints a narrative through the eyes of Holmes' companion, Dr. Watson and makes the tale more accessible to the average reader. Holmes' sharp mannerisms and lofty thoughts would not be as intriguing if Watson's nobler sentiments and smoothing words did not soften him. Each mystery slowly unfolds before the reader's eyes and if their powers of deduction are keen, they may even discover some clues or Holmes' motives before they're expressly detailed.
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were beloved in their time and are now classics for a reason. This is a wonderful collection of stories and highly recommended to fans of detective stories, classic novels, or have never read a story about Sherlock Holmes before and wish to give them a shot. (You won't be disappointed.)
Doyle paints a narrative through the eyes of Holmes' companion, Dr. Watson and makes the tale more accessible to the average reader. Holmes' sharp mannerisms and lofty thoughts would not be as intriguing if Watson's nobler sentiments and smoothing words did not soften him. Each mystery slowly unfolds before the reader's eyes and if their powers of deduction are keen, they may even discover some clues or Holmes' motives before they're expressly detailed.
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were beloved in their time and are now classics for a reason. This is a wonderful collection of stories and highly recommended to fans of detective stories, classic novels, or have never read a story about Sherlock Holmes before and wish to give them a shot. (You won't be disappointed.)
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Body Snatcher (1945) in Movies
Oct 17, 2020
Boris Karloff (1 more)
Bela Lugosi
Invasion
The Body Snatcher- is not related to "The Body Snatchers". Yes it is confused. Cause i thought this was the oringal version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", just called "The Body Snatcher". Nope it turns out its two different things. Both based off of books. This film is based off of "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson. While "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is based off of Jack Finney's 1954 science fiction novel "The Body Snatchers". So yea not confusing at all.
The plot: Dr. Toddy MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) needs cadavers for his medical experiments, ultimately intended to treat a young disabled girl. However, they are not easy to come by, so he enlists the help of taxi driver John Gray (Boris Karloff) and his assistant, Joseph (Bela Lugosi), to unearth bodies from the cemetery. When Donald (Russell Wade), Dr. MacFarlane's assistant, recognizes one of the corpses Gray delivers, the true source of the bodies is called into question.
It is based on the short story "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film's producer Val Lewton helped adapt the story for the screen, writing under the pen name of "Carlos Keith". The film was marketed with the tagline "The screen's last word in shock sensation!" The frequent mentions of Burke, Hare, and Dr. Knox, all refer to the West Port murders in 1828.
The Body Snatcher was one of three films that Boris Karloff did with RKO Radio Pictures from 1945 to 1946, which were produced by Val Lewton. The other two films were Isle of the Dead (1945) and Bedlam (1946).
Bela Lugosi, who became famous with another Universal classic, Dracula (1931), also signed a deal with RKO. Lewton and MacDonald eventually wrote a small role for him; it became the last film Lugosi and Karloff made together.
Robert Wise – later best-known for his work in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), The Sound of Music (1965), and The Sand Pebbles (1966) – was assigned to direct the film. Longtime film editor at RKO, he had replaced the original director on The Curse of the Cat People (1944) when it fell behind schedule and Lewton, who produced it, decided to promote him to his superiors.
Its a excellent film.
The plot: Dr. Toddy MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) needs cadavers for his medical experiments, ultimately intended to treat a young disabled girl. However, they are not easy to come by, so he enlists the help of taxi driver John Gray (Boris Karloff) and his assistant, Joseph (Bela Lugosi), to unearth bodies from the cemetery. When Donald (Russell Wade), Dr. MacFarlane's assistant, recognizes one of the corpses Gray delivers, the true source of the bodies is called into question.
It is based on the short story "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film's producer Val Lewton helped adapt the story for the screen, writing under the pen name of "Carlos Keith". The film was marketed with the tagline "The screen's last word in shock sensation!" The frequent mentions of Burke, Hare, and Dr. Knox, all refer to the West Port murders in 1828.
The Body Snatcher was one of three films that Boris Karloff did with RKO Radio Pictures from 1945 to 1946, which were produced by Val Lewton. The other two films were Isle of the Dead (1945) and Bedlam (1946).
Bela Lugosi, who became famous with another Universal classic, Dracula (1931), also signed a deal with RKO. Lewton and MacDonald eventually wrote a small role for him; it became the last film Lugosi and Karloff made together.
Robert Wise – later best-known for his work in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), The Sound of Music (1965), and The Sand Pebbles (1966) – was assigned to direct the film. Longtime film editor at RKO, he had replaced the original director on The Curse of the Cat People (1944) when it fell behind schedule and Lewton, who produced it, decided to promote him to his superiors.
Its a excellent film.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Jigsaw (2017) in Movies
Oct 7, 2019
275. Jigsaw. Yea, I'm just about a full year late on this one. I wanted to see it, just got put on the back burner and forgotten, sorry Tobin. So somewhere along the way I was lead to believe this was a prequel. Well, it wasn't. Not sure why they changed the name to Jigsaw and not just Saw VIII. Several of the chapters took place after the death of John Kramer. Is it because the previous one was "The Final Chapter"... Friday the 13th did two final chapters, lol. So really there wasn't anything new to this one. I mean the trailers give away the most of the movie, so... We are lead to believe Jigsaw has a new game going, even though he's been a corpse for a decade, cops are baffled, bodies are piling up, who the hell could it be??? And if you are a fan of the series, c'mon you got this, the last one ended with Jigsaw having a cult like following, the audience knows he is very much indeed dead, and its been a common theme, that John is really just a guy there to help you... Help him, help you!!! And he once in awhile takes someone under his wing... duh... Amanda, Hoffman, and of course Dr. Gordon (I was kinda dissappointed he didnt pop up in there) But all in all... Jigsaw was a pretty cool blood fest, and sequel... you may disagree... but this is mainly for me... Filmbufftim on FB
David McK (3191 KP) rated Doctor Who: Engines of War in Books
Aug 19, 2023
The War Doctor.
A previously unknown incarnation of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, as portrayed by John Hurt in the Dr Who 50th anniversary special 'the Day of the Doctor' in 2013 during Matt Smith's tenure as The Doctor (and with David Tennant also reprising his role as the same character).
The War Doctor refers to the fact that *this* incarnation participated in the Time War, a fundamental part of the backstory of Nu-Who, between the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Its also open to interpretation whether the Engines of War of the title here are those Daleks, or the various TARDIS's used by the Time Lords during this story, which itself is largely split into 3 segments: part 1 on the planet Moldox (which the Daleks have conquered, and where the Doctor meets his new companion for this story), part 2 on Gallifrey (the home of the Time Lords), and part 3 in the space above Moldox, in the Tantalus Eye.
The result is something that is generally light-weight enough: solid if not spectacular. But, then again, that could probably apply to just about every extended universe tie in there is!
A previously unknown incarnation of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, as portrayed by John Hurt in the Dr Who 50th anniversary special 'the Day of the Doctor' in 2013 during Matt Smith's tenure as The Doctor (and with David Tennant also reprising his role as the same character).
The War Doctor refers to the fact that *this* incarnation participated in the Time War, a fundamental part of the backstory of Nu-Who, between the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Its also open to interpretation whether the Engines of War of the title here are those Daleks, or the various TARDIS's used by the Time Lords during this story, which itself is largely split into 3 segments: part 1 on the planet Moldox (which the Daleks have conquered, and where the Doctor meets his new companion for this story), part 2 on Gallifrey (the home of the Time Lords), and part 3 in the space above Moldox, in the Tantalus Eye.
The result is something that is generally light-weight enough: solid if not spectacular. But, then again, that could probably apply to just about every extended universe tie in there is!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Dracula (1958) in Movies
Nov 5, 2020 (Updated Nov 5, 2020)
The Vampire Rises Once More
Dracula- is a great movie. Hammer films is a excellent studio, cause their brought back the universal monsters and put their own spin on it. And with Dracula their put their own spin on Dracula. And did it work, yes.
First Christopher Lee played as the creature in The Curse of Frankenstien, now he plays as Dracula. When you think of Dracula you think of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Christopher Lee played Dracula more times then Bela Lugosi. But both actors are iconic, legends and icons.
The plot: On a search for his missing friend Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle. Upon arriving, Van Helsing finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing struggles to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.
In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.
Its a excllent film.
First Christopher Lee played as the creature in The Curse of Frankenstien, now he plays as Dracula. When you think of Dracula you think of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Christopher Lee played Dracula more times then Bela Lugosi. But both actors are iconic, legends and icons.
The plot: On a search for his missing friend Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle. Upon arriving, Van Helsing finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing struggles to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.
In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.
Its a excllent film.
Cet (105 KP) rated Solo: A Star Wars Story - Soundtrack by John Powell in Music
Jul 15, 2018 (Updated Jul 15, 2018)
Has a Star Wars Feel but not quite memorable
I received a gift copy for this review.
TL;DR It belongs in Star Wars but not memorable enough to make it Star Wars. In other words I doubt you'll hear any of these themes in any fan films.
Let's face it John Williams won't be with us forever. He's closing in on 90 and I've read Episode IX will be his last with Star Wars. Lucas Films getting him to work with other composers is the best thing they could do. However why John Powell? This is not a young buck. Lucas Films needs to get their act together in keeping some regulars. Especially on the tech department.
Now to the review.
I've listened to this soundtrack 3 or so times. To John Powell's credit every track belongs in the star wars universe. However no composition here including the scores by Williams is memorable. We don't have a Duel of Fates, Across the Stars, or my favorite Binary Sunset. These themes if you don't know them by title you will know them by sound, and you will immediately have a visual to go with it.
There are a few tracks that conjure certain scenes from the movie. I'm not sure if that's due to the title of the theme or credit to Powell. The Corellia chase for one is catchy. Capturing an old west feel and Han's gun slinging, and hijacking of a land speeder. However when I watched the movie I don't even recall this theme. I had to listen to the composition while writing this paragraph. So although fitting for the character and setting it's forgettable.
When I stated there isn't any music here that's memorable, that's not entirely true. Around 20 seconds into The Adventures of Han begins a beautiful arrangement. It's short sweet and even repeats 29 seconds in Corellia Chase, and 1 minute 24 seconds into Break Out. This short 10 second snippet should've been treated like Indiana Jones. A recurring theme that we could've linked to Han Solo himself.
On the other hand perhaps the writing and the visual of the movie also holds the music back. I'm fairly sure the above arrangement appears in a few other songs. The movie was 2 hours of action packed scenes. There was no tension due to the fact we knew what was coming. The few characters that I got attached to didn't have their own theme. They should've capitalized more on Vos, Beckett, and even the romance with Qi'ra. None of these characters had a theme.
The music here belongs in Star Wars. It's hard to imagine them anywhere else. In previous Star Wars films the music was just as memorable as the scenes though. If I were to compare it to anything else it would be The Avengers. I couldn't hum any of the compositions, but if I heard em i'd probably recognize where it's from. A image wouldn't go with it, and that's just not Star Wars enough.
TL;DR It belongs in Star Wars but not memorable enough to make it Star Wars. In other words I doubt you'll hear any of these themes in any fan films.
Let's face it John Williams won't be with us forever. He's closing in on 90 and I've read Episode IX will be his last with Star Wars. Lucas Films getting him to work with other composers is the best thing they could do. However why John Powell? This is not a young buck. Lucas Films needs to get their act together in keeping some regulars. Especially on the tech department.
Now to the review.
I've listened to this soundtrack 3 or so times. To John Powell's credit every track belongs in the star wars universe. However no composition here including the scores by Williams is memorable. We don't have a Duel of Fates, Across the Stars, or my favorite Binary Sunset. These themes if you don't know them by title you will know them by sound, and you will immediately have a visual to go with it.
There are a few tracks that conjure certain scenes from the movie. I'm not sure if that's due to the title of the theme or credit to Powell. The Corellia chase for one is catchy. Capturing an old west feel and Han's gun slinging, and hijacking of a land speeder. However when I watched the movie I don't even recall this theme. I had to listen to the composition while writing this paragraph. So although fitting for the character and setting it's forgettable.
When I stated there isn't any music here that's memorable, that's not entirely true. Around 20 seconds into The Adventures of Han begins a beautiful arrangement. It's short sweet and even repeats 29 seconds in Corellia Chase, and 1 minute 24 seconds into Break Out. This short 10 second snippet should've been treated like Indiana Jones. A recurring theme that we could've linked to Han Solo himself.
On the other hand perhaps the writing and the visual of the movie also holds the music back. I'm fairly sure the above arrangement appears in a few other songs. The movie was 2 hours of action packed scenes. There was no tension due to the fact we knew what was coming. The few characters that I got attached to didn't have their own theme. They should've capitalized more on Vos, Beckett, and even the romance with Qi'ra. None of these characters had a theme.
The music here belongs in Star Wars. It's hard to imagine them anywhere else. In previous Star Wars films the music was just as memorable as the scenes though. If I were to compare it to anything else it would be The Avengers. I couldn't hum any of the compositions, but if I heard em i'd probably recognize where it's from. A image wouldn't go with it, and that's just not Star Wars enough.