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Anatomy of Evil (Barker & Llewelyn, #7)
9.0
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In London of 1888, Private Enquiry Agent Cyrus Barker takes on his biggest case ever—the attempt...
Mystery Thriller
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Resident Evil (2002) in Movies
Oct 28, 2020
Let's just brush aside for a moment that this adaption of Resident Evil bares little resemblance to the video game it's based upon and instead take a look at it as its own film, how it's comes off as a horror, and what visionary director Paul WS Anderson has to offer to the zombie genre...
...it's a terrible film, it's a shitty horror, and Anderson should just keep away from beloved franchises forever. I actually actively hate most of his films (have I mentioned this before?).
The big gaping issue with Resident Evil is it's characters and screenplay. The characters are a collection of edgy shitbags who spout one liners every two seconds and are just ripped straight from the "cliché action bastard handbook". It's difficult to care about any of them. I understand that Alice (Milla Jovovich) goes on to lead the entire franchise, but in the first entry, she hardly does or says anything, and as such, the audience doesn't get much of a chance to bond with her before the credits roll.
The script is just eye rollingly cringey. Every single line is either a "witty" quip, or lazy exposition and it becomes tiresome very quickly.
Some of the effects are ok - the zombie dogs look pretty gnarly, but The Licker (one of the only concrete connections to the game series) is brought to life with some of the worst CGI I've ever seen. To say it's aged badly would be an understatement, as I remember it looking dodgy AF back in 2002 when I was a humble 14 year old. Other than that, the whole film has that awful early 2000s aesthetic (The Matrix truly has a lot to answer for) and the inclusion of obnoxious breakbeat music cues that everyone was obsessed with at the time is the cherry on the mouldy cake. Ugh.
It's not all terrible... There are a couple of memorable set pieces, and the film manages to be somewhat entertaining here and there, but overall, Resident Evil is another garbage pile video game adaption, and the fact that George Romero wrote an unused screenplay that was much closer to the first game (and was poised to direct!) just rubs salt in this horrible festering wound left behind by Paul WS Anderson's Resident Evil. Hate it.
...it's a terrible film, it's a shitty horror, and Anderson should just keep away from beloved franchises forever. I actually actively hate most of his films (have I mentioned this before?).
The big gaping issue with Resident Evil is it's characters and screenplay. The characters are a collection of edgy shitbags who spout one liners every two seconds and are just ripped straight from the "cliché action bastard handbook". It's difficult to care about any of them. I understand that Alice (Milla Jovovich) goes on to lead the entire franchise, but in the first entry, she hardly does or says anything, and as such, the audience doesn't get much of a chance to bond with her before the credits roll.
The script is just eye rollingly cringey. Every single line is either a "witty" quip, or lazy exposition and it becomes tiresome very quickly.
Some of the effects are ok - the zombie dogs look pretty gnarly, but The Licker (one of the only concrete connections to the game series) is brought to life with some of the worst CGI I've ever seen. To say it's aged badly would be an understatement, as I remember it looking dodgy AF back in 2002 when I was a humble 14 year old. Other than that, the whole film has that awful early 2000s aesthetic (The Matrix truly has a lot to answer for) and the inclusion of obnoxious breakbeat music cues that everyone was obsessed with at the time is the cherry on the mouldy cake. Ugh.
It's not all terrible... There are a couple of memorable set pieces, and the film manages to be somewhat entertaining here and there, but overall, Resident Evil is another garbage pile video game adaption, and the fact that George Romero wrote an unused screenplay that was much closer to the first game (and was poised to direct!) just rubs salt in this horrible festering wound left behind by Paul WS Anderson's Resident Evil. Hate it.
HT
How To Succeed in Witchcraft
8.0
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An overachieving teen witch vies for a prestigious scholarship at her elite high school in this...
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Take One With You in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Imagine a world where you could get back at those who had done you wrong. "An eye for an eye." In, Take One With You, Oak Anderson takes that ideal to a whole new extreme.
Charlie and Sarah had both suffered great loss. They had 'met' each other online in chat rooms dedicated to such things. They met several other people with the same suffering. One particular person, though, was an inspiration to them. She was courageous and brave.
Melissa Stevenson was tired and wanted to end her life. But there was someone else's life that had to end too. The person who made her life so horrible. Missy was going to take her life and take him with her.
From this inspiration, Charlie and Sarah created the TOWY website. People who were suicidal or terminally ill could take their own life and take the life of someone else as well. What a way to rid this earth of all the scum!
I really enjoyed this book. It's an original idea that is eerily realistic. The relationship between Charlie and Sarah is very intense. One part of this book, that was very different from any other book that I have ever read was the use of different media articles that talk about the effects the website is having on the world. I didn't like where they were placed in the book, but that was my own issue.
This is a great novel that will get you thinking. Are there really people out here who are already doing these things. Murder/suicide is a common practice. "If you die tomorrow...who would you kill tonight?"
Please read Take One With You!
Charlie and Sarah had both suffered great loss. They had 'met' each other online in chat rooms dedicated to such things. They met several other people with the same suffering. One particular person, though, was an inspiration to them. She was courageous and brave.
Melissa Stevenson was tired and wanted to end her life. But there was someone else's life that had to end too. The person who made her life so horrible. Missy was going to take her life and take him with her.
From this inspiration, Charlie and Sarah created the TOWY website. People who were suicidal or terminally ill could take their own life and take the life of someone else as well. What a way to rid this earth of all the scum!
I really enjoyed this book. It's an original idea that is eerily realistic. The relationship between Charlie and Sarah is very intense. One part of this book, that was very different from any other book that I have ever read was the use of different media articles that talk about the effects the website is having on the world. I didn't like where they were placed in the book, but that was my own issue.
This is a great novel that will get you thinking. Are there really people out here who are already doing these things. Murder/suicide is a common practice. "If you die tomorrow...who would you kill tonight?"
Please read Take One With You!
BeRad89 (48 KP) rated I Was Anastasia in Books
Mar 26, 2018
Anna Anderson has spent over fifty years of her life fighting to prove she is the Grand Duchess Anastasia. Her story begins near the end as she battles in court to get recognition. Anastasia is 18 months away from that fateful night in Yekaterinburg. Does she in fact survive?
I love the time line set up in this book. It is an amazing idea to have both women moving toward each other like trains on the same track. The moment they collide will be the moment we learn the truth. While I do not like Anna on a personal level, I appreciate how cunning, clever, and totally insane she is. She is one of most interesting characters I have ever read. I appreciate the amount of research that must have went into this novel. While it is a work of fiction, I bet that was a time consuming task.
The only criticism I can possibly have for this book is the very thing I like most: The Timeline. Some readers may find the nonlinear design difficult to follow.
I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon is a work of historical fiction. It is the prefect marriage of creativity and intelligence. From her character development to the time line set up, it is an amazing piece of work. I Was Anastasia will be published March 27, 2018 by Doubleday Books.
I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars rating. It is by far the best book I have read this year. I would recommend it to any lover of the Romanov history or historical fiction lover. However, I do recommend doing some research first. I have a good deal of knowledge on the Romanovs and that improved my experience with this book.
I love the time line set up in this book. It is an amazing idea to have both women moving toward each other like trains on the same track. The moment they collide will be the moment we learn the truth. While I do not like Anna on a personal level, I appreciate how cunning, clever, and totally insane she is. She is one of most interesting characters I have ever read. I appreciate the amount of research that must have went into this novel. While it is a work of fiction, I bet that was a time consuming task.
The only criticism I can possibly have for this book is the very thing I like most: The Timeline. Some readers may find the nonlinear design difficult to follow.
I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon is a work of historical fiction. It is the prefect marriage of creativity and intelligence. From her character development to the time line set up, it is an amazing piece of work. I Was Anastasia will be published March 27, 2018 by Doubleday Books.
I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars rating. It is by far the best book I have read this year. I would recommend it to any lover of the Romanov history or historical fiction lover. However, I do recommend doing some research first. I have a good deal of knowledge on the Romanovs and that improved my experience with this book.
MMA Now!: The Stars and Stories of Mixed Martial Arts
Brian Sobie and Adam Elliott Segal
Book
Pound for pound, the most revealing book on the sport today. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is one of the...
Famous Name Trains: Travelling in Style with the CPR
Book
Have you ever wondered, while sitting in traffic or waiting to board a crowded airplane, what it was...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Scream 4 (2011) in Movies
Nov 12, 2020
11 years after Scream 3 "graced" cinema screens, Wes Craven returned to his meta horror series in an era where the genre had gone into full remake mode.
I'm not convinced that Scream 4 needs to exist, especially after the underwhelming way the third film closed out the original trilogy, but this entry is definitely a step up.
The Meta side of things is again a little over the top, but it's good to see Ghostface in a more modern setting. This Ghostface is brutal as well, and Scream 4 is arguably the goriest of the franchise, making it's iconic masked antagonist more intimidating than ever.
The returning cast are back again - Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette - and have somehow survived all of the Scream movies - as per usual, it feels like a homecoming with them in tow. It's not often in horror you have one person make it this far, let alone three. It gives the series a uniqueness that I can appreciate.
The new characters are all written like typical cannon fodder slasher victims but they all serve there purpose well. Hayden Panittiere is a welcome addition, and it's nice to see Anthony Anderson in a pre Black-ish role.
The plot is so so. It's all ground that has been relentlessly trodden by this point, but it still works. Sidney is back in town. People start getting stabbed. Everyone is a suspect. Rinse and repeat.
The killer reveal in this one isn't too shoddy either, and makes more sense that the reveals in Scream 2 and 3, and there's a lot of direct homage to the first movie in how it's all executed (coming round full circle to the remake commentary)
All in all, Scream 4 is a bucket load of fun, even if it doesn't quite hit the heights if the original. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming sequel will turn out following Craven's death, but I have the feeling it won't quite be the same. Long live Wes Craven!
I'm not convinced that Scream 4 needs to exist, especially after the underwhelming way the third film closed out the original trilogy, but this entry is definitely a step up.
The Meta side of things is again a little over the top, but it's good to see Ghostface in a more modern setting. This Ghostface is brutal as well, and Scream 4 is arguably the goriest of the franchise, making it's iconic masked antagonist more intimidating than ever.
The returning cast are back again - Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette - and have somehow survived all of the Scream movies - as per usual, it feels like a homecoming with them in tow. It's not often in horror you have one person make it this far, let alone three. It gives the series a uniqueness that I can appreciate.
The new characters are all written like typical cannon fodder slasher victims but they all serve there purpose well. Hayden Panittiere is a welcome addition, and it's nice to see Anthony Anderson in a pre Black-ish role.
The plot is so so. It's all ground that has been relentlessly trodden by this point, but it still works. Sidney is back in town. People start getting stabbed. Everyone is a suspect. Rinse and repeat.
The killer reveal in this one isn't too shoddy either, and makes more sense that the reveals in Scream 2 and 3, and there's a lot of direct homage to the first movie in how it's all executed (coming round full circle to the remake commentary)
All in all, Scream 4 is a bucket load of fun, even if it doesn't quite hit the heights if the original. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming sequel will turn out following Craven's death, but I have the feeling it won't quite be the same. Long live Wes Craven!
Bill Nighy recommended Punch-Drunk Love (2002) in Movies (curated)
One Day (Nights, #9)
7.0
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I will never tire of this man. Whatever he wants. Whenever he wants it. I will accept it all. All of...
Adult Contemporary Romance
Jackjack (877 KP) Nov 4, 2020
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) Nov 5, 2020