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MirrorMask (2005)
MirrorMask (2005)
2005 | Drama, Family, Sci-Fi
9
8.0 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The Mirror World of Weirdness
Now, I will admit that even though I have read many of Neil Gaiman's works, I had never heard of this movie before, until just recently and I must admit that I really enjoyed this movie a lot! What was the most interesting thing to me about this movie was that the drawings that Helena had drawn throughout the film was none other than Dave McKean's drawings, who was well known for doing a lot of the artwork for Neil Gaiman's books! I loved the way that the drawings provided a haunting and surreal atmosphere for the film as I found myself either being memorized by the imagery (the scenes with the City of Lights were beautiful) or being frightened by the imagery (the scenes with the sphinx cats really creep me out). I also loved the fact that this film is somewhat of a spiritual successor to "Labyrinth," another film from the Jim Henson Company, as both films dealt with the main character having problems with their families and once they enter another world, they have to save the people who resemble their family members from whatever dark force happens to come upon them. The actors and the actresses in this film were fantastic, with my favorite character being Valentine as he was played wonderfully by Jason Barry and he really brought so much humor to the film. I also loved Stephanie Leonidas' portrayal of Helena as she is shown to be a spunky girl who doesn't seem to be afraid of the frightening world she ends up in and it really makes me get into her character.

The only problem that I had with this film was that the story tend to get a little confusing at times to the point where I don't exactly know what is quite going on with the characters. Like for instance, the movie didn't really explain about what kind of condition Helena's mother had that caused her to go to the hospital in the first place and even though it wouldn't be a major part of the film, I still would like to know what kind of disease Helena's mother had that would be so dangerous to her health.

Overall, "Mirrormask" is a fantastic and surreal film that anyone who is a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's works or surreal movies in general will definitely enjoy for many years to come!
  
    SkipCast: Podcast Player

    SkipCast: Podcast Player

    News and Entertainment

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    The search is over; SkipCast is your perfect Podcast app! SkipCast streams audio and video from...

    Dineout: Reserve a Table

    Dineout: Reserve a Table

    Food & Drink and Lifestyle

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    Dineout is a restaurant reservation app that helps you search across various cuisines, deals,...

The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
2010 | Drama, Horror
Starts brilliantly, but now starting to drag...
I love zombie films, so a zombie (or walker as the "z" word is never mentioned) tv show really appealed. And to begin with, The Walking Dead really impresses.

The first season is such a good debut, Andrew Lincoln does very well as Rick - can hardly believe it's Simon from Teachers. The visual and physical effects are fantastic and the walkers are truly scary. Character development over the initial few series too is very good and you come to care about a lot (and hate a lot) of them. The first maybe 5 series I can't really fault too much. There's dips, but it always come bouncing back with some shock deaths or interesting characters like the Governor.


The problem is with the last couple of series. Everything has become a bit too samey - meet a hostile group, become scared & abused by the group, people get killed and then Rick's group manages to overcome them. The walkers have pretty much taken a back seat. Personally I think they should try and end the series soon instead of dragging it out too far.
  
Goodreads: Book Reviews
Goodreads: Book Reviews
Book, Social Networking
9
8.8 (453 Ratings)
App Rating
Fantastic for book worms
For anyone who loves to read, this app is a must. It has a very friendly user interface that lets you keep track of the books you read and also those of your friends, as well as quick and easy ratings and reviews.

I love that it gives you the option to choose books to add to your "to read" list and it does well in tracking the ones you're currently reading and the dates when you start and finish. Very helpfully, it also gives you the option to create your own shelves and I use this to keep track of the books I own - very useful!


Other features too work well, like reading suggestions, groups and even the Goodreads book awards. My favourite feature those is the Goodreads book challenge. It's such a fun thing to set yourself a reading challenge for the year and it easily tracks your books to make sure you're on track.


The app works really well, especially on Android, although my only criticism is that sometimes the search functionality doesn't bring back the results you'd immediately expect based on your criteria.
  
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) Nov 3, 2017

It's the only way I can keep track of what I'm reading and what I need to read!

The Buried Giant
The Buried Giant
Kazuo Ishiguro | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.6 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
An unusual melancholic adventure
Beautifully written with a typical Kazuo Ishiguro unreliable narrator, this novel however, is not about self-delusion this time. It's a collective memory loss, a post-Arthurian quest that questions the value of remembering. It is written as a fable so the style may appear stilted and formal, and it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found the plot beguiling.

Ishiguro ventures in the Tolkien-world of medieval fantasy in which an elderly couple, who seem to be suffering a fog of memory loss, attempt to reconnect with their son by journeying across the lands. On their way, they face dangers from opposing forces, that try to hinder their progress.

This is a powerful treatment of memories, the passage of time and the enduring love of a couple living many years together. Nothing is over-stated, even the moments of high drama. A strange collection of characters but all of them wholly believable. Overall, this book rewards patience and reflection, a devastating portrayal of love in old age and it's a fantastic metaphor for the way nations forget/remember traumatic events.
  
Frailty (2002)
Frailty (2002)
2002 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Paxton acting and directing (1 more)
Plot twists
Bill Paxton was one of my favorite actors of all time. I was very sad when he passed away in 2017 at the young age of 61. He will leave a legacy of fantastic films including Aliens, Twister, One False Move, Apollo 13 and this film which he also directed.

Matthew McConaughey walks into the office of FBI agent Powers Boothe and begins telling a very unusual story. When he was a kid, his dad said he had a vision which gave him the ability to see "demons" within human beings. He is then given the task of "dispelling" the demons in front of his two young sons.


The film creates quite the moral dilemma for the audience as you feel for the boys and the dire predicament their father places them into. You also wonder whether he can really "see" the demons or he is just losing his mind.


The 3rd act of the film takes some interesting turns as the true nature of some of the characters is revealed. You will not see this one coming.


A real standout in the Paxton legacy.



  
Snowpiercer (2013)
Snowpiercer (2013)
2013 | Sci-Fi
Interesting premise (2 more)
Fantastic visuals
Compelling
Director Joon-ho Bong brings us his vision of a post-apocalyptic world where most of humanity has been destroyed and the remaining humans are left to circle the globe in a relentless train called the Snowpiercer.

The cast is led by Chris Evans, but also features Kang-ho Song, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer and Jamie Bell.


Humanity has evolved similar to what I have read about the Titanic, meaning, the lower classes at the back of the train suffering to survive and the upper classes more forward living in luxury.


There is an uprising within the squalor and the inhabitants attempt to ascertain their situation by taking the cars ahead one-by-one. The story is very interesting and the people and situations the rebels meet along their way to the engine keep you surprised.


The engine also contains an interesting character who is eluded to within the beginning of the film.


The ending was somewhat controversial when the movie was first released; however, I find it more than satisfactory to tie up the story.


Check it out for yourself.