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The Diplomatic Heir (Etherya's Earth #7)
10.0
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A new era dawns as ancient threats emerge… Tordor, son of Queen Miranda and King Sathan, was...
Fantasy Romance
Blackout Trail
Book
When the world goes dark, a doctor embarks on a perilous journey. Doctor Anna Hastings is no...
Post Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller
Blossom and the Beast (The Alder Tales #1)
10.0
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Blossom Frane is only weeks away from her transformation. On her eighteenth birthday, she’ll find...
Paranormal Romance Fairy tale Retelling
Darren (1599 KP) rated Within (2016) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
Characters – John is the father of the house, we know he has been on hard times and this house is all he can afford for his family. He does love both his wife and daughter and is trying to teach his daughter a lesson after her mistakes have led them to this location. Hannah is his daughter of John that has been getting herself in trouble which caused the move, she is grounded and is the first one to notice the strange events around the house. Melanie is the new wife and step-mother to Hannah, she doesn’t do much beyond the normal, which is mostly trying to be the best friend in her time of need. Ray is the creepy neighbour that offers to help change the locks, less we say about him the better.
Performances – When we look at the performances in this film we must be praising Erin Moriarty as she is excellent in her role, the weaknesses come from the parental characters, Michael Vartan and Nadine Velazquez who both don’t seem to do much with their roles in the film.
Story – The story here follows the family that move into a new home only to start seeing strange things happening and we fall in the, ‘creepy person living in the attic’ sub-genre, which is one that I feel is getting tiresome, there is only so much you can do while telling this story and if we are being honest we have seen it done on better levels before. The build up follows the checklist and by the end of the film the story just feels like it is trying to hard to be different, rather than good.
Horror – The horror in the film comes from the idea that someone could be living in your house, it is an easy idea for because being haunted in your own home should be working, though this misses the tension required for the film.
Settings – The film is set entirely inside the one house, which is all we need as this keeps the film contained for the maximum levels of horror, even if they don’t use it well.
Special Effects – The effects for the most part are good with the kills looking extra brutal when they hit.
Scene of the Movie – The first meeting of David.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We have seen this too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a by the books horror that doesn’t test the audience enough, it has an easy out which doesn’t get used at all, though the killer does look creepy throughout.
Overall: Been here seen this.
Performances – When we look at the performances in this film we must be praising Erin Moriarty as she is excellent in her role, the weaknesses come from the parental characters, Michael Vartan and Nadine Velazquez who both don’t seem to do much with their roles in the film.
Story – The story here follows the family that move into a new home only to start seeing strange things happening and we fall in the, ‘creepy person living in the attic’ sub-genre, which is one that I feel is getting tiresome, there is only so much you can do while telling this story and if we are being honest we have seen it done on better levels before. The build up follows the checklist and by the end of the film the story just feels like it is trying to hard to be different, rather than good.
Horror – The horror in the film comes from the idea that someone could be living in your house, it is an easy idea for because being haunted in your own home should be working, though this misses the tension required for the film.
Settings – The film is set entirely inside the one house, which is all we need as this keeps the film contained for the maximum levels of horror, even if they don’t use it well.
Special Effects – The effects for the most part are good with the kills looking extra brutal when they hit.
Scene of the Movie – The first meeting of David.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We have seen this too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a by the books horror that doesn’t test the audience enough, it has an easy out which doesn’t get used at all, though the killer does look creepy throughout.
Overall: Been here seen this.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Light of My Life (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Not Revolutionary But Decent
A father and daughter try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus has taken out nearly all of the female population. Light of My Life isn’t going to revolutionize post-apocalyptic movies, but I would say it’s a worthy addition. It makes you care and, more importantly, it makes you think.
Acting: 10
Casey Afleck is sensational in his role as Dad. You can feel the love he has for his daughter Rag (Anna Pniowsky) and see how torn he is between trying to be strong for her while trying not to break down himself. Pniowsky is solid as well playing the daughter. She reads the role with a defiant attitude, as a girl having to quickly grow up in a crazy world. They work perfectly together onscreen.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 6
Conflict: 6
Casey Afleck, also the director, effectively builds tension throughout the journey. However, there are a number of times where you expect something to happen and it doesn’t. Ultimately, the conflict wasn’t quite so strong as I would have hoped.
Entertainment Value: 5
Because not as much action is happening in a movie that’s almost two hours, my level of being entertained was up and down. I did find myself checking out quite a few times especially when it’s the rinse and repeat of finding a campground, scouting, and laying down for the night. I just wish there were a few more close scrapes to keep me guessing.
Memorability: 3
This type of movie has been done before on the big screen and in video games. Unfortunately there’s not quite enough here to make it stand out. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not a bad movie. It just lacks the necessary oompf to be much more than “just ok”.
Pace: 6
Attempts to move steadily before it slows down to a crawl again and again. There is no sense of urgency in the film and it drove me mad at times. Would have been much happier with the pace had the runtime been shorter.
Plot: 10
Resolution: 6
Decent ending, but…just decent. I question the decision of closure. Like a lot of the other facets of the movie, I was hoping for more.
Overall: 72
Light of My Life made me smile at times, but infuriated me at times when I knew I was watching something that could be better. It’s a decent movie and a few tweaks would have really done the trick for me. Now that I’ve seen it once, it’s not one I need to check out again.
Acting: 10
Casey Afleck is sensational in his role as Dad. You can feel the love he has for his daughter Rag (Anna Pniowsky) and see how torn he is between trying to be strong for her while trying not to break down himself. Pniowsky is solid as well playing the daughter. She reads the role with a defiant attitude, as a girl having to quickly grow up in a crazy world. They work perfectly together onscreen.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 6
Conflict: 6
Casey Afleck, also the director, effectively builds tension throughout the journey. However, there are a number of times where you expect something to happen and it doesn’t. Ultimately, the conflict wasn’t quite so strong as I would have hoped.
Entertainment Value: 5
Because not as much action is happening in a movie that’s almost two hours, my level of being entertained was up and down. I did find myself checking out quite a few times especially when it’s the rinse and repeat of finding a campground, scouting, and laying down for the night. I just wish there were a few more close scrapes to keep me guessing.
Memorability: 3
This type of movie has been done before on the big screen and in video games. Unfortunately there’s not quite enough here to make it stand out. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not a bad movie. It just lacks the necessary oompf to be much more than “just ok”.
Pace: 6
Attempts to move steadily before it slows down to a crawl again and again. There is no sense of urgency in the film and it drove me mad at times. Would have been much happier with the pace had the runtime been shorter.
Plot: 10
Resolution: 6
Decent ending, but…just decent. I question the decision of closure. Like a lot of the other facets of the movie, I was hoping for more.
Overall: 72
Light of My Life made me smile at times, but infuriated me at times when I knew I was watching something that could be better. It’s a decent movie and a few tweaks would have really done the trick for me. Now that I’ve seen it once, it’s not one I need to check out again.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Queen Sugar in Books
May 10, 2018
Charley Bordelon has just inherited 800 acres of a sugar cane farm from her father. So she uproots herself and her daughter from their life in California to Saint Josephine, Louisiana. She moves in with her grandmother, Miss Honey and tries her best to raise a successful cane farm. With other family members stepping in her way, this can prove to be difficult at times. Charley is doing the best she can, but will it be enough to keep the farm or will she be forced to sell it and head back to California.
I watched the series for this book on <a href="http://www.oprah.com/app/queen-sugar.html">OWN</a>; and I loved it. If I would have known about the book, I definitely would have read that first. They always say, the book is better than the movie, but in this case, I will say that the book was not as good as the series. The characterization is a little different and the TV series definitely added a lot more drama to the situation. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book and look forward to other books by <a href="http://nataliebaszile.com/">Natalie Baszile</a>.
Charley Bordelon has a lot on her plate. She has an adolescent daughter who hates the idea of leaving her home in California to live in a remote area of Louisiana. She has a sugar cane farm she has just inherited and she knows nothing about sugar cane. Her older brother Ralph Angel feels as though he is entitled to something, but he feels that way about everything in his life. Dealing with hurricanes, quitting farm hands, no money, and flooding back lots, there is a lot to learn and most people in the area, don't think she can do it.
The book takes you on a journey through Charley's first season of Cane Farming and all the trials and tribulations she endures during this time. I enjoyed the book and I look forward to the new season of the show coming this summer!
I watched the series for this book on <a href="http://www.oprah.com/app/queen-sugar.html">OWN</a>; and I loved it. If I would have known about the book, I definitely would have read that first. They always say, the book is better than the movie, but in this case, I will say that the book was not as good as the series. The characterization is a little different and the TV series definitely added a lot more drama to the situation. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book and look forward to other books by <a href="http://nataliebaszile.com/">Natalie Baszile</a>.
Charley Bordelon has a lot on her plate. She has an adolescent daughter who hates the idea of leaving her home in California to live in a remote area of Louisiana. She has a sugar cane farm she has just inherited and she knows nothing about sugar cane. Her older brother Ralph Angel feels as though he is entitled to something, but he feels that way about everything in his life. Dealing with hurricanes, quitting farm hands, no money, and flooding back lots, there is a lot to learn and most people in the area, don't think she can do it.
The book takes you on a journey through Charley's first season of Cane Farming and all the trials and tribulations she endures during this time. I enjoyed the book and I look forward to the new season of the show coming this summer!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) in Movies
Jul 3, 2020
Now I'm Playing With Power: The Glove
Contains spoilers, click to show
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare tells it all. Its going to be the final nightmare and Freddy will be dead once and for all. So the title of the movie spoilers the entire movie. Cause 1. Your expecting Freddy to die and 2. That this will be the final nightmare for now at least. Also you have the wiredest, coolest and strangest produce placement with Nintento's Power-Glove. Freddy says "Now i'm playing with power" and also "Hey, you forgot about the powerglove". He also refference's "The Wizard of Oz" wiredly and also this saying "this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs". This is a weird movie.
The deaths are cool like Carlo's death: Hearing magnified, head exploded by sound of bladed glove scratching chalkboard. Its a funny death, thats sounds odd but it is. Spencer's death: Knocked down stairs into bottomless pit. Again its a funny death. John's death: Fell from sky, impaled on bed spikes. Again its funny. Even Freddy's death: Pinned to wall/crate with various weapons, bladed glove in stomach, blown up by pipe bomb. Its funny, Freddy's death shouldn't be funny, it should be iconic. This isnt iconic. Also for some pair of reason the last ten minutes of the movie is 3D. IDK why, but it was.
The plot: Murderous ghoul Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) has slaughtered every last child in his hometown. He ventures on to a new location, scouting fresh young victims to hack up with his finger blades. He arrives in a small town in which his long-lost daughter, Maggie (Lisa Zane), works as a therapist for troubled youths. He attempts to recruit her for his dastardly pursuits, but she has other ideas. Father and daughter meet for a bloody showdown that will determine Freddy's fate once and for all.
Also for some pair of reason Roseanne Barr, Tom Arnold, and Alice Cooper all appear in this film.
Freddy's Dead is a wired movie, but at least it was a intresting movie.
The deaths are cool like Carlo's death: Hearing magnified, head exploded by sound of bladed glove scratching chalkboard. Its a funny death, thats sounds odd but it is. Spencer's death: Knocked down stairs into bottomless pit. Again its a funny death. John's death: Fell from sky, impaled on bed spikes. Again its funny. Even Freddy's death: Pinned to wall/crate with various weapons, bladed glove in stomach, blown up by pipe bomb. Its funny, Freddy's death shouldn't be funny, it should be iconic. This isnt iconic. Also for some pair of reason the last ten minutes of the movie is 3D. IDK why, but it was.
The plot: Murderous ghoul Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) has slaughtered every last child in his hometown. He ventures on to a new location, scouting fresh young victims to hack up with his finger blades. He arrives in a small town in which his long-lost daughter, Maggie (Lisa Zane), works as a therapist for troubled youths. He attempts to recruit her for his dastardly pursuits, but she has other ideas. Father and daughter meet for a bloody showdown that will determine Freddy's fate once and for all.
Also for some pair of reason Roseanne Barr, Tom Arnold, and Alice Cooper all appear in this film.
Freddy's Dead is a wired movie, but at least it was a intresting movie.
City of Fortune
8.0
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When a day at the races reveals sabotage and subterfuge, Elizabeth Miles must use every ounce of her...
Nanny Negotiations (The Brotherhood: Legacy #1)
8.0
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Will a bi-reawakening be what this single father needs to heal his wounded heart? Looks like a job...
Contemporary MM Romance
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated Taken (2009) in Movies
May 30, 2018
This film ranks in the top films I have ever seen.
Contains spoilers, click to show
I saw the trailer for this film a few months before its release. I can't remember looking forward to a film so much from just seeing the trailer. The Trailer set the film up perfectly. By the time I finally got to see it, my expectations were so high I knew I would be disappointed. Wow was I wrong.
The film starts off well, good introductions to the key characters. Bryan's daughter manipulating her parents into allowing her to go the Paris with her friend. She makes the promise to call at regular intervals. A promise that is broken almost immediately. Her father, played excellently by Liam Neeson, finally gets to speak to her on the phone. During this time the house she is staying in is broken into and she sees her friend being attacked. She lets her father know what is happening. He tells her to hide under the bed. Then, shockingly he tells her that she will be taken. His prediction is right and after she is taken one of the abductors finds the phone and hears her father telling them that he will find them and kill them. The abductor wishes him luck and hangs up the phone.
This is also the main part of the trailer. What grabbed me was the way Neeson spoke to the abductor. You would expect panic and anger, but no. He speaks to him in the calmest voice you will ever hear. This tone is frightening. You totally believe that this man will carry out his threat. And he does so with such style and believability. You find out he has Special Forces training and he puts them to use in dispatching everyone in his way. But unlike classic action films, the way he does it I found to be very believable. Everything he does is calculated and no energy is wasted. There are no crazy drawn out gunfights, no spectacular martial arts fight scenes. What you get is believable, he takes out people in his way quickly and efficiently.
Neeson is perfect in this role, not a typical action star, but he pulls the role off effortlessly. You believe in his character and when the film ended I found myself wanting more. For me this is what movies should be about.
The film is written by Luc Besson, a master in this kind of film.
This film ranks in the top films I have ever seen along with Leon: The Professional also by Luc Besson.
The film starts off well, good introductions to the key characters. Bryan's daughter manipulating her parents into allowing her to go the Paris with her friend. She makes the promise to call at regular intervals. A promise that is broken almost immediately. Her father, played excellently by Liam Neeson, finally gets to speak to her on the phone. During this time the house she is staying in is broken into and she sees her friend being attacked. She lets her father know what is happening. He tells her to hide under the bed. Then, shockingly he tells her that she will be taken. His prediction is right and after she is taken one of the abductors finds the phone and hears her father telling them that he will find them and kill them. The abductor wishes him luck and hangs up the phone.
This is also the main part of the trailer. What grabbed me was the way Neeson spoke to the abductor. You would expect panic and anger, but no. He speaks to him in the calmest voice you will ever hear. This tone is frightening. You totally believe that this man will carry out his threat. And he does so with such style and believability. You find out he has Special Forces training and he puts them to use in dispatching everyone in his way. But unlike classic action films, the way he does it I found to be very believable. Everything he does is calculated and no energy is wasted. There are no crazy drawn out gunfights, no spectacular martial arts fight scenes. What you get is believable, he takes out people in his way quickly and efficiently.
Neeson is perfect in this role, not a typical action star, but he pulls the role off effortlessly. You believe in his character and when the film ended I found myself wanting more. For me this is what movies should be about.
The film is written by Luc Besson, a master in this kind of film.
This film ranks in the top films I have ever seen along with Leon: The Professional also by Luc Besson.