Search

Search only in certain items:

The Assassin's Blade: The Throne of Glass Novellas
The Assassin's Blade: The Throne of Glass Novellas
Sarah J. Maas | 2014 | Children
8
8.6 (21 Ratings)
Book Rating
Seeing the roots of celaenas character (1 more)
Seeing the continent and lands in more depth
I didn't much like sam and celaenas relationship (1 more)
Celaenas an idiot
A rather enjoyable backstory
Contains spoilers, click to show
Overall I liked this prequel, I love the cover I love the characters (most of them anyway). Now I do profess I feel I may have read the prequel at the wrong time as it may have spoiled a few things for me but I don't think it will make too much of a difference.
Anyway,I loved the stories, the catalyst causing the dominoe effect beginning in the first story with the tensions being built beautifully through the next 3 stories until the climax in the last one. I loved each story's arc, Ansel and the mute master, Arobynns betrayal and her downfall.
The book is crafter well through the build of all this tension and dram without staying in the same place or there necessarily being constant drama,sometimes just reflection.
However, celaena, Sam and all the rest of them are bloody idiots. The way in which their characers had been built would lead you to believe they were smart individuals but apparently we were lead astray and it is infuriating to see them behave like such buffoons when even throughout he prequel it's clear they wouldn't behave in that manner. For example celaena not going after sam when he didn't return because of a possible breach of trust. Yeah no. I feel like towards the end celaenas character was dumbed down too mich to make ends meet etc, but if her character needed to be dumb to make it flows into the first book then atleast make it clear throughout that she makes these dumb mistakes. Off the top of my head I can't remember any point where she made any overly stupid mistakes.
Furthermore I'm not a fan of celaenas and Sam's relationship, I love and adore sam but him and celaena? It didn't work it was too artificial and built too quickly for it to feel like a natural progression for the two characters.
Despite all that the book is good,the stories are gripping and lovely to read, if you ignore the bits that make you want to rip out your hair.
  
Patient Seven (2016)
Patient Seven (2016)
2016 | Horror
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Dr Daniel Marcus is the man trying to learn about six disturbed patients at a mental hospital, each story needs to be broken down in a different way, he is doing research for his book, but leaving us wondering what his motives are is the biggest mystery in this film. we do meet the different patients which all have different stories and we follow the events of their stories each different from the rest. We do meet the doctors, but as the film is an anthology we just don’t get enough time to look into their characters.

Performances – Michael Ironside is the star of this film with his calming presence while interviewing the patients that can turn on them in a heartbeat. We have a couple of known names in the supporting cast with Alfie Allen in the second story being the highlight of the rest of the performances, while no one is bad in their roles here, they just don’t get the time they deserve.

Story – The story here is told like an interview process to give us seven short horror stories, the fact each one goes in a different direction helps the audience find one they can enjoy even if the previous one isn’t for them. Vampires, ghost, spirits, serial killers and zombies are the main topics each one feels short enough to be entertaining, even if one did make me want to see a feature film about that character. For a horror anthology this does check the boxes well and is one that can be enjoyed.

Horror – The horror in the story comes from the different stories, while we don’t always get the best build up to the horror moments, we do follow the horror guidelines well.

Settings – Each story does take us to a new setting which helps make the film feel fresh, though I don’t quiet understand how the crimes from England, New Zealand and Iceland ended up in an American mental home.

Special Effects – The effects in the film across the different stories are great and make you feel like you are part of them.


Scene of the Movie – The second story.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Some of the stories are slightly too short though.

Final Thoughts – This is a good horror anthology even if the ending feel slightly flat, we get plenty going on and can enjoy the different ideals of horror.

 

Overall: Horror anthology does correctly.
  
The Silence (2019)
The Silence (2019)
2019 | Horror
Some what silence (0 more)
Dull Storyline (0 more)
What did I just watch?
Contains spoilers, click to show
Where do I start? This movie is like watching, Birds, Bird Box, The Village and A Quiet Place all in one, the only problem is, it doesn't work at all.

I was really hoping with this being Directed by John R. Leonetti (cinematographer of such films as, The Conjuring, Insidious, The Mask) he would bring a lot to the table, nope and then I remembered he directed The Butterfly Effect 2 and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.


This movie being listed as a horror movie is a major let down, yes it does have a few jump scenes but I feel like the the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park made me jump a lot more, really the only scary part was the fact that someone checked off the okay for this storyline.

The storyline (not to give anything away) is a rush jump, which some movies need to move faster, I feel like this one moves way to fast, not enough is explained and way to much is left out.

One of the biggest keys of the story is that Ally Andrews (Kiernan Shipka) is teenage girl who lost her hearing a few years back, which helps the family and her during this time, as they all know how to use sign language. With that being said, the movie fails mean times at remembering the daughter is deaf!! With some members of the family using sign language, some not, sounds making her notice things, at some parts of the movie I forgot she lost her hearing.

I will skip over the crazy cult members, which trust me, I feel like NO one understands, I mean I get it but good God, give them some time of back story, nope kill them off in 11 minutes, that works too.

Skip forward to the end and bang, the lover is still healthy, and they are hunting the dam birds/dinosaurs now, no real dam answer on what happened, what's the plan of killing them off or nothing, it just ends!!

I recommend that you watch this movie just once, just enough to understand why some movies should be just left alone. Don't get me wrong, it could have worked, if they would have worked on the storyline more, and maybe followed the storyline, but hey, I have never made a movie before, so maybe I'm wrong about this all. 🤷‍♂️
  
The Promise by Bruce Springsteen
The Promise by Bruce Springsteen
2010 | Pop, Rock, Singer-Songwriter
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Around this time I started heading out on tour and The Gaslight Anthem really started moving. It was just after The ’59 Sound came out. That was when I started learning about the music industry and how it all works, and how insincere it all is. People pick you up and spit you out. I was taking a drive one day and I heard The Promise by Bruce Springsteen come on the radio. But it wasn’t the album version; it was just him and a piano as it appears on an album called 18 Tracks.” This song opens with the lyrics: ‘Johnny works in a factory / Billy works downtown / Terry works in a rock and roll band / Looking for that million dollar sound.’ Then towards the end of the song he says: ‘The promise was broken, I was far away from home / Sleeping in the back seat of a borrowed car.’ I remember being on tour and sleeping in the back of a car that wasn’t mine, and I heard that line and I was like, ‘I don’t know about this whole thing. I don’t know if this is right. What do I do?’ As Springsteen sings: ‘The promise is broken, you go on living / It steals something from down in your soul.’ That’s when I realised that music wasn’t about the rock star dream. It’s about connecting with people, but that’s not enough for the industry. They see you as a product and they want you to make money, and I understand that, but it’s never enough for them. They’re never satiated and they’re never satisfied. It’s a beast with a belly that will never be filled. “I’d feel a sense of dissatisfaction after every tour and I’d come home and get in my van and just drive. I’d drive around habitually for one hour playing The Promise on repeat, just to clear my head. The song made me feel like I wasn’t alone, like someone understood me. It was a huge, huge song for my development, and it always put me back in a perspective that I wasn’t alone. And even though it’s a depressing song and there’s not a lot of advice in it, it makes sense to me. I still feel good when I listen to that song."

Source
  
Forsaken (2016)
Forsaken (2016)
2016 | International, Drama, Western
5
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – John Henry Clayton left his town for war, he never returned until his mother died, he has become distant from his father not believing in God, the town does fear his actions in the past, which has made him the threat to the gang controlling the town and when things become personal, he becomes the man people need to fear. Reverend Samuel Clayton is respected in the town which he has made a place believing in God, he doesn’t like his son returning, but learns that he hasn’t for a good reason. James McCurdy is the man running the town, he lets his men kill to get the property he wants. Dave Turner is one of the men that works for James, one that does play by honour over many of the shot first men in the gang.

Performances – Kiefer Sutherland in the leading role is fine, though his mumbling doesn’t help us care enough his character, opposite his father Donald who isn’t the most entertaining either. Michael Wincott was the most interesting character because he seems to get some development and want to see more from him. Brian Cox feels completely wasted in his role that gives him nothing.

Story – The story follows a man returning home with a reputation while he needs to learn how to make a stand to protect his town which has become a problem overrun by a gang of outlaws. This does follow the generic idea of a returning man helping clean up his town without offer anything new, it keeps us seeing how the action are building up to the problems that will be facing before the final showdown. The pacing does become slow which does make things unfold at a snail’s pace which just doesn’t keep our attention for long enough.

Action/Western – The action does feel flat, we just don’t get enough of it to make us believe it is action heavy movie, though the mood makes us feel like the western we are entering.

Settings – The film does make us feel like we are the small town which has a community feeling about it.


Scene of the Movie – Dave doesn’t like his men not following orders.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The mumbling from Kiefer.

Final Thoughts – This is a slow paced action western movie that just never gets going and ends up feeling the pace taking age to get through.

 

Overall: Slow and bland.
  
40x40

Ali A (82 KP) rated Hello (from Here) in Books

Sep 14, 2021  
Hello (from Here)
Hello (from Here)
Chandler Baker, Wesley King | 2021 | Young Adult (YA)
5
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Trigger Warnings: Covid-19, death of a parent, AIDS, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks,

Max and Jonah bump into each over at the grocery store right when the Covid-19 lockdown was beginning in California. Max's part-time job as a personal shopper begins to transform into a bit of a nightmare and Jonah's pre-existing anxiety disorder is becoming a daily struggle. Can the two come together even though they must stay apart? Hello (from Here) jumps into the first two months of the quarantine and the love lives and two teenagers trying to figure out this new world.

This wasn't my favorite book on the planet, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I will also keep it on my shelves and possibly come back to it another time (when the Corona Virus isn't still running wild). Like most who have reviewed this book, I feel like it may have been too soon.

The main characters were okay, but not amazing, I did find them a little whiny towards the end... Olivia, Jonah's sister, was probably my favorite out of everybody and I'd kind of like to hear some more of her story! Also Arlo and his story! Kate and Jonah's "step-parent replacing late parent" trope was shown well in the novel. I thought the development of their relationship was well handled and realistic. I was happy with the end result for them.

I also thought the anxiety disorder representation was handled well in this novel too. As someone with anxiety who has had panic attacks (though not quite like Jonah's), I felt like one could still understand what he was going through, especially in his current situation.

I feel like this novel fell short - mostly by tackling too much all at once. I felt a little anticlimactic by the time I closed it. So many things were brought up: important issues and themes, but then were finished limply in the end. (view spoiler).

The cheating storyline was just - bleh. It wasn't needed and was more of a distraction. I also felt like it didn't make much sense for how the character had been acting throughout the whole storyline.

Overall, I feel like this was just too soon. I'm sure it will be good in a few years time though, when we weren't all still going through the same pandemic.
  
The Dead Zone (1983)
The Dead Zone (1983)
1983 | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A Chilling and Thoughtful Thriller
David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone (1983) is a film that quietly lingers with you long after the credits roll. Adapted from Stephen King’s novel, it’s a rare blend of psychological horror, heartfelt drama, and supernatural thriller that doesn’t rely on cheap scares to grip its audience. Instead, it uses its haunting premise, a strong central performance by Christopher Walken, and Cronenberg’s understated direction to craft a deeply unsettling exploration of fate, morality, and the burden of knowing the future.

The story follows Johnny Smith (Walken), an ordinary schoolteacher whose life is upended when a car accident leaves him in a coma for five years. When he awakens, he discovers he has gained the ability to see people’s pasts and futures through physical contact—a gift that feels more like a curse. What begins as an attempt to understand and use this newfound power for good spirals into a dark moral dilemma when Johnny foresees a catastrophic future involving a rising politician, Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen).

Christopher Walken is the emotional core of the film, delivering one of his most human and vulnerable performances. He masterfully conveys Johnny’s pain, loneliness, and reluctant heroism, making his character deeply sympathetic. Walken’s portrayal grounds the supernatural elements of the story, ensuring they never feel far-fetched. Martin Sheen is equally compelling as the menacing and unhinged Stillson, a character whose ambition and ruthlessness are frighteningly plausible.

Cronenberg, known for his visceral body horror, takes a restrained approach here, focusing on mood and atmosphere over gore. This subtlety works to the film’s advantage, allowing the tension to simmer until its gripping climax. The muted color palette and moody score by Michael Kamen add to the sense of dread, perfectly capturing the eerie small-town setting.

However, The Dead Zone isn’t without its flaws. The pacing occasionally drags, and some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped. Additionally, the episodic structure—though true to the novel—can make the narrative feel uneven.

Despite these minor issues, The Dead Zone is an intelligent and emotionally resonant thriller that explores heavy themes with nuance. It may not be as flashy as other Stephen King adaptations, but its quiet power and moral complexity make it a standout. A solid 8/10.
  
40x40

Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Wheelman (2017) in Movies

Oct 24, 2017 (Updated Oct 24, 2017)  
Wheelman (2017)
Wheelman (2017)
2017 | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
8
6.7 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Grillo is great (1 more)
Decent script
Slightly predictable at times (0 more)
One Hell Of A Night
Wheelman is a Netflix movie that unfortunately debuted on the same date as the hotly anticipated Stephen King adaption, 1922. Though Wheelman deserves more than to be overlooked and although I didn't expect much going into it, I came away afterwards pleasantly surprised.

This movie reminds me of a bunch of others. There is some aspects of Phonebooth used here, it was also reminiscent of a Tom Hardy film called Locke that came out a couple of years ago. It is also similar to what Drive was marketed as in the trailers before it's release, (even though Drive ended up being a psychological nior drama.) The movie took a while to convince me; for the first 15 minutes nothing happened that really excited me, but once I got a bit deeper into and more invested in the story that was unfolding, I ended up being sucked into the wild ride that the protagonist was going through. I think that the film's success on that front, relies a great deal on the performance of Frank Grillo, so it's just as well he brought his A-game here. For 99% of the movie, Grillo is onscreen, so there is no hiding from the camera in terms of his performance and he nails every second of it. He really manages to make an insanely dangerous situation feel grounded and relatable. The other actors are mostly featured via their voices on the phone, which again makes their performances difficult to deliver, but they all manage it convincingly. I always knew who each person was in relation to each other and what each character's motives were, which isn't always clear in a movie where most characters are only heard on the phone.

The script is decent, but I feel that a lot of the dialogue was ad-libbed, which again adds a natural, more realistic feel to the events that are unfolding. This was a good move by the director and the direction overall is great. There are some fairly odd creative choices made, but all of them are effective and feel worthwhile. The cinematography and sound mixing are implemented effectively and add to the overall urgent tone that the movie is pursuing.

Overall, this is definitely worth a watch. To me, it is like a callback to a 70's action chase thriller, with a modern twist. There is also an element of film noir present and the intense tone will keep you engaged until the end credits. You do need to stick with the film past the fifteen minute mark though. Although the whole thing is only 82 minutes long in it's entirety, it takes while to really suck you in, but once it does, it is a really fun ride worth taking.
  
A Star Is Born (2018)
A Star Is Born (2018)
2018 | Drama, Romance
I don't want you all to think I'm harsh here. "Only three and a half stars?!? What's wrong with this woman?!" This film is immense and the emotion is so real that I was bawling my eyes out, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't feel the need to rewatch this one. And yes, I do feel slightly terrible about that.

The introduction to both characters at the beginning works incredibly well, you get the chaotic and drunken nature of Jackson and I think Ally really sums up how many women and men feel about men that are in their lives.

When singing was involved with the two of them together their chemistry was undeniable. But the rest of the time I didn't particularly enjoy them. The story was still flowing well and the subject matter was being handled well, but I think the awkwardness of the situations was probably a little too real for me.

Lady Gaga, is just incredible. As a singer. As an actress. She's just marvelous. Her voice gives me goosebumps and I love that feeling.

The supporting cast were really good too. Her father's driver buddies offer some humour during the film, and Greg Grunberg as Jackson's drive is just adorable. By far my favourite was Dave Chappelle, I've loved him ever since Robin Hood: Men In Tights, this was a real step away from everything I've seen him in and it worked so well.

Sound was used incredibly well in this film, and not just for the songs. All the little touches that were used really helped get the message of the scene across.

On that note I will just give a brief mention the events at the end of the film. What transpires is really raw, and you can feel every emotion that's flying around. I always keep a notepad with me to scribble words to remind me of certain things to add to my reviews... all I wrote at the end of of this was "f****** dog"... it really got to me... and yep, there go the waterworks again!

What should you do?

You should see it, plain and simple. This film will stay with you. You will hum and sing the songs. 95% of you are going to cry whether you liked it or not.

As I left the cinema the night I watched this I sat in my car and looked at the clock. It was just 10pm and normally on a "school" night I'd go straight home to bed, but I knew I couldn't. I needed chocolate. I never need anything at this time of night apart from sleep on a normal night. I drove to Tesco to go shopping and then sat in bed eating chocolate buttons. It helped.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

I would love Lady Gaga's voice, or just a smidgen of her talent.
  
1920 London (2016)
1920 London (2016)
2016 | Horror
7
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: 1920 London starts as we meet the Prince Veer (Karwel) and Princess Shivangi (Chopra) living in London, they soon become the latest victim of an evil spirit which takes over Veer’s body, Shivangi must go into her past to find her former lover Jai Singh Gujjar (Joshi) a man that was left banished because of their affair, who has an ability to tackle unwanted spirits.

With the past being placed in the past, Jai comes to figure out how to save Veer and giving Shivangi a peaceful life, only the evil spirit isn’t going to let that happen.

 

Thoughts on 1920 London

 

Characters – Shivangi the princess who has just gotten married, she sees her husband become possessed, which forces her to return to her family for help, with her ex-lover being the only one that could save her husband. Jai Singh is the exorcist that was once the lover of Shivangi, but not being from the royal family means he was once banished for their love. Now he must help her fight an evil spirit, he speciality. Veer is the husband that gets stricken down by the evil spirit that has taken over his body.

Performances – We focus mostly on just the two stars of the movie, Meera Chopra and Sharman Joshi who are both great through the film dealing with the horror, the personal status they are facing and love they both feel.

Story – The story here follows a possession, this is a story I have seen many times, but the different is, I have only ever seen Christian or Jewish religions deal with the spirits, this time we get to see how Hindus treat unwanted spirits. The story does follow the traditional scares, but then here is a twist in the story which explains the possession, one about honour, love and revenge, which does make the story feel fresher, I learnt that this is part of a series of film, but I am confident there isn’t a connection between the previous ones. Most of this is by the books and that is al we want from a horror film.

Horror/Mystery – There are good scare moments in this film, nothing overly original, but they will give the jumps required, the mystery comes from just what the motivation of the evil spirit is to be doing the possessing.

Settings – The film takes the action to London, which I guess is new to the franchise, this is fine even though we spend most of the time in the mansions with no landmarks in the background, with the landmark scenes including the bridges only.

Special Effects – The effects are used well to create the horror moments, like most films the practical is good, but the CGI comes off weak.


Scene of the Movie – The final battle.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – While I understand this is a Bollywood film, the songs lose moments of tension in the film.

Final Thoughts – This is a horror that works for the exorcism genre well, it shows how a different religion reads evil spirits and does battle against them, which is interesting to see and does give us good moments of horror.

 

Overall: Good horror.

https://moviesreview101.com/2018/07/27/abc-film-challenge-world-cinema-1920-london-2016/