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Darren (1599 KP) rated All Hallows' Eve (2013) in Movies
Oct 31, 2019
Characters – Sarah is our babysitter that is watching these horror shorts, she is trying to be responsible to the children she is babysitting for, the other characters we meet are from the shorts which are horror made and our typical heroines that don’t stand much of a chance against their enemies. The clowns are a big part of the film too appearing in certain parts right along the way and soon are just as involved in the horror.
Performances – This is a low budget movie and most of the shorts that were used, were done with actors that were just getting started, you can see the talent there without them being truly standout. Katie Maguire does the most work and is good for her part in the film.
Story – When it comes to anthology films we always need variety in the horrors we are watching, we get that which is good, the style of the shorts feels like 80s too, so we get to play with the trademarks of the horror for that era. The story outside that connections the stories works well too because it brings the unexplained to the mix to why the video was given to a child. We clearly have stronger stories which i feel was the third one and as always the middle ones are often the weakest.
Horror – When it comes to horror we get to see different styles of horror with an 80s theme throughout, each one gets to play on what we have come to know about where things will go, but with the low budget effects we know just what we have gotten ourselves into.
Settings – The film takes us to different locations which makes each story feel unique to what we are experiencing.
Special Effects – The effects are low budget which can make things look cheap, though they are used to make them have a grindhouse feeling which was nice to see.
Scene of the Movie – Most of the third tape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I felt the first story is too short and I wanted to see more.
Final Thoughts – This is a nice solid horror anthology which goes mostly for gore over suspense, it works and I can see the horror fans enjoying this one.
Overall: Nice low budget horror anthology.
Performances – This is a low budget movie and most of the shorts that were used, were done with actors that were just getting started, you can see the talent there without them being truly standout. Katie Maguire does the most work and is good for her part in the film.
Story – When it comes to anthology films we always need variety in the horrors we are watching, we get that which is good, the style of the shorts feels like 80s too, so we get to play with the trademarks of the horror for that era. The story outside that connections the stories works well too because it brings the unexplained to the mix to why the video was given to a child. We clearly have stronger stories which i feel was the third one and as always the middle ones are often the weakest.
Horror – When it comes to horror we get to see different styles of horror with an 80s theme throughout, each one gets to play on what we have come to know about where things will go, but with the low budget effects we know just what we have gotten ourselves into.
Settings – The film takes us to different locations which makes each story feel unique to what we are experiencing.
Special Effects – The effects are low budget which can make things look cheap, though they are used to make them have a grindhouse feeling which was nice to see.
Scene of the Movie – Most of the third tape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I felt the first story is too short and I wanted to see more.
Final Thoughts – This is a nice solid horror anthology which goes mostly for gore over suspense, it works and I can see the horror fans enjoying this one.
Overall: Nice low budget horror anthology.
The Swimming Pool
Book
'I can't take my eyes off the water. Can you?' It's summer when Elm Hill lido opens, having stood...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Bloodshot (2020) in Movies
Jan 9, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Ok, I'll start by saying that this is one of those films that needs two viewings, not that the second viewing adds anything to it but you do get to appreciate what the film is trying to do. Let me explain.
First off Bloodshot is action/comic book movie of two half's. In the first half we half (well maybe first third) we have Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) completing his mission, celebrating, getting captured and loosing his wife before being resurrected as Bloodshot and going out on a mission of revenge. All of this has an increasingly comic book feel to it, and so it should, the film is based on one after all. However some scenes feel too comic and the "villain", Martin Axe, feels too over the top, especially when he seems to have had a personality swap the next time we see him. There is a reason for of this reviled by the films mid way plot twist but, on the first watch through the "Psycho Killer" scene distracted me from some of the film. Then we get a plot twist that studio Trigger* would be proud of. I'm sure anyone who has read the original source material knew what was going to happen, but that has always been one of the problems, keeping the mystery for new fans but giving the comic book fans what they want.
As we get to the second half of the film it losses some of t e over the top-ness, or at least substitutes it for a different kind of over the top and does bring you back into the plot of 'Augmented man fights other augmented men' which does give us a good over the top action film.
If you do give Bloodshot a second watch then you do notice some clever little bits, like the entire plot being told to us near the beginning of the film. Although I'm still not sure why the London police car has a machine gun in the back of it.
Over all Bloodshot is a o.k. - Good action film but for no brained augmented human action films I think ' Hobbs and Shaw' did it better, Bloodshot even shares Eiza Gonzales with them.
*Responsible for the anime's Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann both of which have mid season twists that send the series in different directions.
First off Bloodshot is action/comic book movie of two half's. In the first half we half (well maybe first third) we have Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) completing his mission, celebrating, getting captured and loosing his wife before being resurrected as Bloodshot and going out on a mission of revenge. All of this has an increasingly comic book feel to it, and so it should, the film is based on one after all. However some scenes feel too comic and the "villain", Martin Axe, feels too over the top, especially when he seems to have had a personality swap the next time we see him. There is a reason for of this reviled by the films mid way plot twist but, on the first watch through the "Psycho Killer" scene distracted me from some of the film. Then we get a plot twist that studio Trigger* would be proud of. I'm sure anyone who has read the original source material knew what was going to happen, but that has always been one of the problems, keeping the mystery for new fans but giving the comic book fans what they want.
As we get to the second half of the film it losses some of t e over the top-ness, or at least substitutes it for a different kind of over the top and does bring you back into the plot of 'Augmented man fights other augmented men' which does give us a good over the top action film.
If you do give Bloodshot a second watch then you do notice some clever little bits, like the entire plot being told to us near the beginning of the film. Although I'm still not sure why the London police car has a machine gun in the back of it.
Over all Bloodshot is a o.k. - Good action film but for no brained augmented human action films I think ' Hobbs and Shaw' did it better, Bloodshot even shares Eiza Gonzales with them.
*Responsible for the anime's Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann both of which have mid season twists that send the series in different directions.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Extinction: Jurassic Predators (2014) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Michelle is the presenter of the documentary and we barely see her do any presenting, we have a small moment early on but otherwise the camera spends a lot of time to following her ass on screen. Professor Howson is the expect in the field and meant to be the star alongside Michelle in the documentary, he must lead them to safety through the rainforest. Rob is the second in command being a lot more laid back when dealing with any danger believing in his own abilities. James is the cameraman that at one moment states the obvious, another moment does all the stupid things and somewhere along the lines becomes the bravest member of the crew.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Puzzle (2018) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Michelle is the presenter of the documentary and we barely see her do any presenting, we have a small moment early on but otherwise the camera spends a lot of time to following her ass on screen. Professor Howson is the expect in the field and meant to be the star alongside Michelle in the documentary, he must lead them to safety through the rainforest. Rob is the second in command being a lot more laid back when dealing with any danger believing in his own abilities. James is the cameraman that at one moment states the obvious, another moment does all the stupid things and somewhere along the lines becomes the bravest member of the crew.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Merissa (12934 KP) rated Conflicted (Secrets and Lies #1) in Books
Apr 14, 2023
Conflicted is the absolutely perfect title for this book because it not only describes the story but also how the reader will feel after reading it! According to Kindle, it was 385 pages which is a good story length but somehow it felt so much longer. This is probably because of the amount that happens in this story. It is full of twists and turns, characters turn out to be different to what you originally thought and the plot, well, take it from me that the baseline is a simple one but it gets very convoluted with all the goings on.
Mia is the main female and I couldn't quite come to grips with her. I understand that her world imploded and she felt an amazing amount of pain which no one should have to go through. I didn't like her way of 'coping' but also understand that everyone reacts differently. She seems like someone who is ruled by her body, which is completely different to what we were being told about her, which is one of the reasons I literally snorted out loud when Ethan says that he never thought of her as a 'party girl'. I'm sorry but in my book, someone who throws college parties most, if not every, weekend with loads of beer, drinks shots and wakes up with hangovers frequently, makes her quite the party girl!
Ethan is a whole new story. We don't learn much about him but he finds out quite a lot about Mia. Still waters definitely run deep with this one and I can't wait to find out more. I just hope he doesn't turn into a 'Hans' man.
Micah, Jackson, Shane, Bri - these are all secondary characters that still play a huge role in the book but I feel the surface has only been scratched with all of them. I am hoping it becomes clearer because there are still so many questions left unanswered.
This is the first book so there is a cliffhanger warning with this one!
On the whole, this was enjoyable and kept me reading. I am looking forward to reading book 2, Complicated.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 23, 2015
Mia is the main female and I couldn't quite come to grips with her. I understand that her world imploded and she felt an amazing amount of pain which no one should have to go through. I didn't like her way of 'coping' but also understand that everyone reacts differently. She seems like someone who is ruled by her body, which is completely different to what we were being told about her, which is one of the reasons I literally snorted out loud when Ethan says that he never thought of her as a 'party girl'. I'm sorry but in my book, someone who throws college parties most, if not every, weekend with loads of beer, drinks shots and wakes up with hangovers frequently, makes her quite the party girl!
Ethan is a whole new story. We don't learn much about him but he finds out quite a lot about Mia. Still waters definitely run deep with this one and I can't wait to find out more. I just hope he doesn't turn into a 'Hans' man.
Micah, Jackson, Shane, Bri - these are all secondary characters that still play a huge role in the book but I feel the surface has only been scratched with all of them. I am hoping it becomes clearer because there are still so many questions left unanswered.
This is the first book so there is a cliffhanger warning with this one!
On the whole, this was enjoyable and kept me reading. I am looking forward to reading book 2, Complicated.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 23, 2015
Debbiereadsbook (1449 KP) rated Intelligence Check (Dungeons and Dating #3) in Books
May 26, 2022
my fav of the three!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 3 in the Dungeons and Dating series. While it can totally be read as a stand-alone, I really think you should read books one and 2 first. It will give you a better, bigger picture of this group of co-workers and friends but also because I said to! Bloody good books, both of them!
Mason and Hunter work at the game cafe, and have crushed on each other for a long time. There are so many miscommunicated moments between these two, it made for painful reading!
Hunter likes how Mason makes him feel, but knows someone like Mase won't ever want him. Mase, in turn, can't understand why Hunter pushed them away a year ago. When Hunter tells them WHY? Oh, I fell in love with Hunter, just a little bit more. Mase too, when they finally let Hunter in.
These two are perfect for each other, but neither thinks they are good enough for the other. Once they actually talk, things become clearer as to why they both think that.
It's not as steamy as the other two books, I thought, but it is HEAVY on the emotions. I loved that Hunter makes a point to ask Mase about their preferences, what they like to do in the smexy department, given that Mase is non-binary. I will admit it took a little getting used to the they/their/them pronouns, but it soon faded to the background. I hated what happened to Mason's sister and how that all came out. And then what happened to Hunter when he was young, you could see why Mason pushed Hunter away for a time.
The others pop up, and I again implore Ms McIntyre to write a story for Jasper! He's starting to hurt, a little, that his friends are pairing up and he can't find his person. You feel for Kelly here. But I think there is a whole LOT we don't know about her relationship with Nat. There are clues, if you know what to look for, that things weren't as clear cut as they seemed. That all comes out in the next book, though.
I loved this book, more so than books 1 and 2 and I loved them too!
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 3 in the Dungeons and Dating series. While it can totally be read as a stand-alone, I really think you should read books one and 2 first. It will give you a better, bigger picture of this group of co-workers and friends but also because I said to! Bloody good books, both of them!
Mason and Hunter work at the game cafe, and have crushed on each other for a long time. There are so many miscommunicated moments between these two, it made for painful reading!
Hunter likes how Mason makes him feel, but knows someone like Mase won't ever want him. Mase, in turn, can't understand why Hunter pushed them away a year ago. When Hunter tells them WHY? Oh, I fell in love with Hunter, just a little bit more. Mase too, when they finally let Hunter in.
These two are perfect for each other, but neither thinks they are good enough for the other. Once they actually talk, things become clearer as to why they both think that.
It's not as steamy as the other two books, I thought, but it is HEAVY on the emotions. I loved that Hunter makes a point to ask Mase about their preferences, what they like to do in the smexy department, given that Mase is non-binary. I will admit it took a little getting used to the they/their/them pronouns, but it soon faded to the background. I hated what happened to Mason's sister and how that all came out. And then what happened to Hunter when he was young, you could see why Mason pushed Hunter away for a time.
The others pop up, and I again implore Ms McIntyre to write a story for Jasper! He's starting to hurt, a little, that his friends are pairing up and he can't find his person. You feel for Kelly here. But I think there is a whole LOT we don't know about her relationship with Nat. There are clues, if you know what to look for, that things weren't as clear cut as they seemed. That all comes out in the next book, though.
I loved this book, more so than books 1 and 2 and I loved them too!
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Dr Dystopian (526 KP) rated The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in Video Games
Jan 8, 2018
Gameplay (4 more)
Size of the map
Sheer amount to do
Replayability
Decent main story with tonnes of minor story missions
Glitches inherent to Bethesda games (1 more)
Some of the NPC's are very vanilla and interchangeable
Too good to miss out on!
A massive game that is awesome fun from the moment you turn it on to when you finally put it down tens of not hundreds of hours later! This game is a true masterpiece by Bethesda having already provided an incredible game earlier in the series with Oblivion.
The main storyline is engaging and takes a fair amount of time to accomplish however it is the build quests, the minor missions and the sheer number of caves, buildings, dungeons and so forth that can be found all across the map which is where this game truly shines.
The combat mechanics are great, not overly simplistic and not too challenging but a decent happy medium. The graphics for the game, for the time, were about as good as they get.
True to Bethesda the game is not without its issues, bizarre graphical glitches, dragons flying backwards in game breaking mechanics can sometimes lead to frustration especially if you've played for several hours without saving!
The skill tree has also been completely altered from Oblivions game and whilst some may feel it is overly simplistic it does allow newbies to get to grips with the game much easier than its predecessor.
All in all its a game that is hard to put down once you start and with dlc that provides additional content, including a whole new island, this is one of those games worth every single penny.
The main storyline is engaging and takes a fair amount of time to accomplish however it is the build quests, the minor missions and the sheer number of caves, buildings, dungeons and so forth that can be found all across the map which is where this game truly shines.
The combat mechanics are great, not overly simplistic and not too challenging but a decent happy medium. The graphics for the game, for the time, were about as good as they get.
True to Bethesda the game is not without its issues, bizarre graphical glitches, dragons flying backwards in game breaking mechanics can sometimes lead to frustration especially if you've played for several hours without saving!
The skill tree has also been completely altered from Oblivions game and whilst some may feel it is overly simplistic it does allow newbies to get to grips with the game much easier than its predecessor.
All in all its a game that is hard to put down once you start and with dlc that provides additional content, including a whole new island, this is one of those games worth every single penny.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Giver in Books
Sep 7, 2017
A strange book.
So, I know The Giver has been out for a long time, and I know they made a movie, but somehow I’d never read or watched it. But on the recommendation of a friend, I finally have. What a strange little book! It definitely belongs in the same realm as Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and The Handmaid’s Tale – which are among my favorite books – but the ending was tremendously unsatisfying. It’s the first book in a quartet, though, so I’m hoping the other three, which I have requested from the library, will tie up the loose ends. It definitely feels like it’s only the first installment of a story.
The dystopian society in this book has effectively banished most feelings. But to get rid of hate and war and prejudice, they also had to banish the memories and feelings of individuality and difference. With everyone and everything the same, they’re mostly incapable of feeling true love or happiness. So they all live in peace – but it’s a complacent, uncaring peace. It’s not peace because of love, it’s peace because of the absence of passionate feelings. Whether this is good or not, well, that’s up to the reader to decide for themselves. The actions of the main character, who aims to disrupt that peace, could be seen as good or bad.
I’m not actually entirely sure how I feel about this book. After reading the next three – Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004), and Son (2012), I'm still at a bit of a loss. These were just...odd.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
The dystopian society in this book has effectively banished most feelings. But to get rid of hate and war and prejudice, they also had to banish the memories and feelings of individuality and difference. With everyone and everything the same, they’re mostly incapable of feeling true love or happiness. So they all live in peace – but it’s a complacent, uncaring peace. It’s not peace because of love, it’s peace because of the absence of passionate feelings. Whether this is good or not, well, that’s up to the reader to decide for themselves. The actions of the main character, who aims to disrupt that peace, could be seen as good or bad.
I’m not actually entirely sure how I feel about this book. After reading the next three – Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004), and Son (2012), I'm still at a bit of a loss. These were just...odd.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Merissa (12934 KP) rated Finding Home in Books
Jul 5, 2017
Finding Home by Meg Harding
Finding Home starts off with Jared. He has lost his job, is living back with his mother as his husband cheated with someone else, and now he finds out that his grandma has died. His mother wants him out of the house so she sends him off to hell (Florida in May) where he finds more than he bargained for, and learns about just who he is and what he wants.
This is a sweet and steamy, low angst, story full of feel-good factors. Jared's brothers are all brilliant, and Chase is... well, Chase is Chase and I wouldn't change a thing. Jared's neuroses were a tad annoying to start with, but as his story became clear, all was forgiven as I literally couldn't see him growing up any differently given the circumstances.
One thing I loved in particular (without giving away any spoilers) is when Jared does something that others might not agree with, but he does it for himself, for his own reasons, and to find things out about himself. I LOVED THAT!!! He is aware of what jumping into something might be like, but he is prepared to work with himself to ensure that everything goes the way it should.
With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, this was a page-turner that had humour, family, hotness, and love. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a sweet and steamy, low angst, story full of feel-good factors. Jared's brothers are all brilliant, and Chase is... well, Chase is Chase and I wouldn't change a thing. Jared's neuroses were a tad annoying to start with, but as his story became clear, all was forgiven as I literally couldn't see him growing up any differently given the circumstances.
One thing I loved in particular (without giving away any spoilers) is when Jared does something that others might not agree with, but he does it for himself, for his own reasons, and to find things out about himself. I LOVED THAT!!! He is aware of what jumping into something might be like, but he is prepared to work with himself to ensure that everything goes the way it should.
With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, this was a page-turner that had humour, family, hotness, and love. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!