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Coco (2017)
Coco (2017)
2017 | Adventure, Animation
Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.



This film really does deserve all the excitement around it, and oh my god how I cried.

As a way of not ruining films for me this year I'm trying not to read anything about them before I actually go and see them. The most I'm doing is seeing trailers while I'm at the cinema and then possibly catching the odd synopsis. When it comes to Disney Pixar though it's difficult not to be engulfed in a wave of information months before they're due out. I was however successful on this occasion, and I'm grateful that I got to enjoy it without any more information than had been in the trailer.

For something with a slightly morbid edge to it I thought it was done really well, and while the topic of death is obviously a potential pitfall you're reassured with the warmth and humour throughout the film.

If the songs in a film are good then I'll always be won over, and these ones gave me goosebumps. They bring a smile, and a tear, and that warm feeling inside that makes you sigh.

My last passing comment would be the tears... because I wasn't exaggerating. I cried A LOT. Even though I came out of the film loving the whole thing I was still crying as I drove home. *calming breath* I can feel myself losing my mind right now just thinking about it. It's a beautiful film, everyone should go and see it.
  
    Bumpy Road

    Bumpy Road

    Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

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    A love story on four wheels! Spring is here and a couple in their autumn years have decided to go...

The Void (2016)
The Void (2016)
2016 | Horror
7
6.7 (10 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I watched The Void with absolutely no prior knowledge of what it was, and what it is, is certainly...something.

The Void felt to me like a series of homages to other horror classics. The overall plot seems like an obvious nod to Prince of Darkness. The creature designs are reminiscent of The Thing, albeit with a sprinkling of Guillermo Del Toro. The climax reminded me sometimes of Hellraiser. One of the villains gave me Re-Animator vibes. All the while, there's a distinct Lovecraftian undercurrent from start to finish.
All of this is a good thing though. The Void never feels like it's ripping off any of these movies, but rather wearing it's heart on it's sleeve.

As mentioned above, the creature designs reminded me of The Thing. This is further bolstered by their nightmarish aesthetic, and the fantastic use of practical effects. In fact, there's very minimal use of CGI at all, something you don't see too often these days.

My only criticisms are aimed at the plot. It's starts off well enough, and evokes a feeling of tension and uncertainty, well realised by a decent cast. Before long however, it's clear that a lot is left open to audience interpretation. The fever dream approach to the filming style leaves you questioning what is real and what's not, a plot technique that I'm usually all for, although The Void is a film that I feel could have benefited from a little more explanation and resolve.

Overall though, it's a gory, entertaining horror creature-feature, that I would recommend watching, even if it's just the once.
  
Sprinkles of Suspicion
Sprinkles of Suspicion
Kim Davis | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Emory Finds Herself Caught up in a Murder
When Emory discovers that her husband, Philip, is having an affair with her best friend, Tori, Emory naturally gets very angry and gets into a very public fight with Tori. That creates a problem, however, when Emory finds Tori’s very dead body just a few hours later. Naturally, the police consider Emory their best suspect, so Emory sets out to give them other suspects. As she tries to clear her name, is she prepared for the secrets she will uncover?

Between the Orange County, California, setting and the culinary cozy hook, I couldn’t pass this book up. As always, I enjoyed seeing the action taking place in areas I recognized even if I don’t know them super well. This book works in many ways like a TV pilot, readjusting Emory’s life as well as giving us a murder to solve. The murder got overshadowed a bit at times, but I always found the book compelling to read. There are several good surprises and twists to the mystery. The ending was a little weak, but it does answer all of our questions. I certainly sympathized with Emory since she comes across as very trusting, something that creates problems when your life becomes a mystery. I did feel her family was a little too self-absorbed. I’m sure it was supposed to be funny, but I found it more annoying. The 11 recipes at the end include some Western themed dishes as well as a couple of delicious sounding cupcakes. All told, this is a fun series debut that will leave you wondering just where cupcakes and murder will take Emory next.