Search
Search results
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated 30 Days of Night (2007) in Movies
Oct 28, 2020
Bloodthirsty Alaskan Vampires
30 Days of Night- has been a film ive wanted to see for couple years now and it was not disappointed. It was viloence, gory, suspenseful, thrilling and bloody.
The plot: In the far Northern Hemisphere, the small town of Barrow, Alaska, experiences a solid month of darkness every year. Though most of the residents head south for the winter, some townspeople remain behind. However, those that stay regret their decision when, one year, hungry vampires descend on Barrow to feed. Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), his wife (Melissa George) and a dwindling band of survivors must try to last until dawn breaks over Barrow's monthlong twilight.
30 Days of Night was originally pitched as a comic, then as a film, but it was rejected. Years later, Steve Niles showed IDW Publishing the idea and it took off.
30 Days of Night author Steve Niles conceived of the story in the form of a comic, but—after meeting a lack of interest in initial pitches—tried to pitch it as a film. When this did not work out, Niles shelved the idea until he showed it to IDW Publishing. IDW published the comic and Ben Templesmith provided the artwork.
When Niles and his agent, Jon Levin, shopped the comic around again as a potential film adaptation, Niles found that the idea "went shockingly well," with Sam Raimi and Senator International picking up the property rights based on the original concept and Templesmith's unique mood and concepts for the vampires. According to Raimi, the potential project was "unlike the horror films of recent years".
Its a excellent vampire movie.
The plot: In the far Northern Hemisphere, the small town of Barrow, Alaska, experiences a solid month of darkness every year. Though most of the residents head south for the winter, some townspeople remain behind. However, those that stay regret their decision when, one year, hungry vampires descend on Barrow to feed. Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), his wife (Melissa George) and a dwindling band of survivors must try to last until dawn breaks over Barrow's monthlong twilight.
30 Days of Night was originally pitched as a comic, then as a film, but it was rejected. Years later, Steve Niles showed IDW Publishing the idea and it took off.
30 Days of Night author Steve Niles conceived of the story in the form of a comic, but—after meeting a lack of interest in initial pitches—tried to pitch it as a film. When this did not work out, Niles shelved the idea until he showed it to IDW Publishing. IDW published the comic and Ben Templesmith provided the artwork.
When Niles and his agent, Jon Levin, shopped the comic around again as a potential film adaptation, Niles found that the idea "went shockingly well," with Sam Raimi and Senator International picking up the property rights based on the original concept and Templesmith's unique mood and concepts for the vampires. According to Raimi, the potential project was "unlike the horror films of recent years".
Its a excellent vampire movie.
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated Sabotage (2014) in Movies
Sep 17, 2019
The cast, across the board (1 more)
The action
A more thoughtful, if forgettable, Arnold
Schwarzenegger and company are a DEA strike team who take ten million dollars from the cartel in a raid, except that it's not there when they go back to get it. After an investigation fails to find enough evidence to prove they're guilty they're returned to active duty, but someone starts taking them down one by one....
This film was.... okay is probably the best word. It's kinda forgettable despite a stellar cast, several of whom I typically try to see regardless of what they're doing, all turning in excellent performances. Arnold in particular gets to actually act instead of just blowing everyone away, which is a nice change. Which isn't to say there isn't action - there is, and a lot of it, gritty and gory not in the exaggerated Tarentino style but more brutally realistic. There's torture too, which is legitimately uncomfortable to watch even with the extra remove of watching a character watch the video of it. It's just that the story is a bit predictable (though the darker take on Breacher and the ending seen in the deleted scenes would have been more interesting and less predictable, I wouldn't have liked it), and despite excellent performances from stellar actors the characters are all completely unlikeable, which is a bit of a problem when they're dropping like flies and you don't really care. Bottom line: I'm not sorry I borrowed it from the library, but I don't think I'll be watching it again.
This film was.... okay is probably the best word. It's kinda forgettable despite a stellar cast, several of whom I typically try to see regardless of what they're doing, all turning in excellent performances. Arnold in particular gets to actually act instead of just blowing everyone away, which is a nice change. Which isn't to say there isn't action - there is, and a lot of it, gritty and gory not in the exaggerated Tarentino style but more brutally realistic. There's torture too, which is legitimately uncomfortable to watch even with the extra remove of watching a character watch the video of it. It's just that the story is a bit predictable (though the darker take on Breacher and the ending seen in the deleted scenes would have been more interesting and less predictable, I wouldn't have liked it), and despite excellent performances from stellar actors the characters are all completely unlikeable, which is a bit of a problem when they're dropping like flies and you don't really care. Bottom line: I'm not sorry I borrowed it from the library, but I don't think I'll be watching it again.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Void (2016) in Movies
Aug 10, 2020
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.
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.
Doctor Sleep
9.0
Rate It
Book
Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The...
The Shining
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Polar (2019) in Movies
Feb 23, 2019
Could’ve been so much better
Right from the start, this film is an absolute mess. It’s so garish and in your face, and not in a good way. It’s never good when the opening scene makes you turn your nose up in dislike, and sadly the rest of the film never manages to get past this.
The main problem is the villains. Yes this is based on a comic book, but is that an excuse for having such vile looking and plain bad villains. They are all horrendously bad characters and beyond irritating, although the worst is by far the boss villain played by Matt Lucas. I do like Matt Lucas, but I’ve come to realise he’s only good when he’s playing silly sketch characters. Which is what he’s doing here, but it’s out of place and far too cheesy. He doesn’t make for a menacing villain and although he’s laughable, it’s not in the way intended.
Mads Mikkelsen is the only real reason that this film is watchable. Every time he’s on screen the film becomes as enjoyable as it can be. It’s a shame really as there is potential buried in this - the plot as a whole isn’t bad, and I like a lot of the fight scenes that Duncan is in and the gory bits too. It’s just a pity they made it so damn garish and cheesy. If they’d have tried to make it a little darker, maybe a little like Sin City or something, it could actually have been quite good and have lived up to all of Mads Mikkelsens scenes.
Unless you’re desperate, I wouldn’t recommend watching this. And if you’re a Mads Mikkelsen fan, you’d be better off choosing one of his better offerings than this!
The main problem is the villains. Yes this is based on a comic book, but is that an excuse for having such vile looking and plain bad villains. They are all horrendously bad characters and beyond irritating, although the worst is by far the boss villain played by Matt Lucas. I do like Matt Lucas, but I’ve come to realise he’s only good when he’s playing silly sketch characters. Which is what he’s doing here, but it’s out of place and far too cheesy. He doesn’t make for a menacing villain and although he’s laughable, it’s not in the way intended.
Mads Mikkelsen is the only real reason that this film is watchable. Every time he’s on screen the film becomes as enjoyable as it can be. It’s a shame really as there is potential buried in this - the plot as a whole isn’t bad, and I like a lot of the fight scenes that Duncan is in and the gory bits too. It’s just a pity they made it so damn garish and cheesy. If they’d have tried to make it a little darker, maybe a little like Sin City or something, it could actually have been quite good and have lived up to all of Mads Mikkelsens scenes.
Unless you’re desperate, I wouldn’t recommend watching this. And if you’re a Mads Mikkelsen fan, you’d be better off choosing one of his better offerings than this!
Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story in Books
Mar 17, 2019
Pros:
• Daily insights into a nurses life
• Beautiful and emotional
• Insight into the NHS
• Promotes kindness
Cons:
• Bit to self-indulgent
• it's missing something, a flow
• Ended a bit abruptly for me
Christie Watson was a nurse for twenty years. Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astounding account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness.
@mooksterbooks bought me this book after I thoroughly enjoyed This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay.
I absolutely LOVE reading memoirs of nurses and doctors and seeing inside the NHS system.
Watson wrote her memoir in more of an attempted flowed novel unlike Kays diary entries take. I won't compare the two books too much but I must say I did enjoy the presentation of Kay's diary entries.
Looking at other reviews on this book I found that there is mixed views and some not very nice comments on it. I don't agree with the ones who say this was hyped up too much as I feel it wasn't hyped up at all, but I do slightly agree on the ones who feel it was a little too self-indulged and didn't flow too great.
Aside from this, I can't say I didn't enjoy this book, I really did enjoy reading it and I was a little saddened when it ended. I loved all the beautiful stories and the emotional ones, it bought me joy, sadness and a passion to promote caring and kindness.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs, to those who like to see the truth behind the masks of nurses and doctors but I wouldn't recommend this to people who have anxiety about hospitals as some parts were a bit too honest and gory.
• Daily insights into a nurses life
• Beautiful and emotional
• Insight into the NHS
• Promotes kindness
Cons:
• Bit to self-indulgent
• it's missing something, a flow
• Ended a bit abruptly for me
Christie Watson was a nurse for twenty years. Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astounding account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness.
@mooksterbooks bought me this book after I thoroughly enjoyed This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay.
I absolutely LOVE reading memoirs of nurses and doctors and seeing inside the NHS system.
Watson wrote her memoir in more of an attempted flowed novel unlike Kays diary entries take. I won't compare the two books too much but I must say I did enjoy the presentation of Kay's diary entries.
Looking at other reviews on this book I found that there is mixed views and some not very nice comments on it. I don't agree with the ones who say this was hyped up too much as I feel it wasn't hyped up at all, but I do slightly agree on the ones who feel it was a little too self-indulged and didn't flow too great.
Aside from this, I can't say I didn't enjoy this book, I really did enjoy reading it and I was a little saddened when it ended. I loved all the beautiful stories and the emotional ones, it bought me joy, sadness and a passion to promote caring and kindness.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs, to those who like to see the truth behind the masks of nurses and doctors but I wouldn't recommend this to people who have anxiety about hospitals as some parts were a bit too honest and gory.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o Tomeru na!) (2017) in Movies
May 13, 2019
A cut above
#onecutofthedead is an extremely #fun and stressful look into the #art of #lowbudget #filmmaking. #Zombie films have literally been done to #death now so when i got the chance to catch this one i was sceptical but still the zombie #fan in me decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. I have to say one cut is possibly the most refreshing and unique take on the genre ive seen in quite some time. Essentially 2 films the first half is an impressive little low budget zombie movie creatively shot in one long take while the second half is a look into the film making process itself. Its essentially one big love letter to the art of film making (especially on a low budget) full of #nostalgia and nods to films we all grew up enjoying. We are shown all the passion, team work, #stress, mistakes, cost cutting, disasters, preparation, energy and #emotional investment and above all fun that goes into the making a movie which is extremely refreshing to see. Acting is full of life especially since most of the cast are unknowns and each of them manage to bring great #comedy, realisum and likability to the characters. Themes of #bullying and social awkwardness are touched on here too and the film touches on how a directors can sometimes go to far ending up pushing actors over the brink not only physicall but mentally. Fancy something #gory, #funny, different and quirky? one cut is a film about inspiration, passion, motivation and comitment that pleasantly surprised me and has successfully reanimated the art of zombie movie making. #gore #horror #friyay #scary #silly #movie #filmbuff #filmcritic #beautiful #oldschool #classic #georgeromero #dawnofthedead #throwback #walkingdead
Tamsin Clark (15 KP) rated The Cat Lady in Video Games
Jan 26, 2018
Superb Artwork (5 more)
Brilliant soundtrack
Dark, gory and surreal
Interesting puzzle work
Multiple endings
Steam card and achievements
Not enough user interaction sometimes (1 more)
May not be suitable for those in vulnerable mental health states
A dark, twisted journey into mental illness
The Cat Lady really surprised me. The dark, almost minimal, graphics styles led me to believe this wasn't going to be much of a horror game but how wrong I was. This game has a way of sucking you in and chewing you up, then spitting you out as a glob of emotionally affected goop.
The story follows a female protagonist, Susan Ashworth. She's alone and on the verge of suicide, constantly questioning the worth of her existence. After a significant event, she meets an odd woman who sets her on a journey to meet 5 very dark people who may change her outlook on life....for better or worse. Who can she trust, if anyone at all?
I would recommend that if you suffer from mental illness, suicidal thoughts or if you have issues with emotional triggers then you either don't play this or you play with others (unless you know you're in a good place). While the game IS a basic point and click, it still deals with a LOT of mental health issues; some of the scenes were hard even for me, and I consider myself in a good place mentally right now.
Overall I was seriously impressed with this game, it took me 11 hrs to play but that was including distractions and just leaving the game sitting while I did things, so I maybe got about 8 hrs of straight play. Indie horror point and clicks are so rare and this one is an example for the entire genre.
The story follows a female protagonist, Susan Ashworth. She's alone and on the verge of suicide, constantly questioning the worth of her existence. After a significant event, she meets an odd woman who sets her on a journey to meet 5 very dark people who may change her outlook on life....for better or worse. Who can she trust, if anyone at all?
I would recommend that if you suffer from mental illness, suicidal thoughts or if you have issues with emotional triggers then you either don't play this or you play with others (unless you know you're in a good place). While the game IS a basic point and click, it still deals with a LOT of mental health issues; some of the scenes were hard even for me, and I consider myself in a good place mentally right now.
Overall I was seriously impressed with this game, it took me 11 hrs to play but that was including distractions and just leaving the game sitting while I did things, so I maybe got about 8 hrs of straight play. Indie horror point and clicks are so rare and this one is an example for the entire genre.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Thir13en Ghosts (2001) in Movies
Sep 5, 2018
The ghosts aren't the only thing that we can see through...
Contains spoilers, click to show
As part of a 'rewatching films from the 90's and 2000's' theme that me and the missus are going through at the moment, we came to a film i remembered fairly fondly, the remake of Thirteen Ghosts!
Unlike a lot of films from this period, this wasn't as terrible to rewatch as some, though it still reeks of some of the tropes of that period, including the casting of Shannon Elizabeth, the evil uncle and the corporate Lawyer baddie as well as the kids that can't help but run towards trouble at every opportunity.
Lets be honest, this film isn't really a scary one, it has some nice creepy elements, but it is largely a safe horror entry for people that shy away from the more intense/gory side of the genre.
Matthew Lillard chews all the scenery he can, and is largely very entertaining as a psychic with powers that they touch on without really explaining, but thats ok, its not the sort of film where it matters all that much.
Better than some, worse than others, this is a film for a rainy sunday evening, where it doesn't matter too much if you talk over the miles and miles of exposition, and where you can happily pull apart the plot holes and confusing character motives to your hearts content.
Unlike a lot of films from this period, this wasn't as terrible to rewatch as some, though it still reeks of some of the tropes of that period, including the casting of Shannon Elizabeth, the evil uncle and the corporate Lawyer baddie as well as the kids that can't help but run towards trouble at every opportunity.
Lets be honest, this film isn't really a scary one, it has some nice creepy elements, but it is largely a safe horror entry for people that shy away from the more intense/gory side of the genre.
Matthew Lillard chews all the scenery he can, and is largely very entertaining as a psychic with powers that they touch on without really explaining, but thats ok, its not the sort of film where it matters all that much.
Better than some, worse than others, this is a film for a rainy sunday evening, where it doesn't matter too much if you talk over the miles and miles of exposition, and where you can happily pull apart the plot holes and confusing character motives to your hearts content.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Queen's Accomplice (Maggie Hope Mystery, #6) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I enjoy a 'nice' murder (as my mother likes to say!), so I was happy to read and review this through the Amazon Vine programme. I realised it was part of a series, but when I got to it I found it was a fair few books in (6th I think) and the beginning was a little confusing as there is quite a strong 'through' story as well as the plot for this particular instalment. At the other end of the spectrum, this also meant that there were plot threads left hanging at the end - obviously to pull you into purchasing the next book! Sometimes in a series you can pick things up fairly easily even if you happen upon it in the middle, but I would suggest not so much with this one.
Overall it was well written and pretty gripping. It was rather gruesome though as the murderer was certifiably nuts and the victims butchered. It's also a book full of misogyny, so it's not comfortable to read. Yes, I know that's how things were, but it got to the point that it was so gruesome and so hard on women I was losing the enjoyment/relaxation that I want from reading a good novel.
On the murders, I was certain fairly early on who it had to be. I've deduced successfully in other novels, but then kept on wondering if I had it right, where here I never doubted it. I suppose part of this is personal taste - I prefer something like an Agatha Christie where the clues are all there and you can try and work things out rather than a blood-and-guts thriller. Your mileage may vary!
To conclude, well written, good characterisation, but a bit gory for my taste and I don't think I'll read any more in the series.
Overall it was well written and pretty gripping. It was rather gruesome though as the murderer was certifiably nuts and the victims butchered. It's also a book full of misogyny, so it's not comfortable to read. Yes, I know that's how things were, but it got to the point that it was so gruesome and so hard on women I was losing the enjoyment/relaxation that I want from reading a good novel.
On the murders, I was certain fairly early on who it had to be. I've deduced successfully in other novels, but then kept on wondering if I had it right, where here I never doubted it. I suppose part of this is personal taste - I prefer something like an Agatha Christie where the clues are all there and you can try and work things out rather than a blood-and-guts thriller. Your mileage may vary!
To conclude, well written, good characterisation, but a bit gory for my taste and I don't think I'll read any more in the series.