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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Doctor Sleep (2019) in Movies

Nov 11, 2019 (Updated Nov 12, 2019)

39 Years Later: Redrum aka Murder

Doctor Sleep- if you dont know is the sequel to the shining. I have been waiting for this movie to come out ever since it got announced. I read the book over two years again and i loved it. I didnt even know their was a sequel to the shining until i read the book. The book is phenomenal, it is acutally my first stephen king novel that i read and finshed, so to say at less, i was hyped and very anticpated, so what did i think. I thought it was good. I liked it alot.

Ewan McGregor was a perfect cast for Danny Torrance and Rebecca Ferguson was excellent as Rose The Hat and newcomer actress Kyliegh Curran was great as Abra Stone. Mike Flanagan was amazing choice for the dirctor. I liked his other movies that he directed and also loved The Haunting of Hill House which he created and directed.

The Recreated sences from the oringal film was intresting, i liked it not to bad. The hotel looks the same, old, crooked, haunted, scary, horrorfying and terrorfying. The replacements for Dick Hallorann, young Danny, Wendy and Llyod/Jack were intresting. I really liked the actress who played Wendy. As for Dick, i liked the actor who played him. As for young Danny he was good and Llyod/Jack the actor who played him was okay/bad, he just did a impression of Jack Nichoslon and looked like a young Jack Nicolson.

This is intresting, i just found this out: Danny Lloyd, who played Danny Torrance in The Shining, makes a cameo appearance as Bradley Trevor's father. Lloyd had been retired from acting for roughly 38 years, and was direct-messaged on Twitter by Flanagan to appear in the film. Producer Trevor Macy said of Lloyd's involvement, "[Lloyd] was excited to do [the cameo]. He hadn't acted since [the original]. He's a schoolteacher, and a very successful one at that, [who] like[s] making the world better. He came back for a day, and we were thrilled to have him." When pressed as to why the filmmakers did not extend the same offer to Jack Nicholson, Macy responded, "With Jack, I knew that they approached him for Ready Player One, and that he seems to be very serious about being retired. I had known that he was supportive [of the sequel] but retired." Flanagan admitted, "I didn't know how that would really work. Even if he were to come back, if he were appearing as a different character, I thought that would set people's hair on fire. He was absolutely a presence on set, though, whether he knew it or not."

So thats intresting. I would of loved to see Jack Nichloson come out of retirement and play old Jack Torrance.

Doctor Sleep was a great/excellent sequel to the shining and what Mike Flanagan did was perfect he toke elements from Stanley Kubrick's film and made it his own. The cast is great, the story is great, the hotel is great.

If you havent seen the shining than watch it and read it. If you havent seen this movie, than go watch it and read it.

Kudos

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Divergent in Books

Jan 23, 2020

Divergent

Veronica Roth | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

8.1

(140 Ratings)

Book Rating

Imagine having to choose only 5 factions when you're sixteen with the knowledge that you might even have to leave your family. Then there's initiation which you have to pass or you're practically homeless (in this case, factionless). I know for one thing that I'll be having a LOT of trouble choosing a faction if our world as we know it were divided into factions.
My 2 cents on that? I'm not exactly selfless. And I have to look in the mirror, at least once a day, otherwise how else would I know if there's a ladybug in my hair? Dx Not that there is one. So Abnegation is out for me. I don't tell the truth ALL the time, even if I tend to burst out my honest opinion, therefore, I'm not Candor either. I would most certainly not jump off a train. Breaking a leg is painful. Falling to my death for fun and knowing that is worse. With that thought, I'm not Dauntless. I'm friendly most of the time, but not all the time. And I'm uncomfortable when it comes to hugs. *hides* I guess I'm cut out for Amity as well. I'm probably in Erudite though, drowning (in a good way) books and seeking knowledge. Maybe I'm not. I'm not that nerdy, even if I like hiding in books. I'm probably factionless though.
I'm talking too much when I should probably go straight to the point. Whoops. I'm just curious about how the factions were formatted and how it's gonna work because like Four/Tobias says, "I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest."
Since I've been babbling randomly about my curiosity on the 5 factions, I should head back to the right trail then. And that is, actually reviewing and not writing away freely (more like typing) about something else (though related). I think that Divergent is quite similar to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, but different and amazing in it's very own way that makes it just as unique as any other great books out there (whether or not I read them. Sparkly Vampires and Jacob Chihuahua included). :)

I really enjoy the main character Tris, though on some actions I'll disagree on. Why kill Will? He's kinda awesome, you know... he did stick with Tris when she was bullied by the others. (though I see why she had to. If Tris was dead, there would be a different main character instead. And that bounces more curiosity) Dx Christina's gonna murder you later o_o (Hey, if that's even true later, don't tell me because I'm just predicting! I'm not exactly cool with spoilers... lol. o_o) Eric is just plain mean (he was a bit aggressive in training though... too aggressive) and as evil as Jeanine (sorry if I spelled her name wrong). Nuff said. And I have a feeling they'll be causing more trouble in the future, whatever it might be.

Curiosity included or not, I fully enjoyed the plot the author has placed into the series and can't wait to read the next book when I get the chance. :)

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-divergent-by-veronica-roth/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>

Kudos

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #2) in Books

Jan 23, 2020

Original Review posted at <a title="The Iron Traitor" href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-the-iron-traitor-by-julie-kagawa.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>

Note: Formatting and pictures have been removed due to copy and paste

Before Reading:
 I thought I had to wait an additional 3 weeks maximum to get my hands on the county library's ebook copy of The Iron Traitor.

 But then a genie decided to grant my wish – or was it because there were more holds on it? – and the county library bought a second copy, much to my enthusiasm and glee that I wouldn't have to wait for about 3 weeks (all I'm going to respond to your envy, L, is to go put yourself on the hold list before it gets bigger or buy a copy. Sorry! Dx).

 And then I realized I was going to have juggle with multiple books (more than the usual). >_< I feel like making an anime face that's saying, "OMG, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" and then facepalming. Or doing a classic headdesk with the hair fanning out. :p

 So I essentially had to wing it out and check it out on the last day it would be held for me... and then attempt to finish it within 3 weeks.

 Looks like I need to lock myself in my room again and turn off the – oh, wait. I can't turn off the laptop. It's an ebook. -_- Mother, we need to have a mother-daughter talk of going to the library ASAP.

 Looks like my challenge for the next 21 days is to avoid doing tasks that can be put off until a bit later. (I'll fail alright... but all that matters is that I'll hopefully not have to stick myself to the hold list and wait for a few more months.) o_o

 Despite all that, I was still literally "dancing" on books.

 But there's no torturous cliffhanger at the end like it was in The Eternity Cure, is there Julie? :O x30

After Reading:
 No. Just. NO. *shakes head in a "Nope, that wasn't what I just read. Nope. I don't believe this at all. I'm sleeping and someone needs to pinch me and then I'll be awake and everyone will be living a happily ever after, despite the fact they're not real." (I wish they were. :p)*

 You know what? Forget that I asked that last question about torturous cliffhangers. It's going to happen.

 And it shall be EXCRUSIATING.

 Simply because I – and possibly many others – have to wait a year. >_< Julie, you are officially an evil author.

 But I still love your writing. Why? Because while it may be set in the same world as Books 1-4 in the series, it's still amazingly well-written and there are still surprises in store that are totally unexpected.

 (psst! Recommendation! Go. Read the series if you haven't; you have a lot of awesomeness to catch up to! :o)

 But I'm still not happy with the ending.

 I'll deal with it. And survive.

 I think. O_o

 Oh, and I was thankfully spared from having to deal with reading so many books. *phew* On the bright side of everything, I'm also spared from staying on the hold list. Not that I mind rereading The Iron Traitor.

 And I forgot another thing... can I have a gremlin? :D? Razor's simply adorable.

<blockquote>Sometimes, the simplest answers are the hardest to see.</blockquote>

Kudos

JT (287 KP) rated Killing Them Softly (2012) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020

Killing Them Softly (2012)

2012 | Comedy, Drama, Mystery

5.5

(4 Ratings)

Movie Rating

There was quite a significant gap between films for writer/director Andrew Dominik, five years in fact. His last feature length outing The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was a Western epic and here he has teamed up with Brad Pitt again for Killing Them Softly, one with a significantly shorter run time.

Pitt plays Jackie Cogan a gun for hire who is called in to clean up the mess made after a mob protected card game is robbed and the criminal economy takes an unexpected nose dive. With the criminal underworld unsure of who to trust and with no games being run it’s up to Cogan to eliminate those responsible and get trust restored.

The film is also set against real footage of Bush and Obama referring to the struggling US economy and the need for the country to pull together as a community to get itself back on track, which is ironic given the narrative that Dominik is conveying. The group behind the heist are hardly your career criminals, Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) are a pair of down and outs looking for some fast cash.

These guys are a highlight, prepping for the robbery with yellow rubber gloves, masks and a sawn off shotgun so short it would take everyone out who’s in the room. Mendelsohn is especially solid, his appearance as a disheveled drug taking dog thief is one of the few comedic elements to an otherwise dry film.
Killing Them Softly is a film where you have to rely heavily on the acting, and there is plenty on show. Pitt of course is ever commanding in his role, slicked back hair and leather jacket he’s the archetypal hitman, he calls the shots and others listen.

Then there is James Gandolfini, no stranger to the world of fictional organized crime having been head of the most famous TV family, the Sopranos. Gandolfini is another hitman, called on by Pitt to assist in taking out one of the targets, however the only thing he’s capable of doing is consuming large amounts of booze and women.

Add into the mix Ray Liotta (another with a fictional mafia past) who’s responsible for knocking off his own card game in the beginning, he’s the innocent party this time around and is whacked in a spectacular slow motion capture drive by. Dominik’s script is nowhere near as tight or as in depth as Chopper, it becomes confused at times and it’s hard to know exactly where it is supposed to lead us.

There is no question that the acting is top draw and there are some great scenes of dialogue that leaves you wanting more, of course it does seem to drift on a bit too much and the short sharp cuts between actors can get annoying.

It’s fair to say it has its share of brutal violence, poor Markie Trattman (Liotta) is on the receiving end of one of cinemas heaviest beatings, and when the hits are made there is no getting away from the realism to them, blood will fly.

At the end of the film Cogan has been short changed for his work, and as an audience you might feel short changed that the film promised was not the one returned?

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KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Resident Evil 2 (Remake) in Video Games

Apr 2, 2020

Pulsating and terrifying narrative. (2 more)

Unbelievable graphics.

A modern classic horror.

Shortness of campaign. (0 more)

Survival horror remaking at it's greatest.

I've always been aware of the impact Resident Evil has had on media, ever since I played the first, without my parents knowledge, back in 2001. I was shook to my core, terrified to the point of never wanting to return to horror video games ever again.

I did however play RE5 and RE6, both focusing more on Co-op play and venturing towards a more action oriented narrative. They were fun, if not slightly convoluted with characters and past stories which I had no knowledge about. So when a remake of RE2 was announced with a gruesome trailer, I was sold. I had no nostalgia towards the game, but this looked incredible.

RE2 Remake is astonishingly good. It's a non stop, adrenaline infusing trip through Racoon City, with pocket moments that range from terrifying, to explosive action, to the absolutely bonkers. It's a campy affair, and it benefits from often corny dialogue, to its characters dress sense during a pandemic.

RE2 shines by having the best visuals I've seen on a console game. The characters, locations and gore pop with flare, especially when you hit a zombie with a bullet to the head. Its gorgeous, and equally terrifying in measured balance. It dawned on me so heavily Capcom focused on the environments when Leon/Claire walked out into the rain. You can visibly see each rain drop hit their clothing, and the wetness begin to soak parts of them skin and hair. Its commendable to Capcom for making this remake look so perfect.

The over the shoulder perspective of the protagonists was the best choice for this remake, as it firmly puts the survival horror up another level. This game, most of the time, its bone chillingly unnerving. I constantly kept my wits about me, expecting numerous jumpscares, but the game worms into your head, laying a constant false sense of security at precise moments. That's where Mr X, AKA, the Tyrant comes in. The constant menace is the key to so much tention and heart pounding chases throughout the eight hour experience. Combine that tension with the fact he's practically indestructible, and you've got cocktail of a near perfect horror experience. My favourite aspect was of the overall experience was how the whole game mixes all elements of its gameplay so well. The combat require pinpoint accuracy, the puzzles require you to use your noggin often enough it doesn't become stale, and the looming threats don't ever become a frustrating summit, rather a learning curve I began to anticipate.

The narrative is excellent, albeit sometimes a little ridiculous. Its provides enough scares and gore to satisfy loving RE fans, and more than enough story for new fans to bite into. In my first playthrough, I knew nothing of Leon's decent into Racoon City's nightmare, and I'm all the more thankful for it. He's just a normal guy, having the worst day of his life, and that, in the strangest way I can possibly think of, make him so likeable and relatable. After just over eight hours, I completed my Leon playthrough, and wanted to see where his story goes next. It made me completely sure RE would be a franchise I will surely check out in the future. Queue my next choice in RE4.

RE2 Remake is now the standard that all remakes will have to contend with. Capcom has truly outdone themselves by creating a classic from the ground up.