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Gone but Not Furgotten
5.0
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In Gone but Not Furgotten, the sixth in Cate Conte's Cat Café beloved cozy mystery series, Daybreak...
Smile Beach Murder
8.0
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From author Alicia Bessette comes an all-new mystery series featuring Callie Padget, a former...
Murder at the Breakers
9.0
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For fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of America’s 19th...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Fantasy Island (2020) in Movies
May 5, 2020
Michael Peña and Maggie Q in a film... I'm in. This was high up my watchlist even though Blumhouse and I don't always see eye to eye.
A group of strangers arrive on an island, this experience will give them their deepest desires. Wish for it and you can live it, all you have to do is see it through to the end on Fantasy Island.
Evidently, Nic Cage turned down the role of Mr Roarke... I didn't know that he turned down any roles so that (if true) should have been a massive warning sign.
I do have to wonder how some of these stories come about. This is based on the 70's TV show of the same name which was entirely not scary as far as I know. Is there a giant bingo cage full of ping pong balls inscribed with names of old shows and films? Do they just let studios try their luck to spin whatever they get to their niche?
Twisting this tale is a pretty good idea, though I'm not really sure why an island would want to do that to people, but what do I know about malevolent black goop spirits? I was generally on board with the storyline and I thought it wove them together quite well but that ending... are you kidding me? There was some speculation thrown out about what was going on and that thread was believable. The one they gave us was laughable, the absolute worst choice. Had they done a small reshuffle they could have given a much less ridiculous conclusion.
There are a lot of different threads and each one has its moments, as daft as they might be they come together quite well even when the filler is poor.
Maggie Q's performance as Gwen felt like the most believable out of the whole ensemble, but that's not really a surprise from her. Gwen is basically the only decent person in the group and throughout her stay she is the one that's grounded and tries to deal with her situation. That should give us something good to work off... but she's kind of bland on screen compared to everything else.
Michael Peña is always a pull to a movie for me, but Roarke's story wasn't all the effective. Had he been a construct of the island then there might have been something in it, but as it was you didn't get any real struggle with his actions, I couldn't see how a character that wasn't portrayed as actively evil could go along with any of it even given his background.
While the rest of the cast is filled with faces you'd know there isn't really a great performance to be seen. From unlikeable characters to a script that's not amusing when it tries to be, what's left of the film is plain in a glossy kind of way, and by that I mean it's got the makings of something good but misses anything that could have made an impact. The effects are fine for the most part and the sets are fine when you take into consideration they're supposed to be a fantasy and don't need to fit together perfectly. The exception is Roarke's door that Maggie Q interacts with, I liked that move and I don't know whether the rest of the film might have benefitted from something similar.
Bits of the film are quite good and could have made for an exciting watch, but that ending was so frustrating that any enjoyment went straight out the window and any thrill from what I'd already seen was gone. Also, considering it is classified as horror there wasn't really enough, or anything of quality, too make that a reality. Untapped potential in abundance here.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/05/fantasy-island-movie-review.html
A group of strangers arrive on an island, this experience will give them their deepest desires. Wish for it and you can live it, all you have to do is see it through to the end on Fantasy Island.
Evidently, Nic Cage turned down the role of Mr Roarke... I didn't know that he turned down any roles so that (if true) should have been a massive warning sign.
I do have to wonder how some of these stories come about. This is based on the 70's TV show of the same name which was entirely not scary as far as I know. Is there a giant bingo cage full of ping pong balls inscribed with names of old shows and films? Do they just let studios try their luck to spin whatever they get to their niche?
Twisting this tale is a pretty good idea, though I'm not really sure why an island would want to do that to people, but what do I know about malevolent black goop spirits? I was generally on board with the storyline and I thought it wove them together quite well but that ending... are you kidding me? There was some speculation thrown out about what was going on and that thread was believable. The one they gave us was laughable, the absolute worst choice. Had they done a small reshuffle they could have given a much less ridiculous conclusion.
There are a lot of different threads and each one has its moments, as daft as they might be they come together quite well even when the filler is poor.
Maggie Q's performance as Gwen felt like the most believable out of the whole ensemble, but that's not really a surprise from her. Gwen is basically the only decent person in the group and throughout her stay she is the one that's grounded and tries to deal with her situation. That should give us something good to work off... but she's kind of bland on screen compared to everything else.
Michael Peña is always a pull to a movie for me, but Roarke's story wasn't all the effective. Had he been a construct of the island then there might have been something in it, but as it was you didn't get any real struggle with his actions, I couldn't see how a character that wasn't portrayed as actively evil could go along with any of it even given his background.
While the rest of the cast is filled with faces you'd know there isn't really a great performance to be seen. From unlikeable characters to a script that's not amusing when it tries to be, what's left of the film is plain in a glossy kind of way, and by that I mean it's got the makings of something good but misses anything that could have made an impact. The effects are fine for the most part and the sets are fine when you take into consideration they're supposed to be a fantasy and don't need to fit together perfectly. The exception is Roarke's door that Maggie Q interacts with, I liked that move and I don't know whether the rest of the film might have benefitted from something similar.
Bits of the film are quite good and could have made for an exciting watch, but that ending was so frustrating that any enjoyment went straight out the window and any thrill from what I'd already seen was gone. Also, considering it is classified as horror there wasn't really enough, or anything of quality, too make that a reality. Untapped potential in abundance here.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/05/fantasy-island-movie-review.html
Angry Birds Evolution
Games
App
Something is causing the the pigs to herd to Bird Island in droves, and the birds have found their...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Therapy: A Novel in Books
Sep 24, 2017
Twist after twist in this gripping thriller
There have been a few spoilers out there comparing this book to a certain film which unfortunately ruins the ending for some who make the connection. As a result I was aware of the major plot twist from the beginning. That being said, Sebastian Fitzek's thriller is gripping, as we're unable to separate psychosis from reality. A well known psychiatrist has taken some time off to grieve his missing daughter. Out of no where a mysterious woman named Anna Glass turns up on this remote island getaway. But is she trustworthy?
The ending has a twist on top of the climax which leaves you spiralling. An eerie but good mystery.
The ending has a twist on top of the climax which leaves you spiralling. An eerie but good mystery.
ClareR (5950 KP) rated Wonder Woman: Warbringer in Books
Nov 15, 2017
See the headline! (1 more)
Good to see some Wonder Woman stories coming out now!
Fast paced, exciting YA
Ok, I'll admit I was surprised at how much I liked this. I thought it would be a re-hash of the recent film (which I really enjoyed), but it's a whole new story - a prequel, I suppose.
Diana sneaks away from Themiscara with a girl that she has saved from a boating accident. The girls presence on the island starts a chain of natural disasters, so Diana helps her to leave with help from the Oracle, who also lets her into some very interesting information about the girl.
A very exciting, fast moving story.
Diana sneaks away from Themiscara with a girl that she has saved from a boating accident. The girls presence on the island starts a chain of natural disasters, so Diana helps her to leave with help from the Oracle, who also lets her into some very interesting information about the girl.
A very exciting, fast moving story.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Jun 29, 2017
Gal Gadot (1 more)
Amazon Opening Scence
I want to be an Amazon
The opening of this film was spectacular. the use of athletes as amazon was genious and worked better than anything CGI could produce. I truley was excited by this film and then they left the Island.
Unfortunely I found the middle to be far to long didnt feel a great connection between Diana and Steve on boat or in London. Honestly if those scence where a lot shorter I would of given this film a 10/10. however they kept the length and for me it ruined the film. The last half hour was great and the opening was stunning.
Unfortunely I found the middle to be far to long didnt feel a great connection between Diana and Steve on boat or in London. Honestly if those scence where a lot shorter I would of given this film a 10/10. however they kept the length and for me it ruined the film. The last half hour was great and the opening was stunning.