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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated We Summon the Darkness (2019) in Movies
Jan 5, 2021
This is fun but there's no reason it shouldn't be gorier, crazier, more inventive, and/or more insightful given the film's insanely clever choice to frame a horror/slasher flick through the lens of religious sects vs. metal culture in the 80s - but I digress, perfectly serviceable fluff trash as it stands. Daddario is awesome in it, and I just can't get enough of Knoxville as a deliciously fire-and-brimstone pastor. I at least appreciate the formality - I'm glad this wasn't an obnoxiously meta "hey, remember this?" nostalgia soundboard like droves of films or shows detrimentally feel the need to become whenever they're set in the 80s now. But at the same time, there's so much potential for super bombastic kills and nuanced commentary that never was, and in their place it just tends to lumber for no real reason. Otherwise entertaining solely on principle, with another dependably cool score from Timothy Williams keeping things entertaining. And yes the twist is as righteous as everyone says. Not going to shake a stick at the amount of blood, enjoyment, and amped-up performances this does end up delivering - it's a decent little throwback slasher on its own - but God could you imagine if like Adam Wingard had made this? Holy hell what a picture that would have been.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Fantasy Island (2020) in Movies
Mar 22, 2021
Is Fantasy Island a good movie? I'd be inclined to say no. Is it as bad as everyone has been saying? Kind of...
The absolutely biggest flaw with this movie is it's pacing. The last 20 or so minutes are entertaining enough, and show off a few half decent twists, no matter how silly it gets, but sweet lord it really takes its time getting there. It's not a good slow burn either. The series of events leading up to the films climax is messy and bloated, and feels like a whole load of hot air being blown about.
The cast are ok...they do the best they can with an on the nose script that sounds like it's been written by adults trying to be "down with the kids" but the only person who comes out of this looking good (?) is Maggie Q. Her character was relatively interesting, everyone else was just an arsehole, and Michael Rooker is criminally under utilised. Michael Peña just looks severely uninterested for the whole runtime.
As I said, I didn't find it as ball achingly awful as I'd heard. It's a decent enough premise that unfortunately faffs about in its execution. It's sometimes entertaining, but devoid of any scares. And between this and the 2019 Black Christmas, I'm completely over Blumhouse movies replacing blood with jet black gooey liquid. Have some balls dammit!
The absolutely biggest flaw with this movie is it's pacing. The last 20 or so minutes are entertaining enough, and show off a few half decent twists, no matter how silly it gets, but sweet lord it really takes its time getting there. It's not a good slow burn either. The series of events leading up to the films climax is messy and bloated, and feels like a whole load of hot air being blown about.
The cast are ok...they do the best they can with an on the nose script that sounds like it's been written by adults trying to be "down with the kids" but the only person who comes out of this looking good (?) is Maggie Q. Her character was relatively interesting, everyone else was just an arsehole, and Michael Rooker is criminally under utilised. Michael Peña just looks severely uninterested for the whole runtime.
As I said, I didn't find it as ball achingly awful as I'd heard. It's a decent enough premise that unfortunately faffs about in its execution. It's sometimes entertaining, but devoid of any scares. And between this and the 2019 Black Christmas, I'm completely over Blumhouse movies replacing blood with jet black gooey liquid. Have some balls dammit!
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Heartthrob (2017) in Movies
Sep 10, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
After a classmate dies, Sam bumps into a guy from school, Henry, on the beach after the memorial. They don't really get along and she storms off after belittling him. A while later she bumps into him again after work and he offers her a lift home, where she apologises and agrees to go on a date with him, which leads to them becoming a couple.
They seem like a very odd couple from the get go though, Henry comes across as very awkward and you keep expecting something bad to happen, eventually something bad does happen but it seems to take ages to get there just like many other parts of the film.
After a very awkward and way too long pool scene, we find out that Henry is listening to Sam's conversations through what I can only assume is an app on her phone, and that's just the start of the creepiness, as we also discover he is capable of murder when he kills one of Sam's ex boyfriends out of jealousy.
I lost interest very quickly if I'm honest, keir Gilchrist did a good job playing a crazy jealous boyfriend, but the movie wasn't all that great. I don't know if it's the writing or what but it could have been so much better. It was disappointing really as the concept sounded good.
They seem like a very odd couple from the get go though, Henry comes across as very awkward and you keep expecting something bad to happen, eventually something bad does happen but it seems to take ages to get there just like many other parts of the film.
After a very awkward and way too long pool scene, we find out that Henry is listening to Sam's conversations through what I can only assume is an app on her phone, and that's just the start of the creepiness, as we also discover he is capable of murder when he kills one of Sam's ex boyfriends out of jealousy.
I lost interest very quickly if I'm honest, keir Gilchrist did a good job playing a crazy jealous boyfriend, but the movie wasn't all that great. I don't know if it's the writing or what but it could have been so much better. It was disappointing really as the concept sounded good.
Athena's Choice
8.0
Rate It
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Athena Vosh lives just like any other teenager from the year 2099. She watches reality shows with...
Merissa (13643 KP) rated Ripping Off the Mask in Books
Oct 16, 2018
Ripping Off The Mask by Harper Jewel
Ripping Off The Mask starts with action. Coop is with his (work) partner, Silvio, when they are called to a bank robbery. Others are on their way, or already there, chasing the suspects. Silvio goes off by himself as he is faster than Coop. That leads to them both being shot, only Silvio doesn't make it. What he does do is to open up a hornet's nest within Coop, as he tries to come to terms with everything that has happened, and what he did.
I liked Coop and Wes when they weren't talking. In fact, I liked ALL the characters when they weren't talking. The minute they opened their mouths, I lost interest. The conversations and comments made came across as very stilted and forced, with lots of repetition between what they thought and what they said.
Some of the situations in the book just didn't seem realistic - and yes, I know this is fiction, but I still like to be able to pretend it's real! There is a paranormal element to this book that you will either like or loathe. Personally, I liked it, but that's just me. The premise of this book is a good one, and has all the elements there that I normally like. However, although I still liked the book, it didn't really get to me. There are plenty of themes in this book, from the twins separated at birth, to ghosts/angels, to the big bad with a rough childhood. This is a long book, so there is plenty of time for everything to play out.
I think if you can get to grips with the pacing and style of writing, then you will probably enjoy this book.
* 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!
I liked Coop and Wes when they weren't talking. In fact, I liked ALL the characters when they weren't talking. The minute they opened their mouths, I lost interest. The conversations and comments made came across as very stilted and forced, with lots of repetition between what they thought and what they said.
Some of the situations in the book just didn't seem realistic - and yes, I know this is fiction, but I still like to be able to pretend it's real! There is a paranormal element to this book that you will either like or loathe. Personally, I liked it, but that's just me. The premise of this book is a good one, and has all the elements there that I normally like. However, although I still liked the book, it didn't really get to me. There are plenty of themes in this book, from the twins separated at birth, to ghosts/angels, to the big bad with a rough childhood. This is a long book, so there is plenty of time for everything to play out.
I think if you can get to grips with the pacing and style of writing, then you will probably enjoy this book.
* 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!
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Suicide Squad (2016) in Movies
Sep 29, 2020
Entirely crackbrained and nonsensical - I'm not even sure there's a single theme in either this nor the extended cut - but way better than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 for the chief purposes that it doesn't look like pure ass and doesn't really try to act like it's anything more than religiously entertaining dirtpunk grit-fetish trash. It's just about as thinly-written as the former, but if you're going to make one-note characters and a bullshit plot I'd rather them sport this sort of wildly memorable, freakish cringe rather than the flat, market-tested cringe of most modern day Marvel. There's more meme-worthy, hilariously dumbass quotes in here than you can shake a stick at and the designwork on display is simply delicious imo - the lush, matted mess of CGI is actually quite stunning and the production is exquisite: the sickly makeup + vibrant costuming against the sets where you often see opulent golds and corporate lucre juxtaposed with a dank coat of dirt and graffiti - it's total eye candy. The image of Harley Quinn and Joker laughing in the chemical bath while Kehlani's "Gangster" blasts in the background and the colors from their clothes melt away is nothing less than a knockout piece of moving imagery. Smith is the weak link, not only horribly miscast but it also seems like he isn't even trying - otherwise everyone else does a bangup job from Jared Leto's "Pimp Daddy" chilling street tweaker Joker to Viola Davis' business-casual demon Waller to Cara Delevingne's gonzo, always sauntering, Meryl Streep-sounding Enchantress. Very dynamically idiotic in that random fun shit is just allowed to happen because it's clear this isn't at all concerned with making any sort of sense to begin with. All this and with a soundtrack that can only be described as epic, I truly believe this is a fascinating curio that got way too bad of a rap. As dumb as everyone says but also better than the last five MCU entries.
Rat (1 KP) rated Peaky Blinders - Season 1 in TV
Mar 28, 2018
Forget everything you think you know about period drama
It would be easy to dismiss Peaky Blinders as just a British drama. It would be easy to dismiss it as just a period piece. It would be easy to claim that it was just a British Boardwalk Empire. You'd be so wrong to do so.
Every part of Peaky Blinders is perfection. From the superb acting of its regular cast (Cillian Murphy on a tv show? Sign me up!) to a roster of featured guests (Sam Neill? Tom Hardy? Adrien Brody? Who did the casting director sell their soul to, anyway?) to the use of colour and an outlaw music soundtrack that shouldn't work, but does (Nick Cave? PJ Harvey? Tom Waits? David Bowie? On a period drama? What is this? Freaking genius, that's what.)
Shortly after the end of the first World War, a family of Irish gypsy (their word, not mine) - blooded Birmingham bookmakers tries to recover from the horrors of that war and build up their business. Second oldest, Tommy Shelby (played expertly by Cillian Murphy who manages to play a gangster who is both ruthless and fragile with the ability to break your heart with a single look), came back from the war broken by his experiences, but determined to rise far beyond the limitations of his Small Heath upbringing. Not only does he have the expected clashes with those who want to keep him from growing his business (both criminal rivals and the police) but he has a family to run (with all the interpersonal conflicts that entails). All of this is set against a backdrop of political turmoil from the IRA and the rise of communist sympathy in the UK.
You shouldn't like Tommy Shelby, but he is written and acted so well that you won't be able to not like him. The same can be said for older brother, Arthur, younger siblings John, Ada, and Finn. If you don't love Aunt Polly, then you must have a problem with strong female characters.
Steven Knight has taken a world told to him through family legend and turned it into a world that you will be eager to inhabit an hour (or, if you're like everyone I know, a season) at a time. He writes a period drama that doesn't feel dated. The characters and their struggles are as relevant today as they were nearly a hundred years ago.
Take a chance on the show with the weird name and discover why there are very few casual Peaky Blinders fans. There's a reason why the late, great David Bowie was a huge fan and made sure that they would have a song from his last album before he died. There's a reason the show's dated fashion and hairstyles are making a comeback, why Peaky Blinders pubs and pub nights are popping up all over. It's that good. Check it out for yourself.
Every part of Peaky Blinders is perfection. From the superb acting of its regular cast (Cillian Murphy on a tv show? Sign me up!) to a roster of featured guests (Sam Neill? Tom Hardy? Adrien Brody? Who did the casting director sell their soul to, anyway?) to the use of colour and an outlaw music soundtrack that shouldn't work, but does (Nick Cave? PJ Harvey? Tom Waits? David Bowie? On a period drama? What is this? Freaking genius, that's what.)
Shortly after the end of the first World War, a family of Irish gypsy (their word, not mine) - blooded Birmingham bookmakers tries to recover from the horrors of that war and build up their business. Second oldest, Tommy Shelby (played expertly by Cillian Murphy who manages to play a gangster who is both ruthless and fragile with the ability to break your heart with a single look), came back from the war broken by his experiences, but determined to rise far beyond the limitations of his Small Heath upbringing. Not only does he have the expected clashes with those who want to keep him from growing his business (both criminal rivals and the police) but he has a family to run (with all the interpersonal conflicts that entails). All of this is set against a backdrop of political turmoil from the IRA and the rise of communist sympathy in the UK.
You shouldn't like Tommy Shelby, but he is written and acted so well that you won't be able to not like him. The same can be said for older brother, Arthur, younger siblings John, Ada, and Finn. If you don't love Aunt Polly, then you must have a problem with strong female characters.
Steven Knight has taken a world told to him through family legend and turned it into a world that you will be eager to inhabit an hour (or, if you're like everyone I know, a season) at a time. He writes a period drama that doesn't feel dated. The characters and their struggles are as relevant today as they were nearly a hundred years ago.
Take a chance on the show with the weird name and discover why there are very few casual Peaky Blinders fans. There's a reason why the late, great David Bowie was a huge fan and made sure that they would have a song from his last album before he died. There's a reason the show's dated fashion and hairstyles are making a comeback, why Peaky Blinders pubs and pub nights are popping up all over. It's that good. Check it out for yourself.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Power Rangers (2017) in Movies
Jan 31, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
About 85% of this reboot of the popular 90s show Power Rangers is quite a broody and charming enough story about a group of five (mostly outcast) teenagers finding a bond and friendship after discovering that they've be given superpowers. This is spliced with the odd training montage of them all learning how to harness their new found powers.
It pretty straightforward, and thanks the main cast, it's fairly enjoyable.
Lead by Jason (Stranger Things' Dacre Montgomery), the five friends are probably the main positive about the film.
As the movie draws on, we are teased with just enough Power Rangers material to keep the intrigue afloat - the presence of Zordon (Bryan Cranston), Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) and Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), glimpses of the Zords and so on, but the narrative never strays too far from this core theme of strength through friendship.
That is until the final act of course...
I'll admit that I felt a swelling of excitement when the Power Rangers finally appeared in full armour, kicking the shit out of faceless CGI henchman, but it's at this point that director Dean Israelite goes FULL POWER RANGERS. We even get the classic theme tune as the Rangers charge towards Goldar (eye burning CGI, but kind of cool) and Rita in their Zords (also kind of cool) but here in lies the main problem with the film as a whole.
The nostalgia is laid on so thick that it feels like a completely different film. With the first 3/4 being somewhat grounded in realism (sort of), with serious themes and relatable human characters, the final act of flat out Power Rangers absurdity doesn't quite gel. I have no problem with either approach, but I feel like maybe the writers should have picked one and stuck with it.
The well developed teenagers that we've spent and hour and half with at this point are suddenly wise cracking and quipping like there's no tomorrow. The big climatic battle looks ok, but it has that really overplayed Kanye West song obnoxiously blasting throughout (which just gave me *shudder* Suicide Squad vibes), and after being built up to be a genuinely threatening villain, Rita is easily dispatched by a big CGI bitchslap into CGI space, by the big CGI hand of the big CGI Megazord (still kind of cool).
It's just a little meh.
I have fond memories of Power Rangers from my childhood, and I realise that this modern retelling is also aimed at a younger audience, and in that respect I'm sure it's very entertaining, and I give credit to the writers for touching upon more adult issues, but overall, I wish it had been better. Power Rangers is silly, but it does genuinely have scope to be an epic franchise.
Final note - the running Krispy Kreme joke got old very quickly 🖕
It pretty straightforward, and thanks the main cast, it's fairly enjoyable.
Lead by Jason (Stranger Things' Dacre Montgomery), the five friends are probably the main positive about the film.
As the movie draws on, we are teased with just enough Power Rangers material to keep the intrigue afloat - the presence of Zordon (Bryan Cranston), Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) and Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), glimpses of the Zords and so on, but the narrative never strays too far from this core theme of strength through friendship.
That is until the final act of course...
I'll admit that I felt a swelling of excitement when the Power Rangers finally appeared in full armour, kicking the shit out of faceless CGI henchman, but it's at this point that director Dean Israelite goes FULL POWER RANGERS. We even get the classic theme tune as the Rangers charge towards Goldar (eye burning CGI, but kind of cool) and Rita in their Zords (also kind of cool) but here in lies the main problem with the film as a whole.
The nostalgia is laid on so thick that it feels like a completely different film. With the first 3/4 being somewhat grounded in realism (sort of), with serious themes and relatable human characters, the final act of flat out Power Rangers absurdity doesn't quite gel. I have no problem with either approach, but I feel like maybe the writers should have picked one and stuck with it.
The well developed teenagers that we've spent and hour and half with at this point are suddenly wise cracking and quipping like there's no tomorrow. The big climatic battle looks ok, but it has that really overplayed Kanye West song obnoxiously blasting throughout (which just gave me *shudder* Suicide Squad vibes), and after being built up to be a genuinely threatening villain, Rita is easily dispatched by a big CGI bitchslap into CGI space, by the big CGI hand of the big CGI Megazord (still kind of cool).
It's just a little meh.
I have fond memories of Power Rangers from my childhood, and I realise that this modern retelling is also aimed at a younger audience, and in that respect I'm sure it's very entertaining, and I give credit to the writers for touching upon more adult issues, but overall, I wish it had been better. Power Rangers is silly, but it does genuinely have scope to be an epic franchise.
Final note - the running Krispy Kreme joke got old very quickly 🖕
Darren (1599 KP) rated Groupers (2019) in Movies
Sep 16, 2019
Characters – Meg is the mastermind behind the plan, she wants to use the experiment for her studies and to get revenge on the bullies from her brother’s school experience, she does remain in control of the situation for the most part, until we learn she isn’t alone in her plan. Brad is the typical high school jock, he thinks he is gods gift to women and will pick on anybody different, including pushing homosexuals to limits they shouldn’t, he isn’t willing to accept them in his world and does struggle to deal with the situation. Dylan is the other bully, he is the type of bully that just follows the leader and when put in the situation the pair find themselves in, seems to start showing his true nature, one that Brad doesn’t like. Orin is the brother that was the victim of the hate crime, what happened to him pushes Meg into her actions. We do also have a couple of groups of colourful characters that put a spanner in the works of the plan.
Performances – We have an excellent cast here, with Nicole Dambro taking centre stage on the more serious side of the film, while Cameron Duckett getting the most laughs from the main cast. Peter Mayer-Klepchick does a great job too and for the final act we do have everyone hitting the high points in the performance.
Story – The story here follows a woman that wants to experiment on a couple of school bullies that treated her brother homophobically and wants to prove that you can’t choose whether to be homosexual or not. This does start by coming off like a twisted revenge styled movie, with the story coming off like that, it is the second half of the film where we get to put over the message that was wanted to put forward, even if it is done with the comical tone at times. The story does have the prospective rewind idea, which does give each scene a new light, which is good to see. This is a story that does go in a different direction that you would expect and will surprise you at times.
Comedy – The comedy does come in strong in the second half of the film, where everything adds up and gives us laugh in every line.
Settings – The film is set entirely in one location, the pool in the abandoned neighbourhood, it does give the events a real-time feel too.
Scene of the Movie – Durant settles everything.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments do get repeated too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy that still manages to get the important message across too. It has great performance from the whole cast too.
Overall: Comedy that will make you laugh a lot.
Performances – We have an excellent cast here, with Nicole Dambro taking centre stage on the more serious side of the film, while Cameron Duckett getting the most laughs from the main cast. Peter Mayer-Klepchick does a great job too and for the final act we do have everyone hitting the high points in the performance.
Story – The story here follows a woman that wants to experiment on a couple of school bullies that treated her brother homophobically and wants to prove that you can’t choose whether to be homosexual or not. This does start by coming off like a twisted revenge styled movie, with the story coming off like that, it is the second half of the film where we get to put over the message that was wanted to put forward, even if it is done with the comical tone at times. The story does have the prospective rewind idea, which does give each scene a new light, which is good to see. This is a story that does go in a different direction that you would expect and will surprise you at times.
Comedy – The comedy does come in strong in the second half of the film, where everything adds up and gives us laugh in every line.
Settings – The film is set entirely in one location, the pool in the abandoned neighbourhood, it does give the events a real-time feel too.
Scene of the Movie – Durant settles everything.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments do get repeated too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy that still manages to get the important message across too. It has great performance from the whole cast too.
Overall: Comedy that will make you laugh a lot.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles #3) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
So sad to know that this is the last book in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles. This trilogy has been my favorite of all his works by far! I'm hoping he will work Sadie, Carter, & Walt/Anubis into another series as the end left it pretty open to be picked up into the future with new Gods & magic trying to disrupt the ancient Egyptian beliefs.
This book was great! It was a satisfying ending to the series, despite the fact that it did leave things open to being picked up in the future. (Maybe he'll do something like he did with Percy Jackson & then Heroes of Olympus?!?) Again Sadie & Carter are such likable, believable, well-developed characters. The things they go through are extraordinary without a doubt, but they are so easy to identify with...which I'm sure helps with the appeal of the series to younger readers. But just because that is the target audience, doesn't mean an adult won't enjoy it.
The book is full of history, love, battles, & courage that it is very easy to get wrapped up in.
This book was great! It was a satisfying ending to the series, despite the fact that it did leave things open to being picked up in the future. (Maybe he'll do something like he did with Percy Jackson & then Heroes of Olympus?!?) Again Sadie & Carter are such likable, believable, well-developed characters. The things they go through are extraordinary without a doubt, but they are so easy to identify with...which I'm sure helps with the appeal of the series to younger readers. But just because that is the target audience, doesn't mean an adult won't enjoy it.
The book is full of history, love, battles, & courage that it is very easy to get wrapped up in.