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Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies
Feb 28, 2019
Michael Myers is back but unfortunately for him so is Laurie Strode!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was on board with this as soon as I saw the trailer showing a more grizzled badass Laurie and that really is the highlight of this film. There are 2 twists in this film. 1 is quite unnecessary but leads to quite a glorious head squash which is the standout bit of gore. The second twist is excellent, paying homage to the original we get scenes similar to those from the first but roles reversed so that Laurie takes Michael's place and is stalking him showing her evolution from victim to prepared survivor/hunter. So yeah not a perfect film but a really solid effort. Hopefully leads to a new run of films with Laurie and her brood.
Another dull Netflix original
I really would like to find a Netflix original film that is actually impressively good, but I'm afraid this seems to be impossible and sadly IO is no different.
End of the world scenarios are nothing new, although this at least finds a more interesting and unique take on what happens to us all when the earth dies. And it has a decent (yet very minimal) cast too. The problem is that the film doesn't really seem to go anywhere and when it does, its dull and predictable. It's only on for 90 minutes but it plods along at such a dredgingly slow pace and nothing really happens. Its taken a promising premise and turned it into a rather boring film, which is a shame as with a little more excitement and action this could've been much better.
End of the world scenarios are nothing new, although this at least finds a more interesting and unique take on what happens to us all when the earth dies. And it has a decent (yet very minimal) cast too. The problem is that the film doesn't really seem to go anywhere and when it does, its dull and predictable. It's only on for 90 minutes but it plods along at such a dredgingly slow pace and nothing really happens. Its taken a promising premise and turned it into a rather boring film, which is a shame as with a little more excitement and action this could've been much better.
The Craggus (360 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Apr 4, 2019
Dumbo (2019) has a surprisingly metatextual moral for the House of Mouse
In seeking to carve out something new for this reimagining, Director Tim Burton – and screenwriter Ehren Kruger – find themselves leaning too heavily on the original version early on, racing through its main plot points in a brisk half-hour blighted by too many things which happen because they happened in the original story. It’s all a little bit inorganic, feeling rushed and forced in order to get us to the point where we’re telling a new story. A plethora of supporting characters are introduced but then barely used and while this version broadly switches the focus of the story away from the animals and on to the humans, those humans remain as crudely drawn and superficial as the forgettable background characters of the 1941 animation...
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusDumbo19
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusDumbo19
Dean (6927 KP) rated Fast & Furious (2009) in Movies
Jun 28, 2018
Original cast members (1 more)
Cool cars
Back on track
At last the majority of the original cast are back for a true sequel. It's great how some of the film relates back to what happened in the first and some of the locations are still the same. I heard mixed reviews of this but I thought it was great and the 2nd best in the series now after the first. Even Han from Tokyo drift makes a brief appearance at the start to tie things in a bit. There is plenty of action and cool cars and a great street race scene thats better than the 1/4 mile race of the first. There are rumours there could be a couple more yet, if they get the cast to stay together and a good story it could make for an even better film.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Alien (1979) in Movies
Oct 21, 2018
Sci-fi horror at its finest
A simple concept of a group of astronauts returning from a far away mission and awakened prematurely by their computer to investigate an unknown signal so thy can investigate. What they find within the hostile environment of the strange planet started an entire new genre of sci-fi horror which has not been equaled even to this day.
You can make an argument which is better Alien or Aliens; however, Aliens is an action film whereas the original Alien is claustrophobic, uneasy, foreboding and a masterpiece.
The stunning visuals accompanied by a stellar cast and a masterful look and feel make Alien a true one-of-a-kind and something that has been mimicked and copied over the years with varying degrees of success without equaling the original.
You can make an argument which is better Alien or Aliens; however, Aliens is an action film whereas the original Alien is claustrophobic, uneasy, foreboding and a masterpiece.
The stunning visuals accompanied by a stellar cast and a masterful look and feel make Alien a true one-of-a-kind and something that has been mimicked and copied over the years with varying degrees of success without equaling the original.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Shakespeare's Sonnets, Retold in Books
Nov 21, 2018
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
I remember in high school that Shakespeare was the bane of my existence. For some reason, high schools in the US only choose to have you read Romeo and Juliet (woof). I had read a few sonnets then, just for fun, and was completely befuddled.
Luckily, this book has come along. The format is great, the original sonnet is on one page, and the reinterpretation is on the other. I thought the first section of procreation sonnets was... bizarre and I hope I never read them again. I enjoyed the 'Dark Lady' sonnets at the end. This book is definitely a must-read if you've ever been interested in the sonnets, but can't wade through the original text with ease.
I remember in high school that Shakespeare was the bane of my existence. For some reason, high schools in the US only choose to have you read Romeo and Juliet (woof). I had read a few sonnets then, just for fun, and was completely befuddled.
Luckily, this book has come along. The format is great, the original sonnet is on one page, and the reinterpretation is on the other. I thought the first section of procreation sonnets was... bizarre and I hope I never read them again. I enjoyed the 'Dark Lady' sonnets at the end. This book is definitely a must-read if you've ever been interested in the sonnets, but can't wade through the original text with ease.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Holmes and Watson (2018) in Movies
Jan 3, 2019 (Updated Jan 3, 2019)
Almost incomprehensibly bad comic spoof of Sherlock Holmes that - despite the presence of many talented and genuinely funny performers - still manages to be totally lacking in laughs, wit, or anything much in the way of entertainment value. Serious adaptations of the original stories - hell, the original stories themselves - all managed to be much funnier than this.
General tone of self-satisfied knowing stupidity; lazy jokes about Donald Trump, selfies, people texting dick pics, etc; much-too-late-to-the-party spoofing of the Guy Ritchie Holmes films from nearly ten years ago. I'll go and see just about anything but it took a sustained effort of will not to walk out of this film. 2018 may have departed but this film lingers on in its wake like the stench from rotting carrion. For pity's sake, avoid.
General tone of self-satisfied knowing stupidity; lazy jokes about Donald Trump, selfies, people texting dick pics, etc; much-too-late-to-the-party spoofing of the Guy Ritchie Holmes films from nearly ten years ago. I'll go and see just about anything but it took a sustained effort of will not to walk out of this film. 2018 may have departed but this film lingers on in its wake like the stench from rotting carrion. For pity's sake, avoid.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Ring Two (2005) in Movies
Oct 18, 2019
The Ring's Grudge
Unlike the first one, this one is bad. It is really different from the first one and thats really effects this movie from the first one. The first one was really horrorfying and terrorfying. This one was not the scary. I mean their were some scary sences, but overall it was not that scary. So whats the plot....
Sequel to the cult horror about a videotape that brings death to anyone who watches it. The journalist from the original film destroys the tape but is pursued by the demon that cursed it and who now wants to possess her son. The Japanese director of the original directs this sequel.
It is confusing, it really doesnt make any sense, really throws everything out that the first one had and just comes out with a awful movie.
Sequel to the cult horror about a videotape that brings death to anyone who watches it. The journalist from the original film destroys the tape but is pursued by the demon that cursed it and who now wants to possess her son. The Japanese director of the original directs this sequel.
It is confusing, it really doesnt make any sense, really throws everything out that the first one had and just comes out with a awful movie.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies
Feb 1, 2020
Amazingly this now has 9 sequels, the 2nd and 3rd were passable but the original is the only one really worth bothering with. Clive Barker’s film is a highly original dark and twisted nightmare. I didn’t find it outright scary but it succeeds with its grim sense of foreboding and memorably horrible images that linger in your head long after the film has finished. I thought the iconic Pinhead character and the other cenobites were actually a bit under used (about 5 minutes total screen time) and could have really terrified the audience if we had seen a bit more of them . The acting can be a little ropey at times as well but if you can overlook that some satisfyingly old school gore effects and imaginative storytelling make this a fine slice of 80’s horror.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) in Movies
Feb 1, 2020
The original and by far the best of the Nightmare series. Wes Craven’s film is like most 80’s movies looking a little dated in 2019 particularly in its special effects but to me still holds up very well as an original and unsettling horror thriller that puts a unique supernatural spin on the well established slasher formula. The film’s ace is in it’s boogeyman Freddy Krueger, coming after the silent killers of ‘Halloween’ and ‘Friday the 13th’ Robert Englund’s iconic Freddy actually had a personality and the sequels realising his popularity put him front and centre with much more screen time and subsequently making him considerably less scary . Craven conjures up some memorable kill scenes here and the concept of being vulnerable somewhere seemingly as safe as in your dreams makes for a great horror movie.