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Gaslight (1940)
8.0
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Movie
Gaslight is a 1940 British film directed by Thorold Dickinson which stars Anton Walbrook and Diana...
Dean (6925 KP) rated Halloween Kills (2021) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021
Nice ties to the original films (1 more)
Brutal
The Boogeyman is back
Carrying on from the same night as the 2018 film, much as Halloween 2 did. There are a lot of ties to the first two original Halloween films. This features characters, and some of the same actors who were kids in the first two films. Along with some flashback scenes set in '78. It's a nice touch.
There isn't a great deal of depth to the story as such but Michael is one lethal killing machine. The scene when faced with a whole fire crew is pure carnage. A little sub plot of the town coming together as a mob to tackle Michael was a bit silly. By the end you know Michael is pure evil and sets up for Halloween Ends next year.
There isn't a great deal of depth to the story as such but Michael is one lethal killing machine. The scene when faced with a whole fire crew is pure carnage. A little sub plot of the town coming together as a mob to tackle Michael was a bit silly. By the end you know Michael is pure evil and sets up for Halloween Ends next year.
ClareR (5686 KP) rated Hag: : Forgotten Folktales Retold in Books
Mar 13, 2022
I’m a huge fan of fairytales, so I was all over this collection of updated versions of local tales. I hadn’t heard of most of them, and I’d be hard-pressed to choose a favourite (but I do like the mermaids and selkies!).
What I especially liked about this collection, is that at the back of the book are all the original stories. So I could read the original before the updated version. It was so interesting to see how the authors updated them.
There are some phenomenal authors here. I’ve already read other books by Daisy Johnson, Naomi Booth and Kirsty Logan, have some of the others on my TBR, and now I can add some others to that list. This is one of the best things about reading anthologies: new to me authors!
So yes, I’d recommend this!
What I especially liked about this collection, is that at the back of the book are all the original stories. So I could read the original before the updated version. It was so interesting to see how the authors updated them.
There are some phenomenal authors here. I’ve already read other books by Daisy Johnson, Naomi Booth and Kirsty Logan, have some of the others on my TBR, and now I can add some others to that list. This is one of the best things about reading anthologies: new to me authors!
So yes, I’d recommend this!
Paradise Lost
John Milton and Barbara K. Lewalski
7.7
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Book
In this authoritative edition of John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost is presented in the original...
Fred (860 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
This is how you ruin a classic
Dumbo is one of my favorite Disney films. The original, not this crap. When told that his film was not long enough to be considered a full-length movie & that he would have to add 10 more minutes or so, Disney said "No. It's perfect the way it is." And he was right. The people who made this live-action remake apparently never heard that story. It's almost 2 hours long. The original story of the first film is done in about the first 20 minutes of this film, then it's an original sequel, basically.
The first & main problem of the film is the most obvious. The focus on the human characters over the animal characters. There are no talking animals in this one. Sure, Dumbo didn't talk, but he had Timothy mouse with him to speak for him. There's no stork, the bully elephants are gone, even the racist, but very entertaining crows are completely gone.
Second problem: Some of the music from the original film is here, but instrumental versions. Only "Baby Mine" is sung. We hear a clip of "Casey Jr." at the beginning. At the very end of the credits, we hear a bit of "When I See a Elephant Fly", but no "Look Out For Mr. Stork". But the biggest mistake was what they did with "Pink Elephants on Parade" In the original film, Dumbo accidentally drinks some champagne & gets drunk. He then blows bubbles & the bubbles take shape & thus begins one of the greatest scenes in Disney history. The bubbles take the shape of dancing, skating & tromping elephants. The scene is a nightmare & probably scared some kids in the day. The song itself is both fun & creepy. This should be perfect Tim Burton stuff, but in this film, it is not. In this film, circus performers are creating giant bubbles & somehow they are taking the shape of the elephants. In fact, they're copies of the elephants (and camel) from the original film. The song plays, but again, no lyrics. It's also not very well directed. Instead of looking like a nightmare, they keep cutting to Dumbo, watching the performers, with a smile.
And that brings me to another problem. Tim Burton. Like most Tim Burton movies, it looks fantastic, but it's just boring. The story is boring & unoriginal (Free Willy anyone?) I didn't get to like any of the human characters to care. They kind of just go through the motions. Dumbo himself lacks character & I never really felt for him.
I know Disney is set on remaking their classics & I haven't seen any before (and probably will not see anymore after this one). It breaks my heart to see Disney reduced to this sort of thing. I'll stick with the originals, thank you.
The first & main problem of the film is the most obvious. The focus on the human characters over the animal characters. There are no talking animals in this one. Sure, Dumbo didn't talk, but he had Timothy mouse with him to speak for him. There's no stork, the bully elephants are gone, even the racist, but very entertaining crows are completely gone.
Second problem: Some of the music from the original film is here, but instrumental versions. Only "Baby Mine" is sung. We hear a clip of "Casey Jr." at the beginning. At the very end of the credits, we hear a bit of "When I See a Elephant Fly", but no "Look Out For Mr. Stork". But the biggest mistake was what they did with "Pink Elephants on Parade" In the original film, Dumbo accidentally drinks some champagne & gets drunk. He then blows bubbles & the bubbles take shape & thus begins one of the greatest scenes in Disney history. The bubbles take the shape of dancing, skating & tromping elephants. The scene is a nightmare & probably scared some kids in the day. The song itself is both fun & creepy. This should be perfect Tim Burton stuff, but in this film, it is not. In this film, circus performers are creating giant bubbles & somehow they are taking the shape of the elephants. In fact, they're copies of the elephants (and camel) from the original film. The song plays, but again, no lyrics. It's also not very well directed. Instead of looking like a nightmare, they keep cutting to Dumbo, watching the performers, with a smile.
And that brings me to another problem. Tim Burton. Like most Tim Burton movies, it looks fantastic, but it's just boring. The story is boring & unoriginal (Free Willy anyone?) I didn't get to like any of the human characters to care. They kind of just go through the motions. Dumbo himself lacks character & I never really felt for him.
I know Disney is set on remaking their classics & I haven't seen any before (and probably will not see anymore after this one). It breaks my heart to see Disney reduced to this sort of thing. I'll stick with the originals, thank you.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Blithe Spirit (2020) in Movies
Mar 31, 2021 (Updated Mar 31, 2021)
The women act like shrews. (6 more)
Cheap jokes.
Lack of class and style.
Poor character development.
No depth to the characters at all.
Unsophisticated.
Would have been funnier without the sex jokes.
No! No! No! This is not the way Noel Coward is meant to be seen. Avoid this!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I am a HUGE fan of Noel Coward and absolutely adore the original Blithe Spirit. I had high hopes for this version as I like all of the actors involved in the movie. Unfortunately, it was a complete disappointment. Judi Dench's Madame Arcati paled in the memory of Margaret Rutherford, though much of the dialogue and actions during the seance scene were the same. She tried her best but the script just wasn't any good. I did appreciate the backstory of her losing her husband in the Boer War and that being the reason she was interested in the occult. The significance of the song Always was not mentioned, though it was very important to the plot in the original and made the movie relatable. Gone was the ethereal, sweet, mischievous little minx Elvira, played by Kay Hammond in the original. Enter the selfish, unlovable shrew of a first wife, played by the usually lovable Leslie Mann in the remake. The relationship between Charles and Elvira does not make any sense to the viewer and there was no point for them to have been together or for her to have thought of her and to bring her forth in the present. This is a missed plot point. In the original, it is actually the maid who was thinking of Elvira, not Charles, but the maid is merely a go-between for props in this movie and has no reason for being there, nor the chef. The relationship between Ruth and Charles is also not a good one and they have no reason to be together in this remake, though in the original, they at least have a few things in common. They seem to have nothing but derision toward each other. Again, I don't see the point of them being together. All of them are miserable together. Even when Elvira and Charles are intimate, it is not for romance and love but for mere hatred, jealousy, and spite. There is even a cheap crotch shot joke that I was appalled to see in this work. And the ending of the movie makes little sense. It's hardly the charming farce Noel Coward intended. Oh, the horrors. Skip this version. Watch the original. Trust me on this. This movie is not the way Noel Coward is meant to be seen.
MusicCritics (472 KP) rated In*ter*a*li*a by At The Drive-In in Music
Sep 21, 2017
At the Drive In made the most responsible call when they put their legacy on hold in 2001. Now older and wiser, they're much better prepared to nurture their blaze than before. All it needed was a little room to breathe.
Critic- Suzy Exposito
Original Score: 7 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-at-the-drive-ins-inter-alia-w481358
Original Score: 7 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-at-the-drive-ins-inter-alia-w481358
GameCritics (290 KP) rated PES in Video Games
Sep 21, 2017
Passing and defending are tight (2 more)
Superb goal feel
Great visuals, mostly
Presentation has been one of PES' sore points in the past, but on the whole PES 2107 looks great. Player likenesses are better than ever, the game runs smoothly, and the animations are gorgeous.
Critic- Tom Orry
Original Score:9 out of 10
Read Review: https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/pes-2017-review
Original Score:9 out of 10
Read Review: https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/pes-2017-review
Movie Critics (823 KP) rated The Interrupters (2011) in Movies
Sep 28, 2017
So don’t see The Interrupters out of some grudging civic duty. See it for the beautiful and horrifying people, for the despair and the against-all-odds uplift. Hardiman stresses that CeaseFire doesn’t talk religion but it does work to save lives.
Critic- Richard Corliss
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://entertainment.time.com/2011/08/05/the-interrupters-heroes-in-an-urban-war-zone/
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://entertainment.time.com/2011/08/05/the-interrupters-heroes-in-an-urban-war-zone/
MusicCritics (472 KP) rated By Any Means 2 by Kevin Gates in Music
Oct 3, 2017
Gates continues to hold down the fort on his own for the most part. Aside from the previously released PnB Rock assisted "Beautiful Scars" that he dropped a couple weeks ago, By Any Means 2 features no other guest appearances.
Critic- Kevin Goddard
Original Score: 4.5 out of 9
Read Review: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kevin-gates-drops-off-sequel-to-by-any-means-new-mixtape.117492.html
Original Score: 4.5 out of 9
Read Review: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kevin-gates-drops-off-sequel-to-by-any-means-new-mixtape.117492.html