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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) in Movies
Feb 23, 2022
The very concept of Leatherface not taking kindly to artisan bakeries and influencer inspired sushi bars is one that is absurdly tantalising, but it arrives at a point in this up-and-down franchise where no-one involved seems to be sure what they're trying to achieve.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a film that has been advertised as a true sequel to Tobe Hoopers groundbreaking original, ignoring all other sequels, prequels, and remakes that have come and gone over the years, similar to Halloween (2018) and Candyman (2021).
The main issue is then, of course, that it couldn't be further away from the original in terms of general tone if it tried. The claustrophobia, the implication of unspeakable violence that is never shown, the overall arthouse style, essential ingredients of '74, are nowhere to be found. Instead, we're presented with an unsubtle splatter flick that reeks of the unpleasantness of most mid-00s slashers. It's a far cry from what a lot of '74 fans love, but once this fact is accepted, there's a fair amount of fun to be found in what we've been given.
Let me be clear, I absolutely did not hate TCM. The writing is atrocious, the characters are almost exclusively unbearable, the return of the original films final girl is poorly handled and ultimately wasted, and it half arses attempts to tackle serious subjects such as gun violence and gentrification, but, some truly gorgeous cinematography, air tight pacing, and copious amounts of gore go someway in making up for its negatives.
Seriously, there is an ungodly amount of gore. As mentioned, it's light-years away from the originals subtlety, but I can respect it's ambition to go for the jugular. I mean, there is an actual, literal, chainsaw massacre, during a scene that made me say "Jesus Christ" out loud a couple of times.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is far different to what I, and I imagine plenty of other '74 fans, expected and wanted, but at the end of the day, it's an easy to watch, super gory, and fun slasher that is what it is. Leave your thinking cap at the door, and I'm sure you'll find it entertaining at the very least, and remember, the original still exists!
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a film that has been advertised as a true sequel to Tobe Hoopers groundbreaking original, ignoring all other sequels, prequels, and remakes that have come and gone over the years, similar to Halloween (2018) and Candyman (2021).
The main issue is then, of course, that it couldn't be further away from the original in terms of general tone if it tried. The claustrophobia, the implication of unspeakable violence that is never shown, the overall arthouse style, essential ingredients of '74, are nowhere to be found. Instead, we're presented with an unsubtle splatter flick that reeks of the unpleasantness of most mid-00s slashers. It's a far cry from what a lot of '74 fans love, but once this fact is accepted, there's a fair amount of fun to be found in what we've been given.
Let me be clear, I absolutely did not hate TCM. The writing is atrocious, the characters are almost exclusively unbearable, the return of the original films final girl is poorly handled and ultimately wasted, and it half arses attempts to tackle serious subjects such as gun violence and gentrification, but, some truly gorgeous cinematography, air tight pacing, and copious amounts of gore go someway in making up for its negatives.
Seriously, there is an ungodly amount of gore. As mentioned, it's light-years away from the originals subtlety, but I can respect it's ambition to go for the jugular. I mean, there is an actual, literal, chainsaw massacre, during a scene that made me say "Jesus Christ" out loud a couple of times.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is far different to what I, and I imagine plenty of other '74 fans, expected and wanted, but at the end of the day, it's an easy to watch, super gory, and fun slasher that is what it is. Leave your thinking cap at the door, and I'm sure you'll find it entertaining at the very least, and remember, the original still exists!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Saw II (2005) in Movies
Dec 29, 2017
The best Saw sequel
Let's face it, they never should have attempted to make a Saw sequel. The original film was so original and interesting with such an unforeseen twist, that it shouldve been left alone. But sadly the Saw films have now turned into yet another franchise that will never die.
That said, this first sequel isn't half bad and is by far the best out of all of them. The story is fairly interesting and the end twists do come as a surprise. The problem lies with Jigsaw's motives being a little patchy with Eric Matthews, and the main issue is it will never match the originality of the first film. It also changes how you feel about Jigsaw himself. In the first film until the end, he is just a mysterious voice and figure with a creepy doll and that's a good thing. With this sequel (and all of the others), they're trying to add depth to his character and they just end up overcomplicating things. Especially with all of this "helpers" Less is definitely more in this case.
That said, this first sequel isn't half bad and is by far the best out of all of them. The story is fairly interesting and the end twists do come as a surprise. The problem lies with Jigsaw's motives being a little patchy with Eric Matthews, and the main issue is it will never match the originality of the first film. It also changes how you feel about Jigsaw himself. In the first film until the end, he is just a mysterious voice and figure with a creepy doll and that's a good thing. With this sequel (and all of the others), they're trying to add depth to his character and they just end up overcomplicating things. Especially with all of this "helpers" Less is definitely more in this case.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Pokémon GO in Apps
Dec 30, 2017
Just as addicting as the original show but got pretty repetitive really fast
Okay I was into this when it first came out just like everybody else was the amount of hours and him out of walking I did trying to catch Pokemon is frankly ridiculous but it was just so much fun and something you can honestly say you've been waiting since being a kid in the 90s to be able to do. It was such a original and fun idea but quickly I grew bored with it you can only catch so many zubats before the game started feeling repetitive and just plain boring I didn't really play too much after the first few updates the game stopped working for me I was never finding Pokemon and all that pretty boring so I can honestly say I gave up pretty fast.
I really do think in the future that I can by myself playing this again if there's a really big surge interest but I don't really feel like I'm missing out on much while not playing anymore.
I really do think in the future that I can by myself playing this again if there's a really big surge interest but I don't really feel like I'm missing out on much while not playing anymore.
Dr Dystopian (526 KP) rated The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in Video Games
Jan 8, 2018 (Updated Jan 8, 2018)
Improved graphics from the original (2 more)
Runs better on the PS4 than on previous generation
Still a fantastic game even after 5 years
Worth playing if you missed out before
Ultimately this is a fantastic game and easily one of the best of the previous generation of consoles and so is 100% worth picking up if you either missed the initial release or are wanting a second round of it on this generation!
Improved graphics and a more powerful console make the game look and perform better than the original and there is still so much to do in this game it that countless hours can be lost to it. Due to its age the price for it is very reasonable with it often being found in sales which makes it a bargain purchase.
As always with Bethesda games there are the typical glitches and odd mechanics or bizarre AI behaviour despite the games age however this doesn't typically detract from an otherwise amazing game.
Improved graphics and a more powerful console make the game look and perform better than the original and there is still so much to do in this game it that countless hours can be lost to it. Due to its age the price for it is very reasonable with it often being found in sales which makes it a bargain purchase.
As always with Bethesda games there are the typical glitches and odd mechanics or bizarre AI behaviour despite the games age however this doesn't typically detract from an otherwise amazing game.
Dean (6925 KP) rated Ghostbusters (2016) in Movies
Jul 29, 2017
Decent Cgi for the Ghosts (1 more)
Good cast chemistry
Who ya gonna call?
Well this caused a stir among the Fanboys. I really like the original but not so much I don't think anyone should make another Ghostbusters film. Some didn't like the idea of an all female team this time round, who cares? From the director of @Spy (2015) , @The Heat (2013) @Bridesmaids (2011) , along with some cast members from the latter. This had a good comedy team involved. It's not great, the humour is more on the silly and slapstick side, a bit crude at times as well. The Cgi and ghost designs were pretty good, if a little cartoonish. Almost like something out of Scooby-Doo. Something that makes me feel this was aimed a young audience and not really fans of the original. It has some nice cameos but overall it's an average film. Watch and make your own mind up.
Andrea D (21 KP) rated Six of Crows in Books
Mar 6, 2019
Variety of characters (1 more)
The lack of black and white thinking
A Second chance.
This is the second time I have attempted to read Six of Crows and I've only chosen to pick it up after loving the original Grisha Trilogy so much. This time around I stuck with it and feel deeply hugely in love with the Dregs.
There are very few morals in this book and money is king, don't expect to go into this book liking all the characters as it seems to take a while to truly understand them.
I love the way Leigh Bardurgo has refused to make her characters pure and innocent people who can do no wrong. Every single person in this book is deeply flawed but that's what makes it all so good.
The Grishaverse has a huge following and it is certainly well deserved. You do not need to have read the original trilogy to read this one but I did find myself overly excited every time I recognised a character from the originals.
There are very few morals in this book and money is king, don't expect to go into this book liking all the characters as it seems to take a while to truly understand them.
I love the way Leigh Bardurgo has refused to make her characters pure and innocent people who can do no wrong. Every single person in this book is deeply flawed but that's what makes it all so good.
The Grishaverse has a huge following and it is certainly well deserved. You do not need to have read the original trilogy to read this one but I did find myself overly excited every time I recognised a character from the originals.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Apr 4, 2019 (Updated Apr 4, 2019)
Baffling-o remake of beloved-o animated-o Disney classic is misconceived-o on every level. Basic story remains the same: baby elephant arrives at travelling circus with freakishly big ears; the laws of physics and aerodynamics are put to one side as the small pachyderm takes to the air. That probably sounds a bit churlish-o but this is a calculated and mercenary attempt to exploit generations of goodwill towards the original film, which is charming, gentle and whimsical.
The new film blows through the plot of the old one in about forty minutes, at which point the film wanders off into a new storyline about Dumbo being sold to a grasping and exploitative entertainment tycoon who owns his own lavish theme park - did *nobody* at the Disney corporation stop to think that this kind of plot might not be the best of fits for one of their films? Everything is bemusingly dark and depressing. Many call-backs to the original, but everything that made it so special has been scoured away; not just bad, but also dumb.
The new film blows through the plot of the old one in about forty minutes, at which point the film wanders off into a new storyline about Dumbo being sold to a grasping and exploitative entertainment tycoon who owns his own lavish theme park - did *nobody* at the Disney corporation stop to think that this kind of plot might not be the best of fits for one of their films? Everything is bemusingly dark and depressing. Many call-backs to the original, but everything that made it so special has been scoured away; not just bad, but also dumb.
Dean (6925 KP) rated Aladdin (2019) in Movies
May 22, 2019 (Updated May 22, 2019)
Very entertaining family film
Well I have to say I was a bit surprised when I saw Guy Ritchie come up as the director at the start, especially after the King Arthur film. Gladly none of his usual editing techniques are on show here. I can only just remember the cartoon version when I was younger. The humour of the genie voiced by Robin Williams made the film for me.
So a tough act to follow. The film is visually dazzling, in the costumes, sets, CGI and SFX in general. It all looks very realistic. I'm not a big fan of the songs, some are better than others. Overall it's a bit unfair to compare it to the original. It's a fun and light hearted film that goes by at a good pace and doesn't feel like a long film. Naomi Scott does look like a Disney princess. Maybe not as funny as the original but it's still a film all ages should enjoy.
So a tough act to follow. The film is visually dazzling, in the costumes, sets, CGI and SFX in general. It all looks very realistic. I'm not a big fan of the songs, some are better than others. Overall it's a bit unfair to compare it to the original. It's a fun and light hearted film that goes by at a good pace and doesn't feel like a long film. Naomi Scott does look like a Disney princess. Maybe not as funny as the original but it's still a film all ages should enjoy.
Peter Shephard (2822 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium in Tabletop Games
Jun 4, 2019
Variation to the base game
The addition of two different maps for Mars is a welcome variation; the changes to the Milestones and Achievements is also a nice touch, as it changes the way people can score points from what they would usually aim for in the base game.
Although I do enjoy the different maps, and they are different enough, they dont really have a huge amount of "uniqueness" which the original one has. There are several cards which have been altered (Noctis City, for example) due to the location being on the other side of Mars. While this is an obvious side effect, it reduces the 'difficulty' of playing these cards hugely, so they feel less special.
It would have also been good to have had a small bundle of Hellas and Elysium cards included, even if it meant removing the original-location specific cards, but this opportunity was missed.
Out of all of the expansions, H&E adds the least, unless you have played the base map dozens and dozens of times.
Although I do enjoy the different maps, and they are different enough, they dont really have a huge amount of "uniqueness" which the original one has. There are several cards which have been altered (Noctis City, for example) due to the location being on the other side of Mars. While this is an obvious side effect, it reduces the 'difficulty' of playing these cards hugely, so they feel less special.
It would have also been good to have had a small bundle of Hellas and Elysium cards included, even if it meant removing the original-location specific cards, but this opportunity was missed.
Out of all of the expansions, H&E adds the least, unless you have played the base map dozens and dozens of times.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) in Movies
Mar 4, 2018 (Updated Mar 4, 2018)
The original Hammer horror movie; the studio did actually know how to spell 'experiment', but the title refers to the 'X' certificate that all self-respecting horror films had at the time this was made. Astronaut comes back from space a changed man; the rest of his crew mysteriously vanished - just what went on out there? Professor Q must figure it out before the mutation afflicting the astronaut reaches its final form.
Actually really, really tame as a horror movie by modern standards, obviously, but also of great historical interest as the birth of a legend in British cinema. One can't help suspecting the TV show was a lot more thoughtful, but this still works pretty well as an SF movie, and an influential one at that, and the juxtaposition of B-movie SF ideas and images with post-war Britain is interesting. Imported American star Brian Donlevy is not very good as Professor Q (original writer Nigel Kneale claimed he was on the sauce all the time); Richard Wordsworth is mesmerising as the doomed astronaut.
Actually really, really tame as a horror movie by modern standards, obviously, but also of great historical interest as the birth of a legend in British cinema. One can't help suspecting the TV show was a lot more thoughtful, but this still works pretty well as an SF movie, and an influential one at that, and the juxtaposition of B-movie SF ideas and images with post-war Britain is interesting. Imported American star Brian Donlevy is not very good as Professor Q (original writer Nigel Kneale claimed he was on the sauce all the time); Richard Wordsworth is mesmerising as the doomed astronaut.