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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Comedy of Terrors (1964) in Movies

Mar 30, 2020 (Updated Mar 30, 2020)  
The Comedy of Terrors (1964)
The Comedy of Terrors (1964)
1964 | Classics, Comedy, Horror
9
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Vincent Price (1 more)
Boris Karloff
Price and Karloff
The Comedy of Terrors- It is a blend of comedy and horror which features several cast members from Tales of Terror, made by AIP the year before. Its funny, hilarious, laugh of loud, terrorfying and scary. Plus you have both Vincent Price and Boris Karloff which is a hugh plus in my books. Two iconic legend horror actors.

The plot: Waldo Trumbull (Vincent Price) is an amoral undertaker in 19th-century New England who takes to murdering people to have enough cash to support his drinking habit. Desperate for money after a widow stiffs him for a burial, Trumbull and his assistant, Gillie (Peter Lorre), decide to kill the wealthy Mr. Black (Basil Rathbone), their landlord, to whom they're indebted. But murdering Black proves to be quite a challenge, as he seems to keep recovering from death every time they do him in.

Its a classic movie, with two horror icons and mixs horror with comedy.
  
A Woman Under the Influence (1975)
A Woman Under the Influence (1975)
1975 | Classics, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"This includes all of the films in the box set John Cassavetes: Five Films. I’m always a little leery of the routine critical construction “Without X, there would be no Y.” Surely Y would have come along; his or her work might have been a bit different, but he or she would have come along. But in the case of Cassavetes, it is difficult not to think of a whole talkative, financially strapped mob of filmmakers, some brilliant, some not so much, who very well might not have come along if he hadn’t, you know, blazed the path. Still, you don’t watch a Cassavetes film for its historical significance. These films are alive. How very well I remember my first, A Woman Under the Influence. I probably went in because I was a Columbo fan. Not only was I enthralled by a whole new Peter Falk; Gena Rowlands simply blew . . . me . . . away."

Source
  
Captain Hook: Villain or Victim
Captain Hook: Villain or Victim
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;

<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/New-blog-banner-10.png"/>;

<b><i>Has it ever occurred to you that there might be another version to Peter Pan’s story? Would you want to see Captain Hook’s point of view? If so, then you will truly enjoy this lovely short read: Captain Hook: Villain or Victim by Ellwyn Autumn. </i></b>

I have always loved Peter Pan and this fairy tale is without a doubt my favourite fairy tale. The world is unique, and the story is amazing. Maybe Peter Pan was the reason I was always so in love with England. I will never know.

When Ellwyn introduced me to her book, I knew I had to have it. I had to read it and find out what Captain Hook’s story might be. The book is quite short, but full of adventures throughout. We follow the journalist, David J. Locke, who sails through the seas searching for Captain Hook. When he finally gets a clue, he dives into the story of Captain Hook and discovers truths that have never been told before.

Even though there were times when the Captain Hook’s story seems like a side-story to David J. Locke’s adventures, it was a pleasure to read it, and I read it in one sitting. The book keeps you interested throughout, and the fiction of the re-telling is quite smart and uniquely thought through. I am very happy that I read this book! I would recommend it to all of you that love retellings and love fairy tales.

A huge thank you to Ellwyn Autumn, for sending me a paperback copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
2018 | Action, Animation, Sci-Fi
New take on an old favourite (0 more)
Should have been done sooner (0 more)
Nice refreshing direction
I never read the blurb before going to see this because I wanted to be surprised and this film did not disappoint.

Take what you know about Spider-Man and put it to one side because this comes at it in a totally original way.

From the very outset this is one trippy, fast paced well thought up movie, it came from the minds who brought you the brilliant 21 jump street and the excellent Lego movie I speak of Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

I loved everything about this movie from the animation, which was part movie , part graphic novel, good balance of action and story

the soundtrack fits it with the bouncy non stop visuals. I have had the soundtrack playing non stop ever since there is just something so catchy about it, I know some only work in the context of the film but this works outside it which is great. Some familiar names you may know are Nicki Minaj, Jayden Smith and Post Malone.

The voice acting is brilliant as something birthed by Marvel I wouldn’t expect anything less, see below for the link to actors featured, the directors were Rodney Rothman, Peter Ramsey and Bob Persichetti , they took the vision Phil and Chris had and brought it to life in a new and refreshing way.

I would definitely recommend this if you are a Spider-Man fan or even if your new to him, with laugh out loud moments and genuinely touching times this is a brilliant twist on what I know as Spider-Man.
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Dracula (1958) in Movies

Oct 31, 2019  
Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1958)
1958 | Horror
6
7.8 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Doctor Van Helsing has been trying to hunt down Dracula for years now, his latest attempt sees him anger the vampire, forcing him to defend his loved ones before he starts his own attack on the vampire. Count Dracula has lived a life where his presence has struck fear in the locals, he is a vampire with his age seemingly unknown, after his bride is taken from him, he goes after the people that took her, in search of finding his new bride. Arthur is one of the people working with Van Helsing, it is his family that has becomes the target of Dracula, with Mina being the wife of Arthur that is one of the women Dracula wants to make his brides.

Performances – Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are the icons on the 50’s horrors, this film shows they are just wonderful in the horror performances both sides of the good and evil scale. When it comes to the supporting roles, it appears that the rest of the cast are meant to just let the lead two stars take the spotlight.

Story – The story here is the basic Dracula story, where after one of his brides is killed, Dracula targets the family that took his bride to get his own new bride and revenge. The Dracula story has been told so many times, it does become slightly boring to watch a story that doesn’t offer anything new to the tried and tested formula. If you do know the basic story, you will know everything that happens in this film which just ends up being nothing refreshing.

Horror – The horror comes the ideas of vampires with Dracula lurking in the darkness, most doesn’t come off scary though which is disappointing.

Settings – The film uses the couple of main locations, we have the castle of course which we don’t spend enough time around, the English house that shows how the family will try to hide from Dracula.

Special Effects – The effects are practical which do bring one of the most memorable scenes in the film.


Scene of the Movie – final showdown.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It isn’t anything new.

Final Thoughts – This is a hammer horror version of Dracula, it works well enough for the basic idea, only it doesn’t reach too much new to the story idea.

 

Overall: Hammer Horror Dracula.
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Nineteen Minutes in Books

May 25, 2017  
Nineteen Minutes
Nineteen Minutes
Jodi Picoult | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.8 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
Controversial (0 more)
Fantastic Author
Your son says the bullying was unbearable. But his revenge was murder. What would you do?

Nineteen Minutes is perhaps Jodi Picoult’s most controversial novel, as well as one of the longest. Lots of things can happen in nineteen minutes including a school shooting resulting in the deaths of ten people. This is what happens at the beginning of this book, leaving hundreds of teachers and students emotionally scarred for the remainder of their lives. Picoult explores the reactions of a community who’s ideas of safety have been shattered, the grief of the victims and their families and, perhaps most importantly, the heartache of the parents of the shooter.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Houghton has had enough of the bullying that he has endured throughout his entire school life. He has no friends, is constantly miserable, possibly suicidal, and so, on a typical morning in March 2007 he decides permanently fix the situation, unthinking of the consequences. But why did he go to such extremes? What circumstances in his life led to firing a gun as the only solution?

As the evidence is gathered in the lead up to the court trial, many key characters question their own involvement in Peter’s life. Firstly there is Josie Cormier, a straight-A student who swapped her childhood friendship with Peter for popularity and her boyfriend Matt, a particularly aggressive bully. Secondly there is Alex Cormier, Josie’s mother, who destroyed her friendship with Peter’s mother after finding their five-year-old children playing with guns in the Houghton’s basement.

If Peter’s father had never owned a selection of hunting rifles, would Peter ever have thought of guns as a way out of his predicament? On the other hand, Lacy Houghton blames herself for not noticing how badly her son was suffering, not just at school, but at home as well, where he had to live up to the memory of his saint-like older brother who died in a car crash the previous year.

Naturally a tragic event such as this changes people, however not always in a negative way. Relationships begin to blossom as characters realize how close they were to losing the ones they love. Alex takes a step back from her demanding job to comfort Josie in the aftermath, thus feeling closer to her than she ever has done before. Alex, a single mother, also opens herself up to a romantic relationship, something she has had no time to seriously consider up until now.

All the while, Defense Attorney Jordan McAfee, who some readers may remember from Salem Falls, fights a losing battle to get Peter acquitted, by arguing and prying into Peter’s emotions to discover his reason for committing murder.

What I like about Picoult’s novels is that there is a lot more to it than a simple storyline. While the story plays out and plot twists happen, the reader is learning something new. In Nineteen Minutes Picoult provides insight into midwifery, psychology and economics – things that are not synonymous with the shootings.

Readers will constantly question whose side of the story they are on. Hundreds of people grow up being bullied and will understand how Peter was feeling; yet they would not pick up a gun. Likewise, by putting themselves in the shoes of the victims readers will think about how they would feel in the same situation. However would anyone be willing to admit that they made someone else’s life a living hell? There is no simple conclusion to Nineteen Minutes; someone will always lose. Nevertheless, Picoult’s fantastic writing skills provide an enthralling story of love and loss.

I cannot recommend this book to readers in general due to the nature of the themes found in the story. Gun crime and school shootings are sadly still an occurrence in the present time, particularly in America, therefore there are thousands of people who have been affected by such an event, whether directly or indirectly as part of a local community. Some readers may find Nineteen Minutes challenging and upsetting, which is why I am not going to encourage everyone to read this book. However, Picoult has excelled herself with this novel and it would be a shame for people not to read it. Fans will not be disappointed with her writing and will love all her characters, possibly even Peter!
  
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
2014 | Action, Sci-Fi
Story: This follows up from the first one so we have to remember unlike the Avengers and Dark Knight we are dealing with a teenage superhero. He has different problems like whether he wants a girlfriend or whether to go to college, you know the serious stuff. We have him putting out all the cheesy lines against the person he fights not taking anything seriously. While Peter is trying to figure out what his life holds next, the people against him start their own stories. We have the generic loner scientist who ends up having an accident, gaining powers and using them for evil, been there seen that in every Spider-man film. We also have the Harry Osborn who wants Spider-Man’s blood to cure his sickness and when he can’t have it he goes on a rampage against Spider-Man. It would be fair this is a slow moving film and it really is building up for the next chapter. (7/10)

 

Actor Review

 

Andrew Garfield: Spider-Man/Peter Parker while trying to figure out what to do with his life he carries on fighting crime, he has to decide whether to keep with his girlfriend when her father’s dying wish was to leave her so she couldn’t get caught up in trouble. He does ends up having to face the biggest battle of his life after his battles with Electro and Green Goblin. Good performance in a character that develops as the film unfolds. (8/10)

 spide

Emma Stone: Gwen Stacy ambitious girlfriend of Peter, who wants to excel in her studies and gets that chance to but with Peter in her life she will always be in danger. Good supporting performance, but I always find relationships for superheroes only get in the way and annoy. (7/10)

emma

Jamie Foxx: Electro lonely scientist who has helped the city design a better power source. He feels like everyone is against him but when Spider-Man saves him he gets a boost of confidence. Just when things look good for Max he ends up having an accident at work and turning into Electro, who starts off just wanting help but when he feels betrayed by Spider-Man he wants to take out the web-slinger and the city. Good performance playing a very difficult character that really looks the part. (8/10)

 eletrco

Dane DeHaan: Green Goblin/Harry Osborn an old friend of Peter who wants him to find Spider-Man so he can use his blood to cure his terminal illness. After both Peter and Spider-Man refuse for safety reason he finds out his company secretly has some stored away and he uses it and becomes the Green Goblin out to stop Spider-Man. Good performance from the always solid Dane. (8/10)

harry

Director Review: Marc Webb – Great direction creating a story that really is building to something bigger, creating some very memorable fight scenes and a villain in Electro like nothing we have seen before. (8/10)

 

Action: When the action happens it is all very good, with some great camera spinning shots of Spider-Man in battle. (8/10)

Superhero: A solid entry in the superhero genre. (8/10)

Settings: New York makes a great setting because without all the building Spider-Man couldn’t swing as much. (9/10)
Special Effects: Great special effects used throughout the film. (10/10)

Suggestion: This must be watch by all the superhero fans out there, it is creating a big picture without having to use separate films to add to one of franchise. (Superhero Fans Watch)

 

Best Part: Spider-Man battles Electro round two.

Worst Part: It does start slow, nearly an hour before we meet Electro.

Action Scene Of The Film: The final battles

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: Has one planned

Post Credits Scene: No

 

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $708 Million

Budget: $200 Million

Runtime: 2 Hours 22 Minutes

Tagline: His greatest battle begins

 

Overall: Solid Addition to Spider-Man Franchise

https://moviesreview101.com/2014/09/01/the-amazing-spider-man-2-2014/
  
Fright Night (1985)
Fright Night (1985)
1985 | Comedy, Horror
You Can't Murder a Vampire
Fright Night- is a excellent vampire movie. Directed by Tom Holland. It has comedy, horror, lots of gory and Peter Vincent.

The plot: Teenage Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is a horror-film junkie, so it's no surprise that, when a reclusive new neighbor named Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) moves next-door, Brewster becomes convinced he is a vampire. It's also no surprise when nobody believes him. However, after strange events begin to occur, Charlie has no choice but to turn to the only person who could possibly help: washed-up television vampire killer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall).

While writing the script for Cloak & Dagger, Tom Holland amused himself when he conceived the idea of a horror-movie fan becoming convinced that his next-door neighbor was a vampire, but he did not initially think this premise was enough to sustain a story. "What's he gonna do", Holland asked, "because everybody's gonna think he's mad!"

The Peter Vincent character was named after horror icons Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, and Holland specifically wrote the part for Price, but at this point in his career, Price had been so badly typecast that he had stopped accepting roles in horror movies.

Holland and McDowall built a lasting friendship, and McDowall eventually invited Holland to a dinner party where he introduced him to Vincent Price, who was flattered that the part was an homage to him and commented that the film "was wonderful and he thought Roddy did a wonderful job."

Once his cast was in place, Holland got input from each of the actors and made numerous revisions to the script. Some were slight and others were major – such as the ending, which originally featured Peter Vincent transforming into a vampire as he returned to host Fright Night.

The cast could only wear them for a maximum of 20 minutes because they were virtually blind in them, and they were thick and painful, and dried out their eyes. A set was made for Stark to wear when he was in his final pursuit of Peter and Charley, but he kept tripping on the stairs. Holland told him to take one out, and he was then able to perform the scene.

Three sets were made for Amanda Bearse, but one of them caused her agonizing pain, which she initially tried to endure. When it finally became too much to bear, she took the contacts out and the crew realized they had forgotten to buff them. For the scene in Mrs. Brewster's bedroom, Geoffreys kept his contacts in for nearly 40 minutes, resulting in scratches on his eyeballs for months afterward.

For the transformation sequences, up to 8 hours were needed to prepare Sarandon's makeup.

The makeup for Evil Ed's wolf transformation took 18 hours.

On Christmas Eve, during the shooting of a scene where he is running down a staircase, Ragsdale accidentally tripped and broke his ankle, resulting in the film being temporarily put on a hold until he could recover. "


Many scenes were shot with his foot in a cast, including the scene in which Jerry comes to Charley's room to attack him. For shots in which Charley's feet were visible, the costumers slit Ragsdale's shoes in several places, slipped them on and then covered the portions of white cast that peeked through the slits with black cloth. For the scene in which Jerry is carrying Charley by the throat with one hand, Sarandon was simultaneously pushing Ragsdale along on a furniture dolly.

The shot of Jerry pulling the pencil out of his hand was achieved by having a spring-loaded, collapsible pencil glued to his palm and an eraser-tip loosely attached to the back of his hand. When he turns his hand and pulls the spring-loaded piece from his palm, out of shot a |monofilament wire jerked away the tip, so when he turns it back, it appears as though he hss pulled it straight through his hand.

Filming of the sequence with the bat was difficult for effects veteran Randall Cook, who kept winding up on film while puppeteering the creature.

Its a excellent movie.
  
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Spider-Man Knocks It Out Of The Park In This Summer Vacation Superhero Hybrid
Spider-Man Far From Home is a 2019 superhero movie directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris Mckenna and Erik Sommers. It was co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, and Jake Gyllenhaal.


The Midtown School of Science and Technology in New York City organizes a two-week summer field trip to Europe to accommodate the students who were resurrected by "the blip". Peter plans to avoid heroics and confess his feelings to "MJ" on this trip but is warned by Happy that Nick Fury is trying to get in contact with him. Distraught about the events in Endgame and the questions overwhelming him about Tony Stark, Peter decides to not answer when Fury calls him causing Fury to seek him out on his vacation.


This movie was phenomenal. It was really awesome and a perfect summer action blockbuster. Marvel did not drop the ball with this one and I'm so glad I saw it before anybody spoiled it for me because it had plenty of surprises. Especially the after credits scenes, the one after the movie finishes and the one at the very end after the credits. Jake Gyllenhaal was perfect as Mysterio and his acting was on point and Ned (Jacob Battalon) was awesome as Pete's best friend and wing-man in this movie too. The action was great and the effects were spectacular especially for Mysterio and his powers, they really did a amazing job. I really couldn't find much that I didn't like in this movie other than a couple ways the plot or story didn't unfold in a way that I liked; but that's probably me just being picky and a super fan from the comics and watching the cartoons. Also a part having to do with Peter taking a major injury and kind of just shrugging it off when he should have been hurt worse. Zendaya did a good job of portraying "MJ" and showing her come out of her shell a little more too which I though was also cool. I give this movie a 8/10 and I also give it my "Must See Seal of Approval" If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for?
  
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
2018 | Action, Animation, Sci-Fi
Great movie, even to a Spiderman purist.
I've always been a purist. I enjoy the classic comics and their stories the most. Just how I was raised and what I grew up with. I know of the Morales storyline, just never gave it much credence. So, I was a little hesitant heading into this movie to say the least. That all aside, this little flick was a lot of fun. A fun, though not original, story leads all the various Spider characters together in a fun ride through Marvel lore. Was also very pleased with the adult overtones to the story while keeping it an animation movie for kids, which so many new cartoon movies do so well these days. In the end, while I may still believe that Peter Parker is the Spiderman, I now have a better understanding and appreciation of Morales and the other variations of Spiderman and their place in the Marvel Universe. Well done, Sony. And, of course, RIP Stan Lee. You will be missed.