
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Sadako Vs Kayako (2016) in Movies
Oct 2, 2018
And I love Ju-on.
So although I was skeptical about this movie (Damn you Alien v Predator: Requiem), I was intrigued by how it would work.
How does Sadako, a well dwelling ghost of a psychic little girl, that killed people through terror, end up battling with the curse/spirit of a murdered woman who now makes cricking noise and crawls down stairs and under sheets.
Both combatants kill via terror/mental means, so what does this mean in terms of this movie?
Well an hour or so of the film is basically a mediocre version of Ringu and Ju-On, with some good tension, and a skill for unsettling moments in that way J-Horror still possesses, and I was very much enjoying the ride.
However, as the two titular characters meet...it all starts to get a bit...well silly really.
I won't spoil anything specific, but the final act is a mess of new mythos, old mythos, off-screen battling and really, REALLY weird choices.
I was left feeling frustrated, and that the film had cheapened the brands with their choice of resolution, which though surprising, failed to really add anything to either franchise.
Not a terrible film, but not a great either.

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David McK (3576 KP) rated Aliens (1986) in Movies
Jun 23, 2020 (Updated Mar 16, 2022)
The Extended Edition of the movie adds even more context, with the revelation that Ripley had a daughter who has since died, to the 'found family' at the heart of the narrative - especially between Newt and Ripley herself - while Bill Paxton has the honour(?) of becoming the only actor to be killed by a Predator, an Alien and a Terminator, as one of the (initially) cocksure Colonial Marines trapped behind enemy lines.
Top it off with the iconic final act (Ripley in a Powerloader Vs the Alien Queen) and some eminently quotable lines throughout:
"Game over, man! Game Over!!"
"They mostly come at night, mostly …"
"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure"
"Get away from her, you b..."
And we have what most surely be one of the best sequels ever. Even, in my opinion, eclipsing the original.
It's just a pity it's all downhill from here ...

David McK (3576 KP) rated The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spiers #2) in Books
Aug 26, 2024 (Updated Aug 26, 2024)
Approximately 10 years (edit: 8, to be precise) since the publication of the previous full-length entry in this series (The Aeronaut's Windlass).
So it's just as well I went back and read that recently, as well as the recently-published 'interquel' short story of Warriorborn.
I *would* advise reading that short story first, since this picks up almost immediately from the end of said story: Benedict jumps at the end of the latter, AMS Predator catches him at the start of this.
That sentence will make more sense to any who have read it.
Anyway, what we have is another full-blown Steampunk novel, with war brewing between the home Spires/nations of the world in which it is set, and with some heavy hints towards the end that it is set in 'our' world, but in the far far (and largely dystopian) future - I also got a bit of a vibe of that bit in 2005's 'King Kong' film where they are on Skull Island and surrounded by giant man-eating millipedes etc (which is why, in the story, the surface world is so feared).
Let's hope I don't have to wait so long for the next instalment
Or even for a new Harry Dresden (my favourite of Butcher's works) story
(with the author even apologising for the wait for this in his authors note at the end)

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