Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (2579)

Content

Kayla Ackerman (15 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies

Jun 5, 2019

Halloween (2018)

2018 | Horror

7.2

(120 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Hints at the original just enough to make you go "oooh I got that reference!" without being too overbearing. (4 more)

Amazing soundtrack, they took what we all know and love and used it to gain inspiration for new music, rather than just remixing the original.

Halloween was brought into modern times without succumbing to the Hollywood Horror cliches that plague the cinema today.

They made an excellent decision to ignore the many previous sequels, which allowed them to create a plot that made sense, and welcomed newcomers who haven't followed the entire franchise.

Jamie Lee Curtis, and everything that she had to do with this film. Heck yes.

It is of course still nowhere near the level of the original, and they did opt for the jump scare in a few places where they could have gone another way, but the intimate vibe was there. (0 more)

This is a Halloween film. It's revamped and revitalised, but it still feels like it belongs, it's got those good vibes that you associate with the first Halloween, and if you say it doesn't then you probably missed the point because you were rocking those nostalgia goggles a little too hard. This isn't a film made for nostalgia, this is an extension of the franchise, not a copy. There are throwback and recalls to the original, it is heavily inspired by it in all the right ways, but they took it and modernised it and they did a damn good job. Is it the best film ever? God no, its a still a horror, but it is so difficult to take a beloved classic and try to make something new, and they did such a good job. I feel a sense of irrational pride that they even attempted this and managed to not massacre that Halloween vibe, like a certain other attempt did. This was a highly enjoyable experience and I got so hyped feeling the Halloween energy pouring off of this shiny new film.
This film is like visiting your childhood home after many years and finding that someone completely redecorated. If you long for things to stay the same all the time, you're gonna have a bad time. But if you appreciate someone elses vision and attempt to make improvements, then you can enjoy the whole experience, from exploration of the new, to recognition of the familiar hidden behind it all.

Kudos

Hazel (1853 KP) rated Mrs. B in Books

Dec 14, 2018

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Mrs B is a contemporary novel by lecturer and writer Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw. Whilst loosely based on Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, it is set in Trinidad and contains a number of themes. Beginning in June 2009 it spans the course of a year before finishing in July 2010.

The titular character Mrs B is a middle-aged woman named Mrs Elena Butcher who, due to dislike of her husband’s surname, is always referred to as Mrs B. At the beginning of the book Mrs B and her husband, Charles, are driving to the airport to collect their daughter, Ruthie, who has flown home from Boston University. It is revealed that Ruthie suffered a nervous breakdown a couple of months before hand, but what is yet to be discovered is that she is pregnant. Whilst in Boston, Ruthie had developed an intimate relationship with a man dubbed the Professor. Mrs B’s daughter was once her pride and joy but the result of Ruthie’s down fall begins to have a negative effect on Mrs B’s life and sours her relationships with those previously close to her, particularly her husband.

Pregnancy and romantic affairs are not the only themes of the novel. Trinidad is becoming a dangerous place with crimes, such as murders, becoming a daily occurrence. Politics plays its hand in these everyday occurrences, so it is not very reassuring when Mrs B’s ex-lover becomes involved with the government. However the events in Trinidad seem more normal than the emotions Mrs B feels within her own family.

The story line jumps around a lot from character to character and also from past to present. Whilst not exactly confusing it is difficult to understand what the actual plot line is. There was not much of climax and the reader does not really get a chance to connect with the characters and so the conclusion feels neither disappointing nor satisfactory.

For readers unfamiliar with the Caribbean and life in Trinidad this book is quite educational, providing descriptions of the culture and customs of the islands inhabitants. So despite the lack of a strong story line, Walcott-Hackshaw writes effectively to make this an interesting read.