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Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Monster: A Novel of Extreme Horror and Gore in Books
May 9, 2018
Long exposition (3 more)
Shifting narratives
Many typos
Anticlimactic Ending
The authors of MONSTER preface the book with a warning to the readers, cautioning them about the contents of the book. They really play it up: debating whether or not the story was too dark or too extreme and needed to be censored. It's ridiculous. If you've seen the first five minutes of the remake of The Hills Have Eyes 2, you've read this book. Matt Shaw really phones it in. He seems to be doing pretty well, popping out a book every month or so, and probably making a decent bit of cash too. So you'd think he'd be able to afford an editor. MONSTER is riddled with typos that should embarrass professional writers, like the misuse of "it's" and "its" in the same sentence, and a complete lack of knowledge on how quoting dialogue works. Also, it's almost impossible to get a sense of where this book is set until they explicitly tell you. All the characters use British slang and spellings, but it's set in Indiana. Okay.
Matt Shaw says in the introduction that he writes his endings to leave the audience reeling. That's true. Because I wasted three hours or so on one of the most underwhelming, anticlimactic, predictable endings I've ever read. It felt like he was written into a corner, so he just STOPPED. That's how abruptly it ends. And yeah, we all get it. "Who's the real monster?" Really original.
Also, it's Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, not NIcholas. Wikipedia is a thing. So is imdb. Do your research!
Matt Shaw says in the introduction that he writes his endings to leave the audience reeling. That's true. Because I wasted three hours or so on one of the most underwhelming, anticlimactic, predictable endings I've ever read. It felt like he was written into a corner, so he just STOPPED. That's how abruptly it ends. And yeah, we all get it. "Who's the real monster?" Really original.
Also, it's Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, not NIcholas. Wikipedia is a thing. So is imdb. Do your research!
Becs (244 KP) rated Warm Transfer in Books
Aug 27, 2018
The cover. (2 more)
Laura Holtz's writing.
Well-developed backgrounds and characters.
A story of courage, potential, finding joy, and one woman's journey to rediscovering herself.
I received a copy from Smith Publicity for read and review. The following review is my honest opinion of Warm Transfer by Laura Holtz.
Okay, this cover is just awesome. Yes, I judge a book by its cover all the time and when I got this, I was like "Yea, this is an awesome cover!" Then I read the synopsis and was a little put off by it. But as I read it, and continued to read it, I was just blown away by the story, the plot, the characters, the emotions that you could feel through Laura Holtz's writing, how her writing also brought memories back from my mother's most recent marriage to my step-father. It was defiantly a roller-coaster of a ride, and I sure as heck enjoyed it.
Victor is an arse and I just want him to die. (I promise I'm not a psycho - I just absolutely hate this character with a burning rage that can only be put out with the blood oozing out of his skull. - Wow, okay Becca. Calm down.) Tamsen is a very relatable MC and her journey brought many different emotions out of me as I read this breathtakingly great novel! I loved how the main and semi-main characters were developed tremendously well. I mean, I could just relate to each and every one of them. Laura, you're the bomb diggity! What a well-versed writer.
Okay, this cover is just awesome. Yes, I judge a book by its cover all the time and when I got this, I was like "Yea, this is an awesome cover!" Then I read the synopsis and was a little put off by it. But as I read it, and continued to read it, I was just blown away by the story, the plot, the characters, the emotions that you could feel through Laura Holtz's writing, how her writing also brought memories back from my mother's most recent marriage to my step-father. It was defiantly a roller-coaster of a ride, and I sure as heck enjoyed it.
Victor is an arse and I just want him to die. (I promise I'm not a psycho - I just absolutely hate this character with a burning rage that can only be put out with the blood oozing out of his skull. - Wow, okay Becca. Calm down.) Tamsen is a very relatable MC and her journey brought many different emotions out of me as I read this breathtakingly great novel! I loved how the main and semi-main characters were developed tremendously well. I mean, I could just relate to each and every one of them. Laura, you're the bomb diggity! What a well-versed writer.
JT (287 KP) rated The Intruder (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
When are couples moving into a new home going to realise that there is a lot more to worry about than just making sure all of your stuff arrives in one piece. If it’s not things going bump in the night or uninvited demons, it’s seemingly sweet as pie neighbours with an ulterior motive.
Annie (Meagan Good) and Scott ( Michael Ealy) think that they have found their dream home, away from the concrete jungle of the city with an idyllic setting in which to start a family. Step in Charlie (Dennis Quaid), a kind hearted widower who is selling in order to start a new life with his daughter in Florida – or so it would seem, as we know, looks can be deceiving.
Dennis Quaid nails the disturbed seller turned psycho
The film has been battered with reviews saying that it forgoes plot in favour of setting up a good jump scare, but do you know what? I don’t mind that.
I’ve always been a sucker for this type of genre and this one is no different. There are the obvious plot holes, some laughable, like how come it takes Annie so long to realise that Charlie has psychotic tendencies, despite Scott practically spelling it out for her? Or the fact that everyone seems to be drawn to a particular linen closet. It moves along enough to keep you entertained with Quaid giving a good account of himself and clearly having fun.
Director (Deon Taylor) seems inspired by classic home invasion thrillers but offers nothing new that we won’t have already seen before – you can just throw this one onto the pile with all the rest.
Annie (Meagan Good) and Scott ( Michael Ealy) think that they have found their dream home, away from the concrete jungle of the city with an idyllic setting in which to start a family. Step in Charlie (Dennis Quaid), a kind hearted widower who is selling in order to start a new life with his daughter in Florida – or so it would seem, as we know, looks can be deceiving.
Dennis Quaid nails the disturbed seller turned psycho
The film has been battered with reviews saying that it forgoes plot in favour of setting up a good jump scare, but do you know what? I don’t mind that.
I’ve always been a sucker for this type of genre and this one is no different. There are the obvious plot holes, some laughable, like how come it takes Annie so long to realise that Charlie has psychotic tendencies, despite Scott practically spelling it out for her? Or the fact that everyone seems to be drawn to a particular linen closet. It moves along enough to keep you entertained with Quaid giving a good account of himself and clearly having fun.
Director (Deon Taylor) seems inspired by classic home invasion thrillers but offers nothing new that we won’t have already seen before – you can just throw this one onto the pile with all the rest.
The horror genre can’t wait to splash the screen with as much blood and gore as possible, letting you know what the intentions of the film are going to be. In this Blumhouse produced thriller that isn’t the case, as Oscar winner Octavia Spencer plays quiet but dissociated veterinary assistant Sue-Ann, who befriends a group of adolescent teens.
On the outside she’s warm and friendly, only wanting to be accepted (this becomes apparent as to why later on). She secretly buys them alcohol and lets them have use of her basement to party – until she ‘becomes’ the party and local speakeasy. For the vast majority of the film there is little to class this as anything but a horror. It is relatively uneventful and offers no traditional jumpscares or shock moments.
The narrative unravels slowly allowing us to delve into Sue-Ann’s past and discover her motives, and it is these flashbacks that are most shocking of all, to the point of sympathy. The finale is frenetic, as Sue-Ann goes from likeable charmer to absolute psycho in a matter of moments – not that it hasn’t been building up to it.
Unfortunately it’s all delivered in such a short space of time that it feels rushed. Spencer’s performance is very good and there are distinct similarities to Kathy Bates and her equally psychotic character in Misery – there is even a subtle nod to the Stephen King classic.
Ma is not a total flop, but more could have been done to grip the viewer early on, instead of leaving it all to the final act.
On the outside she’s warm and friendly, only wanting to be accepted (this becomes apparent as to why later on). She secretly buys them alcohol and lets them have use of her basement to party – until she ‘becomes’ the party and local speakeasy. For the vast majority of the film there is little to class this as anything but a horror. It is relatively uneventful and offers no traditional jumpscares or shock moments.
The narrative unravels slowly allowing us to delve into Sue-Ann’s past and discover her motives, and it is these flashbacks that are most shocking of all, to the point of sympathy. The finale is frenetic, as Sue-Ann goes from likeable charmer to absolute psycho in a matter of moments – not that it hasn’t been building up to it.
Unfortunately it’s all delivered in such a short space of time that it feels rushed. Spencer’s performance is very good and there are distinct similarities to Kathy Bates and her equally psychotic character in Misery – there is even a subtle nod to the Stephen King classic.
Ma is not a total flop, but more could have been done to grip the viewer early on, instead of leaving it all to the final act.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Boy Next Door (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The theme of the dangerous person living next door as well as forbidden attraction and desires are no stranger to Hollywood as they are themes that have powered some of the most intense and erotic dramas in recent memory.
The latest offering from Hollywood has Jennifer Lopez as Claire, a woman who is newly divorced and falls for her new neighbor played by Ryan Guzman.
At first the relationship is exciting for Claire but things take a turn for the worse and Claire soon learns that her new neighbor is not what he first appeared to be and is a very dangerous and manipulative individual.
You would think with a premise such as this and a decent cast that this would at least be a passable thriller but instead it is about as lifeless and formulaic a film as they come.
The film was completely predictable aside form one brief moment at the end of the film that was mildly unexpected, but other than that I found myself whispering to my husband throughout the movie what was going to happen next, and it did.
Supporting actors John Corbett, playing Lopez’ (estranged) husband, and Ian Nelson as their teenage son, did a passable job given the material they were working with but deserved much better.
Ryan Guzman who plays 19-year-old neighbor Noah, manages to play the creepy psycho part pretty well, but the material was as I said previously; so very predictable.
I wish I could offer more than 1 star out of 5, but I can’t for the film which is a shame as the audience and the cast deserved so much more with this premise.
The latest offering from Hollywood has Jennifer Lopez as Claire, a woman who is newly divorced and falls for her new neighbor played by Ryan Guzman.
At first the relationship is exciting for Claire but things take a turn for the worse and Claire soon learns that her new neighbor is not what he first appeared to be and is a very dangerous and manipulative individual.
You would think with a premise such as this and a decent cast that this would at least be a passable thriller but instead it is about as lifeless and formulaic a film as they come.
The film was completely predictable aside form one brief moment at the end of the film that was mildly unexpected, but other than that I found myself whispering to my husband throughout the movie what was going to happen next, and it did.
Supporting actors John Corbett, playing Lopez’ (estranged) husband, and Ian Nelson as their teenage son, did a passable job given the material they were working with but deserved much better.
Ryan Guzman who plays 19-year-old neighbor Noah, manages to play the creepy psycho part pretty well, but the material was as I said previously; so very predictable.
I wish I could offer more than 1 star out of 5, but I can’t for the film which is a shame as the audience and the cast deserved so much more with this premise.
A Walk by the Sea: A Journey into the New Millennium
Book
"The British coast is where journeys begin and where journeys end, where sun rises and where sun...
AH
Alfred Hitchcock: Interviews
Book
Even twenty years after his death and nearly fifty or more years after his creative peak, Alfred...
The Grand Daddy of All Mind Screws
Now, I will admit that when I first saw this TV show, I was more than a little weirded out by how bizarre the premise was (especially with the weird looking characters and everything). But after I started looking at a few more episodes and actually starting to participate in the wacky mind games, I found myself actually enjoying this show a lot, especially with the weird imagery and the creative way that they present the games. This TV series is definitely a brilliant way to teach children about various school subjects without feeling bored and I definitely found myself learning so much about history and math through this TV series alone. Some of my favorite skits from this series are "Eddie Bull," "Distraction News" and "Psycho Math" since they are all done in an extremely creative way and they really show the true meaning of being bizarre with their presentations!
The only problem with this show is that it might be too difficult and bizarre for some small children, especially with how some of the information and the math problems might be aimed at children at least seven years and older. Parents who are watching this show with their children might want to help their children understand the problems that this show is trying to teach children to solve.
Overall, "Crashbox" is definitely one show that you should check out and if you want to find an educational show that really teaches children about history, math and vocabulary while doing it in a creative and bizarre way, then this is definitely the show to watch!
The only problem with this show is that it might be too difficult and bizarre for some small children, especially with how some of the information and the math problems might be aimed at children at least seven years and older. Parents who are watching this show with their children might want to help their children understand the problems that this show is trying to teach children to solve.
Overall, "Crashbox" is definitely one show that you should check out and if you want to find an educational show that really teaches children about history, math and vocabulary while doing it in a creative and bizarre way, then this is definitely the show to watch!
The Philosophy of Horror
Book
Sitting on pins and needles, anxiously waiting to see what will happen next, horror audiences crave...