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Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Lords of Chaos (2018) in Movies
Apr 2, 2019
Based on the truth, lies and what actually happened.
I don't pretend to be a massive fan of black metal but I know who Mayhem and Bazurm are and I know of Norwegian Black Metal so when I saw this film advertised I was very interested. The story of Norweigan black metal is that of murder, suicide, arson, corpse desecration, possible cannibalism and a massive middle finger to normal society so I was expecting pure shocking filth. Unfortunately I was left very disappointed. The film focuses on Euronimus, founder and guitarist of the band Mayhem and tells his story and his relationships particularly that with lead singer Dead and Buzurm founder and one time Mayhem bassist Varg Vikennes. Its shot very well and looks good and the soundtrack is great. Theres one particularly nasty murder scene but other than that its a mess. It just doesn't know what tone to take and makes Euronimus and Vikennes look stupid. One minute they're intimidating the next they look like idiots. So when events happen you just don't really care what happens to them. Varg Vikennes has been likened to the Norwegian Charles Manson and should be the focus of this film but instead is portrayed as a bumbling fanboy rather than the pure psychopath he is. The only character that I really clicked with and cared about was Dead and his arc was really good. Basically this film is a missed opportunity to tell a story that should be genuinely shocking. Black Metal was suppose to repulse conventional society but this film repulses in another way.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated The Invisible Man (2020) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020
403. The Invisible Man. One of the most uninteresting versions of this tale I've seen. It should be called The Woman that fled the Invisible Man, well he's not invisible during the actual fleeing, which is right at the start of the film. Cecilla wakes up in the middle of the night and books it from the compound, um, home, that she and husband Adrian share, because he's a controlling abusive dick, this has all happened at this point already. So with the help of her lawyer sister she escapes her psychopath boyfriend by stashing her with a cop friend James and his teen daughter. So they are totally safe here, I mean Cecilla can't go outside due to crippling fear, and the teen girl,are perfectly safe and can take care of themselves if Adrian, the psychopathic, rich genius could never get at them while policeman James is at work. But then, Adrian kills himself, and leaves Cece 5 million bucks. Yay she's safe. Then for the next hour, she stares into corners and hears things, and thinks Adrian is there but invisible, because he's a rich genius and has a thing in his basement that looks like you can strap a person into it! But when this invisible Adrian starts killing people and guess who's going to get blamed? Elisabeth Moss did great with what she had to work with, which wasn't much. Lots of logic goes out the window with this one. And the trailer for it, is literally the whole movie! Watch a few a those stringed together and save yourself 2 hours! Filmbufftim on FB
Redemption: A Street Fighter's Path to Peace
Book
Michael Clarke was an angry,vicious kid, a street fighter. He grew up in the late sixties and...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The City Revolts (Caitlin Chronicles #4) in Books
May 27, 2021
71 of 250
Kindle
The City Revolts ( The Caitlin Chronicles book 4)
By Daniel Willcocks and Michael Anderle
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
What can one woman do when a whole city wants to fight back?
Things are heating up in The Broken City. Accompanied by Kain, Mary-Anne, and Jaxon, Caitlin must work - and work fast - to stop both humans and Weres from destroying everything they've worked so hard to rebuild.
Danger approaches from every angle. The two factions of the city are ready to revolt. Nudged on by a crazed psychopath with unspoken power, Caitlin must pull together her full force to stop the city from crumbling.
The fate of the city rests on Caitlin's shoulders, and the last thing she wants to do is fail...
Set within the wonder of the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, discover the chaos and insanity of the Age of Madness - a time when the world turned on its head, and nothing is as it appears...
I’m gutted to be giving it 2 stars as I’ve been loving this series but for some reason this one just didn’t grab me! I was struggling all the way through. I can’t quite put my finger on why I found it so hard to read or a little boring!
Please don’t be put off by personal opinions on this one book in a series of 5 as the ones before this I really enjoyed! I will be finishing the series and look forward to book 5 In the hope I enjoy it which I’m sure I will.
Kindle
The City Revolts ( The Caitlin Chronicles book 4)
By Daniel Willcocks and Michael Anderle
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
What can one woman do when a whole city wants to fight back?
Things are heating up in The Broken City. Accompanied by Kain, Mary-Anne, and Jaxon, Caitlin must work - and work fast - to stop both humans and Weres from destroying everything they've worked so hard to rebuild.
Danger approaches from every angle. The two factions of the city are ready to revolt. Nudged on by a crazed psychopath with unspoken power, Caitlin must pull together her full force to stop the city from crumbling.
The fate of the city rests on Caitlin's shoulders, and the last thing she wants to do is fail...
Set within the wonder of the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, discover the chaos and insanity of the Age of Madness - a time when the world turned on its head, and nothing is as it appears...
I’m gutted to be giving it 2 stars as I’ve been loving this series but for some reason this one just didn’t grab me! I was struggling all the way through. I can’t quite put my finger on why I found it so hard to read or a little boring!
Please don’t be put off by personal opinions on this one book in a series of 5 as the ones before this I really enjoyed! I will be finishing the series and look forward to book 5 In the hope I enjoy it which I’m sure I will.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated A Righteous Kill in Books
May 8, 2022
80 of 230
Kindle
A Righteous Kill
By Kerrigan Byrne
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A prolific serial killer is crucifying and ‘baptizing’ the working girls of Portland, and FBI Special Agent Luca Ramirez is locked in a desperate race to prevent the next casualty. The game changes when the latest victim is pulled out of the Willamette River alive, and Luca knows this witness may be his key to breaking the case. When the fanatical killer threatens her life a second time, Luca is assigned to protect the most unique and captivating woman he’s ever met by going undercover as her lover. He finds himself locked in a relentless game of cat and mouse with an elusive and violent psychopath, while battling his temptation for the alluring woman he’s charged to protect with his life. As the fatalities continue to mount, so does the intensity of his desire for a woman who should be forbidden, but is determined to dial up the heat.
It wasn’t bad but it didn’t knock me off my feet. It was ok. I thought it was weak in places and for some reason the sexual tension just for a bit annoying. There were some weak point and if you’re going to research that much then at least do it all over the book and note that Manchester United would never play Ireland that kinda annoyed me more than it should have. There were some good points too the killer was interesting as well as most of the characters so yes it got a 2.5/3 ⭐️ also I noticed it was supposed to have a sequel yet nothing is written yet!
Kindle
A Righteous Kill
By Kerrigan Byrne
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A prolific serial killer is crucifying and ‘baptizing’ the working girls of Portland, and FBI Special Agent Luca Ramirez is locked in a desperate race to prevent the next casualty. The game changes when the latest victim is pulled out of the Willamette River alive, and Luca knows this witness may be his key to breaking the case. When the fanatical killer threatens her life a second time, Luca is assigned to protect the most unique and captivating woman he’s ever met by going undercover as her lover. He finds himself locked in a relentless game of cat and mouse with an elusive and violent psychopath, while battling his temptation for the alluring woman he’s charged to protect with his life. As the fatalities continue to mount, so does the intensity of his desire for a woman who should be forbidden, but is determined to dial up the heat.
It wasn’t bad but it didn’t knock me off my feet. It was ok. I thought it was weak in places and for some reason the sexual tension just for a bit annoying. There were some weak point and if you’re going to research that much then at least do it all over the book and note that Manchester United would never play Ireland that kinda annoyed me more than it should have. There were some good points too the killer was interesting as well as most of the characters so yes it got a 2.5/3 ⭐️ also I noticed it was supposed to have a sequel yet nothing is written yet!
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Fresh (2022) in Movies
Apr 6, 2022
Mimi Cave's feature debut is a delightfully slick, quirky, and gruesomely entertaining thriller that dives head first into the perils of dating in the modern world. Its first 30 minutes are pretty light hearted, with a whole bunch of funny moments, and a relatable and likable protagonist in Daisy Edgar-Jones' Noa. The chemistry she shares with Steve (Sebastian Stan) feels natural and the two of them make for an enjoyable couple to watch onscreen, and exactly the same can be said when it goes full horror suddenly. If it wasn't for the fairly aggresive advertising campaign that heavily focused on the cannibal side of the plot, one could be forgiven for thinking that Fresh was a straight up rom-com. The sudden change in vibe is executed nicely, complete with a title card 30 minutes in, and I'm a sucker for that shit.
What follows is a sometimes fun, sometimes grim, fight for survival. Edgar-Jones is a solid Final Girl, and Sebastian Stan is picture perfect as the suave psychopath that we've seen a fair few times before at this point, but he's clearly having a blast. It helps no end that he's so well known as Bucky Barnes, ensuring that his sinister role here hits even harder.
The last 40 minutes or so suffer from being quite predictable in how the narrative unfolds, but the films cast and some nice camera work ensure that it crosses the finish line without too many hiccups.
Horror comedy is a sub genre that shows no sign of dying anytime soon, and films like Fresh make sure of that. Definitely worth your attention.
What follows is a sometimes fun, sometimes grim, fight for survival. Edgar-Jones is a solid Final Girl, and Sebastian Stan is picture perfect as the suave psychopath that we've seen a fair few times before at this point, but he's clearly having a blast. It helps no end that he's so well known as Bucky Barnes, ensuring that his sinister role here hits even harder.
The last 40 minutes or so suffer from being quite predictable in how the narrative unfolds, but the films cast and some nice camera work ensure that it crosses the finish line without too many hiccups.
Horror comedy is a sub genre that shows no sign of dying anytime soon, and films like Fresh make sure of that. Definitely worth your attention.
Ross (3282 KP) rated The Grim Company in Books
Sep 27, 2017
Once I got into the swing of the book (it chops and changes between different characters each chapter) I started to really enjoy it. I like being thrown into a world without having a long made-up history lesson first and getting straight into the action.
I liked the setting for this book: numerous city states ruled by magelords who are constantly battling each other.
We join the action just as one magelord overcomes another (from a distance), but in the aftermath a third looks to capitalise on the weakened victor's defences.
I like how nobody was really the good guy here, everyone was pretty sure they would be fighting for an evil overlord against someone who would likely be just as evil. Citizens were unwilling to fight for their own magelord because their own lives couldn't possibly get any worse.
As is common in more modern, "grimdark" fantasy, none of the characters are the flawless hero of old, all have their own failings and foibles, whether it be drug abuse, being useless, being a psychopath or just generally nasty. All except Brodar Kayne, who for me was somewhat reminiscent of Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. He is an aging warrior who is no longer welcome in the savage North and is looking for a new life in the baffling, more civilised South.
I found the story and characters somewhat similar to Joe Abercrombie's in other areas, but the writing style was very different, flowing much more smoothly I would say. And this is not to suggest in any way it is a rip-off of the First Law series, only that some of the characters and certain aspects of the plot bore a similarity.
Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable read with a well designed world and great characters.
I liked the setting for this book: numerous city states ruled by magelords who are constantly battling each other.
We join the action just as one magelord overcomes another (from a distance), but in the aftermath a third looks to capitalise on the weakened victor's defences.
I like how nobody was really the good guy here, everyone was pretty sure they would be fighting for an evil overlord against someone who would likely be just as evil. Citizens were unwilling to fight for their own magelord because their own lives couldn't possibly get any worse.
As is common in more modern, "grimdark" fantasy, none of the characters are the flawless hero of old, all have their own failings and foibles, whether it be drug abuse, being useless, being a psychopath or just generally nasty. All except Brodar Kayne, who for me was somewhat reminiscent of Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. He is an aging warrior who is no longer welcome in the savage North and is looking for a new life in the baffling, more civilised South.
I found the story and characters somewhat similar to Joe Abercrombie's in other areas, but the writing style was very different, flowing much more smoothly I would say. And this is not to suggest in any way it is a rip-off of the First Law series, only that some of the characters and certain aspects of the plot bore a similarity.
Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable read with a well designed world and great characters.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 21, 2019)
Tommy Jarvis has grown up, but killing a psychopath at twelve years old really takes a toll on your psyche. Tommy is enrolled in a mental institution in hopes of moving past the events in the last film. The same day he arrives, a fellow inmate is killed by somebody else enrolled in the institution and things only seem to get worse from there. Tommy is haunted by the image of Jason and sees him behind every corner, but when the inmates start disappearing Tommy realizes that his worst fear may have finally become a reality.
This might be my least favorite film in the franchise. I loathe the ending. I mean, they couldn't even get Jason Voorhees for a Friday the 13th film? Are you kidding me? That's beyond weak. Then, on top of all that, they make "Jason" be Roy the ambulance attendant. I'll admit that the "twist" is kind of interesting, but by the time that rolled around I had pretty much already lost interest. Let's pretend Jason was in the film and everything but the ending was the same. It'd still be pretty lame.
The kills are rather mediocre, at best. Ethel and Junior are two of the most annoying characters to ever be featured in a horror film. Both of them give Franklin from Texas Chainsaw Massacre a run for his money for most annoying douchebag in a horror film. Most of the kids in the halfway house are just a-holes and you can't wait for them to die. I can understand going in a new direction for the franchise and I admire the writers and director for having the balls to do something like that, but it wound up falling flat especially when it's sandwiched between two of the greatest films in the franchise.
This might be my least favorite film in the franchise. I loathe the ending. I mean, they couldn't even get Jason Voorhees for a Friday the 13th film? Are you kidding me? That's beyond weak. Then, on top of all that, they make "Jason" be Roy the ambulance attendant. I'll admit that the "twist" is kind of interesting, but by the time that rolled around I had pretty much already lost interest. Let's pretend Jason was in the film and everything but the ending was the same. It'd still be pretty lame.
The kills are rather mediocre, at best. Ethel and Junior are two of the most annoying characters to ever be featured in a horror film. Both of them give Franklin from Texas Chainsaw Massacre a run for his money for most annoying douchebag in a horror film. Most of the kids in the halfway house are just a-holes and you can't wait for them to die. I can understand going in a new direction for the franchise and I admire the writers and director for having the balls to do something like that, but it wound up falling flat especially when it's sandwiched between two of the greatest films in the franchise.
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated Three on A Meathook (1972) in Movies
Jan 6, 2019
The Porno 70's Soundtrack (1 more)
The Dad character
About a million gratuitous boob shots (1 more)
The plot is somewhat absent...ish
Huh.... Kinda cool...ish
Contains spoilers, click to show
When you review cheesy horror films for fun while your fiancee is alseep.... And you have to keep the volune down so you can barely hear the drivel that most scripted movies spew out... Captions are always an option.
When they work...
This movie is sorta bad to begin with. The camera work is sub par. Tue acting is all around shite. And lets be honest here.... The only good part about this film was the creativity of the kills for the time it was made.
The movie breaks down at the halfway point when it turns into Billy goes to tue city lookin for love and all he finds is a brunette skank who wants to come to his farm after knowing him for 15 seconds in a bar.... But its true love
Lobg story short... Billy's Daddy is a psychopath... Blood is spilt... Carnage insues... And boobs are flashed a plenty....
But not even glorious tan lined hooters can save this thing.... Only reason i rated it what i did... Is because i could see how modern day horror film writers and directors would use this as source material for writing their own slasher style scripts. Its groundbreaking... I admit that... It's just not... Well... It's not Black Christmas enough to be considered the first slasher style film of the 70's... Watch it if you want to.... I recommend it to those who want to go into horror directing or writing as both things to do and not to do.
On to the next....
When they work...
This movie is sorta bad to begin with. The camera work is sub par. Tue acting is all around shite. And lets be honest here.... The only good part about this film was the creativity of the kills for the time it was made.
The movie breaks down at the halfway point when it turns into Billy goes to tue city lookin for love and all he finds is a brunette skank who wants to come to his farm after knowing him for 15 seconds in a bar.... But its true love
Lobg story short... Billy's Daddy is a psychopath... Blood is spilt... Carnage insues... And boobs are flashed a plenty....
But not even glorious tan lined hooters can save this thing.... Only reason i rated it what i did... Is because i could see how modern day horror film writers and directors would use this as source material for writing their own slasher style scripts. Its groundbreaking... I admit that... It's just not... Well... It's not Black Christmas enough to be considered the first slasher style film of the 70's... Watch it if you want to.... I recommend it to those who want to go into horror directing or writing as both things to do and not to do.
On to the next....
David McK (3169 KP) rated The Dark Knight (2008) in Movies
Jun 23, 2019
Summmer 2008: at the time of writing this, now 11 years ago, and the cinematic landscape was rather different - the MCU was only just starting off (with Iron Man), and superheroes in the cinema were not as commonplace as they are today ( to the best of my memory).
While Christopher No.an had effectively rebooted perhaps DCs most famous character in Batman Begins, that film had (deliberately, IMO) kept the focus pretty much on Bruce Wayne/Batman rather than on his mos famous foes, ending with a deliberate tease of the introduction of the Joker.
And what an introduction he gets in this.
As portrayed by Heath Ledger (whose untimely death no doubt helped stoke the interest for this movie: his last full screen role), this Joker is very different than Jack Nicholson's 1989 portrayal. It's a definite magnetic tour de force from the actor, sure, although (personally) I've never really viewed the character as a Joker so much as as a genius psychopath.
"I'm an agent of chaos" he says at one point. "I'm a dog chasing a car. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it". And that, to me, is what is missing from the character-as-written.
Alongside Ledger, Aaron Eckhart also puts in a brilliant turn as Harvey Dent, completely blowing Tommy Lee Jones portrayal of the same character (in Batman Forever) out of the water. It's a far more realistic interpretation of what drives Dent to become Two-face, with some frightenly realistic effects.
And, finally, it may be a small thing: but in this Batman gets and operates (briefly) out of Gotham city, making his world seem more 'real' as a result.
While Christopher No.an had effectively rebooted perhaps DCs most famous character in Batman Begins, that film had (deliberately, IMO) kept the focus pretty much on Bruce Wayne/Batman rather than on his mos famous foes, ending with a deliberate tease of the introduction of the Joker.
And what an introduction he gets in this.
As portrayed by Heath Ledger (whose untimely death no doubt helped stoke the interest for this movie: his last full screen role), this Joker is very different than Jack Nicholson's 1989 portrayal. It's a definite magnetic tour de force from the actor, sure, although (personally) I've never really viewed the character as a Joker so much as as a genius psychopath.
"I'm an agent of chaos" he says at one point. "I'm a dog chasing a car. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it". And that, to me, is what is missing from the character-as-written.
Alongside Ledger, Aaron Eckhart also puts in a brilliant turn as Harvey Dent, completely blowing Tommy Lee Jones portrayal of the same character (in Batman Forever) out of the water. It's a far more realistic interpretation of what drives Dent to become Two-face, with some frightenly realistic effects.
And, finally, it may be a small thing: but in this Batman gets and operates (briefly) out of Gotham city, making his world seem more 'real' as a result.