
Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems
Book
Not for nothing is William Shakespeare considered possibly the most famous writer in history; his...

A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess and Andrew Bissell
Book
Fully restored edition of Anthony Burgess' original text of A Clockwork Orange, with a glossary of...

Jacqueline Stewart recommended Within Our Gates (1920) in Movies (curated)
No Shortcut to Change: An Unlikely Path to a More Gender Equitable World
Book
A critical examination of the weaknesses inherent in international gender policy. Gender equality...

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Halloween (2007) in Movies
Jun 3, 2021
It has its moments - Malcolm McDowell is great as Dr Loomis, and the towering behemoth of a Michael Myers we get her is genuinely fucking terrifying. There's also a fine selection of genre icons here and there - Dee Wallace, Brad Dourif, Clint Howard, Ken Foree, Sybil Danning, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Danny Trejo, Danielle Harris - it's an impressive roster for sure.
All of this isn't enough to lift this remake above all of its problems however.
None of the characters are particularly likable, and it's off pacing make for a bloated experience, an issue that's further exacerbated by the more widely available Directors Cut, which further pans out its runtime with an horrifically unnecessary rape scene.
I can appreciate the decision to explore the origins of Michael, but the end results are very mixed. When the familiar stuff kicks off halfway through, it's actually kind of boring. It manages to ape the original at every turn, whilst simultaneously feeling disrespectful with it's token RZ tropes.
All in all, Halloween is a remake that I wouldn't take issue with, but the decision to put Zombie in the driver's seat results in a movie that doesn't feel like it belongs anywhere. An inferior re-tread in every aspect, that leaves a bitter after taste.

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Revenge (2018) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
Lead actress Matilda Lutz gives us a badass vengeance seeking protagonist for the ages, while the other three actors (it's a damn small cast) Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombes, and Guillaume Bouchède effectively provide the the absolute bastards we all want to see die so badly.
The locations and wide shots in Revenge look stunning by the way. In between all the nasty bits(which we'll get to), it's just a stunning and vibrant film to look at, with a lot of the horror elements taking place in blazing sunshine.
As for the aforementioned nasty bits - holy shit, this film is violent. By the time the credits roll, everyone and everywhere is just covered in blood. The practical effects used are pretty great, and looks believable, even if the sheer amount of viscera is absurd at times.
It provides us with some grisly set pieces that linger on the brain, in particular, a scene where a character has to un-impale herself from a tree - it's genuinely quite harrowing.
Also, maybe give this a pass if you're squeamish about foot stuff. I don't know about you, but I always found the foot abuse in Die Hard rather uncomfortable, and this makes that look like a children's cartoon at times.
Overall, Revenge is just a smack to the face. A fairly slow build, but high octane when it gets rolling, with good performances, plenty of blood, and enough jarring sound and camera edits to make you uncomfortable. Worth a watch for horror fans, without a doubt.

BookishWoo (317 KP) rated Zodiac in Books
May 25, 2020 (Updated May 25, 2020)
I was captivated by Zodiac right from the first page. Anamarie wrote this extremely well and in a way that you felt you were reading a script for a crime drama, scene by scene. This is slightly different to what I'm used to, but I found as long as I paced myself and didnt speed through it I could keep up with the scene jumps and found that I completely enjoyed her writing style. Although this is a fast paced thriller do not be fooled that being only 218 pages long you can speed through this quickly. This is a book to savour and enjoy.
I can honestly say that I fell in love with the main protagonaist Sergiu, he was an unpredicatable, motorbike riding, charming "Agency" man willing to do whatever it takes no matter what the cost.
His character was in stark contrast to Marius who was a typical police inspector and family man with a moral conscience. This worked well alongside Sergiu's character and didnt give you that typical good cop, bad cop feel. They complimented each other well.
The plot was fantastic, and just when I thought I had it all figured out the twist came along and surprised me completely!
I cant wait to read more of the series and hope that the first book gets translated so I can read this too!
If you are a fan of fast paced thrillers I highly recommend this!
Trigger Warnings: swearing, sexual themes, rape, murder, guns, violence
I received Zodiac by Amamaria Ionescu for free in exchange for an honest review from Love Book Tours and Corylus Books.

The Myth of Mars and Venus
Book
Popular assumptions about gender and communication--famously summed up in the title of the massively...

Isis’ Betrayal (Dark Warrior Alliance #4)
Book
Isis Rowan is the fiery middle sister of the prophesized witch triplets, and when she finds out that...

Queen to King Three (Diviner's Game #3)
Book
Robbie: I never would have guessed that the best thing to happen to me would be getting abandoned...
MM Paranormal Romance Student-Teacher