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Child's Play (1988)
Child's Play (1988)
1988 | Horror
More suspenseful than remember. (0 more)
Hasnt aged well and some wooden acting. (0 more)
He'll be your friend till the end
Coming from the UK the childs play films are best remembered for the real life James Bulger murders where 2 evil shits kidnapped a young boy and killed him using scenes from the films as inspiration - particularly childs play 2. It was a horrible crime and I remember when i first watched the Childs Play films i expected gore galore but in all honesty there was never really that much gore in them until Bride of Chucky. It's been years since I've watched them and with the 'remake/reboot' out soon I thought I'd revisit the original. So being the film that started it all, the original childs play is far more a suspenseful horror than a gore flick. Tension is built up as chucky stalks his prey and then dispatches them using some good old fashioned jump scares. Some of the support acting is quite wooden but Andy and his mum are really good and the always impressive Chris Sarandon is excellent. A 'classic' that holds up ok still.
  
IM
Iron Man: Extremis
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'll be honest - I was one of those who, before I saw the first Iron Man movie (2008?) had no idea who the character was.

That, of course, is not the case now, after 3 solo outings (to date) and 2 'team' entries (Avengers Assemble and Age of Ultron).

As my only real exposure to the character had also only come form those movies, I was also unaware that Tony Stark's identity (as Iron Man) was NOT common knowledge - I had always thought that was one thing that had set him apart from the likes of Batman, Superman, et al.

I also later discovered that this comic was one of those that had influenced those movies - while pretty obvious in Iron Man 3 (which also deals with Extremis), it had also had an impact on the first movie - reading this comic in 2016, it's interesting to see how: from the 'reboot' of his origins from the original Vietnam War to more modern Afghanistan, to even the look of the character (this came first, remember), and to the whole 'Genius Playboy Billionaire Philantropist' persona after he is injured by his own weaponry.
  
What Women Want (2001)
What Women Want (2001)
2001 | Comedy
This film was so profoundly bad, I am so surprised I managed to sit through the whole thing. I watched its counterpart (?) or maybe it's a reboot, who knows, "What Men Want" last year with Taraji P. Hensen and it made me eager to watch the original that it was based on.

The best thing about this film was the cast and it wasn't even the main characters I was impressed with - Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The ones that surprised me and I was happy to see were Ashley Johnson, Marisa Tomei, Judy Greer, Sarah Paulson, Lisa Edelstein, Brooke Elliot made an appearance, really just great women popped up in this film from left to right and I was really impressed. I've followed their careers down their various paths and it's always cool to see them trackback to films together.

Overall, I think the plot of this movie is interesting, I just think that it was done badly and the ending was literally the worst. Am I glad I watched it? I don't know. I don't think I'll ever watch it again either. Maybe it was a waste of time. Hmm.
  
Leprechaun: Origins (2014)
Leprechaun: Origins (2014)
2014 | Horror
Let's not beat around the bush, Leprechaun: Origins is absolute piss, and let me tell you why.

- It's kind of a reboot, so gone is the wise cracking, annoying but kind of lovable Lep of old, and is replaced by a snarling feral beast who looks like what I can only describe as one of Gollum's testicles. This decision automatically saps any fun out of proceedings.
- The turn away from horror-comedy results in a by the numbers, boring teen slasher. None of the characters are remotely likable.
- The Leprechaun looks so shit, that most of its scenes are presented in a rip-off Predator POV manner that is just fucking terrible. The shots of the creature itself are mostly blurred to disguise it's shitness.
- The camerawork is all over the place. Having the camera on a constant slight tilt does not make a movie artistic, and there is shaky cam spaffing out from all directions.

If it was called anything else, it would still be shit, but the fact that it's a Leprechaun film makes it so much worse. Kill it with fire.
  
Saw II (2005)
Saw II (2005)
2005 | Horror, Mystery
The best of the Saw sequels and the only one I went to the cinema to see.
The original Saw is fantastic and the twist you dont see coming ending is one of, if not the best I have ever seen.
Saw 2 is nearly as good. The main house trap is a stroke of genius and the solo traps for each of the victims are so well planned and just look so devilious.
Darren Lynn Bousman directs (as he will the new Saw reboot involving Chris Rock) as Tobin Bell, with that amazing voice, retruns to play John Krammer/Jigsaw and he is hunted down by Mark Whalbergs detective Eric Matthews.
This leads to a tense standoff in Jigsaws lair as Matthews discovers his son, Daniel is one of the participants in the house trap. A house slowly filling with nerve gas.
Also returning is Shawnee Smith as Amanda who is also playing the game again in the house.
As the film twists towards its shocking ending you realise all you have to do is follow the rules to win the game.

Game Over