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Lee (2222 KP) rated The Nun (2018) in Movies

Sep 6, 2018 (Updated Sep 7, 2018)  
The Nun (2018)
The Nun (2018)
2018 | Horror
Taissa Farmiga (0 more)
Disappointing
I'm a big fan of The Conjuring movies. The original is one of my favourite scary movies, and while I enjoyed the sequel, for me it just didn't live up to the very high bar set by the first. Creepy doll Annabelle from the first movie landed her own disappointing outing, followed by a surprisingly enjoyable sequel/prequel in Annabelle: Creation. Now, next up in The Conjuring Universe is the turn of The Nun. After a brief, but very effective appearance in The Conjuring 2, The Nun movie looks to expand the universe even further, providing us with an insight into how the demon nun came to be.

We're in Romania, 1952. A large, remote, creepy looking convent is having trouble trying to contain something dark and evil, resulting in one of the nuns hanging herself. The body is discovered by Frenchie, a local farmer bringing supplies from the nearby village. When word gets back to the Vatican, priest Father Burke (Demián Bichir) is sent, along with Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to investigate.

They learn that the convent was built in the middle ages by the Duke of St Carta who, while being possessed, also created a gateway from hell somewhere within its basement. Religious figures were able to seal the gateway using the blood of Christ, but during the second world war bombings resulted in the seal being broken, releasing the demon Valak. Since then, the nuns have engaged in constant prayer in an attempt to keep evil at bay.

As you'd expect, the whole tone of this movie is very dark, and very gloomy. It takes a while to get going, and there is nothing of interest to keep you hooked. Aside from Sister Irene, the characters are dull, and occasional attempts at humour fall flat. The tense expectation of chills and scares soon fizzles out when you're realise that there really aren't any. Just plenty of prolonged periods of quietness, followed by LOUD NOISE!! Which may work for some people, but I just found it annoying.

The characters wander around dark corridors, playing on the whole creepy castle vibe, and shadowy nuns are everywhere. Valak himself occasionally appears, but it's nothing more than an attempt at a jump scare. The whole thing just seems like such a wasted opportunity and I found myself looking at my watch even during the climactic scenes where they're trying to seal the gateway once more. Not good for a movie that's only 96 minutes long.

The one thing I did like is how they managed to link everything back to The Conjuring movies, in particular the opening scenes of the original movie where the Warrens are giving their lecture, and the consequences that brings for the rest of the movies. Aside from that I just found the whole thing disappointing.
  
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
2015 | Animation
Over the years dinosaurs have often been portrayed as lumbering oafs, vicious killers, or cuddly playthings. With the reinvigorated “Jurassic” franchise interest in the creatures is at an all-time high. Disney/PIXAR are hoping this interest translates into box office gold with the release of their new film “The Good Dinosaur” which looks to continue the successful and award winning streak of their earlier efforts.

We first heard of the film almost 4 years ago at the D23 Expo when during the upcoming film showcase it was announced that they had a dinosaur themed project in the works but had little else to say about it at that time. The premise of the film is that the asteroid that is rumored to have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs actually missed the earth and millions of years later, dinosaurs continue to evolve.

We meet a family of peaceful dinosaurs who spend their days working in the fields as farmers preparing for the upcoming winter season and the birth of their three children. One of the children named Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) is rather diminutive and tentative and unlike his bigger brother and sister, struggles to master his fear and find a role in which he can excel.

When fate and disaster step in, Arlo finds himself alone and isolated in the strange and dangerous world, forced to make a journey home. Along the way he discover shimself and learn several life lessons in the process. Along the way he makes new friends and staves off threats, all with the help of a new companion, a feral human named Spot. As any fans of Disney/Pixar will tell you the sidekick is often heartwarming comic gold.

While the film follows a very tried-and-true plot line for Disney films with elements of several other Disney classics incorporated within its framework, it does boast some absolutely amazing animation which include some captivating and breathtaking landscapes.

My biggest issues with the film was that I felt I had seen this story several times before in other films by the studio and that while enjoyable and at times heartbreaking, it felt a little too formulaic and did not resonate with me the way that many of their past films had. Parents may want to be cautioned that the film does contain some scary moments and there were a couple of children during our screener who did seem to be a bit disturbed by elements the film although most of those in attendance were captivated and entertained throughout and left the theater howling like wolves.

While I’m not sure the film will be a true modern classic that we have come to expect from the studio, it is still a very enjoyable and entertaining film that will be more than welcome during the holiday season for those looking for some dependable Pixar magic.

http://sknr.net/2015/11/24/the-good-dinosaur/
  
The Prisoner of Heaven
The Prisoner of Heaven
Carlos Ruiz Zafón | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>The Prisoner of Heaven</i> by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is part of a cycle of novels known collectively as <i>The Cemetery of Forgotten Books</i>. At the moment there are three books (the other two being <i>The Shadow of the Wind</i> and <i>The Angel’s Game</i>) and they are all independent stories whose characters and themes overlap, meaning that they can be read in any order. Despite this I think it that you would get more out of each story if you read them in order of publication.

My experience of <i>The Prisoner of Heaven</i> would be different from those who have not read the previous two books. I read <i>The Shadow of the Wind</i> when I was quite young and, although I probably did not understand it that well, I was able to recognize and understand certain references to that particular storyline. I have also read <i>The Angel’s Game</i> – also a number of years ago, which I found quite terrifying – which meant I had the background knowledge of a particular character. Having said that, Zafón provides enough information for new readers to understand what is going on.

The story is written in several parts beginning in Barcelona at Christmas in 1957. The sections set during this time period are narrated by Daniel Sempere (the main character from <i>The Shadow of the Wind</i>) who works alongside his father in the bookshop <i>Sempere & Sons</i>. One day a mysterious customer buys and leaves a copy of an expensive novel for Daniel’s friend and work colleague Fermín Romero de Torres. This leads us to the middle sections, the key part of the plot in which, told in third person narrative in order to differentiate from the “current day” (1957), we discover the character Fermín’s past and who the mysterious customer was. David Martín, the main character in <i>The Angel’s Game</i>, makes a significant appearance in this part.

During the remaining parts, told once again from Daniel’s point of view, I kept expecting something major to happen as I did not feel that the novel had reached it’s climax. But nothing happened which was slightly disappointing (although I was also relieved as I feared I would find this book scary as I did with <i>The Angel’s Game</i> – I didn’t). However I do believe that the final book in this cycle will continue with and tie up the loose ends in <i>The Prisoner of Heaven</i> – another reason to have read the books in order in my view.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I definitely prefer it to <i>The Angel’s Game</i>, which I found confusing and slightly unnerving. I cannot compare it easily with <i>The Shadow of the Wind</i> for, as already mentioned, it has been such a long time since I read it. I would certainly recommend this book (and series) particularly to those who enjoy historical fiction and mysteries.
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Darkness in Books

Dec 14, 2018  
D
Darkness
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
My rating: 3.5

<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

Erin Eveland is known for her short horror stories but she has moved onto writing novels with <i>Darkness</i> being her first of a series. It was not scary in the way that horror books are generally perceived to be but it did contain a good deal of paranormal ideas.

It begins when the main character, Catherine, is six years old and living with her grandmother. She is constantly haunted by an unseen presence, a nameless terror, which worries her grandmother immensely. Very suddenly, Catherine’s grandmother suffers a fatal heart attack and Catherine ends up being removed from her well looked after home to a dirty trailer park to live with her alcoholic mother. The novel then fast-forwards ten years to a time when Catherine is mostly fending for herself and her mother never goes a day sober. The terrors of her childhood have all but been forgotten but Catherine is beginning to remember and have similar experiences all over again. These incidents increase with the mysterious appearance of a man named Jorgen who insists he wants to protect Catherine. Meanwhile, Nathan, a friend of Catherine, comes into contact with an intriguing man in black who begins to teach him about colours and Darkness – something which could have done with a little more detail. Unbeknownst to Nathan, his dealings with this man may result in harming Catherine, especially as the two friends begin to see odd moving shapes – shadow creatures.

For a while there appeared to be a very thin line between heroes and villains as it took some time to work out the intentions of Jorgen and Artros (the man in black). The novel would have benefitted with more description about these characters: who they are or more importantly, what they are, as well as the significance of the shadow creatures.

Although it was good to be introduced to the paranormal aspects right at the start, this resulted in lessening the amount of foreboding and dread throughout the main bulk of the novel. Even though <i>Darkness</i> is the first in a series, it did not feel that it was properly starting until nearer the end. On finishing, the reader still does not know much about the shadow creatures or what the Darkness is. Presumably the sequel will be more enlightening.

<i>Darkness</i> is sub-titled “An Interactive Novel” and includes Quick Response codes at the beginning of each chapter to heighten the reading experience with the interactive addition of art and music. Of course to benefit from this a smart phone is required (I do not have one therefore cannot comment further on this feature).

Overall, <i>Darkness</i> is a well-written book full of originality that has the potential to become an exciting young adult series.
  
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When best friends Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Sam (Caleel Harris) find a hidden room, in a spooky old house, they think they have just stumbled upon a treasure. This is exactly they were hoping for when they started a junk removal business. But those hopes are quickly dashed as they discover what they really have found is an unreleased and unfinished R.L. Stine novel. The book is locked so they unlock it hoping to find a treasure map or some money but alas it is just a book by an author they have never heard of. Disappointed they return to the rest of the items they found and is surprised to see a ventriloquist dummy sitting next to the book. In the pocket of the dummy is a card that says its name is Slappy (voiced by Jack Black). Unknowingly these two friends have now unleashed a malicious that is about to unleash a bevy of monsters on their home town. Now they, with the help of Sonny’s older sister Sarah (Madison Iseman), have to try to stop Slappy from destroying their town and maybe even the world, especially before Sonny and Sarah’s mom (Wendy McLendon-Covey) finds out.
This film is a follow up to the 2015 Goosebumps, all based on the popular children’s horror fiction novels of the same name by author R.L. Stine. The book series, over 60 novels, and the films are all geared to bring horror to a younger audience.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a lighthearted horror film. This will probably do well with a young audience but doesn’t really go beyond that. I thought for the genre the cast did okay. Ken Jeong as the wacky neighbor was very over the top but in a fun way. Even though Jack Black is the voice of Slappy his R.L. Stine character was mostly missing from the film. The story is predictable. The film is full of cheesy one liners, some good, some bad and some so bad they might be good. Also if you are looking for a well put together plot with streamlined scenes this is not the film. At one point the three teens are being helped by Jeong’s character but the scene cuts and the kids are alone with no mention of their neighbor. I thought that the Slappy character was definitely creepy at times and could be nightmare inducing but the rest of the monsters were more cartoon like that really scary.

Of films made for young audiences this I have seen recently this is not one of the better films. I would say that it had a few moments but really lacked a clear message and cohesive story. I think it would be something young audience would enjoy but not go back to as often as other films that have come out recently. Renting or streaming would be the way to go for this film not worth the ticket price for the theaters for me.
  
Peelers (2016)
Peelers (2016)
2016 |
7
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Last night I watched a movie that was so rotten that not only was I not able to write a review for it, but I felt like a needed a palette cleanser. When I received the trailer for Peelers I thought to myself ‘A Zombie Horror Comedy set in a Strip Club sooooo Boobies’ okay I am in lets have a look at Peelers. Holy crap was this the palette cleanser I needed.

Blue Jean (Wren Walker) is an ex Major League Baseball player seeing out her days as the super sexy, super sassy owner of a small-town strip club. BJ (ha BJ) has decided tonight is going to be her last night as she sells up to some local douche-bag who has every intention of pulling the place down. So with this being Blue’s last night she wants it to go out with a bang and we are introduced to all the right characters to make this happen (Mostly diaper wearing peeing on stage strippers). Throw in some recently exposed to some crazy shit coal miners, a mass blood bath and shenanigans and this movie becomes less Striptease and more From Dusk till Dawn.

This movie is an absolute riot, I had so much fun watching this and was pleasantly surprised with what waited around every corner. So often an independent movie can either be great but look terrible or Terrible but look great. I found Peelers to be both it looks great and is great. The movie looks polished as hell for a movie that I assume didn’t have the biggest budget. The script from Lisa DeVita is refreshingly original but manages to throw most of the Zombie tropes at us that we know and love, remember people jump scares can still be effective. Dialogue wise the chemistry and banter just flows.

Seve Schlenz has turned out a great movie here and considering this is second Feature as a director you really wouldn’t know it. Lets talk about effects for a second. Its pretty much all practical, which you would expect. Great care and attention has been taken by the team to make them A. Scary but B. not shit. The cast is on point making this a fun as hell enjoyable romp (with Boobies) from start to finish. Wren Walker as Blue Jean is incredible and you could easily draw comparisons to Uma Thurman in the bad ass stakes with this actress, I look forward to seeing her in more.

This is a solid recommend from me, it was exactly what I needed after the tripe I watched the night before. It may be indie and low budget as balls but it has more fun being exactly that than most. I genuinely thoroughly enjoyed this Flick and think you will too. You have to seek this one out. Did I mention it has Boobies???
  
Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)
Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)
Kiersten White | 2010 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.6 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-paranormalcy-by-kiersten-white.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>.

     I'll be honest here: I just adore Evie's personality. And her habit of "bleep" when swearing which she picked up from her watery friend, Lish (such a sad ending for her. Dx *tears up again*). I'll probably face it. I kinda got the bleep habit as well after reading it, LOL. Not that I swear much myself. I kinda use it for fun sometimes when it's appropriate (Read: Really Fun Word to Use When Right).

     Did it make a lasting impression? Well...

     In the majority of cases, yep, it certainly did. In the meaning of "Will-I-read-it-again-and-again-so-I-can-visit-again" type of thing, it would be an eh... I guess we'll have to see. There's this great perk about the Paranormal genre, but I thought in Paranormalcy's case, it wasn't a lot as I expected it, but overall, it was pretty good.

     The title is really catchy and makes you think a bit on what it really means. Though I don't really see how it's related in a way to the story. Maybe it'll come to me later. I hope. (That's right. I still haven't figured it out, XD) Same for the cover in a way. Although... I guess I can. The story is related to Evie after all. I'm assuming the girl on the cover is Evie. No guarantees of being right. I'm just guessing. (And guessing is never wrong. Is it? O_O)

     How about the others then? I can't really detect the villains though. There seems to be a few, of which I shall not name for the sake of spoilers. Plus, they're not that scary. I was thinking some creep that would try and steal your soul to live like the villain from Silver Phoenix (read it BEFORE Bookwyrming Thoughts was born, so no review anywhere.) And I despise Reth. Can't you see Evie wants no business with you whatsoever? Dx I guess faeries aren't always smart as mentioned probably in the book already.

     But oy, what makes me give it an epic rating of 4.25? Okay, not a 4.25 then. A 4. Not dealing with graphics again... even though I enjoy doing it at times. :) What really makes me give it a high rating and not a "in-the-middle-due-to-a-bit-of-lack-of-action-because-I'm-also-drawn-to-action-and-adventure-books-mixed-in-with-other-genres" type of rating is White's writing style. I just love it. It's light-hearted, kind of care-free, humorous, and cute mixed with awesome-ness and totally fun voice.

     Will I read the next book? Yep. Just please keep up the awesomous style. I just adore it (Read: LOVEEE it!). :3
  
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Ti West recommended The Shining (1980) in Movies (curated)

 
The Shining (1980)
The Shining (1980)
1980 | Horror

"The Shining. It was the first movie that I saw when I was a kid that, like, really traumatized me. It was mostly the two little girls as well as being in room 237. That was one of the movies that I remember really, after watching that movie, having a problem sleeping. But as I’ve sort of grown up with that movie, what’s been so inspirational about that movie… if you watch that movie, like everybody watches that movie, it’s terrifying, it’s one of the scariest movies of all time. And what I think’s great about it is that it’s not only a horror movie, it’s more a movie about an alcoholic man who hates his family, and then it’s a horror movie. To me, all the best horror movies are a regular movie first and then they’re a horror movie. That’s true with the The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby as well as The Shining. But what’s most exciting to me about The Shining, and there’s a famous quote from the Vivian Kubrick documentary, from Jack Nicholson, where he says he’s been spending his whole career trying to make his performances real, like no one’s ever seen realness onscreen and he’s going to be the one to make it real and he’s going to do something no one’s ever seen before, this quest to make it authentic. And then he’s like, “Then you get someone like Stanley who says, ‘Yeah, Jack, it’s real, but it’s just not interesting.'” After I heard that conversation, if you watch The Shining and don’t get sucked into it just being a great scary movie, if you walk into it and just watch the choices that are being made, it’s an insane movie. Like, everybody’s performance is, like, the stakes are so high, as if every line they say is the end of the world. Every shot is so grandiose. The locations are so unbelievable, and they’re all built, which is also totally insane. It’s like this constructed movie that’s so hypnotic because every time Shelly Duval comes on the screen and screams, “[falsetto] They’re trying to kill Danny!” and it’s like, in any other movie that would just be like a joke. Or Jack Nicholson, if you look at every take of his in the movie, [it] shouldn’t work. It’s all so extreme with his performance. But it’s consistent and, I guess as Stanley Kubrick said, it’s interesting. Because it’s consistent, the movie has this very hypnotic tone to it and it’s something that Kubrick is obviously very known for. It not only is an amazingly terrifying movie and one of the best horror movies of all time, it also is just this really unique approach to filmmaking that I’ve always found really fascinating. It seems to, across the board, raise the stakes and make everybody just operate on this much higher level, and that’s always been very hypnotic to me."

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Armie Hammer recommended Eyes Wide Shut (1999) in Movies (curated)

 
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
1999 | Drama, Romance

"Dude, where do I start? I am a Kubrick fanatic. I think that there may never be another director like Stanley Kubrick. Just the meticulous care that he takes in not only the preparation, but the execution of what he’s doing. The fact that there are Christmas lights hidden in every single shot in Eyes Wide Shut, it’s supposed to be this dreamlike sequence. Just the fact that Tom Cruise’s character wants to have sex so badly, and the only time in the film where it’s actually offered to him and he turns it down, that person later turns out to be HIV positive. There’s just so many little things in that film that are so genius, that can only… none of those things can happen by accident. Those are the manifestations of genius, the manifestations of years and years and years of preparation and work, and you can feel that in every single set up, in every single shot, in every single scene, in every single line of dialogue. You can feel that, and you feel how much Kubrick put into that movie. Not only that movie, but every movie. I mean, even Barry Lyndon, all of them, all of his movies are incredible, but Eyes Wide Shut to me is this beautiful meditation on what it is to be sort of like a frustrated man. I just think that movie is absolutely incredible. Then you get into, well, what about the conspiracies about it? What about the fact that it’s about this or that? What about the fact that he’s alluding to this or that secret thing, that everyone knows is happening but no one will admit? All that stuff, there’s just so many layers to that film, that every time I watch it, I feel like I just enjoy it for a different reason. And it’s not regarded as Kubrick’s best work, but I absolutely love it, I think it’s a great film. And look, I just watched 2001 again maybe a month ago, and just sat there marveling again. It’s just like, “Who the hell was this guy? Who gave him the goddamn right to be so good?” But I don’t know, I think that I like the fact that Eyes Wide Shut is like the redheaded stepchild of the Stanley Kubrick films, but it’s amazing. There’s something about the tone of Eyes Wide Shut that, as you’re watching it, it sucks you in, and you really feel like you’re there. Like all of his films. I mean, The Shining wouldn’t be as scary as it is if it didn’t feel like you were actually there in the hotel, but Eyes Wide Shut, there’s just something… It’s a dream. It feels like a dream. It feels like you are watching a dream, and I just think it’s excellent."

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