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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Haunting (1999) in Movies
Mar 5, 2021
Hill House
The Haunting- doesnt live up to the oringal, now thats with most horror remakes, and this is one of them. Liam Neeson and Lili Taylor did a good job. Why cast owen wilson, he does nothing in the film but just say "wow". Catherine Zeta-Jones was just there.
The plot: This horror tale focuses on visitors to the secluded mansion of Hill House who have been called to the isolated location by Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) as part of a study on insomnia. However, Marrow is really investigating fear, and he plans to scare the subjects, including the introverted Nell (Lili Taylor) and the seductive Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Unfortunately for Marrow and everyone staying at Hill House, the manor is actually haunted by an evil spirit out to torment its guests.
Steven Spielberg talked to Stephen King about doing a haunted house movie, and the two agreed that Robert Wise's 1963 film "The Haunting" was a benchmark of cinematic house horror, but after they started writing, the two had creative differences. Spielberg agreed with King's idea to use the real-life Winchester Mystery House, in San Jose, California, as a source of inspiration.
Just watch the oringal.
The plot: This horror tale focuses on visitors to the secluded mansion of Hill House who have been called to the isolated location by Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) as part of a study on insomnia. However, Marrow is really investigating fear, and he plans to scare the subjects, including the introverted Nell (Lili Taylor) and the seductive Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Unfortunately for Marrow and everyone staying at Hill House, the manor is actually haunted by an evil spirit out to torment its guests.
Steven Spielberg talked to Stephen King about doing a haunted house movie, and the two agreed that Robert Wise's 1963 film "The Haunting" was a benchmark of cinematic house horror, but after they started writing, the two had creative differences. Spielberg agreed with King's idea to use the real-life Winchester Mystery House, in San Jose, California, as a source of inspiration.
Just watch the oringal.
Bobby Gillespie recommended The Original Singles 1965-1967 Volume 1 by The Byrds in Music (curated)
Lenard (726 KP) rated Good Joe Bell (2020) in Movies
Aug 1, 2021
The film has a great premise. An alpha male walks from his home in La Grange, Oregon to New York to tell the story of his gay son who was bullied so badly he committed suicide. Sounds interesting until you realize that it is nearly impossible to adapt into a cinematic story. It is one man traveling on the road. He is not rich; he is stubborn; he is kind of a jerk to other people. Mark Wahlberg is good as Joe Bell, but there is not much of a character to play. So you have to give him the spirit of his son, but the son would be his version of the son and not the real son so the actor playing him would need to distinguish the two versions. This never happens. Another huge problem is the ending. It comes too quickly and is extremely shocking (and not in a way a filmmaker would want). Yes, the event is foreshadowed in the first act and it would fit with the character, but there needed to be more story in order to achieve the desired effect of the event. The whole film has a problem by staying true to life instead of adding texture to the characters and story.
Allan Arkush recommended If.... (1968) in Movies (curated)
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Dark Shadows (2012) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
If not for the last 15/20 minutes (sans the atrocious ending, and even then they're only mildly watchable at best) I'd very comfortably call this one of the worst movies I've ever seen - and still will. Not even distracting, and intentionally as non-fun as possible. How exciting, we get to see nearly two LONG hours of nonentities played by actors who clearly couldn't give less of a shit about being there (except for the sole good scenery-chewing of Eva Green) tepidly talk about... like, fishing and shit? Sometimes even to each other! Where's the camp? Where's the (pun not intended) spirit? Doesn't go for jokes, doesn't go for drama, doesn't go for romance, doesn't go for anything - complete and utter apathy all around. It doesn't even look good, dear God some color could have at least made this pop but no of course it's color-coded like ash and jizz. This wakes up a bit when it has a spooky haunted house vibe to it but too bad that's only like a collective (and generous) few minutes of the whole thing. What the actual hell were they thinking, how can a director possibly stoop *noticeably* lower than 𝘋𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘰 (2019)?
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David McK (3562 KP) rated Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Books
May 22, 2020
Novelisation of the final entry in 'The Skywalker Saga', that seeks to add context and rationale behind some of the decisions made in that movie.
And, for the most part, it works.
It's just a pity that the film needed this added to it …
It's here we learn that Palpatine (in the movie) is a failing clone body inhabited by the spirit of the 'original' Palpatine, and that Lando's daughter was kidnapped and raised by The First Order (giving greater context to his decision at the end of the movie to go off with Jannah). We also get a bit more insight into Rey (and her 'Dark Rey' vision) although, bafflingly, there's still no explanation of how she can be so powerful in the Force.
The biggest problem, to me, with the sequel trilogy is that it is clear there was no guiding hand, making The Rise of Skywalker feel like a massive retcon after Rian Johnson through out all of the good work in The Force Awakens with his The Last Jedi - even a hint that Palpatine had been pulling the strings the entire time in either of those two earlier movies would have helped somewhat! It's here that Rae Carson attempts to tie the narrative into a coherent whole, with mixed results.
And, for the most part, it works.
It's just a pity that the film needed this added to it …
It's here we learn that Palpatine (in the movie) is a failing clone body inhabited by the spirit of the 'original' Palpatine, and that Lando's daughter was kidnapped and raised by The First Order (giving greater context to his decision at the end of the movie to go off with Jannah). We also get a bit more insight into Rey (and her 'Dark Rey' vision) although, bafflingly, there's still no explanation of how she can be so powerful in the Force.
The biggest problem, to me, with the sequel trilogy is that it is clear there was no guiding hand, making The Rise of Skywalker feel like a massive retcon after Rian Johnson through out all of the good work in The Force Awakens with his The Last Jedi - even a hint that Palpatine had been pulling the strings the entire time in either of those two earlier movies would have helped somewhat! It's here that Rae Carson attempts to tie the narrative into a coherent whole, with mixed results.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2367 KP) rated Dying in a Winter Wonderland in Books
Sep 30, 2020
After Christmas Murder
Merry Wilkinson has gotten talked into designing the decorations for Luanne Ireland’s wedding. However, on Christmas Eve, Luanne drops the bombshell that she is moving the wedding up from summer to Valentine’s Day, and naturally it causes chaos. Just two days later, Luanne’s fiancé is found murdered, however, and Merry’s brother, Chris, becomes the prime suspect. Luanne and Chris had dated back in high school, but is that enough motive for murder? Merry doesn’t think so, and she sets out to prove him innocent. Can she do it?
No matter when the books in this series are set, they always immediately put me in the Christmas spirit, and this book is no exception. Merry and the rest of the characters are their usual charming selves, and I always enjoy spending some time with them. Okay, so there are a few characters who regularly annoy Merry, but I enjoy those scenes, too, and we got some interesting developments with them in this book. The plot introduced lots of drama before the murder takes place, and that pulled me in from the first chapter. I never wanted to put the book down until I reached the logical conclusion. This latest book is perfect for any time you need a dose of Christmas.
No matter when the books in this series are set, they always immediately put me in the Christmas spirit, and this book is no exception. Merry and the rest of the characters are their usual charming selves, and I always enjoy spending some time with them. Okay, so there are a few characters who regularly annoy Merry, but I enjoy those scenes, too, and we got some interesting developments with them in this book. The plot introduced lots of drama before the murder takes place, and that pulled me in from the first chapter. I never wanted to put the book down until I reached the logical conclusion. This latest book is perfect for any time you need a dose of Christmas.