Kevin Phillipson (10018 KP) rated Scream 6 (2023) in Movies
Mar 9, 2023 (Updated Mar 9, 2023)
Ostland
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Surrounded by evil, how long can one man's good intentions last? February 1941, Berlin: A murderer...
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
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Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), whose late father secretly worked for a spy organization, lives...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Spree (2020) in Movies
Aug 16, 2020
Spree is a warning about the impact streaming and Vlogging can have, both on the streamers and the viewers. Both Kurt and Jessie are shown as being addicted to getting views, although for different reasons; Kurt feels that, if he isn't getting views and streaming everything then he is nothing, he even looks down on others because they are not streaming. Jessie, on the other hand streams to get her act and message across and (to begin with) see's herself as a different, more superior kind of Vlogger to Kurt.
The viewer are shown as being detached from the reality of Kurt's actions (At least until the very final scene). To begin with they think it's all fake, where as Kurt is shown as thinking some other blogs are real, and no-one is really interested until the killings get more extreme, then the viewers don't seem to care whether it's real or not and even involve themselves by egging Kurt on and joining in with polls.
The Spree customers are shown almost as stereotypes, most are self centred and obsessed with their own streams, or they are racist or sexist.
The story is good and not overly reliant on gore, a lot of the actual kills are made off screen with just blood that needs to be washed off the car. One death you don't even see.
Spree is shot mainly as Kurt's stream and often goes split screen as he crosses over with other streams an, at times this can be a bit distracting as, as well as the video footage you also see the comments which are, most of the time, flowing too fast to read, only slowing down when necessary or flashing up on the main screen if they are important enough.
This is the only problem i had with Spree though. As a light weight slasher it lacks some of the tension (at least at the beginning) you might expect but still has some decent kills and manages to make some social statements although the biggest one is probably after everything has happen and we are shown how the video lives on on the web even when it has supposedly been taken down, which is odd because this also has the feel of a set up for a possible sequel.
Broken Angels
Book
When the first body is found, mutilated and strangled on the riverbanks, Philadelphia homicide...
Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
Movie Watch
After his son is set upon by a scarecrow that seems to have come alive, farmer Jack Taggart Sr. (Ray...
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (2018) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
I remember many years ago, in those days of VHS back in the 80s/90s seeing the first Puppet Master movie, it was one of the movies that I loved, not for just the slightly gory bits, but also for the way that the puppets were created and animated on the screen, via stop-frame animation and practical effects as well.
Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter, #1)
Book
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she's the best - but she doesn't know if she's good enough for...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Spree (2020) in Movies
Jan 5, 2021
Starting with the positives then. I thought the premise was decent. An amateur streamer who has spent the best part of a decade failing to gain numbers via his social media accounts, embarks on a killing spree during his day job as a taxi driver, whilst simultaneously live streaming the whole thing. Stranger Things' Joe Keery plays the killer in question, and does a pretty decent job at portraying an unhinged, isolated young adult who is just obsessed with fame.
I also enjoyed both Sasheer Zamata and David Arquette in supporting roles.
It's a very styalised movie - the whole runtime is shown through streaming mediums, essentially being a semi found footage horror, and it works for the most part.
However, I've never been the biggest fan of this particular sub genre, and I found myself losing interest now and again. It's trying very hard to be modern and relevant, which it sort of is, but I'm not sure how far it will go in resonating with a younger generation. A lot of the script is cringey in it attempts to throw current slang terms in at every given moment. I've even heard Spree described as "Taxi Driver for the Instagram generation", a bold claim that falls way short in reality, even if that was Eugene Kotlyarenko's intention.
All in all, Spree manages to remain entertaining enough to warrant sitting through it, and that's mainly thanks to Joe Keery's weirdly uncomfortable performance. Maybe knock back a beer or two at the same time for good measure.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Theatre of Blood (1973) in Movies
Feb 14, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2018)
Notable also for an astonishingly good cast of British character actors, most of whom are only in a couple of scenes before they get murdered. Consistently witty and inventive, even a little moving in parts as well. Point knocked off for not letting Price get away with it!