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The Big Heat (1953)
The Big Heat (1953)
1953 | Classics, Drama
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Fun Classic
I can imagine that some of the cool scenes that happened in The Big Heat were well ahead of their time. One scene in particular was a car explosion created with strong sound, camera rumblings, and a bright flash of light outside of a window. Seems simple and subtle, but its impact was jarring at that point in the movie.

The film missed a few steps, wasn't perfect by any means. In fact, one can argue that there was one glaring plothole throughout just staring at you the entire time. I didn't realize it until there was about half an hour left, but it made me stop and say, "Wait...what? But why didn't they just...ok. Whatevs." Call me old, but I'm learning to let things go. Good doesn't mean perfect. The Big Heat falls well of perfection but it gets the job done.

There is a lot to digest throughout the film so make sure to keep up. This isn't a film you watch while browsing Google or folding clothes. I had to rely on protagonist Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) to keep me on track. His screen time has a way of captivating you as you quickly come to love this character. In a town full of "yellow-bellied ninnies", Bannion wasn't afraid to stand up to the mob and what he knew to be true. Dude was so tough he gave others the courage to stand up as well. Props.

The film did lose me in spots and lost a few points as a result. At its core, though, is a movie that ultimately gets it right. In Bannion's efforts to get to the bottom of a cop committing suicide, the audience is taken on a thrilling journey that I hope to revisit at some point down the road. I give The Big Heat an 81.
  
I received an eARC when I signed up to host the book tour. I made no guarantee of a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.

This is not a stand alone so Tortured Souls should be read first. This is a fast paced and exciting read full of paranormal elements and it contains just the right amount of romance to captivate you. The story line is well written and the characters are easy to relate to. The entire gang returns in this sequel plus a few new friends. Want to know what happens and what the consequences are for playing around with a ouija board? Then I highly recommend you read this YA book that's full of thrills and chills.
  
I'm Travelling Alone
I'm Travelling Alone
Samuel Bjork | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting plot but nothing spectacular
There's something enticing about Scandinavian thrillers that shine through imagery of its cold landscape. While it's an interesting story, nothing really seemed to stand out and the parallel story completely fell by the wayside - I suspect this will be picked up in Samuel Bjork's later novels. This goes for the protagonist Mia, who I believe may have a greater role in the following books.

As there are so many components to the story, you won't feel bored as such - but it is still far too long for what it is. The killer is predictable - remember always suspect the extremely nice side characters. So it doesn't break out of the thriller mould unfortunately. Slightly disappointed after all the hype.
  
A Quiet Place (2018)
A Quiet Place (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror, Thriller
I hate horror movies. And yet, from the first trailer, I couldn't wait to see this film.

I'm a huge John Krasinski and Emily Blunt fan, so that was the first part, but to know that he also had a part in the writing and direction, my interest was piqued.

I was blown away by it. It is the first time I have ever enjoyed myself in a horror film. Ever. I did get scared. There was definitely a psychological weight. Most importantly, I got choked up where I was supposed to.

It was a marvelously written and acted film and had a theme that I think will stand the test of time. A theme where to some extent... The monster... Isn't really the monster.
  
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
1993 | Adventure, Sci-Fi
The perfect Blockbuster?
To make this clear, Jurassic Park is easily in my top 10 films of all time.
I saw it when I was young - maybe 7 or 8 years old, not too long after it came out, so one might argue that there is an element of nostalgia reflected in my opinion, but honestly, no matter how many times I see it, I never tire of it, and all these years later, the effects still stand up, which is an incredible achievement considering it came out in 1993!

The whole cast are just great, the script is solid, and the score is an all time classic - John Williams smashing it out of the park again.

An all time classic.
  
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Imogen SB (4507 KP) rated Ghosts in TV

May 22, 2019 (Updated May 22, 2019)  
Ghosts
Ghosts
2019 | Comedy
8
8.3 (4 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Slow at start but gets better
After growing up with the absolutely stand out kids - but not quite - show Horrible Histories, I had nothing but somewhat low expectations for this show. I thought that they might be trying to top something that they couldn't. But I was wrong.

Even though this show is a bit of a slow burner for the first two episodes, it seems to reach some sort of comedic climax after that. Once the characters start to reveal their personalities aside from the typecast stereotypes you find in the first episode this show becomes brilliant.

Must admit, it is very English humour, but me being English - loved it. Watched every episode last night - and I can't stop saying Julian Fawcett MP Legacy.
  
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Emma Ashford (10 KP) created a post

Aug 18, 2018  
Just finished watching Pacific Rim Uprising, a review in two words would be utterly fantastic. Jaeger vs Jaeger, and Giant robot vs kaiju is always awesome.
  I like how they have carried on considering the first movie was a stand alone set up experiment, to see if the audience would enjoy this new genre of film that is giant mecha science fiction. For veterans of the genre there are some nice intertextual links to be spotted especially towards the final scences.
  Plotwise having the son of Pentecost being the main character makes as lot of sense. The only hole in the plot I can see is that there is no mention of what actually happened to the previous film's protagonist Ralleigh.
  I highly recommend the film.