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Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated In the Tall Grass (2019) in Movies
Oct 5, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
When Becky and her brother Cal hear a cry for help coming from a field of tall grass they go in to help. It soon becomes apparent that things are not what they seem in the tall grass.
In The Tall Grass is a Netflix film based on a novella written by Stephen King & Joe Hill. The film is a horror/suspense/thriller with a main cast only six people and only seven actors credited. The six main characters all become trapped in the grass and, like any good thriller it soon becomes apparent that at least one of them cannot be trusted as they get picked off one by one. However, Stephen King had a hand it writing this so you know it’s not going to be a normal film, there are no monsters in this, no killer Clowns and, surprisingly, no scarecrows although I guess that would have been too obvious for anything written by Mr King. There is a dog. The strangeness comes from the way the film plays with time, it soon becomes apparent that something is playing with time and space which leads to some interesting time loops.
In the Tall Grass is an interesting film which does a lot with a very small cast and a field and isn’t a mega long film like some of the other King films. If you can get your head around time loops, then I think it’s well worth a watch.
In The Tall Grass is a Netflix film based on a novella written by Stephen King & Joe Hill. The film is a horror/suspense/thriller with a main cast only six people and only seven actors credited. The six main characters all become trapped in the grass and, like any good thriller it soon becomes apparent that at least one of them cannot be trusted as they get picked off one by one. However, Stephen King had a hand it writing this so you know it’s not going to be a normal film, there are no monsters in this, no killer Clowns and, surprisingly, no scarecrows although I guess that would have been too obvious for anything written by Mr King. There is a dog. The strangeness comes from the way the film plays with time, it soon becomes apparent that something is playing with time and space which leads to some interesting time loops.
In the Tall Grass is an interesting film which does a lot with a very small cast and a field and isn’t a mega long film like some of the other King films. If you can get your head around time loops, then I think it’s well worth a watch.
Where Love Grows
10.0
Rate It
Book
When two broken men look to each other for help, an unexpected romance blooms. Stephen’s home,...
Contemporary MM Romance
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated The Brothers Bloom (2009) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2019)
Stephen and Bloom are brothers who seem to bounce from foster home to foster home for whatever reason imaginable. That is until the day Stephen sets in motion his first con. After the con is executed exactly as planned, the brothers get their first taste of success only to quickly have it taken away from them. The wheels were already turning though as destiny had knocked on their door. Now, twenty five years later, The Brothers Bloom are arguably the two best con men in the world. While Stephen seems to enjoy pushing himself to create the perfect con, Bloom wants more out of life. He's sick of being a character his brother wrote and wants an unwritten life. They decide to do one last job involving a beautifully charming heiress, Penelope, that takes it upon herself to collect hobbies. Stephen plans on everything except for Bloom falling in love with her. So now, a con that was planned to take them around the world has turned into a romantic adventure that has an ending even Stephen couldn't see coming.
Rian Johnson created a great modern day noir film (which was also his debut as a director) with Brick that was really enjoyable. When the word about The Brothers Bloom started making its rounds, it immediately reeled me in. Johnson's style in The Brothers Bloom seems to almost mimic Wes Anderson's at times as several scenes (especially the first ten minutes or so) have a similar feel that seem to be shot in the same way you'd see in an Anderson film. The film also has a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang feel to it with how colorful every shot is. The tone was similar in both films as they both had humor as an underlying tone amongst a dramatic adventure revolving around crime. This film is just a real pleasure to look at. The cinematography seems to tell a story all on its own as every shot seems to be done in a unique way and everything is so vividly colorful.
Every factor of the film is strong. The story isn't entirely original as we've all heard con men stories before, but the way the story unfolds and the development of the characters involved makes it a new experience. The dialogue is also top notch. Nothing stuck out as being cheesy or hokey. Every line spoken was either witty, charming, or something you'd expect to hear in everyday conversation. So it was realistic and natural. The entire cast has to be the film's strongest point though. There doesn't really seem to be a character that's wasted or isn't used to their full potential. Rachel Weisz does steal the show though. Her character is so charismatic, outgoing, and eccentric that she just steals every scene she's a part of.
The Brothers Bloom is one of the best films to be released this year, which is a shame since it seems to have a limited release. It offers something for everybody looking for a good time at the movies whether it's an adventure that will take them around the world, romance between two of the central characters, an oddball character that's great comedic relief, the development of both brothers as characters as their crime of swindling people as con men causes drama, and even plenty of explosions to satisfy the action junkie. The conclusion of the film is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, as well. The Brothers Bloom will probably be overlooked by the many assured blockbusters coming out this summer, but it comes highly recommended from me and should be on everyone's must see list.
Rian Johnson created a great modern day noir film (which was also his debut as a director) with Brick that was really enjoyable. When the word about The Brothers Bloom started making its rounds, it immediately reeled me in. Johnson's style in The Brothers Bloom seems to almost mimic Wes Anderson's at times as several scenes (especially the first ten minutes or so) have a similar feel that seem to be shot in the same way you'd see in an Anderson film. The film also has a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang feel to it with how colorful every shot is. The tone was similar in both films as they both had humor as an underlying tone amongst a dramatic adventure revolving around crime. This film is just a real pleasure to look at. The cinematography seems to tell a story all on its own as every shot seems to be done in a unique way and everything is so vividly colorful.
Every factor of the film is strong. The story isn't entirely original as we've all heard con men stories before, but the way the story unfolds and the development of the characters involved makes it a new experience. The dialogue is also top notch. Nothing stuck out as being cheesy or hokey. Every line spoken was either witty, charming, or something you'd expect to hear in everyday conversation. So it was realistic and natural. The entire cast has to be the film's strongest point though. There doesn't really seem to be a character that's wasted or isn't used to their full potential. Rachel Weisz does steal the show though. Her character is so charismatic, outgoing, and eccentric that she just steals every scene she's a part of.
The Brothers Bloom is one of the best films to be released this year, which is a shame since it seems to have a limited release. It offers something for everybody looking for a good time at the movies whether it's an adventure that will take them around the world, romance between two of the central characters, an oddball character that's great comedic relief, the development of both brothers as characters as their crime of swindling people as con men causes drama, and even plenty of explosions to satisfy the action junkie. The conclusion of the film is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, as well. The Brothers Bloom will probably be overlooked by the many assured blockbusters coming out this summer, but it comes highly recommended from me and should be on everyone's must see list.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated FIRESTARTER (2022) in Movies
May 21, 2022
Commits the Biggest Film Crime - It's Boring
Sometimes, I watch a movie, so you don’t have to.
I watched the remake of the Stephen King novel FIRESTARTER, so you don’t have to.
The current “leader in the clubhouse” for the worst film of 2022, FIRESTARTER is based on the very good Stephen King novel that was published in 1980 and was made into a pretty cheesy, pretty ‘80s flick in 1984 that made Drew Barrymore (fresh off her work in ET) a bonafide movie star.
No such luck in this one.
Produced by Blum House, Directed by Keith Thomas (THE VIGIL) and adapted from King’s novel by Scott Teems (HALLOWEEN KILLS), this version of FIRESTARTER was dead on arrival, with a weak script, mediocre directing and less than stellar visual effects, consequently making a film that is the worst sort of film…boring. It doesn’t even have the ambition to be “so bad, it’s good”, it is just plodding and mediocre throughout.
But, at 1 hour 34 minutes, it is mercifully short, so it does have that going for it.
What it also has going for it is a “game” Zach Efron as “Firestarter’s Father” and he elevates the scenes he is in to something that comes close to watchable. And when Sydney Lemmon is along as “Firestarter’s Mom” the screen comes the closest to interesting. But the rest…”meh”.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong plays “Firestarter”, Charlie McGee - the young lady who can start fires with her telepathic powers - and she is “just fine”, but she does not have the star power or “it” factor that Barrymore brought to the proceedings previously. She is just not a compelling enough presence on screen to save this turkey. I don’t blame her, I blame the weak Direction by Thomas and the limp script by Teems.
The only other character/performance that sparks some interest in this film is Michael Grayeyes (TOGO) who plays a Native American tracker with his own telekinetic powers who is put on the trail of Charlie by the mysterious Institute (a shadowy Gov’t agency that chases after various “special” people - mostly kids - in quite a few Stephen King novels). Inexplicably, this role was played by an aging, pony-tailed George C. Scott (obviously chasing a paycheck) in the 1984 film. Grayeyes succeeds more.
But these glimmers of competence only aggravates more when the film bogs back down in cardboard villains (what has happened to your career, Gloria Ruben) and exposition spouting scientists (what a waste of Kurtwood Smith) and less than spectacular action sequences that, mostly, consist of Armstrong screaming while a wind machine blows her hair back while sub-par CGI flames engulf the screen.
And…adding insult to injury…the "guy in the asbestos suit” (a mainstay of any film involving fire) does not even get a day of stunt pay! It’s like going to see a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible film and Cruise doesn’t do some sort of crazy stunt!
After the success of IT, PART ONE in 2017, there was a renaissance, of sorts, of adaptations of Stephen King works and even though PET SEMATARY (2019) was pretty decent and IT, CHAPTER TWO and DOCTOR SLEEP (2019) were okay, THE DARK TOWER, the TV remake of THE STAND, LISEY’S STORY and now FIRESTARTER were all terrible, so maybe we’ve seen the end of this phase of King adaptations (I doubt it, but one can hope).
Save yourself and hour and a half of your life and skip this Firestarter. Instead, revisit the 1984 version - it plays like an Oscar-winner compared to this turkey. Or, better yet, read the original Stephen King work - it is the best of all of these.
Letter Grade: C- (and I’m being generous)
3 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis).
I watched the remake of the Stephen King novel FIRESTARTER, so you don’t have to.
The current “leader in the clubhouse” for the worst film of 2022, FIRESTARTER is based on the very good Stephen King novel that was published in 1980 and was made into a pretty cheesy, pretty ‘80s flick in 1984 that made Drew Barrymore (fresh off her work in ET) a bonafide movie star.
No such luck in this one.
Produced by Blum House, Directed by Keith Thomas (THE VIGIL) and adapted from King’s novel by Scott Teems (HALLOWEEN KILLS), this version of FIRESTARTER was dead on arrival, with a weak script, mediocre directing and less than stellar visual effects, consequently making a film that is the worst sort of film…boring. It doesn’t even have the ambition to be “so bad, it’s good”, it is just plodding and mediocre throughout.
But, at 1 hour 34 minutes, it is mercifully short, so it does have that going for it.
What it also has going for it is a “game” Zach Efron as “Firestarter’s Father” and he elevates the scenes he is in to something that comes close to watchable. And when Sydney Lemmon is along as “Firestarter’s Mom” the screen comes the closest to interesting. But the rest…”meh”.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong plays “Firestarter”, Charlie McGee - the young lady who can start fires with her telepathic powers - and she is “just fine”, but she does not have the star power or “it” factor that Barrymore brought to the proceedings previously. She is just not a compelling enough presence on screen to save this turkey. I don’t blame her, I blame the weak Direction by Thomas and the limp script by Teems.
The only other character/performance that sparks some interest in this film is Michael Grayeyes (TOGO) who plays a Native American tracker with his own telekinetic powers who is put on the trail of Charlie by the mysterious Institute (a shadowy Gov’t agency that chases after various “special” people - mostly kids - in quite a few Stephen King novels). Inexplicably, this role was played by an aging, pony-tailed George C. Scott (obviously chasing a paycheck) in the 1984 film. Grayeyes succeeds more.
But these glimmers of competence only aggravates more when the film bogs back down in cardboard villains (what has happened to your career, Gloria Ruben) and exposition spouting scientists (what a waste of Kurtwood Smith) and less than spectacular action sequences that, mostly, consist of Armstrong screaming while a wind machine blows her hair back while sub-par CGI flames engulf the screen.
And…adding insult to injury…the "guy in the asbestos suit” (a mainstay of any film involving fire) does not even get a day of stunt pay! It’s like going to see a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible film and Cruise doesn’t do some sort of crazy stunt!
After the success of IT, PART ONE in 2017, there was a renaissance, of sorts, of adaptations of Stephen King works and even though PET SEMATARY (2019) was pretty decent and IT, CHAPTER TWO and DOCTOR SLEEP (2019) were okay, THE DARK TOWER, the TV remake of THE STAND, LISEY’S STORY and now FIRESTARTER were all terrible, so maybe we’ve seen the end of this phase of King adaptations (I doubt it, but one can hope).
Save yourself and hour and a half of your life and skip this Firestarter. Instead, revisit the 1984 version - it plays like an Oscar-winner compared to this turkey. Or, better yet, read the original Stephen King work - it is the best of all of these.
Letter Grade: C- (and I’m being generous)
3 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis).
Sara (80 KP) rated LittleBigPlanet in Video Games
Aug 27, 2017
Sandbox creation (2 more)
Interesting world
Stephen Frye Narration
A charming game fun for the whole family.
This game is adorable. Playable solo or with friends this game is a great way to spend some time. You can play the story, investigate levels designed by other players or create your own. The story mode has tons of goodies to collect to enhance the creation part of the game, which is where most of the game truly is.
Playable with 1-4 people either online or in person.
My one issue is the rubberbanding. It makes certain levels difficult to ace if one player accidentally shoots forward murdering the other player because they are too far apart.
Playable with 1-4 people either online or in person.
My one issue is the rubberbanding. It makes certain levels difficult to ace if one player accidentally shoots forward murdering the other player because they are too far apart.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated It in Books
Sep 10, 2017
An absolute classic in the horror genre
I read this as a 10-year-old and had to sleep with the lights on for a while! Stephen King's IT is an absolute classic in literary horror, which as a genre, is no mean feat to achieve.
It involves a group of old friends who are haunted by a nameless malice encountered in their childhoods. They are subsequently confronted again with this horror after the death of one of their friends as adults.
The main moral of this story is about facing demons in order to overcome fear. Looking forward to watching the new movie version of this book and hear the words "We all float down here" once again.
It involves a group of old friends who are haunted by a nameless malice encountered in their childhoods. They are subsequently confronted again with this horror after the death of one of their friends as adults.
The main moral of this story is about facing demons in order to overcome fear. Looking forward to watching the new movie version of this book and hear the words "We all float down here" once again.
The Craggus (360 KP) rated Avengers: Endgame (2019) in Movies
Apr 26, 2019
It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for. Avengers: Endgame (2019) Review
“Avengers: Endgame” does everything it needed to do, and then some. It does some of the things you expected it to do, but perhaps not in quite the way you expected. You may be expecting an action-packed adventure across time and space as the heroes desperately seek redemption after their first real defeat but what you may not be expecting is how much of a character-driven victory lap the Russos and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have managed to weave organically into the story to propel us to the MCU’s most potent and emotive finale to date...
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusEndgame
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusEndgame
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated The Mist (2007) in Movies
Jun 15, 2019
Don't go outside
After a storm hits a small town, a small family sets out to collect items to start repairs. Whilst out a huge mysterious mist descends on the store causing mass panic.
Not knowing what the cause is or what may come next, fear strikes hard as a large number of creatures begins to attack the store and the people trapped inside.
With no clear view outside, no sign of help or the mist clearing, they must try and escape before the creatures get in or they kill each other.
With some solid acting and a twist that continues to shock audiences today, The Mist is a movie for all Stephen king fans.
Starring Tom Jane
Not knowing what the cause is or what may come next, fear strikes hard as a large number of creatures begins to attack the store and the people trapped inside.
With no clear view outside, no sign of help or the mist clearing, they must try and escape before the creatures get in or they kill each other.
With some solid acting and a twist that continues to shock audiences today, The Mist is a movie for all Stephen king fans.
Starring Tom Jane
Dean (6925 KP) rated Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) in Movies
Apr 18, 2020
Ok scary tales film
I missed this at the cinema and caught on Amazon prime last night. I thought it was going to be an anthology of scary stories. It's more of a few mini tales set within the main plot of the whole film. I enjoyed it and at times it felt a bit like @Creepshow (1982) or @Trick 'r Treat (2007) The overall feel of the film was similar to a Stephen King short story. Only downside it isn't that scary, maybe why it got a PG-13 rating in the US. If you like ghost stories check it out but it won't give you sleepless nights.
Churchill's Cigar
Book
During the Second World War, Churchill's cigar was such an important beacon of resistance that MI5,...