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A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
2010 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
5
5.7 (22 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Back in the 80’s, razor-fingered Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) became an iconic figure of horror and mainstream pop culture with the film “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. Thanks to great special effects, macabre humor, and the charismatic Freddy, audience flocked to theaters and launched a highly successful series that spanned several films. Eventually the series ran its course, but the title character remained a mainstay of horror fans everywhere. Last seen in “Freddy Vs. Jason”, the terror of teenagers’ dreams has returned in a new take on the film from the Platinum Dunes production team, the same team behind the successful relaunch of the “Friday the 13th Series”.

The new film stars Jackie Earl Haley as the title character, and once again he is dispatching the teens of Elm Street in all manner of bizzare and grisly fashions in their dreams. Soon the town is full of dead teens and their insomniac peers anxious for an answer to the madman. Their parents are no help as they are quick to downplay any questions about Freddy and quickly disregard any concerns raised by their kids, even when the body count continues to rise. As their numbers dwindle, a group of friends starts to uncover the reason behind the unresloved deaths and band together to solve the mystery of Freddy Krueger and survive.

Freddy is only able to menace the teens in their sleep, so they take all manner of precautions in an attempt to stay awake and plot a defense, but sleep is something one can only postpone, never fully avoid, which means Freddy is always lurking, just waiting for his chance to strike.

What follows is a fairly by-the-numbers horror film that is sadly is lacking much suspense and horror. I was a big fan of the series and I found myself wanting to watch the original Wes Craven classic rather than what was unfolding on the screen. Haley does a great job as Krueger, blending menace with gallows humor, but Englund left a very large Fedora and razor gloves to fill and Haley comes up lacking. I also missed the elaborate effects that defined the series, greatly underwhelmed by this film’s attempts. The gore, suspense, and thrills were restrained compared to the previous films.

This is not to say this is a bad film, but the generic cast headed by Thomas Dekker gives us very little to root for and left me wanting more. Here is hoping that the next offering gives fans more of what made the series so popular and less of the formulaic predictability that has become so common in horror.
  
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) in Movies

Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)  
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
2018 | Biography, Drama, Music
I'm in danger of spouting praise all the way through this review. I honestly can't bring to mind anything that I didn't like about the film.

Even before it started you're gearing up for the main event with the 20th Century Fox tune rejigged in the Queen style, which I thought was a nice touch.

So much of this made me smile, genuinely grinning from ear to ear. The sequences they put together throughout were fun and done in a way that they flowed really well. With no dialogue in the compilation pieces, just the background of music and characters, there's always a danger that something won't make sense or it's done too fast to keep track of. I didn't feel that was an issue at all here.

I really enjoyed the way the creation of the songs were shown on the screen. It's difficult to explain without the visuals, but you could see the thought processes coming to life through the actors. The connection you get between the band members and the music feels very real, especially when you see the tension dissipate when there's a new beat to explore. One scene in particular gave me goosebumps, and that was seeing Freddie looking out over the fields as the hint of a piano tune is playing in the background... we all know that tune, and the anticipation of what's coming next is electric.

Rami Malek really did something stunning with this role. His reactions felt so real in all the scenes. Seeing Freddie react to the crowds singing their songs back at them was such a powerful moment.

All the cast members were great. The band in particular. At some points I was astonished that I wasn't watching a documentary with the actual people in it.

I wasn't sure how they were going to handle Freddie's illness in the film, but I'm relieved that it was done in a sensitive way. The serious note it take when showing him watching a report about AIDs on the television really takes hold when you hear Who Wants To Live Forever playing in the background. It gives you time to realise just how bad the diagnosis was back then. It also makes you realise just how far medicine has come in such a short time.

Rounding out the film with the Live Aid set is amazing. It brings the joy of music, performance, and fandom to life. I genuinely can't wait to go and see this one again.

What you should do

The only reason not to see this film is if you don't like Queen's music.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

That live music feeling, those goosebumps, the singing at the top of your lungs. That good vibe is what everyone needs in their life.
  
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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Blame in Books

Jun 5, 2019  
Blame
Blame
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Imagine, several years of your life just vanish as a result of an accident, but all you know is that the person you were with was killed and everyone blames you. This is situation Jeff Abbott tackles in Blame, an engaging thriller with an ending I didn’t expect.

Jane Norton is hiding something, and although we vaguely know pretty early on what has happened to her, she is an amnesiac and not portrayed in the best light. Why was she in the car with David, the boy who died? Who wrote the note they found at the scene of the car crash, which appeared to be written in Jane’s handwriting stating “I wish we were dead together”?

The slow start of the story reflects her altered perception of things in a way which explores how she came to be in the state she is, piecing together what happened, in her own disorientated way. I felt sorry for her, yet slightly annoyed at her behaviour. Yes, she is flawed, but she is also scared and frustrated. Does she deserve the treatment some throw at her? Would you be able to forgive her if you knew the truth? As the story progressed I found I was beginning to revel in Jane’s take no sh^t attitude and she grew on me even more.

I took a while to get into this, but glad I stuck it out. That’s never a good expression to put into a review, but it is how I felt. Despite this, the plot did indeed gather speed and there were twists and turns galore, which raced to a final conclusion that made reading this book all worthwhile.
  
Berserker: Hell's Warrior (2004)
Berserker: Hell's Warrior (2004)
2004 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
6
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Reasonably fun if you like 80s style fantasy. (1 more)
Decent twist in the end.
The budget really shows in the production quality. (0 more)
A less polished Highlander, but with vikings
The first third of the film focuses on a conflict between Vikings and feels like a throwback to 80s fantasy movies. It takes the mythical Valykries and makes them into vampires basically, able to grant immortality and power through a bite.
Without spoiling details, a betrayal occurs that sets a rift between two brothers that are chosen for immortality and power. This rift leads to a conflict that spans centuries as they are reborn again and again to continually face off against each other. One on the name of Odin, the other for his own destiny. The film then jumps to modern times, where the conflict is still going.
The story isn't all that original, but it isn't bad, with a decent twist at the end. The acting for most of the cast is not great, but not bad. The music, however, is quite good.
Overall, it isn't a bad movie, but is severely hurt by production quality and some poor decisions in design. For example, it's difficult to take the protagonist,s enemies seriously when they are running around the city in bear skins and armor. The decision to add an odd and terrible looking glow effect to the Valykries at times or when immortals are killed, was another strike. Despite it's shortcomings, I don't regret watching it. The movie is fun for what it is, and I happen to like 80s fantasy, which whether purposely or not, it captures the feeling of to me.
  
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Crime
Better than Suicide Squad
I'm going to get in a lot of trouble for watching this film. I promised my friend we'd watch it when she finishes her night shifts in 2 weeks, but I was in the mood for watching something a little less intensely serious and more brainless, and this is pretty much what I got.

I hated Suicide Squad. Seriously I gave it a 2, so the best thing I can say is that this is at least a lot better than that. Mainly down to Margot Robbie and her endearing and enigmatic take on Harley. She was the best thing about Suicide Squad and it's the same here. She's the star of the show and brings a lot of the humour and fun. I did feel like a lot of the other female characters were sidelined more than they should have been which is a shame especially as the film is called Birds of Prey, and I'm really not sure what was going on with Ewan McGregor's over the top slimy gangster.

The plot is entertaining enough, the fight scenes and the soundtrack played along side them are very well done and it was these that mainly kept me going throughout - these are some pretty kickass women. When the action dropped and especially when Harley wasn't in a scene, it soon began to get very dull and tiresome.

Whilst overall this definitely isn't the best DC film (indeed the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer shown before this looked a lot more exciting), it's miles better than Suicide Squad and rather a relief not to see Jared Leto's Joker again.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Kimmic (814 KP) Feb 10, 2020

I wasn't too sure when I saw the trailer but this review is making me think otherwise!

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Sarah (7798 KP) Feb 11, 2020

@Erika I suppose considering how awful Suicide Squad was, it would be rather impressive if it wasnt better than it! 😆

Murder on Memory Lake
Murder on Memory Lake
J.D. Griffo | 2018 | Mystery
5
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tranquility Shattered by Murder
Things are looking up for Alberta Scaglione in her retirement. She’s inherited money and a cabin on Memory Lake from an aunt, and her granddaughter, Jinx, has come back into her life thanks to a job for the local paper in Tranquility, New Jersey. However, things take a sad turn when Alberta finds the body of her childhood nemesis in the lake. Alberta quickly realizes the woman was murdered, and Jinx talks Alberta into investigating to jump start her transition to crime reporter. Can they solve the case?

The book starts out with a couple of chapters that are little more than data dumps, giving us the background on the characters. Yes, we need to know the information, but it could have been slipped into the novel better. The mystery itself is strong with several viable suspects and a logical trail to the great climax with some fun red herrings along the way. Alberta and Jinx are joined by another couple family members, and the four women are a delight, making me laugh a few times. The book is written in omniscient point of view, but mostly sticking with Alberta and Jinx. It mostly works, but it allows for passages of the characters pondering life. These felt like they’d be more at home in a literary novel than a mystery. The book closes out with a few recipes. The bones of the book are good, but overall, it felt overwritten. There is enough enjoyable elements to the book that if you are curious about the book, I recommend you check it out and see what you think for yourself.