Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Ring (2002) in Movies

Aug 9, 2019 (Updated Oct 18, 2019)  
The Ring (2002)
The Ring (2002)
2002 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Seven Days
The Ring- is one of those horror remakes that is actually really good and underrated.

The plot: Description It sounds like just another urban legend -- a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.

VHS were popular back in 2002, but when rings: the third movie came out in 2016 their still thought VHS were popular but nope.

Anyways this movie is scary, terrorfying, horrorfying, spooky, suspeseful, thrilling and more.

A highly reccordmend movie.
  
DS
Dead Shore
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
58 of 235
Kindle
Dead Shore
By Jack Rollins
⭐️⭐️⭐️

They're coming for you and your child. How fast can you run?
When a group of teenagers mess around with a washed-up dolphin carcass, Karen and her toddler Charlie are caught in a wave of chaos and violence as one by one the residents of Ashmouth fall prey to a deadly virus, transforming them into relentless, violent zombies. Allying herself with Dean, one of the teenage boys, Karen must stay strong and alert as the world she knows crumbles around her and there appears to be no way out. Is the village doomed, and will this zombie outbreak remain contained?

A quick burst of zombie action well written but not much different to what we normally read, except these zombies seem to have a plan.
  
Pumpkinhead (1988)
Pumpkinhead (1988)
1988 | Horror
Characters – Ed Harley is a hardworking shop keeper and single father, he gets on well with the community and enjoys the quiet life. His life is turned upside down when his son is killed in an accident, which pushes him to turn to the dark arts to avenge his son’s death, only he didn’t plan for what would be expected from him. Chris is one of the teenagers that wants to do the right thing after the accident, much like the rest of the teenagers they all blend into one, except for the one that caused the accident, who only wants to look after himself.

Performances – Lance Henriksen is the star of the film, he is easily the best performer as his character goes through the biggest trauma and shows the desperation for revenge and regret for his decision. When it comes to the rest of the cast, they are performed to the level most slasher films reached.

Story – The story here follows a man that will do anything to get vengeance for his son’s death, which sees him summon the evil Pumpkinhead to kill the people that took his son, he soon learns the errors of his choice and must figure out how to stop the killing machine. For a monster creature feature slasher this is a simple story, we don’t get twists, we don’t need much character development as we are more interested in seeing the effects being used. It is nice have a story that remains simple in the horror genre at times too.

Fantasy/Horror – The fantasy elements of this film comes from the figure of Pumpkinhead that gets summoned to do revenge for people that believe they have been wronged, which plays hand in hand with the horror side of the film which is slasher elements which show just how deadly this figure will be.

Settings – The film is set in a small town where we don’t have many people with the ones living their knowing each other and anyone coming from the outside being frowned upon.

Special Effects – The effects are the highlight of the film, Stan Winston was known for his ability to create some of the most memorable creatures in film history and with him directing he brings us another terrifying creation.


Scene of the Movie – The first imagine of Pumpkinhead.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The teenagers are stupid for how they acted for the accident to happen in the first place.

Final Thoughts – This is a slasher that can be enjoyed by the horror community, it offers everything needed to just let us enjoy ourselves without challenging us like other horrors.

 

Overall: Simple, effective and fun horror.
  
13 Reasons Why  - Season 1
13 Reasons Why - Season 1
2017 | Drama
The series was created with close attention to the book it was based off of, this is always important to me. The casting was spot on and it was gripping and emotional from the first episode. (1 more)
This series is realistic in the way that it portrays teenage lives (I work in a high school and it's all about he said/she said and who is sleeping with who), but it also shows the negative impacts of people's actions (in the most extreme sense).
A lot if people are saying that the depiction of Hannah is not realistic, but I can't comment on that because I have never known someone who was suicidal. People are also worried about teenagers getting the wrong idea about suicide (that it is glorified). (1 more)
Some parents are concerned that the series (and book) deal with situations that are too sensitive for certain children.
  
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1)
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1)
Louise Rennison | 2000 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.2 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
Actual rating: 3.5 Stars.

I found this to be an enjoyable, light, fluffy and incredibly random read, it was also absolutely hilarious...I did laugh out loud a few times. Then why only a 3.5 rating you ask? Well...in some places I did get very annoyed with Georgia's attitude, especially towards her parents. I never spoke to my parents the way she did and to be honest I didn't do much of what she and her friends got up to. I thought that yeah it is for teenagers so I should still be able to relate to it as I am only 24, yet I just couldn't relate at all! Maybe it's because I have always been a bit of a tom boy and not a girly girl.
For a light, really silly read pick this one up and give it a try.
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated Monos (2019) in Movies

Oct 31, 2019  
Monos (2019)
Monos (2019)
2019 | Drama, Thriller
Colombian drama (with thriller elements) is strong on visual style and raw cinematic power. Eight child soldiers guard a hostage and a cow in the remote wilderness, but excitable teenagers and high-powered semi-automatic weapons are never an advisable mix, and the relationships within the group begin to deteriorate...

Don't get too hung up on the thriller angle, for while there is a degree of running around with guns and some shooting, this is much stronger on atmosphere and understated characterisation. The film obviously owes a debt to Lord of the Flies (the appearance of a pig's head on a stick at one point is an acknowledgement of this) but the movie is more oblique and less focused than that. Clearly heartfelt, with a striking soundtrack and some breathtaking moments of visual style; a memorable experience even if it's not a particularly comfortable one.
  
Alive (The Craftsman #0.5)
Alive (The Craftsman #0.5)
Sharon J. Bolton | 2020 | Crime, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I know that this short story was a teaser for Sharon Bolton’s book “Craftsman”, but I listened to it after I read the book itself, and I actually recommend doing it that way, for me, it gave different perspective towards the characters and quite a bit of confusion, to be honest.

It tells you the stories of three teenagers, Susan, Steve and Patsy, and how they vanished. And I think they were awesome. Their stories are absolutely engrossing, making “Craftsman” even more dark and sinister. I loved the way Sharon Bolton poetically describes the moon, and I loved the way she made those three stories so twisty and intriguing. It is told from multiple perspectives and really opens up these characters to the reader.

So, without spoiling it for you, if you read Craftsman by Sharon Bolton, you have to listen/ read this little story as well.
  
Robot Overlords (2015)
Robot Overlords (2015)
2015 | Action, Sci-Fi
5
5.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Fairly polished but essentially ramshackle low-budget British sci-fi. Alien robots invade and order everyone to stay indoors in perpetuity (insert your own joke here). Plucky group of teenagers discover a flaw in the robots' control system and start to fight back.

An odd mixture, like something from the Children's Film Foundation mashed up with a British gangster movie and some Sci-Fi channel filler: tries hard to be all grown up and cool but is fundamentally too polite to really convince. Good special effects, but there's nothing noteworthy about that these days; what does lift the film into the realms of watchability is another of those Ben Kingsley - sorry, Sir Ben Kingsley - performances where he manages to find reality and pathos where it has no right to be. Gillian Anderson also performs to her usual high standards. Passes the time reasonably well, I suppose.
  
Once Upon a Broken Sky (Grimmfay, #0.5)
Once Upon a Broken Sky (Grimmfay, #0.5)
M.T. DeSantis | 2023 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Enchanting afternoon read

Oh my! A magical story without a fairytale ending.....well, not a classic happy ever after at least.
    Once Upon a Broken Sky is a mix of childlike wonder, manipulation, growing up fast, magic, illusion and so much more.
    I think I was a bit slow working out who some of the characters were before their life at Grimmfay but it made so much sense when I realised and things fell into place.
    I like that it mirrors real life slightly, in that one situation is replaced with another that appears to be better but actually isn't. I can't explain it as you seriously need to read this and find out for yourself.
    I'd recommend this for teenagers and above, partly as there would be a better understanding of the story and partly for some great talking points that create awareness for real life.
  
II
If I Could Ask God One Question
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b>This is a review of a soon to be published (April 2016) version of <i>If I Could Ask God Just One Question</i></b>

<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

Whether you have been brought up in a Christian family or have made the decision to turn to God yourself, religion can still be very confusing. Greg Johnson has worked with teenagers for fifteen years and has compiled “80 Answers to teen’s most-asked questions.” Johnson’s aim with <i>If I Could Ask God Just One Question</i> is to aid the reader’s progress towards their goal of understanding the bible.

Johnson maintains that all answers to questions that matter can be found in the bible. He tries to prove this by answering each question firstly with a bible verse or passage, before explaining it in an informal, more relatable manner.

Presumably, the questions discussed are what teens have directly asked the author, or questions he has heard throughout his career. Many of the questions are generalized, such as how to become a better Christian, fears about being mocked in school, worries about sin and not going to heaven, and so forth. On the other hand there are a few deeper questions, for example why do bad things happen? These are not simple yes/no questions that can be stated as fact. Many of the answers are up for their own interpretation depending on the reader’s own circumstances. This may make things more confusing, however something may hit home and open their eyes in recognition of the Christian faith.

Although written informally and appropriately for teenagers, it is still obvious that this is an adult talking to someone considerably younger than himself. Johnson includes his own personal experiences, however they are slightly outdated compared with the issues modern-day teens may face, e.g. social media.

Johnson tries to make the Bible a less intimidating book. He suggests a chapter order to follow for those new to the Christian faith. The layout of<i> If I Could Ask God Just One Question </i>lets readers dip in and out, reading the answers to questions that relate to them or that they have thought of at some point themselves. It is probably not wise to read from front to back in one sitting, but instead to take the questions one at a time, analyzing the answers and relating them to personal experience. Note pages have been included for the reader to jot down any thoughts they have whilst reading.

Ultimately this book helps teenagers to feel less alone and overwhelmed with their newfound faith. Despite this there is nothing to stop older Christians from benefitting from it too. Everyone needs a reminder once in a while, and a nudge back onto the right path in order to continue living a humble, Christian lifestyle.