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Logan Eccles (135 KP) rated Happy Death Day 2U (2019) in Movies

Oct 1, 2020 (Updated Oct 2, 2020)  
Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
2019 | Horror, Mystery
Saddly Dissapointing
To say I was just disappointed with this sequel would be withholding the truth because this film missed out on what made its predecessor so great in my opinion. Gone is the random quirkiness of the weird plot of Happy Death Day. Happy Death Day 2U decided it wanted to explain the time loop of the first movie. This was unquestionably a bad idea simply due to how not knowing the reason why things were happening made the concept hilarious. The first move is hysterical, its sequel is hysterically stupid.

Trust me I don't like saying all this being a big fan of Happy Death Day, but you watch this movie and tell me its not garbage. If you disagree with me so be it but you might be lying to yourself. There is hardly any horror in this horror film. If your gonna be in the horror genre have more killing more thrills more suspense and less science and multiverse talk. I love SciFi movies but this was not supposed to be that and it honestly ruined the credibility of the first film.
  
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Groundhog's Day" meets "Supernatural" in this exciting tale of Death and his minions!

Stan can see monsters. He's been able to do it since he was a toddler, and he saw one kill his father right in front of him. His mom doesn't believe him, of course, and he's been seeing a shrink ever since. That hasn't stopped him from seeing them, though; he's just learned how to ignore them and act "normal" over the years. That is, until this one day where he just snaps after seeing one at the end of the road. He screams at it, and it vanishes; Stan feels like he's accomplished something, after all this time. However, he wakes up the next day to find it's not ACTUALLY the next day; he's stuck in a time loop, and nobody else seems to realize it. How did this happen? And better yet, how does he fix it?

This was such a great story that I read it all in one sitting! I couldn't put it down; I had to know what was going to happen next. It's such an interesting take on the idea of the Grim Reaper, and it had all sorts of wonderful aspects: humor, love, loss, a little horror, members of the kinda-dead, and more. I really hope to read more from this author very soon, and I will be sure to pass along this title to all my friends.

5 stars =)
  
Present Perfect (Perfect, #1)
Present Perfect (Perfect, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Holy crap!

This book is good but in the put-you-through-the-wringer-continuously kinda way. I was an emotional wreck for what was probably half the book and that's not good when you need to keep reading to find out what's going to happen between Tweet and Noah.

I think they both broke my heart at one bit or another in this and both for very different reasons

I certainly wasn't expecting the life altering thing that happened around the 65-70% mark and it threw me for a loop. Totally. Irrevocably. That was when the tears came in earnest and I had to put it down to calm myself down because I was getting a headache and didn't like where it was going.

But at the same time, that "thing" and meeting Dalton made her realise what she was doing and that she isn't going to be around forever and it gave her the push she needed and I was so happy. And then we got put back through the wringer and I almost gave up, not wanting to finish this if it wasn't going to be happy. I finished it though and *sighs* it didn't end badly.

Christ! Even writing this I cant see through my tears :')
  
Free Guy (2021)
Free Guy (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
I play video games fairly regularly, so it's no surprise that I absolutely love the concept of Free Guy. A whole ass movie exploring the daily ins and outs of an NPC existing in a Grand Theft Auto style world is something that interests me, and it's feels quite unique. Unfortunately, that uniqueness is bogged down by a whole lot of over familiar execution. The time loop style plot trope, the over the top douchebag villain (even when it's Taika Waititi), events in the movie being presented through familiar real life news stations or YouTube, the inclusion of multiple popular IPs thrown in for a cheap thrill - for a movie that carries a fresh premise, it manages to feel wholly unoriginal.
These negatives would usually be enough to complely write off the finished product, but luckily, Free Guy is entertaining as hell. It has some decent action set pieces, never tries to be something it's not, and even managed to wrangle a few laughs out of me. Most importantly, it's fun.

Free Guy has plenty of flaws, but it's shortcomings are just about balanced out by the good, and it will surely appeal to the majority of people who see it. A decent enough switch-off watch.
  
Graceland (2013)
Graceland (2013)
2013 | Drama
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Amazing
Graceland is one of those films you remember for a long time after you've watched it. Set in the Philippines, the story revolves around Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes) who is ambushed while driving his daughter and his boss' daughter home. Things spin wildly out of control when the kidnappers demand a ransom.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 10

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 8
The more I thought about Graceland as a whole, the more it made me think about how well things were filmed. The film is shot in a dark style, giving it a fitting gritty feel that sets the tone throughout. Particularly effective for me were the jarring moments that occur in close quarters, powerful and shocking at the same time. There are a number of points in the film that, due to how things were shot, will stick in my head for years to come.

Conflict: 10
Graceland is jarring and real because of the conflict created. The film never really gives you a chance to catch your breath at any point. You expect things to go one way and then are thrown for another loop. There was never a point where I felt like I could relax, which is exactly the feeling I look for in these type of films.

Genre: 8
Very interesting, original spin on your typical kidnapping story. While you empathize with the main character, you wonder if he's doing the right thing at the same time. He is faced with some tough decisions which you find out very early on in the story. You can never really tell up from down at any point. I can honestly say that I haven't really seen anything like it.

Memorability: 7

Pace: 10

Plot: 10

Resolution: 10

Overall: 91
Besides seeing film classics, Movies 365 has been all about me finding hidden gems like this one. Watch Graceland currently on Vudu for free. You won't regret it.
  
Honestly Yours by Jaime Reese
Honestly Yours by Jaime Reese
Jaime Reese | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
so bloody good!
Its been a long LONG time since I had my Reese fix, but it was such a wonderful wait!!

Warren wants Gian, but Gian has only one rule: Be honest. It's the one thing he needs more than anything. But being honest with Gian might be the one thing that breaks Warren's heart.

I've been sick all week, and reading this was like a great big hug, wrapped around me, and made me feel so much better! (still sick, but getting there) I loved it, it could not have landed in my queue at a better time, and I will try to write a coherent review.

I loved Warren, he holds his cards close to his chest, but Gian pushes Warren, makes him want to be different this time. I loved Gian, and how bloody patient he is with Warren. I loved ALL the P words used here, I thought that was incredibly cute.

I loved being thrown for a loop when things went down, cos there were several things I did not see coming at me and I love being kept on my toes. I thought this was gonna be a light and fluffy romance, but it isn't and I loved being made to see that I didn't really want light and fluffy, I wanted deep and meaningful and something full of surprises!

It does get a bit dark, when Warren is describing his childhood, but you do need it to get the full package that is Warren. It is so smexy! But there are lighter moments too, Gian is a lot of fun and his parents are wonderful people who see Warren, and they see just what Warren means to Gian, even if Gian can't voice it yet.

Written from both Warren and Gian's point of view, it covers a whole range of emotions and situations and I blooming loved it!

Thank you, Ms Reese for my copy.

5 full and shiny stars!

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Honey From the Lion (Love Across Time #2)
Honey From the Lion (Love Across Time #2)
Jackie North | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
beautifully written love story
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is the second book in the Love Across Time series, but you don't need to have read book one, Heroes For Ghosts, for this one to make sense. They are only related in that they both are time travel stories.

Laurie books himself a week on a dude ranch and on the first night there is caught in a snow storm along with a meteor shower. Waking up freezing, he manages to find himself in John's cabin, in 1891. John just wants to be left alone, to get on with his solitary life after the horrors of the war. Finding a freezing young man on his doorstep kind of throws him for a loop but the pair grow close. When Laurie gets caught in a storm again, and comes back to his time, he knows where he wants to be: with John. But how to get there?

I liked this, I liked this A LOT. Just one teeny weeny thing stopped it getting 5 stars, but I will come back to that.

Laurie is burnt out from work, and decides a dude ranch week is just the thing. First night there, he hears the legend of Old Joe and his little fox he found. Waking up in 1891, finding John and subsequently meeting the people in this legend, don't bother Laurie so much, as when he returns to his time. He KNOWS he needs to be with John, and when the lady on the ranch explains the legend PROPERLY, and what The Iron Mountain, the snow storms AND the meteor showers are said to do, Laurie knows, he KNOWS where he needs to be, and how to get there.

I loved that Laurie was almost totally UNphased by everything! He's like: Okay then! I went to sleep in 2018 and I woke up in 1891! Let's get on and live here! There wasn't really any panicking on his part, except when they went to town and Laurie was attacked, and I liked that he was all calm about everything.

I must admit, I thought he might have put the clues together about the legend before he did, but Laurie was enjoying his time with John. Teaching John all the pleasures he has missed up to now, even if it might get them killed. Coming back to his time, though, he sees it then.

It's not overly explicit, but it carries passion and love a plenty. Full of words and phrases of the time though. It takes time for Laurie and John to properly come together, and I liked being made to wait for it. It isn't a quick thing, them falling in love, it creeps up on them both and I loved that it did.

The only niggle I have is this: only Laurie has a say. I desperately wanted to hear from John, I really did. There were some important points that I needed to hear what he was thinking about, feeling, experiencing with Laurie, and he doesn't tell me. And if John had had a say, this would have been a 5 star read, I'm sure.

It's a beautifully written love story, this, don't mistake what I'm saying! It's just, I needed John, and I don't get him.

But even though only Laurie has a say, his voice is strong and clear and he grabbed me and did not let go. One sitting, 300 pages, two and a half hours, not a muscle moved off the sofa! Job done.

4 meteor stars, shooting across the sky.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
D(
Doppelgangster (Esther Diamond, #2)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow, this was a real disappointment. The title was great, and I'll probably never use the term doppelganger ever again, but the story didn't live up to it. As opposed to the first book, [b:Disappearing Nightly|1405551|Disappearing Nightly|Laura Resnick|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183345232s/1405551.jpg|1231526], the humor was nearly nonexistent, the energy and zip lost, the new characters didn't add much and weren't very interesting - heck, even Esther and Max were boring, and the plot just wasn't that good. A hundred pages could have easily been shaved off and they wouldn't have been missed, especially with the mostly boring, redundant blathering that went on between the three main characters (Esther, Max and Lucky). So there were a few good points, mainly Lucky and Nelli, but overall the book meandered too much and took its sweet time getting anywhere; by the two-thirds mark I just wanted it to be over already. Everything was explained over and over again with each new suspect, I felt like it was being spelled out in excruciatingly slow details, in case the reader was too much of an idiot to figure anything out for themself. I hope, hope, hope that this is just a sophomore slump and the next book will be better. Also, keeping Lopez out of the magic loop will get old fast, so hopefully the author introduces it to him by the fourth entry.
  
Richard D. James Album by Aphex Twin
Richard D. James Album by Aphex Twin
1996 | Electronic, Pop
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I've been a fan of his since the start, when I heard ‘Didgeridoo'... At our age it was an interesting time, because it was the start of dance culture as we know it, but also I was young enough when I first heard it that I didn't differentiate between hearing a Mary Chain song or hearing an Orb song or a KLF song or a Loop song. I guess of all the bands or musicians that I heard around that first wave of electronic music, I think Richard James is the guy that's continued and kept a high standard and evolved what he did. I mean, that Richard D James record, if you went and listened to half of the brand new IDM vomit they'd be shitty copies of that. What makes his music is so special is that as well as being amazing at concocting interesting sounds and rhythms, he's also musically always doing something brilliant. The piano songs on the Drukqs album are unbelievable. Talking about that, it's completely irrelevant to this, but the most annoyed I've ever got at a music review is the review of Drukqs in Uncut where the journalist said there's no point in making solo piano music because you'd never do anything as good as Satie or Chopin. Well let's just fucking go home then! But anyway. To be able to marry the playfulness with the beauty and the melancholic element, that's just incredible."

Source
  
Man on Fire (2004)
Man on Fire (2004)
2004 | Action, Drama, Mystery

"Man on Fire, I think what Tony Scott did was ahead of his time, revolutionary. I mean, as far as how he shot it and how he used and maximized his ability to shape a film with sound. He would loop in, like, tiger, animal noises with Lupita Ramos’ scream. He put in a foreshadowing scene, like when we first see Creasy in the cab with the beard, and he flashes to the end when he dies, and then he flashes back to the cab scene, and we didn’t even know. It took me like four times to realize, “Oh, that was at the end!” And just getting introduced to Mexico in that way, how he captured it. How he captured the performances of Christopher Walken and Mr. Washington. It was like an indie film, and then it turned into this beautiful action film in the same movie. To me it was the perfect film. It was the perfect balance of art and commerce. You could sell this thing, but again, like Dances with Wolves, he didn’t compromise anything for the sake of story. Again, how he used language, too., When they’re speaking Spanish, but how he kind of had it where you can read the subtitles — how he did that, and how he mixed sounds and mixed music. I think it’s a perfect film. I love that film. I really do."

Source