Journalism
Book
'The blessing of an inherently interpretive medium like comics is that it hasn't allowed me to...
Gender Violence in Peace and War: States of Complicity
Victoria Sanford, Katerina Stefatos and Cecilia M. Salvi
Book
Reports from war zones often note the obscene victimization of women, who are frequently raped,...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Apocalypto (2006) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
Oh yeah, still rules - fucking *brutal*, much like most of Gibson's other films it's really nothing more than over two hours of good-looking torture porn. But unlike something such as ππ©π¦ ππ’π΄π΄πͺπ°π― π°π§ π΅π©π¦ ππ©π³πͺπ΄π΅, this doesn't pretend to be more than just that; and when it does, it hardly shows it. A textured, ferocious, teeth-bearing splatterfest - real wrath of God shit. Arrows constantly flying inches past people's heads, armor made out of human jawbones, *multiple* hearts ripped clean out of chests whilst still beating, countless heads on stakes, copious amounts of blood flying everywhere, so on and so forth. A bit too heavy on the motion blur at times, and a disappointing amount of the shots are way too close - it's a jungle for God's sake, use some scale - sometimes looks like a fullscreen film stretched to widescreen. Otherwise Gibson is totally elemental, utilizing every element of space not only with the staggering, all-timer production - but even within the closed quarters of the jungle itself. We never know what could lie just beneath some brush, or behind a tree - or what could be used as a weapon. An even better instance of formulating a jungle into a warzone than ππͺπ³π΄π΅ πππ°π°π₯. Ending is sudden, but it's for the best.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Saw II (2005) in Movies
Oct 3, 2020
Everything is upped - more blood, more victims, more absurd traps for them to escape from - but it succeeds where the other sequels miserably failed, keeping it all fairly reigned in for the most part, assuring that the plot carries a substantial amount of intrigue, instead of getting buried under gratuitous torture.
We get to see more Tobin Bell this time around, which is certainly a good thing. His increased presence as antagonist Jigsaw is a high point of the movie. Donnie Wahlberg and Shawnee Smith have a little more to do in the franchise going forward, but the rest of the cast are hugely dull and forgettable, obvious cannon fodder for Jigsaws' games.
The various traps are imaginative without going overboard as well, and are effective - the pit of syringes, the pig carcasses, and especially the lockbox with wrist slicing blades, are all pretty memorable without throwing heaps of gore at the viewer.
Saw II is a half decent follow up to the great original. You could happily watch the first two and not bother with any of the others, and still be suitably satisfied, unless, like me, you're a glutton for punishment.
AJaneClark (3975 KP) rated The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1) in Books
Oct 2, 2019 (Updated Nov 24, 2019)
But as homicide detective Thomas Moore and partner Jane Rizzoli begin there investigation, they make a startling discovery. Closely linked to these killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful medic with a mysterious past. Two years ago she was subjected to a horrifying rape and attempted murder but shot her attacker dead. Now she is being targeted by this new killer who appears to know all about her past, her work at the Pilgrim Medical Center and where she lives. The man she believes she killed seems to be stalking her once again, and this time he knows exactly where to find her...
Gerritsen, has a way of writing that draws you in and keeps hold of you until the story comes to a natural close. Itβs not drawn out in any of sense of the word, just long enough to hold the suspense. With some gruesome details dotted throughout, and an account of sexism is the homicide unit of Boston PD, itβs a great introduction to Rizzoli.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Cube (1997) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Plot wise this is a brilliant idea, and a great early example of the type of torture style horror that we're used to from the likes of Saw and Hostel. Some of the CGI is a bit dodgy (not a surprise considering it was made in 1997) but the deaths and traps are still really inventive and well thought out. The story may get a little too deep into Maths later on but it's still a very good idea. The problem with this film is mainly the acting. Aside from David Hewlett (who I can't fault after his turn as McKay in Stargate), there is a lot of very hammy over acting going on in this, notably from the character of Quentin but the others are at fault too. And when paired with a very patchy script- I mean who the hell says "holy cats" - it brings this film down a couple of notches that the plot really doesn't deserve. I loved the ending though, and I do think this is a film worthy of a cult classic.
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
6.0
Rate It
Book
A #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller. #1 New York...
The 50/50 Killer
10.0
Rate It
Book
Mark Nelson is a young police officer, newly assigned to the team of John Mackey--a highly-decorated...
War of Hearts (True Immortality, #1)
Book
A standalone adult paranormal romance from New York Times Bestselling author Samantha Young writing...
paranormal romance
Exquisite Corpse
9.5
Rate It
Book
To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own...
LGBT Splatterpunk