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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) in Movies
Sep 21, 2021
For me, ANOES 4-6 have always been a big step down to the pretty solid original trilogy. The Dream Master is of course the first of these three entries, and it's marred by sloppy writing, forced character development, and Freddy turning into a full blown one-liner machine, an aspect of the series that I know a lot of people love, but personally, I prefer Krueger when he's being a terrifying bastard.
It's not all bad though. The practical effects on show are pretty damn great, the kill sequences are imaginative, and I enjoy the commited narrative connections to Dream Warriors.
A far cry from the best in the series, but also, nowhere near the worst.
Side note, the bit where the dude sits up in his coffin and shouts "Helloooo Baaabbeehhh!" is dumb, but low key hilarious and I enjoy it every time.
It's not all bad though. The practical effects on show are pretty damn great, the kill sequences are imaginative, and I enjoy the commited narrative connections to Dream Warriors.
A far cry from the best in the series, but also, nowhere near the worst.
Side note, the bit where the dude sits up in his coffin and shouts "Helloooo Baaabbeehhh!" is dumb, but low key hilarious and I enjoy it every time.
David McK (3816 KP) rated The hunger games ballard of songbirds and snakes (2023) in Movies
Jul 3, 2024
I've read the original Hunger Games trilogy.
I'd seen the quartet of movies based on those books.
I haven't read the prequel, on which this is based.
So I had little knowledge of what to expect, going in, other than that it centred on a young Cornelius Snow before he becomes the tyrannical president of the original films.
This film is very clearly split into 3 acts (each proceeded by a card naming such): The Mentor, The Prize and The Peacekeeper - with the first two of those three acts the better.
Final act drags on a bit.
The middle section is the bit set during the 10th annual Hunger Games, which - here - are far more 'basic', far more 'real' than that of the Jennifer Lawrence films, with Rachel Zeigler's Lucy Gray also more a performer forced to become a warrior than Lawrence's Everdeen (the exact opposite).
I'd seen the quartet of movies based on those books.
I haven't read the prequel, on which this is based.
So I had little knowledge of what to expect, going in, other than that it centred on a young Cornelius Snow before he becomes the tyrannical president of the original films.
This film is very clearly split into 3 acts (each proceeded by a card naming such): The Mentor, The Prize and The Peacekeeper - with the first two of those three acts the better.
Final act drags on a bit.
The middle section is the bit set during the 10th annual Hunger Games, which - here - are far more 'basic', far more 'real' than that of the Jennifer Lawrence films, with Rachel Zeigler's Lucy Gray also more a performer forced to become a warrior than Lawrence's Everdeen (the exact opposite).
Shadow & Crown (Royal & Piper #1)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Over a year ago, the Piper of HameLonn disappeared into myth and legend… In the Kingdom of...
Fantasy Romance Fairytale Retelling Young Adult
David McK (3816 KP) rated The Screaming Staircase: Lockwood & Co. #1 in Books
Feb 22, 2026
The only Jonathan Stroud books I'd read, prior to this, was his Bartimaeus series.
I was vaguely - but only vaguely - aware of the Netflix series based on this particular series, although I'd never read any of said books nor seen any of that series.
Having finished all four books in the aforementioned Bartimaeus series (a trilogy plus a prequel), I thought I'd pick this up on a whim.
It took me a fair while after doing so to actually get around to reading it; what I eventually found (once I did) was a thoroughly enjoyable so-called 'Young Adult' read, that also has a bit of a bite in it - here, ghosts are more frightening and a threat than they seem to be more commonly portrayed as in modern media.
Think "The Lady in White" from one of the early Supernatural episodes, rather than Casper.
I was vaguely - but only vaguely - aware of the Netflix series based on this particular series, although I'd never read any of said books nor seen any of that series.
Having finished all four books in the aforementioned Bartimaeus series (a trilogy plus a prequel), I thought I'd pick this up on a whim.
It took me a fair while after doing so to actually get around to reading it; what I eventually found (once I did) was a thoroughly enjoyable so-called 'Young Adult' read, that also has a bit of a bite in it - here, ghosts are more frightening and a threat than they seem to be more commonly portrayed as in modern media.
Think "The Lady in White" from one of the early Supernatural episodes, rather than Casper.
David McK (3816 KP) rated Hero in the Shadows (Drenai 9; Waylander 3) in Books
Dec 5, 2021
Chronologically the third entry in David Gemmell's Drenia saga, published ninth in order, that completes the trilogy of Waylander the Slayer: a character first introduced in Waylander before being further expanded upon in Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf and which thus makes him of the very few characters that Gemmell returned to more than once in that series (indeed, the only other character I can think of is of Druss himself. Oh, and Skilgannon (who had two novels).
I've always found that there is an element of truth to the charge that the nations in his works reflect real-life counterparts (Nadir = Huns, Drenai = Greek), with those novel expanding to include the Kydor and the Chiatze, with the Men of Mud obviously reflecting the Terracotta army.
Oh, and the finale of the novel, in which Waylander finally finds peace?
*Chef's kiss*
I've always found that there is an element of truth to the charge that the nations in his works reflect real-life counterparts (Nadir = Huns, Drenai = Greek), with those novel expanding to include the Kydor and the Chiatze, with the Men of Mud obviously reflecting the Terracotta army.
Oh, and the finale of the novel, in which Waylander finally finds peace?
*Chef's kiss*
David McK (3816 KP) rated Bill & Ted Face The Music (2020) in Movies
Aug 27, 2021 (Updated Sep 27, 2022)
I can't believe it's been over 30 years since the first Bill & Ted movie
Man, I feel old.
This is the long-mooted capper to the trilogy, with Bill & Ted's band Wyld Stallyns still waiting for that one song that (as per both 'Amazing Adventure' and 'Bogus Journey') will unite humanity. No, that one at the end of the last film didn't do it.
Now older - but no wiser - and with their kids grown up, the duo find themselves summoned to the future and told that all of space and time will be destroyed if they don't write that song in the next couple of hours.
Cue more time (and afterlife) -travelling idiocy as they decide to steal said song from their future selves, while their daughters also try to put together a band of musical prodigies from throughout history.
Good natured fun, in effect.
Man, I feel old.
This is the long-mooted capper to the trilogy, with Bill & Ted's band Wyld Stallyns still waiting for that one song that (as per both 'Amazing Adventure' and 'Bogus Journey') will unite humanity. No, that one at the end of the last film didn't do it.
Now older - but no wiser - and with their kids grown up, the duo find themselves summoned to the future and told that all of space and time will be destroyed if they don't write that song in the next couple of hours.
Cue more time (and afterlife) -travelling idiocy as they decide to steal said song from their future selves, while their daughters also try to put together a band of musical prodigies from throughout history.
Good natured fun, in effect.
The Seer (Legends of Pern Coen: Fated #3)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Will they rise or will they burn? She had no choice but to brand him a traitor. With her clan...
Fantasy Romance Celtic-inspired Fade to Black
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Broken Luna ( Broken Trilogy 1) in Books
Sep 8, 2023
124 of 235
Kindle
Broken Luna ( Broken Trilogy 1)
By Paulina Vasquez
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Do you believe in Myths? Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, it does. Lucy lost everything four years ago in a rogue attack. She's been abused, starved, rejected, and broken. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, strange things start to happen, things that only happen once every century. She finds friendship in the most unlikely place and escapes to find her true self with the help of the most dangerous Alpha.
I enjoyed this it was a really good read I wanted to go up to 4 ⭐️ but somethings were niggling at me like the communication between them and their Wolf it was a bit dumbed down in places, also felt it was quite rushed in a few places. But it was good and I read it with 24 hours.
Kindle
Broken Luna ( Broken Trilogy 1)
By Paulina Vasquez
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Do you believe in Myths? Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, it does. Lucy lost everything four years ago in a rogue attack. She's been abused, starved, rejected, and broken. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, strange things start to happen, things that only happen once every century. She finds friendship in the most unlikely place and escapes to find her true self with the help of the most dangerous Alpha.
I enjoyed this it was a really good read I wanted to go up to 4 ⭐️ but somethings were niggling at me like the communication between them and their Wolf it was a bit dumbed down in places, also felt it was quite rushed in a few places. But it was good and I read it with 24 hours.
The Scout (Legends Of Pern Coen: Fated #2)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Can they survive Fianna's flames? Seren has saved Bran's life, but their hardest battle is yet to...
Fantasy Romance
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Emperor of Thorns in Books
Nov 12, 2019
Emperor of Thorns is the third in the Broken Empire Trilogy of books. Having read and enjoyed the first two books immensely (Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns) I was really looking forward to this installment and had high hopes. I was not disappointed.
The story takes place a year after the second book, with Jorg on his way to the 4 yearly vote to see if a new emperor can be chosen. This time it is a vote he intends to win, whatever it takes. And with Jorg that doesn't rule out a lot of options. The reader would suspect from the first two books that he is entirely selfish in his ambitions. However we see in the now expected flashback sections that a lot more hangs in the balance than another 4 years of squabbling. Jorg is the only one aware of the peril that threatens the world, and is apparently the only one ruthless enough to avoid it.
There are plenty of set pieces and Jorg is as unpredictable, nasty and single minded as ever. There are a couple of excellent examples of Jorg style diplomacy - which naturally involves anybody disagreeing with him being efficiently killed. Somehow despite having got used to this character through the previous two novels, he still has the capacity to surprise and shock. Yes he has matured and Lawrence has done a sterling job to keep Jorg and the events he instigates fresh and interesting.
The main thread involves travelling across the Hundred Kingdoms, and is essentially one long protracted chase scene, culminating in the vote for emperor. There are some very tense scenes - it should be clear by now that anybody is expendable in Jorg's world and there is a real sense of danger in the encounters.
The 'flashback' thread occurs 5 years before and takes up the story from the flashback thread in King of Thorns. Jorg gets to see more of the world, and crucially to find out more about the mysterious Builders and their artefacts. Once again each thread unwinds and impacts on the other and each is a compelling tale in its own right.
The writing is clean and stylish, plenty of descriptions of both stunning scenery and brutal violence, each given their own space on the page without being overworked. The story moves on in both threads with real pace - there is a lot of ground to cover, both thematically and geographically but Lawrence doesn't put a foot (or word) wrong and there are the usual dashes of black humour throughout.
Overall a stunning (and perfect) end to the trilogy. It's rare to find a story that ties everything up so neatly, with threads from all three of the books coming into play. It's also refreshing to find an author who is not afraid to finish a story and not leave it open for more and more (potentially weaker) stories.
A five star end to a five star trilogy, highly recommended
The story takes place a year after the second book, with Jorg on his way to the 4 yearly vote to see if a new emperor can be chosen. This time it is a vote he intends to win, whatever it takes. And with Jorg that doesn't rule out a lot of options. The reader would suspect from the first two books that he is entirely selfish in his ambitions. However we see in the now expected flashback sections that a lot more hangs in the balance than another 4 years of squabbling. Jorg is the only one aware of the peril that threatens the world, and is apparently the only one ruthless enough to avoid it.
There are plenty of set pieces and Jorg is as unpredictable, nasty and single minded as ever. There are a couple of excellent examples of Jorg style diplomacy - which naturally involves anybody disagreeing with him being efficiently killed. Somehow despite having got used to this character through the previous two novels, he still has the capacity to surprise and shock. Yes he has matured and Lawrence has done a sterling job to keep Jorg and the events he instigates fresh and interesting.
The main thread involves travelling across the Hundred Kingdoms, and is essentially one long protracted chase scene, culminating in the vote for emperor. There are some very tense scenes - it should be clear by now that anybody is expendable in Jorg's world and there is a real sense of danger in the encounters.
The 'flashback' thread occurs 5 years before and takes up the story from the flashback thread in King of Thorns. Jorg gets to see more of the world, and crucially to find out more about the mysterious Builders and their artefacts. Once again each thread unwinds and impacts on the other and each is a compelling tale in its own right.
The writing is clean and stylish, plenty of descriptions of both stunning scenery and brutal violence, each given their own space on the page without being overworked. The story moves on in both threads with real pace - there is a lot of ground to cover, both thematically and geographically but Lawrence doesn't put a foot (or word) wrong and there are the usual dashes of black humour throughout.
Overall a stunning (and perfect) end to the trilogy. It's rare to find a story that ties everything up so neatly, with threads from all three of the books coming into play. It's also refreshing to find an author who is not afraid to finish a story and not leave it open for more and more (potentially weaker) stories.
A five star end to a five star trilogy, highly recommended