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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Mortuary Collection (2019) in Movies
Oct 16, 2020
The Mortuary Collection is the latest in a long line of Creepshow style horror anthology films, a particular sub genre that can be hard to pull off, but director Ryan Spindell rises to the challenge pretty damn well.
The short stories presented here escalate in tone and subject as the film progresses, starting off relatively fun, but getting increasingly darker and in depth. This is something that the characters comment on between the segments, showing a nice sense of self awareness, but not going over the top with it.
Some of the later stories are hard to watch at times, and are quite emotional in places, especially the one that features actress Sarah Hay as a woman in a vegetative state. It's a genuinely sad story, topped off with some fantastic creature design. An interesting mix to say the least.
The stories are all good in their own right, but are tied together with a clever twist and a satisfying conclusion.
The main character is Montgomery Dark played by a brilliant Clancy Brown. He has a proper Phantasm/Tall Man/Angus Scrimm vibe to him (definitely no accident) and is suitably creepy as this movie's story teller.
The film is pretty damn visceral, and employs both practical effects, and decent digital effects to achieve what it does. It's all looks disgustingly awesome. It also has a great music score by Mondo Boys to compliment all the creepiness.
I was pleasantly surprised by The Mortuary Collection. It's a good time, a competent anthology film, and well worth a watch for horror fans.
The short stories presented here escalate in tone and subject as the film progresses, starting off relatively fun, but getting increasingly darker and in depth. This is something that the characters comment on between the segments, showing a nice sense of self awareness, but not going over the top with it.
Some of the later stories are hard to watch at times, and are quite emotional in places, especially the one that features actress Sarah Hay as a woman in a vegetative state. It's a genuinely sad story, topped off with some fantastic creature design. An interesting mix to say the least.
The stories are all good in their own right, but are tied together with a clever twist and a satisfying conclusion.
The main character is Montgomery Dark played by a brilliant Clancy Brown. He has a proper Phantasm/Tall Man/Angus Scrimm vibe to him (definitely no accident) and is suitably creepy as this movie's story teller.
The film is pretty damn visceral, and employs both practical effects, and decent digital effects to achieve what it does. It's all looks disgustingly awesome. It also has a great music score by Mondo Boys to compliment all the creepiness.
I was pleasantly surprised by The Mortuary Collection. It's a good time, a competent anthology film, and well worth a watch for horror fans.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Valentine Kittens in Books
Feb 15, 2019
These were all cute and fun stories. My favorite was Valerie King's A Tangle of Kittens. While I was a little weary of the plot at first, I soon warmed up to it and it was a delightful story (the description on the back of the book is misleading though). Both Anne and Marecham are terrific and they have great conversations between them. The Birthday Kitten is next on my list and it was very sweet, loved both Johnna and Ramsey. Finally, Belling the Kitten was very fun, although not my favorite of the three, I found Amaris to be a twit at first. Love the cats in all the stories too! So cute! All in all a great little Valentine's anthology.
Marvel's latest Disney Plus series, this is a departure from the previous (WandaVision, Falcon and Winter Soldier, Loki) in that this is - in reality - an animated anthology series that re-visits earlier Marvel movies and posits the question 'Waht if ...?'
For example, What If ... Peggy Carter took the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers.
What if ... T'Challa became StarLord instead of Peter Quill
What if ... Ultron won
And so forth and so on.
Basically, the multiverse.
Due to its nature, some of the stories are better than others: for me by far the worse was the Zombie themed one, whilst a strong contender for the best would probably be the Waht if .. Thor was an only child? entry.
Your tastes may vary, of course!
For example, What If ... Peggy Carter took the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers.
What if ... T'Challa became StarLord instead of Peter Quill
What if ... Ultron won
And so forth and so on.
Basically, the multiverse.
Due to its nature, some of the stories are better than others: for me by far the worse was the Zombie themed one, whilst a strong contender for the best would probably be the Waht if .. Thor was an only child? entry.
Your tastes may vary, of course!
ArecRain (8 KP) rated I Heart Geeks in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for a review.
The good thing about anthologies is that if you donÂ’t like the story you are reading, you can move on to the next one. Unfortunately, I found myself doing that a lot with this anthology. I requested it because it showcases a culture I am apart of. I go to cons, I read comics books, and play video games. I even have a twitch account where I stream.
But this just wasn’t what I was looking for. Out of all the stories, I only enjoyed a couple. I felt that many of the characters and situations were cliché and stereotypical. While I understand that those type of people and situations exist, I felt that each story was a repeat of the others. When I say “those people” and “those situations”, I am talking about the anti-social, socially awkward people who are sensitive and easily hurt.
I understand, I get it. Those people need representation, too. But these werenÂ’t the people I wanted to read about. I wanted to read about the happy, friendly, quirky people you canÂ’t help but love. The people who are unapologetic in their love of all things nerdy regardless of what that includes. Most of the protagonists in their stories were fragile and delicate. It seems that every protagonists I read about has been hurt before and is resolved to not love again.
ItÂ’s an old tired trope. I wish I would have enjoyed it more. I loathe writing negative reviews, but reading this anthology just frustrated me.
The good thing about anthologies is that if you donÂ’t like the story you are reading, you can move on to the next one. Unfortunately, I found myself doing that a lot with this anthology. I requested it because it showcases a culture I am apart of. I go to cons, I read comics books, and play video games. I even have a twitch account where I stream.
But this just wasn’t what I was looking for. Out of all the stories, I only enjoyed a couple. I felt that many of the characters and situations were cliché and stereotypical. While I understand that those type of people and situations exist, I felt that each story was a repeat of the others. When I say “those people” and “those situations”, I am talking about the anti-social, socially awkward people who are sensitive and easily hurt.
I understand, I get it. Those people need representation, too. But these werenÂ’t the people I wanted to read about. I wanted to read about the happy, friendly, quirky people you canÂ’t help but love. The people who are unapologetic in their love of all things nerdy regardless of what that includes. Most of the protagonists in their stories were fragile and delicate. It seems that every protagonists I read about has been hurt before and is resolved to not love again.
ItÂ’s an old tired trope. I wish I would have enjoyed it more. I loathe writing negative reviews, but reading this anthology just frustrated me.
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated Suite 606 (In Death, #27.5) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
I only read the story by [a:J.D. Robb|17065|J.D. Robb|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1202524651p2/17065.jpg]. I glanced at the other three, but they're primarily romance stories, which do NOT interest me.
The whole point of these little anthologies is to introduce readers who enjoy an established author's work to other, similar authors, right?
I know that J.D. Robb is a pen name for [a:Nora Roberts|11139|Mary Shelley|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205347203p2/11139.jpg]. I know that the stories she publishes as NR are romances. If I saw an anthology anchored by an NR story, I'd expect it to be full of romances.
However, I don't read the NR stuff. I only read her JDR books, which have a little romantic spice about the main character, Eve Dallas, and her husband Roarke, with occasional glimpses into Eve's partner, Peabody's, relationship with her guy, McNab. That's it, though. Neither of those sets of relationships are the focal point of the plots. The mystery/crime is the main thing, and while they're set in the future with the advantages of technology we don't yet have, they're essentially police procedurals. (I don't consider them SF, quite, because all the tech seems to be extrapolated from what we have now, and quite plausible. And, of course, the tech isn't the point of the stories, either.)
So why not put similar stories in an anthology anchored by a JDR story? Why why why? Misleading and disappointing readers is NOT the way to garner any positive buzz for the lesser-known authors, and the backlash can lead to less enthusiasm from established readers (like me) for the established author's work.
The whole point of these little anthologies is to introduce readers who enjoy an established author's work to other, similar authors, right?
I know that J.D. Robb is a pen name for [a:Nora Roberts|11139|Mary Shelley|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205347203p2/11139.jpg]. I know that the stories she publishes as NR are romances. If I saw an anthology anchored by an NR story, I'd expect it to be full of romances.
However, I don't read the NR stuff. I only read her JDR books, which have a little romantic spice about the main character, Eve Dallas, and her husband Roarke, with occasional glimpses into Eve's partner, Peabody's, relationship with her guy, McNab. That's it, though. Neither of those sets of relationships are the focal point of the plots. The mystery/crime is the main thing, and while they're set in the future with the advantages of technology we don't yet have, they're essentially police procedurals. (I don't consider them SF, quite, because all the tech seems to be extrapolated from what we have now, and quite plausible. And, of course, the tech isn't the point of the stories, either.)
So why not put similar stories in an anthology anchored by a JDR story? Why why why? Misleading and disappointing readers is NOT the way to garner any positive buzz for the lesser-known authors, and the backlash can lead to less enthusiasm from established readers (like me) for the established author's work.
Dean (6925 KP) rated Trick 'r Treat (2007) in Movies
Oct 31, 2017
Great anthology stories that overlap (3 more)
Great characters
Good make-up effects
Good cast
A new Halloween classic
A great collection of Halloween tales that overlap each other on one Halloween night in a small town. It has some great moments in the 4 main stories, mixing up an urban ghost story, scary creatures, slasher and just the plain weird. It has a good cast including Brian Cox looking a little John Carpenter like and Anna Paquin of True Blood. The film also reminds the viewers of the reasons behind some of the traditions. A bit short at 80mins but very enjoyable, one of the best horror anthologies around! This could become a cult film taking into account it didn't get a cinema release....who knows why!? Plenty of extras on the DVD as well.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Tales From the Hood (1995) in Movies
Aug 28, 2017
Tales From The Hood is a horror anthology made up of four short stories as well as a into and ending sequence.
The stories are:
Welcome to My Mortuary
Rogue Cop Revelation
Boys Do Get Bruised
KKK Comeuppance
Hard-Core Convert
Welcome to My Mortuary (ending)
I grew up watching this movie and even as a kid I always enjoyed it but as the older I got I really grew to understand that it is not just a horror movie in the sense that is deals with zombies, monsters, living dolls, and ghost but that it is a horror movie in the sense that it deals with real life horrors such as police brutality, abuse, racism, and gang violence all of which still hold extreme relevant 22 years after the movie was released.
The stories are:
Welcome to My Mortuary
Rogue Cop Revelation
Boys Do Get Bruised
KKK Comeuppance
Hard-Core Convert
Welcome to My Mortuary (ending)
I grew up watching this movie and even as a kid I always enjoyed it but as the older I got I really grew to understand that it is not just a horror movie in the sense that is deals with zombies, monsters, living dolls, and ghost but that it is a horror movie in the sense that it deals with real life horrors such as police brutality, abuse, racism, and gang violence all of which still hold extreme relevant 22 years after the movie was released.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated The Cost of Pleasure and Sexotherapy in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
The description for this anthology was rather vague, but it was listed under erotica so I went in with an open mind. I was not disappointed. I was treated with some of the most erotic stories I have read in a while. In fact, when I read it, I was in a dry spell with erotica. It seemed that everything I read was lackluster and boring. This duo spurred my love for erotica all over again. My only complaint is that I read through them so quickly that they ended way too soon. I wanted more. Since, I have read more stories from the author, and found them just as enjoyable.
I highly recommend these to anyone looking for a quickie (pun intended).
The description for this anthology was rather vague, but it was listed under erotica so I went in with an open mind. I was not disappointed. I was treated with some of the most erotic stories I have read in a while. In fact, when I read it, I was in a dry spell with erotica. It seemed that everything I read was lackluster and boring. This duo spurred my love for erotica all over again. My only complaint is that I read through them so quickly that they ended way too soon. I wanted more. Since, I have read more stories from the author, and found them just as enjoyable.
I highly recommend these to anyone looking for a quickie (pun intended).
Kristin (149 KP) rated Unhappily Ever After; Fairy Tales with a Twist in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
We all grew up hearing the regular version of Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc., but have you ever wanted to change it up a little, make them more like real life where we don't all come out smelling like roses in the end? Then this is the anthology for you. Classic stories are twisted and turned into something else, without the happy ending tied up in a nice little bow. I enjoyed each and every story, and I was surprised when I saw who wrote some of them. I'm sure this was a fun work to put together, and I'd definitely recommend it to fans of the slightly-off.
5 stars
We all grew up hearing the regular version of Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc., but have you ever wanted to change it up a little, make them more like real life where we don't all come out smelling like roses in the end? Then this is the anthology for you. Classic stories are twisted and turned into something else, without the happy ending tied up in a nice little bow. I enjoyed each and every story, and I was surprised when I saw who wrote some of them. I'm sure this was a fun work to put together, and I'd definitely recommend it to fans of the slightly-off.
5 stars
