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Dean (6925 KP) rated Cloverfield (2008) in Movies
Nov 16, 2017 (Updated Nov 16, 2017)
Original (1 more)
Something for everyone
Immersive experience
WOW! This film is brilliant! What can I say believe the hype. This is such an engaging film you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen for a second. This is a mix of action, drama, disaster, and sci-fi all rolled into one and even with a touch of romance too. It was much better than I expected it to be given all the hype around it. The film is viewed through the playback of a camcorder after an event in New York, Kinda Blair Witch like but better. The first person feel of it really brings you into the action, panic and confusion as the events unfold. This is set to be a cult classic! If you haven't seen it yet put it to the top of your to watch/rental list! It feels like a roller-coaster ride you don't want to end!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019) in Movies
Oct 23, 2019
Another customarily superb animation from Aardman. Strange goings-on at Mossy Bottom Farm presage the first contact between alien life and, er, sheepkind, as Shaun the Sheep befriends an excitable alien who is stranded on Earth. Can the flock get her home before she falls into the clutches of the sinister Ministry for Alien Detection?
Not quite the utterly perfect gem that the first movie was, but still tremendously enjoyable and made to the highest possible standards, both of animation and scripting (one of the best jokes comes at the very, very end of the film). Also manages to be surprisingly poignant in places - but mostly it's just witty and fun by turns. Many references to classic sci-fi fill the movie; some are obvious, others are buried in the background or only appear for a second or so - you have to be some kind of obsessive to get them all, but I would imagine this film is fun for regular type people too.
Not quite the utterly perfect gem that the first movie was, but still tremendously enjoyable and made to the highest possible standards, both of animation and scripting (one of the best jokes comes at the very, very end of the film). Also manages to be surprisingly poignant in places - but mostly it's just witty and fun by turns. Many references to classic sci-fi fill the movie; some are obvious, others are buried in the background or only appear for a second or so - you have to be some kind of obsessive to get them all, but I would imagine this film is fun for regular type people too.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Event Horizon (1997) in Movies
Jan 31, 2020 (Updated Jan 31, 2020)
Enter Into The Madness
Event Horizon- is a classic horror film, its soo underrated, its really good/great. The sci-fi is really good/great as well. Also both Lawerence Fishburne and Sam Neill are both excellent in this film.
The Plot: When the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that vanished years earlier, suddenly reappears, a team is dispatched to investigate the ship. Accompanied by the Event Horizon's creator, William Weir (Sam Neill), the crew of the Lewis and Clark, led by Capt. Miller (Laurence Fishburne), begins to explore the seemingly abandoned vessel. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors, and that the horrors that befell the Event Horizon's previous journey are still present.
Like i said before its really underrated, but its a guilty pleasure, a jem. Not alot of people talk about this film anymore. Its a must watch horror film from the late 90's.
The Plot: When the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that vanished years earlier, suddenly reappears, a team is dispatched to investigate the ship. Accompanied by the Event Horizon's creator, William Weir (Sam Neill), the crew of the Lewis and Clark, led by Capt. Miller (Laurence Fishburne), begins to explore the seemingly abandoned vessel. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors, and that the horrors that befell the Event Horizon's previous journey are still present.
Like i said before its really underrated, but its a guilty pleasure, a jem. Not alot of people talk about this film anymore. Its a must watch horror film from the late 90's.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) in Movies
Mar 6, 2020
The House of Horrors
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein- is such a classic horror movie mixed with humor, comedy, sci-fi and is in the universal monster universe. Plus this has Lon Chaney Jr. as The Wolfman, Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Glenn Strange as Frankenstein and Vincent Price as the voice of the Invisible Man. OMG so many horror icons/legends within one movie. Love it.
The Plot: In the first of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's horror vehicles for Universal Pictures, the inimitable comic duo star as railway baggage handlers in northern Florida. When a pair of crates belonging to a house of horrors museum are mishandled by Wilbur (Lou Costello), the museum's director, Mr. MacDougal (Frank Ferguson), demands that they deliver them personally so that they can be inspected for insurance purposes, but Lou's friend Chick (Bud Abbott) has grave suspicions.
Its funny, entertaining, thrilling, and overall excellent. If you havent seen it, than go and watch it.
The Plot: In the first of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's horror vehicles for Universal Pictures, the inimitable comic duo star as railway baggage handlers in northern Florida. When a pair of crates belonging to a house of horrors museum are mishandled by Wilbur (Lou Costello), the museum's director, Mr. MacDougal (Frank Ferguson), demands that they deliver them personally so that they can be inspected for insurance purposes, but Lou's friend Chick (Bud Abbott) has grave suspicions.
Its funny, entertaining, thrilling, and overall excellent. If you havent seen it, than go and watch it.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated A Touch of Death in Books
Mar 1, 2020
New twist to the classic dystopians
Trigger Warning: Graphic gore, death, suicidal thoughts, torture.
When Rebecca approached me about reading A Touch of Death, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. Dystopian is one of those genres that has been so overly saturated that nothing seems to be fresh. Luckily, my apprehension was unwarranted.
A Touch of Death is one of those books that will grab you the second you start reading it. This dystopian sci-fi novel grabbed me almost instantly. The plot was exciting and gave us a nice twist to the classic dystopian books. I liked all of the elements present, and they seemed to work pretty well together.
The main characters Kitty & Nate, were fascinating. I liked seeing how they interacted, and I loved the bit of bickering too. It did take me some time to warm up to both characters. I never seemed to connect to either of them, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. The relationships in the book were interesting to watch evolve, and I liked seeing how both Kitty & Nate changed throughout the book.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. I would have liked to connect more with the characters, but this was a solid 4 star read for me!
When Rebecca approached me about reading A Touch of Death, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. Dystopian is one of those genres that has been so overly saturated that nothing seems to be fresh. Luckily, my apprehension was unwarranted.
A Touch of Death is one of those books that will grab you the second you start reading it. This dystopian sci-fi novel grabbed me almost instantly. The plot was exciting and gave us a nice twist to the classic dystopian books. I liked all of the elements present, and they seemed to work pretty well together.
The main characters Kitty & Nate, were fascinating. I liked seeing how they interacted, and I loved the bit of bickering too. It did take me some time to warm up to both characters. I never seemed to connect to either of them, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. The relationships in the book were interesting to watch evolve, and I liked seeing how both Kitty & Nate changed throughout the book.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. I would have liked to connect more with the characters, but this was a solid 4 star read for me!
Dean (6925 KP) rated The Invisible Man (2020) in Movies
Mar 5, 2020 (Updated Mar 5, 2020)
Great acting (1 more)
Fresh twist on a classic
The invisible enemy
The first thing I thought of when I saw the trailer for this was it reminded me of @Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) To be honest it has more in common with that classic thriller than other invisible man films. The opening sequence is very similar and I assume inspired by it. The acting is very good as our victim of domestic violence goes through an entire range of emotions with many thinking she is crazy. The SFX scenes are pretty good and look believable. I only noticed after this is billed as a Horror. There are a couple of jump scares and some bloody scenes but it definitely fits a Thriller more closely.
The only down side is some of the science in some scenes just wouldn't make sense in real life, rain hitting a solid object etc.
Must add the score really added to the intensity of many scenes and created a sense of being on a knife edge.
Overall a good enjoyable film. If you like a mix of thriller, with a Sci-fi angle and especially a fan of sleeping with the Enemy, you'll find this a nice surprise.
The only down side is some of the science in some scenes just wouldn't make sense in real life, rain hitting a solid object etc.
Must add the score really added to the intensity of many scenes and created a sense of being on a knife edge.
Overall a good enjoyable film. If you like a mix of thriller, with a Sci-fi angle and especially a fan of sleeping with the Enemy, you'll find this a nice surprise.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Invisible Man (1933) in Movies
Mar 4, 2020
Universal Monster
This movie is such a classic, it came out after dracula, frankenstein and the mummy. Out of all the universal monster movies, i like this one the most. It combines sci-fi, horror, psychological espects, and overall the invisible man just being a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway. This classic movie is based off of a H.G. Wells novel, and if you dont know who that is, look him up..."The War of the Worlds".
The plot: While researching a new drug, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) stumbles on a potion that can make him invisible. When he reveals his new ability to his old mentor (Henry Travers) and his fiancée (Gloria Stuart), it's clear that a side effect of the potion is insanity. Jack goes on a violent rampage, and the police struggle to hunt him down, unable to see their target, while his mentor and his former partner (William Harrigan) desperately try to devise a plan to capture him.
You have Claude Rains playing "The Invisible Man", he is excellent in this film. Cause like i said his charcter is just a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway but has a heart of gold for his love.
If you havent seen this film, i would highly recordmend it, cause it is fantasic and phenomenal.
The plot: While researching a new drug, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) stumbles on a potion that can make him invisible. When he reveals his new ability to his old mentor (Henry Travers) and his fiancée (Gloria Stuart), it's clear that a side effect of the potion is insanity. Jack goes on a violent rampage, and the police struggle to hunt him down, unable to see their target, while his mentor and his former partner (William Harrigan) desperately try to devise a plan to capture him.
You have Claude Rains playing "The Invisible Man", he is excellent in this film. Cause like i said his charcter is just a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway but has a heart of gold for his love.
If you havent seen this film, i would highly recordmend it, cause it is fantasic and phenomenal.
Becs (244 KP) rated 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four in Books
Oct 2, 2019
1984 by George Orwell, one of my favorite literary classic novels to this date! This was a monster to get through but once I finished, I was able to take the novel as a whole and learn from it. And man, what a loaded punch it throws at you. George Orwell is a favorite of mine and his writing style is just exactly what I expect from an author from his era.
1984 is about a government that controls everything a citizen of Oceania does, says, etc. If you rebel, you get kidnapped, tortured and then broken down to the point where they are able to rebuild you into the ideal citizen. That’s pretty much exactly what happens in this 328-page novel. But trust me when I say, this is worth a read through!
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Literary Classic
Reading Level: High School +
Interests: Dystopian worlds, politics, science fiction, totalitarian systems.
Difficulty Reading: Like putting butter on a soft piece of bread. Not kidding, 1984 was difficult to read but the meaning behind it is what counts.
Promise: Dystopian, Sci-Fi world with a totalitarian system that runs your life until you are no longer a rebellious individual and instead under their complete control. A bit like being a slave.
Favorite Quotes: “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”
What Will You Gain: Knowledge on what the world could turn into when the government decides to rule over all a certain way. Where everything you do is controlled and if you do anything differently or that goes against what the government says, you end up dead.
Aesthetics: The entirety of the novel. The cover. How Orwell pretty much has the real world mixed in with a fantasy world. I mean, you just have to read it to know.
“The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.”
1984 is about a government that controls everything a citizen of Oceania does, says, etc. If you rebel, you get kidnapped, tortured and then broken down to the point where they are able to rebuild you into the ideal citizen. That’s pretty much exactly what happens in this 328-page novel. But trust me when I say, this is worth a read through!
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Literary Classic
Reading Level: High School +
Interests: Dystopian worlds, politics, science fiction, totalitarian systems.
Difficulty Reading: Like putting butter on a soft piece of bread. Not kidding, 1984 was difficult to read but the meaning behind it is what counts.
Promise: Dystopian, Sci-Fi world with a totalitarian system that runs your life until you are no longer a rebellious individual and instead under their complete control. A bit like being a slave.
Favorite Quotes: “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”
What Will You Gain: Knowledge on what the world could turn into when the government decides to rule over all a certain way. Where everything you do is controlled and if you do anything differently or that goes against what the government says, you end up dead.
Aesthetics: The entirety of the novel. The cover. How Orwell pretty much has the real world mixed in with a fantasy world. I mean, you just have to read it to know.
“The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.”
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Frankenstein (1931) in Movies
May 20, 2020
Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive!
Frankenstien- a classic unversial monster horror movie with Boris Karloff as the monster. Him, Bela, Claude and Lon are the classic monsters. Than came Vincent, Christopher and Peter. Than came Robert, Kane, Tony and Tobin. Over the decedes people played monsters, but it started with the oringal monsters.
The plot: This iconic horror film follows the obsessed scientist Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) as he attempts to create life by assembling a creature from body parts of the deceased. Aided by his loyal misshapen assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye), Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster (Boris Karloff), but, confused and traumatized, it escapes into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc. Frankenstein searches for the elusive being, and eventually must confront his tormented creation.
It Was named the 87th greatest movie of all time on 100 Years... 100 Movies. The line "It's alive! It's alive!" was ranked as the 49th greatest movie quote in American cinema. The film was on the ballot for several of AFI's 100 series lists, including AFI's 10 Top 10 for the sci-fi category, 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), and twice on 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains for both Henry Frankenstein and the Monster in the villains category.
The film was ranked number 56 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies. It was also ranked number 27 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Additionally, the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 14th scariest film ever made.
Its a classic excellent phenomenal monster horrror movie.
The plot: This iconic horror film follows the obsessed scientist Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) as he attempts to create life by assembling a creature from body parts of the deceased. Aided by his loyal misshapen assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye), Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster (Boris Karloff), but, confused and traumatized, it escapes into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc. Frankenstein searches for the elusive being, and eventually must confront his tormented creation.
It Was named the 87th greatest movie of all time on 100 Years... 100 Movies. The line "It's alive! It's alive!" was ranked as the 49th greatest movie quote in American cinema. The film was on the ballot for several of AFI's 100 series lists, including AFI's 10 Top 10 for the sci-fi category, 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), and twice on 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains for both Henry Frankenstein and the Monster in the villains category.
The film was ranked number 56 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies. It was also ranked number 27 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Additionally, the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 14th scariest film ever made.
Its a classic excellent phenomenal monster horrror movie.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Terminator (1984) in Movies
Jan 27, 2021
A classic
Film #12 on the 100 Movies Bucket List: The Terminator
The Terminator is a sci-fi classic and is responsible not only for helping propel Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron to the household names they are now, but also for creating a movie franchise that is still going nearly 40 years later. Although admittedly the majority of the sequels are better off never spoken about again.
Released in 1984 and bringing director James Cameron into recognition, The Terminator follows a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), to prevent her son John Connor from saving humanity in the future. Also sent back in time to try and save Sarah is human soldier Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn).
This is a story that must be familiar to most, having spawned a further 5 sequels (and counting) in the past 30+ years. And as sci-fi stories go, this is a damn good one – time travel, murder, even romance – it has it all. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this, and watching it back now I never realised how 80s it was. Aside from the memorable title music from Brad Fiedel, the rest of the score and soundtrack screams 80s and with the clothing and hairstyles, it’d be difficult to miss when this was released. There are a lot of horror aspects and tones to this original too that makes it a lot darker and sometimes scary, which is not something we see in any of the sequels. The gore, especially the wonderfully icky scene when the T-800 patches himself up in the bathroom mirror, is great and another aspect sadly lacking from the sequels. Admittedly some of the effects and props in this do look a little dated (the T-800 point of view and the animatronic Arnie are noticeably dodgy), but considering this was made in 1984 it’s actually incredibly impressive. The final scenes with the metal skeleton of the T-800 are especially noteworthy.
This is the film that made Linda Hamilton into the kick ass heroine we know and love, Arnie into the cyborg we love and hate (depending on which film you’re watching), and made the name John Connor into something that is completely unforgettable. With limited lines and a requirement to look menacing and imposing, this film is perfect for Arnold Schwarzenegger. He isn’t required to do much and personally I think his role as the T-800 in any of the Terminator films are undoubtedly his best performances to date. And with supporting performances from the likes of future Aliens alum Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn and a blink and you’ll miss him Bill Paxton, the cast is faultless. And let’s be honest, who didn’t have a crush on Michael Biehn after watching this?
What I like the most about The Terminator is its simplicity. It might be a sci-fi, but it’s relatively low budget with a small cast of main characters and a large amount of practical effects and action scenes. It has a fairly B movie look about it, and coming from the James Cameron we know now, something this simple is actually very refreshing. While I like a lot of Cameron’s work (who doesn’t love Aliens?), his more recent efforts are a little too over the top and overwhelming. This is nothing of the sort.
The Terminator is absolutely a classic and deserving of its place on this list. I will admit that I still think the first sequel T2 is superior, especially as it doesn’t have the outdated and overwhelmingly 80s feel that makes this original slightly flawed.
The Terminator is a sci-fi classic and is responsible not only for helping propel Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron to the household names they are now, but also for creating a movie franchise that is still going nearly 40 years later. Although admittedly the majority of the sequels are better off never spoken about again.
Released in 1984 and bringing director James Cameron into recognition, The Terminator follows a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), to prevent her son John Connor from saving humanity in the future. Also sent back in time to try and save Sarah is human soldier Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn).
This is a story that must be familiar to most, having spawned a further 5 sequels (and counting) in the past 30+ years. And as sci-fi stories go, this is a damn good one – time travel, murder, even romance – it has it all. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this, and watching it back now I never realised how 80s it was. Aside from the memorable title music from Brad Fiedel, the rest of the score and soundtrack screams 80s and with the clothing and hairstyles, it’d be difficult to miss when this was released. There are a lot of horror aspects and tones to this original too that makes it a lot darker and sometimes scary, which is not something we see in any of the sequels. The gore, especially the wonderfully icky scene when the T-800 patches himself up in the bathroom mirror, is great and another aspect sadly lacking from the sequels. Admittedly some of the effects and props in this do look a little dated (the T-800 point of view and the animatronic Arnie are noticeably dodgy), but considering this was made in 1984 it’s actually incredibly impressive. The final scenes with the metal skeleton of the T-800 are especially noteworthy.
This is the film that made Linda Hamilton into the kick ass heroine we know and love, Arnie into the cyborg we love and hate (depending on which film you’re watching), and made the name John Connor into something that is completely unforgettable. With limited lines and a requirement to look menacing and imposing, this film is perfect for Arnold Schwarzenegger. He isn’t required to do much and personally I think his role as the T-800 in any of the Terminator films are undoubtedly his best performances to date. And with supporting performances from the likes of future Aliens alum Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn and a blink and you’ll miss him Bill Paxton, the cast is faultless. And let’s be honest, who didn’t have a crush on Michael Biehn after watching this?
What I like the most about The Terminator is its simplicity. It might be a sci-fi, but it’s relatively low budget with a small cast of main characters and a large amount of practical effects and action scenes. It has a fairly B movie look about it, and coming from the James Cameron we know now, something this simple is actually very refreshing. While I like a lot of Cameron’s work (who doesn’t love Aliens?), his more recent efforts are a little too over the top and overwhelming. This is nothing of the sort.
The Terminator is absolutely a classic and deserving of its place on this list. I will admit that I still think the first sequel T2 is superior, especially as it doesn’t have the outdated and overwhelmingly 80s feel that makes this original slightly flawed.
