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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Thing (2011) in Movies
Jul 28, 2018
An unnecessary prequel
The problem with most prequels is they feel the need to overexplain things that aren't necessary. A certain amount of ambiguity is good for a film, and often allows the watcher to come up with their own theories. And this is the main problem with this prequel - did we need to know exactly what happened to the Norwegian team? No not really, as we saw enough in the original to use our imagination. So this prequel for me was entirely unnecessary.
It also didn't help that the plot was for the most part very similar to the original, which begs the question why make something so similar? The creature designs etc were very good, creepy and pretty scary and very in keeping with the original, but they completely ruined it with the horrendous cgi. Why they didn't stick with physical effects I'll never know, as it made the creature just look shoddy. The ending is potentially also a bit of a plot hole as it then doesn't tie in to the original.
There are a few things in this that could've been improved, but even with that, it'd still be an unnecessary prequel.
It also didn't help that the plot was for the most part very similar to the original, which begs the question why make something so similar? The creature designs etc were very good, creepy and pretty scary and very in keeping with the original, but they completely ruined it with the horrendous cgi. Why they didn't stick with physical effects I'll never know, as it made the creature just look shoddy. The ending is potentially also a bit of a plot hole as it then doesn't tie in to the original.
There are a few things in this that could've been improved, but even with that, it'd still be an unnecessary prequel.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Insidious : The Last Key (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2018
Another unnecessary sequel
I have to admit that I’m one of the few people that hasn’t jumped on the Insidious bandwagon. I didn’t think much of the first one, can barely remember the second one and I don’t think I’ve even seen the third one. I put this on purely because I was hoping it would be an easy watch, and to be honest it actually was.
I think my problem is that these films are a little bit far fetched and my belief in the supernatural doesn’t stretch very far. Whilst I know this fiction, it’s just a bit too silly and ridiculous. And to make it worse I didn’t even think this one was particularly scary. The demon/villain is definitely very creepy (until you see him in full that is) but there isn’t enough of him like this to make the film scary. The acting is alright and I see how they’ve tied it into the earlier films, but for me this is just a completely unnecessary sequel going into a back story on a character that wasnt needed. And what’s worse, they’ve left it open for yet more sequels.
I think my problem is that these films are a little bit far fetched and my belief in the supernatural doesn’t stretch very far. Whilst I know this fiction, it’s just a bit too silly and ridiculous. And to make it worse I didn’t even think this one was particularly scary. The demon/villain is definitely very creepy (until you see him in full that is) but there isn’t enough of him like this to make the film scary. The acting is alright and I see how they’ve tied it into the earlier films, but for me this is just a completely unnecessary sequel going into a back story on a character that wasnt needed. And what’s worse, they’ve left it open for yet more sequels.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Scream 3 (2000) in Movies
Nov 2, 2018
A very inferior sequel
It's such a shame that Scream 3 loses the magic that Scream 2 had in abundance.
There's no wit, no humour and the film within a film concept is tired and very poor. All of the new characters are under developed meaning you care so little when they get bumped off one by one. Patrick Dempsey's character is so creepy and slimy in parts that it's laughable and builds no tension or intrigue whatsoever. And even the returning characters have lost their edge, repeating the same old squabbles and experiences as in the first two films. Ghostface too loses his edge here, there's no shocking deaths and the voice changer that can mimic other voices is ridiculous and farfetched. The ending too isn't particularly clever or interesting. The only things I really liked about this film was the brief return of Randy and the cameos from Silent Jay & Bob and Carrie Fisher.
I remember really looking forward to seeing this when it first came out, but it is such a disappointment. It isn't helped by the fact that I spend the entire film wondering what the hell is going on with Courtney Fox's fringe...
There's no wit, no humour and the film within a film concept is tired and very poor. All of the new characters are under developed meaning you care so little when they get bumped off one by one. Patrick Dempsey's character is so creepy and slimy in parts that it's laughable and builds no tension or intrigue whatsoever. And even the returning characters have lost their edge, repeating the same old squabbles and experiences as in the first two films. Ghostface too loses his edge here, there's no shocking deaths and the voice changer that can mimic other voices is ridiculous and farfetched. The ending too isn't particularly clever or interesting. The only things I really liked about this film was the brief return of Randy and the cameos from Silent Jay & Bob and Carrie Fisher.
I remember really looking forward to seeing this when it first came out, but it is such a disappointment. It isn't helped by the fact that I spend the entire film wondering what the hell is going on with Courtney Fox's fringe...
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Game Night (2018) in Movies
Jan 2, 2019
Slapstick was solid (1 more)
Some of the dialog was quite good
Better than I expected.
We live in the golden age of games, there are amazing card games, and board games that are better than anything that was around in the 70's. Yet these people who have game nights weekly don't seem to know about anything that was invented in the last 40 years. Pictionary, and charades are go-to games for them. Please don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy playing those games to. But it would be as if there was a movie about Art appreciators , and everyone in the film had only seen art that was painted before the 1900's, just completely omitting anything modern is absurd.
It would've taken almost no effort to include a few modern board games, like Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders, Sushi Go, or Settlers of Catan.
All that said, I finally watched this film and enjoyed it for the most part. Rachel McAdams was awesome, and stole the show.... Batemen was himself and solid. The cop almost derailed the movie for me he was so creepy.
It would've taken almost no effort to include a few modern board games, like Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders, Sushi Go, or Settlers of Catan.
All that said, I finally watched this film and enjoyed it for the most part. Rachel McAdams was awesome, and stole the show.... Batemen was himself and solid. The cop almost derailed the movie for me he was so creepy.
Alanna Davies (20 KP) rated How It Ends (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
How it ends. I don't know, you don't tell me!
Contains spoilers, click to show
How it ends.
I watched this after having it in my netflix list for a couple of weeks. The trailer looked good and who doesn't like a good disaster movie right? But this was not a good disaster movie.
They put emphasis on seemingly important plot points only never to come back to them or explain them. What actually caused this "end of the world" scenario? Who are the people in the burning town? What derailed the military train? Why would you only take two cans of gas from a butt load of supplies? Who are the people guarding the bridge? What happened to the girl who was travelling with them? And finally, how does it bloody end?
I was left so frustrated and just thinking 'was that it". It genuinely felt like the writers had either given up or run out of time and just gone, yeah kill the creepy guy, take your girl and drive away from the giant smoke cloud.
Not a satisfying watch, just dont bother.
I watched this after having it in my netflix list for a couple of weeks. The trailer looked good and who doesn't like a good disaster movie right? But this was not a good disaster movie.
They put emphasis on seemingly important plot points only never to come back to them or explain them. What actually caused this "end of the world" scenario? Who are the people in the burning town? What derailed the military train? Why would you only take two cans of gas from a butt load of supplies? Who are the people guarding the bridge? What happened to the girl who was travelling with them? And finally, how does it bloody end?
I was left so frustrated and just thinking 'was that it". It genuinely felt like the writers had either given up or run out of time and just gone, yeah kill the creepy guy, take your girl and drive away from the giant smoke cloud.
Not a satisfying watch, just dont bother.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated We Need to Talk About Kevin (2012) in Movies
Jan 15, 2019
Lacks the punch of the book
The book about this is one of the most enthralling and haunting books I’ve ever read, and I was really hoping the film would be just as good, but sadly it falls a little short. And I know I shouldn’t compare film to book, but that’s pretty much impossible.
Don’t get me wrong, the film is quite good. It’s has great performances from Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller, with an unusually creepy soundtrack and in general it’s a very bleak and dark film. It does well to get across the main parts of the book, but the main problem for me is that it doesn’t include anywhere near enough detail from the book. It covers the bare minimum, but i feel like it misses out a lot of the detail. I know a film can never include everything from a book, but for me this was missing a lot, especially about some of Kevin’s crimes and dark deeds. This is probably a case of reading the book ruining the film, I’ll admit I maybe should have watched the film first!
Don’t get me wrong, the film is quite good. It’s has great performances from Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller, with an unusually creepy soundtrack and in general it’s a very bleak and dark film. It does well to get across the main parts of the book, but the main problem for me is that it doesn’t include anywhere near enough detail from the book. It covers the bare minimum, but i feel like it misses out a lot of the detail. I know a film can never include everything from a book, but for me this was missing a lot, especially about some of Kevin’s crimes and dark deeds. This is probably a case of reading the book ruining the film, I’ll admit I maybe should have watched the film first!
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Eli (2019) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
360. Eli. I dug it! I went in blind with this one. Saw new release horror on Netflix, I said yes please. So it starts out with a Bubble Boy senario, 500 dolla!! You want 500 dolla?? Sorry. Little Eli has some issues, he has to live in a bubble, due to an auto-immune disorder. If he breathes air, he dead. Luckily his parents care and find him a doctor thats doing some off the grid experimental stuff, oh and the hospital they take him to seems to be haunted, no biggie. While there, the treatments well just seem to be making him worse, but to help him through feeling like crap he meets, this random redhead that seems to only come out at night befriends him, and supports him when he starts to feel things aren't right. Stranger Things have happened... ;) And the longer Eli stays, the worse he feels, but he also knows that something ain't right, and maybe he's not sick at all? Maybe the doctor wants to kill him, his parents?? But...why???? Pretty creepy flick. Didn't know what to expect so I liked the outcome. I say, do. Filmbufftim on FB
Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated Mindhunter - Season 1 in TV
Jan 14, 2020 (Updated Jan 14, 2020)
Cameron Britton steals every scene...
I went in to Mindhunter with high expectations and ended up with a mixed bag of emotions by the end.
The scene's in which they interview the 'Serial Killers' are fascinating and make up the best parts of Mindhunter by far. They were intense, creepy and completely captivating. Cameron Britton's portrayal of Ed Kemper in particular, is absolutely superb and he steals every scene.
A few people have mentioned the slow pace of the show as a problem, I personally didn't mind this. For me the main problem lies with the lead character Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) who is very unlikable to say the least, he is arrogant, manipulative and very selfish. However his partnership with FBI agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) is another highlight, as they do have a good on screen chemistry.
Without adding any spoilers, I would say that for me the ending to season 1 is a bit of an anticlimax.
After all is said and done Mindhunter is still a good watch and I am looking forward to seeing where they take it in season 2.
The scene's in which they interview the 'Serial Killers' are fascinating and make up the best parts of Mindhunter by far. They were intense, creepy and completely captivating. Cameron Britton's portrayal of Ed Kemper in particular, is absolutely superb and he steals every scene.
A few people have mentioned the slow pace of the show as a problem, I personally didn't mind this. For me the main problem lies with the lead character Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) who is very unlikable to say the least, he is arrogant, manipulative and very selfish. However his partnership with FBI agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) is another highlight, as they do have a good on screen chemistry.
Without adding any spoilers, I would say that for me the ending to season 1 is a bit of an anticlimax.
After all is said and done Mindhunter is still a good watch and I am looking forward to seeing where they take it in season 2.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Apartment 16 in Books
Jan 10, 2020
Terrifying
Contains spoilers, click to show
Some doors are better left closed—a spine-chilling horror novel from a new talent
In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in and no one comes out, and it's been that way for 50 years, until the night a watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and is drawn to investigate. What he experiences is enough to change his life ...
This was the second book I picked up of Adams and I have to say I loved it! This is my 3rd time reading and I still get totally freaked out by it. The characters are so intense and creepy. He has a way with words that have you seeing things in the dark. Apartment 16 is just terrifying if you love horror I would highly recommend this or any other of his books. Following both Seth and Apryl as they discover the horror behind apartment 16 and the mixed characters at Barrington house gives you chills. He has a way of developing his characters so you are right there with them. This a strange book but so so good!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in and no one comes out, and it's been that way for 50 years, until the night a watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and is drawn to investigate. What he experiences is enough to change his life ...
This was the second book I picked up of Adams and I have to say I loved it! This is my 3rd time reading and I still get totally freaked out by it. The characters are so intense and creepy. He has a way with words that have you seeing things in the dark. Apartment 16 is just terrifying if you love horror I would highly recommend this or any other of his books. Following both Seth and Apryl as they discover the horror behind apartment 16 and the mixed characters at Barrington house gives you chills. He has a way of developing his characters so you are right there with them. This a strange book but so so good!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Lock Every Door in Books
Mar 19, 2020
This book wasn't what I was expecting, but, pleasantly, in a good way. Jules is hired as an apartment sitter (apparently those exist) at the ritzy Bartholomew in New York City. She's incredibly broke and down on her luck, so getting paid to stay in a beautiful apartment seems like a dream come true. But the job comes with a lot of rules: no overnight guests, spend every night at the apartment, don't bother any of the other residents, and more. Jules finds a friend in another sitter, Ingrid, who tells her everything isn't as it seems at the Bartholomew. Jules figures she's just exaggerating. Until Ingrid disappears. Hunting for her friend, Jules finds out some dark secrets about the Bartholomew--and starts to believe Ingrid was right.
LOCK EVERY DOOR is a total page-turner. Jules is an engaging, if occasionally frustrating protagonist, who is easy to like. The premise of this one is certainly interesting and just when you think it's going off on in one direction, it completely surprises you. Sager nails the creepy atmosphere coupled with the NYC setting, allowing you to get completely lost in the book for a couple of hours. 4 stars.
LOCK EVERY DOOR is a total page-turner. Jules is an engaging, if occasionally frustrating protagonist, who is easy to like. The premise of this one is certainly interesting and just when you think it's going off on in one direction, it completely surprises you. Sager nails the creepy atmosphere coupled with the NYC setting, allowing you to get completely lost in the book for a couple of hours. 4 stars.
Andy K (10823 KP) Jul 28, 2018