The Grow or Die Ultimatum: Creating Value Through Acquisition and Blended, Long-Term Improvement Formulas
Book
Mergers and acquisitions require diligent planning and are extremely hard work -- you can't get...
Barren Island
Book
How does one remember a world that literally no longer exists? How do the moral imperatives to do so...
Fiction
The Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World
8.0
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Book
What moral values do human beings hold in common? As globalization draws us together economically,...
politics philosophy
Michael LaFosse's Origami Airplanes: 28 Easy-to-Fold Paper Airplanes from America's Top Origami Designer!
Michael G LaFosse and Richard L Alexander
Book
Make the best paper airplanes around with this easy-to-follow origami book. Enthralled with origami...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Possessor (2020) in Movies
Dec 4, 2020
Andrea Riseborough is great, as she was in Mandy, and her presence in modern horror is a welcome one. Her character is the overarching glue that holds all the emotional strains of the plot together with a cold core.
Christopher Abbott is wonderful, as he essentially plays two seperate characters, and sells his descent into madness perfectly.
The supporting cast include the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton, and Sean Bean, and it's honestly just a pretty solid cast all around.
The plot is intriguing in a dystopian sci-fi kind of way, and has enough horror elements to really get under the skin. The scene that the already recognisable poster image is taken from is one of the most recoil inducing and uncomfortable scenes I've seen in a while. This premise played out with a decent screenplay, accompanied by sudden bursts of extreme violence, give Possessor an identity of it's own, and make it a modern horror entry that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys.
One of the films of the year for me!
When Football Was Football: Arsenal: A Nostalgic Look at a Century of the Club
Book
So comprehensively has Arsene Wenger rebranded Arsenal Football Club that it is possible to forget...
The Trade Lifecycle: Behind the Scenes of the Trading Process
Book
Drive profit and manage risk with expert guidance on trade processing The Trade Lifecycle catalogues...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Trick 'r Treat (2007) in Movies
Oct 6, 2020
There isn't one solid narrative, but rather several different stories with different characters, all taking place in the same town, on Halloween night. This format means we get treated to a multitude of genre staples - werewolves, zombies, serial killers, vampires - they're all tidyly woven together to give us a decent semi-anthology adventure. Well eventually anyway... It does feel a little messy to start with, erratically jumping from story to story, but a little perseverance is rewarded around the half way point where everything is put together in a satisfying manner.
The aesthetic of Trick 'r Treat is great. It has a distinct Halloween-y look, whilst managing to feel otherworldly in places. The swamp zombies look pretty creepy, and the werewolf transformations are visceral and inspired. The true star is the glue that holds this all together though - Sam. This little sack headed creepy fucker somehow manages to be adorable, and horrifying. I mean, he uses a bitten on candy-lolly to slash people up! Only people who don't respect the more traditional aspects of Halloween however. He's become something of an beloved character in the horror world - it would be great to see Sam return in a follow up some day.
Trick 'r Treat is a little cheesy at times, and takes a while to reveal it's clever side, but it's a perfectly enjoyable slice of Halloween horror, with a good cast (featuring Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, and Brian Cox), a memorable anti-hero (the adorable little shit), some great effects and make up work, and a great music score by Douglas Pipes.
Certianly worth a watch, even if it's a seasonal thing.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Jigsaw and the Fan in Books
Nov 15, 2019
Finding himself stuck in Marlston Manor a stately home owned by a Lord, he soon rails at what he sees as the injustice of the common working man having to pay to have a look around and decides that as a ghost, perhaps he can teach a lesson the to aristocratic owner by scaring everyone away. A battle of wits ensues, with the other resident ghosts and the mortal staff pitted against Albert's scheme. But Albert has a terrible secret. He knows he is right and so won't be denied his opportunity to settle the social injustice he perceives. But little does he realise he is just a pawn in a the latest match of a long game being played by adversarial guardian angels.
The whole of this book is a blast from beginning to end. Bint makes good use of all the characters and situations, pushing everything to the maximum for farcical effect. And it works, there are so many good chuckles throughout the book and a smile will not be far from the reader's face. He also manages to weave in a neat thread of social satire, always perceptible but never unsubtle, taking in allusions to the miner's strikes of the 1980s as well as every class war that has ever been fought, seemingly at the whims of the guardian angels. But as they say, who watches the watchers?
This is a whole load of fun and if you want something a bit lighter to make you smile, this book is perfect.
Dr. Panda Art Class
Art & Design, Education and Games
8.0
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App
Break out your scissors, paint, pens, clay and glue; it’s time for Art Class with Dr. Panda! In...