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The Twelve Ceasars
Book
'Suetonius, in holding up a mirror to those Caesars of diverting legend, reflects not only them but...
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Escape Room (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Get me out of here
#escaperoom is a #saw movie without the gore & while it maybe better than the last 6 movies in that series its by no means a rewarding #escape. I can't tell you i hated this film because there are elements & sections i did find tense/entertaining however its a long way off being a GOOD film. Right off the bat the direction annoyed me, its all over the place & was clearly trying to create tension from moving/cutting & it just didnt work for me at all feelong like a #90s #music video. Camera work also feels cheap as does the cgi so much so that immersion is #pretty much not possible. Acting is bad with no realistic emotion or reaction from most characters but at least its not as bad as the terrible dialog which felt exhausting & repetitive. #loganmiller & #tylerlabine were standouts & actually saved the movie for me with some good acting here & there as well as being the most interesting characters too. So why a 5? the movie entertained me & there was one escape room (set in an upside down bar) that managed to be not only quite creative but a lot of fun & fairly tense too with cool camera angles & nice set design. Deaths were tame for a 15 & the plot is your standard predictable twaddle with what seemed to be an abudence of #overkill endings trying to shock with twist after non effective twist. Teens will no doubt get a huge kick out of this film as its based on the latest #craze but i #feel everyone else will be like me wishing this genre would do something #fresh now. Its not a bad film its just an ok & lacking one just like a #haunted house you've visited already it passes the time. #odeon #odeonlimitless #horror #jigsaw #trap #filmbuff #filmcritic #gore #fridayfeeling #teen #silly #game #escaperoommovie #puzzle #fire #lit #scary
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Reboot
#upgrade #upgrademovie is insane & possibly the biggest surprise of the year. Its dark, dirty, gritty, raw & I absolutely #loved every second of it. Upgrade clearly wears its influences on its sleeve right from the start, there's elements of #Dredd, #Robocop, #TheMatrix & also #Terminator & its style is a straight #nostalgic mash up of #80s & #90s #scifi. What's so good about it however is amongst all this influence is an intricately woven style of its own. Its a low budget #film but you wouldn't know it as cgi is fantastic/minimal & works so well with some of the best #practicaleffects I've seen in ages. Gore is so realistic/#savage & shocking at one point I almost stood up out my seat in sheer shock. Cinematography is #beautiful/creative & at times wouldnt look out of place in a #bladerunner film. Environments look nasty, hostile & damn right grimy giving the film such a raw & depressing quality like it too is also a character. Ive always loved #loganmarshallgreen his physical acting here is next level. How he moves his body in this movie is out of this world impressive (especially when the system takes over his body). He plays the role perfect making his body act robotic while his face reacts with sheer fear & panic (its not only hilarious but terrible & utterly fascinating too). Camera work when he's moving is seriously impressive too moving in almost a robotic kind of way twisting, turning & jolting with every move #logan makes. With an unnerving/memorable score & an over all message of #technology enslaving us all/how no matter how much we hate machines we all eventually become reliant on them in some way Upgrade is a must see. Its not very often a small film like this comes along so we must all go see it to encourage directors to make more. One hell of a great time & a film I can't wait to own. #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmcritic #filmreview #saturdaynight #horror #gore #violent #cyberpunk #grindhouse
Louise (64 KP) rated Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Meet the Rat Queens! Betty, Dee, Hannah and Violet. The depiction of sass!
Due to their unruly behaviour of drunkenness and bar brawls, the mayor of Palisade has assigned the rat queens to the task of clearing out some Goblins in a cave, however if they fail they will have to leave the town.
I really loved this comic for so many reasons, first and foremost I loved the humour from all of the characters. I literally laughed out loud and that doesn’t happen often when reading a book. It was fun and very easy to read. The pace is constantly fast so you will speed through this book or you can take your time to appreciate the amazing artwork (I loved the artwork). The only thing that let it down was there wasn’t much of a plot, mostly battle scenes and not enough character development, however I chose to ignore this due to it being so friggin good!
First off this is a feminist graphic novel and appears that is becoming somewhat of a trend which is great to see. The main characters are all so different, they are all shapes and sizes, and not perfect with perfect tits and asses. The women are drawn to be attractive but each in their own way. They also got the LGTBQ theme going on in the story – Betty the Smidgen is a lesbian but done in a casual way. There is also different races in the book and interracial relationships. It’s so refreshing to see all, races, genders, sexualities in books now and done so with perfection.
This book is not for children or the easily offended so if you don’t like violence, bad language, gore and sexual discussions then it’s really really not for you as this is what most of the book is about.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes magic, battles, Orc’s, assassin’s, goblins, gore and more… This is a bind up of the first 5 comics in the series.
Due to their unruly behaviour of drunkenness and bar brawls, the mayor of Palisade has assigned the rat queens to the task of clearing out some Goblins in a cave, however if they fail they will have to leave the town.
I really loved this comic for so many reasons, first and foremost I loved the humour from all of the characters. I literally laughed out loud and that doesn’t happen often when reading a book. It was fun and very easy to read. The pace is constantly fast so you will speed through this book or you can take your time to appreciate the amazing artwork (I loved the artwork). The only thing that let it down was there wasn’t much of a plot, mostly battle scenes and not enough character development, however I chose to ignore this due to it being so friggin good!
First off this is a feminist graphic novel and appears that is becoming somewhat of a trend which is great to see. The main characters are all so different, they are all shapes and sizes, and not perfect with perfect tits and asses. The women are drawn to be attractive but each in their own way. They also got the LGTBQ theme going on in the story – Betty the Smidgen is a lesbian but done in a casual way. There is also different races in the book and interracial relationships. It’s so refreshing to see all, races, genders, sexualities in books now and done so with perfection.
This book is not for children or the easily offended so if you don’t like violence, bad language, gore and sexual discussions then it’s really really not for you as this is what most of the book is about.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes magic, battles, Orc’s, assassin’s, goblins, gore and more… This is a bind up of the first 5 comics in the series.
Hara05 (11 KP) rated The Haunting of Hill House in TV
Jun 30, 2019
The Haunting Of Hill House has brought horror back.
In an era of horrors which use chewed up, over used clichés - ridiculous, poorly times jump scares, unrealistic gore and mundane character profiles, to name a few - this Netflix series was both nostalgic and fresh at the same time.
From the moment the series started, I was on the edge of my seat. It does such a good job of building tension and fear that it's impossible to take everything in, indeed, on second viewing I noticed things I had completely missed during my first viewing. This series doesn't rely on simple jump scares and musical scores to make the view scared - it's so much more polished and intricate than that. It isn't just a series of blood and gore, of murderers chasing pretty girls with a kitchen knife or teenagers playing with ouija boards. Yes, there are ghosts. Yes, it's based in a haunted house but there is so much more to it!
The depths this series goes to draws you in from minute one. The well fleshed out characters, the great acting, the clever dialogue all mingles together to create an atmosphere the viewer gets lost in and a family the viewer grows to love. The family which this series is centred around is relatable, charasmatic and mysterious all at the same time. The horror is sometimes simple, sometimes obvious but always believable.
It's not very often that a series can have you crying from fear and heartbreak at the same time. The Haunting of Hill House not only manages this but does it splendidly. It's beautiful, harrowing and haunting all at the same time.
This series should be welcomed by anybody who loves the horror genre. It echoes some of the classics and is capable of redefining modern horrors at the same time. It's so refreshing to see the genre stripped back and cleverly delivered. So much of the genre is so repetitive now that my expectations for this series were low. Needless to say, it smashes those expectations.
In an era of horrors which use chewed up, over used clichés - ridiculous, poorly times jump scares, unrealistic gore and mundane character profiles, to name a few - this Netflix series was both nostalgic and fresh at the same time.
From the moment the series started, I was on the edge of my seat. It does such a good job of building tension and fear that it's impossible to take everything in, indeed, on second viewing I noticed things I had completely missed during my first viewing. This series doesn't rely on simple jump scares and musical scores to make the view scared - it's so much more polished and intricate than that. It isn't just a series of blood and gore, of murderers chasing pretty girls with a kitchen knife or teenagers playing with ouija boards. Yes, there are ghosts. Yes, it's based in a haunted house but there is so much more to it!
The depths this series goes to draws you in from minute one. The well fleshed out characters, the great acting, the clever dialogue all mingles together to create an atmosphere the viewer gets lost in and a family the viewer grows to love. The family which this series is centred around is relatable, charasmatic and mysterious all at the same time. The horror is sometimes simple, sometimes obvious but always believable.
It's not very often that a series can have you crying from fear and heartbreak at the same time. The Haunting of Hill House not only manages this but does it splendidly. It's beautiful, harrowing and haunting all at the same time.
This series should be welcomed by anybody who loves the horror genre. It echoes some of the classics and is capable of redefining modern horrors at the same time. It's so refreshing to see the genre stripped back and cleverly delivered. So much of the genre is so repetitive now that my expectations for this series were low. Needless to say, it smashes those expectations.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Daybreakers (2009) in Movies
Nov 15, 2019
A great take on a vampire film
I can't believe I've never seen this film before. Not only do I love vampire films, I also have a soft spot for Sam Neill and Ethan Hawke, so I should've watched this a long time ago!
This is a very refreshing and original take on a vampire film. It's not an idea I've seen before, and it works really well. The background to the story and vampires is flashed over so quickly during the opening scenes and credits, and at a 1hr40 runtime this film really doesn't mess around. The vampire world looks great and I loved the grayscale and darker camera shots whenever the vampires were on screen, it made a stark contrast to the scenes set in daylight. This is such a different version of vampires to what we're used to and there are parts of this where you almost feel sorry for them.
Ethan Hawke is wonderful as Ed, and Sam Neill is deliciously wicked as he has been in other films, despite the fact I cant stop seeing him as Alan Grant! I think Willem Dafoe was a tad underused thought. The best thing I loved about this film was the gore and physical effects. It's an 18 for a reason and I loved all of the blood and guts. Admittedly some of the gore seemed a little over the top and ridiculous towards the end, but this just made it all the more hilariously enjoyable.
This film isn't perfect. I think some of the CGI is dodgy in parts which is a shame as the rest of the effects are rather good. And the sub plot about Sam Neill's daughter seemed a little flimsy. But aside from this, I think Daybreakers is a great underrated vampire film with a unique story, that seems to have gone without the recognition it deserves.
This is a very refreshing and original take on a vampire film. It's not an idea I've seen before, and it works really well. The background to the story and vampires is flashed over so quickly during the opening scenes and credits, and at a 1hr40 runtime this film really doesn't mess around. The vampire world looks great and I loved the grayscale and darker camera shots whenever the vampires were on screen, it made a stark contrast to the scenes set in daylight. This is such a different version of vampires to what we're used to and there are parts of this where you almost feel sorry for them.
Ethan Hawke is wonderful as Ed, and Sam Neill is deliciously wicked as he has been in other films, despite the fact I cant stop seeing him as Alan Grant! I think Willem Dafoe was a tad underused thought. The best thing I loved about this film was the gore and physical effects. It's an 18 for a reason and I loved all of the blood and guts. Admittedly some of the gore seemed a little over the top and ridiculous towards the end, but this just made it all the more hilariously enjoyable.
This film isn't perfect. I think some of the CGI is dodgy in parts which is a shame as the rest of the effects are rather good. And the sub plot about Sam Neill's daughter seemed a little flimsy. But aside from this, I think Daybreakers is a great underrated vampire film with a unique story, that seems to have gone without the recognition it deserves.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Hateful Eight (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Tarantino has accomplished something I have always thought impossible, created a bad Samuel L. Jackson film. It’s unfortunate, but despite all of the hype and build up for the release of Tarantino’s latest film, I was unable to enjoy the experience no matter how hard I tried.
Film is supposed to transport the audience to another place and time. The fact that the plot of “The Hateful Eight” mostly unfolds during a blizzard in a small cabin makes it a film which relies heavily on the development of its characters and the relationships between them. If this is done well, the audience can become entranced by the story.
But it is a very disappointing lack of character depth that makes the story fall flat. Many people will sit back completely prepared to let Tarantino take them on yet another adventure filled with gore, creativity, and depth. Yet, for many, that moment will never come.
The film starts out with an artistic introduction and some beautiful scenery, but then continues along at a slugs pace. The underdeveloped characters’ recite choppy and unconvincing lines. Samuel L. Jackson delivers his classic sharp tongued speech in the fashion which usually builds up to one of his great freak out moments. But this time, the buildup leads to nothing.
The plot, while attempting to catch the audience by surprise, waits too long and fails at this task as well. Sure, there is some gore of course. However, nothing like the infamous cringe-worthy scenes of Tarantino’s past work.
Personally, I was never fully consumed, and was left trying to enjoy the film out of a feeling of necessity. But no matter how much of a cinematic master Tarantino has proven to be over the years, it is undeniable that this just isn’t his best work.
I give “The Hateful Eight” 2.75 stars. But I really, really did, want to give it five.
Film is supposed to transport the audience to another place and time. The fact that the plot of “The Hateful Eight” mostly unfolds during a blizzard in a small cabin makes it a film which relies heavily on the development of its characters and the relationships between them. If this is done well, the audience can become entranced by the story.
But it is a very disappointing lack of character depth that makes the story fall flat. Many people will sit back completely prepared to let Tarantino take them on yet another adventure filled with gore, creativity, and depth. Yet, for many, that moment will never come.
The film starts out with an artistic introduction and some beautiful scenery, but then continues along at a slugs pace. The underdeveloped characters’ recite choppy and unconvincing lines. Samuel L. Jackson delivers his classic sharp tongued speech in the fashion which usually builds up to one of his great freak out moments. But this time, the buildup leads to nothing.
The plot, while attempting to catch the audience by surprise, waits too long and fails at this task as well. Sure, there is some gore of course. However, nothing like the infamous cringe-worthy scenes of Tarantino’s past work.
Personally, I was never fully consumed, and was left trying to enjoy the film out of a feeling of necessity. But no matter how much of a cinematic master Tarantino has proven to be over the years, it is undeniable that this just isn’t his best work.
I give “The Hateful Eight” 2.75 stars. But I really, really did, want to give it five.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Girl With All the Gifts (2017) in Movies
Mar 4, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Girl With All the Gifts is a slow paced zombie movie based on the book of the same name. Unlike a lot of zombie movies, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' doesn't go in for gore, although there is a bit. Instead it uses it's slow pace to build suspense as the protagonists try to find safety as they pass through zombie infested England. As they travel the group find out more about both the zombies and the strange children that now inhabit the earth.
As I said, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is slow but it uses this pace to let us know about the new world, the zombies and the other characters. The scenery is both beautiful and harsh as the characters travel through the now overgrown city of London and the visual effects are built on by the eerie soundtrack.
If you have read the book then you should find that the film is close to the main story, of course the film cuts out some of the back story's and there are some scenes missing but over all the film does well and manages to show how the events of the story change some of the characters (although even this is a bit lacking from the book but that is too be expected) and, over all the film does manage to get the feel of the book.
As I said, 'The Girl With All The Gifts' does not really go for gore so, if you want to see lots of action and people getting eaten then this isn't really for you. 'The Girl With All the Girts' focus more on what lies ahead, both for the reaming humans and for the zombies who will be left and the answer is bleak.
So, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is a slow, story based zombie film with an interesting, well thought out take on the popular monster.
As I said, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is slow but it uses this pace to let us know about the new world, the zombies and the other characters. The scenery is both beautiful and harsh as the characters travel through the now overgrown city of London and the visual effects are built on by the eerie soundtrack.
If you have read the book then you should find that the film is close to the main story, of course the film cuts out some of the back story's and there are some scenes missing but over all the film does well and manages to show how the events of the story change some of the characters (although even this is a bit lacking from the book but that is too be expected) and, over all the film does manage to get the feel of the book.
As I said, 'The Girl With All The Gifts' does not really go for gore so, if you want to see lots of action and people getting eaten then this isn't really for you. 'The Girl With All the Girts' focus more on what lies ahead, both for the reaming humans and for the zombies who will be left and the answer is bleak.
So, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is a slow, story based zombie film with an interesting, well thought out take on the popular monster.
Kathleen Hanna recommended Girl Talk by Lesley Gore in Music (curated)
Kaysee Hood (83 KP) rated Survive the Night in Books
Oct 17, 2017
More like a 5.5
I had expected something more from Vega since I've read two of her other books. I knew her writing style and knew what to expect, yet somewhere 2/3 through it went downhill. It felt like when you rent a movie from Red Box and you can tell this movie was something someone made in a month. You're all into it. The gore is amazing, the plot is actually kind of decent for a low budget fill, and you started to cheer for the main characters to live despite the fact you were okay with them all being slaughtered at the beginning because that's what horror movies are for. Then it's like whoever created it ran out of money so the end was glued together in an attempt to have something and hope it was good enough, but you're back wishing everyone got slashed.