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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Dunkirk (2017) in Movies
Aug 1, 2017
Brilliant & Very Intense
I have to start off by admitting that Nolan is my favourite director, and although this film is quite different to his previous ones, I'm pleased to say I still loved it.
Visually spectacular, it was so nice to see real effects for a change as opposed to cgi. Story wise it was also refreshing to see a war film not bogged down with erroneous subplots and romantic side stories. Nolan just jumps straight in to the action & carries on throughout, with an impressive run time of less than 2 hours. Some great casting here, although I feel like Tom Hardy could've been given more to do. Even Harry Styles was well cast & I was expecting him to be awful! Hans Zimmer does his usual great job on the score, building up a lot of tension. Nolan also does a fantastic job making the film quite harrowing without feeling the need to go ridiculously violent and gory. And there are also a few typical Nolan plot movements thrown in which made it slightly more than your average war film.
My only negative would be that a little bit of backstory might have been nice, as I personally don't know a lot about the lead up to Dunkirk, and that could've helped the ignorant like me!
Visually spectacular, it was so nice to see real effects for a change as opposed to cgi. Story wise it was also refreshing to see a war film not bogged down with erroneous subplots and romantic side stories. Nolan just jumps straight in to the action & carries on throughout, with an impressive run time of less than 2 hours. Some great casting here, although I feel like Tom Hardy could've been given more to do. Even Harry Styles was well cast & I was expecting him to be awful! Hans Zimmer does his usual great job on the score, building up a lot of tension. Nolan also does a fantastic job making the film quite harrowing without feeling the need to go ridiculously violent and gory. And there are also a few typical Nolan plot movements thrown in which made it slightly more than your average war film.
My only negative would be that a little bit of backstory might have been nice, as I personally don't know a lot about the lead up to Dunkirk, and that could've helped the ignorant like me!
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit in Books
May 16, 2018
If you’re reading this review, chances are you’re either a) a true crime buff or b) curious as to what the source material of Netflix’s latest original series, Mindhunters, is based on. That title, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas is actually a fascinating read that details a division of the FBI that, had it not been created, would leave us without shows like Criminal Minds, where the Behavioral Science Unit profiles killers and races the clock to save victims that may still be alive. (Also, we wouldn’t have our Shemar Moore and wouldn’t that be a crying shame? We need our Morgan and Baby Girl.)
Reading more like Douglas is sitting in the room beside you and recounting his past, Mindhunter, as expected, delves into some pretty deep material. For a while, I had to put it down because the ATKID murders dug beneath my skin. Despite the sometimes gory details Douglas provides readers with, I feel this is an important title for any true crime fan. After all, it is Douglas that a certain character from Silence of the Lambs is based on.
<a href="http://theghastlygrimoire.com/2017/11/19/book-review-mindhunter-inside-the-fbis-elite-serial-crime-unit-mindhunter-1-by-john-douglas/"; target="_new">Read more at <i>The Ghastly Grimoire</i>.</a>
Reading more like Douglas is sitting in the room beside you and recounting his past, Mindhunter, as expected, delves into some pretty deep material. For a while, I had to put it down because the ATKID murders dug beneath my skin. Despite the sometimes gory details Douglas provides readers with, I feel this is an important title for any true crime fan. After all, it is Douglas that a certain character from Silence of the Lambs is based on.
<a href="http://theghastlygrimoire.com/2017/11/19/book-review-mindhunter-inside-the-fbis-elite-serial-crime-unit-mindhunter-1-by-john-douglas/"; target="_new">Read more at <i>The Ghastly Grimoire</i>.</a>
Awix (3310 KP) rated Hands of the Ripper (1971) in Movies
May 27, 2018 (Updated May 27, 2018)
Bring the Daughter; Have some Slaughter
Pretty decent Hammer horror melodrama set in a sort of grab-bag version of late Victorian London. Anna (Rees) grows up an orphan, little suspecting the identity of her father, or the fact that she seems to have inherited his compulsion to kill. An ambitious psychiatrist (Porter) takes her under his wing, believing he can help her with her little problem. (As ever, hubris comes before a gory comeuppance.) Meanwhile, Hammer whips up gallons of fake blood.
Not-bad production values and decent performances go a long way to make up for some fairly preposterous plotting; you get the classic Hammer sense of a traditional costume drama coupling energetically with a disreputable exploitation movie, with a good time had by all. On the one hand this is another tale of an improbably arrogant man whose specific area of brilliance doesn't stop him making a whole series of insanely bad decisions; on the other it is about the power of men to seriously screw up the lives of women in patriarchal societies (so perhaps still somewhat relevant). Film does an interesting little dance, too: are Anna's problems purely psychological or is she genuinely possessed by the spirit of the Ripper? Well put together, some interesting ideas, doesn't outstay its welcome - definitely worth a look if old British horror movies are your thing.
Not-bad production values and decent performances go a long way to make up for some fairly preposterous plotting; you get the classic Hammer sense of a traditional costume drama coupling energetically with a disreputable exploitation movie, with a good time had by all. On the one hand this is another tale of an improbably arrogant man whose specific area of brilliance doesn't stop him making a whole series of insanely bad decisions; on the other it is about the power of men to seriously screw up the lives of women in patriarchal societies (so perhaps still somewhat relevant). Film does an interesting little dance, too: are Anna's problems purely psychological or is she genuinely possessed by the spirit of the Ripper? Well put together, some interesting ideas, doesn't outstay its welcome - definitely worth a look if old British horror movies are your thing.
Roxanne (13 KP) rated Sworn To Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1) in Books
Nov 14, 2018
I don't usually pick up thrillers but I spotted this whilst having a browse through my online library account and it sounded interesting. When I reserve books at the library to pick up it gives me a push to pull my socks up and get those books read before the deadline, if I own the book it's too easy to slack. With a deadline looming I am pushed to read books that I wouldn't usually read, which I think is brilliant as I get to experience some different genres.
Long story short I thought this book was fantastic! It was brutal, it was gory and it kept me guessing until the end. Once I had finished the book I went and reserved the second in the series.
I thought the story was very well written and I liked all of the characters. Maybe there were a few plot holes but it didn't distract me or make much difference to the storyline.
This is definitely one of those books that just gets into your head and will not let you sleep, when I had to go out and leave the book at home I heard a little voice calling me...calling me back home 'read me...read me...', what a hold it had.
Enjoyed it very much!
Long story short I thought this book was fantastic! It was brutal, it was gory and it kept me guessing until the end. Once I had finished the book I went and reserved the second in the series.
I thought the story was very well written and I liked all of the characters. Maybe there were a few plot holes but it didn't distract me or make much difference to the storyline.
This is definitely one of those books that just gets into your head and will not let you sleep, when I had to go out and leave the book at home I heard a little voice calling me...calling me back home 'read me...read me...', what a hold it had.
Enjoyed it very much!
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Switch House in Books
Jan 31, 2019
Wow! Talk about a fast-paced, no bull read! Tim Meyer really jumps right into the middle of a huge mess with his novella, The Switch House. Angela and Terry have had an unfortunate tragedy take place in their lives: the disappearance of a child. Aided by Angela’s sudden onslaught of strange visions and nightmares, a rift forms between husband and wife and Angela is left to figure things out for herself.
Because this book is short, I can’t go too far into detail without letting loose a spoiler or two, so I’ll keep this review pretty vague. What I can say is this: if you’re a fan of vividly gory scenes, this is a must-read. If you’re a fan of the occult and ritualistic scenes, this book is for you. If you like your horror with a bit of a psychological twist, please DO grab The Switch House.
Seriously, Meyer doesn’t disappoint. Brimming with non-stop action, The Switch House is an excellently crafted novella of terror. Easily completable in one sitting, I cannot recommend this book enough. From fully developed characters to a twisting plot that you’ll never see coming, Meyer is an ace and an author to look out for. I can’t wait to read more of his work.
The Switch House was received free of charge. All opinions expressed are purely my own and without bias.
Because this book is short, I can’t go too far into detail without letting loose a spoiler or two, so I’ll keep this review pretty vague. What I can say is this: if you’re a fan of vividly gory scenes, this is a must-read. If you’re a fan of the occult and ritualistic scenes, this book is for you. If you like your horror with a bit of a psychological twist, please DO grab The Switch House.
Seriously, Meyer doesn’t disappoint. Brimming with non-stop action, The Switch House is an excellently crafted novella of terror. Easily completable in one sitting, I cannot recommend this book enough. From fully developed characters to a twisting plot that you’ll never see coming, Meyer is an ace and an author to look out for. I can’t wait to read more of his work.
The Switch House was received free of charge. All opinions expressed are purely my own and without bias.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Saw III (2006) in Movies
Jan 10, 2020
The Consquence's: One's Pain and One's suffering
Saw III- continues the story from the last film, continues the games, continues the touture and contiues to have good/great charcters like Jigsaw and Amanda. You really care about these charcters but at the same time, feel sick by these charcters actions.
The Plot: Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) becomes a pawn in the Jigsaw Killer's (Tobin Bell) latest gory game. Kidnapped and taken to an abandoned warehouse, she finds Jigsaw bedridden and dying. Her task is to keep the maniac alive long enough for Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), a fellow victim, to complete his own task. Each is unaware that Jigsaw has much bigger -- and deadlier -- plans in store.
Jeff's charcter- after his son is killed by a drunk driver, is put through a series of tests by Jigsaw in order to try to get him to let go of his vengeance for the man that killed his son. You care about Jeff, you feel his pain and suffering, you want him to survivie Jigsaw's games. You want to know who killed his son and by the end you will find out.
I liked this movie, i liked this sequel, i liked the story, i like psychological espect, the twist and turns and i liked the ending of all three movies so far.
The Plot: Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) becomes a pawn in the Jigsaw Killer's (Tobin Bell) latest gory game. Kidnapped and taken to an abandoned warehouse, she finds Jigsaw bedridden and dying. Her task is to keep the maniac alive long enough for Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), a fellow victim, to complete his own task. Each is unaware that Jigsaw has much bigger -- and deadlier -- plans in store.
Jeff's charcter- after his son is killed by a drunk driver, is put through a series of tests by Jigsaw in order to try to get him to let go of his vengeance for the man that killed his son. You care about Jeff, you feel his pain and suffering, you want him to survivie Jigsaw's games. You want to know who killed his son and by the end you will find out.
I liked this movie, i liked this sequel, i liked the story, i like psychological espect, the twist and turns and i liked the ending of all three movies so far.
Rickey A. Mossow Jr. (689 KP) rated Relic (2020) in Movies
Jul 14, 2020 (Updated Jul 14, 2020)
A Little Something Different
Sometimes horror movies aren't about the jump scare, the killer hunting its prey, or the gory violence. Sometimes it's about the horrors we face in our lives on a daily basis, both personally and through those around us. Relic works beautifully as a horror movie. Sure, the place is slow and as the story unfolds you don't think to expect much. You're not scared so much as waiting through most of the film. Waiting for something to happen. Waiting to see how it will unfold into this frightening moment to give you that fix of scaredness you're jonesing for. The first hour plods along, unfolding the story. Then, the final 30 minutes quickly hits you with the climactic final scenes, culminating in one of the grotesquely emotional and beautiful final scenes I've ever seen in a horror movie. And maybe that's the point. Maybe the true horrors in life aren't men In masks. Maybe the truly scarring things we face just slowly grind day to day with us as we go through our mundane, everyday lives. They're always there, in the background and the back of our minds, waiting for their moment. And, in the end, we can choose to embrace the unstoppable and unchangeable or allow it to haunt and destroy us.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Tormented in Books
Apr 7, 2021
49 of 250
Kindle
Tormented
By Lee Mountford
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Insidious experiments are being carried out at Arlington Asylum, and the only way the inmates ever leave is inside a body bag.
Adrian is a prisoner here. And he is next on the list to receive the strange medicine that is being administered. Medicine that causes certain... changes... to those who take it.
If he is to survive, Adrian must find his self-worth and start fighting for his life while chaos erupts in the asylum around him.
Because these experiments open up a gateway to a place worse than hell. And the nightmarish inhabitants of that place break through and intend to tear our world apart.
Can Adrian stand against impossible odds and end this threat before it's too late?
Buy Tormented now, because you will love this violent and gruesome tale filled with horror, monsters, and buckets of gore. Not for the faint of heart.
I bloody loved it! This was some crazy bloody violent creature feature!! It would make a really good gory film! The monsters are so vividly written you can actually visualise them clearly! It isn’t normally my type of horror I usually get a little bored but this left no prisoners and gave no happy ending which is why I loved it!
Kindle
Tormented
By Lee Mountford
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Insidious experiments are being carried out at Arlington Asylum, and the only way the inmates ever leave is inside a body bag.
Adrian is a prisoner here. And he is next on the list to receive the strange medicine that is being administered. Medicine that causes certain... changes... to those who take it.
If he is to survive, Adrian must find his self-worth and start fighting for his life while chaos erupts in the asylum around him.
Because these experiments open up a gateway to a place worse than hell. And the nightmarish inhabitants of that place break through and intend to tear our world apart.
Can Adrian stand against impossible odds and end this threat before it's too late?
Buy Tormented now, because you will love this violent and gruesome tale filled with horror, monsters, and buckets of gore. Not for the faint of heart.
I bloody loved it! This was some crazy bloody violent creature feature!! It would make a really good gory film! The monsters are so vividly written you can actually visualise them clearly! It isn’t normally my type of horror I usually get a little bored but this left no prisoners and gave no happy ending which is why I loved it!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020) in Movies
Sep 26, 2020
Not a patch on the first
The Babysitter was a surprisingly good film, in all it's cheesy gory goodness and whilst it was a shock to see they had made a sequel, I was really hoping it'd have the same music. Sadly it didn't.
I feel like the success of the first film may have gone to the makers heads. They've tried to take what worked in the first film and take it to the extremes - the back stories of the original characters, in jokes and references - but the problem is that for the most part it just doesn't work. Seeing the original characters back is fun for a minute and then it (and they) just become irritating. This film really does suffer from the lack of Samara Weaving who doesn't have nearly enough screen time. Judah Lewis is fine but his relationship with Phoebe isn't at all interesting and watchable like his one with Bea.
The gore and deaths are quite fun, but the majority of this film just comes across as cringeworthy rather than cheesily good like the original. I really don't know what the ending was about and why they decided to go down this route. This almost spoils the original and I think is yet another case of a sequel that should never have been made.
I feel like the success of the first film may have gone to the makers heads. They've tried to take what worked in the first film and take it to the extremes - the back stories of the original characters, in jokes and references - but the problem is that for the most part it just doesn't work. Seeing the original characters back is fun for a minute and then it (and they) just become irritating. This film really does suffer from the lack of Samara Weaving who doesn't have nearly enough screen time. Judah Lewis is fine but his relationship with Phoebe isn't at all interesting and watchable like his one with Bea.
The gore and deaths are quite fun, but the majority of this film just comes across as cringeworthy rather than cheesily good like the original. I really don't know what the ending was about and why they decided to go down this route. This almost spoils the original and I think is yet another case of a sequel that should never have been made.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Piranha 3D (2010) in Movies
Oct 2, 2019
Kind of great, definitely awful
Looking for a silly, average, stupidly gory horror film? You could do a lot worse than Piranha 3D.
This movie is never going to be considered a horror great, not even close. It's cheesy, it's brimming with awful acting (except Elisabeth Shue, we love Elisabeth Shue), and it's completely brain dead, and in spite of all of this, Piranha 3D knows exactly what it is, and just waves it in our stupid entertained faces - it's a lot of fun.
The build up to the ridiculous finale is filled with a lot of one dimensional characters that are hard to care about, but has enough sudden gore (with some pretty nice practical effects for the record) to keep you interested.
They even throw in Christopher Lloyd just being a perfect bat-shit crazy version of himself, because why the hell not.
For the most part, it's all very standard and pretty average. But that aforementioned finale....Christ.
The final 20 minutes is gratuitous and then some.
The audience is just assaulted by outrageous violence, enough to keep you firmly grasping just how silly this film is...it's kind of glorious, and the whole thing deserves it's place in the infamous so-bad-its-great hall of horror fame.
It's dumb, but it's entertaining. A must for anyone who fancies a braindead popcorn horror now and again.
This movie is never going to be considered a horror great, not even close. It's cheesy, it's brimming with awful acting (except Elisabeth Shue, we love Elisabeth Shue), and it's completely brain dead, and in spite of all of this, Piranha 3D knows exactly what it is, and just waves it in our stupid entertained faces - it's a lot of fun.
The build up to the ridiculous finale is filled with a lot of one dimensional characters that are hard to care about, but has enough sudden gore (with some pretty nice practical effects for the record) to keep you interested.
They even throw in Christopher Lloyd just being a perfect bat-shit crazy version of himself, because why the hell not.
For the most part, it's all very standard and pretty average. But that aforementioned finale....Christ.
The final 20 minutes is gratuitous and then some.
The audience is just assaulted by outrageous violence, enough to keep you firmly grasping just how silly this film is...it's kind of glorious, and the whole thing deserves it's place in the infamous so-bad-its-great hall of horror fame.
It's dumb, but it's entertaining. A must for anyone who fancies a braindead popcorn horror now and again.