Search
Search results
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Halloween II (2009) in Movies
Jun 12, 2021
The sequel to Rob Zombie's divisive Halloween remake suffers in the same way that it's predecessor did, in that when all is said and done, I'm just not a fan of his style within the Halloween template. This one actually doubles down on the nastiness, and is effectively one big misery simulation. None of the characters are likable, and yet, none of them deserve the horrible ways they are killed off (probably).
A huge BUT though...I actually think that Halloween II is slightly better... I will still stand by my opinion that this version of Michael Myers is the scariest. Even more so in this one. Rob Zombie's Myers is remorseless and brutal, and of course, absolutely fucking massive. There's some really nice shots of him as well, especially in the opening hospital scene.
I also quite liked the random music video-esque sequences. It's something different, which is usually cause for alarm bells in this franchise, but it kind of works here.
Halloween II is not even close to being in the top tier of the series, but it does feel like it carries more weight than its predecessor. The practical make up work is pretty outstanding (and grim) and it rounds off Zombie's duology well enough that a third was thankfully out of the question. Ultimately, it serves as yet another reminder of how messy and unsatisfactory this series can be when it strays too far from the original.
A huge BUT though...I actually think that Halloween II is slightly better... I will still stand by my opinion that this version of Michael Myers is the scariest. Even more so in this one. Rob Zombie's Myers is remorseless and brutal, and of course, absolutely fucking massive. There's some really nice shots of him as well, especially in the opening hospital scene.
I also quite liked the random music video-esque sequences. It's something different, which is usually cause for alarm bells in this franchise, but it kind of works here.
Halloween II is not even close to being in the top tier of the series, but it does feel like it carries more weight than its predecessor. The practical make up work is pretty outstanding (and grim) and it rounds off Zombie's duology well enough that a third was thankfully out of the question. Ultimately, it serves as yet another reminder of how messy and unsatisfactory this series can be when it strays too far from the original.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Invisible Man Returns (1940) in Movies
Dec 7, 2020
See No Evil
The Invisible Man Returns- is a great sequel to "The Invisible Man". I love "The Invisible Man", he is in my opinion the best universal monster. He's funny, dramatic, crazy, and invisible.
The plot: Wrongly accused of murdering his brother, Geoffrey Radcliffe (Vincent Price) is found guilty and sentenced to die. But when sympathetic Dr. Griffin (John Sutton) injects him with a serum that renders him invisible, Radcliffe is able to escape and search for the real culprit. With Inspector Sampson (Cecil Kellaway) of Scotland Yard hot on his trail, Radcliffe begins to suspect that a recent hire in his family's mining company might have the answers he seeks.
Following the commercial success of Son of Frankenstein, Universal Studios announced the development of The Invisible Man Returns in March 1939.
In May, Joe May was announced as the director of the film with either Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi hinted at playing the lead.
Vincent Price when he was not covered by bandages or special effects only appears as himself for one minute in the film. Price spoke on the film saying that the special effects were done with Price being draped in black velvet and working against a set draped in black velvet. Price also spoke about working with Hardwicke, who he recalled "didn't like doing this film; he was facing home problems at the time. We became very close."
Its a great movie.
The plot: Wrongly accused of murdering his brother, Geoffrey Radcliffe (Vincent Price) is found guilty and sentenced to die. But when sympathetic Dr. Griffin (John Sutton) injects him with a serum that renders him invisible, Radcliffe is able to escape and search for the real culprit. With Inspector Sampson (Cecil Kellaway) of Scotland Yard hot on his trail, Radcliffe begins to suspect that a recent hire in his family's mining company might have the answers he seeks.
Following the commercial success of Son of Frankenstein, Universal Studios announced the development of The Invisible Man Returns in March 1939.
In May, Joe May was announced as the director of the film with either Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi hinted at playing the lead.
Vincent Price when he was not covered by bandages or special effects only appears as himself for one minute in the film. Price spoke on the film saying that the special effects were done with Price being draped in black velvet and working against a set draped in black velvet. Price also spoke about working with Hardwicke, who he recalled "didn't like doing this film; he was facing home problems at the time. We became very close."
Its a great movie.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Disappearances (The Killables, #2) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is the sequel to Gemma Malley's The Killables which I read recently. It consists of the same characters as before, such as Raffy, Linus, Lucas, Evie, the Brother, and also some extra characters. It, obviously, takes place after the System has been shut down - this having caused some issues, such as the Disappearances.
This is written in a rather different way to the previous book, in that it is told from different viewpoints and even during different time periods. The reader must piece together what is happening without it being explained to them, and how it's relevant to the plot. We're given insights to the start of the Horrors and the past lives of some of the characters.
I was honestly quite surprised with how dark this was quite early on; I was expecting the Disappearances to have a happy ending, not the pile of bodies that is actually given. Personally, this made it more thrilling and exciting, though.
The love triangle is slightly irritating, as all YA love triangles are. But I like that Raffy has his issues - anger and possessive issues, in fact, which is a very real problem for many people. And the backstories of the characters make them so much more real and lovable.
I think I prefer this to the previous novel, if only just a bit. I think 4 stars is a good rating for this.
This is written in a rather different way to the previous book, in that it is told from different viewpoints and even during different time periods. The reader must piece together what is happening without it being explained to them, and how it's relevant to the plot. We're given insights to the start of the Horrors and the past lives of some of the characters.
I was honestly quite surprised with how dark this was quite early on; I was expecting the Disappearances to have a happy ending, not the pile of bodies that is actually given. Personally, this made it more thrilling and exciting, though.
The love triangle is slightly irritating, as all YA love triangles are. But I like that Raffy has his issues - anger and possessive issues, in fact, which is a very real problem for many people. And the backstories of the characters make them so much more real and lovable.
I think I prefer this to the previous novel, if only just a bit. I think 4 stars is a good rating for this.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Seizure (Virals, #2) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
The second book in the Virals series by Kathy Reichs, Seizure, follows Tory, Ben, Shelton and Hi through their next insanely tough adventure. New characters and threats are introduced, and a certain character re-visited.
Even longer than the first book at a whopping 491 pages, Seizure an look a little daunting at first. However, the length makes it perfect for dozens of unexpected twists and hurdles for the Virals to overcome. The Prologue sets the book off to an interesting start, and connections are made throughout the story.
Relatively different to Virals, the group's aim in this sequel is to prevent LIRI from being shut down, and keep Loggerhead available for them to visit. They put together dozens of clues to every unsolved mystery they come across, but I personally found the consequences a little too consequential and hard to believe and their ideas to be rather far-fetched at times. But hey, that's what adventure books are all about, right?
Again, similar typos to before were found, and the writing style is obviously as straight-forward most of the time. Despite being so unbelievable throughout, everything is very cleverly planned and put together. It's an exciting read that brings out both fear and joy for the group of Virals. I'm also going to give this Virals book 3.5/4 stars out of 5.
Read my review of the first book here: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/09/09/book-review-virals/
Even longer than the first book at a whopping 491 pages, Seizure an look a little daunting at first. However, the length makes it perfect for dozens of unexpected twists and hurdles for the Virals to overcome. The Prologue sets the book off to an interesting start, and connections are made throughout the story.
Relatively different to Virals, the group's aim in this sequel is to prevent LIRI from being shut down, and keep Loggerhead available for them to visit. They put together dozens of clues to every unsolved mystery they come across, but I personally found the consequences a little too consequential and hard to believe and their ideas to be rather far-fetched at times. But hey, that's what adventure books are all about, right?
Again, similar typos to before were found, and the writing style is obviously as straight-forward most of the time. Despite being so unbelievable throughout, everything is very cleverly planned and put together. It's an exciting read that brings out both fear and joy for the group of Virals. I'm also going to give this Virals book 3.5/4 stars out of 5.
Read my review of the first book here: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/09/09/book-review-virals/
Ross (3284 KP) rated Priest of Lies in Books
Jun 26, 2019
Fantastically grim, gritty sequel
*I received a free advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review*
Priest of Bones was one of my favourite books of last year. I loved the narrative style, the dark tone and the simple yet thrilling storyline. The returning conscripts using their newly learned military tactics to take back their streets and run their gangland empires was a clever, honest and hard-hitting story. It really was "peaky blinders with swords".
The follow-up continues in that vein, the Pious Men gang have consolidated their hold in Ellinburg and are now at full-on gang war. However, as they returned from war, so does a large number of other former gangsters, and a number of new/revived gangs compete for territory.
The fantasy tone is still used here, despite being the mystical, noble pursuit we are used to. I seriously love Mclean's narrative voice, his action scenes and his overall pace of writing.
I was thrilled to see in the Q&A at the end of the book that I was right in thinking Ellinburg was based loosely on Edinburgh.
The feel of this book is very much a grim and nasty version of Terry Pratchett's Guards series, with characterisation and scene setting to rival Pratchett at his best.
A truly immersive compelling read that I loved from start to finish.
Priest of Bones was one of my favourite books of last year. I loved the narrative style, the dark tone and the simple yet thrilling storyline. The returning conscripts using their newly learned military tactics to take back their streets and run their gangland empires was a clever, honest and hard-hitting story. It really was "peaky blinders with swords".
The follow-up continues in that vein, the Pious Men gang have consolidated their hold in Ellinburg and are now at full-on gang war. However, as they returned from war, so does a large number of other former gangsters, and a number of new/revived gangs compete for territory.
The fantasy tone is still used here, despite being the mystical, noble pursuit we are used to. I seriously love Mclean's narrative voice, his action scenes and his overall pace of writing.
I was thrilled to see in the Q&A at the end of the book that I was right in thinking Ellinburg was based loosely on Edinburgh.
The feel of this book is very much a grim and nasty version of Terry Pratchett's Guards series, with characterisation and scene setting to rival Pratchett at his best.
A truly immersive compelling read that I loved from start to finish.
Strategy & Tactics: Sandbox World War II TBS
Games and Entertainment
App
***NOTE: Compatible with iPhone 4s and up, iPad 2 and up - may not work properly on earlier...
Saints Row 2
9.0
Rate It
Video Game
Saints Row 2 brings true freedom to open-world gaming. Players can play as who they want, how they...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) in Movies
Jul 30, 2020
Slightly discombobulating horror sequel. Following the events of the first movie Kirsty Cotton unsurprisingly ends up in a loony bin run by brain surgeon and keen puzzle-box fan Dr Channard (Kenneth Cranham tries mightily to bring a touch of Peter Cushing-style class to an underwritten part). As Channard is a lunatic, he resurrects Kirsty's evil stepmother, and because he is clearly either very forgetful or slow off the mark, together they give a puzzle box (which he already had) to a traumatised patient who's good at puzzles (who he likewise already had about the place) and together they begin to explore the realm of the box.
Meanwhile... oh, does it really matter? As you can perhaps begin to discern, the plot of Hellraiser II Makes No Sense Whatsoever (the Cotton house appears to have teleported from London to New York City in the gap between films, and this is only a minor issue), and there is something baffling and miraculous about the fact the film is as coherent and watchable as it is. Then again, it's not actually about logic, plot, or the motivation of the characters, just a succession of grisly, visceral, nightmarish, surreal images. In this respect at least the film is an astonishing success. Doesn't stop the story from being nonsense, though. Manages to be a very bad movie but also a terrific one, frequently at exactly the same time. Like I say, discombobulating.
Meanwhile... oh, does it really matter? As you can perhaps begin to discern, the plot of Hellraiser II Makes No Sense Whatsoever (the Cotton house appears to have teleported from London to New York City in the gap between films, and this is only a minor issue), and there is something baffling and miraculous about the fact the film is as coherent and watchable as it is. Then again, it's not actually about logic, plot, or the motivation of the characters, just a succession of grisly, visceral, nightmarish, surreal images. In this respect at least the film is an astonishing success. Doesn't stop the story from being nonsense, though. Manages to be a very bad movie but also a terrific one, frequently at exactly the same time. Like I say, discombobulating.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Queen Con (The Golden Arrow Mysteries Book 2) in Books
May 5, 2020
Overly complicated
I wasn't keen on the first book in this series, but it got me just about intrigued enough to want to read the second. And sadly I liked this one even less than the first.
Fortunately MG was a much more bearable character in this book, although still fairly irritating - her actions and emotions are very childlike and not fitting for a grown adult. Calling her car the "Millennium Turd" drove me crazy. But at least her relationship with Matteo wasnt quite as prominent and frustrating. The problem with this book though is the plot. It's just ridiculous and overly complicated. I felt so confused trying to figure out what was going on and to me it was an entirely unnecessary sequel. A standalone story in the same setting would have been a much better idea rather than trying to link it too much into the plot from the first book.
Also the reveal about who the Golden Arrow is comes right at the end of the book and to be frank, I saw this coming from early on in the first book and I was aghast at how the characters in the book didnt see it coming. I've also already spotted the twist that any future books will throw up about this reveal, so it was rather a let down overall. I only bothered to read it as it was free on Kindle Unlimited!
Fortunately MG was a much more bearable character in this book, although still fairly irritating - her actions and emotions are very childlike and not fitting for a grown adult. Calling her car the "Millennium Turd" drove me crazy. But at least her relationship with Matteo wasnt quite as prominent and frustrating. The problem with this book though is the plot. It's just ridiculous and overly complicated. I felt so confused trying to figure out what was going on and to me it was an entirely unnecessary sequel. A standalone story in the same setting would have been a much better idea rather than trying to link it too much into the plot from the first book.
Also the reveal about who the Golden Arrow is comes right at the end of the book and to be frank, I saw this coming from early on in the first book and I was aghast at how the characters in the book didnt see it coming. I've also already spotted the twist that any future books will throw up about this reveal, so it was rather a let down overall. I only bothered to read it as it was free on Kindle Unlimited!