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BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated Brightburn (2019) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020 (Updated Mar 14, 2020)
Contains spoilers, click to show
Wow... I've always loved anti villains but this was just fab! Very gory but who doesn't love some blood and guts in a horror!?? The whole movie plays along like Clark Kent: SuperVillain... and that credits scene with Micheal Rooker was amazing too. Hinting at possible sequels and/or a Injustice Leauge style group.
Back to the movie. The kid himself is terrifying, like seriously. If I seen him irl I would know he was a criminal or something. The actors themselves play the scared townsfolk very well. If I had to be disappointed at anything, it would be how stupid they are. I don't necessarily hate it but it annoys me in films when the characters can't put 2 and 2 together... everyone except the mother pretty much knew it was the kid and she was still in denial until she went upstairs and found visual evidence. 'No way! My son from another planet could no way have lifted a car or murdered people. Especially not after he smashes my husband backwards into a wall' 🙄
But apart from that, this could be one of my new horrors! I hope there is at least a second film, possibly featuring the anti-aquawoman or anti-wonderwoman featured in the credits scene.
Back to the movie. The kid himself is terrifying, like seriously. If I seen him irl I would know he was a criminal or something. The actors themselves play the scared townsfolk very well. If I had to be disappointed at anything, it would be how stupid they are. I don't necessarily hate it but it annoys me in films when the characters can't put 2 and 2 together... everyone except the mother pretty much knew it was the kid and she was still in denial until she went upstairs and found visual evidence. 'No way! My son from another planet could no way have lifted a car or murdered people. Especially not after he smashes my husband backwards into a wall' 🙄
But apart from that, this could be one of my new horrors! I hope there is at least a second film, possibly featuring the anti-aquawoman or anti-wonderwoman featured in the credits scene.
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David McK (3880 KP) rated Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) in Movies
Nov 27, 2020 (Updated Nov 27, 2020)
"Captain Jack Sparrow. You are, without a doubt, the worst Pirate I have ever heard of" / "Ah, but you have heard of me ..."
The first Pirates of the Caribbean film (based on a Disney theme ride!), this is far less bloated and self referential than any of the later sequels, with Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow a breath of fresh air (at the time) in a genre that had become increasingly stale: indeed, I can't even remember there being any other pirate films in my lifetime other than 1995s Cutthroat Island.
The plot, here, makes much use of the superstition and folklore of the Caribbean - "You better start believing in Ghost stories again, Miss: you're in one!" (to paraphrase a certain other character - with the crew of the Black Pearl all cursed to an everlasting life by an ancient Aztec curse unless they can restore all the stolen coins.
And this is where Will Turner comes in, as the son of 'Bootstrap' Bill, a colleague of Captain Jack Sparrows before his crew mutinied, stole the treasure, and were cursed. When the governors daughter Elizabet Swann is kidnapped, Turner sets off to rescue here in the company of Sparrow and a crew of n'er do wells, in a very entertaining slice of Pirate action!
The plot, here, makes much use of the superstition and folklore of the Caribbean - "You better start believing in Ghost stories again, Miss: you're in one!" (to paraphrase a certain other character - with the crew of the Black Pearl all cursed to an everlasting life by an ancient Aztec curse unless they can restore all the stolen coins.
And this is where Will Turner comes in, as the son of 'Bootstrap' Bill, a colleague of Captain Jack Sparrows before his crew mutinied, stole the treasure, and were cursed. When the governors daughter Elizabet Swann is kidnapped, Turner sets off to rescue here in the company of Sparrow and a crew of n'er do wells, in a very entertaining slice of Pirate action!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Leprechaun (1993) in Movies
Oct 19, 2020
The original Leprechaun is so so silly. It's low budget, it's brimming with unfunny jokes, it's not scary in the slightest, but dammit it's hard to hate on it too much.
The characters in Leprechaun are mostly typical easy-to-dislike personality voids (apart from my boy Ozzie), but some of the casting is notable. Of course, a pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston takes the lead and is likable enough, but the main star is obviously Warwick Davis. This being the early nineties, the horror genre was firmly set on its villains being the star, following the success of 80s icons such as Freddy Krueger, and the titular creature takes up most of the spotlight.
The Leprechaun himself is so-so. He's more of a little shit than a full blown monster, and the majority of his one liners aren't particularly funny, but Davis is clearly giving his all in this role, and is no doubt the sole reason why this movie spawned an entire franchise, even if Lep is ultimately a poor man's Chucky.
As far as cheesy horror films go, you could do a lot worse than Leprechaun (it's many sequels for example). It's cheap and trashy, but it's still pretty entertaining.
The characters in Leprechaun are mostly typical easy-to-dislike personality voids (apart from my boy Ozzie), but some of the casting is notable. Of course, a pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston takes the lead and is likable enough, but the main star is obviously Warwick Davis. This being the early nineties, the horror genre was firmly set on its villains being the star, following the success of 80s icons such as Freddy Krueger, and the titular creature takes up most of the spotlight.
The Leprechaun himself is so-so. He's more of a little shit than a full blown monster, and the majority of his one liners aren't particularly funny, but Davis is clearly giving his all in this role, and is no doubt the sole reason why this movie spawned an entire franchise, even if Lep is ultimately a poor man's Chucky.
As far as cheesy horror films go, you could do a lot worse than Leprechaun (it's many sequels for example). It's cheap and trashy, but it's still pretty entertaining.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) in Movies
Sep 30, 2019
Overrated
Out of all of the old school horror films, Friday the 13th is probably the one I like the least. Whilst it’s a great concept being set in a camp by a lake, I think it’s rather poorly and cheesily executed. I’ve seen the original many times, but this is the first time I’ve seen any of the ‘original’ sequels and I’m afraid I didn’t think much of this either.
The main problem with this is that i found Jason to be rather disappointing. Admittedly I’ve grown up with the later version of Jason (hockey mask and machete), and whilst the machete makes an appearance, I don’t find this version of Jason very scary at all. He isn’t helped by the cheesy scenes, poor script and rather bizarre fade to white scenes. It’s a shame, as the deaths are actually rather inventive but as with all 80s horrors, they’re not nearly as gruesome as they could be. Either that or I’ve become numb to the deaths after the extreme and gory modern horrors that have been out since.
Despite all of the negatives, it is still a rather silly yet enjoyable film. Just not quite the classic it’s made out to be.
The main problem with this is that i found Jason to be rather disappointing. Admittedly I’ve grown up with the later version of Jason (hockey mask and machete), and whilst the machete makes an appearance, I don’t find this version of Jason very scary at all. He isn’t helped by the cheesy scenes, poor script and rather bizarre fade to white scenes. It’s a shame, as the deaths are actually rather inventive but as with all 80s horrors, they’re not nearly as gruesome as they could be. Either that or I’ve become numb to the deaths after the extreme and gory modern horrors that have been out since.
Despite all of the negatives, it is still a rather silly yet enjoyable film. Just not quite the classic it’s made out to be.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Aliens (1986) in Movies
May 7, 2020
Revisited this for the first time in ages and there’s still no other way of describing it than simply a masterpiece. Watching the theatrical version and the slow build up of tension in the first half building up to the action packed final battle between Ripley and the alien queen is such brilliant story telling and just so well paced. James Cameron follows the Jaws approach and doesn’t show you the slightest hint of an alien till nearly an hour into the film and is far stronger for it. The whole cast are great but the films ace is of course Sigourney Weaver ,she is a total bad ass here and one of cinemas all time great heroines. You are also reminded at what a talent James Cameron was before declaring himself ‘king of the world’. I would love to see him doing something like this or T2 again rather than wasting years on the 172 sequels to Avatar that nobody really wants.
(The special edition of the film is nearly 20 minutes longer and has some interesting moments but in my opinion slows things down a bit too much and you can see why these scenes were removed for the theatrical version)
(The special edition of the film is nearly 20 minutes longer and has some interesting moments but in my opinion slows things down a bit too much and you can see why these scenes were removed for the theatrical version)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) in Movies
Jun 19, 2022
I have a huge amount of respect for TTCM2, mainly for how different it is to its predecessor, which of course happens to be one of the most respected horrors of all time. Tobe Hoopers return is a welcome one, and his desire to not repeat his original masterpiece is a smart move. It results in a slice of 80s horror that is flamboyantly ridiculous, which still manages to keep its identity intact underneath it all. There's a lot less subtlety this time around - the brooding and implied violence we have seen before is replaced with more gore and Dennis Hopper dual wielding chainsaws with a third strapped to his back. It's weirdly great. The gore is significantly upped, and Leatherface is a little more cartoony. We're also introduced to Bill Moseley as Chop-Top, a fan favourite character who is a little too slapstick for my taste, but I can't fault Moseley for 100% commiting to the bit. Caroline Williams is a delight as this entries badass final girl as well.
TTCM2 is flawed for sure, but it doesn't fall into the rinse and repeat trap that so many sequels do, and it's easy to see why it has a strong following.
TTCM2 is flawed for sure, but it doesn't fall into the rinse and repeat trap that so many sequels do, and it's easy to see why it has a strong following.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012) in Movies
Mar 22, 2022
Lake Placid 4 is straight up wild. It starts with Yancy Butler asking a crocodile if "they really wanna do this" before fighting it. That's where we're at. There's a bit where a group of people see a huge crocodile coming for them so they jump in a 4x4 and drive insanely fast away from it, looking back to make sure they're getting away. I though to myself "why are they looking, there's no way a crocodile is keeping up with them, stupid ass" but no, the crocodile is galloping like a fucking horse at the same speed behind them. There's another part where a dude gets torn apart by baby crocodiles like a school of piranhas or some shit. None of it makes sense but fuck it, who even cares. The CGI somehow manages to be better and worse than the last one. Robert Englund is chewing up the scenery whenever he's on screen. I feel like I'm going mad because I have low key enjoyed all of the trash sequels so far.
Some people say that Citizen Kane is the biggest masterpiece of cinema ever put out there. I argue that it's Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (even though there are two more to go *chefs kiss*)
Some people say that Citizen Kane is the biggest masterpiece of cinema ever put out there. I argue that it's Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (even though there are two more to go *chefs kiss*)