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Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hereditary (2018) in Movies
Oct 10, 2018
Oscar worthy performances from the cast (2 more)
A genuinely complex approach to character based horror
Grounded horror, exploring reality and supernatural settings
It may be a little too slow for some (1 more)
This is not an easy viewing, and not a popcorn flick, you will need to pay full attention!
We Are family...
This movie is....intense.
It is painful.
It is uncomfortable.
It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.
The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.
They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.
The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.
The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.
It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.
Watch it!
It is painful.
It is uncomfortable.
It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.
The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.
They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.
The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.
The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.
It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.
Watch it!
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Aliens (1986) in Movies
Oct 23, 2018
Sci fi action at its finest
Alien and Aliens have to be up there with The Godfather I and II and Raiders/Temple of Doom and one of the greatest one-two punches in movie history.
"They mostly come at night...mostly"
Make sure if you are watching after not seeing for awhile or never seen you watch the 1990 "Director's Cut". As with several Cameron epics, the story and characters get flushed out a lot more and the extra scenes are very good. With Aliens, though, I would have omitted the scene near the beginning where we meet Next and her family when they discover the chestbursters. I think Newt's reveal works better if we were to first meet her while crawling around underneath the decks of the colony.
The only thing that ever bothered me was the extremely bad timing of Ripley being floating in space for 57 years, then she gets found, then they lose contact with the colony on LV426 right after that? Talk about a horrible coincidence!
Another remarkable item of the film;s slow progression is we don't even see an alien until well over a hour into the film and it doesn't matter. The tension built and anticipation Cameron delivers are amazing!
Nonetheless, Aliens is a masterpiece of sci fi cinema which has rarely been equaled. Now if only they wold quit trying!.
"They mostly come at night...mostly"
Make sure if you are watching after not seeing for awhile or never seen you watch the 1990 "Director's Cut". As with several Cameron epics, the story and characters get flushed out a lot more and the extra scenes are very good. With Aliens, though, I would have omitted the scene near the beginning where we meet Next and her family when they discover the chestbursters. I think Newt's reveal works better if we were to first meet her while crawling around underneath the decks of the colony.
The only thing that ever bothered me was the extremely bad timing of Ripley being floating in space for 57 years, then she gets found, then they lose contact with the colony on LV426 right after that? Talk about a horrible coincidence!
Another remarkable item of the film;s slow progression is we don't even see an alien until well over a hour into the film and it doesn't matter. The tension built and anticipation Cameron delivers are amazing!
Nonetheless, Aliens is a masterpiece of sci fi cinema which has rarely been equaled. Now if only they wold quit trying!.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hostile (2017) in Movies
Nov 7, 2018
Claustraphobic (1 more)
Good ramping up of tension
Here in my car, I feel safest of all...
An interesting if not overly original premise, Hostile tells the post apocalyptic tale of a woman in the desert, trapped and injured under her overturned vehicle, whilst being stalked by a mutant creature.
It does a decent job of creating a world and setting for a modest budget, and though its attempts to avoid showing too much for financial reasons are a little transparent at times.
The film oscillates between the post apocalyptic and the pre-catastrophe, and the performances of the main cast are good enough to maintain interest even when going though the largely melodramatic character building of the contemporary setting.
It is ultimately reminiscent of movies like open water, 47 feet under, and even some episodes of the Walking Dead, with the stranded survivor having to survive whilst essentially trapped in one location.
It is a slow burn movie, and very character based, so you spend a lot of time with our protagonist, who was a little cliched, and hard to like most of the time, but a decent enough performance that you can get through the more dialogue heavy parts.
A decent film, and at only 80 minutes, not a huge investment of your time, so might be worth a look if you like your survival movies a bit wasteland-y.
It does a decent job of creating a world and setting for a modest budget, and though its attempts to avoid showing too much for financial reasons are a little transparent at times.
The film oscillates between the post apocalyptic and the pre-catastrophe, and the performances of the main cast are good enough to maintain interest even when going though the largely melodramatic character building of the contemporary setting.
It is ultimately reminiscent of movies like open water, 47 feet under, and even some episodes of the Walking Dead, with the stranded survivor having to survive whilst essentially trapped in one location.
It is a slow burn movie, and very character based, so you spend a lot of time with our protagonist, who was a little cliched, and hard to like most of the time, but a decent enough performance that you can get through the more dialogue heavy parts.
A decent film, and at only 80 minutes, not a huge investment of your time, so might be worth a look if you like your survival movies a bit wasteland-y.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Raid (2011) in Movies
Nov 22, 2018 (Updated Nov 22, 2018)
Mindblowing choreography (2 more)
Some of the best stunts I have ever seen in any film
Beautifully grim cinematography
Possibly The Greatest Action Movie Ever Made
What do you get when you take a Welsh director, a bunch of Indonesian stuntmen and a block of high rise flats and put them together? One of the greatest action movies ever committed to film apparently.I love a great action movie and I love tight, clever fight choreography and the Raid delivers this in spades. There is an extravagant display of martial arts on display here all shown with a realistic sense of brutality and grit that is a joy to watch onscreen.
Although the fight sequences and intense action are the star attraction in The Raid, Gareth Evans uses his actors and his camera work to make the audience feel an unfaltering sense of tension when necessary to balance the sheer, white-knuckle excitement of other scenes. I have watched this movie a ton and I have seen the subtitled version, the dubbed version and the original Indonesian version without subtitles. Even in the latter, when none of the characters are speaking any English, you can still easily follow what is going on, due to the expressive performances given by the cast.
Overall, if you are an action fan, you can't do much better than the Raid. It is an intense story told so well by a bunch of extremely talented people.
Although the fight sequences and intense action are the star attraction in The Raid, Gareth Evans uses his actors and his camera work to make the audience feel an unfaltering sense of tension when necessary to balance the sheer, white-knuckle excitement of other scenes. I have watched this movie a ton and I have seen the subtitled version, the dubbed version and the original Indonesian version without subtitles. Even in the latter, when none of the characters are speaking any English, you can still easily follow what is going on, due to the expressive performances given by the cast.
Overall, if you are an action fan, you can't do much better than the Raid. It is an intense story told so well by a bunch of extremely talented people.
AT (1676 KP) rated A Simple Favor in Books
Jan 3, 2019 (Updated Jan 3, 2019)
I received this book from one of the Smashbomb giveaways in exchange for my review. I didn't think I'd like it very much because the movie trailer looked kind of stupid, but it was still exciting to see the package in the mail! (I haven't seen the movie yet, and don't know if I will.) I began the book not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. It read very smoothly, and had just enough tension at the beginning to keep me coming back. I enjoyed the story for quite awhile. Then the plot found its way into a weird twist. Not that I didn't expect some sort of twist. I just didn't expect the one character to be...like she was. For the rest of the novel, I wasn't sure how strange the plot was going to get. The story was tolerable for the most part and I was going to give it a higher rating, but I am not a fan of the ending. While I wasn't surprised by it, I wished that it would have ended in a different manner. Therefore, I'm a bit torn over my review. I didn't hate the story, itself, for a fictional escape, but the ending sunk the whole thing for me. I'd say that it's a decent beach read, if you're looking for something with a little suspense and mystery. I wouldn't recommend it to any deep-thinking book clubs, though.
Natalia (73 KP) rated Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) in Books
Jan 26, 2019
So I've taken the past week to read the whole trilogy, which I now see as a mistake since the books seem to blend together for me now. I can happily say, however, that Leigh Bardugo's writing lives up to the praise people give her - and this series is certainly going to stay with me for a long time, not including when it'll be refreshed as I re-read it.
As cliched as it sounds, I couldn't put the book down, and the moment I finished one I had to move on to the next. Bardugo has a way with her writing that keeps you hooked, and I would be lying if I didn't admit that I had to put the book down on multiple occasions to sit in what I just read. The action is well-written, characters are relatable and engaging, and tension is built well with the occasional piece of humour to lift us from our stump.
I like to keep my reviews spoiler-free, so I'm struggling to find a way to explain how much I appreciate this book and entire trilogy without going in depth on the plot and character development. If you're reading this to see if you want to read the series, I would say you should jump on it. I went in almost entirely blind, simply hearing good things about Bardugo, and it was an amazing experience from start to finish.
As cliched as it sounds, I couldn't put the book down, and the moment I finished one I had to move on to the next. Bardugo has a way with her writing that keeps you hooked, and I would be lying if I didn't admit that I had to put the book down on multiple occasions to sit in what I just read. The action is well-written, characters are relatable and engaging, and tension is built well with the occasional piece of humour to lift us from our stump.
I like to keep my reviews spoiler-free, so I'm struggling to find a way to explain how much I appreciate this book and entire trilogy without going in depth on the plot and character development. If you're reading this to see if you want to read the series, I would say you should jump on it. I went in almost entirely blind, simply hearing good things about Bardugo, and it was an amazing experience from start to finish.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2478 KP) rated Book, Line, and Sinker in Books
Jun 23, 2019
This Book is Not a Stinker, and That’s Not a Line to Hook You
Treasure hunters have come to town, certain they have a map to Captain Kidd’s treasure that he buried off the coast of Briar Creek, Connecticut. Their presence quickly divides the town, with the library that Lindsay Norris runs becoming ground zero for some of the fights. However, when the tension leads to a dead body at the dig site, several of her friends become suspects. Naturally, Lindsay begins looking for a clue that might point the police in a different direction. Can she dig up the correct X to mark the killer?
I completely enjoyed this book. The plot is a little different for a cozy mystery, but in this case that was a good thing. Just adjust your expectations accordingly, but you will be satisfied when you turn the final page. Lindsay’s love life gets complicated when her ex-fiance shows up, but I enjoyed seeing how that storyline played out, and I felt it allowed us to get to know Lindsay better. The characters are as charming as always; I’m especially pleased to see that Lindsay’s relationship with the police is already changing for the better. We get some extras, thanks to the crafternoon group, including discussion questions for The Great Gatsby, a cross stitch pattern, and two recipes. I may be behind in this series, but I am certainly enjoying catching up.
I completely enjoyed this book. The plot is a little different for a cozy mystery, but in this case that was a good thing. Just adjust your expectations accordingly, but you will be satisfied when you turn the final page. Lindsay’s love life gets complicated when her ex-fiance shows up, but I enjoyed seeing how that storyline played out, and I felt it allowed us to get to know Lindsay better. The characters are as charming as always; I’m especially pleased to see that Lindsay’s relationship with the police is already changing for the better. We get some extras, thanks to the crafternoon group, including discussion questions for The Great Gatsby, a cross stitch pattern, and two recipes. I may be behind in this series, but I am certainly enjoying catching up.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2478 KP) rated Scone Cold Dead in Books
Jul 23, 2019
Can Natalie Find a Scone Cold Killer?
It’s late spring on Cranberry Island, but the beautiful weather is doing nothing for the tensions building. Something is going on with the lobstermen on the island. There are rumors of illegal activity, but no one seems to have any proof. Natalie Barnes is concerned about that, but she is also concerned that her bed and breakfast doesn’t have reservations like in years past. Fortunately, she does have some guests thanks to the new artists commune her niece, Gwen, has opened. But when the tension on the island leads to murder, will Natalie figure out what happened?
It’s always a pleasure to visit Cranberry Island, and this book is no exception. The characters are old friends by this point, and there are a couple of sub-plots that focus on them that helped pull me into the book early. Not that the mystery itself wasn’t compelling, and the sub-plots and mystery weave in and out of each other expertly. There are several good fully developed suspects we meet and plenty of turns before we hit the suspenseful climax. Natalie is working on recipes for a scone competition, so it is no surprise that three of the recipes at the end of the book are scones. Fans of the series will be happy with our latest visit to the island, and this book is fun enough to hook new fans as well.
It’s always a pleasure to visit Cranberry Island, and this book is no exception. The characters are old friends by this point, and there are a couple of sub-plots that focus on them that helped pull me into the book early. Not that the mystery itself wasn’t compelling, and the sub-plots and mystery weave in and out of each other expertly. There are several good fully developed suspects we meet and plenty of turns before we hit the suspenseful climax. Natalie is working on recipes for a scone competition, so it is no surprise that three of the recipes at the end of the book are scones. Fans of the series will be happy with our latest visit to the island, and this book is fun enough to hook new fans as well.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Tower Of Dawn in Books
Dec 11, 2019
Everything
Contains spoilers, click to show
Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.
After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.
I have been following this series for almost 2 years now and I absolutely love it! Sarah J. Maas has created this amazing world with Amazing exciting characters who's lives are so entwined it makes for brilliant reading. Book 6 has us following Chaol and Nesryn on the journey to Antica to convince Khagan to join Aelin in the battle that's brewing, also to heal Chaol. They both find out a lot about themselves on this journey leading them away from each others arms to another. Sexual tension runs high in this book but as a YA it's so tastefully handled! I'm so looking forward to the whole gang reunion especially yrene finding the mystery woman is actually the new queen!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.
I have been following this series for almost 2 years now and I absolutely love it! Sarah J. Maas has created this amazing world with Amazing exciting characters who's lives are so entwined it makes for brilliant reading. Book 6 has us following Chaol and Nesryn on the journey to Antica to convince Khagan to join Aelin in the battle that's brewing, also to heal Chaol. They both find out a lot about themselves on this journey leading them away from each others arms to another. Sexual tension runs high in this book but as a YA it's so tastefully handled! I'm so looking forward to the whole gang reunion especially yrene finding the mystery woman is actually the new queen!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Cutting Place (Maeve Kerrigan #9) in Books
Apr 12, 2020
I absolutely devoured this book and, once again, I find myself sounding like a broken record in that I haven't got enough different words to describe how much I enjoyed it and despite it being the ninth in the series, it continues to feel fresh with the partnership of DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent being a particular highlight of mine and one which I absolutely adore.
Here we find the team investigating a particularly brutal murder when a body part is found by a mudlarker on the banks of the Thames; the ensuing investigation leads to a missing journalist and an exclusive gentleman's club ... are they related? Amongst all this is a look into the private life of Maeve and the importance of strong friendships and trust.
This is a compelling and engaging story line and not just a police-procedural; it delves into the murky world of "gentleman's" clubs, domestic violence, blackmail, privilege and power. I'm not going to lie, it's a dark story full of tension that is all too plausible but there are lighter moments that provide some occasional relief.
Highly, highly recommended and you don't have to have read previous books in the series to appreciate just how good this is but you will certainly want to after reading this.
My thanks and appreciation go to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Here we find the team investigating a particularly brutal murder when a body part is found by a mudlarker on the banks of the Thames; the ensuing investigation leads to a missing journalist and an exclusive gentleman's club ... are they related? Amongst all this is a look into the private life of Maeve and the importance of strong friendships and trust.
This is a compelling and engaging story line and not just a police-procedural; it delves into the murky world of "gentleman's" clubs, domestic violence, blackmail, privilege and power. I'm not going to lie, it's a dark story full of tension that is all too plausible but there are lighter moments that provide some occasional relief.
Highly, highly recommended and you don't have to have read previous books in the series to appreciate just how good this is but you will certainly want to after reading this.
My thanks and appreciation go to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Andy K (10823 KP) Jul 19, 2019