Search

Search only in certain items:

Teenage mutant ninja turtles mutant mayhem (2023)
Teenage mutant ninja turtles mutant mayhem (2023)
2023 | Animation
8
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Franchise has taken a break from the recent live-action updates and has returned to animation to reboot and modernize the franchise.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a loving and updated look at the story as Seth Rogen and his creative team have shaken up the franchise but remained true to the core characters and universe.

The film follows the four Turtles Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon), Donatello (Micah Abbey), and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), who are looking to find acceptance in the world despite their father Splinter (Jackie Chan), warning them not to trust humans and that they will never be accepted.

As typical teens do, the boys frequently rebel to sneak out and use their Ninja skills to travel New York to do tasks ranging from shopping to watching outdoor movies which only fuels their desires to be accepted and
have normal experiences such as High School.

At the same time as a crimewave is happening attributed to a menace known as Superfly (Ice Cube), who is gathering all kinds of high-end gear for his nefarious scheme.

When the brothers become aware of this while helping a human named April (Ago Edebiri), they become obsessed with her and desire to help her get to the bottom of the thefts and hope to win her approval as well as human acceptance in the process.

What follows is a madcap adventure with plenty of action and humor and
several celebrity voices which adds a new level of fun to the expanded
cast of supporting characters.

The animation style is at times a bit rough to watch over an extended
period but as the film progressed I became used to it and it did much like the two recent Spider-man animated films grow on me even if it can be distracting at times.

The cast is solid and the film seemed to play well to viewers of all ages
as there were jokes and references for all ages and the storyline was engaging even if it did at times seem to drag in places.

In the end the film is a loving and solid entry into the franchise and one that I am sure we will be seeing more animated entries from in the near future and is a must watch for fans of all ages.

4 stars out of 5
  
The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring (2013)
2013 | Horror
The Conjuring Review
Contains spoilers, click to show
Originally wrote in 2013:

As an avid fan of horror I look for a few little things which if aren't apparent within the first minute decide on whether I'm going to bother with the rest of the film. Usually the company releasing the movie is a good starting point, reputable/recognised director or producer, recognisable actor/s, good production values - that sort of thing. I've seen some hum-dingers over the years - those films where Johnny Nobody has gathered several of his buddies together with a cheap camcorder or two and filmed some alleged zombie epic in the woods at the back of their school.

**The Conjuring is not one of those**

I like to think I have a strong disposition when it comes to scares - usually it takes a lot to make me squint. Examples that come to mind are 'Sinister', 'The Grudge', the end of 'The Ring' (you know, the scary dark haired girl climbing out of the TV!). The Conjuring is one of those - I watched this in the middle of the morning and found it pretty scary in places.

James Wan certainly knows how to make a movie of this type and is great at evoking atmosphere and notching up the scares as the film develops. In a nutshell, this is the alleged real life story of the Perron family who in 1971 moved into a new farmhouse. It isn't long before the usual shenanigans begin - pictures pulled off walls, doors knocking in the dead of night, the children befriending mysterious 'imaginary' kids (who we all know watching are going to show up at some point). The film sticks to the tried and tested story - gradual possession of one of the adults (Lily Taylor), gradually increasing appearances by ghostly figures, calling in the ghostbusters, gathering the proof, then the exorcism. It may be join the dots territory but it works.

Patrick Wilson shines and seems to be making his mark in films of this nature (Insidious and Insidious Chapter 2) - he portrays real life paranormal investigator Ed Warren who with his wife Lorraine (played just as well by Vera Farmiga) become immersed in the life of the Perron's making themselves targets of the supernatural force at work in the process.

The demonic spirit at work is that of a witch who was married to the guy who built the house back in the 1800's who cursed the land before committing suicide after murdering their child whilst a few days old. There is one particularly pant browning scene where the witch makes her first appearance atop a bedroom wardrobe....and I'll leave it there!

Quality. Best horror I've seen since Sinister.
  
    Dream Quest

    Dream Quest

    Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Play cards! Kill monsters! Level Up! Dream Quest is a roguelike deckbuilding game inspired by the...

Surrendering for Two (Soul Match #4)
Surrendering for Two (Soul Match #4)
Morticia Knight | 2017 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
best one of the bunch!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 4 in the Soul Match series, and you really MUST read the other books in the series to know what has driven these people to this point.

Graham has suffered the fate that Chris and Morgan were expecting. He was abused by the Nall, to such an extent, he is permanently scarred. Graham, his brother and his father were due to hang, at the Nall's gathering, for punishment for the attack at the Nall's party. And Alasharian saves him, and Graham's opinion on the race changes. Balor is a guard to the Nall, but also part of the rebellion. Oman is advisor to the Nall, but has been watching Balor for some time. He knows Balor is his Soul Match and when Balor mentions the human he helped save, Oman knows they will be a three. But time is of the essence, and humans and Alasharians must band together to any of them are to survive.

What I particularly liked about this one, was the CARE that Oman , and indeed Balor, took with Graham. They both knew he had suffered, badly. They can see his scars, and are enraged by the treatment of Graham by the Nall but they know Graham needs time. They may NEVER fully Soul Match, but Oman and Balor will take whatever Graham can give them.

Graham, while reluctant, knows that he can give as little, or as much, as he is able to, to Oman and Balor. I liked that he was in total control of the speed that things moved. LOVED that he was not the submissive in this match. Liked that he spoke to Morgan about the Soul Match, since Morgan was equally, if not more so, against the idea.

While Chris, Lasar and Nary take no part here, the rebellion is gaining ground as more and more humans and Alasharians arrive at the old air base they are camped out at. Problem is, no one knows where Chris, Lasar and Nary are, or even if Chris is a real person!

Book 5 is next, and it is the conclusion of this series. I'm not sure I really want to read it! Thoroughly enjoying these!

5 stars
  
    Drakenlords: CCG Card Duels

    Drakenlords: CCG Card Duels

    Games, Entertainment and Stickers

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Welcome to one of the best CCG games on mobile! Drakenlords is a multiplayer fantasy card game where...

40x40

Nancy Whang recommended Kinda Kinks by The Kinks in Music (curated)

 
Kinda Kinks by The Kinks
Kinda Kinks by The Kinks
2001 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The Kinks were one of my favourite bands while I was growing up. I was introduced to them by MTV and the video for 'Come Dancing', which they'd play all the time. I really liked the video and the boy in that video really reminded me of one of my brothers. So I got into them through that and I also had a 'Best Of The Kinks' which I wore out because I listened to it so much. But Kinda Kinks, I didn't really listen to that record until much later. I think I was maybe in college, or after college, but it became one of those records that I would listen to all the time with James [Murphy]. We'd be at the DFA studio which, before it officially became a record label, always had the studio there, and it was a gathering place where something was about to happen. It was right around the time that James and Tim [Goldsworthy] were producing the Rapture record, I was hanging around there a lot and James was actually living in the office for a period of time too. And on Sunday mornings we'd sit around and listen to music. Kinda Kinks was one of those records. I love every song on that album but it does contain my least favourite song in the world: 'Dancing In The Street'. It's so bad that it's seeped into every other version that's ever been made, including the original version. So now all of them are ruined for me. It is the worst song. There was a brief period when MiniDisc players were kind of popular, and I loved MiniDiscs. I really wish they'd taken off because it's such a great format; it's this compact, digital format that can be edited very easily. You can make a mixtape, it was super easy to record onto, super easy to rearrange and me and James would make a lot of MiniDisc mix tapes for each other. One of the greatest things though was that I was able to make a version of Kinda Kinks without 'Dancing In The Street'."

Source