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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Black Christmas (2019) in Movies
Dec 17, 2020
Fuck I really hated this.
Ignoring the politics side for a moment - it's a hugely poor horror film. It's devoid of any scares, it cuts away from any gore, and perhaps worst of all, it has the audacity to be called "Black Christmas" - which is quite simply one of the best slashers ever made.
Did this film even start as a Black Christmas remake? It basically goes: Men are shit - some people get killed offscreen - weird supernatural twist - oh shit, it's Black Christmas, better throw in a glass unicorn sculpture.
The supernatural part is something I'm not mad at actually - at least it tried something different rather than being a straight re tread.
Then of course, there's the aformentioned politics, which is what most people's issue is with this film. Feminist messages in horror movies can be hugely effective - the original Black Christmas does it well for example - but I can't help but feel that the message this version putting out there is severely mishandled. As a guy, I am willing to hear how I'm wrong in this instance, but it feels sooooo over the top with what it's trying to do. It's not too hard to be on board with for the most part, but the final scenes really go for it - I mean the lines "you're insane!" "No, we're just men" - really!? It just feels very in the nose to me.
Other than that, this film is turd. It gets a star for Imogen Poots and the creative snow angel death scene at the start. Watch the original instead.
Ignoring the politics side for a moment - it's a hugely poor horror film. It's devoid of any scares, it cuts away from any gore, and perhaps worst of all, it has the audacity to be called "Black Christmas" - which is quite simply one of the best slashers ever made.
Did this film even start as a Black Christmas remake? It basically goes: Men are shit - some people get killed offscreen - weird supernatural twist - oh shit, it's Black Christmas, better throw in a glass unicorn sculpture.
The supernatural part is something I'm not mad at actually - at least it tried something different rather than being a straight re tread.
Then of course, there's the aformentioned politics, which is what most people's issue is with this film. Feminist messages in horror movies can be hugely effective - the original Black Christmas does it well for example - but I can't help but feel that the message this version putting out there is severely mishandled. As a guy, I am willing to hear how I'm wrong in this instance, but it feels sooooo over the top with what it's trying to do. It's not too hard to be on board with for the most part, but the final scenes really go for it - I mean the lines "you're insane!" "No, we're just men" - really!? It just feels very in the nose to me.
Other than that, this film is turd. It gets a star for Imogen Poots and the creative snow angel death scene at the start. Watch the original instead.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Eleanor & Park in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Read the original review: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/20/book-review-eleanor-park/
I've heard so much about this; everyone seems to have read and fallen in love with it. I decided it was about time I give it a go!
It is a wonderful book. It tells the story of Park, a half-Korean punk-music-loving boy in Omaha. And it tells the story of Eleanor, the big red-headed girl who's moved back in with her large family after being kicked out by her step-dad.
I love how this tells their individual stories as well as the story of them as a couple. The problems Park encounters with his dad, and the horrible things Eleanor endures from her nasty step-father. And the way the pair of them began to fall in love during their time together on the school bus.
Romances aren't really my thing, but this was rather cute. I must admit that I have to question the reality of some of it; it seemed to happen so quickly and almost perfectly. Actually, that's a lie. It isn't perfect. It is realistically imperfect in the way that they have their doubts and problems. But it was just all so fast... I don't know. I'm not exactly an expert in these things!
The ending was heartbreaking. It was unexpected, too, though I suppose I should have seen it coming to an extent. Rainbow Rowell (great name!) has made this relate-able and emotional and easy to read. 4 stars for Eleanor & Park.
I've heard so much about this; everyone seems to have read and fallen in love with it. I decided it was about time I give it a go!
It is a wonderful book. It tells the story of Park, a half-Korean punk-music-loving boy in Omaha. And it tells the story of Eleanor, the big red-headed girl who's moved back in with her large family after being kicked out by her step-dad.
I love how this tells their individual stories as well as the story of them as a couple. The problems Park encounters with his dad, and the horrible things Eleanor endures from her nasty step-father. And the way the pair of them began to fall in love during their time together on the school bus.
Romances aren't really my thing, but this was rather cute. I must admit that I have to question the reality of some of it; it seemed to happen so quickly and almost perfectly. Actually, that's a lie. It isn't perfect. It is realistically imperfect in the way that they have their doubts and problems. But it was just all so fast... I don't know. I'm not exactly an expert in these things!
The ending was heartbreaking. It was unexpected, too, though I suppose I should have seen it coming to an extent. Rainbow Rowell (great name!) has made this relate-able and emotional and easy to read. 4 stars for Eleanor & Park.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Clan of the Jersey Boys (Fangsters #1) in Books
Sep 6, 2019
DNF
I hate DNFs. I always feel bad for not finishing them but sometimes I just cant get into a story. I stopped at 38%.
Right. Well, I expected this to be betterthat sounds bad I knowbut I was expecting them to be these tough vampires who kicked arse while running an illegal empire. In a way it was, but it didnt seem bad-arse enough for me. Sure there were a few scenes with retribution/warnings handed out to people but I didnt feel it.
Another thing that got me was all the mention of family and its many members. Yeah I know families are important in Italian/Sicilian cultures but more people kept getting mentioned and I found myself getting confused. What with Anton and someone else being turned by one person and his dad and uncle turned by someone else and this guy turned by the brother of that guy making them cousins I got lost. It was a little too much for me to keep up with.
The relationship between Anton and Leo happened a little too fast for me to believe. Not the sexhes an attractive guy after allbut the love yous and how strong their feelings were after the one night they spent together. Or maybe I just missed something?
Its not a bad story, it was just a little different to what I normally read; the mobster/gangster bit anyway. If you like vampires, mobsters and m/m stories then you will probably like this.
I hate DNFs. I always feel bad for not finishing them but sometimes I just cant get into a story. I stopped at 38%.
Right. Well, I expected this to be betterthat sounds bad I knowbut I was expecting them to be these tough vampires who kicked arse while running an illegal empire. In a way it was, but it didnt seem bad-arse enough for me. Sure there were a few scenes with retribution/warnings handed out to people but I didnt feel it.
Another thing that got me was all the mention of family and its many members. Yeah I know families are important in Italian/Sicilian cultures but more people kept getting mentioned and I found myself getting confused. What with Anton and someone else being turned by one person and his dad and uncle turned by someone else and this guy turned by the brother of that guy making them cousins I got lost. It was a little too much for me to keep up with.
The relationship between Anton and Leo happened a little too fast for me to believe. Not the sexhes an attractive guy after allbut the love yous and how strong their feelings were after the one night they spent together. Or maybe I just missed something?
Its not a bad story, it was just a little different to what I normally read; the mobster/gangster bit anyway. If you like vampires, mobsters and m/m stories then you will probably like this.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Shoot The Messenger (The Messenger Chronicles, #1) in Books
Sep 16, 2019
After finishing Betrayal by Pippa DaCosta the other day, I had an urge to read more so I went hunting for more of her books and found this one cheap and sounding rather interesting.
It starts with a bang--quite literally--as Kesh works as a Messenger, delivering a message to someone telling him he has 30 seconds to live. It doesn't go down well, as you can imagine, and all hell breaks loose as a bullet is fired and he does end up dead, with people thinking Kesh killed him. She uses her bot helper to figure out where the shooter shot from and heads up to investigate to find the weapon--one modified for fae use. The fae appears a few seconds later and threatens her, taking her bot with him and then what follows is very interesting.
I pretty much read half of this in one sitting. I did not want to put it down at all. I became very invested in Kesh's journey in trying to clear her name to then infiltrating the company Arcon to then being able to overcome her...illness? and beat the bad guy.
I found the reverse harem side of this very interesting. Kellee, the Marshal. Talen, the fae. It was slow building but I got very invested in the trio. What's going to happen next after that revelation near the end?
It's really hard to write a fitting review without giving spoilers away! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
It starts with a bang--quite literally--as Kesh works as a Messenger, delivering a message to someone telling him he has 30 seconds to live. It doesn't go down well, as you can imagine, and all hell breaks loose as a bullet is fired and he does end up dead, with people thinking Kesh killed him. She uses her bot helper to figure out where the shooter shot from and heads up to investigate to find the weapon--one modified for fae use. The fae appears a few seconds later and threatens her, taking her bot with him and then what follows is very interesting.
I pretty much read half of this in one sitting. I did not want to put it down at all. I became very invested in Kesh's journey in trying to clear her name to then infiltrating the company Arcon to then being able to overcome her...illness? and beat the bad guy.
I found the reverse harem side of this very interesting. Kellee, the Marshal. Talen, the fae. It was slow building but I got very invested in the trio. What's going to happen next after that revelation near the end?
It's really hard to write a fitting review without giving spoilers away! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Hustlers (2019) in Movies
Sep 22, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Based on a true story, Hustler's is the story of Destiny, an exotic dancer who falls on hard times. Teaming up with other dancers to con a number of rich bankers.
The premise of Hustler, strippers conning bankers, hides the actual depth of the story. At the start of the film, Destiny has just moved to a new strip club, we are shown the politics of the club and how Destiny befriends Ramona, one of the top dancers. Everything changes during the wall street crash, most of the club’s regular customers were bankers, most of whom had been affected by the crash had stopped going out and so a lot of the dancers lost their job. Destiny has a child but soon breaks up with the father and then find it hard to get a new job. Returning to the club, Destiny teams up with Ramona in scamming money out of the old clients.
One of the main themes of Hustlers is family, two of the main characters have children and the films shows what each of them would do to protect them. Beyond that we have the relationship between Destiny and her grandmother and also the family formed between the dancers and shows how these bonds can be formed and broken.
Being about strippers there is some nudity but Hustlers but they handle the sexual side of the dances job quite well.
The film is quite slow with a big part in the centre where not much seems to happen but it is still entertaining.
The premise of Hustler, strippers conning bankers, hides the actual depth of the story. At the start of the film, Destiny has just moved to a new strip club, we are shown the politics of the club and how Destiny befriends Ramona, one of the top dancers. Everything changes during the wall street crash, most of the club’s regular customers were bankers, most of whom had been affected by the crash had stopped going out and so a lot of the dancers lost their job. Destiny has a child but soon breaks up with the father and then find it hard to get a new job. Returning to the club, Destiny teams up with Ramona in scamming money out of the old clients.
One of the main themes of Hustlers is family, two of the main characters have children and the films shows what each of them would do to protect them. Beyond that we have the relationship between Destiny and her grandmother and also the family formed between the dancers and shows how these bonds can be formed and broken.
Being about strippers there is some nudity but Hustlers but they handle the sexual side of the dances job quite well.
The film is quite slow with a big part in the centre where not much seems to happen but it is still entertaining.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Elevator Pitch in Books
Sep 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 22, 2019)
Not for those living the high rise life......
Well I made the mistake of reading this while on holiday in Vegas and having to deal with a lot of elevators!!! When an elevator accident in Manhattan is followed by more on following day it soon becomes clear there's more going on than a simple malfunction and the incidents are terrifyingly portrayed.
Along with the elevator incidents a number of other violent crimes are occurring and Elevator Pitch sets out to take you on a twisty tale to see how these things are all connected or not. Unfortunately the path was a bit too twisty for my liking; constant and numerous POV changes made it hard to really get much of a feel for the characters leaving them all feeling a bit flat.
I did love the core idea and story line of elevators being used as a way to terrorise a city and the little stories around the hapless victims and the incidents themselves were very vivid and tense. However the numerous side threads / red-herrings that added so little to the story made it a bit of a drag in places. No real surprise on the bad guy but I do read a lot of crime books so it takes a lot to throw me. Very interesting concept just didn’t quite hit the high I hoped for.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Along with the elevator incidents a number of other violent crimes are occurring and Elevator Pitch sets out to take you on a twisty tale to see how these things are all connected or not. Unfortunately the path was a bit too twisty for my liking; constant and numerous POV changes made it hard to really get much of a feel for the characters leaving them all feeling a bit flat.
I did love the core idea and story line of elevators being used as a way to terrorise a city and the little stories around the hapless victims and the incidents themselves were very vivid and tense. However the numerous side threads / red-herrings that added so little to the story made it a bit of a drag in places. No real surprise on the bad guy but I do read a lot of crime books so it takes a lot to throw me. Very interesting concept just didn’t quite hit the high I hoped for.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Waxwork (1988) in Movies
Oct 13, 2019
Several teenagers encounter an ominous looking building housing a curious wax museum in their neighborhood one fine day. The proprietor is an evil Willy Wonka of sorts who invites them in for a look see. Once inside they discover the curious life-like looking exhibits which peak their individual curiosities. They soon discover the chilling truth. Once the velvet rope guarding each individual chamber pulls itself aside, an unsuspecting young person is transported to the specific realm depicted from the outside. These could include the mummy, the Phantom of the Opera and even the Marquis de Sade.Not only must they try and escape and not get caught by the evil creatures within, but they have to discover the overall diabolical plan for their destruction.
I had forgotten about this 80s cheesy horror flick until a recent stroll though Amazon Prime. The main reason for watching is the practical effects, They were cool by 80s standards; albeit a bit cheesy now. Having said so, I would still much rather have practical effects rather than bad CGI which completely takes you out of the scene. At least with practical effects, they are being executed on set so the actors can interact with them rather than staring at a blank wall.
There was some decent gore and semi funny moments as well. Parts of it reminded me of a Evil Dead type camp where they were not trying t take themselves too seriously, but I do not know if that as their intention.
I had forgotten about this 80s cheesy horror flick until a recent stroll though Amazon Prime. The main reason for watching is the practical effects, They were cool by 80s standards; albeit a bit cheesy now. Having said so, I would still much rather have practical effects rather than bad CGI which completely takes you out of the scene. At least with practical effects, they are being executed on set so the actors can interact with them rather than staring at a blank wall.
There was some decent gore and semi funny moments as well. Parts of it reminded me of a Evil Dead type camp where they were not trying t take themselves too seriously, but I do not know if that as their intention.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) in Movies
Aug 24, 2019
A fantastic gem of a thriller.
Let it be known, regardless of it's connection to Cloverfield, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a pretty solid thriller in its own right.
After walking away from a relationship, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) ends up in a car crash and is knocked unconscious.
She wakes up shortly afterwards, apparently rescued, but chained to the wall in a closed off room.
She has been rescued by Howard (John Goodman) and is being kept in his nuclear bunker.
Whilst she has been unconscious, there has been some kind of attack and Howard claims that the air up on the surface is unbreathable.
As Michelle adjusts to her new life underground, she becomes suspicious to Howard's claims and starts to believe he's hiding something.
10 Cloverfield Lane is absolutely dripping with tension for the majority of the runtime.
John Goodman is absolute fantastic and unpredictable. His character is both caring, and dangerous simultaneously.
Mary EW is also great in her role, and the two of them alongside John Gallagher Jr, make up a pretty solid trio of well fleshed out characters.
As the movie reaches it's climax, you'll be on the edge of your seat.
The connections to Cloverfield become more apparent near the movies finale, and do feel a little tacked on (this movie did start out as a non-Cloverfield related thriller called The Cellar) but it actually works in a neat sci-fi way.
It would be nice though, to see it all tied together a little tighter in future installments.
After walking away from a relationship, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) ends up in a car crash and is knocked unconscious.
She wakes up shortly afterwards, apparently rescued, but chained to the wall in a closed off room.
She has been rescued by Howard (John Goodman) and is being kept in his nuclear bunker.
Whilst she has been unconscious, there has been some kind of attack and Howard claims that the air up on the surface is unbreathable.
As Michelle adjusts to her new life underground, she becomes suspicious to Howard's claims and starts to believe he's hiding something.
10 Cloverfield Lane is absolutely dripping with tension for the majority of the runtime.
John Goodman is absolute fantastic and unpredictable. His character is both caring, and dangerous simultaneously.
Mary EW is also great in her role, and the two of them alongside John Gallagher Jr, make up a pretty solid trio of well fleshed out characters.
As the movie reaches it's climax, you'll be on the edge of your seat.
The connections to Cloverfield become more apparent near the movies finale, and do feel a little tacked on (this movie did start out as a non-Cloverfield related thriller called The Cellar) but it actually works in a neat sci-fi way.
It would be nice though, to see it all tied together a little tighter in future installments.
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