10 Cloverfield Lane
Greetings, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a 2016 film and the second instalment in the Cloverfield anthology franchise which began with the 2008 movie, Cloverfield. Despite being of the same series, the sequel doesn’t use the found footage style that the original was famed for but utilizes a more traditional third person narrative. The cast is small in number but boasts a highly talented membership which includes John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as well as John Gallagher Junior as the main trio. Bradley Cooper can also be heard as the voice of the main protagonist’s ex-boyfriend while Suzanne Cryer has a brief role as a disease stricken neighbour. Other instalments in the series include a 2018 film named the Cloverfield Paradox and another, with the working title of Overlord, scheduled for release in October of this year. The soundtrack was scored by Bear McCreary who had previously conducted the music for television shows including the Walking Dead and Battlestar Galactica.
The film begins with a woman called Michelle clearing her possessions out of her home after she breaks up with her boyfriend. She decides to drive far away from New Orleans and travels as far as rural Louisiana when the radio stations begin reporting that major cities are suffering from unexplained blackouts. As the reports begin to flood in, Michelle is hit by a speeding truck and the impact knocks her car off the road. The collision causes her to fall into a state of unconsciousness and Michelle wakes up to discover she is being held in a secure room that is not dissimilar to a cell. The protagonist realizes to her horror that she has been handcuffed to the wall and that her phone is placed on the other side of the room. The wounds she had sustained from the vehicular accident had also been tended to. It isn’t long before the door is opened and a man named Howard makes an appearance.
Howard explains to a distressed Michelle that she has been placed in a safe location, an underground bunker, as the world up above is now uninhabitable. He believes that the air was poisoned by a nuclear or chemical fallout and theorizes that the attack was carried out by Extra-terrestrial or Russian forces. Michelle is hostile towards Howard in the beginning, even managing to physically assault him in her captive and wounded state. As time goes by she becomes more sceptical of Howard’s story as she clearly hears a roaming car above her room but nonetheless she begins to calm down. Howard decides that she is now free to explore the rest of the bunker and introduces her to fellow resident Emmet before providing evidence of the fallout to Michelle. He takes her to the viewport of the exit hatch and shows her two dead and deteriorating pigs that had been caught up in the attack. Michelle is still unbelieving and decides, during their first dinner together, to steal Howard’s keys and try to escape.
I really enjoyed this film and consider it to be a big improvement upon the original. I will most likely remember this film in the years to come while I can only recall the general gist of the previous instalment which didn’t have much in the way of memorable or interesting characters. I liked the tense atmosphere that 10 Cloverfield managed to create and that it could still entertain despite its very limited setting. The three actors did a great job in carrying the movie forward and I thought that John Goodman gave a particularly noteworthy performance as the creepy and unstable Howard. I aim to watch the sequels too at some point although I am aware that the most recent entry, Cloverfield Paradox, was panned by critics.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Special Effects=8
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
I did warn you not to trust me.
Petyr Baelish
Game of Thrones
King Solomon's Mines
Greetings, King Solomon’s Mines is a novel from 1885 and was written by British author Sir H. Rider Haggard. Haggard, who was born in 1856 and died in 1925, is recognized as being a pioneering figure of the Lost World genre with King Solomon’s Mines believed to be one of the first novels of its kind. This book was the first to introduce the protagonist, Allan Quatermain, to the literary world and would expand to include several more works in the series. It is presented in a first person narrative through the recounting of the tale by Allan himself. Solomon’s Mines would also go on to inspire other classic works such as Edgar Rice Burroughs’ ‘The Land that Time Forgot’ and Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Lost World’.
The plot begins with Allan Quartermain, an English Big Game Hunter who has a well-earned reputation as an excellent marksman, living in the South African city of Durban. Allan is approached by two men, one is a British aristocrat named Sir Henry Curtis while the other is Captain Good, an Englishman of a military background. Curtis explains that his brother had been exploring the region for the elusive King Solomon’s Mines and the wealth of treasures held within them. The brother had gone missing in his travels and the two men had come looking for him. The duo offer Quatermain a job in escorting them through the dangerous terrain and promise him a share of the riches after they reach the mines. Allan, intrigued by the fortunes to be gained, accepts their offer and prepares to lead an expedition with a few of the indigenous population to help along the way. Before the team can leave, a native named Umbopa had heard about their plans to find the mines and is very adamant that he join in on the expedition.
It isn’t long before casualties begin to rise among the helping hands as the explorers travel through the treacherous lands filled with dangerous animals and conditions that threaten to perish them all. The team struggles through and eventually encounter a group of hostile natives called the Kukuana from the lush lands of Kukuanaland. The indigenous peoples threaten to kill the heroes until Captain Good, with his quick thinking, removes his false teeth and frightens the isolationist tribe who are under the impression it was a magical action. All the protagonists are dubbed the ‘White men from the stars’ by the fearful warriors as they believed Quatermain, Good and Curtis were otherworldly mystical beings. The British trio are brought before the local ruler, a wicked king by the name of Twala and secrets buried long ago begin to resurface after the meeting takes place.
I really enjoyed this book and it has made me interested in exploring other classical novels of the same era. Surprisingly, Solomon’s’ Mines was far ahead of the social attitudes of its time in that there was an interracial romance between a local woman named Foulata and Captain Good though it is all too aware of the controversy that the relationship would have caused in Britain. The character of Quatermain has still remained in the public’s attention since his inception in 1885 as the story has been adapted into several movies throughout the decades. Allan has also appeared in many other works such as the film version of Alan Moore’s the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in which he is portrayed by Sean Connery.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Wording=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Here's Johnny!
Jack Torrance
The Shining
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Greetings, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a cult film from 1969 staring Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the titular roles. The movie is loosely based on the life and exploits of the two Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, and Harry Longabaugh whose alias was the Sundance Kid. Katharine Ross is one of the main performers as she plays Sundance’s paramour, Etta Place, who is also based on a real historical figure. Burt Bacharach, a singer, songwriter and composer know for many famous love songs such as ‘(They Long to Be) Close to You’ and ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love’ composed the music for this film. Notably, Bacharach wrote ‘Raindrops keeping Fallin’ on My Head’ specifically for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which is a song that has become well known in its own right.
The movie starts in the state of Wyoming during the late 1890s. Butch Cassidy returns to his hideout at Hole-in-the-Wall to discover that he has been usurped as leader of the criminal gang. The outlaws had elected Harvey Logan, also known as Kid Curry, as their new leader due to Cassidy’s long and erratic absences. Harvey explains the situation and adds that they are going to rob the Union Pacific Overland Flyer before challenging Butch over the gang’s leadership via a knife fight. Cassidy wins the fight due to underhanded techniques and trickery but decides to follow through with Harvey’s plot to rob the train. The robbery is a success. The duo of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid celebrate their victory by visiting a nearby brothel. Afterwards, they return to Etta’s home with their ill-gotten gains.
After a while, Butch and Sundance decide to strike the trains once more in a move that is less successful. The gang manage to stop the train but Cassidy overestimated how much dynamite was required to blow open the safe and accidently destroys the train carriage in his overenthusiastic attempt. The money has been scattered by the explosion and by the time the gang are trying to pick up the stolen cash, a second train arrives on the scene. This one is transporting a highly skilled posse of lawmen who were hired by the Union Pacific chairman, E.H. Harriman, to track down and kill Butch Cassidy as well as his colleague Sundance. Cassidy and the Kid manage to flee the site of the crime but soon realize that they are being tracked down by professionals who are determined to catch them, ensuing in a long chase between the two parties.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I thought that it had a certain charm to it. I was aware of its classic status and the reputation it held before I decided to watch it, so I was expecting something of a memorable experience. The movie lives up to its legacy in my opinion and proves to be a unique take on the Western genre as it is filled with great comedic moments and loveable, charismatic characters with an excellent soundtrack to accompany it. I would encourage you to watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid if you haven’t already done so beforehand or if you are interested in the Western genre.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Special Effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.
Phil Connors
Groundhog Day
The Shining
Greetings, The Shining is a 1977 novel by famed American horror writer Stephen King and is his third book after Carrie, which was released in 1974, and Salem’s Lot which was published in 1795. The novel is an iconic piece of literature, no doubt brought into the zeitgeist of popular culture even further by Kubrick’s excellent film adaptation from 1980 with Jack Nicholson as the manic Jack Torrance, Shelly Duvall as suffering female lead Wendy and Danny Lloyd as the supernaturally gifted son, Danny. The novel goes into much further detail than its filmic counterpart in regards to the history of the hotel and Jack’s troubled personality. For instance, Torrance’s alcoholism is used to weaken his resolve and tempt him into a murderous rampage in Kubrick’s version but the original delves much further into the murky depths of Jack’s drinking problem as well as his hard childhood. I was only familiar with the Dark Tower series previously in regards to Stephen’s writings and as such I was very interested to see what else King was capable of, especially with perhaps his most famous work.
The novel begins in the 1970s with Jack Torrance, a frustrated writer, securing employment as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel over the winter season. The Overlook, an old hotel located in the Colorado Rockies, is to be closed to guests due to the heavy snowfall that annually hits the region. Despite the fact that they would be effectively isolated from the outside world once the snow began to fall, Jack agrees to take the job and for his family to take up residence in the hotel for the duration of the season. The manger, a man named Stuart Ullman, informs Torrance of the tragedy that had befallen the previous caretaker. A man by the name of Delbert Grady succumbed to cabin fever and slaughtered his family with an axe. I should note that his daughters, despite their memorable role in the film, are downplayed significantly in this version and only mentioned in passing.
Jack, Wendy and Danny eventually make it to the hotel on its closing day despite Danny’s bad premonitions concerning the hotel. They meet the chef, Dick Halloran, who shows them around the kitchen. Halloran bonds quickly with the young Danny due to their possession of a paranormal ability called ‘the shine’ which allows them to see things others can’t and to communicate through telepathy. Dick, knowing that Danny’s powerful shine would likely allow him to see many unsettling sights lurking in the hotel, assures him that the images are just like pictures in a book and that he couldn’t be hurt by them. With that advice passed on, a reluctant Dick leaves the hotel for another seasonal job in Florida but he can’t really shake the sense that Danny is in danger. The Torrances are soon left alone in the Overlook Hotel as slowly but surely Jack begins to lose his sanity and the snow starts to trap them in.
To my surprise, there were quite a few major differences between the novel and the film although the basic premise obviously stays the same. I had anticipated some characters to fall to certain fates in accordance to the movie’s plot structure, as I had watched the film first, but it didn’t pan out as I was expecting it to. Another variation I noticed was that the novel focused more heavily on the paranormal aspect of the Overlook and the physical threat it held while the movie, which didn’t play on these themes as much, focused more so on a crazed Jack as the only danger to Wendy and her son. Overall, I believe I preferred the film to the novel. This is mostly as some of the famed scenes including the “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy” segment and Nicholson’s brilliant “Here’s Johnny!” adlib do not occur during the book but are key stand out moments that will forever be tied with the story. I also look forward to reading Doctor Sleep, a sequel that King also wrote in 2013 which follows the travels of a now adult Danny.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Wording=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
I'm an excellent driver.
Raymond Babbitt
Rain Man
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Greetings, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is the most recent instalment in the Star Wars franchise and it is the third film to be released after Disney bought the rights to the franchise back in 2014. The film sees the return of Mark Hamill as the iconic Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher in her last appearance as fan favourite Princess Leia, Anthony Daniels as the comedic droid C3-PO and the new leads with Daisy Ridley as Rey, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron and John Boyega as Finn are back on screens as well. Some new actors and actresses also join the series such as Kelly Marie Tran and Benicio del Toro who have considerable screen time as Rose and DJ. John Williams is back once more as the composer, a vital role to this series and one which helped Star Wars become the memorable cultural phenomenon that it is today. The Last Jedi appears to be the most divisive film in the franchise to date in which most of the critics praised it but the average cinemagoer seemed to hold a more negative opinion in comparison.
The plot begins with a space battle in which the Resistance fighters are going toe to toe against a First Order Fleet. The Resistance attack, led by Poe, is successful in destroying a Dreadnought vessel but has resulted in many fatal casualties on their side and so they decide to flee by jumping into hyperspace. Much to their horror, they realize that the First Order has tracked them and is now bearing down upon them with superior firepower and a larger fleet. Kylo Ren leads an assault upon the heroes’ cruisers and after sensing his mother’s presence aboard the Resistance flagship, he refrains from firing a missile upon it. The ship is hit by another TIE Fighter and the contact destroys the control bridge resulting in the death of many of the leaders, including Admiral Ackbar from the Original Trilogy, and hurtling Leia out into space. Leia manages to save herself from the situation by using her force powers to pull herself back on board in a scene which was meant to be uplifting but comes across as ridiculous to me.
With Leia in a comatose state, Vice Admiral Holdo takes command of the fleet much to Poe’s distaste as he believes her strategy of escape is too passive and will result in all their deaths. While this is unfolding, Finn was attempting to use an escape pod to find Rey, and a resistance maintenance officer named Rose saps him with her Taser as she believed him to be a deserter. Dameron, concerned about Holdo’s lack of leadership, asks Finn, Rose and BB-8 to clandestinely travel to the casino planet of Canto Bight and acquire the services of a hacker who could disable the First Order’s tracking device. Elsewhere in the Galaxy Rey asks Luke to train her in the ways of the force on the isolated planet of Ahch-To where he had been living for many years following the destruction of the Empire. Luke initially rebukes her and as the story progress it is eventually revealed why he turned his back on teaching the Jedi religion to others.
Overall, I believe I preferred it to the Force Awakens (which I probably gave too high a rating in retrospect) for trying a new plot instead of rehashing one from the Original Trilogy and for providing some unexpected twists. Another positive is that it is very stylistic and aesthetically pleasing to watch however I have more criticisms than praise for the Last Jedi. This new trilogy seems hell-bent on marginalizing the roles of or killing off the much loved characters that were previously established such as Han Solo and replacing them with boring, one dimensional personalities. There are also issues with the villains in that General Hux seems to be incompetent, Captain Phasma was given so little screen time that she couldn’t make an impact on the story and Kylo Ren does not come across as an intimidating threat. Another complaint I have about the film is the completely irrelevant side plot with Finn and the dull new protagonist Rose on Canto Bight which leads to nothing but serves only as a time filler. Finally, as with the end of Rogue One there is a very forced romance between two of the main characters which feels very unnatural and comes out of nowhere. While I will undoubtedly watch the next instalment in the franchise when it is released in cinemas, I will not have high expectations for it.
Plot=7/10
Characters=6/10
Special Effects=8/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
Oh, that wasn't a bit nice...You have made me very angry... very angry indeed!
Marvin the Martian
Looney Tunes
Happy New Year: 2017 Review!
Greetings and welcome to the last blog update of the year. With 2017 coming to a close, it is time for me to highlight my favourite pieces of entertainment as is tradition on the 31st December. As always, the categories consist of my personal favourite film, book, television show and video game but the winners were not necessarily released in this year. I only had to experience them in 2017 for one to be a contender. I haven’t written as many reviews as I would have liked due to some recent changes to my blog and as such I shall have to add in winners that haven’t been the focus of an update. Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of my blog and I intend to reorganize it at some stage by writing smaller reviews but having two topics per one blog entry.
Television Show of the Year: Stranger Things Season 2
Stranger Things returned to our screens in 2017 with its highly anticipated second season. It is set one year after the original and continues with the same cast as well as introduces some new characters with mixed success. The two new characters that impressed me the most were Bob Newby, the nerdy love interest of Joyce Byers, played by Sean Astin and Sadie Sink as new kid on the block, Maxine ‘Max’ Mayfield. The series successfully explores interesting new ground with bigger paranormal threats and still has a similar feel to the original series. I also liked how the storyline revolving around Barb was resolved in this second instalment after being left untied in the first entry. I am looking forward to see what the Duffer Brothers have planned for the next series.
Book of the Year: Dark Tower
The Dark Tower has recently been brought back into the main stream culture in 2017 with the universally panned film starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey but the concluding novel in this series is my book of the year. It is one of the weaker instalments in the series in my opinion but provides an ending, of sorts, to the long, sprawling and downright strange adventure as Roland attempts to reach the Dark Tower. It is also worth noting that Stephen King attempts to tie his other non-related novels together into this series by mentioning characters in an offhand comment or by giving them an important role in the finale. King produced an interesting conclusion to his major set of works that will not have gone down well with all fans of the Dark Tower.
Game of the Year: South Park: Stick of Truth
The Stick of Truth is an RPG title which was released in 2014 and was written by the show’s writers, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The adventures takes place in the small mountain town of South Park and follows the adventures of New Kid, a customizable character, as he becomes involved in a fantasy role playing game with the local residents. Stick of Truth provides many references to the show and in true South Park fashion, this game contains toilet humour and comedic offensive content that fans of the television series will appreciate. There is also a sequel to Stick of Truth were Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, Stan and the rest of the gang decide to trade the fantasy role playing game for a superhero one.
Film of the Year: Baby Driver
Baby Driver had me hooked from the moment it began and was definitely my favourite movie from 2017. Similar to another one of my favourites, La La Land, Baby Driver is stylistic, has a great cast and has memorable music as a main component of the film. The plot revolves around a young getaway driver by the nickname of Baby and his attempts to leave his life of crime behind him. The cast, consisting of well accomplished actors and actresses such as Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm and Eiza González, give excellent performances for this spectacular movie. I’ll be sure to check out future works by director Edgar Wright after the fun I had watching this film.
So, that is it for my personal favourites for 2017 and for my blog for the rest of this year. What were your favourite pieces of entertainment? Feel free to add in the comment section below. I’ll be back soon with my thoughts on Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Have a happy New Year and all the best for 2018!
Quote of the Day
Well, here's to us.
Jaws
Moonraker
