Film Stuff w/ J

IT (2017) Review J.R I just want to start off this one with a little PSA: The opening logos are the universal signal that the movie has started and that you should stop talking. Thanks. It's hard to even know where to begin. At the time of writing this, IT has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 85%, with the consensus congratulating the film for its actors, scares and the "emotionally-affecting story at its core", holds an 8 out of 10 on IMDb, and apparently 87% of Google users like the film (but I'm not sure anybody cares about that rating). In my humble opinion , these are all very, very wrong. This film is a bizarre mess that fails on every level for which critics seem to be congratulating it. Characters In horror films, having characters the audience are attached to is crucial, and this is proven harder by the audience not wanting to sympathise with horror characters, knowing they are only monster-chow. This is something IT does...relatively well with. Sort ...

2001: A Space Oddesy (1968) J.R There's no mistaking this picture for any other director. From the groundbreaking visuals to the brilliant storytelling to the slightly...confusing ending, this is definitely one of Kubrick's finest. It definitely fits into my top ten somewhere, as a virtually flawless masterpiece. Adapted from Arthur C. Clarke's short story 'The Sentinel', later to be the novel '2001: A Space Oddesy' based on the screenplay he and Kubrick wrote, this film tells the story of a strange Monolith which changed human evolution, but we spend the bulk of the film watching a Jupiter-bound spaceship containing an AI computer, HAL, two conscious crew members and many others in some form of stasis. Visuals and Sound From the 360 °  run onboard the ship to the somehow terrifying monolith, this is a visual marvel. It's rare to find a movie nearing its fiftieth anniversary and still have to take a couple of minutes to contemplate how certai...

13 Reasons Why (Review) 2017 J.R This is the one and only time I will admit my secret shame. I love a few teen dramas. The cheesy stories, the cut-out-characters, the ridiculous romances, they all appeal to me in a "guilty pleasure" way. While '13 Reasons Why' undeniably takes elements and inspiration from this subgenre, it certainly distinguishes itself as a hard-hitting, honest, brave, well-made and superior series. There's lots of good about it, but like every series, there's a little it could improve on, and these are the three topics I was most interested in: The Controversy As you likely know,  '13 Reasons Why' received much backlash for its dark subject matter inappropriate for younger viewers. The main issue people seem to have with the series is the way in which it represents suicide. The main character Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) slits her wrists in her bathtub and bleeds to death. Personally, I don't think the series d...

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) J.R I think I may have gone into this expecting a little too much. It's a solid movie with some creepy scenes, but it's one of the most well-known horror movies of all time, rife with iconic imagery and deaths, being responsible for launching Johnny Depp's career and spawning six sequels, a crossover and a 2010 remake. And it did this on a $1.8 million dollar budget. Firstly, it's enough to watch this just to see how much it is a product of its times. From the clothes to the music to the dialogue, this film screams '80s'. The idea behind this is brilliant - a monster waiting to kill you in the one place you can't hide from forever. It's a creepy thought that there's no way to avoid Freddy, no legitimate evidence you can present that proves he is real and no way to kill him (I think. The ending was confusing). I really did enjoy the subtle touches that were put into this movie. Like the design of Freddy'...

Why I Stopped Watching 'The Walking Dead' J.R When I first discovered The Walking Dead two or three years ago, I was obsessed. It's a zombie movie but it lasts tens of hours and is of brilliant quality, what's not to love (if you're a zombie fan that is)? But with the last few seasons, the quality has dipped massively. And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so. Average viewers per episode fell from 14.38 million for Season Five to 13.15 for Season Six, then to 11.35 for the recent Season Seven, the lowest average ratings since Season Three in 2012-13. If we look at the Rotten Tomatoes score per series, it goes from 90% in Season Five to 78% in Season Six to only 66% for Season Seven. But of course, I'm not going to hide behind statistics and expect the numbers to speak for me. The following are three and a half of the main reasons I no longer want to watch The Walking Dead. 1. Villains/Antagonists I don't have a massive problem with the id...

Doctor Who: Series 10 Review Part Two (Episodes 7-12) J.R SPOILERS - SPOILERS- SPOILERS Episode Seven: The Pyramid at the End of the World While far from perfect, this episode delivers a brilliantly realistic apocalypse scenario mixed with creepy creatures and weird ideas. Despite a Donald Trump reference that ages the episode terribly, this is a great episode. The Monks are plotting to take advantage of an apocalyptic event to rule over the human race, and the Doctor unifies armies and organisations to help. The world-ending event is a leak from a chemical plant, a chillingly real way in which life on Earth could end, continuing the dark narrative from the previous episode. While the episode is not particularly visually appealing, it explores various themes, such as power, control, sacrifice in addition to current international relations and human nature (in relation to how far humans will go to defend themselves). What makes the episode's ending so brilliant is that the D...