Legendsofanus

Listened to the audiobook version narrated beautifully by Michael C. Hall, this is the first Stephen King book I have listened to and the first by this narrator.

I don't even know where I'm going to rank this book in the Stephen King canon but I know that the trademark touch of horror that leaps out of the page and whispers and settles into you is in this book. More scary and human than Misery, it does not compare to the freak of IT but somehow the rising tension of its last act reminded me of IT's similar final act.

The best thing about Pet Sematary is how how it's paced so openly, the Creed family gets to live and breath and be happy in many of its pages even when narratively it seems tiresome and boring, even when the promise of horror keeping it's eye on the family begins to dull. When the shadow of death finally falls on this family, it almost seems unlike Stephen King, it feels accidental and natural too at some point. Like the characters in the book who think at various points that these things were meant to happen, we as a reader think these events were meant to happen to these characters in exactly this slow, tragic, sad and insane way. There are no big fireworks, yes a house burns down but nothing "spectacular" happens, Louis Creed our protagonist simply pays the price for what he bought.

And the narration is amazing, the way Michael C. Hall voices not only so many diverse characters from old people to kids but what's amazing is how he consistently voices the elements of the book as well. One of my favorite examples of this is the scene where a dog is howling and the narrator doesn't just say he barks but we get the actual sound. Of course now that I think about it it might just be the sound effect or recording of a dog but either way the sounds of this audiobook are beautiful and fitting. I think part of the way the novel felt so suspenseful and dreadful is helped by the sound production

Brilliant, scary, sad and altogether humane, Pet Sematary is a very very good Stephen King novel.

First time watching a John Carpenter film and while I loved the visuals and style of the film, the music is brilliant too, I don't think I love it.

It's kinda boring for one, and too long but long in a way where you wish like they should have done more instead of focusing on the things they did. The practical effects and the bodywork on the car is absolutely brilliant and worth watching for that alone but that is if you had wanted a reason to watch it.

The acting is fine and I loved the interactions between Dennis and Arnie, they seemed such chill friends and Dennis cared so much about him.

Maybe part of the reason why this movie didn't work for me so much is because I grew up with Tarzan: The Wonder Car which is like an Indian adaptation for this film. That movie was much longer but to pay for that it also had a more fuller character arc and motivations for every character including the car, not saying a monster car needs a motivation but what we see in the film lacked for me. And Tarzan had more destructions and death than this film and in much more creative manner as well.

I have been thinking about this film since I watched it, trying to figure out why it is that I don't find anything wrong with it but still wouldn't feel compelled to watch it again but that's just how it is sometimes. If anything, it is a good 80s movie with 80s vibe if that's what you like

The Martian Chronicles is a roughly connected collection of short stories written at various times by Ray Bradbury that were about humans going to Mars. They don't really have a coherent story but some of the characters and events cross over and it beats having to read 50 stories separately but is it worth reading them at all?

Where Fahrenheit 451 showed the sci-fi side of Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles shows his poetic side.

In many ways it is more ambitious than 451, indeed many of the themes that Ray had to connect with the thread of storytelling show themselves off beautifully here with short stories exploring colonialism, religion, need of belonging, blowing ourselves to bits (something that doesn't sound as far-fetched considering the events we are all going through) and he creates a wonderful mythology about Mars one that is more fantastical than realistic for sure but feels lived in.

Although even when talking about hardcore science-fiction books this little collection of stories manages to achieve something that I have seen very few stories do right, namely that it shows how weird and magical and utterly incomprehensible that other lifeform (be it Martians or otherwise) can be.

Ultimately this is a book about people and their stories, experiencing it brought out a lot of emotions and I was ultimately left amazed by how well the whole was written.

Highly highly recommended if you're into short stories

I mean yeah, I'm going to be honest about not being able to come up with a better title. This movie was just that much underwhelming.

Since it's not super popular or anything, Abigail is the story of five criminals with various singular quirks who happen to kind the wrong little girl from her home. They decide to hold up in an abandoned house and wait for the morning to call for ransom but then something goes wrong...

At least the cast is colorful, Dan Stevens is so colorful in this movie like he's really playing it up and the rest of the "bad guys" really lean into their respective quirks that it kind of becomes entertainment in itself to watch them react but the characters themselves, well atleast most of them, are just there to die so the movie doesn't really spend time developing except a few. The kid who plays the titular Abigail was awesome too and really was able to put with some of the scripts more mature and angry moments. Really enjoyed Melissa Barrera too maybe cuz she just had so much material to work with in this film, it's really her story that we are following

That's not my issue with the film, my issue is that it's too much of a generic film. It's so fucking long for something that is meant to be a fun death trip in a house movie and it doesn't justify that length at all in my opinion. Some of the dialogues and characterizations seemed super forced too, I mean I can't really buy people talking goofy when they are supposed to be really bad people who have done a lot of bad shit before despite the movie's attempts to have a humorous side to them

I wish I could say something about the set design and setting but it's basically like an abandoned gothic mansion, it feels like the movie which is set in modern times would do something cool with it and there's some visually fun areas we see but the characters just move on and go back to the same old "hub" areas

Although it comes close, there genuinely wasn't one scene that I could have been excited about and spent the whole movie going "meh". There was one moment where it gets really chaotic that I started being excited but then the momentum just got shut down :(

I have always enjoyed Aronofsky's films, his Black Swan is one of my favorite psychological thrillers and mother! It's so fucking mad that I love showing it to everyone so I can see what kind of effect it has on them. But by and large, his filmography tends to be better if he focuses on a single aspect, character or plot and The Whale like mother! does have a problem keeping that in mind. I tend to think that's because Aronofsky wanted to spend extra time exploring how hypocritical Church and Religion is and how the character that stands in for "Satan" or "ego" is the ultimate force of goodness and change but talking about that stuff will get us into spoilers and I don't want to do that

Just keep in mind that The Whale works like a stage (it is adapted from a play after all), everyday we have a man who's really obese and sits at home all day and gets visited by people. The movie's structure leans into these somewhat anthological developments by having it's whole story play out in five days and having title cards so on Monday one person will visit and on Tuesday their story moves forward by meeting some other character.

This is the bulk of the film and what makes it really fun however is how emotionally devastating some of it is. I think it's Aronofsky's most hard to watch stuff because I felt really overwhelmed and frankly repulsed by some of the things I saw. This is not helped by the fact that Aronofsky's direction doesn't really leave any room for ambiguity, Charlie can't function outside yet the film tortures him (and us) by having ambient natural sounds burst out loudly and clearly whenever he looks out a window or stands in the doorway.

I love the set design in the film and how real it feels and not to mention how all the paintings or photos hanging on the walls are probably related to the film's plot. There's a definite feeling of Kafkaesque Metamorphosis type shit in this film, how the house actively works against Charlie's weight and also the fact that it's rarely bright. Sometimes it's even hard to tell if it's nighttime or day and that adds to that feeling of being trapped to Charlie's character. Especially with how he thinks he's doing it to himself and there's no escape from his guilt and conscience.

The performances are great, Sadie Sink is so much fun in this film, she's vile and really easy to hate and her antithesis character played by Hong Chau is really well written too. I haven't seen Chau in anything else but her performance felt really alive, like she really cared about her friend.

It's also very open to interpretation, I personally haven't finished Moby Dick so I don't even know much of how it relates to the book but also didn't find that to cause a lesser experience of the film.

Overral: I mostly enjoyed the film outside of a few scenes and loved how hard to watch it was at times. I think it's better than mother! Because it's a more well-rounded film even though it doesn't quite a shocking end like that movie.

7.5/10

The Flash is a huge 200$ movie and yet, it's one of the best examples of superhero fatigue. We have a story about a kid who wants to go back in time to solve his past and save his family but in doing so inadvertently loses his reality. This kid has to realize he needs to let go, Batman even tells him that much in the beginning.

But alas, If Barry had just stayed home I wouldn't have had to waste my 2 and half hours struggling to finish this film. It's just so boring, there's really no heart to the film, to the character. Ezra Miller is a sore street pole who just sticks out whenever the movie tries to lean into something emotional. I can't feel sorry or care for a grown man-child, that performance just isn't convincing to me sadly.

Bunch of other things didn't work for me in a similar fashion. For example, this movie in particular in the DCEU, really embraces the Fast and Furious-style action sequences which is that it will have a bunch of dumb random shit happening on screen to give us a scene of momentum and then finish with the characters landing somewhere safely, in a hyper theatrical manner. It looks too outlandish, even more so in an era where Superhero movies are trying to be anything but more ridiculous. Atleast it sticks to something, I'll give it that much.

Visually it's just such an ugly film at times, especially during the last huge action sequences which looks like someone put a green screen barren field from a PS2 texture pack and added assortment of random vehicle textures. Everything moves really floaty too, not a good sense of action and punch in most of the scenes

The rest of the plot would be spoilers and I'm not going to spoil it for you, just remember that it doesn't have the feeling of a good payoff. It ends kind of abruptly and you're left underwhelmed, confused but slightly cheerful now that it's over.

I did enjoy the sound design, the action sequences sound fantastic and everything else does too. It was nice hearing cars crashing into eachother so clearly while background music and everything else is going on.

For what it's worth, the performances outside of Miller's are fine. I wasn't really won over by Batman(s) performances but wasn't annoyed by them. Sasha Calle managed to get me excited during the last fight which is a big plus, she's emotional charged and believable and delivers every line with a charged earnest voice that convinces you she really is Supergirl. I haven't seen her in anything else but I'll keep my eye out from now on. She was great

Overall: A 5/10 as I wasn't brainrot dead by the end but there's also really no need to watch this movie unless you like your movies to get you a little excited and leave you feeling bored and unsatisfied.

Even though I'm not from US or any western country that might celebrate Christmas or have snows, Home Alone has been a part of my childhood. Especially the first one and the horribly titled Home Alone "3", both of these used to play fairly regularly on TV and I just thought they were so much fun. I still remember Home Alone as a very well structured compelling story that felt like it had a very organic pace. So when I saw there was a sequel I was...sort of hesitant.

Most comedy sequels are not that good mainly because they try to rip off the feel of the original film, the only thing of value they bring is a higher production value which doesn't say much for how sincere the creators are or how compelling the movie itself is.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York falls in those same traps, we have a very similar plot setup which even the characters admit feels similar but it doesn't have that compelling energy or curiosity to it. I think unlike the last time, this time we know Kevin will be okay because the ridiculous novelty of seeing a child alone (albiet in a much bigger setting) and seeing him live on his own has kind of worn off. Kevin even felt kind of annoying here because he sure seems like a very seasoned adventurer with the way he carries himself in his interaction with adults. There's not... this sense that this is a child who's finding his way in a massive city.

The movie also feels like it's pigeon-holed to follow a certain path and that feels tiring to watch too. This is a problem with bigger comedies, when you have an extremely large setting and not enough stimulus to move the plot somewhere organically, you end up going in a lot of places that feel redundant, to see Kevin walking around New York looking for a plot beat to interact with just doesn't give off a lot of energy and charm in my opinion.

So yes, I ultimately did get kind of bored by the whole setup but there are some good things in it too. First of all, this movie is a gem in today's age, I mean how many Christmas comedies get made in this modern age? And if there are, most probably they are infused with some wide-appealing genre like PG-13 action just so they can convince people to show up. Second, Chris Columbus despite the movie's faults with pacing and a rehashed plot, I think has directed a really well made film. Everything looks gorgeous, the physical stunts all look really good and believable on screen and the film really showcases off New York in a great way, it feels like you're taking a trip for the city yourself. This is all before the movie settles on a few principal locations of story importance but those first few minutes at the start of watching the whole city is awesome.

And really, I think the familiarity of the plot isn't inherently bad, sure it feels tiring to me but I bet people enjoy this type of stuff: to watch the same kind of comedic antics but in a grander scale I guess isn't a big egregious crime especially in comedies but I just wish it had more originality to it.

Anyway, I don't mean to knock this film off completely, I'm glad it exists and I guess it is the most natural place a story like this could go to. And yes, despite getting bored, I did have a few laughs so that's good

6.5/10

The Holdovers is about a professor who despite his wishes has to look after the few kids in his boarding school that are not going on vacations. It's made by Alexander Payne and also the first film I have seen from him.

I watched it last night and have been thinking about our ever since. The movie was obviously a success and was even nominated for Best Picture but I have mixed feelings about it.

This movie is like watching a modern artist create a clay pottery out of traditional methods. It even has that analogue feeling to it in the way it's filmed, how the shots have little burns( I don't know what they are called but like little black dots that randomly appear as it used to when we watched old films).

It has textures, coloring and cinematography so tangible that you can almost smell the wood on a kitchen cupboard, feel how the doors would feel if you were to reach inside the film and touch them.

Our two primary main characters is a stubborn professor trying to adhere to the integrity of his work and a student who just wanted a good vacation during Christmas as they learn to live with the cards they are dealt and change over the course of the movie.

The soundtrack is really good, it has lot of Christmas tunes and old songs that help you settle into the setting of this world.

I have never seen Paul Giamatti in a film before but he plays the main role really well, conveying that stubborn and i-don't-trust-you attitude that makes him unlikable at the start of the film and seeing his character learn and grow by the end was really good.

Overall: It looks really nice and is very well paced as well, the 2 hour 30 minute something runtime never feels like it is dragging but the movie is certainly too long for something where nothing really memorable happens.

Back to the Future Part III picks up the story from I don't know where cuz I haven't seen the previous two movies!

Thankfully, the movie spends it's first ten minutes thoroughly reflecting on what happened last time in very purposeful long monologues, or I wouldn't have known what was going on.

This time, we are going to the wild wild west and for a plot that seems like it's only there to be an excuse for more adventures, the movie manages to nail the aesthetics of an old western film really really well. It looks downright gorgeous, wide open plains, small towns with local bars and shops, everything from looks to sounds it's awesome. In a way this reminds me of his other film Cast Away and how it's opening places such a huge emphasis on real settings and sounds. We get that feeling for an entire film, there are background sounds of people living their life, horses running to-and-off, it feels real and authentic.

Along the way our characters see and do a lot of the things that Western films are known for but manages to bring it's own peculiar twist to them, robbing a train and having a good old duel included.

I also really liked how the characters have their own little arcs within the film and that really helped lessen the the feeling of this movie being derivative because atleast it brings something new to the table. It also makes the film have a bit more substance as well which makes it memorable.

So yeah, solid distinctive characters and their own stories, an awesome western score, beautiful visuals and presentation. It's a great movie and clearly a movie that's meant to be fun to watch, even if it looks a little too dumb for my tastes near the end and really strains my suspension of disbelief. Really well paced too

If the show consisted entirely of its intros and outros, this would have been an easy 10/10. I have loved every one of them, beautiful animation and music and a charming heartfelt touch that feels absent in the show itself.

I'm....not a big fan of the rest of the show. I think it's just okay, while the battle animations are gorgeous and in typical shonen fashion the characters and world-building have distinct characteristics and traits that make all everything unique, I still didn't find the world of Jujutsu Kaisen a compelling one. To have a setting where curses are born out of the filth and negativity of human emotions, the series doesn't yield itself to a proper horror aesthetic.

The closest it gets to this is in Season 1 where most of the battles happen in the dark, either inside or at night and they all have a feeling of suspense and dread. Episodes like "Cursed Womb Must Die" or the bridge curse carry this theme well. But the rest of the show understandably softens that impact by being a shonen series. Episodes filled with battles after battles, so many different powers and laborous monologues explaining everything just doesn't work for me as I have never been a shonen fan after my teenage flirtations with DBZ.

Another problem, a massive one, is that while Jujutsu Kaisen has a story that has the typical good like themes, foreshadowings, twists and friendships, I feel like it suffers from not knowing how to tell them on a large scale.

Mini-arcs like the Kyoto Student Exchange Event and Hidden Inventory are some of the better part of the series because they tell you what the stakes and mission is, but the wider story seems to take inspiration from The Witcher and the worst seasons of Game of Thrones by having characters appear wherever they want to for a story beat and threats that come out of nowhere to make up an excuse for a battle. I didn't enjoy the Shibuya arc much especially because of how random and quickly everything starts and ends, certain characters vanish for a couple of episodes and then appear when they have a battle but it never feels like we are building towards something. This feeling of isolation/fragmentary conflicts and events made even the larger fights boring for me as I struggled to finish the show.

Regarding the animation change for the 2nd season, I don't mind it. It's clearly there was a purpose for this change as they must have thought the more realistic proportions and movement of characters wouldn't translate well for some of the crazier fights in Shibuya, thus they moved towards a little more minimalistic but still beautifully intense style of fights that show a more artistic variety to each of them. Example being Choso vs. Yuji with it's blue/black sharp color pallete with neon lights.

Also did anybody hate that sorcerers were fighting in bright daylight, leaping out of buildings in Hidden Inventory? Very Pacific Rim: Uprising-esque of them to do that

Overral: I could compare it to Demon Slayer, in that both are beautiful looking shows with a very typical shonen story and incredibly basic characters. Animation-> 4.5/5

Story/Pacing: 2.5/5

Sound design and music: 5/5 (as I didn't find anything wrong with the performances and loved the score)

This is the type of movie that made me fall in love with watching movies. It's fun, has an engaging plot and a number of different plots that are just fun to witness. I really really like how, even though we as an audience have grown accustomed to finding man with evil plans at the centre of a new anomaly, this movie doesn't reveal it's cards too hastily. Rather it builds the ambience of the massive ship Cygnus, accompanied by an amazing soundtrack by John Barry and stellar production values, and reveals the mystery bit by bit creating the mystery and it's revelations at the same time.

I enjoyed almost everything about it, from the robot sidekick subplot to the miniatures and robot designs to it's action sequences that it lets loose in the last act. If only the sense of intrigue and wonder had been kept at the same pace as the rest of the movie, even then it ends spectacularly, going almost mystical upon us.

I wish Disney made more movies like this and this is for me, easier to recommend then Star Trek: The Motion Picture (only saying this because they both came out in the same year and were even nominated for Best Visual Effects together) especially because it's just that much more fun.

This is actually my first vampire movie, and before I start let me just say I prefer the Anne Rice vampires more than the Twilight variety so if you've got recs in that vein, give them to me!

Anyway, Fright Night was awesome. It's an 80s film about a kid who suspects his neighbor is a vampire, and nobody believes him.

I loved it but I don't think will be rewatching this mainly because of the slow pacing and how the plot circles around the same few threads, it doesn't get nearly as crazy or charming as I had hoped it would.

Fright Night is still an immensely fun movie to watch with an interesting premise and a colorful distinct cast of characters. More than a movie, it feels like a tradition, there will probably be a lot of movies wanting to be like Fright Night and try to give us the current generation equivalent to this film.

The practical effects are superb and so are the gory kills and I love how it pays homage to older horror vampire stuff while building a new modern ground for films to come, sort of like Scream where teenagers are used to watching slasher films. A classic!