Community Reviews

Did I enjoy watching Thrash?

To some extent, yes, but I noticed some flaws too. Above all, however, the flood’s originality should be applauded. What do I mean?

Before deciding to watch this movie, I saw a BTS clip posted by Netflix on Facebook showing how the flood scenes were shot, and I couldn’t imagine how they managed to create a real flood in such a large environment. That was superb.

The plot is good. The government foresaw that a heavy flood was coming and warned everyone to vacate the town. Many people heard and obeyed, while some took it as a mere warning, believing there was no way a flood could come and swallow two-story buildings or break through well-reinforced structures. But, just like in a play, the flood came, swallowing houses and even breaking through the best reinforced buildings. Not only that, the flood came with sharks.

The few and stubborn people left in the city were attacked by both the flood and the sharks. Then comes Lisa, a heavily pregnant woman who got stuck on the road when her car was trapped by a tree branch in the midst of the flood. I feared she was going to die on the spot because of her physical state of health . The water rose to her head, and she struggled to survive. The first set of guys who came to rescue her were killed by the sharks with no mercy.

Then Dakota, who saw everything from the top floor of the building she was, decided to go rescue her and that was very brave but hey, I couldn't just grab how she got to pull the pregnant woman to the top floor. I questioned the lapse in the movie there.

The shark effects aren’t bad compared to many other movies I’ve seen, where the CGI(computerised effect) was too obvious.
But, the sharks were not properly directed in their attacks. Fgs! The sharks are angry and hungry and there's no way they'll see a prey and won't attack. I understand that the producers wanted to save lives and didn’t want the sharks to kill everyone, but there were scenes where the sharks had clear and good opportunities to strike, yet they just moved around the people.

The actors did excellently well, and I think the casting was spot on. Dakota is the standout character for me. She was emotionally shaken throughout due to the death of her mom which happened a few months before the outbreak, but her bravery truly stood out.

I’ll rate the movie 6/10.

Thanks for reading.

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Paul Feig is one of those directors where the second his name comes up, you start doing the mental math of whether this is going to be worth your time, because the guy has made some funny stuff in the past and also some stuff that felt like it was running purely on goodwill and nothing else, one production I remember he work on was Minx the TV series that was pretty good on its first season although idk if it still alife, so when my wife picked this for movie night, as a good geeky movie guy Im pick up the IMDB url and check who was on this besides your dear friend Sydney Sweeney. I kept things cool, neutral and started preparing to be politely bored for two hours. What actually happened was that The Housemaid grabbed you by the neck, almost like sit down I got you attention now, right out of the gate and did not let go, and that is not something I say about a domestic thriller lightly because that genre has been coasting on cheap execution and streaming budgets for years now, pumping out content that you forget before the thing end you are like what ever. The movie builds the story of Millie, played by Sydney Sweeney, a woman who just finished a ten year stretch and is trying to claw her way back to something close to what anyone would call a normal life, so when a live as housemaid opens up with the Winchester family out in Long Island, she takes it without asking too many questions, and the movie is smart enough not to ask them for her either, it just drops you into that house and lets everything you are supposed to feel settle in on its own time because as the movie goes many things about the family starts to uncover. That attic bedroom that only locks from the outside is the kind of nasty little detail that tells you immediately what kind of movie you are in, and Feig plants it early and just lets it sit there the whole time like poking at your brain.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27543632/
• Platform: Starz

Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried are both doing real work here and that combination is the main reason this thing rises above although this movie is not ground braking or anything that will make you remember it for days but to be honest it seems like the internet love it and want more out of it, it truly would not be strange if they do a TV series about it. For the most part the story gets your attention when Seyfried as Nina, the wife who swings between warm and completely unraveled, accusing Millie over misplaced notes and unexplained household incidents, she is playing a character with so many faces that you cannot get a read on her from scene to scene, and that kind of performance requires serious control to keep from going off the rails, and Seyfried never drops it. Brandon Sklenar as Andrew, the husband, walks in with this whole Bruce Wayne energy where the charm make the guy look so slick and polish, so deliberate that you almost cannot blame anyone around him for buying it completely, and the way he positions himself as the only sane and reasonable person in a house full of chaos is smooth enough that you just got to remember you have to  stay suspicious because this mfs cant be trusted, some things are just too nice to be true. The house itself is doing a lot of work too, all white walls and dark corners and that attic pressing down on everything from above, and the movie itself uses the space the way good thriller atmosphere should, making you feel like every room is holding something back from you. Feig also uses early scenes to get you rooting for exactly the wrong outcomes, which is a gut move that takes actual confidence in your work as a director to pull off and I got to say this movie was killing my wife, almost like it was one of this Mexican soap opera.

Now it expected that content like this would be draggy if you are not fully committed to it, sometimes it almost felt like scenes were glue together since they loose rhythm here and there, there are moments where the logic does not fully click into place until the next piece of information arrives to patch the gap, and that creates a slump early in the movie where you are working harder than you should have to keep trying to guess whats going to happen next or even keep up the thread of the story and Im not sure if its be design but it felt wrong, when you have to think too much during a movie it just feels bad. Elizabeth Perkins shows up as Andrew's mother and she has exactly enough screen time to make you realize they cast someone great and then gave her absolutely nothing to do with it, like why most of the time they have to do this with the wife in the story? they cast someone great probably just to grab the audience attention but the role is crap, she could do so much more, remember her days on Weeds tv series, after all frustrating waste of time as she just disappears in the back. A couple of the story mechanics also fit together a little too perfectly in the back half, the kind of convenient click where you can feel the screenplay deciding things rather than letting them happen, things become too predictable and cliche but I guess there is that soap opera dna, and at the end it all felt rushed to close out its loose ends in a way that suggests someone ran out of either time or ideas and just punched it to the finish line. It is not enough to sink the movie but it is enough to leave a slightly incomplete feeling if you are paying close enough attention.

The nineties erotic thriller is the obvious reference point for what The Housemaid is going for and the closest comparison is The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, where domestic space functions as a trap and politeness is just another weapon everybody is quietly loading, this is a family worst nightmare to a certain point almost like sleeping with the enemy and Feig actually manages to make that formula feel like it still a relevant style rather than just being a nostalgia reboot that feels flat, the movie during many moments have enough character to keep you interested. The humor is very very dialed way back compared to the 90s era where the jokes were basically firing at you not improvise but systematically one after another on choose scenes just to keep things funny, what I mean by this is that the movie doesnt have too many funny moments but enough to break the ice, it leans more into the drama and the psychological terror, and the restraint in been fun is noticeable because the comedy that does appear is being used to crack the pressure open for a second before letting it build again. From my understanding this is actually based on content a book that I have not touched and probably never will to be honest, I have said it many times, Im not a reader so I cannot speak to how faithful any of it is, but my wife was online looking up the novel before the movie was even all the way finished, she is a reader and that is probably the most positive argument for me from this movie, not a movie that I enjoy that much, very meh in my opinion.

#thehousemaid, #sydneysweeney, #amandaseyfried, #brandonsklenar, #paulfeig, #thrillermovies, #psychologicalthriller, #moviereview, #filmblog, #movienight, #thrillerbooks, #cinema, #acting, #mystery, #suspense, #newmovies, #mustwatch, #boxoffice, #entertainment, #90svibe, #housemaid, #horror, #drama, #moviegeek, #hollywood

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Released in 2005, Sin City did not try to fit in with anything else at the time, and that is exactly why it stands out. While most comic book films were moving toward bright colors and traditional storytelling, this one went in the opposite direction. It embraced darkness, style, and a very specific tone that made it feel completely different from anything else in theaters.

The film was directed by Robert Rodriguez alongside Frank Miller, the creator of the original graphic novels. That collaboration is the key to everything. This is not just an adaptation. It is a direct translation of Miller’s work to the screen. Rodriguez made the unusual decision to shoot the film in a way that preserved the original panels, dialogue, and structure, and that choice paid off.

The movie features a large ensemble cast, and nearly every performance leaves an impression. Bruce Willis plays John Hartigan, a worn down cop trying to do one last good thing in a city full of corruption. Willis brings a quiet, emotional weight to the role that gives his storyline real impact, especially as it unfolds over time.

Mickey Rourke delivers one of the most memorable performances in the film as Marv, a brutal but strangely honorable enforcer on a mission of revenge. Underneath the violence and rough exterior, Rourke gives Marv a sense of loyalty and heartbreak that makes his story one of the strongest in the movie.

Clive Owen plays Dwight, a character caught in the middle of a dangerous situation involving corrupt cops and deadly criminals. Owen gives a controlled and confident performance, acting as a steady presence in a world that constantly feels like it is about to explode.

The supporting cast is just as strong, with Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, and Elijah Wood all contributing to the film’s dark and unpredictable tone. Each character feels like they belong in this world, and each adds another layer to the chaos of Basin City.

Instead of following a single storyline, Sin City is built around multiple interconnected stories. Each one focuses on different characters dealing with crime, betrayal, revenge, and survival. While the stories stand on their own, they are tied together by the city itself, which feels like a character just as much as the people in it.

Basin City is not a normal setting. It is exaggerated, dangerous, and completely unforgiving. The film presents it as a place where morality is blurred and violence is always just around the corner. That consistent tone helps tie all the separate storylines together.

Visually, Sin City is one of the most striking films ever made. Shot almost entirely in black and white, with selective bursts of color, the movie creates an atmosphere that feels like a living comic book. Every frame is carefully designed, with heavy shadows and sharp contrasts that give the film its signature look.

Robert Rodriguez uses this style to full effect, combining it with creative camera work and editing that keeps the film visually engaging from beginning to end. The action scenes feel stylized rather than realistic, which fits perfectly with the world the movie creates.

The dialogue is another major strength. Much of it comes directly from Frank Miller’s writing, giving the film a hard edged, almost poetic tone. Characters speak in a way that feels heightened, but it works because it matches the exaggerated world they live in.

Violence plays a major role in the film, and it is often intense, but it never feels out of place. It is part of the storytelling and part of the tone. This is not meant to be a comfortable movie, and it does not try to be.

What really makes Sin City work is its commitment. It never backs away from its style or its tone. It knows exactly what it wants to be and fully commits to it from start to finish. That level of confidence is rare.

Sin City remains an excellent film because it is bold, different, and unforgettable. It is not trying to please everyone, and that is exactly why it has become such a respected and lasting classic.

Screenshot from Imdb

Cuando mi proveedor de anime (mi hijo) me sugirió que viéramos este anime, tuve que pensarlo dos veces, pues la propuesta era completamente diferente a lo que ya estoy acostumbrada a ver. Al final, le di la oportunidad y fue una decisión acertada, pues rompe con todo lo que se conoce del género.

La trama es bastante simple: un samuray que más allá de ser serio y activo, es perezoso y acepta cualquier trabajo para poder cubrir los gastos de alquiler. Sus compañeros son igual de disfuncionales que él, pero en conjunto logran salvar el día y evitar que la casera los eche del local.

Pero como si eso no fuera suficiente, viven en un estado feudal que ha sido invadido por alienígenas, quienes cada tanto generan conflictos que necesitan ser resueltos, aunque también uno que otro gato por recuperar está en la lista de tareas de este trío.

Screenshot from Imdb

Hay personajes recurrentes que sin ser quienes generan los conflictos, le aportan dinamismo a la serie, que está compuesta por capítulos cerrados. Uno de ellos es Otsuu, una jovencita que ha soñado con ser cantante desde niña, siendo también compositora de sus propios temas, los cuales son bastante particulares.

Otro personaje que resulta una crítica al sistema monárquico, es el Príncipe Hata, llamado también Príncipe Baka (príncipe estúpido) que cada vez que aparece tiene una música incidental similar a los cantos yodel suizos.

Screenshot from Imdb

La trama, resulta una especie de oda a la comedia del absurdo, pues aunque hay peleas y conflictos serios, la forma en que son abordados por sus protagonistas, hacen risible cualquier eventualidad, pues al final de todo, se resuelven de alguna forma.

En algunos capítulos vemos a Sakata Gintoki (el protagonista) sacando todo el potencial que tiene, demostrando que no es tan tonto como parece.

Screenshot from Imdb

El conflicto con la sociedad que busca encasillar a los hombres maduros, es representado por varios personajes, empezando por Sakata Gintoki, pero también vemos a Taizou Hasegawa, a quien le llaman MADAO, que es un acrónimo que significa "bueno para nada", siendo visto como un fracasado por su esposa y amigos.

Y es que ni la policía se salva en este animé! Entre sus miembros se pueden distinguir varios estereotipos sociales, siendo Tōshirō Hijikata el que más llamó mi atención, por su afición a colocarle cantidades exageradas de mayonesa a todo lo que come (hasta al café).

Hacen alusiones a personajes de otros animé, así como también de series y películas de Hollywood, por lo que nadie se salva de ser parte del mundo absurdo de Gintoki y de la sociedad de Edo.

Screenshot from Imdb

Realmente es una serie completamente absurda, pero muy entretenida si solo deseas pasar el rato, además que puedes reírte de tus problemas diarios, pues muchos son representados en ellas, desde obsesiones, fobias, frustraciones o la angustia de los hombres cuando van quedando calvos.

When my anime supplier (my son) suggested we watch this anime, I had to think twice, since the premise was completely different from what I’m used to seeing. In the end, I gave it a chance, and it was the right decision, as it breaks away from everything we know about the genre.

The plot is pretty simple: a samurai who, far from being serious and active, is lazy and takes on any job just to cover his rent. His companions are just as dysfunctional as he is, but together they manage to save the day and keep the landlady from kicking them out.

But as if that weren’t enough, they live in a feudal state that has been invaded by aliens, who every so often create conflicts that need to be resolved—though rescuing the occasional cat is also on this trio’s to-do list.

Screenshot from Imdb

There are recurring characters who, without being the ones to create the conflicts, bring dynamism to the series, which consists of self-contained episodes. One of them is Otsuu, a young girl who has dreamed of being a singer since childhood and also composes her own songs, which are quite unique.

Another character who serves as a critique of the monarchy is Prince Hata, also known as Prince Baka (Stupid Prince), who is accompanied by background music reminiscent of Swiss yodeling every time he appears.

Screenshot from Imdb

The plot is a sort of ode to the theater of the absurd; although there are fights and serious conflicts, the way the protagonists handle them makes any situation seem laughable, since, in the end, everything works out somehow.

In some episodes, we see Sakata Gintoki (the protagonist) tapping into his full potential, proving that he isn’t as foolish as he seems.

Screenshot from Imdb

The conflict with a society that seeks to pigeonhole middle-aged men is represented by several characters, starting with Sakata Gintoki, but we also see Taizou Hasegawa, nicknamed MADAO—an acronym meaning “good-for-nothing”—who is viewed as a failure by his wife and friends.

And not even the police are spared in this anime! Among its members, you can spot several social stereotypes, with Tōshirō Hijikata being the one who caught my attention the most, due to his habit of putting excessive amounts of mayonnaise on everything he eats (even his coffee).

They make references to characters from other anime, as well as from Hollywood TV shows and movies, so no one is spared from becoming part of Gintoki’s absurd world and Edo society.

Screenshot from Imdb

It really is a completely absurd series, but very entertaining if you just want to kill some time. Plus, you can laugh at your daily problems, since many of them are portrayed in the show—from obsessions and phobias to frustrations or the anxiety men feel when they start going bald.

Foto/Photo by: Screenshots Banner de portada: Cortesía de @palabras1 Edición/Edited by @mamaemigrante using canva Translated and formatted with Deepl

NOTE: The full movie for ‘Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender’ has been accidentally emailed to Twitter user who released the full movie on his account. The estimated budget is around $80 millions, and was supposed to be released on paramount+ in October this year.

I recently finished watching "Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender" and I am still thinking about it. If you know me, you know I am the kind of guy who can never really get over Avatar and Naruto. These two series stay with me forever because they are part of who I am. But watching the Avatar movie with human characters was such a bad experience that I really wish I could just unsee it. It was the same thing with the Naruto movie version. Even Boruto and Korra were not a 10/10 for me because they just didn't hit the same way.

After all those bad experiences, I didn't have high hopes for anything new. I thought this would be another disappointment, but it turned out to be VERY VERY good. I have to say it twice because it really was that great. For anyone who is a fan of the original series, this is a must watch. It finally feels like we got something that respects the original story.

What I loved most was how each scene felt like it was made in a nostalgic way to give you constant reminders of the show. If you remember the scene from the original series where Azula cornered Katara and she had to use her sweat to bend water, this movie tries to give you that same feeling. In this version, Katara runs out of water and Sokka brings a bending machine or device to help her. Even though that moment felt a bit unnecessary since the fight had stopped and other benders were there, it felt like the makers were trying to copy that old scene frame by frame. They wanted to create that same tension and atmosphere from the Azula fight just to make us feel nostalgic.

It wasn't just that one time either. The cabbage man is back and his cabbages got ruined again. Hearing him say "my cabbages" was perfect because that line stays the same in every version and it just feels right. I also felt those same iconic vibes during a scene with Toph. It reminded me so much of when she first used metal bending. The tension in the air was high and then Toph unlocked more of her power. It gave me chills because it felt so much like the original character we love.

Katara’s character was also spot on. She is still kind and can see what is coming. She has that gift of sensing bad people or seeing the good in someone before anyone else does. It reminded me of how she was the first one to see the good inside Zuko. Every bending scene in the movie had these nostalgic moments that felt like they were put there just to refresh our old memories. If you loved the original four books on Nickelodeon, the humor and the way the characters act will make you very happy. It is hard to love something so much and then see it ruined, but this movie actually felt right.

In some parts, it felt like they took inspiration from Kung Fu Panda 3, maybe because the teams were the same or they just liked the style. The way they showed the spirits and spiritual power reminded me of that. I really didn't like the Korra series because of how it handled spirits, but here the characters weren't way too overpowered. Everything felt balanced. I could honestly keep writing and writing about how much I liked it, but I don't want to give away too much. If you have seen the original series, you will find this story very easy to follow. Even though it is a movie and doesn't have as much time for deep character growth, it still feels justified and fun to watch.

This is a cross post of @gwajnberg/one-piece-continues-my-favourite by @gwajnberg.

My season 2 from one piece review

Hola mi gente bella espero que todos esten super bien, un gran abrazo para todos, amigos hoy la ediciòn es sobre una de las novelas mas increibles que han realizado en Venezuela, una novela que puso a toda la familia a estar pegada de las tv en el horario de las 9 de la noche, creo toda una euforia en la epoca, y para mi es totalente una genialidad, una novela que marca el comienzo de una trilogia del escritor que escribio esta obra.

Angélica pecado es una telenovela venezolana producida por RCTV y estrenada a finales del año 2000. Escrita por el maestro del misterio Martin Hahn, esta obra inauguró un estilo único en la televisión venezolana: el "melodrama de suspenso" o slasher televisivo. La trama mantuvo a todo el país en vilo intentando descubrir la identidad de un asesino en serie, convirtiéndose en un fenómeno de audiencia.

-Titulo Original: Angèlica Pecado. -Productora: Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV). ​-Año: 2000 – 2001 (150 episodios). ​-Guion: Martin Hahn. ​-Dirección: José Alcalde y Mauro Burguillos. ​-Protagonistas: Daniela Alvarado y Simón Pestana. ​-Antagonista Principal: Hilda Abrahamz (como Rebeca del Valle). ​-Elenco Estelar: Eileen Abad, Jaime Araque, Alba Roversi, Margarita Hernández, Hilda Blanco y Javier Vidal. ​-Tema musical: "A mis 20", interpretado por Alejandro Montaner.

​La historia se desarrolla en torno a la familia Del Valle, dueños de una inmensa fortuna y de los prestigiosos viñedos "El Desafío". Angélica Rodríguez (Daniela Alvarado) es una joven humilde y bondadosa que trabaja en la hacienda y se enamora de Marcelo Córdoba (Simón Pestana), el heredero de la familia.

​Sin embargo, la ambición por el control del viñedo y la herencia desatan una ola de crímenes atroces cometidos por una figura misteriosa vestida de negro: "El Cuervo". Angélica se ve envuelta en una red de intrigas, pecados ocultos y muertes, mientras intenta proteger su amor por Marcelo y descubrir quién está eliminando uno a uno a los miembros de la familia y sus allegados.

Angélica pecado fue la primera de la famosa "trilogía del misterio" de Martin Hahn en RCTV (seguida por La mujer de Judas y Estrambótica Anastasia). La novela rompió récords de sintonía, especialmente en sus capítulos finales, debido al ingenio del guion para presentar a múltiples sospechosos, haciendo que cada personaje tuviera un motivo para ser el asesino.

​La crítica elogió la interpretación de Daniela Alvarado, quien a pesar de su juventud demostró una madurez actoral impresionante al enfrentar situaciones de terror y drama. La química con Simón Pestana fue muy sólida, pero fue el personaje de Rebeca del Valle (Hilda Abrahamz) el que se robó gran parte del show por su complejidad y elegancia malvada. La atmósfera de la novela, con sus viñedos oscuros y callejones coloniales, fue fundamental para el éxito de la narrativa.

Angélica pecado es recordada como la novela que cambió la forma de hacer televisión en Venezuela a principios del milenio. No solo ofreció una gran historia de amor, sino que retó el intelecto del espectador con un rompecabezas policial fascinante. Su legado reside en haber creado el género del "misterio rosa", dejando para la historia de la TV venezolana a uno de los asesinos más enigmáticos y recordados: El Cuervo.

Esta es una de las mejores novelas que se han realizado en el pais, es una joya cultural y cinematografica.

The Night Lands (S02E02)

Airdate: 8 April 2012

Written by: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss Directed by: Alan Taylor

Running Time: 53 minutes

Game of Thrones has built a formidable reputation for subverting audience expectations, most notoriously with the shocking execution of its nominal protagonist Ned Stark near the end of the first season. This penchant for narrative deception, however, is not always so grandly tragic; sometimes it manifests in subtler, almost mischievous ways, such as in the titling of its episodes. The second episode of the second season, “The Night Lands,” is a prime example. Its title, a seemingly obscure piece of Dothraki lore referenced in a single, brief scene, belies an hour of television primarily concerned with the intricate political and personal machinations across Westeros. This dissonance between title and content serves as a fitting metaphor for the episode itself: a collection of well-crafted, albeit sometimes meandering, plot advancements that functions effectively as a “great place-holder, yet one which also reveals the early cracks in the series’ adaptation strategy, where creative compromises begin to accumulate.

The episode’s title is drawn from the Dothraki belief in the “night lands,” the afterlife where fallen warriors are said to ride eternal herds. It is mentioned only once, in a haunting scene set in the desolate Red Waste of Essos. Daenerys Targaryen’s khalasar is starving and desperate when a horse returns carrying the severed head of Rakharo, one of her few remaining bloodriders. His companion Irri (Amrita Acharia) laments that, without a proper funeral pyre, he will never reach those promised night lands. This moment is poignant but fleeting, and Rakharo’s death feels somewhat abrupt. For book readers, it marked one of the first significant departures from George R. R. Martin’s source material, as the character survives in A Clash of Kings. This change was a practical one, necessitated by actor Elyes Gabel securing a role in the feature film World War Z. While a minor alteration in the grand scheme, it signposted a willingness to trim and adjust the literary canon for televisual expediency—a practice that would later have far more consequential ramifications.

The bulk of the episode’s runtime is devoted to Westeros, where the narrative tapestry continues to expand. In King’s Landing, Tyrion Lannister consolidates his power as Hand of the King with characteristic cunning. In two superb scenes that showcase Peter Dinklage’s talent, he first parries veiled threats from Varys regarding his secret paramour Shae, and then orchestrates the exile of the odious Janos Slynt to the Wall for his role in murdering King Robert’s bastards. It is here Tyrion learns the chilling truth: the order for the infanticide came not from Cersei, but from the boy-king Joffrey himself. The promotion of the sellsword Bronn to command the City Watch is a typically pragmatic and satisfying Tyrion move, reinforcing the episode’s theme of shifting loyalties and raw power.

Meanwhile, Arya Stark’s journey north with Yoren’s Night’s Watch recruits provides some of the episode’s most grounded and engaging moments. The dynamic between “Arry” and Gendry is natural and uplifting, with Gendry’s realisation of her true gender handled with a quiet respect that strengthens their bond. The arrival of Goldcloaks demanding Gendry’s arrest—a plot point highlighting the ongoing purge—is deftly thwarted by Yoren’s steadfast authority. This sequence also introduces Jaqen H’ghar (Thomas Wlaschina), a captive in a cage whose mysterious demeanour and distinctive speech patterns immediately mark him as a figure of intrigue. His presence, a seed planted for future seasons, is a testament to the show’s adept long-game storytelling.

The Night Lands” also introduces viewers to the stark, windswept Iron Islands, a new location that expands the geographical and cultural scope of Westeros. Theon Greyjoy’s homecoming is a great display of dramatic irony and character humiliation. Having spent nine years as a ward of the Starks, Theon is a man caught between worlds. He mistakes his fierce sister Yara (renamed from the book’s Asha to avoid confusion with the wildling Osha, played by Gemma Whelan) for a common tavern wench, wears finery despised by the ironborn, and is utterly blindsided by his father Balon’s seething resentment. Balon has not forgotten that the Starks killed his eldest son, and he contemptuously rejects Robb Stark’s offer of alliance. Patrick Malahide’s performance as Balon exudes a cold, unforgiving pride, making Theon’s desperate bid for belonging painfully futile. This plotline, while criticised by some as “supremely non-interesting” at the time, is crucial for setting Theon on his tragic path.

Across the narrow sea, the episode continues to establish the fanatical court of Stannis Baratheon on Dragonstone. Davos Seaworth, recruits the flamboyant Lyseni pirate Salladhor Saan to Stannis’s cause, a scene enlivened by Lucian Msamati’s charismatic performance (a casting choice that notably diverged from the book’s description of Saan as fair-haired). Davos’s scepticism towards the Lord of Light is contrasted with his son Matthos’s (Kerr Logan) devout encouragement to learn to read the holy texts. The episode’s most controversial beat in this strand, however, belongs to Stannis and Melisandre. In a brief but significant scene, the Red Priestess seduces the stern Stannis with the promise of a son, a temptation he cannot resist. The resulting coupling, described in one recap as happening feels more like an obligatory narrative checkbox than an organic character moment. Dutch actress Carice van Houten, then best known for her role in Black Book, disrobes for the scene, which critics noted was brief and functional, serving primarily as “sexposition” to underscore Stannis’s motivation and Melisandre’s manipulative power.

Beyond the Wall, the Night’s Watch contingent remains at the unsettling abode of Craster. The episode delves into the grim reality of Craster’s Keep, where Gilly (Hannah Murray), one of his daughter-wives, pleads with Samwell Tarly for help, fearing for her unborn son. Jon Snow initially dismisses her concerns but is compelled to investigate, sneaking out to witness Craster leaving a newborn male child in the woods. The episode’s climax is a genuinely chilling moment of fantasy horror: Jon watches as a White Walker emerges to claim the infant. Before he can react, he is struck down by Craster. This ending powerfully reinforces the existential threat lurking in the north.

Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alan Taylor, The Night Lands is a professionally executed piece of television. It maintains the high production values and complex plotting the series is known for, deftly juggling its myriad storylines. However, a critical viewing reveals it as an episode where the mechanics of adaptation become slightly more visible. The killing of Rakharo and the renaming of Asha to Yara are early examples of the compromises required when translating a vast literary series to the screen. These were largely justified by actor availability and clarity for a television audience, but they hint at a pattern of simplification that would later, in the show’s final seasons, contribute to narrative and character inconsistencies that many fans found unsatisfying.

The episode’s use of sexuality also warrants examination. The Night Lands features two prominent nude scenes. The first involves Theon and the “Captain’s Daughter,” a woman played by Amy Dawson who exists solely for a scene of steamy “sexposition” where Theon explains Ironborn culture mid-coitus. The second is the aforementioned encounter between Stannis and Melisandre. While sexuality is an integral part of Game of Thrones’ world-building, here these scenes can feel less organic and more like obligatory inclusions. They fit into the episode’s broader, albeit loose, thematic exploration of power and gender.

The Night Lands is a very good, if unspectacular, entry in the Game of Thrones canon. It performs the essential work of advancing multiple plotlines, introducing new players, and deepening character dynamics. Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion remains a highlight, and the introduction of the Iron Islands and the chilling White Walker reveal are significant. During the premiere its was praised for its moodier tone and pivotal character moments.^ Yet, viewed with hindsight, it also stands as a fascinating artefact from the show’s earlier, more faithful days—a “place-holder” that holds the line competently but already shows the strain of the immense narrative burden it carries.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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Ready or Not (2019) sits in this very specific sweet spot where you realize about fifteen minutes in, that the movie is not interested in being just one thing and that is both the rarest quality in genre and the thing most studios are too scared to actually commit to, after watching Ready or Not 2 I decided to throw it back and watch the first one too, because pulling off a genuine hybrid where you are laughing out loud and then immediately covering your mouth because something horrible just happened requires everybody on screen to be completely locked in on the same target, just look at the scene I put on the blog post cover, you saw the multiple body explosions at the end right?. We got Grace, played by Samara Weaving, is marrying into the Le Domas family on the same night she discovers that this clan of board game millionaires has a blood ritual tradition that requires new members to draw a random card and play whatever game it says at midnight, and the card she pulls is the one card in the deck that means the entire family has to hunt her down and kill her before sunrise or some ancient deal with a guy named Mr Le Bail comes due in the most catastrophic way possible for all of them. She spends her wedding night running through a massive stone mansion in a ripped dress while her new relatives come after her armed with crossbows and axes and rifles, right from the starts when things start to get menacing you start to get that sense of fear and danger for poor Grace who had no idea what she was getting into, these are not competent satanists, these are wealthy idiots who are terrified of losing their money and their lives, who at the same time are very very incompetent at murder.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7798634/
• Platform: Disney+

Samara Weaving is the one who carries the movie the entire time and it was by design, if you have not been paying attention to her career before this then Ready or Not is the kind of performance that makes you immediately go back and check what else she has been in, because she carries every single scene on her back without it ever looking like she is working hard to do it. Her dark humor performance is perfect without ever undercutting the actual fear she is selling at the same time, how she basically transform across ninety minutes from a hopeful bride who just wants to be part of a family into a bloodied and furious survivor who is completely done trying to avoid rather to confront and choose violence as her last resource, not because the script hands her some big action hero moment to announce the shift but because she earns it incrementally you can feel it. The supporting cast around her is doing great work too, especially Andie MacDowell who is quietly threatening as the mother in a way that sneaks up that you expect it the least, and then there is the uncle who at one point hides in a bathroom watching a YouTube tutorial on how to load a crossbow because he has never actually used one before, which is the perfect piece of detail because it makes the whole murder family feel like real people who are mostly just rich and scared and out of their territory almost like they just have to be this way without any previous expirience.

The movie goes hard on the carnage and thats a great thing when its not the best part of it because the performance and drama is very high too, and there is a very specific type of dark comedy that works great with those gory moments but I have to be honest here, this is obvious that this movie is not for everyone, because the deaths are graphic and drawn out in ways that are simultaneously horrifying and absurd and the movie holds both of those at once without letting either one collapse. The pacing is also doing real work here because at ninety minutes this thing is tight and never feels like it is getting over stretch to just fill time gaps, there is no bloated second part where you start checking your watch or wanting to hit the fast forward button, every sequence has its own weight and keeping your attention exactly where the movie needs it, and that kind of discipline is something a lot of horror comedies just do not have or when they attempt to just fail at it, because they assume the concept alone is enough to carry them through. The production quality on the mansion location is impressive too, the whole place is lit with this mix of candlelight and deep shadow that gives it the right atmosphere without feeling like a haunted house movie or going full dark room that you are force to watch the thing on 4k because its just too dark, it does feel like a very expensive trap that was built specifically for someone wearing a white dress on her weeding night.

Where the movie does leave a little on the table is in the action department, because the poster and the marketing give you very specific images of Grace in full savage mode and the actual movie is more interested in keeping her in a reactive and dark humor like survival mode for most part of the movie, which works fine but does make you feel the gap between what you expected and what you actually got when you think about it afterward. There are some scenes that are very cliche too and if you are watching movies constantly you can tell this are been advertise from very long distance so its too predictable in some occasions, certain surprises a little too clearly for anyone paying close attention to the details, and while that is not a problem it does take off from the experience in a couple of moments when the movie probably could have trusted you to be a little more patient because I think they do this kind of things to dumb it down and rush it too at the same time and crunch more content into the movie. It felt rushed towards the end like the script and actors were running out of gas, the classic until dawn survival situation, but the cast still made it watchable because even in the sequences where the script is being a little too obvious about where things are heading, the people on screen are making choices that are interesting enough to keep you in it.

#readyornot, #samaraweaving, #horrormovie, #darkcomedy, #slasher, #thriller, #gore, #ledomas, #hideandseek, #weddingnight, #survival, #finalgirl, #blood, #carnage, #moviereview, #indiehorror, #satanic, #action, #comedy, #mustwatch, #horrorfan, #cinema, #movieblog, #review, #cultclassic

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Hello friends, good vibes to all.

Hola amigos, buenas vibras para todos.

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Seguimos con las reseñas de estrenos y las primeras impresiones y es que esta temporada está trayendo nuevos títulos que tienen una pinta bastante interesante y con apenas sus primeros capítulos ya están dando de qué hablar. El dia de hoy le toca a un anime de esos que no estoy acostumbrado a ver y es que la fantasía llena de magia no es lo mio pero que voy a intentar darle una oportunidad por todas las cosas buenas que se están diciendo y que promete tener. Probablemente sea uno más del montón dentro de su género, los conocedores que me lo digan, pero con los dos primeros episodios vistos me quedaron las ganas de seguir viendo y ver hasta dónde va la historia.

Tenemos a Coco, una niña humana como es obvio pero que sueña con ser maga algún día. Ella vive en el campo con su mamá quien es modista; las dos tienen una vida tranquila. En ese mundo la magia es algo que le habían dicho que nace con la persona y que por tanto los que nacieron sin ese don pues no podrán ser hechiceros. Resulta que aquello no es así, que la magia se puede aprender y eso Coco lo sabrá de mala manera. Resulta que a su casa llega un mago llamado Qifrey (el Gojo de la fantasía) buscando unas telas; al final a él le toca hacer un hechizo que Coco sin querer queriendo logra ver dándose cuenta lo que les dije, que la magia se escribe y se dibuja en runas.

Source!

Source!

Resulta que Coco tiene un libro que se le dio un mago misterioso en una feria y ella al darse cuenta que lo podía replicar es cuando comete el error. Invoca un hechizo maligno y termina pasando una tragedia con su madre. Por suerte Qifrey llega para salvarla y ofrecerle que sea su aprendiz para así pueda saber todo lo que necesita para salvar a su madre. Como les comentaba esto es fantasía pura, acá hasta los momentos lo que hemos visto son hechizos, sombreros puntiagudos (de ahí el nombre) y muchas escenas y una apariencia tranquila que evoca a la vida del campo, la naturaleza y la sencillez. El detalle es que este anime al mismo tiempo que nos muestra esto no esconde la intención de enseñarnos cosas turbias y es que tiene toda la pinta que conforme vaya avanzando la historia se va a ir poniendo más oscuro y denso.

BUGS FILMS son los creadores de esto, un estudio muy pero que muy joven del que se sabe poco la verdad. Esto nos lleva a hablar de su animación y es que todos los escenarios son altamente detallados y llenos de color pero que sabes que esconden algo de miedo en el fondo. El diseño de los personajes y sus expresiones son muy naturales, es una animación que está muy bien cuidada. Cuando tiene que volverse movida pues también veremos mucha fluidez. Creo que podemos estar ante uno de los mejores anime del año, se que esto lo digo siempre que hago una reseña de uno distinto pero es que si logra mantener el nivel de verdad puede ser muy bueno.

Source!

Source!

Al final es una historia en donde hay una aparente inocencia por parte de Coco y es que ella ve todo de una manera muy diferente pero que en realidad es un mundo en donde la oscuridad buscará ganar terreno y ella tendrá que aprender a hacer frente a lo que se viene. Creo yo que será literalmente una lucha entre el bien y el mal y ese contraste es lo que pienso que le dará vida al anime, si por algo tiene que destacar será por eso. Van 4 capitulos pero yo solo he visto 2, si disfrutaron de Frieren pues puede que les llame la atención esta nueva historia. Repito, no es lo mio pero haré el esfuerzo de darle el chance ya que puede que me sorprenda en un futuro. Les dejo el trailer por acá abajo.

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Well folks, that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed it. ¡Hugs to everyone, see you next time!

Bueno mi gente por hoy es todo, espero que les haya gustado. ¡Un abrazo a todos, nos vemos en la próxima!