Hell Reviews - A Whole Abundance of Movies in the Order she Vaguely Remembers Them

So!
Sorry it's been a while since I uploaded, just been in bit of a creative frenzy with trying to get some stories out.
But last week I watched a load of movies over the weekend, which is already unlike me...I'm not exactly known to be a cinephile or whatever they're called.
But between the 21st of July to now I have watched a whole series of them, some well known and some not. Some with amazing directors and some made on a shoe string budget.
Most of these will just be my initial reactions, nothing too extensive and unlike my other reviews I won't include the movie posters and the synopsis of each one, but hey...some little pictures added in here and there.
Let's take a look shall we!

Deadpool - Was pretty damn sweet, I can see why it got the reviews it did. Great humour, as expected with the likes of Ryan Reynolds, great action and just all over wicked.

Would I recommend it?
Yes

Rating: 8.5/10


Prey - A cheap B-movie about another bunch of teenagers who don't listen to warnings whilst on holiday (or vacation to some) and end up getting munched by El Chupacabra. It's pretty much what you'd expect, you want nearly all of them dead and the creature looks more like something that crawled out of The Decent's cave and got lost, but it's decent for a short bit of entertainment.

Would Hell recommend it?
Sure, if you grab some friends and have a good laugh, just don't expect much from it...like logic.

Rating: 5.5/10 - I guess...

We Are What We Are - It's alright, bit a slow burning film, which can be great if done correctly. However it's predictable as all sin and I have seen films about this subject done in manners just as deep but also more interesting.

Would I recommend it?
I'm a bit iffy on that, I think if you liked things like Only Lovers  Left Alive and The Witch or even The Village, then I think you'd get some intrigue from it, just don't expect to leave the experience feeling anymore elated or wise.

Rating: 6.5/10


Everest - A wonderful telling of a true story. It's a great story to be told and is fantastically filmed, the scenery is breath taking, the action is suspenseful and the acting is awesome. The whole thing pulls on your heartstrings.

Would I recommend it?
If you enjoy documentary style films then yes, without a doubt I'd say this is one to check out.

Rating: 7.5/10


The Walk - The film that I keep calling Walk the Line...which I know is a completely different film, but it makes sense! I personally really enjoyed this film, it's joint top place with another that I will be mentioning soon. Like Everest it's a documentary film, this one about the man who freakin' tight rope walked between the Twin Towers. I thought it was wicked and humorous but I an also understand why some people walked out of the cinema screening, especially if seeing it in 3D...it plays with vertigo really well.

Would I recommend it?
You bet! I thought it was a good little time passer.

Rating: A high 8.5 to maybe a 9/10

Axe Giant - A killer Paul Bunyan story. Do I really need to say much more? The effects were pretty laughable, but it was a B-movie so I couldn't even expect much to it. There's nothing worth mentioning, it was all just...kind of hideous, but well done on the effort?

Would I recommend it?
Not unless you want a laugh and drinking game with friends. Don't watch it alone.

Rating: Barely a 4/10

The Body - Bugger me...the girls in this movie were irritating, inane and dumb. It barely runs for about 75 minutes and I already wanted to rip my hair out, it was fairly predictable what was going to happen and it does play out how you'd expect it to but if you enjoy little home invasion style films then it's alright. Just don't expect any logical choices, half the time you'll be like the picture under the rating before merely sighing and resigning to it.

Would I recommend it?
As stated up there, if you enjoy the type of story this film offers go for it, but it is easily passible.

Rating: 5/10

Crimson Peak - Holy crap...I really enjoyed this film, but it's right down my alley. Ghosts? Yes.
Large moths? Yep. Spooky looking but gorgeously large and isolated house? Mmhmm. Tom Hiddleston playing a charming British man with a brief glance as his bare, gorgeous behind? You bet! Honestly, despite me not liking Pan's Labyrinth in itself, I can still appreciate the visuals that Guillermo del Toro can create and boy does he deliver once again in Crimson Peak. It's all over gorgeous. The story itself is a little predictable, we figured out what was happening barely thirty minutes in, but it's still a decent film with wonderful practices in mixed physical and CGI effects and great acting throughout. Also Jim Beaver's in it...and he's cool.

Would I recommend it?
I think it's fairly clear I would, but it won't be for everyone.

Rating: Once again a high 8.5 to 9/10

Ant Man - It's alright, honestly not the best Marvel film created (that I've seen...which isn't many), there's plenty of action to it but there were plenty of parts the fell flat. The humour was kind of...meh...and just missed the point sometimes, I guess I'm biased because I miss the over cheesiness that the first Thor film offered, whereas the jokes in Ant Man feel more like when a little kid is trying to tell you a joke.
You know what's going to happen and you smile politely, waiting for them to finish, but you're already finding it unfunny before it's over.

Would I recommend it?
Kind of, I mean...it's part of the Marvel universe, but I wouldn't say to go out of your way to see it.

Rating: 6/10

And that's it!
That's the collection of movies I've seen over the last week, until Wednesday for my next Supernatural book review!

Hell Reviews - Supernatural: Coyote's Kiss.

Synopsis: A truck full of illegal Mexican immigrants slaughtered with supernatural force is found by the side of a road. Trying to find answers, Sam and Dean are plunged into the dangerous world that exists along the Mexican border. They encounter a tattooed, pistol-packing bandita on a motorcycle who seems be everywhere they go before they get there. Xochi Cazadora draws them into a whole new world of monsters…

Right...well right off the bat I can tell you that Coyote's Kiss is a vast improvement to One Year Gone, sadly that isn't much of a positive as that isn't exactly a tough challenge.
I have read fanfiction better than One Year Gone.
However, does that mean Coyote's Kiss is a masterpiece?
Heck no, this is a Supernatural novel.
Supernatural being the cheesy horror show it is already kind of strikes out the novels being masterpieces, but they can be enjoyable.
Coyote's Kiss reaches about the middle level of entertainment for me.
It was alright, but definitely needed some sanding down.

Now the case itself was pretty damn enjoyable, I liked the different kind of setting it offered and I do love the different monsters they bring into the novels.
I wouldn't say this novel has a stand out case compared to some of the other books, but it's an enjoyable one for the duration that you're reading, which is more than I could say for the last two.
One thing I did note is that once again, it's a Dean based book.
I know Sam isn't one of those characters that everyone loves, I'm surprised actually by how many people claim to actually dislike him. Naturally I may be shocked as I'm a Sam-girl myself, I didn't know he was 'that' disliked, there's a surprising amount of negativity towards that particular character.
Some people have legitimate reasons for not liking him, such as he's too whiney and broody.
Others dislike him purely because he gets in the way of their Destiel ship.
But either way it all surprised me a bit.
Yes, Sam can be an unbearable prick at times (looking at you season 4 Sam) but most characters have redeemable factors, not saying he has to be your favourite character ever, but still....these latest authors seem to like Dean to a point where Sam is just in the background.
When you're a fan like I am, then I'd like to read about both of them. Sure I prefer Sam, but I enjoy Dean too and it seems a little unfair that one brother gets more attention than the other.
In episodes it's understandable, but even in the monster of the week episodes there's an equal amount of each Winchester.
This also would have been a chance to delve further into the soulless Sam story, but that was a severely wasted opportunity.

One of the problems is that, whilst the case is a good one, the focus isn't so much on the case as it is on this new character they introduced in the book.
Yes, here we go again with Hell disliking a female character, but I have my reasons.
I for one am not someone who likes characters that are so 'bad ass' that it comes across as obnoxiousness. In my opinion, this is something that blonde Ruby had that made me dislike her, and this new female hunter Xochi has it in the bucket full.
She's not only bad-ass and has a motorbike, but she's also fiercely independent and can do anything...to the point where she's essentially a terrible Mary-Sue that bores you to death and makes you eyeroll at every turn.
I don't like it when characters are brought in that overshadow Sam and Dean, I know there will be people out there better than them just as there would be worse than them, but when this new character takes up 90% of the story then it's far too excessive.
If you wanted to write about that specific character then write them in an original novel.
Don't throw this out and then slap the Supernatural name on it, knowing fans will pick it up.
The problem with that is, whilst it'd be a clever move, you will have people who dislike it severely as they came for the brothers, not your original character.

Another thing is that once again, Dean is pushed into the 'love interest' category to the point where it's groan worthy.
Why is it that when a female character is introduced they seem to have to have something with one of the brothers?
Shockingly, that doesn't always happen, but I can bet you if it's Dean based and there's a lead female character....he'll probably be paired off with her.
Then you get moments like when they both have to share motorbikes with two girls, one is too young to be a 'threat' here who rides with Sam and Dean gets to ride with our new, bad ass favourite hunter. I'm sure you can guess that it gets awkward, what with him being male, riding behind a female on a rather shaky bike.
I'm sure I don't need to delve further.
What did this add to the story?
Nothing but an eye roll and a weary sigh.
I am one of these people that dislikes romance as a general form, I'll try to avoid watching things involving romance, I don't read romance novels, but I know it's unavoidable at certain times.
But bugger me does this seem so forced and it makes me cringe.
I am reading this novel for Sam and Dean, not for Xochi and Dean and Sam who occasionally gets a mention.
Don't get me wrong, I can take romance and love interests...when that character is actually decently written and enjoyable.
Which is horrible for me to say, I don't like accusing characters of being Mary Sues and the term is thrown around too easily, but with Xochi it's so true.
If you got on with the bad ass, Mexican huntress then good for you, but I couldn't stand her.

I guess all in all it's just a little frustrating that so much time is spent on Xochi and Dean, whilst Sam's character was written so weakly like he was just a second thought to their new character.
Dean's relationship with this new hunter would have been fun and refreshing had she not been so 'over powered', so to speak, and taken away from the original hunting plot.
Once again I miss the brotherly bond, but with Sam being soulless still it's to be expected.

Overall it's a good book, but it's a rather meh Supernatural book.
I'll just put it aside and leave it as a one off read.

Hell Reviews - Supernatural: The Unholy Cause

Synopsis: A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit ITV series!Twenty-seven years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America…and he taught them how to kill it. Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground… Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand… ar battle re-enactment has gone very badly wrong...


The Unholy Cause was actually a pretty good book, Joe Schreiber made a good addition to the series of novels.
The case is somewhat memorable, not the most memorable of the collection but it's definitely up there with some of the better written books.

As someone who doesn't know much about re-enactments this book really did help give insight into how they work and what takes place, Joe went into great detail to set the scene and it helped a re-enactment newbie like me to picture everything without any prior knowledge.
The great thing is that there's plenty of detail but it never gets to the point of being boing or tedious, nor does it seem to take away from the case or side track to the point where you forget what you're initially reading.

Joe takes the well known characters and does a fantastic job in keeping them as themselves, an issue, as mentioned before, that many people seem to have trouble doing.
Even the professional show writers themselves.
Like the few before him Joe managed to capture the famous banter of the Winchesters and made you feel like you were just along on the ride with them, only this time you're accompanied by resident angel Castiel.
This was before the days where his character got a little tiresome and unneeded, in my opinion, but in the book he is a wonderful addition who helps push the story forward and doesn't over stay his welcome in the novel or become a completely pointlessly added background character.
I'm just counting my blessings that Ruby is only ever mentioned and never actually shows up.

All in all, it's a fun little case to read and it's great to once again see Sam and Dean in their element, it's not the greatest book in the lot but it is up there with one that I would re-read and not skip over if I chose to go through them all again.

Hell Reviews - Supernatural: Bone Key

This is a Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit "CW" series!Monster hunters Sam and Dean Winchester head to Key West when an old acquaintance of their father calls to say that the coastal town's many ghosts seem to have gone into overdrive. Soon after the brothers meet the ghost of Ernest Hemingway, they discover that a demon couple who escaped from the Devil's Gate are supercharging the local spooks for their own purposes. But things go from bad to worse when the powerful spirits of a long-extinct Native American tribe decides to take its revenge on the "settlers". Join Sam and Dean on an unusual ghost hunt, in this original Supernatural novel.

 

I feel unfair reviewing this one as I honestly can’t remember a bit of it.

It’s the final book in this particular set, as the next moves on to the new cover format, but beyond that I don’t remember much of it to comment on.
Once again the author is Keith R.A. Decandido and I do remember him doing another wonderful job of keeping the book in it’s original Supernatural formula, with Sam and Dean acting in accordance to the shows painted personalities.
However beyond that, I find it hard to remember anything past the fact that I found it readable and didn’t get bored.
It’s worth a read, but not the strongest in the first trilogy, it was rather forgettable to me.
Sorry this one is so short, there's just nothing to say.

Hell Reviews - Supernatural: Witch's Canyon

Synopsis: This is a Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit "CW" series!Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force, and they have grown up learning how to hunt and kill the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...Now they are on a road trip around the Grand Canyon - to a stretch of deserted ranchland where mysterious murder sprees occur every forty years. But a new mega-mall is about to open and the brothers must face a horde of vindictive ghosts and animal spirits.Join Sam and Dean on an all-new monster hunt, in this original Supernatural novel.


The second book in the series, while not as memorable as Nevermore, was still a lot of fun to read.
This time the story is told by Jeff Mariotte and he does just as good a job at keeping the brothers in character as Keith does.
I seriously believe these guys should be writers on the show, they’d keep them more in character than some of the show writers themselves at the moment.

The story was one that kept me wanting to read, an issue I’ve had with a few of the later books is that they seemed to drag on and had some moments that were completely nonsensical, as you will discover when I review One Year Gone.

If you’re looking for examples of plot convenience then that book seems to be the one to go to, but I’ll get to that one in a few weeks.

The first three books however flew by and I found myself fairly disappointed when they ended, a feeling I’ve only had with a few of these later ones.
I’m not sure why they count the first three as a separate series, maybe it’s supposed to be pre-angels and then post-angels, I’ve never really looked it up but that’s my assumption.

Due to my lack of memory and re-reads, it seems unfair of me to try and make a comment on the content that I simply can’t remember, that’s not to say it isn’t a good book as it is, and I do vaguely remember Sam getting some good action moments but it was ultimately forgettable.
Usually I’d chalk this down to it being almost ten years since I’ve read it, but I have books I remember reading long before this one where I can remember specific details.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s a fun ride whilst it lasts, but it’s not the best ride in the theme park, which is a shame as I know Jeff did a wonderful job with it and I never had moments where I was laughing because something was so out of character or shifted drastically away from the canon TV series.

From what I can recall there’s a nice, cohesive story behind what’s going on and everything is a nice build up to the final act of Sam and Dean saving the day. It’s just bit of a slow burner, but once it gets going boy does it get going.

I do wish they made a better cover for it, I personally cringe seeing this one. Now Jared and Jensen are handsome men, there’s no doubt about that, but this isn’t the most flattering photo shoot they could have used for the cover.

It’s my least favourite from this specific series, the original three.

In the end, it’s a good book and it’s worth a read if you’re a fan, just don’t expect to get too much from it.

Though it is adorable to see Dean get oddly excited over the Grand Canyon.

Hell Reviews - Supernatural: Nevermore

 

 

 

Synopsis: This is a Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit "CW" series! Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Since then, they have grown up learning how to hunt and kill the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...When the brothers hit New York to check out a haunted house, they soon make a more grisly and suspicious discovery. A spate of killings, apparently based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, are occurring near the author's old house. Join Sam and Dean on an all-new monster hunt, in this original Supernatural novel.

 

To celebrate the beginning of Supernatural season 11 starting here in the UK this Wednesday, I have decided that I will spend the next few weeks reviewing the various Supernatural novels that have been released.

Aside from Cold Fire, as it’s only just been released and I haven’t had a chance to read it, and naturally I can’t review Mythmaker as it comes out next month and ‘Pending title’ September’s book.

For this I will mostly be focusing on the actual novels, not the various others like John Winchester’s Journal or the Bobby focused one.

The first in the series of books is Nevermore, and what an introduction it was.

Despite having two other titles with that particular cover style and ten, soon to be twelve by September, in the new cover style, Nevermore has been one that stuck with me years after the first read and it originally came out on 2007!

Man…I can’t believe it’s been that long already.

Now let’s get this out there straight off the bat, as I’ve noticed that I seem to comment on these a lot, but I like the cover.

It’s simplistic, I like the colours and I like Sam’s shirt.

Story wise I think it’s great, the whole book did have the whole feel that the show contained around the time that it was released. Brotherly banter, to the point hunting and general ghostlyness.

I really enjoyed the case and the integration of each haunting spot that went along with the Poe focus, I especially enjoyed Robert the doll’s little cameo.

Sam and Dean were written extremely well, and after originally being stuck with fan fiction for a while before that book came out it was a pleasant change. Not to say all fan fiction is terrible, heck I write Supernatural fan fiction myself, but sometimes it’s hard to hit the nail on the head when writing certain character tropes.

Keith R.A DeCandido has quickly become one of my favourite authors of these books, he’s so good at picking up different characters and keeping them true to their original introduction and I always found his own tiny spins on them interesting as well.

The same was with the books in the various Buffy the Vampire Slayer book series, he seems to have this penchant for keeping characters in character and not grabbing them and just going wild.

I think this is a strong start to the series, nothing stood out to me that was inherently negative. This is one book that I would happily pick up and read over and over again, the hunting was enjoyable and reading the Winchester’s brotherly banter brought a smile to my face.

For the first novel for this books I would give it top marks.

Belated Movie Monday Review - Hell Reviews Fingerprints.

Synopsis: In this terrifying supernatural thriller, a troubled teenager sets out on a grisly path to discover the disturbing truth behind a well-known urban legend. Haunted for fifty years by the horrifying tale of a train colliding with a school bus, killing all the children aboard, the small town left behind continues to suffer as a stomach-churning chain of murders claims victim after victim. Brought to life by a stand-out cast including Kristin Cavallari (Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County), Leah Pipes (Malcolm In The Middle), Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) and Lou Diamond Phillips (Courage Under Fire), Fingerprints will leave its mark on your nightmares!

 

The old legend of the children pushing the car across the tracks is one of my favourites out there, it’s so sad yet so endearing at the same time.

In retrospect it could have been such a good film idea in the hands of competent writers, but unfortunately we weren’t gifted with talented screen writers.

What a terrible film this was.

Not only was it a cliché mess of a film, but the story just had nothing to it that was worth watching.

The characters were bland and offered nothing, aside from the mother of the main character being a totally unlikeable bitch.

We have a main character who is interchangeable with any other person in the film and the impact would be the same, the actress is just barely watchable at times and is a complete non-entity.

It’s such a bad film that there’s just nothing to say about it except don’t watch it, it’s up there on my list of worst films along with Krampus: The Christmas Devil.

Avoid it.

Hell's featured on Midnight Cassette season 2

I was a bit too giddy and getting used to 'new' yesterday to post this, but the new series of DimensionBucket's Midnight Cassette came out yesterday and I am beyond excited with this.
This is the first time I've had a story read online, to my knowledge anyway, and my best friend in having her story read in another episode.

The first episode came out yesterday and features my stories, the first and third, and the stories of two other writers. I think the final product is great and definitely worth a listen, the narrators do an amazing job with their given stories, I don't wish to give away who read mine ones but I admit, I may have fangirled a tiny 'little' bit...

If you're into a good creepy listen then I'd recommend checking it out!

Original post: http://nightblog.dimensionbucket.com/post/142908867252/midnight-cassette-s2e1-short-sharp-shocks

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgSRdBG9cBI&t=957s

Keep your eyes peeled for more episodes to come in the future!