Spook Out! Day 19 ~ The Invisible Man (2020)

IMDb Says...

"When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see."

I Say...
I listened to part of a podcast where one of the hosts complained that the movie was about a battered woman, not the invisible man, and to some extent he's got a point--I agree that this movie's more "about" her than it is "about" him. But, to paraphrase one of his co-hosts (a woman), the invisible man made himself felt in every frame of this movie--and I agree with her as well. Anyway, it's a reimagining, not a remake, of the 1933 film by Universal Pictures.

Horror Type...
Psychological Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Main Players...

Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass (She Gets Knocked Down but BOY, Does She Get Back Up Again!)

Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Adrian Griffin (The Titular Prick-Weasel)

Aldis Hodge as James Lanier (Hunky AF SFPD Detective)

I liked...

• Elisabeth Moss' award-meriting work. DANG, GIRL!!!!! We're not shown what her character's boyfriend did to make her drug him so she could leave him in the dead of night, but she conveys PTSD so successfully that we don't need to see the abuse to believe it was brutal
• how the movie starts with off-the-charts tension and doesn't let up till...well, it just doesn't let up!
• that, though there's not really a lot of humor in this, there's one memorable line that made me bark a laugh, for which I was grateful
• how cleverly Cecilia went about proving the improbable, even during moments of great duress
• that they don't try to make a romance happen btw a woman recovering from an abusive relationship and the fella whose home's currently serving as her safehouse. They're good friends, and nothing else--well done!
• Aldis Hodge's arms--they should *totally* get their own credits...

The Meh...
This sucker's, like, two hours long and--with respect--though there was tension throughout, after Cecilia left Adrian at the start of the movie, it kind of dragged for about an hour...till a *very* memorable restaurant scene (gave me chills!), after which the paced picked up and spanked along till the end. Still, that first hour!

Would I recommend it...?

It's a great thriller (after that first hour!) with a satisfying ending, but probably extremely triggering for anyone who's been stalked and/or in an abusive relationship. There are a few bloody bits, but they're quick. 

Miscellany...

...but did I mention Aldis Hodge's arms???

Ratings...

My Grade: B+ (the + is for Aldis Hodge's arms)

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=91%, Audience Score=88%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched The Invisible Man on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 19 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 7 ~ Color Out of Space (2019)

Shudder Says...
"After a meteorite lands in their front yard, Nathan Gardner and his family find themselves battling an extraterrestrial organism as it infects their minds and bodies, and turns their lives into a living nightmare."

I Say...
Shudder nailed it.

Horror Type...
Cosmic Horror, Sci-Fi

Main Players...

Nicolas Cage as Nathan (Daddy with Issues)

Joely Richardson as Theresa (Mommy with Issues)

Madeleine Arthur as Lavinia Gardner (Extremely Annoying Teen)

I liked...

• Tommy Chong's supporting role as a...can you guess? Yes, that's right--a stoner! (Quelle surprise...)
• the creative insults Benny hurls at his sister Lavinia (who deserves them a thousand percent)
• the surveyor, Ward Phillips, who's a smart young man
• the use of colored lights throughout the film, to convey the otherworldly
• that Lavinia owns a book called Necronomicon (which is a little nod to H.P. Lovecraft, whose short story, The Colour out of Space, is the basis for this film)

The Meh...

• I found some of the main characters incredibly unlikeable (the parents, the daughter)--and that's before the color out of space crashed onto their property. They only grow exponentially worse.
• also from the jump, I felt like Cage and Richardson had bad chemistry together. I appreciate that, as a family, their characters have been through quite a bit within the past year or so, but still. They were just majorly off-putting, as a couple.
• at the 25 minute mark I felt like something was off about the movie itself, and at 33 minutes started losing interest. I'm amazed that a movie with so much of the fantastically weird in it could be so...well, boring. Also, at nearly two hours, it's WAY TOO FRIGGING LONG.
• again, I know that the meteor (and whatever came with it) negatively impacted the family's behavior, BUT the parents had gone to a hospital and been away a while, then returned home to find their pain-in-the-ass kids in a state of panic. But in stereotypical horror-movie-parent-fashion, they completely ignored them. My dudes, the spawn of my very own loins drove me crazy all through his middle and high school years, but if he ever approached me in any kind of distress, you'd best believe I gave him my full attention and did my best to help him.
• Nick Cage, man. I heart him, I really do. I've seen his gonzo rants in other flicks and quite enjoyed them. Here, not so much (OK, the one tantrum in the car I liked)

Would I recommend it...?

...not really. Not if you're sober. I bet I'd have enjoyed it a heck of a lot more if I were under the influence of something Tommy Chong might have tucked up in his beard. Frankly, I'm baffled that this movie's done so well with critics and audiences. Baffled! Instead, I'd point you toward a different Nick Cage horror movie, in which parents are also complete dicks dangers to their kids, that is better written, faster paced, and in general, far superior: Mom and Dad (which did not fare so well with critics/audiences, bc apparently up is down, day is night, and who tf knows why ::exasperated shrugs::).

Miscellany...

After seeing this movie, I felt compelled to re-read the original Lovecraft tale, as it'd been a while--and I have to say, the source material so outclasses this script, it's depressing what was done in its name. I enjoy movie adaptations, just as I enjoy song covers (the wackier, the better, so long as they've got a good beat and I can dance to 'em), and I don't need them to match the OG works completely. But I feel like this particular story should've been kept in its era and told more faithfully--and Cage, bless him, should've been directed to be more watchful (as the dad in the short story was) and less bombastic.

Ratings...

My Grade: C

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=86%, Audience Score=82%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched Color Out of Space on Shudder (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 7 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 15 ~ I Still See You (2018)

Amazon Says...
"Several after years after a cataclysmic event, Ronnie's suburban world has mostly returned to normal, except that the world is shared with ghosts, and one of them appears to be trying to kill her."

I Say...
^Yeah, that's about right!

Horror Type...
Sci-Fi, Thriller, Supernatural

Main Players...
Bella Thorne as Veronica "Ronnie" Calder (Gen Z Lydia Deetz)
Richard Harmon as Kirk Lane (Spook-Researching Ally)
Dermot Mulroney as August Bittner (Cool Teacher)

I liked...

• the really interesting, unique ideas developed here
• how cleverly the "rules" of this world were conveyed to the audience
• the crazysauce of folks adjusting to seeing "spectral remnants" on the regular
• how well the post-apocalyptic dreariness played out (although "post apocalyptic" seems to apply to one city only, and not the world)
• that Ronnie's a smart gal and works to piece things together, wisely seeking help instead of trying to go it alone

The Meh...

• There's a missed dramatic opportunity of "telling not showing" toward the end which cheats Kirk and the audience
• I really liked this but I can't say I found it compelling. Maybe the first two-thirds of the movie felt like an exercise in mood-setting and discovery (which makes sense), but any sense of urgency only kicked in during the third act (as there was a literal deadline). There are definitely some good scares here, and the creep factor is strong, but I just feel like there could've been a little more...intensity. Or cowbell.

Would I recommend it...?

Sure! It was a fun little spook-fest with a satisfying ending, great for a bit of Halloween viewing.

Miscellany...

The title's somewhat misleading; "I Still See You" seems like it'd better fit a slasher-movie. Also, it's disappointing to me that a film with some really good, original thoughts didn't do better with critics.

Ratings...

My Grade: B+
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=8%, Audience Scores=50%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched I Still See You on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other host sites)

I Still See You's IMDb Page

I Still See You's Wikipedia Page (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes day 15 of

Blog Tour: "A Silent Soliloquy" by L.G. Keltner!

It's out, folks, it's out, it's out, IT'S OUT!!!

***Ahem***

My bloggy pal's Sci-Fi book is out and here's L.G. now to tell y'all about it!

*     *     *

Title: A Silent Soliloquy
Author: L.G. Keltner
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian
Length: 28,000 words
Cover Art: Devross
Release Date: July 6th, 2015

First of all, I’d like to thank Mina for being so awesome and letting me stop by today!  I’m here to promote my newly published novella A Silent Soliloquy, and what better way to do that than with a short excerpt?

*     *     *

“Hey, Tips,” David says softly as he slides into place on the bench beside us.  His shoulder bumps ours, and I savor that innocent moment of contact.  I try to imagine that, in this moment, I am merely a girl who’s meeting with a boy.  No hidden agendas attached.

The fantasy is quickly ruined when he leans in to kiss me.

I can’t help but note the flavor of the lip balm that’s been liberally applied.  Cherry.  An extremely artificial, almost medicinal, cherry flavor.  I know that ours isn’t any better.  The grape flavor is just as medicinal, just as artificial.  It’s a constant reminder of the utility of the kiss that I’m expected to perform.

Though, I must admit, if I ignore the odd taste, the other aspects of the kiss are kind of nice.  His lips are soft, and his body emits a surprising amount of warmth considering his size.  I’m glad when our hands move to rest on his shoulders, increasing the amount of physical contact between us.  It feels grounding, so even though I can’t fully ignore the reason why we’re kissing him, I can momentarily push the knowledge from the forefront of my thoughts.

*     *     *

TIPPIE was created to be a weapon...

By all appearances, she's an ordinary girl of 18, and she uses that to her advantage in her work for The Facility.  What no one sees is that there's another girl buried deep inside.  She can't speak or control the movements of the body she inhabits.  As TIPPIE's silent passenger, she can only observe.  She uses the details she learns from TIPPIE's work to reconstruct the stories of other people's lives.  It helps her feel a little more connected to the world she can only watch.

When TIPPIE's work leads her to David, a young man with a haunted past and information that The Facility wants, TIPPIE uses her skills to earn his trust.  The silent girl beneath the surface knows that TIPPIE is only going to hurt him, but she can't help but feel for him.  Those feelings only grow, but she knows all too well that TIPPIE's work will soon come to an end.

About the Author
L.G. Keltner spends most of her time trying to write while also cleaning up after her crazy but wonderful kids and hanging out with her husband.  Her favorite genre of all time is science fiction, and she’s been trying to write novels since the age of six.  Needless to say, those earliest attempts weren’t all that good. 

Her non-writing hobbies include astronomy and playing Trivial Pursuit.

You can typically find L.G. lurking around her blog, on Twitter, or on her Facebook page.

You can purchase a copy of A Silent Soliloquy at one of the following retailers:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

You can also add it on Goodreads.

Cover Reveal ~ L.G. Keltner's "A Silent Soliloquy"

It is my distinct and genuine pleasure to pimp out reveal unto y'all the cover for fellow blogger and writer L.G. Keltner's debut, A Silent Soliloquy. Over the past few years I've truly enjoyed reading her flash fiction and can recommend her work with all my heart. Check it out!

About "A Silent Soliloquy"

TIPPIE was created to be a weapon.  By all appearances, she's an ordinary girl of 18, and she uses that to her advantage in her work for The Facility.  What no one sees is that there's another girl buried deep inside.  She can't speak or control the movements of the body she inhabits.  As TIPPIE's silent passenger, she can only observe.  She uses the details she learns from TIPPIE's work to reconstruct the stories of other people's lives.  It helps her feel a little more connected to the world she can only watch.

When TIPPIE's work leads her to David, a young man with a haunted past and information that The Facility wants, TIPPIE uses her skills to earn his trust.  The silent girl beneath the surface knows that TIPPIE is only going to hurt him, but she can't help but feel for him.  Those feelings only grow, but she knows all too well that TIPPIE's work will soon come to an end.

About the Author

L.G. Keltner spends most of her time trying to write while also cleaning up after her crazy but wonderful kids and hanging out with her husband.  Her favorite genre of all time is science fiction, and she’s been trying to write novels since the age of six.  Needless to say, those earliest attempts weren’t all that good. 

Her non-writing hobbies include astronomy and playing Trivial Pursuit.

You can typically find L.G. lurking around her blog, on Twitter, or on her Facebook page.

Pre-Order "A Silent Soliloquy"
Amazon US
Amazon UK