Behind Closed Doors

I saw this on sale, and was interested. It's a book about someone who grew up (and left) the Exclusive Brethren, the NZ branch.

This follows Ngaire Thomas, who was born into the EB, and had a rather reasonable childhood (in so far as an exclusivity based community has). As she became a young woman, she conflicted more with EB priests and their guidelines (they aren't rules). She even married an EB man because she was part of that lifestyle, but still tried to have her own life. Until she (and family) was evicted and she had to start anew in the outside.

While I'm sure the EB would deny any and all charges, they do come across a lot better than they could have been portrayed. This is a story I've come across before, a very insular community, run basically as a cult of personality, while a woman tries to be herself.

From this, it sounds like the EB is imploding. Bon voyage, is all I can say.

[END]

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A Nightmare on 7th Street

Is this a sequel? A reboot? All of these and neither!

In the world of the world that made Freddy movies, we catch up with the actors from the first movie who have moved on, although are constantly reminded of their horror past. In particular, we follow Heather Langenkamp and her family. There is news that a few movie is in the works, with her involved, and at the same time a stalker is after her pretending to be Freddy. Or is it only pretense? And then quickly we have Freddy is real and after the kid and it’s all a big fight in the dreams.

Aside from the ending, this is what Wes Craven wanted Fred to be, more about the impact Fred has on people rather than just cool dream death sequences, so that part works really well. It’s a creeping atmosphere, and we get the breakdown of Heather to mirror what she did in the first movie. But then the ending is a big dream battle, and given the set up previously, it’s obvious how it’s going to go, and it’s just a sense of marking time until we hit the end credits.

Heather gives a good performance, and Robert Englund nearly gets to do something interesting, but is devolved into Fred quickly. The kid isn’t that annoying, just a low level annoying that’s just on the side of acceptable.

Wes intended this to get back to the roots of his vision, and in that it works well. But then it has to fit into the Freddy series, and just goes lame.

[END]

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Assignment 4

From the worst to the best. This is a four parter, it's tight... and it's brilliant.

I presume this was a set on a studio, but it easily could have been a simple building they found somewhere. S&S is often minimal of set, and this is another one of those. Three rooms and a stairway, really. The menace is a chap who lives in photographs. Every photograph. Including your photographs. And that's a freaky premise that's amazing. The figure can be any figure, and switches between two from one shot to the next in a very casual way that demonstrates its power. And S&S are other outmatched. The figure plays with and traps them easily, and only barely get a sort of win due to someone else's intervention. (Supposedly 75 years after they would be around to trap the figure again... but now?)

Great performances. And especially so when there are moment when all you are doing is looking at a picture with voice over. Now that's simple camera work, and yet it's a tense moment. The first time with Ruth being trapped and then dying, and then later with S&S trapped... the photo is the threat, not a moment to look away bored. (Although the CGI composition of the man into the photos does leave rather a lot to be desired.)

While I do like the longer stories, this one works well as a four parter, and any longer it would repeat itself. This does what it needs and gets out. Everything together, this is easily my favourite of the series.

[END]

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Leg ends of Tom Orrow

From Arrow to Flash to... this series. Only the pilot is out so far, but it builds off the previous serieses.

The premise is that Rip Hunter comes back in time to get heroes of today to fight Vandal Savage (who killed Rip's family). And so they leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home... er wait. Anyway, we don't really have the typical episode, but the set up is to go to events in time and fight Savage. Which, to me, sounds like it's going to get boring really fast.

Which means that we'll probably also have episodes where we have various characters with their own agenda suddenly active in some time line that conveniently occurs. Because that always happens, and this production team isn't that innovative. They'll do some things that are interesting, but basically look out for various heroes and villains crop up for cameos before disappearing again, because that is how this series works.

Oh, and it's hard to see Rip as anything other than Rory.

Fine, it is just the pilot so far, so there's a chance it could develop greatness... but it's going to take a while to convince me.

[END]

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Minecraft to Infinity!

I've been playing a fair bit of Vanilla Minecraft, especially on a server. However, I've watched many a streamer play Minecraft with mods, and I want in on that too.

I started with using the Technic Launcher to play a pack that gave me Twilight Forest and EMC. I like EMC (which enables you to basically change any item for any other item), but it is a little over powered at times. However, it leaked memory like a sieve and eventually it just locked up and if I wanted to play again I'll probably need to delete the world... or reinstall the program. Can't be bothered.

I also tried the AT Launcher as there were a few packs on there. One I tried, Mad Pack 3, involved me dying every other minute, so that wasn't fun. And the only way I could get anywhere was by cheating. Yeah, that didn't last long.

Then a new server was set up with FTB Infinity. That's got a lot of stuff in it, and I've managed to get quite far. Botania gives a lot of great items (it's nature as tech), and of course you need to set up an ME Network to get anywhere. And now I'm quarrying, and need to think about big reactors and big power sources...

Yeah, mods are the way to go. And NEI and Walia and some kind of map should be in the base vanilla game by now.

All of which means I might not be putting as much into these posts as I could.

[END]

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Containerment

It’s another movie largely based on a single set.

A London Block Estate, when people are suddenly trapped in their own homes, electricity cut off, water cut off, and doors sealed shut. And, strangely, no-one tries to smash the glass in the windows (I’m guessing because the film makers didn’t want to pay for it?). Some neighbours gather together (by going through walls), and eventually capture one of the hazmat suited figures. It’s an unknown virus! And then it ends up being each group of people for themselves. Until eventually we reach the end of the movie where… the movie ends.

This doesn’t go anywhere that hasn’t already been done better by other movies (Night of the Living Dead, take a bow.) The moral is… there isn’t one really. But at least we have performances, including… people in front of the camera.

This feels more like ‘hey, I want to do my take on a movie’ rather than something with something to say. And it shows.

[END]

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Hat Full of Ate

It's a three hour movie, and my bladder couldn't take it. On the other hand, it's a Quentin Tarantino movie, so I didn't miss anything.

A group of people (about eight) slowly gather at an outpost and are stuck together as the snow traps them. However, they aren't nice people, so slowly they have to put up with each other, and often fail to do so. There is a lot of characterisation, although little plot, and a lot of people die.

There is a whole lot of talking, with odd moments of action. However, it is largely captivating, aside from a few repeated scenes (the door for example) which I'm sure came across as a knee-slapper on paper but just takes up time on screen.

There are big names in this, but they are all good so I won't pick up specific people (other than the obligatory shout out to New Zealander Zoe Bell!). Nicely done sets too, and good composition of shots.

If you can take the run time, it's worth a sit through.

[END]

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