Sleepin_Dragon

After years of telling his kids that they'd end up like their sister Heather, buried in the garden, questions start to arise about the whereabouts of the young woman. The police make a shocking discovery, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

I've put off watching it simply because I find the whole grisly story to be a difficult watch. It's decent, but bizarrely underwhelming as a first episode. I didn't come away feeling as though I'd seen anything new; it's all been said and seen before.

It's a harrowing story. The man was just evil, plain and simple; no ifs or buts. His crimes were cruel and sadistic. I wanted to learn more about him, but I don't feel that I did. I thought it would have gone into his past, who he was, his upbringing, what drove him to this etc., but it didn't.

You'll see some fascinating interviews. You'll hear a lot from Fred; as you'd expect, the whole episode is about him. You'll come away impressed with the brilliant Hazel Savage, the detective who tied West up in knots.

Decent, but there's nothing new here.

6/10.

After making it big in the city, twins Smoke and Stack return to their hometown to start over, using their newfound wealth to start a new business venture. Unfortunately, their town is about to change, as a malign force has invaded it.

I've first got to say how pleased I am that the wonderful Wunmi Mosaku is getting roles like this; for my money, she's the best of British-what a talented actress!

Michael B. Jordan does a damn good job; I thought he was terrific-talk about a charismatic actor! Miles Caton brought his character to life, terrific. Some great supporting cast performances.

This film takes you on quite a journey, as far from a straight-up horror as you could imagine; it's a historical musical with a vampire story that eventually comes. I loved the variety of it, and that it takes you to some very unexpected places.

Some wonderful visuals, excellent special effects, terrific scenery, and that music was a real highlight!

The music scene came out of nowhere-talk about surreal; it worked! Pacing could be an issue for some, as it takes an age to get into the horror part, but the historical angle is absorbing; it really held my interest.

8/10.

Raymond Garraty joins a national competition called The Long Walk. The country is in financial trouble, and to be the last man standing is essentially a lottery win; however, there can only be one winner.

I read this book many years ago and was excited to see it made for the big screen; talk about long overdue! I finished re-reading it ahead of seeing the film, and the one thing you'll notice is that they've made a lot of changes, especially to Garraty, which they didn't need to because the story is good enough already.

I wasn't sure how it would translate to the big screen, but it worked very well. They managed to make the story interesting, dramatic, and added some touches of horror. The characters become more meaningful the further into the movie you get; the first few are essentially stormtroopers.

It doesn't hold back from the graphic moments; they're there to shock you, but they feel perfectly reasonable and meaningful.

I thought Mark Hamill was excellent as the Major-suitably menacing and humourless. Good performances all round.

It made me feel uncomfortable, it certainly made me feel exhausted in my comfortable chair, so for that, I'd suggest it's an effective movie. How good to see some of King's early works finding a new audience.

7/10.