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Watched 2 really good ones in the past week.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Tim Burton put his own spin on the classic short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" with the surprisingly good 1999 adaptation Sleepy Hollow. In the movie adaptation, New York detective Ichabod Crane must travel to the mysterious Sleepy Hollow in order to solve a series of murders that took place there, but realizes the town's dark history and the legend of a headless horseman might be the true culprit. Sleepy Hollow is essentially a highly stylized slasher flicks. There are lots of gory decapitations set against a fittingly gothic tone, and although it's never truly heart-poundingly intense, there is a great atmosphere and some creepy imagery. Burton does make this movie a bit darker than his previous films (at the time), but there's still a bit of humor in its heart, mostly because of Johnny Depp's role as the Ichabod. Even though it deviates significantly from its source material, Sleepy Hollow is a fun, atmospheric movie.

8/10

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Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

Having become a much bigger fan of the original Maze Runner than I thought I'd ever be, I was hoping for some great things from The Scorch Trials, and boy, did it deliver. The Scorch Trials follows Thomas and co. after they have exited the Glade and eventually find themselves in an even more hostile environment, the Scorch. If the environment doesn't kill them, the Cranks will, zombie-like people who have contracted an apocalyptic virus. This movie deviates significantly from its predecessor; while The Maze Runner was an intense sci-fi mystery, The Scorch Trials is an action-packed thriller bent on making your pulse race from start to finish. It lacks the mystery of the first film, but the sequel makes up for it with the unpredictable and thrilling plot and visceral action scenes. It also packs a strong emotional punch. All the returning characters have been nicely developed while new characters bring exciting changes to series' pace and style, so when the final act goes completely insane, you'll really feel for what these characters go through. By improving almost every aspect of The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials becomes the rare sequel that is better than its predecessor, and I eagerly await the next installment.

9/10