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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
It is hard to believe that it has been fifteen years since audiences were introduced to Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) in “XXX”. Ice Cube continued the series with “XXX: State of the Union” in 2005 but since then the series has been dormant with the occasional rumor of a new film arising.
The new film follows the long assumed deceased Xander Cage returning to action in the XXX program when a group of highly skilled operatives attack a meeting and steal a device known as Pandora’s Box which allows the users unlimited access to personal data and satellite control such as being able to use thousands of orbiting devices as weapons of terror by crashing them into cities the world over.
In a race against time, Cage must assemble a team of operatives and discover the location of the device and obtain it at any cost.
Things become more complicated as the investigation unfolds and Cage and his crew soon find themselves battling enemies from multiple sides which results in several over the top action sequences and stunts which have been a staple of the series.
The supporting cast is very strong especially Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa as well as the sadly underused Samuel L. Jackson.
The biggest issue with the film is that it takes insane liberties with the plot even by action film standards and seem little more than a device to get the cast into one action scene after another without any thought to logic or coherency. Even by action film standards it is all over the place and takes some great leaps of logic. The dialogue is often groan inducing at Diesel seems to be at times walking through his performance until he is required to do something of a physical nature.
The action is the saving grace of the film as the cast makes their action scenes a ballet of chaos as they nimbly smash, shoot, and destroy everything in their path which is essentially what fans of the series want in the end.
It has been reported that a new film in the series is already planned by the studio which would be a welcome adventure as it would be nice to see this crew back in action. My only wish is that they are given a script that is worthy of the assembled talent.
http://sknr.net/2017/01/20/xxx-return-xander-cage/
The new film follows the long assumed deceased Xander Cage returning to action in the XXX program when a group of highly skilled operatives attack a meeting and steal a device known as Pandora’s Box which allows the users unlimited access to personal data and satellite control such as being able to use thousands of orbiting devices as weapons of terror by crashing them into cities the world over.
In a race against time, Cage must assemble a team of operatives and discover the location of the device and obtain it at any cost.
Things become more complicated as the investigation unfolds and Cage and his crew soon find themselves battling enemies from multiple sides which results in several over the top action sequences and stunts which have been a staple of the series.
The supporting cast is very strong especially Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa as well as the sadly underused Samuel L. Jackson.
The biggest issue with the film is that it takes insane liberties with the plot even by action film standards and seem little more than a device to get the cast into one action scene after another without any thought to logic or coherency. Even by action film standards it is all over the place and takes some great leaps of logic. The dialogue is often groan inducing at Diesel seems to be at times walking through his performance until he is required to do something of a physical nature.
The action is the saving grace of the film as the cast makes their action scenes a ballet of chaos as they nimbly smash, shoot, and destroy everything in their path which is essentially what fans of the series want in the end.
It has been reported that a new film in the series is already planned by the studio which would be a welcome adventure as it would be nice to see this crew back in action. My only wish is that they are given a script that is worthy of the assembled talent.
http://sknr.net/2017/01/20/xxx-return-xander-cage/
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Resurrection of an Empire (The Magic Within #2) in Books
Jun 7, 2023
Resurrection of an Empire starts pretty much where Bound to Survive finished. We meet up with Henry, Clarence, Christopher and Elle as they try to reawaken and revitalise the Keep, making it a home for people again. It actually starts with a prologue that will immediately have your heart jumping, but you will have to carry on reading to find out what is happening!
With thrills, spills, action, adventure, evil, love, dying, and hope, there is something in here for all fantasy lovers. Hang on for a thrilling ride as Ms Gibbs puts you through your paces in a fast but smooth adventure fantasy read.
This is part of a series, so I would definitely recommend reading Bound to Survive first. Also, you can get Beginnings, a free prequel novella from her website, or by clicking http://sharongibbsauthor.com/book/beg...
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 29, 2016
With thrills, spills, action, adventure, evil, love, dying, and hope, there is something in here for all fantasy lovers. Hang on for a thrilling ride as Ms Gibbs puts you through your paces in a fast but smooth adventure fantasy read.
This is part of a series, so I would definitely recommend reading Bound to Survive first. Also, you can get Beginnings, a free prequel novella from her website, or by clicking http://sharongibbsauthor.com/book/beg...
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 29, 2016
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Lone Ranger (2013) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: The Lone Ranger starts with Tonto (Depp) telling the story of how he met the Lone Ranger John Reid (Hammer) the district attorney of Texas, we see how Butch Cavendish (Fichtner) killed John only for Tonto to bring him back from the dead to get their vengeance on the outlaws.
The journey takes the two men across the wild west to expose the truth behind everything that has been going on between the outlaws and the native Americans.
Thoughts on The Lone Ranger
Characters – John Reid is a district attorney in Texas, living in the shadow of his brother, but this time he gets to go on an adventure with his brother only to be murdered and bought back to life by Tonto. He must work with Tonto to get the people behind his brother’s death. Tonto is the native American that shows John the way as his own past makes him the colourful character that does things in his own direction. Butch Cavendish is the villainous outlaw not afraid to kill anyone who gets in the way of what he desires.
Performances – Armie Hammer in this leading role is good through the film, he must play the straight-laced character and pulls this off. Johnny Depp is going on one of his stranger character missions again here and at times is fine, but at others gets annoying. William Fichtner as a villain is something we always want to see.
Story – The story follows the origin of The Lone Ranger and Tonto as they faced their first enemy together in the wild west. The story plays out nicely just how you would imagine any Disney related material to, as an unlikely hero is born, even if it does follow elements of the Pirates beginning. This does have an adventure across the west feel which is nice to see and the twists and turns do seem to be easy to see unfolding, with a villain that knows the danger the two heroes pose to him.
Action/Adventure/Western – The action sequences do come off feeling like the highlight of the movie, with an amazing opening train sequence. The adventure side of the film is written all over the idea of going across the wild west to stop the villainous characters. The western feel comes through strong too, while not the most serious we do see both sides of the law.
Settings – The settings take us all over the wild west fitting into nearly ever typical location we know about.
Special Effects – The effects are good too in the film while only being used to cover up certain moments of the film.
Scene of the Movie – Ladder trick.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is too long.
Final Thoughts – This is a lot of fun even if it is too long in places, the cast do a good job and this one will be a film that you can switch off and enjoy.
Overall: Enjoyable action adventure.
The journey takes the two men across the wild west to expose the truth behind everything that has been going on between the outlaws and the native Americans.
Thoughts on The Lone Ranger
Characters – John Reid is a district attorney in Texas, living in the shadow of his brother, but this time he gets to go on an adventure with his brother only to be murdered and bought back to life by Tonto. He must work with Tonto to get the people behind his brother’s death. Tonto is the native American that shows John the way as his own past makes him the colourful character that does things in his own direction. Butch Cavendish is the villainous outlaw not afraid to kill anyone who gets in the way of what he desires.
Performances – Armie Hammer in this leading role is good through the film, he must play the straight-laced character and pulls this off. Johnny Depp is going on one of his stranger character missions again here and at times is fine, but at others gets annoying. William Fichtner as a villain is something we always want to see.
Story – The story follows the origin of The Lone Ranger and Tonto as they faced their first enemy together in the wild west. The story plays out nicely just how you would imagine any Disney related material to, as an unlikely hero is born, even if it does follow elements of the Pirates beginning. This does have an adventure across the west feel which is nice to see and the twists and turns do seem to be easy to see unfolding, with a villain that knows the danger the two heroes pose to him.
Action/Adventure/Western – The action sequences do come off feeling like the highlight of the movie, with an amazing opening train sequence. The adventure side of the film is written all over the idea of going across the wild west to stop the villainous characters. The western feel comes through strong too, while not the most serious we do see both sides of the law.
Settings – The settings take us all over the wild west fitting into nearly ever typical location we know about.
Special Effects – The effects are good too in the film while only being used to cover up certain moments of the film.
Scene of the Movie – Ladder trick.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is too long.
Final Thoughts – This is a lot of fun even if it is too long in places, the cast do a good job and this one will be a film that you can switch off and enjoy.
Overall: Enjoyable action adventure.
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Twisted Sisters (The Orion Circle #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
The second book in the Orion Circle series is just as action-packed as the first book. I will admit to the beginning taking me by surprise but I loved how it was written, with the characters of Kacie and Logan being immediately recognisable and flowing to the forefront of my mind, even though it is a while since I have read the first book in this series, Tortured Souls.
This story is layered with intricate twists and turns as Logan and Kacie have to deal with a number of different things, and the opponents they're facing are very good at finding out their secret fears. Although the timing of this book is over a short period, it never seemed rushed or hurried. Each scene was well-written and time given to each action and character, so that you understand just what is going on. With excellent teamwork by the Orion Circle as a whole (although the Pastor did annoy me at the end!), action, adventure and a touch of romance, this is one story that I didn't want to end.
Absolutely recommended and I can't wait for more!
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This story is layered with intricate twists and turns as Logan and Kacie have to deal with a number of different things, and the opponents they're facing are very good at finding out their secret fears. Although the timing of this book is over a short period, it never seemed rushed or hurried. Each scene was well-written and time given to each action and character, so that you understand just what is going on. With excellent teamwork by the Orion Circle as a whole (although the Pastor did annoy me at the end!), action, adventure and a touch of romance, this is one story that I didn't want to end.
Absolutely recommended and I can't wait for more!
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated A New Death in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I picked up [A New Death] by [Josh Vasquez] from the E. Shaver bookstore in historic Savannah. The fact that is was a local author and zombies appealed to me. I was not disappointed. As a resident of Savannah I can tell you the [Vasquez] makes the setting very real. I have think of the book each time I walk into my local grocery store knowing that is where the zombies first attack the main character.
As for the characters, they are very much like real people. That makes the story even more compelling since you can develop an attachment to them. If you like action, adventure, and/or zombies, this is a must read.
As for the characters, they are very much like real people. That makes the story even more compelling since you can develop an attachment to them. If you like action, adventure, and/or zombies, this is a must read.
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Mortal Engines (2018) in Movies
Feb 20, 2019
Surprising
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The acting was good with interesting characters. The cinematography, imagery, effects were all very well done. The story unfolded ok but had a lot of very predictable parts. This was a "Steam Punk" future world with a lot of cool stuff in it but had just a bit of a "Star Wars-esque" feel to it. Not in a bad way, though. But the story, simplified, was that someone opened Pandora's box and the heroes had to shut it down. Anyway, if you enjoy a good sci-fi/action/adventure tale with just a smidge of love story thrown in, you'll really enjoy this movie. Worth a watch!
The Craggus (360 KP) rated Avengers: Endgame (2019) in Movies
Apr 26, 2019
It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for. Avengers: Endgame (2019) Review
“Avengers: Endgame” does everything it needed to do, and then some. It does some of the things you expected it to do, but perhaps not in quite the way you expected. You may be expecting an action-packed adventure across time and space as the heroes desperately seek redemption after their first real defeat but what you may not be expecting is how much of a character-driven victory lap the Russos and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have managed to weave organically into the story to propel us to the MCU’s most potent and emotive finale to date...
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusEndgame
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusEndgame
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Last Samurai (2003) in Movies
Feb 12, 2018
Troubled Civil War veteran Tom Cruise goes off to Japan to train their new modern-style army just after the Meiji restoration; winds up being allowed to become a samurai despite not quite meeting the minimum height requirement.
Clearly wants to be a lavish Dances With Wolves-style epic drama; works well enough as a historical adventure with some well-staged action sequences, but not quite as moving or powerful as it would really like. Every Japanese person I know who's seen this movie seems to think it's supposed to be a hilarious deadpan comedy. Someone should tell Cruise it's bad manners to organise a kamikaze charge and not die alongside everyone else.
Clearly wants to be a lavish Dances With Wolves-style epic drama; works well enough as a historical adventure with some well-staged action sequences, but not quite as moving or powerful as it would really like. Every Japanese person I know who's seen this movie seems to think it's supposed to be a hilarious deadpan comedy. Someone should tell Cruise it's bad manners to organise a kamikaze charge and not die alongside everyone else.
I have always enjoyed Peter S. Beagle's short fiction books and these definitely are worth it. Even his attempt at the steampunk genre is pretty good. Some of these stories are a little on the dark side and slightly horror, however, you also get some action and adventure. It is a great way to visit some of his established worlds like The Last Unicorn and Inn Keeper's Song as well as find something new. Worlds that treat dragon's like guard dogs for drugs and the police that find them or a world that has humans communicating with aliens via a computer. It is a great travel from High Fantasy to futuristic Sci-Fi.
Jackjack (877 KP) rated The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) in Movies
Mar 24, 2020
Oldie but a goodie
Ok lord of the rings, I haven't watched in years but seem to be working through my dvds and figured why not.
A fantasy tale of a young hobbit who's been left a ring that he must destroy in the fires of Mordor, with only the nine, sauron and orcs standing in his way, but with the help with an odd team and a long deadly travel he completes his quest. This film from the first all the way through to the hobbit battle of the five army's are full of action adventure even a bit of romance. Definitely worth the watch if you haven't don't so already!
A fantasy tale of a young hobbit who's been left a ring that he must destroy in the fires of Mordor, with only the nine, sauron and orcs standing in his way, but with the help with an odd team and a long deadly travel he completes his quest. This film from the first all the way through to the hobbit battle of the five army's are full of action adventure even a bit of romance. Definitely worth the watch if you haven't don't so already!