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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The 5th wave (2016) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Films about invaders from space have been a staple of film and television since the golden age of cinema. Playing on many Cold War fears in the aftermath of W.W.II, aliens bent on destruction has been an enduring staple of cinematic culture.
In the new film “The 5th Wave” which is based on the book of the same name, Chloe Grace Moretz plays Cassie, a teen who has her entire life turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious craft. A few days after the arrival of “the Others” as they are known, a pulse wipes out all electronics on the planet. This is soon followed by tsunamis and earthquakes as well as disease and death.
Cassie along with her father and brother find shelter but their community is soon disrupted by the arrival of the military who say that the invaders are now amongst them and posing as humans.
The military under the leadership of Colonel Vosch (Liev Schreiber) has a plan to train the children to spot and defeat the alien invaders thus setting in motion the main conflict of the film. The secondary story consists of Cassie attempting to reunite with her family and her relationship with a mysterious stranger named Evan (Alex Roe).
The film is clearly aimed at a young adult market and as such I was able to spot the big twist in the film a long ways off as the clues were blatantly obvious to me. That being said, the film is better than you might expect and being the first chapter in a trilogy of books does set up the possibilities of sequels.
The dialogue and acting is pretty groan inducing at times, but again, remember the target audience, the film should entertain and it is nice to see Moretz deliver a solid performance in what in many ways could have been a limited role.
While it is not going to make you forget “The Hunger Games” anytime soon, the film is still a decent escape for those willing to overlook the flaws.
http://sknr.net/2016/01/22/the-5th-wave/
In the new film “The 5th Wave” which is based on the book of the same name, Chloe Grace Moretz plays Cassie, a teen who has her entire life turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious craft. A few days after the arrival of “the Others” as they are known, a pulse wipes out all electronics on the planet. This is soon followed by tsunamis and earthquakes as well as disease and death.
Cassie along with her father and brother find shelter but their community is soon disrupted by the arrival of the military who say that the invaders are now amongst them and posing as humans.
The military under the leadership of Colonel Vosch (Liev Schreiber) has a plan to train the children to spot and defeat the alien invaders thus setting in motion the main conflict of the film. The secondary story consists of Cassie attempting to reunite with her family and her relationship with a mysterious stranger named Evan (Alex Roe).
The film is clearly aimed at a young adult market and as such I was able to spot the big twist in the film a long ways off as the clues were blatantly obvious to me. That being said, the film is better than you might expect and being the first chapter in a trilogy of books does set up the possibilities of sequels.
The dialogue and acting is pretty groan inducing at times, but again, remember the target audience, the film should entertain and it is nice to see Moretz deliver a solid performance in what in many ways could have been a limited role.
While it is not going to make you forget “The Hunger Games” anytime soon, the film is still a decent escape for those willing to overlook the flaws.
http://sknr.net/2016/01/22/the-5th-wave/
James P. Sumner (65 KP) rated Men in Black International (2019) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Not quite a noisy cricket.
I saw this film with an open mind, figuring (as is sadly the case more and more nowadays) I had seen the best parts of the movie in the trailers. I had seen other reviews which had been overwhelmingly negative. I wasn't expecting much, but it was two hours away from the world, so what the hell.
Definitely not the best film I've ever seen, but surprisingly far from the worst.
The plot is simple enough - there's a mole within MiB that's trying to start a war between a long-forgotten enemy and another race of aliens, which will ultimately endanger the earth. Nothing we haven't seen before.
But it's actually pretty good fun. The chemistry between the two leads (Thor and Valkyrie!) is a joy to watch, and if nothing else, this movie serves to reiterate what we first found out in the "Ghostbusters" remake - Chris Hemsworth is hilarious! His comedic timing is brilliant, and he's a genuinely funny guy which shines in the right role (see "Thor: Ragnarok").
Sadly, I guessed the *big twist* from watching the trailers. Figured it was obvious, as we've all seen this type of film/story before. And if I could figure it out, most other people probably can, too. As the film entered its third act, I found myself hoping my prediction was wrong, just to inject a little more life into the experience, but nope... nailed it.
Whilst there are subtle nods to the original films, they aren't required viewing ahead of watching this. A cross between a sequel and a reboot, it stands well on its own merits.
I think with a film like this, you're never going to get an "Avatar" or a "Shawshank Redemption" experience. Not that this is bad, per se, but because the level of potential quality will always be limited by its content and genre. Same way an "Expendables" movie would never win an Oscar. I think they're brilliant, but they are what they are and nothing more. Same here. It's not a bad film. It's not a great film. It's just a film. Would I have paid to see it in hindsight? Perhaps not. But definitely catch it when it's on Netflix.
Definitely not the best film I've ever seen, but surprisingly far from the worst.
The plot is simple enough - there's a mole within MiB that's trying to start a war between a long-forgotten enemy and another race of aliens, which will ultimately endanger the earth. Nothing we haven't seen before.
But it's actually pretty good fun. The chemistry between the two leads (Thor and Valkyrie!) is a joy to watch, and if nothing else, this movie serves to reiterate what we first found out in the "Ghostbusters" remake - Chris Hemsworth is hilarious! His comedic timing is brilliant, and he's a genuinely funny guy which shines in the right role (see "Thor: Ragnarok").
Sadly, I guessed the *big twist* from watching the trailers. Figured it was obvious, as we've all seen this type of film/story before. And if I could figure it out, most other people probably can, too. As the film entered its third act, I found myself hoping my prediction was wrong, just to inject a little more life into the experience, but nope... nailed it.
Whilst there are subtle nods to the original films, they aren't required viewing ahead of watching this. A cross between a sequel and a reboot, it stands well on its own merits.
I think with a film like this, you're never going to get an "Avatar" or a "Shawshank Redemption" experience. Not that this is bad, per se, but because the level of potential quality will always be limited by its content and genre. Same way an "Expendables" movie would never win an Oscar. I think they're brilliant, but they are what they are and nothing more. Same here. It's not a bad film. It's not a great film. It's just a film. Would I have paid to see it in hindsight? Perhaps not. But definitely catch it when it's on Netflix.
Montessori MatheMAGICs: Dynamic Division - Educational Math Game for Kids - 2nd grade
Education
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The genius and simplicity of Montessori division in a fun, intuitive and play again form. What is...
Galaxy Wars:Empire
Games, Entertainment and Stickers
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In the year 2503, humanity exhausted Earth's resources. In desperation, humanity sent their colonial...
Bit - Time Travelling Caveman
Games, Book and Stickers
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Bit is a simple caveman, living in a world of pixels. Wonderful dinosaurs and animals roam the...
The 5th Wave: Book 1
8.0
Rate It
Book
*NOW A MAJOR FILM by Sony Pictures, starring Chloe Grace Moretz* 'Wildly entertaining ...I couldn't...
The Science of Discworld
Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen
8.5
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This is the fantastic first book in the Sunday Times bestselling Science of Discworld series. When a...
World War I and the Origins of U.S. Military Intelligence
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In World War I and the Origins of U.S. Military Intelligence, military historian James L. Gilbert...
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated A Quiet Place: Part II (2021) in Movies
Jun 16, 2021
Shh!
Initially, when I saw A Quiet Place 2 for review, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did because of how disappointing I found the first movie. However, sometimes I am very glad to be proven wrong and this is one of those times.
A Quiet Place 2 does what all good sequels should do, in that it builds upon the foundation laid down by the first movie, whilst upping the stakes and increasing the intensity felt by the audience when watching the film. A parallel that I can't help but draw a comparison to is the change in tone between Alien and its more action-based sequel Aliens.
If the first Quiet Place movie strives to capture the suspense and slow burn slasher-inspired horror of Ridley Scott's Alien, then A Quiet Place 2 nails the faster, more ferocious tone of James Cameron's Alien's. Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know, but the difference in tone is evident from very early on in John Krasinski's sequel.
While the film does star John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as their characters from the first film, Cillian Murphy's Emmett and Millicent Simmonds' Regan are arguably the main characters of the sequel. Whilst Krasinski appears as Lee via flashback, (SPOILER, because he died pretty unceremoniously in the first movie,) and Blunt features as Evelyn in what is pretty much a glorified side-quest, they definitely aren't the main characters in part 2.
The choice to focus on two different characters in the sequel is a welcome one as it help the film feel more fresh and when you have stellar performances from Murphy and Simmonds to wrap your movie around, that also helps. I really felt that Millicent Simmonds upped her game greatly from the first movie and although CIllian Murphy's character was added for the sequel, he is a good enough actor to fit naturally into the plot without feeling shoehorned in.
You can read the rest of my review right here:
https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/review-a-quiet-place-2/
A Quiet Place 2 does what all good sequels should do, in that it builds upon the foundation laid down by the first movie, whilst upping the stakes and increasing the intensity felt by the audience when watching the film. A parallel that I can't help but draw a comparison to is the change in tone between Alien and its more action-based sequel Aliens.
If the first Quiet Place movie strives to capture the suspense and slow burn slasher-inspired horror of Ridley Scott's Alien, then A Quiet Place 2 nails the faster, more ferocious tone of James Cameron's Alien's. Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know, but the difference in tone is evident from very early on in John Krasinski's sequel.
While the film does star John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as their characters from the first film, Cillian Murphy's Emmett and Millicent Simmonds' Regan are arguably the main characters of the sequel. Whilst Krasinski appears as Lee via flashback, (SPOILER, because he died pretty unceremoniously in the first movie,) and Blunt features as Evelyn in what is pretty much a glorified side-quest, they definitely aren't the main characters in part 2.
The choice to focus on two different characters in the sequel is a welcome one as it help the film feel more fresh and when you have stellar performances from Murphy and Simmonds to wrap your movie around, that also helps. I really felt that Millicent Simmonds upped her game greatly from the first movie and although CIllian Murphy's character was added for the sequel, he is a good enough actor to fit naturally into the plot without feeling shoehorned in.
You can read the rest of my review right here:
https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/review-a-quiet-place-2/
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The 5th Wave: Book 1 in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This is the first book in the series. A teenage Cassie was living a normal life with her mom, dad and her little brother Sammy until the alien spaceship showed up above Earth. The waves start hitting the Earth and Cassie’s life turns upside down. She gets separated from her little brother Sammy and makes him a promise that she will find him. Along the way to find Sammy she meets this perfect man, Evan Walker but is he really so perfect, or is he hiding something? Will Cassie find Sammy? What else she will find along the way? Oh, You will have to read it to figure that out. :p
If you read “Divergent” or “Maze runner” you will definitely enjoy this book as well. The main character – Cassie is a very strong and ambitious teenager and hardly takes NO for an answer. Her main focus in this book was Sammy, which I found sometimes quite annoying. Yes, I understood that Sammy is your priority but why do you need to remind me that in every second page? :S Other characters are really strong and interesting as well. If there would be team Ben (another boy Cassie fancies) and team Evan I would definitely be in the second one. I found his character very mysterious, charming and would’ve liked to read more about things from his perspective.
The plot of this book is really catching. It is very fast-paced and has lots of action going on in there. I really enjoyed the way the book was written, giving the view of the story from different angles. One chapter talks about what Cassie is up to, another chapter tells you what’s going on in the camp. I really enjoyed that characters had their say in the book and it wasn’t just a one-way story. It is really easy to read this book, it sucks you in and keeps you in the world of aliens and doubt. To conclude, this is a great book if you are a Young Adult series fan, it is filled with action and teenage romance, surrounded with love for the family and grief.
If you read “Divergent” or “Maze runner” you will definitely enjoy this book as well. The main character – Cassie is a very strong and ambitious teenager and hardly takes NO for an answer. Her main focus in this book was Sammy, which I found sometimes quite annoying. Yes, I understood that Sammy is your priority but why do you need to remind me that in every second page? :S Other characters are really strong and interesting as well. If there would be team Ben (another boy Cassie fancies) and team Evan I would definitely be in the second one. I found his character very mysterious, charming and would’ve liked to read more about things from his perspective.
The plot of this book is really catching. It is very fast-paced and has lots of action going on in there. I really enjoyed the way the book was written, giving the view of the story from different angles. One chapter talks about what Cassie is up to, another chapter tells you what’s going on in the camp. I really enjoyed that characters had their say in the book and it wasn’t just a one-way story. It is really easy to read this book, it sucks you in and keeps you in the world of aliens and doubt. To conclude, this is a great book if you are a Young Adult series fan, it is filled with action and teenage romance, surrounded with love for the family and grief.