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Awix (3310 KP) rated Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) in Movies
Jun 15, 2018
Umpty-tumpth Tarzan movie goes back to Burroughs and features most of the stuff you'd expect from this kind of thing: posh English couple cark it somewhere in Africa, leaving infant son to be raised by wild apes. He grows up, quickly learns to wear a loincloth so as not to outrage the censor, rediscovers his heritage, and so on.
Christopher Lambert is pretty good as the Lord of the Apes, though the script has to explain exactly why Tarzan has a French accent; Ralph Richardson and Ian Holm are really better in supporting roles, though. If the film has a problem it's that it's just a bit too downbeat and glum for a Tarzan movie - you can take gritty realism just a bit too far, and director Hugh Hudson seems determined to make serious angry points about the evils of imperialism, colonialism, and the British establishment. Still, it's probably preferable to most of the previous, ultra-silly Tarzan movies.
Christopher Lambert is pretty good as the Lord of the Apes, though the script has to explain exactly why Tarzan has a French accent; Ralph Richardson and Ian Holm are really better in supporting roles, though. If the film has a problem it's that it's just a bit too downbeat and glum for a Tarzan movie - you can take gritty realism just a bit too far, and director Hugh Hudson seems determined to make serious angry points about the evils of imperialism, colonialism, and the British establishment. Still, it's probably preferable to most of the previous, ultra-silly Tarzan movies.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Logan (2017) in Movies
May 29, 2018
The Wolverine film we've all been waiting for
Finally we get a decent gory, angry Wolverine and for once a dark, violent character being stuck with a child doesn't make him more mild, it made her more ... violent.
The film sees Logan caring for Charles Xavier struggling with dementia and catastrophic seizures, driving a limousine to make ends meet in a world where mutants are outlawed. He ends up journeying across America with young Mexican mutant Laura, whose powers match Wolverine's. While the plot is not particularly new or complex, it is good enough to carry the action.
The action is so much darker and more bloody than in any other X-Men film - I strongly believe Deadpool opened the door for them to make a truly adult film (not like that!), with no spandex in sight.
I see this as the final chapter in Hugh Jackman's time as Wolverine, though I can see more life still in the X-Men franchise (or a re-boot thereof).
The film sees Logan caring for Charles Xavier struggling with dementia and catastrophic seizures, driving a limousine to make ends meet in a world where mutants are outlawed. He ends up journeying across America with young Mexican mutant Laura, whose powers match Wolverine's. While the plot is not particularly new or complex, it is good enough to carry the action.
The action is so much darker and more bloody than in any other X-Men film - I strongly believe Deadpool opened the door for them to make a truly adult film (not like that!), with no spandex in sight.
I see this as the final chapter in Hugh Jackman's time as Wolverine, though I can see more life still in the X-Men franchise (or a re-boot thereof).
Bysa (2 KP) rated The Hunger Games in Books
Sep 19, 2018
**This read was hard to put down. I initially held-out on getting the book because I heard I should get all three books of the series before hand because I will want to keep reading. That person was so right! I am angry with myself for waiting to read this book! I planned on going to the movie opening later this month but I wanted to finish this book before-hand. So glad I did.**
I think the author did an incredible job demonstrating each characters motivations. The characters are very memorable. I did not find any time where I wanted to stop reading or where the story slowed to a point where I couldn't go on. Many books have done that for me, not this one. I would definitely re-read this book and would go as far as to buy all my tweenies and/or youngin's in the family a copy!
I think the author did an incredible job demonstrating each characters motivations. The characters are very memorable. I did not find any time where I wanted to stop reading or where the story slowed to a point where I couldn't go on. Many books have done that for me, not this one. I would definitely re-read this book and would go as far as to buy all my tweenies and/or youngin's in the family a copy!
Aurora (9 KP) rated The Keeper Of Lost Things in Books
Nov 7, 2018
Heartwarming (3 more)
Interwoven storylines
Emotional
Flawed, but lovable characters
Great Read
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Keeper of Lost Things intrigued me from the very start. I absolutely love interweaving storylines and the sense of mystery the author instills in everyday objects. The characters, even the most minor ones, are very well-written and flawed in really believable ways. I was impressed by the different struggles that characters had, as well as how relatable the author made their pain. The reader can really feel the despair of grief, pain of watching family members age, and awkwardness of a date gone horribly wrong. What disappointed me, however, was that this poignant realism was often followed by fairly generic ghost-story spirit antics. In my opinion, the author could have stopped with Sunshine's unique empathetic abilities and left out the angry ghosts to keep from going a step too far. Still, I was engrossed in this book and do recommend it, particularly to those who enjoy a bit of the supernatural.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Death of Mrs Westaway in Books
Jan 14, 2019 (Updated Jan 14, 2019)
I wanted to love this book. I liked Ware's Woman in Cabin 10, and with all of the blurbs saying it was a lot like Agatha Christie's cozy mysteries.
NEVER INVOKE THE QUEEN OF MYSTERY IF IT'S A SHIT BOOK. I got about 30 percent of the way into this book, and had it all figured out. So I didn't even bother reading the rest, I just googled the plot, and sources told me I was correct, then, for good measure, I read the last chapter. It was not atmospheric, as some suggest. It was plain boring. The main character, Hal, was completely obnoxious. I got that she was poor, because it was mentioned legitimately once every few pages. Everything was just so blatantly obvious. And please, authors, for the love of god, STOP USING INCEST as a plot point.
Because of this book, I'm probably never going to read another Ruth Ware book. I am completely angry I wasted time on this POS book.
NEVER INVOKE THE QUEEN OF MYSTERY IF IT'S A SHIT BOOK. I got about 30 percent of the way into this book, and had it all figured out. So I didn't even bother reading the rest, I just googled the plot, and sources told me I was correct, then, for good measure, I read the last chapter. It was not atmospheric, as some suggest. It was plain boring. The main character, Hal, was completely obnoxious. I got that she was poor, because it was mentioned legitimately once every few pages. Everything was just so blatantly obvious. And please, authors, for the love of god, STOP USING INCEST as a plot point.
Because of this book, I'm probably never going to read another Ruth Ware book. I am completely angry I wasted time on this POS book.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2019
Jake Gyllenhaal putting those glasses on. (1 more)
Dimitri
I thoroughly enjoyed this instalment of our web-slinging superhero. It's a nice light addition to the MCU after a rather heavy few films. Gyllenhaal certainly made a good addition as Mysterio, his relationship with Peter in the first half of the film is nicely done and it was good to see the addition of this male figure for Peter to bond with. The film does have some flaws but overall was enjoyable and was a nice come down after Infinity War/Endgame. That feeling was almost completely obliterated for me though by the end credit scenes, I was so angry after watching them that I went from loving the film to hating it in those few minutes of screen time. The implications for the next Spider-man film are surely only a bad thing.
[Full review, with spoilers: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/07/spider-man-far-from-home-spoilers-movie.html]
[Full review, with spoilers: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/07/spider-man-far-from-home-spoilers-movie.html]
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Haunted Palace (1963) in Movies
Apr 19, 2020
Brooding Gothic horror from Roger Corman and Vincent Price. A notorious warlock is killed by an angry mob, but a century later his great-grandson moves into his old mansion and is possessed by his ancestor's spirit. One of the stronger and darker Corman-Price movies, but disingenuously billed as part of their Poe series: the story's fixation with the influence of the past on the present and the horrors of miscegenation would mark it out as an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation even if they hadn't retained the original character names and references to HPL's wider mythology.
Memorable more for an unsettling atmosphere than for being actually scary, though there are some very creepy moments concerning the deformed mutant villagers Price's experiments have produced. Terrific performance from Price, as you'd expect, also from Lon Chaney Jr as his sidekick, which you perhaps wouldn't. A seminal movie for Lovecraft followers and a pretty good one for anyone who likes old-style horror films.
Memorable more for an unsettling atmosphere than for being actually scary, though there are some very creepy moments concerning the deformed mutant villagers Price's experiments have produced. Terrific performance from Price, as you'd expect, also from Lon Chaney Jr as his sidekick, which you perhaps wouldn't. A seminal movie for Lovecraft followers and a pretty good one for anyone who likes old-style horror films.
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