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Welcome To Happiness (2016)
Welcome To Happiness (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Verdict: Strange and Quirky

Story: Welcome to Happiness starts as young man Woody (Gallner) a children’s author who welcomes strangers into his apartment to help them go through his erase their mistakes, this makes his life complicated when he starts becoming friendly with a fellow tenant Trudy (Thirlby). Meanwhile Nyles (Sexton III) a man that is cleaning up after his father’s death, learns that he has valuable baseball cards, which sees him getting drawn into a big adventure around the people who want in on the business.
When Woody sees the full effect of the visits, he starts to question why he can’t change moments from his past, which soon starts to put a strain on his relationship with Trudy, while his landlord Moses (Offerman) is encouraged with his work.

Thoughts on Welcome to Happiness

Characters – Woody is a children’s author that has just moved into an apartment which sees strangers visit, answer a string of questions before putting them in a closet where they vanish. He doesn’t know what happens next until he meets one of the visitors, which leaves him wondering why he can’t change his past, which only makes him out to be going crazy to his girlfriend. Trudy is the new neighbour to Woody who strikes up a relationship with him, she does question him about the visit and doesn’t believe him when he tells the story. Moses is the landlord that knows about the closet, he knows how it helps people and who should be the one that guides people through it. Nyles is a depressed man that learns about the treasure in his father’s attic, he ends up follow a string of instructions, which will sees him visiting the closet.
Performances – Kyle Gallner does well in the leading role, it shows us just how difficult being an author with pain in his life can be difficult to get through. This does have a big cast, with each actor doing their thing to make us understand figures they are playing.
Story – The story here follows a young man that finds himself in the unusual position of having to deal with strangers looking to answer questions, which would see them disappear in his closet, over time he wants to know more, which will soon start to push him to his limits. This is an interesting little story, it does show us how difficult living in despair could be on the people in life, they will need to learn to move on, because once you break down everything, you never know what could have been in the world. We do have to meet a lot of characters, which do seem to have moments of randomness, though it does all make sense by the end of the film.
Comedy/Fantasy – The comedy in the film comes from just how far out there certain ideas are, mixed in with certain characters too, the fantasy shows us how the closet works and just how life can be seen differently if people come into it.
Settings – The settings for the film does try to put everything into a position of everyday, leading down the same plan as people you see in life will have stories you might not always get to know.

Scene of the Movie – Behind the door.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain characters don’t seem needed at times.
Final Thoughts – This is a very strange movie, it does have an important message, that does need to help us reflect our own lives, even if it does lean away from it at times.

Overall: Interesting throughout.
  
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Isn't It Romantic (2019)
Isn't It Romantic (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Romance
A slightly self-aware rom-com (yet still a rom-com)
Isn't it Romantic is a self-aware pseudo re-telling of the Bridget Jones' Diary plot. Perennial walkover Natalie (Rebel Wilson) fawns over hunky douche-bag men, while missing the decent, down-to-earth man who clearly has feelings for her. Told from an early age by her mum (a brief, wasted appearance by Jennifer Saunders) that she isn't good enough for fairy tale romance and she shouldn't expect it, Natalie is a huge critic of Rom-Coms and hates their cheesy plots. A bump on the head sees her waking up in a fantasy version of New York where men fall at her feet and she has the apartment of her dreams and a new gay best friend. Finding herself in the plot of her own rom-com, she ends up dating the aforementioned hunky douche-bag while the decent, down-to-earth guy dates a swimwear model.
Some laugh-out-loud moments from here on, as her annoyance at the ridiculous cheesy world she's found herself in. Something similar to Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie (which I don't mind admitting I love!), but with more adult themes.
But in the end the film lets itself down by falling into the trap of the typical rom-com plot. It nearly saves itself and serves as a good, feminist message but then lets itself down in the dying minutes by reverting to type.
A good funny rom-com but not necessarily the anti-rom-com it bills itself as. Watched with my wife and 11-year-old daughter, it is mostly fine for that age.
  
REC (2007)
REC (2007)
2007 | Horror
9
7.5 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating
There is a real sense of realism, immediacy and threat to everything in this film. The special effects are all physical. The violence and gore is guttural and intense, and the film uses every one of its 78 minutes to make you sweat. (0 more)
A little predictable at times (0 more)
28 Days Later in a stairwell
Possibly one of my favourite films, REC has everything that makes 28 days later such a monster of a movie, but it doubles down on claustrophobia and adds in the found footage aspect too, which makes the action just seem all the more immediate and in-your-face.

They do a great job of putting the viewer right there in the film, the performances feel genuine, and before long you are just along for the ride, the cameraman being your eyes and ears into a world when the infected become aggressive, murderous and frenetic, and the survivors are trapped inside an apartment building with no means of escape and no way to adequately defend themselves.

The film is paced marvelously, establishing its rules quickly, and without the need for huge amounts of clumsy exposition, and then begins an ebb and flow between periods of character recovery, followed by frantic action as the infected threaten to overwhelm the survivors.

There is just such a genuine and earnest feel to this film, reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the way that the glossy sheen common to well made movies is not present, and in its place is something which feels visceral, full of flawed but realistic characters.

If you like 28 days later or train to Busan, this is a must see.
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) rated Zoo (2018) in Movies

Oct 19, 2019  
Zoo (2018)
Zoo (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Drama, Horror
Saving your marriage or zombie apocalypse?
I have to admit being new to the world of British cinema (since I live in the US) so those extreme British accents are still a struggle for me at times (especially when you guys talk so fast!). I have to admit to even putting subtitles on a few times so I could get all the words.

Interesting premise of this film and the recommendation from a friend to watch.

How would you feel if a zombie infestation began right while your marriage was on the rocks? Which would be your priority to correct?

This young couple grapples with this exact issue and it is relatively successful. They spend time disagreeing with each other and moping about in their flat since they cannot go outside without having to deal with infected hoards trying to devour them. They begin having meaningful dialogue and then they get a knock at their door. A random couple ask if they can come and hide within to remove themselves from danger and are obliged. They immediately become a nuisance asking for provisions which are already in short supply and to "borrow a toothbrush"? I thought that was funny.

Their stay at the apartment is short, but long enough to have the couple start to unite themselves against their new house guests. After their departure, the couple becomes more intimate and work on their relationship before even more unwanted guests arrive.

The dialogue was a bit corny at times, but worked overall. I enjoyed the fresh take on the zombie genre. If romantic comedy zombie horror is a new sub genre I'm all in.

  
Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9)
Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9)
Michael Connelly | 2003 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.8 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bosch Shines Light on a Cold Case
It's been several months since Harry Bosch retired from his job as a homicide detective in Los Angeles. He's attempting to adjust to life as a civilian, but he can't resist when another former cop mentions a cold case they'd both worked on. Angella Benton was strangled in the entrance to her apartment building. Just as Bosch was beginning to investigate, the heist of two million dollars from a movie set gave the case a bigger profile, and the robbery homicide division took it over. Four years later, the murder remains unsolved and the money has not been found. But Bosch has barely begun poking into it again before he is warned off. Is someone still interested in this case? Can Bosch solve it without his badge to open doors for him?

I enjoyed seeing Bosch working without his badge, overcoming the added obstacle of not having any official business looking into this case. While he may not be a cop, we still did get cameos by many of the series regulars, and it was great to check in with them. The characters are strong as always, with Bosch leading the pack. I was surprised to find that this book was narrated first person, something I always enjoy. I hadn't run across that in a Harry Bosch book yet. The case itself was gripping with plenty of twists and turns to keep us engaged up until the end. I listened to the audio version narrated by Len Cariou, who does a great job except for one character. Fortunately, that character isn't a major player in the action of the book.