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Darren (1599 KP) rated The Confines (2015) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Streak is a disturbed young woman, she must prove she can keep a job to get her child back which leads her to the night watchwoman role. She doesn’t have experience in this role which leads her to explore and using her gift to learn the truth about the building. Cooper is the experienced night watchman, he needs this job and with his disability, it seems like a comfortable gig for him, this night turns into a nightmare as he must deal with Streak never being sure if she is unstable herself or there is something going on in the building. To round out our small cast we have a homeless man and the guy that hires Streak, neither do much else in the film.
Performances – Louisa Krause in the leading role is solid enough, though we never truly believe her fear through the night and her lack of ability to make us feel like we could be seeing her on edge over just horrors doesn’t convince. Jason Patric is solid to, though he never gets the time required to do anything with his character. The rest of the cast barely get any screen time which is why they suffer from low scores.
Story – The story much like many horror film keeps everything very simple, this is all we needed it to do too. On the first night of a job as a night watchwoman our leading lady must battle her own inner demons when strange things start happening within the apartment building she is working in. well this sounds like it should be an enjoyable enough watch for a horror fan, the ending only left me scratching my head which is disappointing, even though it could have made sense or not.
Horror/Mystery – The horror side of the film mostly down to what isn’t there as we balance between stuff int eh corner over anything else. The mystery comes from what could be making the noises in the building and what is involved with the history of the events here.
Settings – The film takes place completely in the building, this does keep the events confined to one location, we have the darker rooms, the forbidden rooms which only draw the horror ideas we could get.
Special Effects – The effects are solid enough though most of it is the in the corners blink and you miss it moments.
Scene of the Movie – The first visit.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The ending.
Final Thoughts – This isn’t the best horror, it has potential of greatness, though it just doesn’t click things together like it should do.
Overall: Horror that will just become forgettable.
Performances – Louisa Krause in the leading role is solid enough, though we never truly believe her fear through the night and her lack of ability to make us feel like we could be seeing her on edge over just horrors doesn’t convince. Jason Patric is solid to, though he never gets the time required to do anything with his character. The rest of the cast barely get any screen time which is why they suffer from low scores.
Story – The story much like many horror film keeps everything very simple, this is all we needed it to do too. On the first night of a job as a night watchwoman our leading lady must battle her own inner demons when strange things start happening within the apartment building she is working in. well this sounds like it should be an enjoyable enough watch for a horror fan, the ending only left me scratching my head which is disappointing, even though it could have made sense or not.
Horror/Mystery – The horror side of the film mostly down to what isn’t there as we balance between stuff int eh corner over anything else. The mystery comes from what could be making the noises in the building and what is involved with the history of the events here.
Settings – The film takes place completely in the building, this does keep the events confined to one location, we have the darker rooms, the forbidden rooms which only draw the horror ideas we could get.
Special Effects – The effects are solid enough though most of it is the in the corners blink and you miss it moments.
Scene of the Movie – The first visit.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The ending.
Final Thoughts – This isn’t the best horror, it has potential of greatness, though it just doesn’t click things together like it should do.
Overall: Horror that will just become forgettable.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Killer Sofa (2019) in Movies
Sep 16, 2019
Characters – Francesca is a dancer that has had problems in the past with the men in her life, most have become stalkers, with her needing to put restraining orders on them, she is left a recliner from one, as the police look into her past to see if she has a connection to the murder of one of them. Maxi is the best friend of Francesca, she supports her on a daily basis and will stand with her in her fight against the sofa. Inspector Gravy is leading the investigation into the crimes which sees him spending time with Francesca learning about her past. Rabbi Jack is Maxi’s grandfather that gets an uneasy vision from the sofa and starts trying to figure out how he could stop the evil behind it.
Performances – The lead in the film is Piimio Mei and she does well in the leading role, as the one being haunted by the soda, seeing her friends taken from around her. The rest of the cast are strong with what they are doing, they do know this does have elements of cheesy horror, which does work for the film.
Story – The story here follows the unusual event surrounding a sofa that starts killing people at the woman that finds herself the main target of the evil needing to stop it before their friends get taken. This is a film that knows exactly what it wants to be, a wildly over the top story that isn’t afraid to go into the full cheesy area, which will get the story over to the level it needs to. For a horror it is a film that follows the traditions when it comes to picking off the victims one at a time, with an element of the story behind the having a supernatural feel.
Horror – The horror side of the film does pick up like most serial killer style slashers, with one victim being alone getting picked off by the killer, in this case, the sofa, which does it look creepy throughout.
Settings – The film uses the apartment settings to show how the sofa can move around without looking completely out of place, using the environment to help with its kills.
Special Effects – The effects are mixed with the fact they make the sofa look terrifying being a huge plus, it is the CGI moments that look like the weakest part of the film.
Scene of the Movie – The sofa look.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The CGI moments.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror comedy that understands completely what it wants to be, it will get laughable kills from a sofa that uses its how frame as a weapon.
Overall: Funny horror comedy.
Performances – The lead in the film is Piimio Mei and she does well in the leading role, as the one being haunted by the soda, seeing her friends taken from around her. The rest of the cast are strong with what they are doing, they do know this does have elements of cheesy horror, which does work for the film.
Story – The story here follows the unusual event surrounding a sofa that starts killing people at the woman that finds herself the main target of the evil needing to stop it before their friends get taken. This is a film that knows exactly what it wants to be, a wildly over the top story that isn’t afraid to go into the full cheesy area, which will get the story over to the level it needs to. For a horror it is a film that follows the traditions when it comes to picking off the victims one at a time, with an element of the story behind the having a supernatural feel.
Horror – The horror side of the film does pick up like most serial killer style slashers, with one victim being alone getting picked off by the killer, in this case, the sofa, which does it look creepy throughout.
Settings – The film uses the apartment settings to show how the sofa can move around without looking completely out of place, using the environment to help with its kills.
Special Effects – The effects are mixed with the fact they make the sofa look terrifying being a huge plus, it is the CGI moments that look like the weakest part of the film.
Scene of the Movie – The sofa look.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The CGI moments.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror comedy that understands completely what it wants to be, it will get laughable kills from a sofa that uses its how frame as a weapon.
Overall: Funny horror comedy.
Debbiereadsbook (1401 KP) rated Take The Shot (Philadelphia Bulldogs #1) in Books
Jun 9, 2020
really good read x
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Sometimes, you just need a book that you just fall into, losing all around you, and reading about 2 people falling in love. And this is such a book.
Dinah lost her husband 2 years ago. Moving on seemed like a good idea, and a bad one, all at the same time. Her neighbour provides some eye candy, but he is so much younger than she is and she doesn't think he would want anything other than friendship. Noah lives in the next door apartment. Noah has lusted over Dinah for ages, but she was married, then widowed. He wasn't gonna make a move til she was ready. If she never did, he would be heartbroken, but he would rather have Dinah as a friend, than not at all.
This is a delightful read! I'm not the greatest fan of first person books, I make no secret of that, but I really rather loved this one!
Noah, bless him, 22 years old, lusts after Dinah, has done since he met her. But he kept it to himself, she was married. And after he died, he found himself helping her in more ways than he ever expected. But he waited, he WAS waiting for Dinah. Waiting for her to let him know she was ready to move on. He would wait, however long it took. Til his housemates gave him an ultimatum: Ask her out, or one of them would. They could see what Noah could not, that Dinah was lusting after Noah as much as Noah lusted after her. They just had to act on it.
And it is wonderful when they do! Yes, the attraction is powerful and hot, but there is much emotion here, not just steamy sex. There is much between these two, BEFORE they get to the bedroom, which would be spoilers to explain. And I really found those bits far better than the sexy bits, but thats not to say the sexy bits aren't good :-p
There is a supporting cast who have their own problems, and I hope they all get their story in this series.
The hockey bits, I will admit, I tended to flip over, but then something happened in one and I had to go back, so, yeah, I actually read the hockey bits after that!
There are a couple of lines that are repeated, more times than was really necessary. BUT! I've seen that this is the author's first book, so I'm not really complaining, I'm just saying!
A thoroughly enjoyable read, so for a first time author? Well done, Ms Flynn, very well done.
4 good solid stars
**same worded revivew will appear elsewhere**
Sometimes, you just need a book that you just fall into, losing all around you, and reading about 2 people falling in love. And this is such a book.
Dinah lost her husband 2 years ago. Moving on seemed like a good idea, and a bad one, all at the same time. Her neighbour provides some eye candy, but he is so much younger than she is and she doesn't think he would want anything other than friendship. Noah lives in the next door apartment. Noah has lusted over Dinah for ages, but she was married, then widowed. He wasn't gonna make a move til she was ready. If she never did, he would be heartbroken, but he would rather have Dinah as a friend, than not at all.
This is a delightful read! I'm not the greatest fan of first person books, I make no secret of that, but I really rather loved this one!
Noah, bless him, 22 years old, lusts after Dinah, has done since he met her. But he kept it to himself, she was married. And after he died, he found himself helping her in more ways than he ever expected. But he waited, he WAS waiting for Dinah. Waiting for her to let him know she was ready to move on. He would wait, however long it took. Til his housemates gave him an ultimatum: Ask her out, or one of them would. They could see what Noah could not, that Dinah was lusting after Noah as much as Noah lusted after her. They just had to act on it.
And it is wonderful when they do! Yes, the attraction is powerful and hot, but there is much emotion here, not just steamy sex. There is much between these two, BEFORE they get to the bedroom, which would be spoilers to explain. And I really found those bits far better than the sexy bits, but thats not to say the sexy bits aren't good :-p
There is a supporting cast who have their own problems, and I hope they all get their story in this series.
The hockey bits, I will admit, I tended to flip over, but then something happened in one and I had to go back, so, yeah, I actually read the hockey bits after that!
There are a couple of lines that are repeated, more times than was really necessary. BUT! I've seen that this is the author's first book, so I'm not really complaining, I'm just saying!
A thoroughly enjoyable read, so for a first time author? Well done, Ms Flynn, very well done.
4 good solid stars
**same worded revivew will appear elsewhere**
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Unrivalled in Books
May 25, 2017
Indistinctive
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Unrivalled is the first book in a new young adult series by Alyson Noël. Set in Hollywood, this story takes a look at what it is like to be young and famous, as well as what it is like to be aspiring to be. The lives of four eighteen year olds from completely different circumstances are suddenly thrown together in a prestigious competition to become the best promoter of VIP nightclubs owned by the infamous Ira Redmond.
Layla and Tommy, from less notable backgrounds, are determined to become famous through journalism and guitar playing. For Layla, this competition means winning enough money to go to college in New York. For Tommy, the prize will help him to move up from his lowly rented apartment and begin to make himself known. Aster, on the other hand, is already rich, she does not care about the money, she cares about winning. Winning means being noticed, which for an aspiring actress is an important career move.
The fourth character is already famous and is a face that Redmond has challenged the competitors to get to enter their respective nightclubs. Madison Brooks has made her way to the top as America’s hottest teenage actress – yet how she has managed this is unclear. As the story goes on it becomes clear that Madison has a shaky past that is constantly trying to catch up with her. No one other than her trusted staff know of the true Madison, so when she goes missing the police suspect foul play. The only problem is Layla, Tommy and Aster are so mixed up in recent events surrounding Madison that they immediately become the prime suspects.
Unrivalled is a book that needs a required taste to fully enjoy. The focus is on celebrity life style, which for me is not something I am interested in. I found myself lacking in sympathy for any of the characters – although I slightly liked Layla’s ambition to become a reporter as journalism and writing IS something I am drawn to. What is annoying is that Unrivalled is only the first novel in a series, so I never got to find out what happened to Madison after plowing through pages of tedious narrative. But to be honest, I do not really care about the result.
It is my lack of interest in the subject matter that consequently leaves me to only give this book a two star rating. However, I would like to emphasize that Noël knows how to write. For the right target audience Unrivalled will be a captivating novel. It emphasizes the glamorous and the not-so-glamorous aspects of becoming famous, which the three contestants soon discover: as Shakespeare put it “All that glitters is not gold.”
If you have an interest in celebrity culture, teenage romance and a bit of mystery, then this book may well be for you. If not, you may be headed for disappointment.
Unrivalled is the first book in a new young adult series by Alyson Noël. Set in Hollywood, this story takes a look at what it is like to be young and famous, as well as what it is like to be aspiring to be. The lives of four eighteen year olds from completely different circumstances are suddenly thrown together in a prestigious competition to become the best promoter of VIP nightclubs owned by the infamous Ira Redmond.
Layla and Tommy, from less notable backgrounds, are determined to become famous through journalism and guitar playing. For Layla, this competition means winning enough money to go to college in New York. For Tommy, the prize will help him to move up from his lowly rented apartment and begin to make himself known. Aster, on the other hand, is already rich, she does not care about the money, she cares about winning. Winning means being noticed, which for an aspiring actress is an important career move.
The fourth character is already famous and is a face that Redmond has challenged the competitors to get to enter their respective nightclubs. Madison Brooks has made her way to the top as America’s hottest teenage actress – yet how she has managed this is unclear. As the story goes on it becomes clear that Madison has a shaky past that is constantly trying to catch up with her. No one other than her trusted staff know of the true Madison, so when she goes missing the police suspect foul play. The only problem is Layla, Tommy and Aster are so mixed up in recent events surrounding Madison that they immediately become the prime suspects.
Unrivalled is a book that needs a required taste to fully enjoy. The focus is on celebrity life style, which for me is not something I am interested in. I found myself lacking in sympathy for any of the characters – although I slightly liked Layla’s ambition to become a reporter as journalism and writing IS something I am drawn to. What is annoying is that Unrivalled is only the first novel in a series, so I never got to find out what happened to Madison after plowing through pages of tedious narrative. But to be honest, I do not really care about the result.
It is my lack of interest in the subject matter that consequently leaves me to only give this book a two star rating. However, I would like to emphasize that Noël knows how to write. For the right target audience Unrivalled will be a captivating novel. It emphasizes the glamorous and the not-so-glamorous aspects of becoming famous, which the three contestants soon discover: as Shakespeare put it “All that glitters is not gold.”
If you have an interest in celebrity culture, teenage romance and a bit of mystery, then this book may well be for you. If not, you may be headed for disappointment.
Paul Kellett (118 KP) rated This War of Mine: The Board Game in Tabletop Games
May 27, 2019
Very immersive experience (4 more)
Great solo game
Stands out as a piece of art
Great teaching tool
Great storytelling game
Brutally hard (1 more)
Adult and disturbing depictions of war
Brutal Survival game
This War of Mine is a game of civilians struggling to survive in the middle of a war. It is harsh, brutal and contains scenes that some players might find distressing.
It is gritty, realistic and very hard. It's a remarkable game that really makes you think and can stand as a piece of art, capable of teaching about the harsh realities of war and humanity.
You play as a group of 3 (or 4) civilians trying to survive. You have to rebuild your shelter to try and barricade against the cold and other raiding groups.
A fully cooperative game, no player controls a single character but takes turns deciding what the group will do and resolving situations.
Split into phases, you spend the day building up your shelter, adding beds, workshops and other items that might ease your struggles.
You will try different combinations of things to try and work out the most efficient and vital components to build first. Depending on the whim of the various encounter and event cards as to how well these things will work.
The night phase is the main part of the game. You need to send people out to scavenge the nearby ruined buildings, post a guard to protect your shelter and try to get some rest. This is a fine balancing act and you will be forced to push the survivors to breaking point in order to do any of these things.
Scavenging brings danger from snipers, soldiers and other aggressive survivors trying to defend their property.
You pick one of 3 locations to investigate and build an encounter deck. As you explore, you reveal cards, find valuable resources, food, medicine, bandages, weapons and parts crucial to building better items in your shelter.
While scavenging, you will be told to reference numbered paragraphs in the Book of Scripts. This tells the story of what and who you find and it is this that brings home the grim reality of what you are doing.
You will have to make some terrible decisions - do you return home empty handed and risk one of your group dying from hunger or illness or do you steal the supplies you need from the old couple you found hiding in the ruined apartment?
This game is definitely not for everyone but I firmly believe that everyone should experience it at least once.
I borrowed a copy from someone in my game group and played a couple of short games before handing it back but I found myself thinking about it a lot afterwards and ended up buying it myself.
This War of Mine is definitely much more than just a boardgame. It is art. It is a lesson in humanity and the harsh reality of war.
It is gritty, realistic and very hard. It's a remarkable game that really makes you think and can stand as a piece of art, capable of teaching about the harsh realities of war and humanity.
You play as a group of 3 (or 4) civilians trying to survive. You have to rebuild your shelter to try and barricade against the cold and other raiding groups.
A fully cooperative game, no player controls a single character but takes turns deciding what the group will do and resolving situations.
Split into phases, you spend the day building up your shelter, adding beds, workshops and other items that might ease your struggles.
You will try different combinations of things to try and work out the most efficient and vital components to build first. Depending on the whim of the various encounter and event cards as to how well these things will work.
The night phase is the main part of the game. You need to send people out to scavenge the nearby ruined buildings, post a guard to protect your shelter and try to get some rest. This is a fine balancing act and you will be forced to push the survivors to breaking point in order to do any of these things.
Scavenging brings danger from snipers, soldiers and other aggressive survivors trying to defend their property.
You pick one of 3 locations to investigate and build an encounter deck. As you explore, you reveal cards, find valuable resources, food, medicine, bandages, weapons and parts crucial to building better items in your shelter.
While scavenging, you will be told to reference numbered paragraphs in the Book of Scripts. This tells the story of what and who you find and it is this that brings home the grim reality of what you are doing.
You will have to make some terrible decisions - do you return home empty handed and risk one of your group dying from hunger or illness or do you steal the supplies you need from the old couple you found hiding in the ruined apartment?
This game is definitely not for everyone but I firmly believe that everyone should experience it at least once.
I borrowed a copy from someone in my game group and played a couple of short games before handing it back but I found myself thinking about it a lot afterwards and ended up buying it myself.
This War of Mine is definitely much more than just a boardgame. It is art. It is a lesson in humanity and the harsh reality of war.
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) in Movies
Aug 21, 2018
Not enough comedy (1 more)
Drags on way too long
More action spy movie than comedy
In recent years, whenever I go to watch a comedy at the cinema, I come away totally disappointed, and end up going off on a rant about the state of movie comedies these days when I review them afterwards. Mostly, these movies have a very simple plot premise, which they then just try and plaster over with a tonne of gross out scenes or poorly written 'comedy' set-pieces. Other times they feature a bit more story and plot, with the humour being more of an add-on. The Spy Who Dumped Me veers more towards the latter, ending up as more of an above average action spy movie than a comedy.
Mila Kunis is Audrey, celebrating her birthday in a bar. Only her celebrations have been ruined somewhat by the fact that her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) recently dumped her. By text! She's with best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon), and as they complain about Drew, we see that he's in a spot of bother of his own over in Europe - taking out bad guys in a market shootout, getting chased through somebody's apartment while the owners watch TV, jumping out of a window onto a truck, and casually strolling out of a building as it explodes behind him. But when Audrey sends him yet another text, this time threatening to burn all of his stuff, Drew quickly gets in touch with her. Turns out that a small trophy in among his little box of dirty undies and other possessions is the key to saving a lot of people, and the bad guys want to get their hands on it at all costs. So, Audrey and Morgan unwittingly become involved in the world of spies and villains, traveling around Europe and bumbling their way through all manner of problems to ensure that the trophy finds its way into the right hands.
As mentioned earlier, every effort has been made to make sure that this is a high action spy movie along the lines of the Bourne and Mission Impossible movies. The aforementioned escape from the bad guys, a huge restaurant shootout, a deadly villain, a high speed street chase involving cars, motorbikes and guns, not to mention almost as much double crossing/who can you trust shenanigans than MI: Fallout recently, are all present and presented really well. All the while, Audrey and Morgan bring lighthearted relief and humour to it all. Kunis and McKinnon doing exactly what we're used to from their separate movie comedies but coming together here as a really likeable team and with a good supporting cast too.
Overall, The Spy Who Dumped Me isn't too bad, but it isn't too great either. It also seemed to drag on way too much for my liking and I would have preferred a much tighter movie, with a few more laughs. Still fairly enjoyable though.
Mila Kunis is Audrey, celebrating her birthday in a bar. Only her celebrations have been ruined somewhat by the fact that her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) recently dumped her. By text! She's with best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon), and as they complain about Drew, we see that he's in a spot of bother of his own over in Europe - taking out bad guys in a market shootout, getting chased through somebody's apartment while the owners watch TV, jumping out of a window onto a truck, and casually strolling out of a building as it explodes behind him. But when Audrey sends him yet another text, this time threatening to burn all of his stuff, Drew quickly gets in touch with her. Turns out that a small trophy in among his little box of dirty undies and other possessions is the key to saving a lot of people, and the bad guys want to get their hands on it at all costs. So, Audrey and Morgan unwittingly become involved in the world of spies and villains, traveling around Europe and bumbling their way through all manner of problems to ensure that the trophy finds its way into the right hands.
As mentioned earlier, every effort has been made to make sure that this is a high action spy movie along the lines of the Bourne and Mission Impossible movies. The aforementioned escape from the bad guys, a huge restaurant shootout, a deadly villain, a high speed street chase involving cars, motorbikes and guns, not to mention almost as much double crossing/who can you trust shenanigans than MI: Fallout recently, are all present and presented really well. All the while, Audrey and Morgan bring lighthearted relief and humour to it all. Kunis and McKinnon doing exactly what we're used to from their separate movie comedies but coming together here as a really likeable team and with a good supporting cast too.
Overall, The Spy Who Dumped Me isn't too bad, but it isn't too great either. It also seemed to drag on way too much for my liking and I would have preferred a much tighter movie, with a few more laughs. Still fairly enjoyable though.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated 3 Days To Kill (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Ethan, (Kevin Costner) is a man with some serious issues but oddly enough, his life as a spy and heavy hitter is not one of them. Ethan has a reputation for getting the job done and he is brutally efficient in his craft.
When a mission to stop a government purchasing a Dirty Bomb from a mysterious figure known as “The Wolf” goes awry, Ethan finds his life turned upside down when he learns he is on borrowed time due to a previously undiagnosed illness.
Ethan returns to Paris in an attempt to reconnect with his daughter, Zoe (Haillee Steinfeld), and her mother, Ethan comes home to learn that a group of squatters have taken up residence in his apartment, and under French law, nothing can be done to remove them until the spring arrives.
Since Ethan has been gone for five years, his family is less than thrilled to see him as it has been easier to live their lives without him. Undaunted, Ethan continues to try to make up for lost time.
Complications arise when a top level agent named Vivi (Amber Heard), arrives in Paris and attempts to recruit Ethan to identify and eliminate The Wolf when it is learned that there is a window to remove him over the next 72 hours.
Wanting no part of his past life, Ethan is dragged back into the fold by the offer of cash for his daughter and an experimental drug that will extend his life.
Ethan now must walk a deadly path between dangerous people, his former employers, and the largest danger of all, his teenage daughter and her mother.
Based on a story by Luc Besson who also had a hand in writing the script, “3 Days to Kill” is a fresh and fun film despite its flaws. Director Mc G does a good job of keeping the emphasis on Ethan and his family as that is the core of the story. There is action aplenty and some of it does play out in typical Hollywood fashion, but there is a charm to the story that one does normally associate with this type of film.
Costner does a good job of playing Ethan as a world weary man who is simply trying to do the right thing with what time he has left. Scenes where he has to deviate from his deadly profession to deal with teen trauma and domestic issues are funny as they come across as very natural. Ethan is so frustrated by the duality of his life; he even seeks parenting advice from suspects he is interrogating.
While parts of the film may drag out and some of the plot points stretch credibility, the winning cast makes the film worth seeing and I for one was pleasantly surprised by the film as you may be if you are willing to look past some of the flaws.
http://sknr.net/2014/02/20/3-days-to-kill/
When a mission to stop a government purchasing a Dirty Bomb from a mysterious figure known as “The Wolf” goes awry, Ethan finds his life turned upside down when he learns he is on borrowed time due to a previously undiagnosed illness.
Ethan returns to Paris in an attempt to reconnect with his daughter, Zoe (Haillee Steinfeld), and her mother, Ethan comes home to learn that a group of squatters have taken up residence in his apartment, and under French law, nothing can be done to remove them until the spring arrives.
Since Ethan has been gone for five years, his family is less than thrilled to see him as it has been easier to live their lives without him. Undaunted, Ethan continues to try to make up for lost time.
Complications arise when a top level agent named Vivi (Amber Heard), arrives in Paris and attempts to recruit Ethan to identify and eliminate The Wolf when it is learned that there is a window to remove him over the next 72 hours.
Wanting no part of his past life, Ethan is dragged back into the fold by the offer of cash for his daughter and an experimental drug that will extend his life.
Ethan now must walk a deadly path between dangerous people, his former employers, and the largest danger of all, his teenage daughter and her mother.
Based on a story by Luc Besson who also had a hand in writing the script, “3 Days to Kill” is a fresh and fun film despite its flaws. Director Mc G does a good job of keeping the emphasis on Ethan and his family as that is the core of the story. There is action aplenty and some of it does play out in typical Hollywood fashion, but there is a charm to the story that one does normally associate with this type of film.
Costner does a good job of playing Ethan as a world weary man who is simply trying to do the right thing with what time he has left. Scenes where he has to deviate from his deadly profession to deal with teen trauma and domestic issues are funny as they come across as very natural. Ethan is so frustrated by the duality of his life; he even seeks parenting advice from suspects he is interrogating.
While parts of the film may drag out and some of the plot points stretch credibility, the winning cast makes the film worth seeing and I for one was pleasantly surprised by the film as you may be if you are willing to look past some of the flaws.
http://sknr.net/2014/02/20/3-days-to-kill/