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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Nativity Rocks! (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
It's becoming a habit for me that I haven't seen previous films in franchises, I apologise, at some point I'll find the time to get them all in. I'm led to believe that the Nativity films are all very similar in concept though.
Nativity Rock! is what would happen if School Of Rock did a Christmas remix, and it was definitely an enthusiastic way to edge into Christmas.
The jokes flow quite freely and Jerry spends basically his entire time being the comedy relief. His childish character became frustrating fairly quickly, but I can't argue with the fact he was amusing. I really need to find out how to do the invisible dog trick he's mastered.
What occurred to me quite quickly is that this film is ridiculous. There are story lines aplenty. All equally implausible. Some that seemingly defy the laws of time and motion when it comes to geography. Where they all needed? Probably not.
As far as the cast goes it's a wide group of familiar faces who generally do a good job of their parts... but even as a villain Craig Revel Horwood is just terrible, what is he even famous for?
There won't be awards waiting for this one, it doesn't have a massive amount going for it apart from the fact it's entertaining. I spent most of my time smiling and tapping my foot. It's not a masterpiece but it'll make a good Christmas diversion.
What you should do
If you're looking for a festive family outing then this isn't a bad option. I'd pick it second to The Grinch but I think either way the kids will have a good time.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Jerry's unrelenting optimism, mine occasionally fluctuates.
Nativity Rock! is what would happen if School Of Rock did a Christmas remix, and it was definitely an enthusiastic way to edge into Christmas.
The jokes flow quite freely and Jerry spends basically his entire time being the comedy relief. His childish character became frustrating fairly quickly, but I can't argue with the fact he was amusing. I really need to find out how to do the invisible dog trick he's mastered.
What occurred to me quite quickly is that this film is ridiculous. There are story lines aplenty. All equally implausible. Some that seemingly defy the laws of time and motion when it comes to geography. Where they all needed? Probably not.
As far as the cast goes it's a wide group of familiar faces who generally do a good job of their parts... but even as a villain Craig Revel Horwood is just terrible, what is he even famous for?
There won't be awards waiting for this one, it doesn't have a massive amount going for it apart from the fact it's entertaining. I spent most of my time smiling and tapping my foot. It's not a masterpiece but it'll make a good Christmas diversion.
What you should do
If you're looking for a festive family outing then this isn't a bad option. I'd pick it second to The Grinch but I think either way the kids will have a good time.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Jerry's unrelenting optimism, mine occasionally fluctuates.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Angel Has Fallen (2019) in Movies
Aug 21, 2019
My attention span has fallen
Angel Has Fallen is a dumb, exhausting, joyless & over long experience that proves old isn't always bold. When this first started I won't lie I felt engaged, it felt like the team behind this series had finally matured/evolved past the blatant racism, painful dialog, woeful storytelling & overall silliness of the last movies. Essssh was I wrong. First thing on this downward spiral was Gerard Buttler not only is his accent always halfway between Scottish & American but theres something distracting about his face & how he constantly seems like he's chewing on something he's not enjoying most of the film (maybe the apauling script). Second they seemed to blow all the budget on these big slow motion action scenes at the start as my god do the production values take a complete nose dive half way in. Green screen & cgi go from quite cool/believable to worse than sharknado quality, its ghastly, distracting & im shocked this film got a cinema release looking how it does. I get the film is going for 90s nostalgia but honestly it fails on almost every level ending on such a cliched boss fight that is so unexciting & half arsed its plain embarrassing (I mean who wants to watch two old men fumble around on a boring roof looking more like they are about kiss than stab each other to death). One big brain dead mess & its stupidity/constant Trump praising became tiresome very quickly. Not even so good its bad its just plain lazy film making at its best & it only caters to people that need their movie plots spelt out in spaghetti shapes for them. Pure childish crap that rips parts from all the great action movies of the 90s & destroys your good memories of them. Avoid at all costs.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Guardians (2017) in Movies
Aug 31, 2020
Listed as Russia's Avengers, Guardians is a fun superhero film.
During the cold war a secret Russian organisation called Patriot performed a number of illegal experiments, with both machines and humans. Patriot was shut down due the actions of a rouge scientist who was trying to create module 1 a device that can control any vehicle remotely. Now, a number of experimental tanks have been stolen so Patriot is reopened and a number of the human experiments are found to combat their old creator.
4 hero's are found; Ler, who can control rocks and use them as weapons and armour, Khan, a super speed ninja, Kseniya, who can turn invisible (when wet) and doesn't feel temperature and Arsus, a were-bear with a Gatling gun.
Like many other hero's the hero's of Guardians have their own problems and their reasons for not wanting to be found but these are only touched upon as the film concentrates on bringing the team together and then fighting the enemy whilst showing off their powers and, lets face it, that's what most of us want from a super hero movie.
The plot is simple, the evil Avgust Kuratov wants to take over all the machines of the world and the Guardians are formed to stop him. The effects and CGI aren't bad and we even get a couple transformation scenes with the were-bear. There are funny moments and tragic back stories and action, really most things you would want in a super hero film.
There is a hint of a sequel, both at the end of the film and a scene during the credits which also promises more hero's but, unfortunately,I don't think it's been made.
During the cold war a secret Russian organisation called Patriot performed a number of illegal experiments, with both machines and humans. Patriot was shut down due the actions of a rouge scientist who was trying to create module 1 a device that can control any vehicle remotely. Now, a number of experimental tanks have been stolen so Patriot is reopened and a number of the human experiments are found to combat their old creator.
4 hero's are found; Ler, who can control rocks and use them as weapons and armour, Khan, a super speed ninja, Kseniya, who can turn invisible (when wet) and doesn't feel temperature and Arsus, a were-bear with a Gatling gun.
Like many other hero's the hero's of Guardians have their own problems and their reasons for not wanting to be found but these are only touched upon as the film concentrates on bringing the team together and then fighting the enemy whilst showing off their powers and, lets face it, that's what most of us want from a super hero movie.
The plot is simple, the evil Avgust Kuratov wants to take over all the machines of the world and the Guardians are formed to stop him. The effects and CGI aren't bad and we even get a couple transformation scenes with the were-bear. There are funny moments and tragic back stories and action, really most things you would want in a super hero film.
There is a hint of a sequel, both at the end of the film and a scene during the credits which also promises more hero's but, unfortunately,I don't think it's been made.
Trust Me, I'm a Superhero
8.0
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Tabletop Game
In Trust Me, I'm a Superhero, you’re a rag-tag group of super-ish heroes who have been left to...
Plain Bad Heroines
7.0
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Book
‘Brimming from start to finish with sly humour and gothic mischief’ SARAH WATERS ...
Corrupt (Devil's Night #1)
7.0
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From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas comes a new dark romance... Erika I...
Zombicide Season 3: Rue Morgue
8.0
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Tabletop Game
Zombicide Season 3: Rue Morgue is a cooperative game set in an action-movie universe for 1 to 12...
Debbiereadsbook (1608 KP) rated Sleigh Bells on Bread Loaf Mountain in Books
Dec 6, 2021
cute and sweet!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
If you follow my reviews, you'll know I'm all about the book feelings and how much I hate using the word NICE to describe a book. But sometimes, that word sticks at the tip of my fingers and I can't shift it no matter what.
So, this is a nice book.
Roxy goes home for Christmas for the first time in several years, at the request of her aging grandmother. Her (currently) off-again boyfriend is in Milan. A conversation between them sets Roxy off in a bad mood and things go downhill from there. Or rather, Roxy goes uphill but the weather turns for the worse and Roxy runs off the road in a blizzard and she only packed her good clothes. Ranger Mark finds her, and there follows a lovely tale of finding your true self.
I liked it. It's relatively clean, just some kissing. Low angst, although Roxy does have to dig deep to make the decision she does. Just Roxy has a say though, and maybe if Mark had been given a voice, I might have enjoyed it more.
I refer back to the book feelings. My first and most lasting feeling about this book is that it's a Hallmark Christmas movie, wrapped up in some 178 pages. It didn't seem that long though.
It's incredibly sweet, and I think, for ME, just a bit too much.
But! This is the first I've read of this author, under either name she uses, and I'd certainly give her another go. A book with a bit more bite might be more for me.
3 good, twinkly stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
If you follow my reviews, you'll know I'm all about the book feelings and how much I hate using the word NICE to describe a book. But sometimes, that word sticks at the tip of my fingers and I can't shift it no matter what.
So, this is a nice book.
Roxy goes home for Christmas for the first time in several years, at the request of her aging grandmother. Her (currently) off-again boyfriend is in Milan. A conversation between them sets Roxy off in a bad mood and things go downhill from there. Or rather, Roxy goes uphill but the weather turns for the worse and Roxy runs off the road in a blizzard and she only packed her good clothes. Ranger Mark finds her, and there follows a lovely tale of finding your true self.
I liked it. It's relatively clean, just some kissing. Low angst, although Roxy does have to dig deep to make the decision she does. Just Roxy has a say though, and maybe if Mark had been given a voice, I might have enjoyed it more.
I refer back to the book feelings. My first and most lasting feeling about this book is that it's a Hallmark Christmas movie, wrapped up in some 178 pages. It didn't seem that long though.
It's incredibly sweet, and I think, for ME, just a bit too much.
But! This is the first I've read of this author, under either name she uses, and I'd certainly give her another go. A book with a bit more bite might be more for me.
3 good, twinkly stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Mad Max (1979) in Movies
Jan 5, 2018
Decent
Guilty confession: Typically when I watch a "classic" or a film I've really been looking forward to, I go into it expecting to like it. In other words, the film is already ahead of the curve when it comes to my grading scale. It has to do a lot to let me down. I hate to say it, but Mad Max? It let me down. Not in the sense that it was bad, but rather in the sense that I was hoping for more.
Max is a police officer in a post-apocalyptic world where biker gangs rule the road. After his partner is brutally burned by one of the most dangerous gangs, Max decides to retire but a terrible turn of events sucks him right back in.
The film got off to a slow start for me. I was confused by what was happening and why it was happening. It's not a good sign when I have to jump on to Wikipedia to clarify things. Unfortunately things never quite bounced back for me after that. I spent a good majority of the film thinking, "What are the stakes for Max? Why should I care about his character?" You're not really given a ton of insight into who he is and why he's a hero you want to root for. Read to kids in the hospital. Pull a cat out of a tree. Do something! Give me a reason to care. I don't think that's too much to ask for.
Despite my issues with the film, Mad Max is carried by a solid performance from Gibson. Visceral rage just oozes from the man as he goes out for his revenge. He's got that look, one we've seen in many films before. A look that says, "I'm crazy and I want you to know it." His passion in the role is a shining spot.
The film also benefits from solid world-building. Though you're only given a small taste, it's all you need to see. The road is what's important, the heartbeat of the film. You witness it in the attention to detail behind the cars (Max's car in the end was dope) and the gangs' constant power struggle over maintaining territory. The road is a wasteland, yet extremely vital for those living in it.
I'm giving Mad Max a 73. Perhaps that's not a bad thing. For a movie to be missing some key components and still get a decent score says a lot. It's kind of like eating at an expensive restaurant: When you see your plate, you're slightly let down because you were hoping for more, but you quickly find that the portion you received was good enough.
Max is a police officer in a post-apocalyptic world where biker gangs rule the road. After his partner is brutally burned by one of the most dangerous gangs, Max decides to retire but a terrible turn of events sucks him right back in.
The film got off to a slow start for me. I was confused by what was happening and why it was happening. It's not a good sign when I have to jump on to Wikipedia to clarify things. Unfortunately things never quite bounced back for me after that. I spent a good majority of the film thinking, "What are the stakes for Max? Why should I care about his character?" You're not really given a ton of insight into who he is and why he's a hero you want to root for. Read to kids in the hospital. Pull a cat out of a tree. Do something! Give me a reason to care. I don't think that's too much to ask for.
Despite my issues with the film, Mad Max is carried by a solid performance from Gibson. Visceral rage just oozes from the man as he goes out for his revenge. He's got that look, one we've seen in many films before. A look that says, "I'm crazy and I want you to know it." His passion in the role is a shining spot.
The film also benefits from solid world-building. Though you're only given a small taste, it's all you need to see. The road is what's important, the heartbeat of the film. You witness it in the attention to detail behind the cars (Max's car in the end was dope) and the gangs' constant power struggle over maintaining territory. The road is a wasteland, yet extremely vital for those living in it.
I'm giving Mad Max a 73. Perhaps that's not a bad thing. For a movie to be missing some key components and still get a decent score says a lot. It's kind of like eating at an expensive restaurant: When you see your plate, you're slightly let down because you were hoping for more, but you quickly find that the portion you received was good enough.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Captain America: Civil War (2016) in Movies
Dec 24, 2020
To it's credit, Civil War was incredible at it's time of release, but a recent re watch left me feeling a little emptier than I remember, and I think it's down to further films in the MCU. The main issue is that whilst it's a third Captain America movie, it is also Avengers 2.5, and as such, loses something from both sides of the coin. The complicated relationship between Bucky and Cap was one of the driving forces that made The Winter Soldier one of the best MCU films to date, but here, that side is distracted from by the big headline brawl. The Civil War side of things is set up pretty well, but the pay off doesn't quite pack the punch it needs to due to the overall focus on the aformentioned Bucky/Cap story.
When it first released, it benefited from boasting the first MCU appearances of Black Panther and Spider-Man. Since then we've seen plenty of both, in arguably better movies. At the time of release, the airport fight scene had me beaming with nerdy joy, but since then, we've been spoiled by Infinity War and Endgame, and the titular Civil War is really a low stakes fight full of pulled punches, wrapped up in a fan pleasing package. Basically, hindsight shows that Civil War is a victim of Marvel Studios bigger event movies that have followed since.
Another point worth mentioning is the villains' evil plan. The big bad this time is classic Captain America antagonist Baron Zeno, and his plan is, well, it's really convoluted. I know it's a comic book film, and I should suspend my disbelief to a certain degree, but I can't rag on Lex Luthors' stupid plan in Batman v Superman and then give this a free pass. It gets the ball rolling, and puts all the players into the right places for the film to proceed, but it's dumb as fuck.
It's miles away from being a bad comic book film though. The cast are all once again superb. Some of the emotional beats are fantastic, especially the final showdown between Iron Man and Cap. The way Tony is portrayed as a man with nothing left to lose at the films climax is heart breaking. It's extremely visually pleasing, the CGI is top drawer and the action is stupidly entertaining.
Civil War ultimately is full of thrilling moments that are designed to have comic book fans jumping for joy, but underneath all it's pizzazz, my recent re watch has shown me that it's a film trying to do too much. Luckily the Russo's managed to refine their formula for Infinity War, and as such, Civil War is a flawed yet important stepping stone to the Infinity Saga climax. Still 100% worth watching.
When it first released, it benefited from boasting the first MCU appearances of Black Panther and Spider-Man. Since then we've seen plenty of both, in arguably better movies. At the time of release, the airport fight scene had me beaming with nerdy joy, but since then, we've been spoiled by Infinity War and Endgame, and the titular Civil War is really a low stakes fight full of pulled punches, wrapped up in a fan pleasing package. Basically, hindsight shows that Civil War is a victim of Marvel Studios bigger event movies that have followed since.
Another point worth mentioning is the villains' evil plan. The big bad this time is classic Captain America antagonist Baron Zeno, and his plan is, well, it's really convoluted. I know it's a comic book film, and I should suspend my disbelief to a certain degree, but I can't rag on Lex Luthors' stupid plan in Batman v Superman and then give this a free pass. It gets the ball rolling, and puts all the players into the right places for the film to proceed, but it's dumb as fuck.
It's miles away from being a bad comic book film though. The cast are all once again superb. Some of the emotional beats are fantastic, especially the final showdown between Iron Man and Cap. The way Tony is portrayed as a man with nothing left to lose at the films climax is heart breaking. It's extremely visually pleasing, the CGI is top drawer and the action is stupidly entertaining.
Civil War ultimately is full of thrilling moments that are designed to have comic book fans jumping for joy, but underneath all it's pizzazz, my recent re watch has shown me that it's a film trying to do too much. Luckily the Russo's managed to refine their formula for Infinity War, and as such, Civil War is a flawed yet important stepping stone to the Infinity Saga climax. Still 100% worth watching.