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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) in Movies
Aug 1, 2019 (Updated Aug 3, 2019)
WBs second entry into the DCEU is a messy misstep.
Contains spoilers, click to show
It's the big one that comic fans have been waiting decades to see come to life on the big screen, the one that was infamously teased in I Am Legend, the one that was going to match The Dark Knight Returns, and it's just oh so dissapointing.
After Warner Bros. kicked off the DCEU franchise with Man of Steel, a film that I thought was actually pretty good, I was full of Hope, and couldn't wait to see what they did with all of these beloved characters from years of DC stories.
When it was announced that the sequel would feature Batman in a loose adaption of TDKR, I was even more excited. When it was announced that this film would introduce the core members of the Justice League, I started to become concerned. It just screamed that Warner were trying to catch up with the already established MCU with a single film. It turns out that my concerns were justified.
The absolute biggest problem with Batman V Superman is that it just tried to do too much. And in doing so, creates a messy and often silly narrative.
The set up is pretty good, the opening scene of Metropolis being levelled whilst Bruce Wayne desperately tries to save his colleagues is pretty thrilling. It gives Batman a good, solid reason to want to fight Superman and neutralise this alien threat.
The plot is needlessly complicated when Lex Luthor gets involved (not quite sure what Jessie Eisenberg was going for in his weird portrayal), forcing Superman into a confrontation with Batman by means of kidnapping his mother.
When the big beat down finally arrived, it lasts just a few minutes before they become great friends very suddenly (due to their mothers infamously having the same name).
Not long after this, Wonder Woman is thrown into the mix (because reasons) and then they all fight Doomsday (because why the hell not) effectively cramming six movies worth of material into one very underwhelming and silly movie.
The mind boggles.
The Justice League are introduced though a series of short videos such as CCTV footage etc, and you have to wonder why they even bothered.
It's not all bad though. Ben Affleck as Batman is pretty inspired casting and is actually great. He's older, jaded, and pretty stocky, and his action scenes are ripped straight from the beloved Arkham video games. It's almost like Zack Snyder actually wanted to make a Batman film or something....
Wonder Womans presence is wholly unessecary, but for what it's worth, she's pretty badass, looks the part, and Gal Gadot does a good job of bringing her to life.
I also enjoyed the Knightmare scene hinting at Darkseid further down the line.
Unfortunately, the good parts are wrapped up in shambles. The MCU has been so finely crafted over the years, and it really confuses me why WB didn't take a similar route with the DC universe - a universe that has arguably better characters.
After Warner Bros. kicked off the DCEU franchise with Man of Steel, a film that I thought was actually pretty good, I was full of Hope, and couldn't wait to see what they did with all of these beloved characters from years of DC stories.
When it was announced that the sequel would feature Batman in a loose adaption of TDKR, I was even more excited. When it was announced that this film would introduce the core members of the Justice League, I started to become concerned. It just screamed that Warner were trying to catch up with the already established MCU with a single film. It turns out that my concerns were justified.
The absolute biggest problem with Batman V Superman is that it just tried to do too much. And in doing so, creates a messy and often silly narrative.
The set up is pretty good, the opening scene of Metropolis being levelled whilst Bruce Wayne desperately tries to save his colleagues is pretty thrilling. It gives Batman a good, solid reason to want to fight Superman and neutralise this alien threat.
The plot is needlessly complicated when Lex Luthor gets involved (not quite sure what Jessie Eisenberg was going for in his weird portrayal), forcing Superman into a confrontation with Batman by means of kidnapping his mother.
When the big beat down finally arrived, it lasts just a few minutes before they become great friends very suddenly (due to their mothers infamously having the same name).
Not long after this, Wonder Woman is thrown into the mix (because reasons) and then they all fight Doomsday (because why the hell not) effectively cramming six movies worth of material into one very underwhelming and silly movie.
The mind boggles.
The Justice League are introduced though a series of short videos such as CCTV footage etc, and you have to wonder why they even bothered.
It's not all bad though. Ben Affleck as Batman is pretty inspired casting and is actually great. He's older, jaded, and pretty stocky, and his action scenes are ripped straight from the beloved Arkham video games. It's almost like Zack Snyder actually wanted to make a Batman film or something....
Wonder Womans presence is wholly unessecary, but for what it's worth, she's pretty badass, looks the part, and Gal Gadot does a good job of bringing her to life.
I also enjoyed the Knightmare scene hinting at Darkseid further down the line.
Unfortunately, the good parts are wrapped up in shambles. The MCU has been so finely crafted over the years, and it really confuses me why WB didn't take a similar route with the DC universe - a universe that has arguably better characters.
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Tomorrow War (2021) in Movies
Aug 1, 2021
A rather impulsive watch on this one, other than one of those pre-Prime adverts I hadn't seen anything about it. But it looked intriguing.
The future arrives in the present in an event that's never been seen before, but it brings news of a war raging 30 years in the future.
Tomorrow War has an interesting idea behind it, but I decided early on that I would stop trying to think about the ramifications of everything happening. We watch the events unfold along with the characters, I found that annoying at the beginning as I was keen to get into the nitty gritty and it was taking its sweet time.
I felt that some of the interactions took shortcuts. A character will ask a question, get refused, but instantly be told the answer after a second half arsed enquiry. Yes it moves the story along, but not in a very satisfying way. At the same time, it throws in a selection of completely unnecessary interactions like it doesn't know exactly what it wants to achieve.
I would like to say that there was some acting that helped redeem the rollercoaster of Tomorrow War's story, but everything is "they were working with what they got". There wasn't always a lot.
Despite the opportunity for Chris Pratt to be a strong action lead, the set up doesn't really allow for it. Initially we get presented with him being a scientist, when the action begins we're given the soldier angle. I'm not saying people can't have to sides to them, but it felt very strange to swap it up. It seemed entirely based off the need to have a scientific element later in the story, but with so many characters, it felt odd to have those elements in one person when there was plenty of scope to have two different people, one for each role.
With all these characters it's hard to differentiate between them... but don't worry, the costume department have a solution to that... I don't want to ruin the surprise, but it's truly ridiculous. There's very little sense to it, and I can't fathom how anyone signed it off.
The effects didn't really bother me, it all seemed to work, nothing stood out for negative reasons. With so many other questionable things happening, that was a bit of a relief really. The creatures were kind of familiar and just creepy enough to work, their movement helped with that, but overall there really didn't feel like enough of them in the film to warrant the effort.
I liked the idea behind Tomorrow War, but while I tried to switch my brain off, I came out with questions... so many questions. They just popped in there. And if it wasn't questions, it was predictions that were often right. With all of this I haven't even dealt with the ending. Everything before the conclusion wasn't bad, the ending was rushed and didn't fit with what had come before. The balance was definitely off, and I think with some changes this could really have knocked it out of the park.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-tomorrow-war-movie-review.html
The future arrives in the present in an event that's never been seen before, but it brings news of a war raging 30 years in the future.
Tomorrow War has an interesting idea behind it, but I decided early on that I would stop trying to think about the ramifications of everything happening. We watch the events unfold along with the characters, I found that annoying at the beginning as I was keen to get into the nitty gritty and it was taking its sweet time.
I felt that some of the interactions took shortcuts. A character will ask a question, get refused, but instantly be told the answer after a second half arsed enquiry. Yes it moves the story along, but not in a very satisfying way. At the same time, it throws in a selection of completely unnecessary interactions like it doesn't know exactly what it wants to achieve.
I would like to say that there was some acting that helped redeem the rollercoaster of Tomorrow War's story, but everything is "they were working with what they got". There wasn't always a lot.
Despite the opportunity for Chris Pratt to be a strong action lead, the set up doesn't really allow for it. Initially we get presented with him being a scientist, when the action begins we're given the soldier angle. I'm not saying people can't have to sides to them, but it felt very strange to swap it up. It seemed entirely based off the need to have a scientific element later in the story, but with so many characters, it felt odd to have those elements in one person when there was plenty of scope to have two different people, one for each role.
With all these characters it's hard to differentiate between them... but don't worry, the costume department have a solution to that... I don't want to ruin the surprise, but it's truly ridiculous. There's very little sense to it, and I can't fathom how anyone signed it off.
The effects didn't really bother me, it all seemed to work, nothing stood out for negative reasons. With so many other questionable things happening, that was a bit of a relief really. The creatures were kind of familiar and just creepy enough to work, their movement helped with that, but overall there really didn't feel like enough of them in the film to warrant the effort.
I liked the idea behind Tomorrow War, but while I tried to switch my brain off, I came out with questions... so many questions. They just popped in there. And if it wasn't questions, it was predictions that were often right. With all of this I haven't even dealt with the ending. Everything before the conclusion wasn't bad, the ending was rushed and didn't fit with what had come before. The balance was definitely off, and I think with some changes this could really have knocked it out of the park.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-tomorrow-war-movie-review.html
Erika (17789 KP) rated Stillwater (2021) in Movies
Aug 3, 2021
The film Stillwater is based upon and exploits the Amanda Knox story. Swapping Italy for the town of Marseille, France, Allison (Abigail Breslin), an American university student is convicted of killing her girlfriend, Lina. Bill (Matt Damon), Allison’s estranged father, visits her regularly in prison, and is convinced of her innocence.
The majority of the film focuses on Bill’s quest to prove her innocence. Bill is a roughneck (oil driller), good ol’ boy Okie from Stillwater. After delivering a letter to Allison’s lawyer with new information, he takes it upon himself to find the main suspect, Akim, with the help of Virginie (Camille Cottin). This is completely against Allison’s wishes, because she sees him, and herself, as a ‘fuck-up’.
Bill develops a relationship with Virginie, and her daughter, Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). After Allison refuses to see him anymore, Bill stays with Virginie, as a friend, helps with Maya, and goes native. Honestly, the subplot of this relationship with Virginie that progresses to a romantic relationship, and the fatherly relationship to Maya, slow the film down to a snail’s pace. The story finally picks up again, when Bill takes Maya to a football game, and he captures Akim. Bill collects DNA from Akim, hands it to an ex-cop, then finally learns the truth of what happened with the murder of Lina. This situation ruins his relationship with his new French family, and he goes back to Stillwater, quickly followed by Allison, after she is released after the DNA matches what was left at the crime scene.
I was originally pretty excited to see the film, but then I read a Vanity Fair interview with the director, Tom McCarthy. McCarthy mentioned that he wanted to be in the shoes of Amanda Knox, or something like that. Knox, who was found not guilty for the murder of Meredith Kercher, was probably very available. Knox came out after the article was published and voiced that her story was being exploited. Reading her responses made me have really icky feelings, and I almost didn’t go see it, because they’re profiting off her story. To be fair, Knox is profiting off her own story as well, but it still isn’t right. This situation hurt the film, in my opinion, and I think the box office numbers in the US reflect that as well. I would have rated this film higher, and enjoyed it more, had I not seen the press surrounding it. I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Damon did well in his portrayal of an Okie roughneck, and you could tell he really did study to nail the role. Breslin was neither here nor there, and I didn’t necessarily sympathize with her at all. So, I didn’t really care in the end if she got out of prison or not.
This film clocks in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, and it felt like a 2 hour and 20-minute film. I didn’t like the subplot, at all. It made the movie so bloated, and I kind of just wanted it to end. I don’t think this film is going to do well outside of the US, at all.
The majority of the film focuses on Bill’s quest to prove her innocence. Bill is a roughneck (oil driller), good ol’ boy Okie from Stillwater. After delivering a letter to Allison’s lawyer with new information, he takes it upon himself to find the main suspect, Akim, with the help of Virginie (Camille Cottin). This is completely against Allison’s wishes, because she sees him, and herself, as a ‘fuck-up’.
Bill develops a relationship with Virginie, and her daughter, Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). After Allison refuses to see him anymore, Bill stays with Virginie, as a friend, helps with Maya, and goes native. Honestly, the subplot of this relationship with Virginie that progresses to a romantic relationship, and the fatherly relationship to Maya, slow the film down to a snail’s pace. The story finally picks up again, when Bill takes Maya to a football game, and he captures Akim. Bill collects DNA from Akim, hands it to an ex-cop, then finally learns the truth of what happened with the murder of Lina. This situation ruins his relationship with his new French family, and he goes back to Stillwater, quickly followed by Allison, after she is released after the DNA matches what was left at the crime scene.
I was originally pretty excited to see the film, but then I read a Vanity Fair interview with the director, Tom McCarthy. McCarthy mentioned that he wanted to be in the shoes of Amanda Knox, or something like that. Knox, who was found not guilty for the murder of Meredith Kercher, was probably very available. Knox came out after the article was published and voiced that her story was being exploited. Reading her responses made me have really icky feelings, and I almost didn’t go see it, because they’re profiting off her story. To be fair, Knox is profiting off her own story as well, but it still isn’t right. This situation hurt the film, in my opinion, and I think the box office numbers in the US reflect that as well. I would have rated this film higher, and enjoyed it more, had I not seen the press surrounding it. I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Damon did well in his portrayal of an Okie roughneck, and you could tell he really did study to nail the role. Breslin was neither here nor there, and I didn’t necessarily sympathize with her at all. So, I didn’t really care in the end if she got out of prison or not.
This film clocks in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, and it felt like a 2 hour and 20-minute film. I didn’t like the subplot, at all. It made the movie so bloated, and I kind of just wanted it to end. I don’t think this film is going to do well outside of the US, at all.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
I refrained from doing my review until I'd seen both of the preview screenings on at Cineworld. I had some serious issues with the visuals, and it turns out I wasn't the only one.
I want to talk about the positives first because there really are a lot of things to appreciate. The fact that they've linked the action so directly to the comic book format is wonderful. Having both the storyboard transitions, the lettering and the actual comic books involved brought everything together. Even the "little" things like Spidey-sense and the dot work overlay.
All of that took a back seat to the bizarre background elements at times. In the 2D showing in particular it looked like they were showing a 3D version of the film. The most distracting moments contained areas blurring into double vision, when it wasn't the blurring it just looked like some of it was unfinished.
Spider-Verse had some very good promos in the run up to the film. You see some amazing bits during all of that but luckily they held plenty back for the rest of it. We've already seen the "I love you dad" scene in the trailer, but the extended version is so much better.
Miles' story makes for a great centre piece. Every step of him trying to learn about his new found abilities is done in a humorous and well thought out way and give him a great opportunity to mingle with his spider-friends.
... And those spider-friends... you can't help but love them just a little bit. Noir is probably my favourite, he's taken a leaf out of Pocahontas' book in Ralph Breaks The Internet and has his own personal wind machine, and a confusing relationship with colours that make him a perfectly eccentric character.
Aunt May kicks ass. I can't deny that I'm loving this incarnation of her just a little bit. She definitely could have saved a few Spidey movies for me.
I actually can't believe that Spider-Ham has been in the Marvel Universe since 1983. He featured in a One Shot Marvel Tails originally that featured other Marvel hero parodies including Captain AmeriCat, Hulk-Bunny and Goose Rider. The series definitely requires some further investigation... particularly Ant-Ant, Croctor Strange and Nick Furry: Agent Of S.H.E.E.P.. Honestly there's no end to punny names. Sadly, this amusing back story doesn't save Spider-Ham for me, apart from the issue I had with the graphics he's my low point. He really is just too hammy for the storyline.
What you should do
You should definitely watch this one, there's enough amusement and action for everyone. For the older nerds, wait until the end of the credits for a scene that most of the kids won't understand but you'll appreciate.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Having the ability to stick my hands to things wouldn't be bad. Climbing walls would be good, I'd never need a ladder to paint those hard to reach spots in the house... and I'd never drop my phone. Lots of possibilities there.
I want to talk about the positives first because there really are a lot of things to appreciate. The fact that they've linked the action so directly to the comic book format is wonderful. Having both the storyboard transitions, the lettering and the actual comic books involved brought everything together. Even the "little" things like Spidey-sense and the dot work overlay.
All of that took a back seat to the bizarre background elements at times. In the 2D showing in particular it looked like they were showing a 3D version of the film. The most distracting moments contained areas blurring into double vision, when it wasn't the blurring it just looked like some of it was unfinished.
Spider-Verse had some very good promos in the run up to the film. You see some amazing bits during all of that but luckily they held plenty back for the rest of it. We've already seen the "I love you dad" scene in the trailer, but the extended version is so much better.
Miles' story makes for a great centre piece. Every step of him trying to learn about his new found abilities is done in a humorous and well thought out way and give him a great opportunity to mingle with his spider-friends.
... And those spider-friends... you can't help but love them just a little bit. Noir is probably my favourite, he's taken a leaf out of Pocahontas' book in Ralph Breaks The Internet and has his own personal wind machine, and a confusing relationship with colours that make him a perfectly eccentric character.
Aunt May kicks ass. I can't deny that I'm loving this incarnation of her just a little bit. She definitely could have saved a few Spidey movies for me.
I actually can't believe that Spider-Ham has been in the Marvel Universe since 1983. He featured in a One Shot Marvel Tails originally that featured other Marvel hero parodies including Captain AmeriCat, Hulk-Bunny and Goose Rider. The series definitely requires some further investigation... particularly Ant-Ant, Croctor Strange and Nick Furry: Agent Of S.H.E.E.P.. Honestly there's no end to punny names. Sadly, this amusing back story doesn't save Spider-Ham for me, apart from the issue I had with the graphics he's my low point. He really is just too hammy for the storyline.
What you should do
You should definitely watch this one, there's enough amusement and action for everyone. For the older nerds, wait until the end of the credits for a scene that most of the kids won't understand but you'll appreciate.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Having the ability to stick my hands to things wouldn't be bad. Climbing walls would be good, I'd never need a ladder to paint those hard to reach spots in the house... and I'd never drop my phone. Lots of possibilities there.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Mortal Engines (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
I refrained from doing my review until I'd seen both of the preview screenings on at Cineworld. I had some serious issues with the visuals, and it turns out I wasn't the only one.
I want to talk about the positives first because there really are a lot of things to appreciate. The fact that they've linked the action so directly to the comic book format is wonderful. Having both the storyboard transitions, the lettering and the actual comic books involved brought everything together. Even the "little" things like Spidey-sense and the dot work overlay.
All of that took a back seat to the bizarre background elements at times. In the 2D showing in particular it looked like they were showing a 3D version of the film. The most distracting moments contained areas blurring into double vision, when it wasn't the blurring it just looked like some of it was unfinished.
Spider-Verse had some very good promos in the run up to the film. You see some amazing bits during all of that but luckily they held plenty back for the rest of it. We've already seen the "I love you dad" scene in the trailer, but the extended version is so much better.
Miles' story makes for a great centre piece. Every step of him trying to learn about his new found abilities is done in a humorous and well thought out way and give him a great opportunity to mingle with his spider-friends.
... And those spider-friends... you can't help but love them just a little bit. Noir is probably my favourite, he's taken a leaf out of Pocahontas' book in Ralph Breaks The Internet and has his own personal wind machine, and a confusing relationship with colours that make him a perfectly eccentric character.
Aunt May kicks ass. I can't deny that I'm loving this incarnation of her just a little bit. She definitely could have saved a few Spidey movies for me.
I actually can't believe that Spider-Ham has been in the Marvel Universe since 1983. He featured in a One Shot Marvel Tails originally that featured other Marvel hero parodies including Captain AmeriCat, Hulk-Bunny and Goose Rider. The series definitely requires some further investigation... particularly Ant-Ant, Croctor Strange and Nick Furry: Agent Of S.H.E.E.P.. Honestly there's no end to punny names. Sadly, this amusing back story doesn't save Spider-Ham for me, apart from the issue I had with the graphics he's my low point. He really is just too hammy for the storyline.
What you should do
You should definitely watch this one, there's enough amusement and action for everyone. For the older nerds, wait until the end of the credits for a scene that most of the kids won't understand but you'll appreciate.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Having the ability to stick my hands to things wouldn't be bad. Climbing walls would be good, I'd never need a ladder to paint those hard to reach spots in the house... and I'd never drop my phone. Lots of possibilities there.
I want to talk about the positives first because there really are a lot of things to appreciate. The fact that they've linked the action so directly to the comic book format is wonderful. Having both the storyboard transitions, the lettering and the actual comic books involved brought everything together. Even the "little" things like Spidey-sense and the dot work overlay.
All of that took a back seat to the bizarre background elements at times. In the 2D showing in particular it looked like they were showing a 3D version of the film. The most distracting moments contained areas blurring into double vision, when it wasn't the blurring it just looked like some of it was unfinished.
Spider-Verse had some very good promos in the run up to the film. You see some amazing bits during all of that but luckily they held plenty back for the rest of it. We've already seen the "I love you dad" scene in the trailer, but the extended version is so much better.
Miles' story makes for a great centre piece. Every step of him trying to learn about his new found abilities is done in a humorous and well thought out way and give him a great opportunity to mingle with his spider-friends.
... And those spider-friends... you can't help but love them just a little bit. Noir is probably my favourite, he's taken a leaf out of Pocahontas' book in Ralph Breaks The Internet and has his own personal wind machine, and a confusing relationship with colours that make him a perfectly eccentric character.
Aunt May kicks ass. I can't deny that I'm loving this incarnation of her just a little bit. She definitely could have saved a few Spidey movies for me.
I actually can't believe that Spider-Ham has been in the Marvel Universe since 1983. He featured in a One Shot Marvel Tails originally that featured other Marvel hero parodies including Captain AmeriCat, Hulk-Bunny and Goose Rider. The series definitely requires some further investigation... particularly Ant-Ant, Croctor Strange and Nick Furry: Agent Of S.H.E.E.P.. Honestly there's no end to punny names. Sadly, this amusing back story doesn't save Spider-Ham for me, apart from the issue I had with the graphics he's my low point. He really is just too hammy for the storyline.
What you should do
You should definitely watch this one, there's enough amusement and action for everyone. For the older nerds, wait until the end of the credits for a scene that most of the kids won't understand but you'll appreciate.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Having the ability to stick my hands to things wouldn't be bad. Climbing walls would be good, I'd never need a ladder to paint those hard to reach spots in the house... and I'd never drop my phone. Lots of possibilities there.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Logan Lucky (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) just got fired from his job and found out that his ex-wife is moving his daughter to another state. He lives for his daughter and needs to get money fast to pay for a lawyer to fight the move. He decides that the best way to get this fast cash is to rob his previous employer, the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He enlist the help of his brother Clyde Logan (Adam Driver), his fast driving sister Millie Logan (Riley Keough), and explosives expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig). Together they hatch a plan to rob the cash vault under the NASCAR track during the biggest race of the year. It won’t be easy for the crew as they must overcome many obstacles along the way. For one they only one of them who can blow the massive safe, Bang, is currently in prison. Bang also insists that his two inept brothers be included in the heist. There is also the matter of a large private police force patrolling the track. But the biggest hurdle may be the Logan family curse. Something bad is seemingly always happening to the family. Jimmy was destine to go to the NFL before a freak accident ruined his knee and ended his football career. Clyde was on his way back home from deployment in the Army and was hit by a roadside bomb and lost his arm. If they can overcome all of this they can walk away with a fortune.
This Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, Ocean’s 13) directed film is a fun and fast paced heist film. It definitely fits into the Ocean’s film model, with a large cast, twists that keep the audience guessing and well thought out ending. This films stands apart from those by being more hillbilly than the sleek well put together Ocean’s crew. The film dialog is well done and written expertly by Rebecca Blunt, this is the first screen writing credit for Rebecca. There are plenty of cameos by West Virginia Natives, NASCAR drivers and commentators, and others. I had heard beforehand that there were several cameos and made for a fun exercise in spotting the NASCAR drivers in various roles. The ensemble cast is stellar led by Tatum, Driver and Craig. The cast includes fun performances by a barely recognizable Seth MacFarlane along with Dwight Yoakam, Katie Holmes, and Hilary Swank. There were times thought that the various accents that the cast were attempting to use felt forced and/or missing from particular scenes. The pace of the film is good but does get a little slow during the heist set up and the two hour run time was a tad too long for me.
Overall this is a fun film that fits the heist movie genre perfectly. One news report in the film characterized the robbery as Ocean’s 7/11 and that pretty well sums up the film. The characters are original and if you are a fan of these types of movies you will not be disappointed.
This Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, Ocean’s 13) directed film is a fun and fast paced heist film. It definitely fits into the Ocean’s film model, with a large cast, twists that keep the audience guessing and well thought out ending. This films stands apart from those by being more hillbilly than the sleek well put together Ocean’s crew. The film dialog is well done and written expertly by Rebecca Blunt, this is the first screen writing credit for Rebecca. There are plenty of cameos by West Virginia Natives, NASCAR drivers and commentators, and others. I had heard beforehand that there were several cameos and made for a fun exercise in spotting the NASCAR drivers in various roles. The ensemble cast is stellar led by Tatum, Driver and Craig. The cast includes fun performances by a barely recognizable Seth MacFarlane along with Dwight Yoakam, Katie Holmes, and Hilary Swank. There were times thought that the various accents that the cast were attempting to use felt forced and/or missing from particular scenes. The pace of the film is good but does get a little slow during the heist set up and the two hour run time was a tad too long for me.
Overall this is a fun film that fits the heist movie genre perfectly. One news report in the film characterized the robbery as Ocean’s 7/11 and that pretty well sums up the film. The characters are original and if you are a fan of these types of movies you will not be disappointed.
TheDefunctDiva (304 KP) rated The Wicker Man (1973) in Movies
Aug 29, 2021
Something Wicker This Way Comes
Contains spoilers, click to show
Forgive me, Father, for I am about to spoil this whole film. I am a novice film reviewer, and as such, I know no other way.
This film opens up with a police officer (Sergeant Howie) flying to an island in Scotland. I knew something was up when the older gentlemen in the harbor refused to send a dinghy for him to get onto the island. The older men seemed to be in on some kind of joke. As my teenager would say, “Very sus.”
The rather uppity lawman, portrayed quite convincingly by Edward Woodward, is searching for a girl on the island. The girl, Rowan Morrison, was reported missing by way of an anonymous letter sent to the mainland.
We are then introduced to the woman who is allegedly the missing girl’s mother. She runs the most unsettling candy shop ever. There are a lot of chocolate bunnies, which I am normally all in favor of. But she corrects the officer when he refers to them as bunnies. They are rabbits, of course. Because that increases the creepiness factor by ten.
Howie’s lodging is above a righteously rollicking pub. The locals sing and play about in the pub, and all seems normal.
Forward to the next scene. Holy unexpected nudity, Batman. I am glad my son chose to stay in his room and play Roblox. There are a bunch of naked locals openly copulating in and around the churchyard. Of course, it is later explained that it is not a churchyard, because poor, very stodgy, very Puritan Sergeant Howie has stumbled upon an island of RECKLESS HEATHEN PAGANS.
The lovely Britt Ekland portrays Willow, the barmaid. In a scene early on, she does a ritualistic dance in the nude, in the room next to the very tempted police officer. My boyfriend correctly observed that Howie should stay away from this woman, as she is clearly a siren. Her dance moves were odd to me, and at one point, I asked aloud, “What is she doing?” My boyfriend responded, “She’s twerking.”
The plot thickens like a good rabbit stew. Christopher Lee aptly portrays Lord Summerisle, the leader of the island. Summerisle makes some strange claims about the island, and says the women there get pregnant asexually by way of a ritual. This claim seems counterintuitive, since there seemed to be a lot of unprotected boinking going on by various members of the island, in the open air no less. But hey, maybe these adulterated pagans missed the lecture on the birds and the bees.
As a heathen myself, I didn’t find this movie too horrific until it neared the end. I was more focused on Sergeant Howie’s unwillingness to entertain a faith other than his own. The scenery was breathtaking, as it was filmed entirely on location in Scotland.
I’m not really going to spoil every detail of the ending. But I must observe that this is the strangest version of The 40-Year-Old Virgin I have ever seen.
This film opens up with a police officer (Sergeant Howie) flying to an island in Scotland. I knew something was up when the older gentlemen in the harbor refused to send a dinghy for him to get onto the island. The older men seemed to be in on some kind of joke. As my teenager would say, “Very sus.”
The rather uppity lawman, portrayed quite convincingly by Edward Woodward, is searching for a girl on the island. The girl, Rowan Morrison, was reported missing by way of an anonymous letter sent to the mainland.
We are then introduced to the woman who is allegedly the missing girl’s mother. She runs the most unsettling candy shop ever. There are a lot of chocolate bunnies, which I am normally all in favor of. But she corrects the officer when he refers to them as bunnies. They are rabbits, of course. Because that increases the creepiness factor by ten.
Howie’s lodging is above a righteously rollicking pub. The locals sing and play about in the pub, and all seems normal.
Forward to the next scene. Holy unexpected nudity, Batman. I am glad my son chose to stay in his room and play Roblox. There are a bunch of naked locals openly copulating in and around the churchyard. Of course, it is later explained that it is not a churchyard, because poor, very stodgy, very Puritan Sergeant Howie has stumbled upon an island of RECKLESS HEATHEN PAGANS.
The lovely Britt Ekland portrays Willow, the barmaid. In a scene early on, she does a ritualistic dance in the nude, in the room next to the very tempted police officer. My boyfriend correctly observed that Howie should stay away from this woman, as she is clearly a siren. Her dance moves were odd to me, and at one point, I asked aloud, “What is she doing?” My boyfriend responded, “She’s twerking.”
The plot thickens like a good rabbit stew. Christopher Lee aptly portrays Lord Summerisle, the leader of the island. Summerisle makes some strange claims about the island, and says the women there get pregnant asexually by way of a ritual. This claim seems counterintuitive, since there seemed to be a lot of unprotected boinking going on by various members of the island, in the open air no less. But hey, maybe these adulterated pagans missed the lecture on the birds and the bees.
As a heathen myself, I didn’t find this movie too horrific until it neared the end. I was more focused on Sergeant Howie’s unwillingness to entertain a faith other than his own. The scenery was breathtaking, as it was filmed entirely on location in Scotland.
I’m not really going to spoil every detail of the ending. But I must observe that this is the strangest version of The 40-Year-Old Virgin I have ever seen.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Guaranteeing a “safe passage through the anus”!
I’m neither a Marvel fan, nor (in particular) a Thor fan….. but I have to admit “Thor: Ragnarok” was brilliant from beginning to end.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been travelling the universe in search of… stuff… (I neither remember nor care)… but returns to his home planet of Asgard with a dire warning of impending ‘Raganrok’: this being the ‘End of Days’ for Asgard. But he finds the court engaged in serious leisure time!
ragnarok4
“Shave and a hair cut… two stripes”
Things go from bad to worse when Hela (Cate Blanchett, “Carol“) – someone with more than a passing relationship to Thor – arrives with a mission to assume the throne. Teamed uncomfortably with half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston, “High Rise”), the brothers get cast millions of light years away to a planet lorded over by a ‘grand master’ (a lovely performance, that I will leave anonymous here) who pits new gladiators in an arena against his latest champion. You’ll never guess who his champion is? Well, OK (cos the trailer gives it away)… he’s big and green!
ragnarok2
The grand master’s champion. Opponents are green with envy.
The film’s script is hilarious. It generates an enormous volume of entertainment with laugh-out loud moments throughout; the unforseen involvement of other Marvel characters; some startling cameos all mixed with the usual brand of spectacular fights and action. Some of the action is surprising: a real eye-opener you might say.
ragnarok3
Tessa Thompson as the Valkyrie in full flight.
The lead cast (Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Blanchett and Ruffalo) all perform admirably and are joined by heavyweight cameos from Anthony Hopkins (“Westworld”) and Idris Elba (“Bastille Day“) reprising their roles from “Thor: The Dark World”. Particularly impressive is Tessa Thompson (“Creed“) as Thor’s Valkyrie warrior side-kick and Karl Urban (“Star Trek: Into Darkness“) as the turn-coat Asgardian Skurge.
ragnarok5
The real McCoy. Karl Urban as the Skurge of Asgard.
Directed by young New Zealander Taika Waititi (behind last year’s successful indie hit “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) it’s a breath of fresh air for the Thor franchise, more similar to the style of “Guardians of the Galaxy” rather than the previous films in the series. Waititi also saves all the best comedy lines for himself as the ‘rock warrior’ character Korg: his New Zealand twang delivering just side-splitting dialogue.
Hela (Cate Blanchett)
Hela may be a super-villain, but she still hasn’t learned to hold a hammer by the right end.
As with most Marvel films, its a little bit flabby in places, running to 130 minutes: some of the dialogue, particularly scenes between Hemsworth and Ruffalo, feel like they needed tightening up in the editing suite. This time of course includes the scrolling of endless teams of visual effect artists in the closing titles which – naturally – 90% of the audience stay for to see if there are any “monkeys“. In fact,there are two: one fairly early on; the other right at the end. (To be honest, I thought neither of them was particularly worth waiting for).
However overall the movie is highly recommended for a fun night out at the cinema.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been travelling the universe in search of… stuff… (I neither remember nor care)… but returns to his home planet of Asgard with a dire warning of impending ‘Raganrok’: this being the ‘End of Days’ for Asgard. But he finds the court engaged in serious leisure time!
ragnarok4
“Shave and a hair cut… two stripes”
Things go from bad to worse when Hela (Cate Blanchett, “Carol“) – someone with more than a passing relationship to Thor – arrives with a mission to assume the throne. Teamed uncomfortably with half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston, “High Rise”), the brothers get cast millions of light years away to a planet lorded over by a ‘grand master’ (a lovely performance, that I will leave anonymous here) who pits new gladiators in an arena against his latest champion. You’ll never guess who his champion is? Well, OK (cos the trailer gives it away)… he’s big and green!
ragnarok2
The grand master’s champion. Opponents are green with envy.
The film’s script is hilarious. It generates an enormous volume of entertainment with laugh-out loud moments throughout; the unforseen involvement of other Marvel characters; some startling cameos all mixed with the usual brand of spectacular fights and action. Some of the action is surprising: a real eye-opener you might say.
ragnarok3
Tessa Thompson as the Valkyrie in full flight.
The lead cast (Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Blanchett and Ruffalo) all perform admirably and are joined by heavyweight cameos from Anthony Hopkins (“Westworld”) and Idris Elba (“Bastille Day“) reprising their roles from “Thor: The Dark World”. Particularly impressive is Tessa Thompson (“Creed“) as Thor’s Valkyrie warrior side-kick and Karl Urban (“Star Trek: Into Darkness“) as the turn-coat Asgardian Skurge.
ragnarok5
The real McCoy. Karl Urban as the Skurge of Asgard.
Directed by young New Zealander Taika Waititi (behind last year’s successful indie hit “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) it’s a breath of fresh air for the Thor franchise, more similar to the style of “Guardians of the Galaxy” rather than the previous films in the series. Waititi also saves all the best comedy lines for himself as the ‘rock warrior’ character Korg: his New Zealand twang delivering just side-splitting dialogue.
Hela (Cate Blanchett)
Hela may be a super-villain, but she still hasn’t learned to hold a hammer by the right end.
As with most Marvel films, its a little bit flabby in places, running to 130 minutes: some of the dialogue, particularly scenes between Hemsworth and Ruffalo, feel like they needed tightening up in the editing suite. This time of course includes the scrolling of endless teams of visual effect artists in the closing titles which – naturally – 90% of the audience stay for to see if there are any “monkeys“. In fact,there are two: one fairly early on; the other right at the end. (To be honest, I thought neither of them was particularly worth waiting for).
However overall the movie is highly recommended for a fun night out at the cinema.