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Lee (2222 KP) rated The Meg (2018) in Movies
Aug 14, 2018
The acting is awful - from everyone (1 more)
The script is terrible
Fun action movie
If you've seen any of the posters or trailers for The Meg, you know exactly what you're in for. It's basically Jason Statham versus a big ass prehistoric shark, and that's pretty much all you need to know. If you're expecting a decent script, without any clichés, or any kind of decent acting for that matter, then you're likely to be disappointed. This movie pretty much does what it says on the tin.
Jason Statham stars as Jonas Taylor, currently retired from deep sea diving hero work and living a chilled life in Thailand, beer permanently in his hand. Five years earlier, Jonas was involved in an underwater operation which ended badly - a mysterious sea creature put a huge dent in the side of a submersible and Jonas had to make the painful decision to leave some men behind in order to save the rest. But when a hi-tech marine research station sends a crew down more than 10,000 metres into the ocean, beyond an icy barrier of hydrogen sulphide and into unexplored waters, they encounter a 70ft megalodon and find themselves trapped. Time for Jonas, the only man capable of rescuing them, to be lured out out of retirement. Unfortunately though, as the submersibles return to the surface, they unknowingly create a thermal pathway through the icy cold layer, and the meg follows them back up.
By this point we're nearly half way through the movie, and we've so far only caught a couple of glimpses of the meg and the kind of damage it can cause. The rest of the time up until now has been filled with introducing us to a large number of dull characters, both on the research station and the submersible. To be fair though, the script is terrible - full of clichés and failed attempts at humour and one-liners, but even then the delivery from literally everyone involved is pretty awful, the acting on show here is shocking. When things do kick off with the shark though, it's less talk more action, and that's when the film is at its most enjoyable.
Many of the action scenes are, as you'd expect, ridiculous, over the top and wildly enjoyable. Jonas tries 'sneaking up' on the meg in order to fire it with a tracking dart, only for the meg to give chase as Jonas is rapidly winched back in, swerving to avoid the huge jaws. Later on, the meg finds its way to a densely populated beach. Hundreds of nicely arranged bathers in their rubber rings, men rolling around in zorbs, people on jet skis - the perfect scenario for mass panic and carnage.
Overall, this is a good fun action movie which really should have focused a little more on a tighter script. Still worth a watch though.
Jason Statham stars as Jonas Taylor, currently retired from deep sea diving hero work and living a chilled life in Thailand, beer permanently in his hand. Five years earlier, Jonas was involved in an underwater operation which ended badly - a mysterious sea creature put a huge dent in the side of a submersible and Jonas had to make the painful decision to leave some men behind in order to save the rest. But when a hi-tech marine research station sends a crew down more than 10,000 metres into the ocean, beyond an icy barrier of hydrogen sulphide and into unexplored waters, they encounter a 70ft megalodon and find themselves trapped. Time for Jonas, the only man capable of rescuing them, to be lured out out of retirement. Unfortunately though, as the submersibles return to the surface, they unknowingly create a thermal pathway through the icy cold layer, and the meg follows them back up.
By this point we're nearly half way through the movie, and we've so far only caught a couple of glimpses of the meg and the kind of damage it can cause. The rest of the time up until now has been filled with introducing us to a large number of dull characters, both on the research station and the submersible. To be fair though, the script is terrible - full of clichés and failed attempts at humour and one-liners, but even then the delivery from literally everyone involved is pretty awful, the acting on show here is shocking. When things do kick off with the shark though, it's less talk more action, and that's when the film is at its most enjoyable.
Many of the action scenes are, as you'd expect, ridiculous, over the top and wildly enjoyable. Jonas tries 'sneaking up' on the meg in order to fire it with a tracking dart, only for the meg to give chase as Jonas is rapidly winched back in, swerving to avoid the huge jaws. Later on, the meg finds its way to a densely populated beach. Hundreds of nicely arranged bathers in their rubber rings, men rolling around in zorbs, people on jet skis - the perfect scenario for mass panic and carnage.
Overall, this is a good fun action movie which really should have focused a little more on a tighter script. Still worth a watch though.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Before I Go to Sleep in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I read this book on the avid insistence of a friend, and I am sure glad I read this book. The premise is quite intriguing - a woman with a very unique type of amnesia in which she wakes up every morning not remembering anything from as much as several decades of her life. What is most interesting is that sometimes she wakes thinking she is a child, while others she believes she is a young adult. There is no predicting at what believed age she will be when she wakes, and no controlling it.
A few things bugged me about the plot, the first of which was that on the mornings that she was supposed to wake as a child, nothing in her behavior indicated that of a child - she still behaved the same as when she woke as a full-grown adult. I was also immediately suspicious of Ben, as his behavior towards her did not seem very motivated towards achieving a return of her memory- but I suppose that was the point.
Despite Christine's loss of memory, in many ways her actions are instinctual - which is very realistic and made for some tense scenes. A Dr. Nash comes to her aid in secret, both because her case is no unusual and because he really does want to help her. Despite the difficulties of Christine not remembering him from day-to-day, he is still able to make progress with her - all behind Ben's back. On his advice, Christine begins keeping a journal of each day, as well as what memories return to her. This is when the book really picks up in intensity, as Christine comes to realize that her own mind could be her own worst enemy. At times she is not even certain if she can trust the words in her journal, since she cannot remember writing them.
As she fills up her journal, she begins to uncover lies and secrets in her life that create nail-biting, mind-blowing scenes that had me riveted. I was a little disappointed with how the book ends - after all of the build up, it seemed almost anti-climactic. Other than that, the book was an excellent read, especially for a first-time author. Everyone should read this book!
A few things bugged me about the plot, the first of which was that on the mornings that she was supposed to wake as a child, nothing in her behavior indicated that of a child - she still behaved the same as when she woke as a full-grown adult. I was also immediately suspicious of Ben, as his behavior towards her did not seem very motivated towards achieving a return of her memory- but I suppose that was the point.
Despite Christine's loss of memory, in many ways her actions are instinctual - which is very realistic and made for some tense scenes. A Dr. Nash comes to her aid in secret, both because her case is no unusual and because he really does want to help her. Despite the difficulties of Christine not remembering him from day-to-day, he is still able to make progress with her - all behind Ben's back. On his advice, Christine begins keeping a journal of each day, as well as what memories return to her. This is when the book really picks up in intensity, as Christine comes to realize that her own mind could be her own worst enemy. At times she is not even certain if she can trust the words in her journal, since she cannot remember writing them.
As she fills up her journal, she begins to uncover lies and secrets in her life that create nail-biting, mind-blowing scenes that had me riveted. I was a little disappointed with how the book ends - after all of the build up, it seemed almost anti-climactic. Other than that, the book was an excellent read, especially for a first-time author. Everyone should read this book!
Lee (2222 KP) rated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) in Movies
Jun 9, 2018 (Updated Jun 11, 2018)
Very different to what we're used to
Since all hell broke out in the last movie, the island of Isla Nublar has remained a relatively peaceful place for the dinosaurs to roam free. But now, the islands volcano is set to erupt, threatening their extinction once more, and bringing with it all kinds of questions as to whether man should try to save them or follow gods will and let them die.
When the decision to save them is made, along with the offer of a lovely dinosaur sanctuary for them all to live peacefully, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas-Howard) are enlisted to return to the island and rescue the dinosaurs from their imminent destruction. Claire is needed for her hand-print, in order to activate the dormant dinosaur tracking software on the island, and Owen for his relationship with the velociraptor Blue, who they have so far been unable to locate and capture. Unfortunately though, there are some bad guys behind the scenes who are more concerned with making a few million dollars out of the dinosaurs than rescuing them from extinction, so things don't go according to plan.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a bit of a strange mix of two distinctly different halves. The first half was pretty much covered in off in the first trailer for the movie, with the second half key plot points unbelievably given away by the rather unnecessary final trailer. The resulting movie is unfortunately something which isn't anywhere near as good as it's predecessor(s). There are some pretty weird and crazy plotlines, and the bad guys are pretty rubbish, and the whole thing runs pretty close to being a complete disaster. Although the final third or so is wildly different to anything we've seen in a Jurassic Park/World movie, it does still manage to be pretty entertaining, and there are enough decent scares and thrills along the way to keep things moving along nicely. But this could have been so much better.
When the decision to save them is made, along with the offer of a lovely dinosaur sanctuary for them all to live peacefully, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas-Howard) are enlisted to return to the island and rescue the dinosaurs from their imminent destruction. Claire is needed for her hand-print, in order to activate the dormant dinosaur tracking software on the island, and Owen for his relationship with the velociraptor Blue, who they have so far been unable to locate and capture. Unfortunately though, there are some bad guys behind the scenes who are more concerned with making a few million dollars out of the dinosaurs than rescuing them from extinction, so things don't go according to plan.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a bit of a strange mix of two distinctly different halves. The first half was pretty much covered in off in the first trailer for the movie, with the second half key plot points unbelievably given away by the rather unnecessary final trailer. The resulting movie is unfortunately something which isn't anywhere near as good as it's predecessor(s). There are some pretty weird and crazy plotlines, and the bad guys are pretty rubbish, and the whole thing runs pretty close to being a complete disaster. Although the final third or so is wildly different to anything we've seen in a Jurassic Park/World movie, it does still manage to be pretty entertaining, and there are enough decent scares and thrills along the way to keep things moving along nicely. But this could have been so much better.
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Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Evil that came to Denham in Books
Jan 20, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Evil that came to Denham by John Ulrich is based on a real story that I doubt many people have heard of. This story is The Denham Massacre in 1870 where all seven members of the Marshall family were brutally murdered. If this is something that interests you I invite you to read on.
The narrator tells the story of his parents in their first house in Denham. Christine (the narrator's mother) comes from an extremely proper family. Her father is extremely controlling and abusive while her mother is religious and believes that her husband’s behavior is the will of God. Neither one of Christine’s parents approves of John, her boyfriend (and the narrator's father) because he is a garbage collector and doesn't come from money. It is their dislike for John and the mistreatment of Christine that pushes John to quickly find a home of their own.
John comes across a home for rent called Harridons at Cheapside Lane in Denham in the paper. After making the proper arrangements John, Christine, and their friend Dave happily rent the house. The happiness is short-lived as Christine is soon the first to hear the disembodied screams of women and children. It quickly becomes clear that there is more to this house than the three originally though. It takes a long talk with a priest and the landlords before they learn the truth behind the house. A horrible massacre many years before has stained the very land the house sits on and has left behind some very unhappy sprits.
I enjoyed the style of the storytelling used. When someone in the main story is telling another character a story about something else that happened in the past it is written like a flashback. The entire thing flows wonderfully without any jarring transitions. What I did not like was how just about everyone is accepting of what was going on in the house. Naturally, I expected more people to be skeptical of the paranormal happenings. This isn’t so much a problem as it is an odd observation.
This is an adult horror book that could be acceptable for slightly younger readers, such as those still in high school. One of the big issues is the fact that there is a fair amount of vivid gore scenes that some younger readers may find disturbing. Readers should also be prepared for a relatively long novel. I rate this book 3 out of 4. While not my favorite book its was still wonderful. A great read for any time of the year but especially around Halloween as this one truly was creepy. The fact that it is based on a true story adds to the creepy level even more.
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The narrator tells the story of his parents in their first house in Denham. Christine (the narrator's mother) comes from an extremely proper family. Her father is extremely controlling and abusive while her mother is religious and believes that her husband’s behavior is the will of God. Neither one of Christine’s parents approves of John, her boyfriend (and the narrator's father) because he is a garbage collector and doesn't come from money. It is their dislike for John and the mistreatment of Christine that pushes John to quickly find a home of their own.
John comes across a home for rent called Harridons at Cheapside Lane in Denham in the paper. After making the proper arrangements John, Christine, and their friend Dave happily rent the house. The happiness is short-lived as Christine is soon the first to hear the disembodied screams of women and children. It quickly becomes clear that there is more to this house than the three originally though. It takes a long talk with a priest and the landlords before they learn the truth behind the house. A horrible massacre many years before has stained the very land the house sits on and has left behind some very unhappy sprits.
I enjoyed the style of the storytelling used. When someone in the main story is telling another character a story about something else that happened in the past it is written like a flashback. The entire thing flows wonderfully without any jarring transitions. What I did not like was how just about everyone is accepting of what was going on in the house. Naturally, I expected more people to be skeptical of the paranormal happenings. This isn’t so much a problem as it is an odd observation.
This is an adult horror book that could be acceptable for slightly younger readers, such as those still in high school. One of the big issues is the fact that there is a fair amount of vivid gore scenes that some younger readers may find disturbing. Readers should also be prepared for a relatively long novel. I rate this book 3 out of 4. While not my favorite book its was still wonderful. A great read for any time of the year but especially around Halloween as this one truly was creepy. The fact that it is based on a true story adds to the creepy level even more.
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated It’s A Sin in TV
Feb 7, 2021
Outstanding drama
It’s A Sin is the latest drama from the mind of Russell T Davies, the man behind Queer as Folk, Cucumber and the revival of Doctor Who back in 2005. It follows a group of gay men and their friends in London from 1981 to 1991, depicting how the developing HIV and AIDS crisis impacted on their lives.
The series concentrates on 5 friends who meet in 1981 and move into a flat together. There’s outgoing and smart Ritchie (Olly Alexander), shy and mild mannered Colin (Callum Scott Howells), flamboyant Nigerian Roscoe (Omari Douglas), sweet Ash (Nathaniel Curtis) and outgoing, responsible Jill (Lydia West). It’s A Sin follows the friends as they party and lead promiscuous lifestyles over the 80s, only for the AIDS crisis to slowly weave its way into their lives and affect friends and colleagues closest to them. Each deals with the developing crisis in their own way: Jill fights for AIDS awareness and help for those that are suffering, whereas Ritchie remains in denial and spreads conspiracy theories about AIDS. But by 1991, the lives of the group and their families have been irrevocably changed.
It’s A Sin is a powerful drama about an emotive and serious subject. While it is not based on a completely true story (only Jill is loosely based on a real person, Jill Nalder, a friend of Davies), Russell T Davies has based this around his and his friends experiences of the AIDS crisis in the 80s and watching this you can really believe that these sorts of events happened across the 80s and 90s. The attitudes and experiences shown here, from the hedonistic lifestyles to the rampant denial and conspiracy theories, are terrifying and sadly a true to life depiction of the attitudes at the time, and make for a rather emotional and sometimes harrowing watch.
Despite the serious subject, It’s A Sin isn’t entirely sombre. It starts out as a story of friendship and fun and there are a lot of heartwarming scenes and a surprising amount of laughs. Some might think the uplifting side of this drama detracts from the seriousness of the AIDS crisis, but personally I found the lighthearted scenes helped balance the rather sobering seriousness, especially as the episodes gradually become more and more grave as the crisis progresses. Even the gay sex scenes are fun and made mostly for laughs rather than any sort of eroticism. It’s impressive that Davies has managed to pull off a series that seamlessly blends lighthearted entertainment with a serious topic, without making light of such a harrowing crisis.
It helps that the cast are fantastic. Olly Alexander, who I knew nothing about other than recognising a few Years and Years songs, is an absolute star and a standout as Ritchie. He’s charismatic and engaging and when he’s on screen, you can’t take your eyes off him. The rest of the main cast too are just as good, especially this being their first major tv role in the case of Howells and Douglas. They’re ably supported by a host of seasoned veterans, including Neil Patrick Harris as Colin’s work colleague, Stephen Fry as a closeted MP that Roscoe meets, and Keeley Hawes and Shaun Dooley as Ritchie’s parents. Hawes and Dooley are especially moving and ultimately surprising in the later episodes, when their true attitudes as parents are revealed. My only real criticism of this series is so minor it’s barely worth mentioning, but I did get a little frustrated that Ritchie’s full name was Ritchie Tozer, as this is the same name as Richie Tozier from Stephen King’s IT. Admittedly a different spelling, but it did grate on me a little throughout the episodes as it’s not exactly a common name.
However despite my reservations on character naming, It’s A Sin is a fantastic heartwarming yet sobering drama that can’t be faulted. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything so engaging and emotional.
The series concentrates on 5 friends who meet in 1981 and move into a flat together. There’s outgoing and smart Ritchie (Olly Alexander), shy and mild mannered Colin (Callum Scott Howells), flamboyant Nigerian Roscoe (Omari Douglas), sweet Ash (Nathaniel Curtis) and outgoing, responsible Jill (Lydia West). It’s A Sin follows the friends as they party and lead promiscuous lifestyles over the 80s, only for the AIDS crisis to slowly weave its way into their lives and affect friends and colleagues closest to them. Each deals with the developing crisis in their own way: Jill fights for AIDS awareness and help for those that are suffering, whereas Ritchie remains in denial and spreads conspiracy theories about AIDS. But by 1991, the lives of the group and their families have been irrevocably changed.
It’s A Sin is a powerful drama about an emotive and serious subject. While it is not based on a completely true story (only Jill is loosely based on a real person, Jill Nalder, a friend of Davies), Russell T Davies has based this around his and his friends experiences of the AIDS crisis in the 80s and watching this you can really believe that these sorts of events happened across the 80s and 90s. The attitudes and experiences shown here, from the hedonistic lifestyles to the rampant denial and conspiracy theories, are terrifying and sadly a true to life depiction of the attitudes at the time, and make for a rather emotional and sometimes harrowing watch.
Despite the serious subject, It’s A Sin isn’t entirely sombre. It starts out as a story of friendship and fun and there are a lot of heartwarming scenes and a surprising amount of laughs. Some might think the uplifting side of this drama detracts from the seriousness of the AIDS crisis, but personally I found the lighthearted scenes helped balance the rather sobering seriousness, especially as the episodes gradually become more and more grave as the crisis progresses. Even the gay sex scenes are fun and made mostly for laughs rather than any sort of eroticism. It’s impressive that Davies has managed to pull off a series that seamlessly blends lighthearted entertainment with a serious topic, without making light of such a harrowing crisis.
It helps that the cast are fantastic. Olly Alexander, who I knew nothing about other than recognising a few Years and Years songs, is an absolute star and a standout as Ritchie. He’s charismatic and engaging and when he’s on screen, you can’t take your eyes off him. The rest of the main cast too are just as good, especially this being their first major tv role in the case of Howells and Douglas. They’re ably supported by a host of seasoned veterans, including Neil Patrick Harris as Colin’s work colleague, Stephen Fry as a closeted MP that Roscoe meets, and Keeley Hawes and Shaun Dooley as Ritchie’s parents. Hawes and Dooley are especially moving and ultimately surprising in the later episodes, when their true attitudes as parents are revealed. My only real criticism of this series is so minor it’s barely worth mentioning, but I did get a little frustrated that Ritchie’s full name was Ritchie Tozer, as this is the same name as Richie Tozier from Stephen King’s IT. Admittedly a different spelling, but it did grate on me a little throughout the episodes as it’s not exactly a common name.
However despite my reservations on character naming, It’s A Sin is a fantastic heartwarming yet sobering drama that can’t be faulted. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything so engaging and emotional.