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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Oct 11, 2019
Oof
I had a horrible horrible feeling that Justice League was going to be rubbish. After the double whammy of raw sewage that was BvS and Suicide Squad, my hopes for a third ensemble film weren't high at all.
The finished result was worse than I thought it was going to be be though...
Firstly, we will start with the characters - a collection of some of the finest heroes the world of comics has to offer.
Batman, who I thought was the best part about BvS, is relegated to a boring and tired waste, who acts as occasional comic relief. It doesn't help that at this point, Ben Affleck seems completely uninterested in even being involved (can't blame the guy).
After a pretty good solo outing, Wonder Woman has gone from an empowered female badass, to someone who mopes around about her ex boyfriend (but is still admittedly badass).
The Flash (one of my favourite DC characters) is LITERALLY useless from start to finish.
Cyborg has the remnants of a potential interesting back story, but the rushed nature of the whole affair gives us next to nothing there.
Aquaman isn't too bad, but is there, like Batman, for light comic relief whilst he shouts generic gym-bro nonsense everywhere.
Superman, when he turns up, is ok. Just not really given much to do - it's all just a big mess.
The villain of the piece is Steppenwolf, a bland, forgettable and generic CGI demon who has little-to-no impact as he shouts his way through the bare bones narrative.
Talking of the CGI, it's just not that great, again. I'm not sure how this keeps happening with the amount of money being pumped into these things?
The third act of the film is draped in CGI, and it all looks cheap! And I just can't get my head around it! Ahhhhh!
(I'm not even going to talk about Henry Cavill's now infamous and hideous CGI mouth)
When it comes to the DCEU, the better films have been the solo outings, and it really shows here - the three characters who had not yet appeared properly at this point (Cyborg, Aquaman, and The Flash) just seem hugely wasted in a movie that is obviously trying to play catch up with the MCU - something that's not necessary! DC has a wealth of great source material to draw from, and it's yet to be utilised properly!
It would seem that going forward, Warner Bros are concentrating more on these solo films, and judging by the putrid mess of Justice League, that's is definitely the right direction to go in.
The finished result was worse than I thought it was going to be be though...
Firstly, we will start with the characters - a collection of some of the finest heroes the world of comics has to offer.
Batman, who I thought was the best part about BvS, is relegated to a boring and tired waste, who acts as occasional comic relief. It doesn't help that at this point, Ben Affleck seems completely uninterested in even being involved (can't blame the guy).
After a pretty good solo outing, Wonder Woman has gone from an empowered female badass, to someone who mopes around about her ex boyfriend (but is still admittedly badass).
The Flash (one of my favourite DC characters) is LITERALLY useless from start to finish.
Cyborg has the remnants of a potential interesting back story, but the rushed nature of the whole affair gives us next to nothing there.
Aquaman isn't too bad, but is there, like Batman, for light comic relief whilst he shouts generic gym-bro nonsense everywhere.
Superman, when he turns up, is ok. Just not really given much to do - it's all just a big mess.
The villain of the piece is Steppenwolf, a bland, forgettable and generic CGI demon who has little-to-no impact as he shouts his way through the bare bones narrative.
Talking of the CGI, it's just not that great, again. I'm not sure how this keeps happening with the amount of money being pumped into these things?
The third act of the film is draped in CGI, and it all looks cheap! And I just can't get my head around it! Ahhhhh!
(I'm not even going to talk about Henry Cavill's now infamous and hideous CGI mouth)
When it comes to the DCEU, the better films have been the solo outings, and it really shows here - the three characters who had not yet appeared properly at this point (Cyborg, Aquaman, and The Flash) just seem hugely wasted in a movie that is obviously trying to play catch up with the MCU - something that's not necessary! DC has a wealth of great source material to draw from, and it's yet to be utilised properly!
It would seem that going forward, Warner Bros are concentrating more on these solo films, and judging by the putrid mess of Justice League, that's is definitely the right direction to go in.
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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Ghostbusters (1984) in Movies
Oct 30, 2020
A Comedy Classic
My daughter was flipping channels the other day and ran across the great 1984 Supernatural comedy GHOSTBUSTERS and stopped to watch for awhile. As happens with her generation, she eventually got more interested in her phone and friends and wandered away. Me? I was drawn back into this film so much so that I went downstairs, grabbed the DVD (yes, kids, I still own DVDs) and popped the film into my Home Theater System to give it a proper viewing.
I gotta say...I was so inspired by how terrific this film is that I changed course and devoted the 23rd BankofMarquis Movies podcast to this film.
Starring the comedic trio of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and featuring Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and the great Rick Moranis, GHOSTBUSTERS tells the tale of supernatural exterminators called to save NYC when paranormal experiences start escalating in the Big Apple.
But it's not the destination, it's the journey that makes this film so much fun. Told in a standard 2 Act arc - Origin Story followed by a 2nd Act of battling the "Big Bad" - it is the comedic timing and chemistry of the 3 leads that makes this film work (aided by a wonderful "straight man" turn by Sigourney Weaver and a brilliant "side-kick" comedic turn by Rick Moranis).
Credit for keeping this film together, moving and more than just a "series of jokes" is Director Ivan Reitman (STRIPES, MEATBALLS), he had the comedic "cred" to appeal to these 3 big time comedians, but has a Producers sense of efficiency and a Director's command of subject and tone.
This film was Aykroyd's idea and he shines as, Ray Stantz, the heart of the Ghostbusters. He truly believes in what he is doing and has a child-like sense of wonder in his actions. Harold Ramis (more noted as a Writer and a Director) was brought in to co-write Aykroyd's idea, steering it more towards Reitman's idea of humor and writing in a way that would make Murray shine - but he is also wonderfully deadpan as techno-geek Egon Spengler. The serious nerd who never smiles.
But...make no mistake...this film revolves around the antics of con-man Dr. Peter Venkman, a scientist who doesn't believe any of this, but is willing to go along as long as it achieves his goals. And...what are his goals? Well...womanizing and getting through life with as little work as possible. Murray is at the top of his comedic game in this film and most of his scenes are improvised - but, to be fair to the writers, Murrya's riffs are what Ramos and Aykroyd put down on paper. He is the mouth of this film and his energy drives this movie throughout.
Sigourney Weaver proved that she could do more than Sci-Fi action (like ALIEN) when she plays the straightman to these 3 wild-men. She stated that she was channeling her inner Margaret Dumont (straightman to the Marx Brothers) and she does an admirable, charming job in a role that could have easily come off as annoying.
Rick Moranis, of course, almost steals the film as the nerdy accountant neighbor of Weaver's. His improvised riff as he goes around the room at his own party is the stuff of comedic gold.
Ernie Hudson comes along as the 4th Ghostbuster. Many folks thinks that he is the "unnecessary" GhostBuster, but I would argue that he comes along at a time (right after the origin story is complete) to be the audience surrogate - to ask the questions that need to be asked and to get necessary expository passages out.
And...finallly...there is William Atherton as EPA Agent Walter Peck. I kind of feel sorry for this actor, for he had a decent career going up to Ghostbusters, but he was so good as the annoying, buzzkill "anti-Ghostbuster" that serves as the foil for their antics, that he wasn't really accepted in any other kind of role the rest of his career (he would play a version of this character in the first 2 DIE HARD films).
The special effects hold up, just enough to make them passable. Keep in mind that this film was made over 35 years ago and the effects were state of the art back in the day, so I would recommend you cut that some slack.
And...if you do...you'll be rewarded with a rollicking fun time at the movies.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
I gotta say...I was so inspired by how terrific this film is that I changed course and devoted the 23rd BankofMarquis Movies podcast to this film.
Starring the comedic trio of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and featuring Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and the great Rick Moranis, GHOSTBUSTERS tells the tale of supernatural exterminators called to save NYC when paranormal experiences start escalating in the Big Apple.
But it's not the destination, it's the journey that makes this film so much fun. Told in a standard 2 Act arc - Origin Story followed by a 2nd Act of battling the "Big Bad" - it is the comedic timing and chemistry of the 3 leads that makes this film work (aided by a wonderful "straight man" turn by Sigourney Weaver and a brilliant "side-kick" comedic turn by Rick Moranis).
Credit for keeping this film together, moving and more than just a "series of jokes" is Director Ivan Reitman (STRIPES, MEATBALLS), he had the comedic "cred" to appeal to these 3 big time comedians, but has a Producers sense of efficiency and a Director's command of subject and tone.
This film was Aykroyd's idea and he shines as, Ray Stantz, the heart of the Ghostbusters. He truly believes in what he is doing and has a child-like sense of wonder in his actions. Harold Ramis (more noted as a Writer and a Director) was brought in to co-write Aykroyd's idea, steering it more towards Reitman's idea of humor and writing in a way that would make Murray shine - but he is also wonderfully deadpan as techno-geek Egon Spengler. The serious nerd who never smiles.
But...make no mistake...this film revolves around the antics of con-man Dr. Peter Venkman, a scientist who doesn't believe any of this, but is willing to go along as long as it achieves his goals. And...what are his goals? Well...womanizing and getting through life with as little work as possible. Murray is at the top of his comedic game in this film and most of his scenes are improvised - but, to be fair to the writers, Murrya's riffs are what Ramos and Aykroyd put down on paper. He is the mouth of this film and his energy drives this movie throughout.
Sigourney Weaver proved that she could do more than Sci-Fi action (like ALIEN) when she plays the straightman to these 3 wild-men. She stated that she was channeling her inner Margaret Dumont (straightman to the Marx Brothers) and she does an admirable, charming job in a role that could have easily come off as annoying.
Rick Moranis, of course, almost steals the film as the nerdy accountant neighbor of Weaver's. His improvised riff as he goes around the room at his own party is the stuff of comedic gold.
Ernie Hudson comes along as the 4th Ghostbuster. Many folks thinks that he is the "unnecessary" GhostBuster, but I would argue that he comes along at a time (right after the origin story is complete) to be the audience surrogate - to ask the questions that need to be asked and to get necessary expository passages out.
And...finallly...there is William Atherton as EPA Agent Walter Peck. I kind of feel sorry for this actor, for he had a decent career going up to Ghostbusters, but he was so good as the annoying, buzzkill "anti-Ghostbuster" that serves as the foil for their antics, that he wasn't really accepted in any other kind of role the rest of his career (he would play a version of this character in the first 2 DIE HARD films).
The special effects hold up, just enough to make them passable. Keep in mind that this film was made over 35 years ago and the effects were state of the art back in the day, so I would recommend you cut that some slack.
And...if you do...you'll be rewarded with a rollicking fun time at the movies.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Avengers (2012) in Movies
Mar 9, 2019 (Updated Jun 20, 2019)
A Blast
I remember the trepidation of going to see Marvel’s The Avengers. Could they really pull a team-up like this off? Could the whole really be a sum of some awesome parts? I wasn’t sure. That trepidation turned into utter lack of interest. X-Men: The Last Stand left a bad taste in my mouth, but the Avengers crew was regaining my interest in the superhero world movie by movie. Good thing I gave the movie a chance because I ended up having the time of my life.
In Marvel’s The Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes take on the evil Loki who is hell-bent on world domination.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
The gang’s all here and what a gang. I appreciate that each of these superheroes are battling their own inner demons which affects how their characters interact with the other heroes. it’s what makes them a good team. They come to understand each other’s dysfunctions and deal with it. This is the first movie where you start to see the team use their strengths in tandem and work together as a team. Their initial lack of chemistry is hilarious to watch as they are forced into a unit.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Genre: 10
Bringing all these characters on the big screen at once was a monumental accomplishment. It was a risk that paid off. A damn good movie was made here and deserves a ton of credit for setting a standard in the way superhero movies should be done.
Memorability: 10
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
The story weaves together the backstories of the other characters in seamless fashion. While there aren’t many twists and turns to throw you off or keep you guessing, I would also argue that twists weren’t necessary for a film like this. Tell the story you need to tell and if we can see some awesome superpowered battles along the way, great! Job well done here.
Resolution: 10
Solid ending capped off with some fun end-credit scenes that pave the way for films to come. The entire movie is meant to entertain and I was happy that they finished strong. It’s a capper that leaves you wanting to see these guys team up again.
Overall: 100
Seven years later and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still going as strong as ever. I’m going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow, a film that wouldn’t even be possible without the success of The Avengers and other lesser-known properties like Guardians of the Galaxy. Seven years later and this movie still never ceases to excite me and make me laugh at the same time.
In Marvel’s The Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes take on the evil Loki who is hell-bent on world domination.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
The gang’s all here and what a gang. I appreciate that each of these superheroes are battling their own inner demons which affects how their characters interact with the other heroes. it’s what makes them a good team. They come to understand each other’s dysfunctions and deal with it. This is the first movie where you start to see the team use their strengths in tandem and work together as a team. Their initial lack of chemistry is hilarious to watch as they are forced into a unit.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Genre: 10
Bringing all these characters on the big screen at once was a monumental accomplishment. It was a risk that paid off. A damn good movie was made here and deserves a ton of credit for setting a standard in the way superhero movies should be done.
Memorability: 10
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
The story weaves together the backstories of the other characters in seamless fashion. While there aren’t many twists and turns to throw you off or keep you guessing, I would also argue that twists weren’t necessary for a film like this. Tell the story you need to tell and if we can see some awesome superpowered battles along the way, great! Job well done here.
Resolution: 10
Solid ending capped off with some fun end-credit scenes that pave the way for films to come. The entire movie is meant to entertain and I was happy that they finished strong. It’s a capper that leaves you wanting to see these guys team up again.
Overall: 100
Seven years later and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still going as strong as ever. I’m going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow, a film that wouldn’t even be possible without the success of The Avengers and other lesser-known properties like Guardians of the Galaxy. Seven years later and this movie still never ceases to excite me and make me laugh at the same time.
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Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated True (True Believers, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I absolutely adored this book! This is the first book of Erin McCarthy's that I've ever read, and I just loved the whole thing. The characters were real, the plot was believable, and it left me with a renewed sense of hope in love and the human race.
The pace of the story seemed right on track; although, I have to say I felt like it ended too quickly. I wasn't ready for the book to be over, and wanted to know more about what happened with Rory & Tyler. I was pleased to see that there will be another book coming out based on the lives of one of the characters featured in this book.
Rory & Tyler's love didn't feel forced or faked at all which I really enjoyed. McCarthy was able to capture the internal frustration that young women feel in relationships, and showed that sometimes if you often just open your mouth and say how you feel things can turn out for the best!
The supporting characters were phenomenal and believable. Jessica & Kylie seemed like your typical party girl college students, and I just loved the way McCarthy managed to poke and have a little fun with them. I hope that McCarthy will take the opportunity to expand on these characters in her upcoming books.
There were three topics that were covered in this book, and I think they are extremely important and deserve mentioning here. The most obvious one would be teen sex. McCarthy did a great job covering this. I feel like she really showed young girls that it was okay to wait until you were ready and you didn't have to do anything you didn't want to do. I think that Tyler was a great advocate and on several occasions it was obvious that he was worried about the affect that his relationship with Rory would have on her life. I have nothing but praise for the way McCarthy handled this topic. She was able to write about it without making the book a list of dos and don'ts for teens. The second big topic that was addressed was drug use. McCarthy addressed this in two ways first with Tyler's family, and secondly with Jessica (Rory's roommate). She was able to show in both these instances how drug use can affect your life, and the lives of those around you. And, finally another topic that was brought up is bullying (I am saying bullying because I feel that this can encompass both the child abuse and the bullying of Tyler's mom on his younger brother for having Down Syndrome). These are some pretty hefty topics that McCarthy chose to tackle in this book and she pulled if off with flying colors. She was able to address them all with a good amount of importance and tie the story up with a pretty bow at the end. My hats off to you Ms. McCarthy!
The pace of the story seemed right on track; although, I have to say I felt like it ended too quickly. I wasn't ready for the book to be over, and wanted to know more about what happened with Rory & Tyler. I was pleased to see that there will be another book coming out based on the lives of one of the characters featured in this book.
Rory & Tyler's love didn't feel forced or faked at all which I really enjoyed. McCarthy was able to capture the internal frustration that young women feel in relationships, and showed that sometimes if you often just open your mouth and say how you feel things can turn out for the best!
The supporting characters were phenomenal and believable. Jessica & Kylie seemed like your typical party girl college students, and I just loved the way McCarthy managed to poke and have a little fun with them. I hope that McCarthy will take the opportunity to expand on these characters in her upcoming books.
There were three topics that were covered in this book, and I think they are extremely important and deserve mentioning here. The most obvious one would be teen sex. McCarthy did a great job covering this. I feel like she really showed young girls that it was okay to wait until you were ready and you didn't have to do anything you didn't want to do. I think that Tyler was a great advocate and on several occasions it was obvious that he was worried about the affect that his relationship with Rory would have on her life. I have nothing but praise for the way McCarthy handled this topic. She was able to write about it without making the book a list of dos and don'ts for teens. The second big topic that was addressed was drug use. McCarthy addressed this in two ways first with Tyler's family, and secondly with Jessica (Rory's roommate). She was able to show in both these instances how drug use can affect your life, and the lives of those around you. And, finally another topic that was brought up is bullying (I am saying bullying because I feel that this can encompass both the child abuse and the bullying of Tyler's mom on his younger brother for having Down Syndrome). These are some pretty hefty topics that McCarthy chose to tackle in this book and she pulled if off with flying colors. She was able to address them all with a good amount of importance and tie the story up with a pretty bow at the end. My hats off to you Ms. McCarthy!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Beetlejuice (1988) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
I'm really enjoying the classic movie re-releases at Cineworld. I've been along to several in the last year and enjoyed every one of them, so when Beetlejuice came up in the listings it was a must see for me as I loved this from the very first time I saw it.
With the other releases I didn't have much to worry about, they were either brand new to me or I'd never seen them the whole way through so it was going to be a new experience... but this time... could I be risking those great memories? While it did run through my head while I waited for the film to start I wasn't going to deny myself the chance to see it on the big screen. It did bring up a few moments that made me ponder, but all in all I'm glad that I got the chance to see it in the cinema.
At 30 years old you'd expect things to be a little dated, and perhaps the general feel of the film is with some old fashioned clothing, but most of it still holds up. The one thing that makes you notice the age is the cast. Everyone looks so young!
It's a fantastic cast too. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, Adam and Barbara, the perfect couple living a peaceful life out in the country. Winona Ryder, Lydia, the dark and brooding teenage daughter of Jeffrey Jones' Charles and step-daughter to Catherine O'Hara's Delia. We of course can't forget the film's (almost) namesake, Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse. Each one brings a little something different to the film and you get some fun interactions between them all as well as with the supporting cast.
The only real thing that struck me after rewatching this after a few years is that Beetlejuice doesn't actually feature in it as much as I remember. But then the film itself also feels quite short, which at 1 and a half hours it is, again, I just didn't remember it that way.
Some of Beetlejuice's antics may feel a little cringe worthy to newer viewers. To be fair some did to me as a seasoned veteran of the movie. But his over the top nature and motor mouth lead to some entertaining diversions throughout.
The highlights for me as always are the dance routines. (And possibly some of the earliest twerking in the movie biz?) I think we were all dancing a little in our seats as they played out in front of us.
It still brings just as much fun as it did before, it's one of those favourites that you can watch anytime you need something a bit upbeat
What you should do
You should watch this at least once. It's daft and some fun lighthearted humour to break up a dull day.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
If I could have the full backing band when I sing at home that would be great!
With the other releases I didn't have much to worry about, they were either brand new to me or I'd never seen them the whole way through so it was going to be a new experience... but this time... could I be risking those great memories? While it did run through my head while I waited for the film to start I wasn't going to deny myself the chance to see it on the big screen. It did bring up a few moments that made me ponder, but all in all I'm glad that I got the chance to see it in the cinema.
At 30 years old you'd expect things to be a little dated, and perhaps the general feel of the film is with some old fashioned clothing, but most of it still holds up. The one thing that makes you notice the age is the cast. Everyone looks so young!
It's a fantastic cast too. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, Adam and Barbara, the perfect couple living a peaceful life out in the country. Winona Ryder, Lydia, the dark and brooding teenage daughter of Jeffrey Jones' Charles and step-daughter to Catherine O'Hara's Delia. We of course can't forget the film's (almost) namesake, Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse. Each one brings a little something different to the film and you get some fun interactions between them all as well as with the supporting cast.
The only real thing that struck me after rewatching this after a few years is that Beetlejuice doesn't actually feature in it as much as I remember. But then the film itself also feels quite short, which at 1 and a half hours it is, again, I just didn't remember it that way.
Some of Beetlejuice's antics may feel a little cringe worthy to newer viewers. To be fair some did to me as a seasoned veteran of the movie. But his over the top nature and motor mouth lead to some entertaining diversions throughout.
The highlights for me as always are the dance routines. (And possibly some of the earliest twerking in the movie biz?) I think we were all dancing a little in our seats as they played out in front of us.
It still brings just as much fun as it did before, it's one of those favourites that you can watch anytime you need something a bit upbeat
What you should do
You should watch this at least once. It's daft and some fun lighthearted humour to break up a dull day.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
If I could have the full backing band when I sing at home that would be great!
Lee (2222 KP) Oct 11, 2019