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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Nov 27, 2017
Decent cast performances (1 more)
Good fun
Varying quality of SFX (1 more)
Painfully safe
Justice At Last For DC Fans?
Last weekend, a movie dropped that most comic book fans have been hotly anticipating for the last few decades. The follow up to the disappointment that was Dawn of Justice, Justice League had a lot to live up to. I’m not going to try and convince you that it is a perfect movie, but I enjoyed it. If I was judging the movie on it’s own I would probably be much harsher with my rating etc, but in the context of other DCEU movies, it’s a breath of fresh air.
The first half of the movie is extremely choppy and unfocused and feels more like a grab bag of scenes cut together to resemble a story rather than any sort of coherent story. Then the last half of the movie plays it incredibly safe and plays out exactly how you would predict. There are no surprises or twists and then the credits roll and half heartedly set up a potential sequel, although with the huge amount of money Warner Bros lost on this movie if the rumoured budget amount of 300 million is to be believed, we may not be getting another entry any time soon. Which is sort of a shame because there are aspects of this movie that I really like, such as Batfleck and Jeremy Irons as Alfred.
There isn’t really much to talk about here, which is disappointing. Although Batman V Superman left a great deal to be desired as a decent comic book movie, it at least gave all of us something to talk about. The cast is alright, Affleck was just as great as Batman as he’s been up until now, Cavill puts in a decent Superman performance if you can get by that dodgy CGI upper lip, Gal Gadot is great as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher does fine as Cyborg, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is pretty one dimensional, but I think that’s more to do with the script than with the actor. Ezra Miller is annoying but clearly supposed to be the comic relief in the film. JK Simmons is wasted as Jim Gordon, but it’s nice to see Amy Adams in a reduced role here. I don’t hate Amy Adams, but I am not a fan of her portrayal as Lois Lane and surprisingly, she actually serves a purpose in this film, as opposed to pondering about with a camera looking surprised. The SFX varies greatly, with some really impressive visual effects and some that look like absolute garbage.
Slight spoilers going forwards I guess, but it’s not exactly a shocking revelation that they resurrect Superman from the dead in this movie, which as a long time comic book fan, I feel like could have been handled better.
Overall, it’s not the worst movie in the world; it’s not even the worst movie in this universe, but really it should be great. This movie should be so much better than, ‘okay,’ it’s the Justice League for Christssake. This film isn’t even as good as Thor Ragnarok, the third sequel in one of the least popular Avenger’s solo film. Justice League should have blown Thor out of the water, both commercially and critically! However, as a standalone film, without any context around it, it is a fun film and I did enjoy my time with it.
The first half of the movie is extremely choppy and unfocused and feels more like a grab bag of scenes cut together to resemble a story rather than any sort of coherent story. Then the last half of the movie plays it incredibly safe and plays out exactly how you would predict. There are no surprises or twists and then the credits roll and half heartedly set up a potential sequel, although with the huge amount of money Warner Bros lost on this movie if the rumoured budget amount of 300 million is to be believed, we may not be getting another entry any time soon. Which is sort of a shame because there are aspects of this movie that I really like, such as Batfleck and Jeremy Irons as Alfred.
There isn’t really much to talk about here, which is disappointing. Although Batman V Superman left a great deal to be desired as a decent comic book movie, it at least gave all of us something to talk about. The cast is alright, Affleck was just as great as Batman as he’s been up until now, Cavill puts in a decent Superman performance if you can get by that dodgy CGI upper lip, Gal Gadot is great as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher does fine as Cyborg, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is pretty one dimensional, but I think that’s more to do with the script than with the actor. Ezra Miller is annoying but clearly supposed to be the comic relief in the film. JK Simmons is wasted as Jim Gordon, but it’s nice to see Amy Adams in a reduced role here. I don’t hate Amy Adams, but I am not a fan of her portrayal as Lois Lane and surprisingly, she actually serves a purpose in this film, as opposed to pondering about with a camera looking surprised. The SFX varies greatly, with some really impressive visual effects and some that look like absolute garbage.
Slight spoilers going forwards I guess, but it’s not exactly a shocking revelation that they resurrect Superman from the dead in this movie, which as a long time comic book fan, I feel like could have been handled better.
Overall, it’s not the worst movie in the world; it’s not even the worst movie in this universe, but really it should be great. This movie should be so much better than, ‘okay,’ it’s the Justice League for Christssake. This film isn’t even as good as Thor Ragnarok, the third sequel in one of the least popular Avenger’s solo film. Justice League should have blown Thor out of the water, both commercially and critically! However, as a standalone film, without any context around it, it is a fun film and I did enjoy my time with it.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Jul 17, 2018
So many references to games and movies (2 more)
Great story
Visually beautiful
Perfect movie for gamers and movie buffs!
I want to start off by saying I've never read the book so I can't make comparisons like so many have. For the movie it's self it's incredible.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Room in Books
May 10, 2018
Jack is five years old and to him Room is his entire world. He lives in Room with his Ma, Joy, and calls each inanimate object by it's name, toilet, sink, table, plant, etc. What Jack doesn't know is that his Ma was kidnapped 7 years ago and was brought to Room and hasn't left since. No one knows she is there and no one knows Jack exists. When Joy decides it's time to make a great escape, she has to tell Jack about the outside world. Up until now, he has thought everything outside of Room was only on TV. He doesn't know that there are really other people and a great big world outside the walls of Room. Will the plan Joy has mapped out work? How will their lives change if they are able to get away? What happens if they don't?
Room has been on my TBR for a very long time. I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner, I loved it. The book made me laugh and cry. I also watched the movie, which as usual was not as good as the book, but still it was a good movie.
I love that the book was told from Jack's perspective. Getting to see him learn the world for the first time is interesting and exciting. You feel for his mother and all that she has to endure just to keep Jack safe. They look forward to "Sunday Treat" from Old Nick, their capture, they move all the furniture around in the house to run track and stay healthy. Even though the TV is the only connection they have to the outside world, she still limits Jack's time on it so it won't rot his brain.
If you haven't read Room, I suggest you pick up a copy right away. Read the book and then see the movie. The only other book I have read by Emma Donoghue is [bc:Frog Music|18295858|Frog Music|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393227215s/18295858.jpg|25778638]
Room has been on my TBR for a very long time. I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner, I loved it. The book made me laugh and cry. I also watched the movie, which as usual was not as good as the book, but still it was a good movie.
I love that the book was told from Jack's perspective. Getting to see him learn the world for the first time is interesting and exciting. You feel for his mother and all that she has to endure just to keep Jack safe. They look forward to "Sunday Treat" from Old Nick, their capture, they move all the furniture around in the house to run track and stay healthy. Even though the TV is the only connection they have to the outside world, she still limits Jack's time on it so it won't rot his brain.
If you haven't read Room, I suggest you pick up a copy right away. Read the book and then see the movie. The only other book I have read by Emma Donoghue is [bc:Frog Music|18295858|Frog Music|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393227215s/18295858.jpg|25778638]
Hayley (16 KP) rated Forever My Girl (2018) in Movies
Aug 13, 2018
Alex Roe (1 more)
Soundtrack
Fantastic!
When I found out this was coming out I knew I had to watch it. I previously read the book that this movie is based on. Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe were excellent choices for Liam and Josie. Forever My Girl is about returning home. I absolutely loved that the soundtrack consisted of country music.
Ann Hood recommended Beautiful Ruins in Books (curated)
Miranda July recommended The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account In Words and Pictures in Books (curated)
Erika (17789 KP) rated High-Rise (2016) in Movies
Aug 26, 2017
Life in a high-rise tower falls into chaos after frequent power outages create a clash between the classes. The film was based upon the book by the same name by JG Ballard. There were obvious differences from book to movie, but the changes made sense. Tom Hiddleston did a good job as Laing, and Luke Evans was savage as Wilder. The score of the film set the perfect tone, and Portishead's cover of SOS was on point.
Paul Tyrrell (139 KP) rated Salem's Lot in Books
Apr 19, 2020
Maine style Dracula
2nd book from the great man based around vampires. Good story with decent characters and King already has found the ease of a seasoned writer as you are hooked very early on. As usual the book is better than the movie/TV series although that's worth a watch as it has David Soul (70's heart throb from Starsky & Hutch)as one of the leads.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Dark Knight (2008) in Movies
Oct 31, 2017 (Updated Oct 31, 2017)
A stone cold classic at this point (2 more)
Nolan's direction
Fantastic performances all around
The Movie That Comic Book Fans Deserve
Contains spoilers, click to show
Almost 10 years on from the original release of this film, it is still the best superhero film ever made up until this point. While a few movies, such as Logan and Winter Soldier, have came close to the quality of TDK, nothing has surpassed it in the last decade. There is so much to love here, whether it is Nolan's deliberate and effective direction, Hans Zimmer's uplifting yet melancholy score, the beautifully epic cinematography provided by Wally Pfister and of course Heath Ledger's incredible, electrifying performance as the Clown Prince Of Crime.
The movie starts as it means to go on, with an awesome opening sequence introducing the Joker. It plays out like a short film that could even be viewed independently of the rest of the movie and still make complete sense. We see a group of criminals dressed in clown masks robbing a bank and offing each other one by one after they complete their part of the heist. This all builds up to the reveal of the enigmatic Joker, complete with an awesome Cesar Romero reference in the Joker's mask as well. The sequence works so well, because it shows even those who aren't comic book fans or aren't familiar with these characters, exactly what kind of villain we are dealing with.
On the other hand though, there is a lot here for long time fans of Batman comics as well. A good amount of plot elements in the movie were taken from one of my favourite Batman stories ever written: The Long Halloween. Things such as the Harvey Dent working with Jim Gordon and Batman to prevent crime to then go on to show his eventual transformation into the totally unhinged Two-Face. The character design for the characters is also clearly inspired by a comic by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, simply titled: Joker. Lastly, the ending of the movie shares similar elements to the ending of The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel, in that they both end with Batman being framed for a murder he didn't commit and having to go into hiding and retire from crime fighting.
Overall, this is a perfect movie in my opinion. It is an astonishing achievement for a comic book movie and it is a great crime epic in its own right as well. The performances across the board are great, with Heath Ledger being the obvious standout and absolutely stealing every single scene that he appears in. The technical elements of the movie are great and it is just a fantastic cinematic experience all around. I first saw the movie in IMAX and that definitely was the premium way to initially experience this movie, but no matter what format you watch it on, its hard to deny that it is a masterpiece.
The movie starts as it means to go on, with an awesome opening sequence introducing the Joker. It plays out like a short film that could even be viewed independently of the rest of the movie and still make complete sense. We see a group of criminals dressed in clown masks robbing a bank and offing each other one by one after they complete their part of the heist. This all builds up to the reveal of the enigmatic Joker, complete with an awesome Cesar Romero reference in the Joker's mask as well. The sequence works so well, because it shows even those who aren't comic book fans or aren't familiar with these characters, exactly what kind of villain we are dealing with.
On the other hand though, there is a lot here for long time fans of Batman comics as well. A good amount of plot elements in the movie were taken from one of my favourite Batman stories ever written: The Long Halloween. Things such as the Harvey Dent working with Jim Gordon and Batman to prevent crime to then go on to show his eventual transformation into the totally unhinged Two-Face. The character design for the characters is also clearly inspired by a comic by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, simply titled: Joker. Lastly, the ending of the movie shares similar elements to the ending of The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel, in that they both end with Batman being framed for a murder he didn't commit and having to go into hiding and retire from crime fighting.
Overall, this is a perfect movie in my opinion. It is an astonishing achievement for a comic book movie and it is a great crime epic in its own right as well. The performances across the board are great, with Heath Ledger being the obvious standout and absolutely stealing every single scene that he appears in. The technical elements of the movie are great and it is just a fantastic cinematic experience all around. I first saw the movie in IMAX and that definitely was the premium way to initially experience this movie, but no matter what format you watch it on, its hard to deny that it is a masterpiece.