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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Dog Soldiers (2002) in Movies

Sep 11, 2017 (Updated Dec 24, 2018)  
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Dog Soldiers (2002)
2002 | Action, Horror
9
8.2 (26 Ratings)
Movie Rating
This is one of those small relatively unknown horror films that you watch with little to no expectations, and end up being pleasantly surprised. This is a hilariously funny take on a werewolf film, with a fantastic British cast, lots of blood and guts and is a great debut for Neil Marshall. The old school effects are also make for a refreshing change. There are some great one liners in this that are quotable for a long time afterwards. Sean Pertwee is a great actor and does brilliantly in this, alongside Kevin McKidd and Davos Seaworth himself, Liam Cunningham. This harks back to the days of trashy effects and a silly storyline, and doesn’t take itself too seriously either, giving a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable 2 hours for the watcher.
  
A Hill in Korea (Hell in Korea) (1956)
A Hill in Korea (Hell in Korea) (1956)
1956 | Action, Drama
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Gritty, old-school British war film, where keeping a stiff upper lip is at least as important as seeing off the enemy. During the Korean War, a patrol runs into trouble and must take shelter on a hill-top with no way down; the enemy close in. Sort of a bit like Zulu, I suppose, it certainly has the same sort of cast (many well-known faces on the way up) and feeling of sweaty heroism in extremis.

Good performances and well-staged, authentic-feeling action; Portugal stands in for Korea, not especially convincingly. Most likely a bit problematic by modern standards: cast consists entirely of white dudes, one of whom is unconvincingly made up to be the patrol's Korean guide. But it was the 1950s, after all.
  
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
2001 | Action, Comedy, Drama
Fantastically Enjoyable Heist Movie
Danny Ocean (Clooney) is released from jail on parole, and heads straight off to rob the un-robbable : not one, but three Vegas casinos. The casinos are, of course, owned by the nastiest bloke in town (Garcia), who coincidentaly - or maybe not - is the new man-in-the-life of Clooney's ex-wife (Roberts).

Clever plot, nicely done.

Clooney, Pitt, Damon and Garcia are excellent, as usual. Highly dubious British accent from Don Cheadle, but y'know were 'e's comin' from.
And you know where this film is going, right from the start. There are no surprises, but who cares?

Lacks the Rat Pack charisma of the original for purists, but has enough merit to stand on it's own and should be enjoyed as an 'also' rather than an 'instead of'.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Theatre of Blood (1973) in Movies

Feb 14, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2018)  
Theatre of Blood (1973)
Theatre of Blood (1973)
1973 | Comedy, Horror
The Play's the Thing
Indisputably the best of the Vincent Price 'madman on a vengeful killing spree' movies from the early 70s, allowing Price to give full reign to his remarkable talents. Ham actor Edward Lionheart gets his own back on pretentious critics by performing various gory Shakespearean scenes for real; this gives him the opportunity to disguise himself as such diverse characters as a chef, a policeman, Butch the gay hairdresser, and many more; Price is having a whale of a time throughout, as you'd expect.

Notable also for an astonishingly good cast of British character actors, most of whom are only in a couple of scenes before they get murdered. Consistently witty and inventive, even a little moving in parts as well. Point knocked off for not letting Price get away with it!
  
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Darkest Hour (2017) in Movies

Mar 12, 2018 (Updated Mar 12, 2018)  
Darkest Hour (2017)
Darkest Hour (2017)
2017 | Drama, History, War
Emotional, dark and guttural
While @Dunkirk (2017) was a cinematic feat, the Darkest Hour was the substance that lacked in Christopher Nolan's work.

Following the month that led to the event in which the entire British army were stranded on the French beach, we see how politics played out and a decision to fight until death was taken. Gary Oldman is a master as Winston Churchill, the raw emotion he brings to the character is spectacular and I found myself becoming increasingly teary as the film went on.

For fans of the @The King's Speech (2010), it has a similar sentiment to it, not only because both characters are involved in each of the films, but each seem to have deep connection to one another. Oldman deserved the Oscar for this.
  
The Company of Wolves (1984)
The Company of Wolves (1984)
1984 | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Curious British-made feminist werewolf movie retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood (along with various others). A young girl dreams of a fairy-tale world of wolves and dark magic, where some people are hairy on the inside and everyone has a bit of a beast in them.

One of those movies laden with a slightly ponderous symbolism; doesn't really make sense except as an allegory for something-or-other; quite what that is is a bit unclear. It's not that all men are wolves at heart, but something slightly more even-handed. Good cast, nice production values; some of the special effects have dated a bit, but not risibly so. In the end it is all quite impressive but at the same time wilfully oblique.
  
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Dog Soldiers (2002)
2002 | Action, Horror
6
8.2 (26 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Raucous and highly derivative low-budget werewolf movie. Director Neil Marshall went on to bigger and somewhat better movies, but this is a decent calling card.

A group of British squaddies on a training exercise run into a pack of werewolves in the Scottish highlands (as happens all the time, I expect); they take refuge in a remote farmhouse. What follows is largely composed of bits lifted from Evil Dead and Assault on Precinct 13, done with a great deal of enthusiasm by all concerned. Part of the fun of this kind of movie is being able to guess what's going to happen next; you may well be able to do so even if you haven't seen the same films that Marshall has. Well-staged gory action; rather impressive werewolf suits considering the low budget.
  
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
As a children’s story book, you have certain expectations, but Tazhibi’s art transcends mine. The cover is bright and inviting, and the illustration is relatable. Many children’s books are block colours, whereas Tazhibi’s has an innocent, crayon-like quality to it.

The overall style of the page does put me in mind of British Gas’ sphere worlds they have in the adverts, as Tazhibi’s rolling hills are quite literally rolling… beside each other. Because screw gravity right? The choice makes it cute, and the crayon style colouring makes it appear like something a child could achieve. Don’t take that the wrong way, the detail, shading and proportions are that of a very skilled hand, but, on looking at it, a child would be inspired.

More at www.natari-himi.com
  
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
1951 | Animation, Classics, Family
The Mad Hatter
Alice in Wonderland- is a classic fantastic movie. The animation is phenomenal like with all disney classic animation movies. The story is excellent. The charcters are really intresting. I love this movie like with other disney classic animation movies.

The Plot: When Alice (Kathryn Beaumont), a restless young British girl, falls down a rabbit hole, she enters a magical world. There she encounters an odd assortment of characters, including the grinning Cheshire Cat (Sterling Holloway) and the goofy Mad Hatter (Ed Wynn). When Alice ends up in the court of the tyrannical Queen of Hearts (Verna Felton), she must stay on the ruler's good side -- or risk losing her head.

I had a good time rewatching this movie and so will you if you have the chance.