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Knight and Day (2010)
Knight and Day (2010)
2010 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Knight and Day, directed by James Mangold (previous director of 3:10 to Yuma and Walk the Line), is an uninspiring, uninteresting action movie. Getting both of those words to work with the phrase “action movie” is quite a challenge, but somehow, through a group effort, it was pulled off. The movie itself gets boring primarily because the Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz have little to no chemistry between them both. Useless action sequences merely add to the feeling that all those involved were ruining a great premise for an action/date movie.

The plot of the movie started out fun and original, but again, the lack of a spark between the two leads just led to disinterest. The director made ample use of what I’ll call the “invisible montage,” wherein one of the main characters is semi-conscious, and what happens to them is revealed in a series of blurred, but outlandishly crazy situations only a few seconds in length and increasing in surrealism. This was a clever, if overused technique, but oftentimes the entire movie felt like longer episodes of these montages, with little reason for each to be happening other than to fill the quota for requisite action sequences. Because of some poor foreshadowing in the beginning of the film, even the finale became extremely predictable and had no weight.

Tom Cruise, playing the bizarrely comic spy Roy Miller, manages to pull his weight in his role. Cruise’s special kind of natural crazy is actually an advantage to the character he is playing. His unpredictability and his utter charm kept me, at the very least, entertained throughout the film.

Cameron Diaz, playing clueless midwesterner June Havens is obviously the weak link here. She can’t seem to keep up with Cruise’s character on screen, and aside from a few cutesy moments in the film, is outclassed by her co-star, and often by members of the supporting cast as well. Diaz doesn’t have a reputation for doing in-depth character studies of her portrayals, but the very least she could do is drop the same confused face she uses for most of the movie.

Together, Cruise and Diaz lack the chemistry that would have made this a decent movie without forcing the audience to shut off the emotional parts of their brains. In fact, the key make-out scene between the two of them was so clichéd as to be boring. Looking back at the entire movie, I believe that after their first few minutes together, the rest of their interactions just felt forced.

As for the rest of the cast, I have no special complaints or accolades, but I would like to single out one individual, and say that I would have loved to see more of Peter Sarsgaard. It’s immediately obvious that knows what he is doing on screen, and he deserved a much larger role than the one given to him.

In summary, Knight and Day is definitely worth skipping out on. Wait a week and soon enough some real 4th of July action blockbusters will be coming out. We’ll be sure to let you know which ones are the real deal and which ones are the duds. It’s just too bad this one was a dud, because it definitely had a lot of potential.
  
Talking Earth (2017)
Talking Earth (2017)
2017 |
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
There is definitely a lot to be said about the Independent market right now (its bloody exciting). Every now and then you will come across an absolute gem of a movie and other times you will come across an absolute turdfest. I have been pretty lucky as of late that most of my picks are falling into the former. Now, this could be my ex Video Store clerk elitist personality shining through or maybe that clover my daughter shoved in my face along with a handful of grass really did have four leafs.

However Taking Earth has left me wondering (Dumbfounded even). I’m really not sure which bracket to put this flick in because it has all the hallmarks and some of the effects of a big budget summer blockbuster but the execution of a SyFy Sharknado style movie. I guess what i’m trying to say is that while I give this flick more credit than I feel it deserves I cant quite get to grips with how I felt about it.

Taking Earth is a Alien invasion movie set in the beautiful land of South Africa (Awesome accents and all). That’s about it really, all you need to know is that Aliens have invaded earth and they are looking for one boy in particular. We spend the bulk of the movie with David and Cameron two lads brought together after the invasion but Cameron holds a dangerous secret (Could he be the key to all of this) The duo must make there way to a safe zone while avoiding there hunters.

 

One of the things I liked about this movie was that it jumps straight in on the action, the invasion has happened and the cat and mouse chase is already in progress, this I liked. However I also kind of hated this because by the end of the flick (No spoilers) it felt like they were strongly hinting at a whole extended universe Before, During and After this movie that my guess is… we may not get to see (although the ending Screams sequel). I loved the fact that the movie was reportedly made for 5 million and to be completely fair to this first time Writer/Director/Editor it looks like it cost so much more, in fact I would say this movie looks better than 90% of those B-Movies we all seem to love these days.

The cast are all doing there best with the dialogue they have and delivering the best of it with such passion that it kind of makes it hard for me to shit on the flick. So this time I wont, but cross me agian!!!.

For me Taking Earth is a soft recommend, mostly because it screams expanded universe, this movie needs a prequel and screams for a sequel just to scratch the surface of the story I believe they want to tell… Would I watch either of them??? Probably not. The shining light is the unknown Cast and the Director are all invested and as a movie lover such as I am, I can not only respect them for it but I can also love them for it. There is a definite audience for this low budget movie with great effects and aspirations so like I say I think you should check it out… At your own risk!!!

Not exactly what I would call a Hidden Gem but by no means a Turdfest
  
Twofer Murder
Twofer Murder
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twofer Murder is a book done well. If you think one murder mystery was not enough for you. You will get two in this book. Lauren has now outdone herself with this one as you will see if you decide to get it and read.


The boys go on a fishing trip together. When they arrive they meet some new people in Scary, WV. They take two dogs with them. Tristan, Mac, Joshua, Murphy, JJ, David and two dogs are all together for a weekend.


Jessica, Archie, Sarah, Dallas, goes to the writer conference for that same weekend with a spider named Monique in Pennsylvania. Cameron joins the girls on their weekend when the Black Diamond shows up and Dallas calls David.


There appears some murder galore in this book. There are three victims. Will the boys solve the murders? There are twists and turns throughout the book. Will the girls solve their murders? Also, the book goes from one murder to the other. There are a total of thirteen parts all together.


Who could be the killers in the two murders, that take place in two different states? Tristan got his only little mystery as well. I love this book. There are some many mysteries going on that I believe you can get caught up in the book. Will Tristan find his missing cheese balls? Who has taken, Tristian's cheese balls? Will Tristan find the culprit of his missing cheese balls?


Sarah as her own little adventures. To find out what all these adventures are you will need to find out by reading the book.
  
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Shrek Forever After (2010)
2010 | Action, Animation, Comedy
9
6.9 (25 Ratings)
Movie Rating
After spending years scaring villagers with his evil roar, then rescuing princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a dragon, and saving his in-laws’ kingdom, Shrek (Mike Meyers) feels his adventuresome days are over. This doesn’t sit well with him and he finds himself growing somewhat weary of his day-to-day life of a loving husband and father of three. He longs to be a “real” ogre again.

Enter Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who tricks Shrek into signing a contract with him, giving up a day of his life to be a real ogre again. Shrek finds himself back in Far Far Away, but this time it’s an alternate universe, one where ogres are hunted. In this alternate world, Shrek soon learns after meeting up with Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) and Fiona, that they have never met before.

Shrek realizes that the only way to fix things is to make Princess Fiona fall in love with him, and recruits Donkey and Puss in Boots to help him. Along the way Shrek faces many challenges in the world where Rumpelstiltskin rules and witches thwart his every effort, but in the end (as all fairy tales should, of course) love conquers all.

With nonstop laughs from the get go, this movie will not disappoint. The 3D effects were impressive, added a great depth to the movie, and really brought it to life. Although this is the fourth movie in the franchise, I was impressed with this one most of all. It has a heartfelt storyline that can capture an audience of all ages, making it a wonderful conclusion to the Shrek series.

4.5 out of 5
  
40x40

Vicki Gleave D'Aunay (12 KP) Aug 8, 2019

Another great shrek film

Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien: Covenant (2017)
2017 | Horror, Sci-Fi
Design (0 more)
Pacing issues (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Covanant colony mission is interrupted and discover a distress signal coming from a nearby planet. Liking the look of it more than going back into a dangerous hyper sleep, they go down to check it out. Down there they discover an alien species completely destroyed by causes unknown. The traditional saga formula insues: someone gets infected, the aliens reek havoc and the humans appear to have won.
Here we seem to have another reboot, posing as a sequel/ prequel, in that the format is very much like the first Alien film, back in 79'. Following a distress signal, lending on a planet, issues with a storm, evil company synthetic, alien inhabits host and ends up back on the ship, takes them.out one by one, juat wjen you think it is over, its not, Alien is blown out into space, heroine survives.
All making sence as it is Mr Scott back at the helm.

That is not this one does not have it's own flare, this film takes place after Prometheus, but before it's 79'older brother, so we see more of the creation and evolution of the Xenomorph (big happies for lovers of that horror puppy) and it keeps you fence throughout, like the originals.
There are some odd pacing issues with some parts, though it feels more like a bit of condensed editing to cut the film down (though what is with the flute scene?!?!?!)
Aliens (the Cameron 86' sequel) is one of my all time favourite films, and as a fan of the series, I did enjoy watching this film, but do hope for something truly compelling in the next instalment.
  
Aliens (1986)
Aliens (1986)
1986 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
An absolute screamer of a sequel
Aliens may very well be the best sequel of all time, if not it's certainly up there!
The original Alien is about as perfect as sci-fi horror can get, so it was a smart move on James Cameron's part to not recycle that again, and take Alien in a different direction.
The slow burning, claustrophobic high tension of the original is replaced here with all out war.
The simple idea of multiple Xenomorphs is effective and terrifying, and packs the runtime of Aliens with top tier action.

Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, and whilst she was a tough yet vulnerable survivor first time around, here we get to see her vulnerability crumble away. By the time the final act kicks in and Ripley is decked out in a mech...she just a badass from here on out.
She's is joined by a group of gun toting, 80s as fuck mercenaries, including the likes of Michael Biehn (fresh from the recently released, first Terminator movie), Bill Paxton, Al Matthews, Jenette Goldstein, and of course Lance Henriksen as Android, Bishop. It's a fantastic cast, who all end up mattering one way or another, even the ones who don't last very long.

The Xenomorphs themselves look as horrifying as ever, still practically achieved, and have an urgent sense of visceral danger whenever they're on screen.
Aliens is also the debut if the Alien Queen, a classic staple of the series since.

No matter how much time goes by, Aliens never fails to be entertaining, and still looks great. It's James Cameron at the top of his game.
  
Charlie's Angels (2019)
Charlie's Angels (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A poor reboot
I had little hopes for this film when it was released at the cinema as the trailer looked awful, and I'm afraid to say the trailer was an accurate representation of the film itself.

The great thing about this film was the cast. This really does have a stellar cast, however the problem is that they're criminally underutilised and let down by an awful screenplay. The only ones who come out of this relatively unscathed are Kristen Stewart (she gets the "fun" role) and Naomi Scott (who still suffers from the cliched new recruit character role). Even the great Patrick Stewart couldn't save this. The action itself is pretty second rate and rather dull, and whilst it fortunately doesn't go OTT on the CGI, the fighting is still a little clunky. And the plot is as ridiculous as you'd expect from a spy film like this, and as predictable.

I also have a bit of an issue with how they're trying to promote gender equality in this. I'm all for girl power, but it's being rammed down your throat here and it's a bit much. Every male character is portrayed to be a complete slime ball and is this really fair? I don't think so. It's a bit old fashioned to have every bloke as a bad guy and I think there are better ways to promote powerful women and equality.

Overall this was an entirely unnecessary reboot of this franchise. Whilst the previous reincarnations with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu weren't great, they were at least better than this.
  
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
2019 | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Amazing world building (1 more)
Jaw dropping special effects
The love story kind of let it down (0 more)
A master class in science fiction
So I saw this movie Friday and I loved it ,this is the kind of movie you have to see on the biggest screen possible ,and beautiful to look at ,I completely forgot that the character of ALITA is completely rendered in I computer there are times where you swear that ALITA is a real human being ,the action is top notch it has some of the most exciting action set pieces I've seen in a movie period especially the motor ball scene ,it was a joy to watch that entire scene play out and my mouth was on the floor the entire time ,that scene alone is worth the ticket admission,the acting is great across the board you could tell that everyone involved was passionate about this project and they wanted to make the best movie possible ,there is however an aspect of this movie I thought didn't work and that was the love story it felt it was unnecessary but it did pay off in the end ,I'm not going to go into spoilers because I believe the best way to see this spectacular movie is to go in knowing next to nothing and just experience it ,I will say this Alita battle angel is a fast paced ,epic ,science fiction adventure and I came out of the screening wanting more ,this movie is a passion project for James Cameron and you can really tell ,after seeing this I can't wait to see what he brings to the table with his avatar sequels..I loved this movie !!!!
  
WC
We've Come to Take You Home
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'd like to thank Netgalley and Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd for giving me the opportunity to read this.

While I tried as hard as I could to enjoy this book, I couldn't quite click with it and found I had to push myself to continue reading it. The book was written beautifully and the story is tragic and heart breaking but uplifting in its own sense, however it's not the sort of book I'd normally read.

I felt the description made this book feel more like a suspense novel, when really it was a tragic drama and in some aspects reminded me of Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests (another book I wasn't a fan of).

For me the story just didn't flow well enough. While I understood the plot and the connection of the two main characters there was still some aspect of it that I just didn't get. I felt as though some of the "big reveals" in this book were subtly skipped over to provide as little information about it as possible which made the big reveals not so big and a lot less exciting.

By the end of the novel I had lost the will to read this and really had to force myself to read the last couple of chapters. Towards the end of the book I began to lose track of the story, the two peoples lives merging into one.

While it may seem like all in doing is complaining, I still found this book interesting in the sense that it was very well written, the story was unique and I actually managed to get through it. I think this book would be excellent for drama and war genre lovers, but for me this lacked the excitement I'm used to in a book and so three stars is all I can give.
  
Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue
Sophie Cameron | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Slow start (0 more)
I couldn't get in to this book :(
Contains spoilers, click to show
Out of the blue is a book about a girl called Jaya and how she one day finds an Angel that has fallen from the sky.

No one knows why or how these Angels are falling. No one even knows where they are coming from. Jaya’s mum died a year ago and it hit her, her dad and sister hard. Not long after the Angels started to fall. Her father quits his job and takes her and her sister Rani to Edingburg where he believes he can find an Angel and knows exactly where it will fall.

I couldn’t get into this book, I felt that it took such a long time to get into the story and ten chapters into it, it still didn’t grasp my attention. This is the first time I have not been able to get into a book since I started my blog and Youtube channel. I really did try but I just couldn’t.

It’s not fair for me to give this book a 1 cup of tea because I couldn’t get into it. But I want to give an honest review and tell you the truth.

I will have to give it a 1.5 cup of tea because of the fact I couldn’t get into it and I found that the book didn’t really tell you why these Angels are falling. I did read the last few pages to see if I could get into it more, however, that didn’t work. I also had a look at some other reviews for people to say the same. So I am very sorry Sophie Cameron but I couldn’t get into this book.

Love,

Christina

1.5 ☕ – POOR/OK