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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Into The Storm (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
It has been 20 years since “Twister” thrilled audiences by using state of
the art effects to simulate one of the most destructive forces on earth.
In the new film “Into the Storm:, Warner Bros has once again dipped into
the formula that made “Twister” so successful, combing the best FX on the
planet with high-end sound and human drama.
The film follows a documentary film crew low on cash and in desperate need
to find a storm so that funding can continue. At the same time, a student
is recording a video diary for his high school and dealing with his
estranged father who happens to be the assistant principal.
The family has severe tension over the death of their mother and see the
father as caring more about his working and position than the needs of his
kids.
The characters are not broadly written or well developed as essentially
they exist to serve as props for the very impressive scenes of destruction
when the massive tornadoes strike.
There are some very effective moments of tension when people and vehicles
are thrown around and as buildings are destroyed by the full force of
nature’s fury.
While many aspects of the film fail to stand out, the visual power of the
film is attention grabbing and does allow you to overlook the thin plot
and characters.
We were fortunate to screen the film with the latest Atmos Dolby sound
systems, which really enhanced the experience of what it is like to be the
a storm without risk to life and property.
For the visuals alone, I would say the film is worth seeing as long as you
temper your expectations accordingly.
http://sknr.net/2014/08/08/into-the-storm/
the art effects to simulate one of the most destructive forces on earth.
In the new film “Into the Storm:, Warner Bros has once again dipped into
the formula that made “Twister” so successful, combing the best FX on the
planet with high-end sound and human drama.
The film follows a documentary film crew low on cash and in desperate need
to find a storm so that funding can continue. At the same time, a student
is recording a video diary for his high school and dealing with his
estranged father who happens to be the assistant principal.
The family has severe tension over the death of their mother and see the
father as caring more about his working and position than the needs of his
kids.
The characters are not broadly written or well developed as essentially
they exist to serve as props for the very impressive scenes of destruction
when the massive tornadoes strike.
There are some very effective moments of tension when people and vehicles
are thrown around and as buildings are destroyed by the full force of
nature’s fury.
While many aspects of the film fail to stand out, the visual power of the
film is attention grabbing and does allow you to overlook the thin plot
and characters.
We were fortunate to screen the film with the latest Atmos Dolby sound
systems, which really enhanced the experience of what it is like to be the
a storm without risk to life and property.
For the visuals alone, I would say the film is worth seeing as long as you
temper your expectations accordingly.
http://sknr.net/2014/08/08/into-the-storm/
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Life, the Universe and Everything in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Originally there were the two series of the radio show which Adams rewrote and reorganised into two books. And for a long time that was it, that was all there was of the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Then one day I was in a bookshop when there it was: A new Hitch Hiker's book by Douglas Adams, black cover with an old-fashioned ring pull on the cover (the ones that detached from the can to cause maximum environmental damage).
Having essentially completed what appeared to be the story arc in the first two books, what was going to be next for our heroes? Arthur and Ford were last seen stranded on prehistoric Earth and Zaphod and Trillian were missing after teleporting from Hotblack Desiato's stunt ship. Would this be a tired and cynical cash in, retreading old ground but failing to capture the magic of the originals?
Needless to say, Adams didn't disappoint, creating a plot around an alien race creating a weapon capable of destroying the universe, and it is up to Arthur, Ford, Zaphod and Trillian to save the day, along with Slartibartfast who had to be co-opted in to make the plot work since the other four would far rather have been at a party getting drunk (or in Arthur's case drinking some proper tea).
Yet more footnotes and extracts from 'The Book' ensue with Adams' imagination creating a number of new comic inventions - Agrajag, how to fly, Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged. All of it moves with pace and brio as if the characters are enjoying the freedom of a new book, even if there is a universe to save and only one party.
Then one day I was in a bookshop when there it was: A new Hitch Hiker's book by Douglas Adams, black cover with an old-fashioned ring pull on the cover (the ones that detached from the can to cause maximum environmental damage).
Having essentially completed what appeared to be the story arc in the first two books, what was going to be next for our heroes? Arthur and Ford were last seen stranded on prehistoric Earth and Zaphod and Trillian were missing after teleporting from Hotblack Desiato's stunt ship. Would this be a tired and cynical cash in, retreading old ground but failing to capture the magic of the originals?
Needless to say, Adams didn't disappoint, creating a plot around an alien race creating a weapon capable of destroying the universe, and it is up to Arthur, Ford, Zaphod and Trillian to save the day, along with Slartibartfast who had to be co-opted in to make the plot work since the other four would far rather have been at a party getting drunk (or in Arthur's case drinking some proper tea).
Yet more footnotes and extracts from 'The Book' ensue with Adams' imagination creating a number of new comic inventions - Agrajag, how to fly, Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged. All of it moves with pace and brio as if the characters are enjoying the freedom of a new book, even if there is a universe to save and only one party.
Putty: From Tel-El-Kebir to Cambrai: the Life and Letters of Lieutenant General Sir William Pulteney 1861-1941
Book
Once described by a subordinate as "the most completely ignorant general I served during the war",...
Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery
Agatha Christie and Sophie Hannah
7.5
Rate It
Book
Hercule Poirot returns in another brilliant murder mystery that can only be solved by the eponymous...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Leprechaun in the Hood (2000) in Movies
Nov 24, 2020
"Holy shit, you midget Midas motherfucker!" - Mack Daddy
Let us get straight to it. Leprechaun in the Hood is so goddam cheap. It's painfully obvious that the entire film was made on a low budget, and shot on a limited movie set (pretty sure one scene is shot in a props cupboard) and this blights what could have been one of the better entries in the Leprechaun series. I say this because this sequel is horrendously entertaining, despite how poor the production values are - a true champion of the so-bad-it's-good mantra.
The big positives here are the lead characters. Postmaster P., Butch, and (to a lesser extent) Stray Bullet, are three amateur rapper protagonists who you can get behind. They're actually kind of likable, which is a genuine rarity in this franchise. Warwick Davis' Lep seems to actually have less screen time than usual, but it's not even noticable because of these characters. Ice-T also stars as ex-pimp-turned-music-mogul Mack Daddy, and he's a welcome addition to the Leprechaun lore. Speaking of lore, this is another sequel that yet again pays no notice to the other films, and just does its own thing. It has a vaguely resembelent set up to Leprechaun 3 but other than that, a big Fuck You to any sort of narrative consistency, which honestly isn't much of an issue at this point.
Leprechaun in the Hood is so so silly, and as mentioned, shits the bed on the production side of things, but it's occasionally funny, occasionally gory, and entertaining to a degree.
That full rap number that Lep does at the end is fucking awful though, and no one is going to change my mind.
Let us get straight to it. Leprechaun in the Hood is so goddam cheap. It's painfully obvious that the entire film was made on a low budget, and shot on a limited movie set (pretty sure one scene is shot in a props cupboard) and this blights what could have been one of the better entries in the Leprechaun series. I say this because this sequel is horrendously entertaining, despite how poor the production values are - a true champion of the so-bad-it's-good mantra.
The big positives here are the lead characters. Postmaster P., Butch, and (to a lesser extent) Stray Bullet, are three amateur rapper protagonists who you can get behind. They're actually kind of likable, which is a genuine rarity in this franchise. Warwick Davis' Lep seems to actually have less screen time than usual, but it's not even noticable because of these characters. Ice-T also stars as ex-pimp-turned-music-mogul Mack Daddy, and he's a welcome addition to the Leprechaun lore. Speaking of lore, this is another sequel that yet again pays no notice to the other films, and just does its own thing. It has a vaguely resembelent set up to Leprechaun 3 but other than that, a big Fuck You to any sort of narrative consistency, which honestly isn't much of an issue at this point.
Leprechaun in the Hood is so so silly, and as mentioned, shits the bed on the production side of things, but it's occasionally funny, occasionally gory, and entertaining to a degree.
That full rap number that Lep does at the end is fucking awful though, and no one is going to change my mind.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Furious 7 (2015) in Movies
Jun 21, 2021
5 years after Fast and Furious 6 and following on from Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift (F&F 3), Hobbs, Dom and his family find themselves under attack from a new enemy. Deckard Shaw, brother of Owen Shaw (from Fast and Furious 6) is out for revenge and Dom and co need to find him before he finds them, unfortunately the only way to do this is to is to rescue the inventor of a of top spy device.
Fast and Furious 7 takes the team into the realms of James Bond as they team up with a shadow ops team and, to match the ramped up story line the action is bigger with more guns, missiles and fist fights but less street racing.
Unlike most of the other films there is no set up for a sequel, due to the fact that Paul Walker, the actor who plays Brian O'Conner died during the making of it so the film end on a high note , giving Brian a good, Happy ending.
Even though we are now on the 7th film about car racing I can say that the franchise is still entertaining. Even though the same characters are in most of the films they manage to keep entertaining and don't feel like the same thing being done over and over, part of this is due to the increasingly over the top action and storylines and the fact that, at least some of the characters have growth through out the franchise.
Furious 7 is bigger and louder than the previous films, not only with the fights and chases but also with the stunts and still delivers what you would expect so if you liked the others then you can't go wrong with this.
Fast and Furious 7 takes the team into the realms of James Bond as they team up with a shadow ops team and, to match the ramped up story line the action is bigger with more guns, missiles and fist fights but less street racing.
Unlike most of the other films there is no set up for a sequel, due to the fact that Paul Walker, the actor who plays Brian O'Conner died during the making of it so the film end on a high note , giving Brian a good, Happy ending.
Even though we are now on the 7th film about car racing I can say that the franchise is still entertaining. Even though the same characters are in most of the films they manage to keep entertaining and don't feel like the same thing being done over and over, part of this is due to the increasingly over the top action and storylines and the fact that, at least some of the characters have growth through out the franchise.
Furious 7 is bigger and louder than the previous films, not only with the fights and chases but also with the stunts and still delivers what you would expect so if you liked the others then you can't go wrong with this.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Betwixt (Betwixt and Between #1) in Books
Jan 24, 2021
14 of 250
Kindle
Betwixt (Bitwixt&Between book 1)
By Darynda Jones
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance Dayne finds out she has been bequeathed a house by a complete stranger. She is surprised, to say the least, and her curiosity gets the better of her. She leaves her beloved Phoenix and heads to one of the most infamous towns in America: Salem, Massachusetts.
She’s only there to find out why a woman she’s never met would leave her a house. A veritable castle that has seen better days. She couldn’t possibly accept it, but the lawyer assigned to the case practically begs her to take it off her hands, mostly because she’s scared of it. The house. The inanimate structure that, as far as Dephne can tell, has never hurt a fly.
Though it does come with some baggage. A pesky neighbor who wants her gone. A scruffy cat who’s a bit of a jerk. And a handyman bathed in ink who could moonlight as a supermodel for GQ.
She decides to give it three days, and not because of the model. She feels at home in Salem. Safe. But even that comes to a screeching halt when people begin knocking on her door day and night, begging for her help to locate their lost objects.
Come to find out, they think she’s a witch. And after a few mysterious mishaps, Dephne is beginning to wonder if they’re right.
It wasn’t a bad book it was very middle of the road compared to her other books. It’s got a decent story some good characters hoping we see the ex get his comeuppance a little more! I do love her little quotes at the start of each chapter it wouldn’t be a Darynda book without them!
Kindle
Betwixt (Bitwixt&Between book 1)
By Darynda Jones
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance Dayne finds out she has been bequeathed a house by a complete stranger. She is surprised, to say the least, and her curiosity gets the better of her. She leaves her beloved Phoenix and heads to one of the most infamous towns in America: Salem, Massachusetts.
She’s only there to find out why a woman she’s never met would leave her a house. A veritable castle that has seen better days. She couldn’t possibly accept it, but the lawyer assigned to the case practically begs her to take it off her hands, mostly because she’s scared of it. The house. The inanimate structure that, as far as Dephne can tell, has never hurt a fly.
Though it does come with some baggage. A pesky neighbor who wants her gone. A scruffy cat who’s a bit of a jerk. And a handyman bathed in ink who could moonlight as a supermodel for GQ.
She decides to give it three days, and not because of the model. She feels at home in Salem. Safe. But even that comes to a screeching halt when people begin knocking on her door day and night, begging for her help to locate their lost objects.
Come to find out, they think she’s a witch. And after a few mysterious mishaps, Dephne is beginning to wonder if they’re right.
It wasn’t a bad book it was very middle of the road compared to her other books. It’s got a decent story some good characters hoping we see the ex get his comeuppance a little more! I do love her little quotes at the start of each chapter it wouldn’t be a Darynda book without them!
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