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Amy Curtis (49 KP) rated Bumblebee (2018) in Movies
Dec 30, 2018
Heartwarming (1 more)
Action was phenomenal
Sweet action!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Went to see this film last night and I have a confession to make... I haven't seen a transformer film before. My boyfriend wanted to go so I went with him not sure what to expect. I walked out that cinema completely blown away. The effects were incredible throughout and the story line was sweet and you could really relate to the characters. Bumblebee completely won me over and I couldn't help but feel for him when he lost his speaker box. One of the best parts about this film was that when there were action scenes, you could still see what was going on and who was getting the upper hand on who. Some action film's struggle with this and you don't see much of the fight scenes because it's a bit of a blur. However, this film done it well! The only negative thing I'd say is that after the initial opening fight scene, the story was a bit slow for a while so you was given a really dramatic start and then moved into a slow build up but this soon picked up again when Charlie found bumblebee. I really do recommend this to anyone whether you have seen the transformer film's or not, it is a stand alone film to a certain extent. Loved it!
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Old Friends and New Enemies (Charlie Cameron #2) in Books
Nov 21, 2019
Glasgow private detective Charlie Cameron finds himself out of his depth when he finds out that an old friend has been killed. Getting on the wrong side of an organised crime family would be bad enough but just when he needs hits wits about him the personal nature of the case clouds his judgement. And things aren't made easier by a police detective with a grudge who thinks he is guilty.
This is a terrifically gritty crime novel. Glasgow is a good setting for this kind of work and Mullen does a great job of describing the city and the surroundings. Cameron is a very likeable character and seems very believable. The rest of the cast are just as well defined, from Cameron's slightly dodgy friend to the Rafferty family who are nasty but with a solid basis on why they are.
As the plot unfolds the reader knows more than Cameron which makes some of his mis-steps in dealing with the case agonising to read when he puts himself in more danger when he is trying to extricate himself. The ending ties everything up neatly but don't expect a fairy tale ending.
Overall this is a terrific crime novel and if the other Cameron books are anything like this then it will be a series to get hold of.
This is a terrifically gritty crime novel. Glasgow is a good setting for this kind of work and Mullen does a great job of describing the city and the surroundings. Cameron is a very likeable character and seems very believable. The rest of the cast are just as well defined, from Cameron's slightly dodgy friend to the Rafferty family who are nasty but with a solid basis on why they are.
As the plot unfolds the reader knows more than Cameron which makes some of his mis-steps in dealing with the case agonising to read when he puts himself in more danger when he is trying to extricate himself. The ending ties everything up neatly but don't expect a fairy tale ending.
Overall this is a terrific crime novel and if the other Cameron books are anything like this then it will be a series to get hold of.
Darren Hayman recommended The Haden Triplets by The Haden Triplets in Music (curated)
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Wall Street (1987) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019
When looking to review a film like this, there are two distinct points of view to take in to a account:
The first being the contemporary context. That being that this was made in 1987, at the height of the Wall Street boom and that, at the time, this must have been a revelation for so many people, who still had either faith or ignorance about the financial institutions which had metamorphosed into the corrupt capitalist cancer which we all know today.
The later half of the 80’s was to herald the fall of the Gordon Gecco’s and this film, whilst reflecting its time, was also ushering in an era of doom for Wall Street, as well as the continuing propagation of this corruption which would lead to the 2008 crash which are still reeling from today.
So given that like so many films which have essentially whistle blown in there own time, Psycho (1960) also springs to mind, the impact is lessened by thirty years of dilution, in which case it would be unfair to judge the film harshly on the fact that it does not really tell us anything new today.
But when it comes to judging how well the film was made, that is surly timeless.
And considering that Oliver Stone put this together, I was disappointed. The characters where not only dislikable, which I am sure was intentional, they were also poorly written. People just come and go throughout and with the exceptions of Michael Douglas’ Gorden Gecco, Charlie Sheen’s Bud Fox and his real life father, Martin Sheen as Bud’s blue collar dad, the rest of the cast seemed to be wasted.
The plot was all over the place, inconstant and littered with goofs and continuity errors right from the get-go. In fact, it only took a few minutes before I was aghast that a film which begins in 1985 made a reference to Gecco’s ruthlessness by stating that he made money out of the Challenger disaster, which did not occur until January 1986!
Charlie Sheen’s character is difficult to sympathise with, not only because he is trying to be the villain, yet of course he finds his soul by the end, but that he is so utterly naive that it is beyond belief!
It is never clear how much money is being made, who has what or what the real gains or losses are by the end, to the point that whist it is implied that Sheen will be jailed for his insider trading, the film ends before he enters the court and Gecco, who has been recorded by Sheen confessing to his involvement, is never resolved at all!
By the end I was really annoyed by how shallow and lackadaisical the script was, seemingly only really interested in showing the power hungry greed of Wall Street traders at this time.
“Greed is good”.
Well, Mr Stone, so is some exposition.
The first being the contemporary context. That being that this was made in 1987, at the height of the Wall Street boom and that, at the time, this must have been a revelation for so many people, who still had either faith or ignorance about the financial institutions which had metamorphosed into the corrupt capitalist cancer which we all know today.
The later half of the 80’s was to herald the fall of the Gordon Gecco’s and this film, whilst reflecting its time, was also ushering in an era of doom for Wall Street, as well as the continuing propagation of this corruption which would lead to the 2008 crash which are still reeling from today.
So given that like so many films which have essentially whistle blown in there own time, Psycho (1960) also springs to mind, the impact is lessened by thirty years of dilution, in which case it would be unfair to judge the film harshly on the fact that it does not really tell us anything new today.
But when it comes to judging how well the film was made, that is surly timeless.
And considering that Oliver Stone put this together, I was disappointed. The characters where not only dislikable, which I am sure was intentional, they were also poorly written. People just come and go throughout and with the exceptions of Michael Douglas’ Gorden Gecco, Charlie Sheen’s Bud Fox and his real life father, Martin Sheen as Bud’s blue collar dad, the rest of the cast seemed to be wasted.
The plot was all over the place, inconstant and littered with goofs and continuity errors right from the get-go. In fact, it only took a few minutes before I was aghast that a film which begins in 1985 made a reference to Gecco’s ruthlessness by stating that he made money out of the Challenger disaster, which did not occur until January 1986!
Charlie Sheen’s character is difficult to sympathise with, not only because he is trying to be the villain, yet of course he finds his soul by the end, but that he is so utterly naive that it is beyond belief!
It is never clear how much money is being made, who has what or what the real gains or losses are by the end, to the point that whist it is implied that Sheen will be jailed for his insider trading, the film ends before he enters the court and Gecco, who has been recorded by Sheen confessing to his involvement, is never resolved at all!
By the end I was really annoyed by how shallow and lackadaisical the script was, seemingly only really interested in showing the power hungry greed of Wall Street traders at this time.
“Greed is good”.
Well, Mr Stone, so is some exposition.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Eli (2019) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
Characters – Eli is the young boy with the auto-immune disease, he does suffer nightmares about what would happen if he was outside, he lives in a bubble, which is his only safety in life. He is going through an experimental procedure which is meant to cure him, only for him to start suffering haunting visions and attacks by ghosts, he must figure out if they are trying to harm him or help him before he reaches the latest procedure. Rose and Paul are the religious parents that have given up nearly everything to make their son’s life better, trying to remain strong for him throughout the events of the film. Dr Isabella Horn is the doctor that is trying to help Eli, only her methods don’t seem to get explained to the family, while they are left to just believe anything she says. Haley is a girl from the neighbourhood that visits Eli, hoping to find friendship, though she does know the fate of most of the people in the house.
Performances – Charlie Shotwell does a wonderful job in the leading role, suffering through medical procedures, hauntings and emotional problems with ease through the film. Kelly Reilly, Max Martini and Lili Taylor are all strong through the film, which we don’t see much away from Charlie from any of them. Sadie Sink is solid without having much to do, other than being a friend to talk too.
Story – The story here follows a young boy with a medical condition who gets taken to an experimental hospital for treatment, when he starts getting visits from ghosts, where he might learn the truth about the hospital. This is a story which does keep you on your toes, you will constantly be thrown through different sub-genres of horror and it is excellent to see how the film can keep you guessing and leave you surprised by the ending, because if anybody saw this coming, they would be a liar. This is a story where not learning too much going in is even better because it does start with what could be a routine horror, but will leave you shocked by the end.
Horror – The horror here does seem to jump through so many sub-genres of horror it is a joy to watch, because the transition is seamless throughout.
Settings – The film keeps most of the film inside the hospital, this is an excellent location for the film to be set, which sees everything unfold down the dark filled hallways.
Special Effects – The effects do come off well too with how everything happens, be it the ghostly figures or the more practical ones too.
Scene of the Movie – The ghosts in the mirror.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The abusive people at the start of the film.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror that does truly keep you on your toes, it is great to see this too, we will get scares and surprises and you won’t believe how everything unfolds.
Overall: Surprising Throughout.
Performances – Charlie Shotwell does a wonderful job in the leading role, suffering through medical procedures, hauntings and emotional problems with ease through the film. Kelly Reilly, Max Martini and Lili Taylor are all strong through the film, which we don’t see much away from Charlie from any of them. Sadie Sink is solid without having much to do, other than being a friend to talk too.
Story – The story here follows a young boy with a medical condition who gets taken to an experimental hospital for treatment, when he starts getting visits from ghosts, where he might learn the truth about the hospital. This is a story which does keep you on your toes, you will constantly be thrown through different sub-genres of horror and it is excellent to see how the film can keep you guessing and leave you surprised by the ending, because if anybody saw this coming, they would be a liar. This is a story where not learning too much going in is even better because it does start with what could be a routine horror, but will leave you shocked by the end.
Horror – The horror here does seem to jump through so many sub-genres of horror it is a joy to watch, because the transition is seamless throughout.
Settings – The film keeps most of the film inside the hospital, this is an excellent location for the film to be set, which sees everything unfold down the dark filled hallways.
Special Effects – The effects do come off well too with how everything happens, be it the ghostly figures or the more practical ones too.
Scene of the Movie – The ghosts in the mirror.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The abusive people at the start of the film.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror that does truly keep you on your toes, it is great to see this too, we will get scares and surprises and you won’t believe how everything unfolds.
Overall: Surprising Throughout.
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Rope (1948) in Movies
Mar 12, 2020
did i speak too soon?
Contains spoilers, click to show
If you've read my other reviews, you know that I'm currently in a Hitchcock film class. I've been dreading watching his films because of the ones I've seen, with the exception of Psycho, have been the same story told in different ways. I was equally as dreadful when it came to watching this film. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
In Psycho, while we saw a serial killer, it was almost as if Norman had no choice because he'd been overtaken, so to speak, by Norma Bates. Norman knew what had been done, what his mother had done, and he cleaned up after her, defended her, took care of her. In Shadow of a Doubt, while Uncle Charlie was also a killer, Hitchcock played with the likable villain scenario that we talked about last week. He was this dapper, well-liked, well-respected man that seemed like he could never be capable of the things he was accused. And even when he did die, only little Charly and the detective really knew the truth of who Uncle Charlie was. In Sabotage, we saw murder but it wasn't purposeful. The bomb that was meant to explode, wasn't meant to explode where it did - on a public bus, killing not only the nephew but several strangers and a puppy.
Rope is glaringly different in comparison. We see Brandon who is ecstatic, almost euphoric about what he and Phillip had done. He almost gets off on the idea that they just killed a man, a friend of theirs, and invited that man's family, friends, and fiance over for a party while that man's dead body lying there, unbeknownst to the guests. Brandon was excited by that. In contrast, Phillip is paranoid, drinking rapidly and in excess trying to calm himself down, but really only making himself more suspicious. The nuance and the contrast of Brandon and Phillip's characters are different than anything we've seen from Hitchcock thus far, but even further than that, we see Rupert come in and kind of save the day. He puts the pieces together, observant of both Brandon and Phillip's awkwardness and behavior throughout the party, then noticing the hat and the rope, he comes back and realizes what they have done. Instead of taking vengeance into his own hands, something that we saw in Sabotage, he fires 3 shots out of the window, causing passersby and neighbors to call the police. Rupert than sits next to the chest that holds David's body, almost protecting him, while he waits for the authorities to arrive for Brandon and Phillip.
This film, more than any other one besides Psycho, has been my favorite to watch and the one that kept me drawn in. This film does not fit the original narrative I've held. It's in a completely different game entirely.
In Psycho, while we saw a serial killer, it was almost as if Norman had no choice because he'd been overtaken, so to speak, by Norma Bates. Norman knew what had been done, what his mother had done, and he cleaned up after her, defended her, took care of her. In Shadow of a Doubt, while Uncle Charlie was also a killer, Hitchcock played with the likable villain scenario that we talked about last week. He was this dapper, well-liked, well-respected man that seemed like he could never be capable of the things he was accused. And even when he did die, only little Charly and the detective really knew the truth of who Uncle Charlie was. In Sabotage, we saw murder but it wasn't purposeful. The bomb that was meant to explode, wasn't meant to explode where it did - on a public bus, killing not only the nephew but several strangers and a puppy.
Rope is glaringly different in comparison. We see Brandon who is ecstatic, almost euphoric about what he and Phillip had done. He almost gets off on the idea that they just killed a man, a friend of theirs, and invited that man's family, friends, and fiance over for a party while that man's dead body lying there, unbeknownst to the guests. Brandon was excited by that. In contrast, Phillip is paranoid, drinking rapidly and in excess trying to calm himself down, but really only making himself more suspicious. The nuance and the contrast of Brandon and Phillip's characters are different than anything we've seen from Hitchcock thus far, but even further than that, we see Rupert come in and kind of save the day. He puts the pieces together, observant of both Brandon and Phillip's awkwardness and behavior throughout the party, then noticing the hat and the rope, he comes back and realizes what they have done. Instead of taking vengeance into his own hands, something that we saw in Sabotage, he fires 3 shots out of the window, causing passersby and neighbors to call the police. Rupert than sits next to the chest that holds David's body, almost protecting him, while he waits for the authorities to arrive for Brandon and Phillip.
This film, more than any other one besides Psycho, has been my favorite to watch and the one that kept me drawn in. This film does not fit the original narrative I've held. It's in a completely different game entirely.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Black Mirror - Season 1 in TV
Jan 8, 2018
These three near-future / alternative reality episodes tell of a different chilling aspect of human life. All are fantastical, though worryingly plausible. Charlie Brooker has pretty much nailed the line between believable and speculative fiction.
The first episode sees the UK prime minister forced into considering an unpleasant act after a ransom demand from a kidnapper. It serves as a good representation of media coverage and their involvement in spreading panic and stoking outrage.
The next episode was a near-future look at a world where some classes of people spend their days on exercise bikes, presumably powering society. They are forced to watch endless hours of a small number of TV shows and are charged a fee to skip pop-up adverts for porn shows. The indictment of where society is headed, including the disposability of talent shows and how much more mandatory watching adverts could become, felt like something of a warning to turn back now!
The final episode revolved around people having the ability to instantaneously rewind and re-view moments of their lives and cast it to TV screens. The story looks at how this plays a part in a man's suspicions over his wife's faithfulness to their marriage. Similar to the previous 2 episodes, it shows that the technology, and people's reliance on it, does not help real life in any way, rather it further fuels suspicion and malcontent.
Three stories about the way the human race is headed told brilliantly.
The first episode sees the UK prime minister forced into considering an unpleasant act after a ransom demand from a kidnapper. It serves as a good representation of media coverage and their involvement in spreading panic and stoking outrage.
The next episode was a near-future look at a world where some classes of people spend their days on exercise bikes, presumably powering society. They are forced to watch endless hours of a small number of TV shows and are charged a fee to skip pop-up adverts for porn shows. The indictment of where society is headed, including the disposability of talent shows and how much more mandatory watching adverts could become, felt like something of a warning to turn back now!
The final episode revolved around people having the ability to instantaneously rewind and re-view moments of their lives and cast it to TV screens. The story looks at how this plays a part in a man's suspicions over his wife's faithfulness to their marriage. Similar to the previous 2 episodes, it shows that the technology, and people's reliance on it, does not help real life in any way, rather it further fuels suspicion and malcontent.
Three stories about the way the human race is headed told brilliantly.
Kaz (232 KP) rated Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) in Movies
May 24, 2019
A Childhood Favourite
I've loved this film since I was about 3 years old and that's quite a while ago! I love the songs in the film's soundtrack and the quirky character Gene Wilder plays.
Wilder has some fantastic one liners and the children are brilliant, playing the obnoxious winners of the Golden Tickets. Charlie Bucket is very likeable and you feel for him, as he and family struggle to survive.
The only part of the film which I don't particularly care for, is the 'Wonkatania' boat scene, I found this particularly disturbing as a child.
The songs in this are very memorable. Considering the fact that I have probably watched this film 100's of times, I could sing all of them at the drop of a hat! This film has been a part of my life for so long, that most of my family could recite most of the film too!
This is one of my all time favourite films and a guilty pleasure. I have watched the Tim Burton adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel this film is based on and, although it had some nice additions from the original text, which did not feature in this version of the story, I much prefer this version.
If you want to watch a film full of magic and wonder, I suggest watching this film.
Wilder has some fantastic one liners and the children are brilliant, playing the obnoxious winners of the Golden Tickets. Charlie Bucket is very likeable and you feel for him, as he and family struggle to survive.
The only part of the film which I don't particularly care for, is the 'Wonkatania' boat scene, I found this particularly disturbing as a child.
The songs in this are very memorable. Considering the fact that I have probably watched this film 100's of times, I could sing all of them at the drop of a hat! This film has been a part of my life for so long, that most of my family could recite most of the film too!
This is one of my all time favourite films and a guilty pleasure. I have watched the Tim Burton adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel this film is based on and, although it had some nice additions from the original text, which did not feature in this version of the story, I much prefer this version.
If you want to watch a film full of magic and wonder, I suggest watching this film.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Street Fighter (1994) in Movies
Feb 27, 2020
A cult classic that's better than legend of Chun Li
1994 saw the release of street fighter, a live action take on the videogame phenomenon.
Starring Jean claude van damme as colonel Guile, a man leading the United nations army against evil dictator General M.Bison (Raul Julia)& his forces.
Guile convinces ken & Ryu to join/infiltrate
The United sides of both Bison and Sagat which becomes problematic.
Chun li & colleagues Balrog & E.Honda are planning on taking out bison themselves.
Although there's more comedy than action, the amount of effort put into the character portrayals, costume designs and character's actually in this is brilliant considering it's only about 90 mins long.
Each character looks near perfect to their videogame counterpart & Raul Julia is no doubt the stand out actor.
Fun from beginning to end, 1994s street fighter is one for die hard fans...now quick, change the channel!
it is an American/Japanese action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza
Byron Mann - Ryu
Damian Chapa- Ken Masters
Kylie Minogue - Cammy
Ming-Na Wen - Chun Li
Wes Studi. Sagat
Grand L bush - Balrog
Roshan seth - Dhalsim
Miguel A Nunez jr - Dee Jay
Robert Mammone - Charlie/Blanka
Peter tuiasosopo - E.Honda
Gregg Rainwater - T.Hawk
Andrew Bryniarski - Zangief
Jay tavare - Vega
Kenya sawada- Captain Sawada
Based on: Street Fighter; by Capcom
Production company: Capcom
Country: United States; Japan
Starring Jean claude van damme as colonel Guile, a man leading the United nations army against evil dictator General M.Bison (Raul Julia)& his forces.
Guile convinces ken & Ryu to join/infiltrate
The United sides of both Bison and Sagat which becomes problematic.
Chun li & colleagues Balrog & E.Honda are planning on taking out bison themselves.
Although there's more comedy than action, the amount of effort put into the character portrayals, costume designs and character's actually in this is brilliant considering it's only about 90 mins long.
Each character looks near perfect to their videogame counterpart & Raul Julia is no doubt the stand out actor.
Fun from beginning to end, 1994s street fighter is one for die hard fans...now quick, change the channel!
it is an American/Japanese action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza
Byron Mann - Ryu
Damian Chapa- Ken Masters
Kylie Minogue - Cammy
Ming-Na Wen - Chun Li
Wes Studi. Sagat
Grand L bush - Balrog
Roshan seth - Dhalsim
Miguel A Nunez jr - Dee Jay
Robert Mammone - Charlie/Blanka
Peter tuiasosopo - E.Honda
Gregg Rainwater - T.Hawk
Andrew Bryniarski - Zangief
Jay tavare - Vega
Kenya sawada- Captain Sawada
Based on: Street Fighter; by Capcom
Production company: Capcom
Country: United States; Japan
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009) in Movies
Mar 23, 2020
An origin story that was better left alone or in better hands.
Contains spoilers, click to show
In the city of Bangkok, criminal kingpin Bison (McDonough), begins a violent bid for power in the city's slums, eliminating everyone who gets in his way.
with the violence escalating, heroes emerges in an attempt to bring Bison to justice. Fighting for good are Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk), martial-arts master Gen (Robin Shou) although rarely seen, Interpol agent Charlie Nash (Chris Klein) and his partner, Maya Sunee (Moon Bloodgood).
In their way are also bisons Henchmen Vega (black eyed peas Taboo) Balrog (Michael Clarke duncan) & Catana (josie ho).
Unfortunately this attempt at n origin movie is almost completely flawed.
1) chun li's origin is completely unoriginal
2)both Michael Clarke duncan and Taboo were wrong for the parts visually & given the actor's ages during filming of an origin story wouldn't have helped any possible sequels.
3) chun li is displayed martial arts master...this early??
4) Vega is defeated too easily during first encounter with chun li, considering he's a skilled assassin?!
Although there's obviously actresses who could've been worse I feel Kristen kreuk wasn't the right choice for the role as she seemed physically weak where the character of chun li has always been seen as a strong female character, I would've preferred Ming-Na wen to reprise her role in a new story, with childhood flash backs.
with the violence escalating, heroes emerges in an attempt to bring Bison to justice. Fighting for good are Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk), martial-arts master Gen (Robin Shou) although rarely seen, Interpol agent Charlie Nash (Chris Klein) and his partner, Maya Sunee (Moon Bloodgood).
In their way are also bisons Henchmen Vega (black eyed peas Taboo) Balrog (Michael Clarke duncan) & Catana (josie ho).
Unfortunately this attempt at n origin movie is almost completely flawed.
1) chun li's origin is completely unoriginal
2)both Michael Clarke duncan and Taboo were wrong for the parts visually & given the actor's ages during filming of an origin story wouldn't have helped any possible sequels.
3) chun li is displayed martial arts master...this early??
4) Vega is defeated too easily during first encounter with chun li, considering he's a skilled assassin?!
Although there's obviously actresses who could've been worse I feel Kristen kreuk wasn't the right choice for the role as she seemed physically weak where the character of chun li has always been seen as a strong female character, I would've preferred Ming-Na wen to reprise her role in a new story, with childhood flash backs.