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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Hotel Artemis (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2018 (Updated Sep 28, 2018)
Brilliant ensemble cast (2 more)
Cool setting
Great score
You can check out anytime you like, but probably won't want to leave
This was one of those movies that had a really weird release. After seeing the trailer, I was really looking forward to going and seeing this at the cinema. Then, America got it a month before the UK did and when it did drop in Britain, it was a very limited release and was only showing in one cinema in my area. At around the same time, I went on holiday for a fortnight and it is only now, a full 2 months after the movie's initial release that I finally got to get to a screening.
Thankfully, it was worth the wait.
Hotel Artemis is the directorial debut of Drew Pearce and he does a fantastic job as a first-time director. The beautiful cinematography adds a great deal of style and flair to the film and the brilliant score by Cliff Martinez also provides an atmosphere that is an awesome mix of ambient and intense in all of the right moments.
The cast is also great and is made up of an eclectic mix of talented actors. Sterling K Brown does an incredible job of tying the whole thing together and being the anchor that the audience can relate to. Dave Bautista is brilliant as the orderly Everest. Charlie Day is really good at being a totally obnoxious asshole. Jeff Goldblum and Zachary Quinto are great as always and Jodie Foster is also fantastic as the Nurse who runs the hotel. Sofia Boutella is here too, but she doesn't do a great amount any different to what we have already seen from her in past movies.
Overall, this is a stylish, well-acted, exciting action/thriller with great direction and a fantastic score to boot. It is reminiscent of other movies in places, such as Smokin' Aces, but it is still a brilliantly written, well made, fairly original movie well worth seeking out.
Thankfully, it was worth the wait.
Hotel Artemis is the directorial debut of Drew Pearce and he does a fantastic job as a first-time director. The beautiful cinematography adds a great deal of style and flair to the film and the brilliant score by Cliff Martinez also provides an atmosphere that is an awesome mix of ambient and intense in all of the right moments.
The cast is also great and is made up of an eclectic mix of talented actors. Sterling K Brown does an incredible job of tying the whole thing together and being the anchor that the audience can relate to. Dave Bautista is brilliant as the orderly Everest. Charlie Day is really good at being a totally obnoxious asshole. Jeff Goldblum and Zachary Quinto are great as always and Jodie Foster is also fantastic as the Nurse who runs the hotel. Sofia Boutella is here too, but she doesn't do a great amount any different to what we have already seen from her in past movies.
Overall, this is a stylish, well-acted, exciting action/thriller with great direction and a fantastic score to boot. It is reminiscent of other movies in places, such as Smokin' Aces, but it is still a brilliantly written, well made, fairly original movie well worth seeking out.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Straw Dogs (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Successful actress Amy Sumner (Kate Bosworth) is returning from her big city life to her southern hometown of Blackwater. Along with Amy is her well-educated and wealthy husband, David Sumner (James Marsdon). David quickly finds this vacation is filled with tension, particularly when it comes to Amy’s ex-boyfriend, Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård), who is not ready to be out of her life. So it is up to the weakling Harvard hero to protect his relationship, home, and way of life in a town he doesn’t quite understand.
A remake of the 1971 thriller classic of the same name, “Straw Dogs” has lost a lot of its appeal and logic with time. It still has gory moments and the plot is very similar to the original but many of the base thrills have been lost in the move to a present day setting.
This film asks the viewers to suspend disbelief, ignore a number of unfinished back-stories, and stand behind characters who are not engaging or believable. Details, both big and small miss the mark. James Marsdon is incorrectly suited as the shy bumbling academic. The house is a seeming fortress for no apparent reason. The side stories, interesting detractions from the overly built tension between the two leading males, are left unresolved.
Additionally, the themes are awkward and incomplete. There are literary throwbacks and some blatant social commentary but all of the film’s depth is lost on an audience who has no reason to care. Viewers will be preoccupied wondering what the point of the film is.
Sure, the story is engrossing and it does force self-analysis, but the modern adaptation would have benefitted from serious editorial cuts. Had the film been completed in a quarter of the time it might have actually managed to be thrilling!
Unbalanced, vapid, and pointless as a thriller “Straw Dogs” falls prey to the unnecessary remake trap. For a real psychological thrill it would be better to opt for the original.
A remake of the 1971 thriller classic of the same name, “Straw Dogs” has lost a lot of its appeal and logic with time. It still has gory moments and the plot is very similar to the original but many of the base thrills have been lost in the move to a present day setting.
This film asks the viewers to suspend disbelief, ignore a number of unfinished back-stories, and stand behind characters who are not engaging or believable. Details, both big and small miss the mark. James Marsdon is incorrectly suited as the shy bumbling academic. The house is a seeming fortress for no apparent reason. The side stories, interesting detractions from the overly built tension between the two leading males, are left unresolved.
Additionally, the themes are awkward and incomplete. There are literary throwbacks and some blatant social commentary but all of the film’s depth is lost on an audience who has no reason to care. Viewers will be preoccupied wondering what the point of the film is.
Sure, the story is engrossing and it does force self-analysis, but the modern adaptation would have benefitted from serious editorial cuts. Had the film been completed in a quarter of the time it might have actually managed to be thrilling!
Unbalanced, vapid, and pointless as a thriller “Straw Dogs” falls prey to the unnecessary remake trap. For a real psychological thrill it would be better to opt for the original.
Oliver Loving: A Novel
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"A dazzling novel about love, loss, and the mysteries of the mind." -- David Ebershoff,...
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Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Pacific Rim (2013) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Director Guillermo Del Toro has introduced an interesting new twist to the “giant monster run amok” genre with his latest film “Pacific Rim”. The movie details how extraterrestrial life has appeared upon the earth via a rift in the ocean floor. These gigantic alien life are known as Kaijus after the Japanese word for gigantic creature and have unleashed utter devastation upon the coastal cities of the world. Since the first attack took six days to repel, the leaders of the world devised a new plan of defense which involves the building of gigantic mechanized robots or Jaegers, after the German word for hunter. It is learned that the initial results were very promising however as time went along, the alien threat continued to evolve and adapt and were soon becoming a challenge for the mech defenses.
Enter into the mix Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a young Jaeger pilot who, with his brother, pilots the Gypsy Danger mech. It is learned that two pilots are needed to control the mechs as the neural demands were too much for one individual alone. Through a process known as “drifting” the pilots are linked to one another’s minds which allows them each to control one half of the machine in combat situations. Needless to say it is vital that the two pilots are compatible as the connection allows them to see into each other’s minds and memories so therefore having somebody of a compatible nature is key to success.
Six years into the war tragedy strikes leaving Raleigh dissolution and alone. In the ensuing seven years he is working on a last gasp project to build gigantic walls around coastal cities in an effort to stop the alien menace and protect cities. Things have not been going well and due to increasing losses the command has canceled the Jaeger program and ordered the few remaining next to Hong Kong to provide a measure of defense will wall is completed.
This does not sit well with Defense Marshall Pentecost (Idris Elba), who believes that the mechs offer humanity’s best defense against the enemy and as such he seeks down Raleigh and return Sam reluctantly to the program. It is learned that there are only four mechs left and a desperate plan to deliver a nuclear payload through the rift directly to the enemy is put in place. Of course complications arise specifically in the form that Raleigh needs to find a new copilot and by far and away the best candidate for him Rinko (Mako Mori) is being blocked from taking part in the mission by the Defense Marshall. This combined with tension between their rival pilot and Raleigh certainly has him rethinking his place in the mission.
As if this was not complicated enough, base scientist Newton (Charlie Day), is convinced that there is a much bigger threat coming and that their current course of action is not going to be enough to save the day.What follows is an FX heavy spectacle of action as humanity makes a last-ditch stand against the alien apocalypse in spectacular style.
The movie, while entertaining, does strain credibility to a serious extreme even by adventure film standards. We’re supposed to believe that enormous amounts of money have been spent to develop and maintain the defense program when the weaponry aboard the mechs as well as conventional weaponry such as Tomahawk missiles and such could be mounted aboard ships and coastal batteries and deployed with similar success at a significantly reduced cost. We are told that the initial attack took six days to repel using jets and tanks but from my point of view heavy assault gunships, rail guns, cruise missiles, as well as the plasma weaponry shown in the film would certainly do the job from any floating or fixed coastal location.
Even though the 3-D in the movie was converted it was done very well and there were some very good moments of immersion especially during the very well done combat sequences. My biggest issue was that the middle of the film tended to drag as we had a lot of interpersonal dramas play out but they lacked attention and character development that they needed to be fully effective. Despite the extremely solid cast, many of the characters were very thinly developed as the emphasis on the movie was clearly on putting giant robots against giant creatures and unleashing as much carnage and mayhem as possible.
In this regard the film worked however the times in between do not work so well and there is a surprising lack of chemistry amongst many of the leads which undermines the sense of urgency, desperation, and sacrifice which is key to the story.
Charlie Day provides some good comic relief in his role and Hunnam and Elba do a good job with the limited characters that they are given.
While it is not a bad film by any stretch the imagination, it could have been so much more because as it stands now it is basically in the vein of the Toho Godzilla movies just with a bigger budget and better effects.
http://sknr.net/2013/07/11/pacific-rim/
Enter into the mix Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a young Jaeger pilot who, with his brother, pilots the Gypsy Danger mech. It is learned that two pilots are needed to control the mechs as the neural demands were too much for one individual alone. Through a process known as “drifting” the pilots are linked to one another’s minds which allows them each to control one half of the machine in combat situations. Needless to say it is vital that the two pilots are compatible as the connection allows them to see into each other’s minds and memories so therefore having somebody of a compatible nature is key to success.
Six years into the war tragedy strikes leaving Raleigh dissolution and alone. In the ensuing seven years he is working on a last gasp project to build gigantic walls around coastal cities in an effort to stop the alien menace and protect cities. Things have not been going well and due to increasing losses the command has canceled the Jaeger program and ordered the few remaining next to Hong Kong to provide a measure of defense will wall is completed.
This does not sit well with Defense Marshall Pentecost (Idris Elba), who believes that the mechs offer humanity’s best defense against the enemy and as such he seeks down Raleigh and return Sam reluctantly to the program. It is learned that there are only four mechs left and a desperate plan to deliver a nuclear payload through the rift directly to the enemy is put in place. Of course complications arise specifically in the form that Raleigh needs to find a new copilot and by far and away the best candidate for him Rinko (Mako Mori) is being blocked from taking part in the mission by the Defense Marshall. This combined with tension between their rival pilot and Raleigh certainly has him rethinking his place in the mission.
As if this was not complicated enough, base scientist Newton (Charlie Day), is convinced that there is a much bigger threat coming and that their current course of action is not going to be enough to save the day.What follows is an FX heavy spectacle of action as humanity makes a last-ditch stand against the alien apocalypse in spectacular style.
The movie, while entertaining, does strain credibility to a serious extreme even by adventure film standards. We’re supposed to believe that enormous amounts of money have been spent to develop and maintain the defense program when the weaponry aboard the mechs as well as conventional weaponry such as Tomahawk missiles and such could be mounted aboard ships and coastal batteries and deployed with similar success at a significantly reduced cost. We are told that the initial attack took six days to repel using jets and tanks but from my point of view heavy assault gunships, rail guns, cruise missiles, as well as the plasma weaponry shown in the film would certainly do the job from any floating or fixed coastal location.
Even though the 3-D in the movie was converted it was done very well and there were some very good moments of immersion especially during the very well done combat sequences. My biggest issue was that the middle of the film tended to drag as we had a lot of interpersonal dramas play out but they lacked attention and character development that they needed to be fully effective. Despite the extremely solid cast, many of the characters were very thinly developed as the emphasis on the movie was clearly on putting giant robots against giant creatures and unleashing as much carnage and mayhem as possible.
In this regard the film worked however the times in between do not work so well and there is a surprising lack of chemistry amongst many of the leads which undermines the sense of urgency, desperation, and sacrifice which is key to the story.
Charlie Day provides some good comic relief in his role and Hunnam and Elba do a good job with the limited characters that they are given.
While it is not a bad film by any stretch the imagination, it could have been so much more because as it stands now it is basically in the vein of the Toho Godzilla movies just with a bigger budget and better effects.
http://sknr.net/2013/07/11/pacific-rim/
Nadya R (9 KP) rated The Tea Rose in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Fiona is 17 years old girl who works in Burton's tea factory. She leads a life of Irish emigrant with her big family. There is Joe as well. The next door boy she is inlove with and also he is inlove with her since they were children. The only light in their light is their cacao box. It consist all of their savings set aside to support their dream - to have their own shop. When one day everything broke down. His father died in accident. Joe, the men she always love, is forced to marry to other woman.
London's atmosphere is so vivdly described. With only two word Donnally took us into her universe. Everything is so bright. It's make you feel the smell of the tea into English's humid air. You can hear Joe, who call you to go and buy some of his fruits and veggies. This is also the time of Jack the Ripper. Series of brutally killed women spread the fear trough the people in Whitechapel. Trying to take the ill baby to the doctor, Fiona's mother Kate became a witness of another Jack's murder and for that she paid with her life. The baby died a couple of days after her mom. Fiona's bigger brother Charlie disappeared, heart-broken because of his mother death. And Fiona end up with her little brother. But when their life is threatened, they catch the first ship to New York. There from poor little girl without a family, she become one of the richest women in New York.
Unputdownable! Totally deserve to be read. All this tragedy. Her misfortune love with Joe. Every time when they are going to meet I became so happy, only to be disappointed because they missed out the chance. Its a huge book with its 800 pages (Bulgarian edition), but they aren't enough for me. I wanted to learn more about Fiona's success. How she became this powerful woman. I missed this ten years that aren't described in the book.
Amazing book that kept me awake three nights in a row.
London's atmosphere is so vivdly described. With only two word Donnally took us into her universe. Everything is so bright. It's make you feel the smell of the tea into English's humid air. You can hear Joe, who call you to go and buy some of his fruits and veggies. This is also the time of Jack the Ripper. Series of brutally killed women spread the fear trough the people in Whitechapel. Trying to take the ill baby to the doctor, Fiona's mother Kate became a witness of another Jack's murder and for that she paid with her life. The baby died a couple of days after her mom. Fiona's bigger brother Charlie disappeared, heart-broken because of his mother death. And Fiona end up with her little brother. But when their life is threatened, they catch the first ship to New York. There from poor little girl without a family, she become one of the richest women in New York.
Unputdownable! Totally deserve to be read. All this tragedy. Her misfortune love with Joe. Every time when they are going to meet I became so happy, only to be disappointed because they missed out the chance. Its a huge book with its 800 pages (Bulgarian edition), but they aren't enough for me. I wanted to learn more about Fiona's success. How she became this powerful woman. I missed this ten years that aren't described in the book.
Amazing book that kept me awake three nights in a row.
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 11 in TV
Jul 21, 2017
Sheer insanity (2 more)
Witty writing
Brilliant characters
Sometimes shocking, sometimes disgusting, always hilarious
When I was in college I had a mate who recommended this show constantly for the best part of a year. As much as he was my mate though, he was into some pretty weird stuff… like anime. So it’s fair to say I didn’t really trust his judgement on pop culture. Then one day I saw the show while browsing on Netflix and realised that each episode was only 20 minutes long, so I dived in not knowing what to expect and I was so pleasantly surprised with what I found. The first season of the show seems fairly tame in hindsight, but upon first viewing I was blown away by the fast pace of the show, the clever editing and timing of each episode and the outrageous yet witty lines that the characters spout. It is the second season though that the show really comes into its own, with the introduction of Danny DeVito and the transition of Sweet Dee who goes from the closest possible thing to a voice of reason in season 1, to a full blown narcissist by the end of Season 2. Really the characters are what make this show, how borderline insane they all are and their dynamic between one another is side splitting. Dennis starts off the show as the most normal person in the group, he is definitely the most relatable character for the first few seasons, but eventually him spending so much time with the rest of the group drives him insane, to the point where he becomes pretty sinister and constantly on the edge. Then there is Mac, Dennis’ best friend, he is the macho one in the group, obsessed with protecting the bar and having to throw out some ‘karate,’ moves when necessary. He is definitely one of the funniest parts of the show and his extreme Catholicism and questionable sexual preference also add to his evolution throughout the series. Charlie is the one that starts off the most insane at the start of the show, but I actually think that the rest of the gang slowly overtake him in terms of insanity as the show progresses, as he stays fairly consistently insane throughout. That’s not to say he isn’t still absolutely batshit though, he is a total degenerate, but there is a certain charm to him that can’t be denied and he sure is committed to his job of being a janitor. Sweet Dee starts off the show as the voice of reason, but she quickly descends to a similar level of degeneration as the show goes on and she is hilarious in every scene she is in. Lastly there is Frank, Dee and Dennis’ dad… possibly. He is incredible in this show, in fact I would go as far as to say that this could be the funniest that Danny DeVito has ever been onscreen. Frank is an insane man-child who shares a bed with Charlie, who there is also a chance of being his son. The side characters are also excellent and most of them have them have their own development as the show progresses. There is Rickety Cricket, the priest turned hobo that the gang went to school with, Gail the Snail, who is just vulgar in every way and the inbred psychotic McPoyles. Each episode follows the gang attempting some kind of scheme to benefit their own selfish gain, but they usually end up worse off than when the episode began. If you are looking for sheer insanity combined with witty, obscene writing, then you should definitely check this one out. There are currently 11 seasons of the show so far and it has recently been renewed for another two, so there is a marathon of belly laughing to get through and every minute of it is more ridiculous than the last.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Bromley Boys (2018) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Story: The Bromley Boys starts in 1969 three years after England won the World Cup, David Roberts (O’Connor) had wanted to support the popular teams of either West Ham or Tottenham, but his father Donald (Davies) has banned football in the house, leading to his mother Gertrude (McCutcheon) sneaking him a scarf of his local team Bromley.
This season is going to be David’s biggest as he learns about the corruption from the chairman Charlie McQueen (Foreman) and the potential sale of the club’s best player. David also meets Ruby (Baker) the daughter of the chairman that is the only girl that talks to him as he experiences love for the first time.
Thoughts on The Bromley Boys
Characters – David Roberts is a teenage boy that got dreams of being a footballer after seeing England win the World Cup in 1966, he is forced to support his local team, a small team with a tiny fanbase, he becomes a loyal fan and during the 1969 season he must figure out prove the chairman is out to ruin the club as they constantly struggle on the pitch. Ruby McQueen is the daughter of the chairman that starts dating David, she wants a normal relationship but often has to play second fiddle to his love of football. Charlie McQueen is the greedy chairman of Bromley, the fans and manager believe he is trying to put them out of business, which reflects on how David tries to expose his truth. Gertrude and Donald are David’s parents that are trying to give him the best future even if they don’t like him enjoy football.
Performances – Brenock O’Connor is delightful in the leading role showing us just how obsessed teenager can become when it comes to sports. Savannah Baker is great as the love interest who is looking for a future. Jamie Foreman looks all the part of a corrupt chairman through the film, with Alan Davies and Martine McCutcheon showing they have the star power from the English side.
Story – The story here follows a teenage football fan of his local team that starts to see things putting his beloved club in trouble after overhearing a conversation, he tries to fix things during the season just to make sure his team will be their next season. As a football fan this is one of the easiest films to relate to, seeing the ups, well downs more than often in this film, we can see how footballs can see their lives taken over by the season, it is even worse in modern day too, we do also have the important message about trying to support your local team instead of one of the more established teams that friends support. This is based on a trouble story which apart from the romantic angle does feel like it could have been real, but also the tales told from the tiny crowds to get buzz around their club. This is a story that is going to be one that the English market will enjoy the most.
Comedy – You will get plenty of laughs in this film, a lot comes from the love of football and seeing just how much it can change a life.
Settings – The film is set in and around the small town of Bromley, we spend plenty of time at the club, which helps us understand what this meant to David.
Scene of the Movie – The last game of the season.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The teachers seem very harsh.
Final Thoughts – This is an enjoyable British comedy, one that the English will enjoy most and one we can understand the passion behind supporting the team.
Overall: Truly fun and feel good film.
This season is going to be David’s biggest as he learns about the corruption from the chairman Charlie McQueen (Foreman) and the potential sale of the club’s best player. David also meets Ruby (Baker) the daughter of the chairman that is the only girl that talks to him as he experiences love for the first time.
Thoughts on The Bromley Boys
Characters – David Roberts is a teenage boy that got dreams of being a footballer after seeing England win the World Cup in 1966, he is forced to support his local team, a small team with a tiny fanbase, he becomes a loyal fan and during the 1969 season he must figure out prove the chairman is out to ruin the club as they constantly struggle on the pitch. Ruby McQueen is the daughter of the chairman that starts dating David, she wants a normal relationship but often has to play second fiddle to his love of football. Charlie McQueen is the greedy chairman of Bromley, the fans and manager believe he is trying to put them out of business, which reflects on how David tries to expose his truth. Gertrude and Donald are David’s parents that are trying to give him the best future even if they don’t like him enjoy football.
Performances – Brenock O’Connor is delightful in the leading role showing us just how obsessed teenager can become when it comes to sports. Savannah Baker is great as the love interest who is looking for a future. Jamie Foreman looks all the part of a corrupt chairman through the film, with Alan Davies and Martine McCutcheon showing they have the star power from the English side.
Story – The story here follows a teenage football fan of his local team that starts to see things putting his beloved club in trouble after overhearing a conversation, he tries to fix things during the season just to make sure his team will be their next season. As a football fan this is one of the easiest films to relate to, seeing the ups, well downs more than often in this film, we can see how footballs can see their lives taken over by the season, it is even worse in modern day too, we do also have the important message about trying to support your local team instead of one of the more established teams that friends support. This is based on a trouble story which apart from the romantic angle does feel like it could have been real, but also the tales told from the tiny crowds to get buzz around their club. This is a story that is going to be one that the English market will enjoy the most.
Comedy – You will get plenty of laughs in this film, a lot comes from the love of football and seeing just how much it can change a life.
Settings – The film is set in and around the small town of Bromley, we spend plenty of time at the club, which helps us understand what this meant to David.
Scene of the Movie – The last game of the season.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The teachers seem very harsh.
Final Thoughts – This is an enjoyable British comedy, one that the English will enjoy most and one we can understand the passion behind supporting the team.
Overall: Truly fun and feel good film.