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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) in Movies
Dec 22, 2019
A worthy sequel
The Gremlins films huge favourites of mine as a child (worrying as I probably wasn't old enough to watch them), but I always preferred the sequel. Watching it back now, I'm so pleased to say it's still a worthy and rather entertaining sequel.
The plot has been scaled up since the first film, and whilst it's missing the christmas and horror style setting, it more than makes up with the sheer daftness of the entire story. It's ridiculous but so funny, with some great physical effects with the Gremlins, especially as they get themselves into new and interesting situations. Seen as this was released in 1990 the CGI is a little dated but fortunately this is used sparingly. The original cast are back, with some wonderful additions in the marvellous Christopher Lee and Robert Picardo. I remember parts of this terrifying me as a child and whilst it doesn't have quite the same effect now, this definitely isn't a kids film! This entire film is just wonderfully smart, silly and just a riot from start to finish. Definitely underrated and overlooked when it comes to the Gremlins films, but for me a worthy sequel.
The plot has been scaled up since the first film, and whilst it's missing the christmas and horror style setting, it more than makes up with the sheer daftness of the entire story. It's ridiculous but so funny, with some great physical effects with the Gremlins, especially as they get themselves into new and interesting situations. Seen as this was released in 1990 the CGI is a little dated but fortunately this is used sparingly. The original cast are back, with some wonderful additions in the marvellous Christopher Lee and Robert Picardo. I remember parts of this terrifying me as a child and whilst it doesn't have quite the same effect now, this definitely isn't a kids film! This entire film is just wonderfully smart, silly and just a riot from start to finish. Definitely underrated and overlooked when it comes to the Gremlins films, but for me a worthy sequel.
David McK (3233 KP) rated Superman II (1981) in Movies
Mar 11, 2023
KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!
Straight sequel (as in, referencing the events of the first and building on it) to the 1978 Christopher Reeve original, and there's a reason why this, for many, is held up as one of the best Superhero sequels (and Reeves as one of the best actors to portray Clarke Kent/Superman).
This is the one with (Terence Stamps version of) Zod and his fellow Krypotonian criminals - exiled to the Phantom Zone during the start of the first movie - released from captivity by an explosion in space and landing on earth to rule, just as Lois (finally) uncovers Clarke's real identity and travels with him to his Fortress of Solitude (the ramifications of which are felt in 206's Superman Returns) where he makes the decision to give up his powers and live as a mortal.
Things being what they are, this is a decision he comes to regret and has to travel back - alone - to regain his powers in order to defeat Zod and co, leading to a climactic battle in Metropolis and - later - back at that fortress of solititude.
You do have to wonder, though, how come Superman has powers here never seen or heard of again ...
This is the one with (Terence Stamps version of) Zod and his fellow Krypotonian criminals - exiled to the Phantom Zone during the start of the first movie - released from captivity by an explosion in space and landing on earth to rule, just as Lois (finally) uncovers Clarke's real identity and travels with him to his Fortress of Solitude (the ramifications of which are felt in 206's Superman Returns) where he makes the decision to give up his powers and live as a mortal.
Things being what they are, this is a decision he comes to regret and has to travel back - alone - to regain his powers in order to defeat Zod and co, leading to a climactic battle in Metropolis and - later - back at that fortress of solititude.
You do have to wonder, though, how come Superman has powers here never seen or heard of again ...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) in Movies
Jan 17, 2021
I think that I actually prefer A Dame to Kill For over the first Sin City...
Once again, it's a visual feast, and once again, has a damn fine cast.
Two of the stories here are (unless I'm mistaken) written for this film, rather than being adapted. One of them concentrates on Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his incredible luck at gambling. This story serves as nothing more than to further highlight just how much of an asshole Senator Rourke (Powers Boothe) is, once again, acting as the films main big bad. It's effective enough and does what it sets out to do. The other story concentrates on Nancy (Jessica Alba) torn up and struggling with alcohol after what Rourke did to Hartigan (Bruce Willis) in the first movie, before enlisting the help of Marv (Mickey Rourke) to exact revenge. This one is a little more high stakes. By this point, you really want Rourke to face some really unfriendly justice, and it's fitting that Nancy be the one to dish it out.
However, the titular story is what holds everything together.
A Dame to Kill For, which is indeed adapted from the comics is fantastic. It takes up the majority of runtime, and follows pre Clive Owen looking Dwight (Josh Brolin) going toe to toe with the seductively powerful and dangerous Ava (Eva Green). Here is where we're in full blown prequel territory, learning how Dwight comes to look how he does in the original, his connections the the girls of Old Town, and how Manute (Dennis Haysbert) ends up with his fetching golden eyeball. The best character interactions happen here. Green and Brolin are both great, and easily steal the show. It also boasts some great action when Gail (Rosario Dawson) and Miho (Jamie Chung) return to fuck shit up, and is just an all round enjoyable segment that easily dwarfs the other two stories.
The cast also includes Ray Liota, Christopher Meloni, Jaime King, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Lloyd, Juno Temple, Julia Garner, and Lady Gaga, so yeah, pretty solid ensemble all in all!
Its a damn shame that ADTKF took as long as it did to materialise. The Sin City hype train had gone a bit quiet by the time it released, and it didn't get the credit it deserves, and is frequently discarded as an inferior film to it's predecessor when personally, I think there's a lot to love.
Once again, it's a visual feast, and once again, has a damn fine cast.
Two of the stories here are (unless I'm mistaken) written for this film, rather than being adapted. One of them concentrates on Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his incredible luck at gambling. This story serves as nothing more than to further highlight just how much of an asshole Senator Rourke (Powers Boothe) is, once again, acting as the films main big bad. It's effective enough and does what it sets out to do. The other story concentrates on Nancy (Jessica Alba) torn up and struggling with alcohol after what Rourke did to Hartigan (Bruce Willis) in the first movie, before enlisting the help of Marv (Mickey Rourke) to exact revenge. This one is a little more high stakes. By this point, you really want Rourke to face some really unfriendly justice, and it's fitting that Nancy be the one to dish it out.
However, the titular story is what holds everything together.
A Dame to Kill For, which is indeed adapted from the comics is fantastic. It takes up the majority of runtime, and follows pre Clive Owen looking Dwight (Josh Brolin) going toe to toe with the seductively powerful and dangerous Ava (Eva Green). Here is where we're in full blown prequel territory, learning how Dwight comes to look how he does in the original, his connections the the girls of Old Town, and how Manute (Dennis Haysbert) ends up with his fetching golden eyeball. The best character interactions happen here. Green and Brolin are both great, and easily steal the show. It also boasts some great action when Gail (Rosario Dawson) and Miho (Jamie Chung) return to fuck shit up, and is just an all round enjoyable segment that easily dwarfs the other two stories.
The cast also includes Ray Liota, Christopher Meloni, Jaime King, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Lloyd, Juno Temple, Julia Garner, and Lady Gaga, so yeah, pretty solid ensemble all in all!
Its a damn shame that ADTKF took as long as it did to materialise. The Sin City hype train had gone a bit quiet by the time it released, and it didn't get the credit it deserves, and is frequently discarded as an inferior film to it's predecessor when personally, I think there's a lot to love.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Sweet Virginia (2017) in Movies
Jan 21, 2020
377. Sweet Virginia. Pretty great random choice by me, again. Twisted tale of a small town murder plot. Three friends are hanging out at a bar playing cards. I'm assuming they own the place, because when a guy wanders in off the street and asks for a bite to eat and a drink, one gets up and tells him they're closed and be on his way. Instead of leaving the stranger asks him, Are you Mitchell? The response is what you expect, who wants to know, blah, blah. Slightly bothered, the stranger leaves. Mitchell goes back to the card game, until the door opens once again and the stranger comes in guns blazing, and all three end up dead. It was here I thought, Mitchell should have locked that door! So that happened, the news quickly spreads through the small town, and we meet Sam, a former rodeo champ now motel owner operator, and he is having an affair with the wife of one of the dead men, yea. And oh yea, the killer, Elwood, is staying at guess who's motel? Also, guess who recognizes Sam from his rodeo days and start a pretty decent friendship. Elwood is actually a semi normal dude when he's not out killing people for money. So who hired him? Well, I can't tell you everything! It really was a well told tense tale. Well acted, Jon Bernthal as Sam, Christopher Abbott as Elwood, were pretty awesome, with Imogen Poots and Rosemarie DeWitt great as the supporting cast! Cool flick, I say, do.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Dracula (1958) in Movies
Oct 31, 2019
Characters – Doctor Van Helsing has been trying to hunt down Dracula for years now, his latest attempt sees him anger the vampire, forcing him to defend his loved ones before he starts his own attack on the vampire. Count Dracula has lived a life where his presence has struck fear in the locals, he is a vampire with his age seemingly unknown, after his bride is taken from him, he goes after the people that took her, in search of finding his new bride. Arthur is one of the people working with Van Helsing, it is his family that has becomes the target of Dracula, with Mina being the wife of Arthur that is one of the women Dracula wants to make his brides.
Performances – Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are the icons on the 50’s horrors, this film shows they are just wonderful in the horror performances both sides of the good and evil scale. When it comes to the supporting roles, it appears that the rest of the cast are meant to just let the lead two stars take the spotlight.
Story – The story here is the basic Dracula story, where after one of his brides is killed, Dracula targets the family that took his bride to get his own new bride and revenge. The Dracula story has been told so many times, it does become slightly boring to watch a story that doesn’t offer anything new to the tried and tested formula. If you do know the basic story, you will know everything that happens in this film which just ends up being nothing refreshing.
Horror – The horror comes the ideas of vampires with Dracula lurking in the darkness, most doesn’t come off scary though which is disappointing.
Settings – The film uses the couple of main locations, we have the castle of course which we don’t spend enough time around, the English house that shows how the family will try to hide from Dracula.
Special Effects – The effects are practical which do bring one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
Scene of the Movie – final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It isn’t anything new.
Final Thoughts – This is a hammer horror version of Dracula, it works well enough for the basic idea, only it doesn’t reach too much new to the story idea.
Overall: Hammer Horror Dracula.
Performances – Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are the icons on the 50’s horrors, this film shows they are just wonderful in the horror performances both sides of the good and evil scale. When it comes to the supporting roles, it appears that the rest of the cast are meant to just let the lead two stars take the spotlight.
Story – The story here is the basic Dracula story, where after one of his brides is killed, Dracula targets the family that took his bride to get his own new bride and revenge. The Dracula story has been told so many times, it does become slightly boring to watch a story that doesn’t offer anything new to the tried and tested formula. If you do know the basic story, you will know everything that happens in this film which just ends up being nothing refreshing.
Horror – The horror comes the ideas of vampires with Dracula lurking in the darkness, most doesn’t come off scary though which is disappointing.
Settings – The film uses the couple of main locations, we have the castle of course which we don’t spend enough time around, the English house that shows how the family will try to hide from Dracula.
Special Effects – The effects are practical which do bring one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
Scene of the Movie – final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It isn’t anything new.
Final Thoughts – This is a hammer horror version of Dracula, it works well enough for the basic idea, only it doesn’t reach too much new to the story idea.
Overall: Hammer Horror Dracula.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Marauders (2016) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Marauders starts when a bank robbery which leaves the bank manager executed, the president of the bank Hubert (Willis) has an excellent reputation and with the FBI investigating the robbery, Montgomery (Meloni) and his team Stockwell (Bautista) and newbie Wells (Grenier) try to put the clues together.
When the second heist happens, the fingers start pointing back at Hubert and a bigger conspiracy comes to the top with connection to a previous incident.
Thoughts on Marauders
Characters – Hubert is the bank president, he has always kept the face that the bank puts their customers first, but when his banks start getting robbed, he must deal with the fingers pointing back at him. Montgomery is the lead investigating from the FBI trying to get to the bottom of the heists, he has his own demons which haunt him everyday after the death of his wife and will not stop until he learns the truth. Stockwell is Montgomery’s trusted second, he is the tired cop figure, he is good at his job and hates people getting in his way. Wells is the rookie agent, with the qualifications to make him the best, he gets the jobs the others don’t want to do, while noticing things they miss.
Performances – The performances in the movie are mixed, we know that Bruce Willis is mostly mailing it in and it is a strange role for him. Christopher Meloni is the star of this movie, the determination and broken side of his character makes him stand out. Dave Bautista does get the funniest lines, some hit or than others, while Adrian Grenier starts strong but fades away in the biggest scenes of the middle of the movie.
Story – The story follows the effects of a brutal heist, the FBI must investigate the heist which brings us into the new web of conspiracies which could bring down a political powerhouse. This a story which does keep us guessing from start to finish, which is something I was surprised to see, as I thought this would be a lot messier. The positive of keeping us guessing, does leave the bigger question about just why the heists needed to be as brutal as they were because of certain injuries or deaths not needing to happen for the cause.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action is brutal and often in your face when it comes to the gun sequences, the crime side of the film comes from the heists and just what they are aiming to achieve from the heists. The mystery is what draws us in because we don’t know what is happening which keeps us invested throughout.
Settings – The film is set in the city which shows how the panic of the robberies starts flying around we see how things get out of hand.
Scene of the Movie – The heists do feel very intense, which I did like.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The last sequence.
Final Thoughts – This was a surprisingly entertaining film, having no expectations going in, this did become intense and kept you guessing even if things unravel in the final scene.
Overall: Enjoyable crime thriller.
When the second heist happens, the fingers start pointing back at Hubert and a bigger conspiracy comes to the top with connection to a previous incident.
Thoughts on Marauders
Characters – Hubert is the bank president, he has always kept the face that the bank puts their customers first, but when his banks start getting robbed, he must deal with the fingers pointing back at him. Montgomery is the lead investigating from the FBI trying to get to the bottom of the heists, he has his own demons which haunt him everyday after the death of his wife and will not stop until he learns the truth. Stockwell is Montgomery’s trusted second, he is the tired cop figure, he is good at his job and hates people getting in his way. Wells is the rookie agent, with the qualifications to make him the best, he gets the jobs the others don’t want to do, while noticing things they miss.
Performances – The performances in the movie are mixed, we know that Bruce Willis is mostly mailing it in and it is a strange role for him. Christopher Meloni is the star of this movie, the determination and broken side of his character makes him stand out. Dave Bautista does get the funniest lines, some hit or than others, while Adrian Grenier starts strong but fades away in the biggest scenes of the middle of the movie.
Story – The story follows the effects of a brutal heist, the FBI must investigate the heist which brings us into the new web of conspiracies which could bring down a political powerhouse. This a story which does keep us guessing from start to finish, which is something I was surprised to see, as I thought this would be a lot messier. The positive of keeping us guessing, does leave the bigger question about just why the heists needed to be as brutal as they were because of certain injuries or deaths not needing to happen for the cause.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action is brutal and often in your face when it comes to the gun sequences, the crime side of the film comes from the heists and just what they are aiming to achieve from the heists. The mystery is what draws us in because we don’t know what is happening which keeps us invested throughout.
Settings – The film is set in the city which shows how the panic of the robberies starts flying around we see how things get out of hand.
Scene of the Movie – The heists do feel very intense, which I did like.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The last sequence.
Final Thoughts – This was a surprisingly entertaining film, having no expectations going in, this did become intense and kept you guessing even if things unravel in the final scene.
Overall: Enjoyable crime thriller.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Nobody (2021) in Movies
Jun 8, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Nobody is what you get when you cross 'John Wick', 'Falling Down' and throw in a pinch of the British T.V. show 'The Prisoner'.
Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is a seemingly normal family man who would let robbers take his money to make sure his son doesn't get shot, However, Hutch has a secret past which he has to turn to when events spiral out of control.
Bob Odenkirk plays Hutch well and manages an interesting take on the 'Past warrior/now family man' trope, most of the time the characters past is acknowledged/known by other characters and the viewer but Hutch comes across as a normal boring man whilst most of the other male characters seem to all be stronger than he is and the film slowly builds up to show us just how 'bad ass' he really is. And this leads to one of the problems with 'Nobody', it is obvious that Hutch's children know nothing of his past life but I was never sure of how much his wife, Becca, knew. From the beginning you assume she knows nothing, however as the film goes on Hutch and Becca refer to how things were before and some times it seems like she knew and even worked with Hutch whilst other times they could just be referring to earlier in there relationship and Becca's behaviour both seems to indicate that she does and doesn't know about Hutches past .
The action scenes are good with Hutch being a 'John Wick light' or a 'MacGyver', using guns and traps more than improvised weapons but still being able to make the fights entertaining.
Over all 'Nobody' is a good, entertaining film and well worth a watch and, lets face it, anything with Christopher Lloyd in it can't be all bad.
Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is a seemingly normal family man who would let robbers take his money to make sure his son doesn't get shot, However, Hutch has a secret past which he has to turn to when events spiral out of control.
Bob Odenkirk plays Hutch well and manages an interesting take on the 'Past warrior/now family man' trope, most of the time the characters past is acknowledged/known by other characters and the viewer but Hutch comes across as a normal boring man whilst most of the other male characters seem to all be stronger than he is and the film slowly builds up to show us just how 'bad ass' he really is. And this leads to one of the problems with 'Nobody', it is obvious that Hutch's children know nothing of his past life but I was never sure of how much his wife, Becca, knew. From the beginning you assume she knows nothing, however as the film goes on Hutch and Becca refer to how things were before and some times it seems like she knew and even worked with Hutch whilst other times they could just be referring to earlier in there relationship and Becca's behaviour both seems to indicate that she does and doesn't know about Hutches past .
The action scenes are good with Hutch being a 'John Wick light' or a 'MacGyver', using guns and traps more than improvised weapons but still being able to make the fights entertaining.
Over all 'Nobody' is a good, entertaining film and well worth a watch and, lets face it, anything with Christopher Lloyd in it can't be all bad.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Electric Slide (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Today’s choice for your consideration is the 2014 film ‘Electric Slide’. A biographical crime film based on the life of antique/furniture salesman turned bank robber Eddie Dodson.
Starring Jim Sturgess, Isabel Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Patricia Arquette, and Christopher Lambert, ‘Electric Slide’ opens in 1983 Los Angeles. Disco is nearly dead and Rock-n-Roll is putting the final nails in its coffin. By day, Eddie Dodson (Jim Sturgess) is a hip antique furniture salesman (there’s a contradiction in terms) catering to the rich and famous while in engaging in some petty thievering from his customers on the side. By night, he moves with the drug-fueled parties from one mansion to the next. A chance encounter at one of these parties introduces him to the beautiful and aloof Pauline (Isabel Lucas). Eddie and Pauline are immediately smitten with one another as though destined by fate. At about the same time, Eddie’s carefree lifestyle is coming back to haunt him as loan sharks finally catch up to him and his former benefactor Roy Fortune (Christopher Lambert) comes calling demanding the return of his money. With no other way to repay his debt, Eddie resorts to robbing banks. With Pauline in tow, Eddie uses his charm to talk the tellers at over 60 banks in the L.A. Area into handing over their cash. However, instead of paying off his debts Eddie and Pauline simply continue their life of excess with the police and the loan sharks in hot pursuit.
This film did an excellent job of depicting the ‘L.A. Lifestyle’ of the early 1980s that didn’t involve celebrities, but the folks who you would imagine would be latching on to those said celebrities.
The groupies if you will. The main character Eddie Dodson seems like he was a born con artist … a greasy slime ball who will take you for every thing you have if you let him. He is a bizarrely likable character though and his devotion to Pauline makes the viewer all the more want him to get away with just about any scheme he tries to pull. This is the first time I’ve seen Isabel Lucas in film since ‘Transformers:Revenge Of The Fallen’ or the ‘Red Dawn’ remake and I must say her performance as Pauline was brilliant. To quote another reviewer who screened this film I found myself asking ‘Who is that girl?’ From her first appearance on screen, it’s like you’re immediately drawn to her quiet/mysterious presence. It was also awesome to see Christopher Lambert in a movie once again. Although he’s portrayed a villain previously, I had personally never seen anything where he was the villain. His appearance in this film although brief had me convinced. In my opinion he should pursue more roles as the villain if they present themselves.
One of the movie’s aspects that bugged me though was the soundtrack. The only way I could describe it would be ‘hipsters trying to sound retro’ and they didn’t succeed. The music didn’t sound like it belonged in the timeframe which the movie took place in. There were also far too many clips and scenes where they kicked in the slow motion or decided to have the camera pan or zoom out in some attempt to capture more of the surroundings. They could’ve used this wasted time to include more dialogue and interaction between the main characters in my opinion. Besides the A-List actors they managed to enlist for this film the only thing that saved it in the end was the knowledge that the film was based on a true story. It kinda of fizzled about halfway though and then kicked back in 3/4s of the way through. The film is worth watching visually but the thing that killed it was that it could’ve used more dialogue. I’d give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. It’s worth watching once or twice. Nothing to write home about though.
Starring Jim Sturgess, Isabel Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Patricia Arquette, and Christopher Lambert, ‘Electric Slide’ opens in 1983 Los Angeles. Disco is nearly dead and Rock-n-Roll is putting the final nails in its coffin. By day, Eddie Dodson (Jim Sturgess) is a hip antique furniture salesman (there’s a contradiction in terms) catering to the rich and famous while in engaging in some petty thievering from his customers on the side. By night, he moves with the drug-fueled parties from one mansion to the next. A chance encounter at one of these parties introduces him to the beautiful and aloof Pauline (Isabel Lucas). Eddie and Pauline are immediately smitten with one another as though destined by fate. At about the same time, Eddie’s carefree lifestyle is coming back to haunt him as loan sharks finally catch up to him and his former benefactor Roy Fortune (Christopher Lambert) comes calling demanding the return of his money. With no other way to repay his debt, Eddie resorts to robbing banks. With Pauline in tow, Eddie uses his charm to talk the tellers at over 60 banks in the L.A. Area into handing over their cash. However, instead of paying off his debts Eddie and Pauline simply continue their life of excess with the police and the loan sharks in hot pursuit.
This film did an excellent job of depicting the ‘L.A. Lifestyle’ of the early 1980s that didn’t involve celebrities, but the folks who you would imagine would be latching on to those said celebrities.
The groupies if you will. The main character Eddie Dodson seems like he was a born con artist … a greasy slime ball who will take you for every thing you have if you let him. He is a bizarrely likable character though and his devotion to Pauline makes the viewer all the more want him to get away with just about any scheme he tries to pull. This is the first time I’ve seen Isabel Lucas in film since ‘Transformers:Revenge Of The Fallen’ or the ‘Red Dawn’ remake and I must say her performance as Pauline was brilliant. To quote another reviewer who screened this film I found myself asking ‘Who is that girl?’ From her first appearance on screen, it’s like you’re immediately drawn to her quiet/mysterious presence. It was also awesome to see Christopher Lambert in a movie once again. Although he’s portrayed a villain previously, I had personally never seen anything where he was the villain. His appearance in this film although brief had me convinced. In my opinion he should pursue more roles as the villain if they present themselves.
One of the movie’s aspects that bugged me though was the soundtrack. The only way I could describe it would be ‘hipsters trying to sound retro’ and they didn’t succeed. The music didn’t sound like it belonged in the timeframe which the movie took place in. There were also far too many clips and scenes where they kicked in the slow motion or decided to have the camera pan or zoom out in some attempt to capture more of the surroundings. They could’ve used this wasted time to include more dialogue and interaction between the main characters in my opinion. Besides the A-List actors they managed to enlist for this film the only thing that saved it in the end was the knowledge that the film was based on a true story. It kinda of fizzled about halfway though and then kicked back in 3/4s of the way through. The film is worth watching visually but the thing that killed it was that it could’ve used more dialogue. I’d give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. It’s worth watching once or twice. Nothing to write home about though.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Nobody (2021) in Movies
Jul 10, 2021
Having been out of the trailer game for a while this one managed to sneak up on me. It looked intriguing enough.
Hutch has a humdrum life. Work, home, sleep, repeat. When that monotony is broken by criminals, his past comes back to mix things up a bit.
This film is short and sweet, I was shocked to come out of the cinema to something that passed for sunlight. At just over an hour and a half it packs an action-filled punch. It does love a montage, which helps its length. I thought I'd get bored of them, but no, each time summed up the scenes well and really gave the non-action great pace to keep up with the actiony bits.
I loved the experience of seeing this in the cinema, the reactions were really entertaining. The air was filled with sharp intakes of breath and winces accompanied by laughter. It was a joyful bit of viewing. (Apart from the three women in front of me, for the second film in a row, who spoke "spoilers" out loud during the screening. They were obvious, and I could see them coming, but that wasn't really the point.)
Bob Odenkirk is one of those actors I recognise, but generally wouldn't be able to identify from anything specific. (Apart from the dad in Little Women.) That for me was worked really well as it's exactly what matched the character, Hutch needs to be forgettably memorable, and the pairing worked really well. His reactions to the violence added that underlying menace that really won me over. And I'm not going to lie, my reaction to my house is the same as his.
Christopher Lloyd was a pleasant surprise in the cast, and I wasn't disappointed with his scenes. Pure ridiculous joy. Could he have done with more to do? Maybe. Was I bothered that he didn't get it? Not really, it just made for a wonderful addition.
Seeing it jump around locations a nice touch, and it used confined spaces particularly well. The bus scene had me ducking and weaving along with the fighting. There were moments though where I wanted to see a little more of what was happening in some of those spaces though. There were some very elaborate setups but we seemed to be left with unanswered questions. The same goes for a couple of the other bits of the film, and while the intrigue sufficed for some, it didn't carry through to all of them.
Nobody proved to be an entertaining action film, John Wick for the "regular" person. It didn't get me so hyped that I was buzzing and couldn't sleep, it got me to the verbalising the action with every gut punch point... and I'm here for it. Can't fault it... apart from it not having more Christopher Lloyd action scenes.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/nobody-movie-review.html
Hutch has a humdrum life. Work, home, sleep, repeat. When that monotony is broken by criminals, his past comes back to mix things up a bit.
This film is short and sweet, I was shocked to come out of the cinema to something that passed for sunlight. At just over an hour and a half it packs an action-filled punch. It does love a montage, which helps its length. I thought I'd get bored of them, but no, each time summed up the scenes well and really gave the non-action great pace to keep up with the actiony bits.
I loved the experience of seeing this in the cinema, the reactions were really entertaining. The air was filled with sharp intakes of breath and winces accompanied by laughter. It was a joyful bit of viewing. (Apart from the three women in front of me, for the second film in a row, who spoke "spoilers" out loud during the screening. They were obvious, and I could see them coming, but that wasn't really the point.)
Bob Odenkirk is one of those actors I recognise, but generally wouldn't be able to identify from anything specific. (Apart from the dad in Little Women.) That for me was worked really well as it's exactly what matched the character, Hutch needs to be forgettably memorable, and the pairing worked really well. His reactions to the violence added that underlying menace that really won me over. And I'm not going to lie, my reaction to my house is the same as his.
Christopher Lloyd was a pleasant surprise in the cast, and I wasn't disappointed with his scenes. Pure ridiculous joy. Could he have done with more to do? Maybe. Was I bothered that he didn't get it? Not really, it just made for a wonderful addition.
Seeing it jump around locations a nice touch, and it used confined spaces particularly well. The bus scene had me ducking and weaving along with the fighting. There were moments though where I wanted to see a little more of what was happening in some of those spaces though. There were some very elaborate setups but we seemed to be left with unanswered questions. The same goes for a couple of the other bits of the film, and while the intrigue sufficed for some, it didn't carry through to all of them.
Nobody proved to be an entertaining action film, John Wick for the "regular" person. It didn't get me so hyped that I was buzzing and couldn't sleep, it got me to the verbalising the action with every gut punch point... and I'm here for it. Can't fault it... apart from it not having more Christopher Lloyd action scenes.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/nobody-movie-review.html
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Tenet (2020) in Movies
Aug 28, 2020 (Updated Aug 28, 2020)
Confusingly brilliant
When it comes to Christopher Nolan, I may be a little biased. I’ve loved every film he’s ever made, and most of his films feature in my list of favourite films of all time. So unsurprisingly, I loved Tenet even if it did completely mess up my head.
This film is a complete mind f**k. Excuse the language, but there’s no better way to describe it. Right from the opening scene, you can appreciate the sheer brilliance of this whilst being totally confused at the same time. And I’ll admit I spent the majority of this film wondering what on earth was going on, but that doesn’t make it any less of an enjoyable thrill ride. As with all of Nolan’s films, the cinematography is top notch and you really can’t fault it. The action scenes are epic and hugely impressive, especially when you consider that they’ve been done without CGI. I wish other filmmakers would take not when it comes to their over reliance on CGI! The score and soundtrack are fantastic too, so dramatic and really help with the increasing the suspense and tension.
Cast-wise, I had been concerned about John David Washington mainly because I haven’t seen him in much, but my concerns were unwarranted. He makes for a likeable lead and action hero and can definitely hold the weight of this film. Robert Pattinson, who I’ve never really liked thanks to Twilight, is also rather good and I actually wish his character had been in this more. And I spent the last part of the film debating if Aaron Taylor-Johnson was Ives (he was) who also should’ve been in this a lot more.
Despite my gushing, this film isn’t perfect, I found Elizabeth Debicki’s character Kat rather irritating at times and felt like her character could have been made into someone better. I also felt when there were dips in the action and the film ran into some quieter moments, my mind tended to wander to try and dissect and understand everything I’d already seen so far which probably made me miss more! The science behind the inversion is pretty deep and confusing, especially if you try and overthink it like I did.
That said, how this film unfolds and it’s ending are brilliantly done. There are a lot of lightbulb moments in this towards the end that made me go “ohhh” when I realised it explained or referred to an earlier moment in the film. And the ending itself was both unpredicted, genius, and also tugged on the old heartstrings a little. I loved this film a lot, but I definitely need to watch it again to really appreciate it fully.
This film is a complete mind f**k. Excuse the language, but there’s no better way to describe it. Right from the opening scene, you can appreciate the sheer brilliance of this whilst being totally confused at the same time. And I’ll admit I spent the majority of this film wondering what on earth was going on, but that doesn’t make it any less of an enjoyable thrill ride. As with all of Nolan’s films, the cinematography is top notch and you really can’t fault it. The action scenes are epic and hugely impressive, especially when you consider that they’ve been done without CGI. I wish other filmmakers would take not when it comes to their over reliance on CGI! The score and soundtrack are fantastic too, so dramatic and really help with the increasing the suspense and tension.
Cast-wise, I had been concerned about John David Washington mainly because I haven’t seen him in much, but my concerns were unwarranted. He makes for a likeable lead and action hero and can definitely hold the weight of this film. Robert Pattinson, who I’ve never really liked thanks to Twilight, is also rather good and I actually wish his character had been in this more. And I spent the last part of the film debating if Aaron Taylor-Johnson was Ives (he was) who also should’ve been in this a lot more.
Despite my gushing, this film isn’t perfect, I found Elizabeth Debicki’s character Kat rather irritating at times and felt like her character could have been made into someone better. I also felt when there were dips in the action and the film ran into some quieter moments, my mind tended to wander to try and dissect and understand everything I’d already seen so far which probably made me miss more! The science behind the inversion is pretty deep and confusing, especially if you try and overthink it like I did.
That said, how this film unfolds and it’s ending are brilliantly done. There are a lot of lightbulb moments in this towards the end that made me go “ohhh” when I realised it explained or referred to an earlier moment in the film. And the ending itself was both unpredicted, genius, and also tugged on the old heartstrings a little. I loved this film a lot, but I definitely need to watch it again to really appreciate it fully.
Versusyours (757 KP) Dec 22, 2019
Sarah (7798 KP) Dec 23, 2019