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Sarah (7798 KP) rated La La Land (2016) in Movies
Nov 23, 2017
Don't understand the hype
I saw this first at the cinema and had such high hopes from all of the praise, and I really hated it. Having watched it again recently, I do appreciate it a little more now but it still doesn't deserve all the hype.
I love musicals, but this is not the right kind of musical. The songs and music are actually very good, but sadly there just isn't enough of them. Where's the people bursting into song every 5 minutes? I'm also not a fan of the old school musical, although i do appreciate why they've gone down this route.
Performance wise, I think Emma Stone does well and the dialogue between her and Ryan Gosling is quite funny and witty. Not too sure on Gosling, he seems to play the same character in everything and his singing voice isn't great. I also think JK Simmons is vastly underused, which is a shame as he's a fantastic actor.
Sadly not my kind of musical.
I love musicals, but this is not the right kind of musical. The songs and music are actually very good, but sadly there just isn't enough of them. Where's the people bursting into song every 5 minutes? I'm also not a fan of the old school musical, although i do appreciate why they've gone down this route.
Performance wise, I think Emma Stone does well and the dialogue between her and Ryan Gosling is quite funny and witty. Not too sure on Gosling, he seems to play the same character in everything and his singing voice isn't great. I also think JK Simmons is vastly underused, which is a shame as he's a fantastic actor.
Sadly not my kind of musical.
Lemmiwinkz (13 KP) rated Suicide Squad (2016) in Movies
Jun 27, 2017
A Mess
I'm a fan of David Ayers work but this film did nothing for me. It felt like DC are still living in the Marvel model's shadow and trying to replicate the success without much luck. Felt more like the Margot Robbie and WIll Smith show than involving a "Squad".
Add to that Jared Leto's Joker which was needless and the film wouldn't have changed without him. All the hype of the media with "Jared Leto sent dead rats to cast members" and it felt like DC were just trying anything to get people to the cinema.
The difference is with how Marvel have approached this is that they have had years of solo films introducing characters and DC going straight in with this mega team up whilst not ever exploring any of the characters.
I really hope DC sort this all out soon as they have some arsenal to play with but just feels like they are trying way too hard right now to play keep up.
Add to that Jared Leto's Joker which was needless and the film wouldn't have changed without him. All the hype of the media with "Jared Leto sent dead rats to cast members" and it felt like DC were just trying anything to get people to the cinema.
The difference is with how Marvel have approached this is that they have had years of solo films introducing characters and DC going straight in with this mega team up whilst not ever exploring any of the characters.
I really hope DC sort this all out soon as they have some arsenal to play with but just feels like they are trying way too hard right now to play keep up.
Kira (36 KP) rated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) in Movies
Sep 4, 2017
Special effects (2 more)
The creatures
Main casting
Johnny Depp (1 more)
Tina's character
I love the Harry Potter universe, but Fantastic Beasts failed to get my attention or fill with me with excitement. I'm not entirely sure why, but I didn't think I was going to enjoy it and unlike the other films in this universe, didn't go to the cinema upon it's release.
Boy was I wrong and gave myself a kick for not going to see it on the big screen!
I very quickly found myself not only falling in love with Newt, Queenie and Jacob, but the animals brought to life on screen. The story was engaging and I appreciated that it seemed to be more so for adults, the abuse being somewhat darker and my heart broke for Credence.
On the other side of things, I disliked Tina's character and wasn't impressed by the casting of Johnny Depp.
Despite my personal issues with the above, however, I still love this magical film and am greatly looking forward to the future installments.
Boy was I wrong and gave myself a kick for not going to see it on the big screen!
I very quickly found myself not only falling in love with Newt, Queenie and Jacob, but the animals brought to life on screen. The story was engaging and I appreciated that it seemed to be more so for adults, the abuse being somewhat darker and my heart broke for Credence.
On the other side of things, I disliked Tina's character and wasn't impressed by the casting of Johnny Depp.
Despite my personal issues with the above, however, I still love this magical film and am greatly looking forward to the future installments.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) in Movies
Mar 1, 2019 (Updated Mar 1, 2019)
Whether or not you consider this to be one of the greatest westerns ever made or just an empty, cynical joke is probably a matter of personal taste; coherent arguments can be made both ways. Against the backdrop of the American Civil War, three gunmen search for a coffin full of dollars: Eastwood isn't especially good, but Van Cleef is certainly bad, and as for Wallach... The first of the film's many careful ironies is that there really isn't very much to choose between them in moral terms - those who view the western as a venue for articulating moral principles may not be impressed.
However, maybe they are missing the point, for while this may be a cynical movie, it is by no means wholly amoral, and there is compassion on display as well. What you would have to be utterly contrary to argue against are the brilliant set-pieces orchestrated by Leone, invariably accompanied by Ennio Morricone's stunning score. Eccentric and impressionistic in places, but still an extraordinary piece of cinema what ever you think of its place within the western genre.
However, maybe they are missing the point, for while this may be a cynical movie, it is by no means wholly amoral, and there is compassion on display as well. What you would have to be utterly contrary to argue against are the brilliant set-pieces orchestrated by Leone, invariably accompanied by Ennio Morricone's stunning score. Eccentric and impressionistic in places, but still an extraordinary piece of cinema what ever you think of its place within the western genre.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Mirror (Zerkalo) (1975) in Movies
Mar 24, 2019 (Updated Mar 24, 2019)
Autobiographical art-house excursion into who-knows-what is less well-known than the same director's adaptation of Solaris but equally obscure, if you're not in the know anyway (and I'm not). A man shares his dream-like reflections of his life and that of his father (the same actor plays them both; the same actress plays both mothers - see how this could be a bit mystifying?) and the parallels between them.
One of those films which is so revered you really do want to like it, but it's also one of those films which is so oblique and impenetrable that you kind of slip into a zen trance while watching it: there isn't a moment of it which doesn't make a sort of sense at the time it's on screen (well, maybe there are a few), but there's very little sense of a conventional narrative. Mesmerising more than anything else, with some truly beautiful sequences and images on the screen; a technically brilliant work of art but only marginally a piece of narrative cinema.
One of those films which is so revered you really do want to like it, but it's also one of those films which is so oblique and impenetrable that you kind of slip into a zen trance while watching it: there isn't a moment of it which doesn't make a sort of sense at the time it's on screen (well, maybe there are a few), but there's very little sense of a conventional narrative. Mesmerising more than anything else, with some truly beautiful sequences and images on the screen; a technically brilliant work of art but only marginally a piece of narrative cinema.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) in Movies
Apr 29, 2019
One of the first Disney films to be shot in Cinema Scope
I swear Kirk Douglas has the best chin in film I have ever seen.
Another Disney classic I am ashamed I had not seen until today. What a grand epic undersea adventure! Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre and James Mason as Captain Nemo (my dog really liked the seal, Esmeralda as well).
After some mysterious encounters at sea results in several vessels going down, some survivors of one of the blasts find their way aboard the Nautilus and meet the nefarious captain. After discovering the captain's mission our heroes try and escape and end up sort of joining the crew to bide their time until another opportunity arises.
What about the giant squid?
For the time period, this film looked amazing and the art direction and special effects both won Academy Awards for that year. The design of the Nautilus was also very interesting and it photographed well underwater.
I thoroughly enjoyed embarking on this aquatic journey and had to hold my breath until it was over!
Another Disney classic I am ashamed I had not seen until today. What a grand epic undersea adventure! Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre and James Mason as Captain Nemo (my dog really liked the seal, Esmeralda as well).
After some mysterious encounters at sea results in several vessels going down, some survivors of one of the blasts find their way aboard the Nautilus and meet the nefarious captain. After discovering the captain's mission our heroes try and escape and end up sort of joining the crew to bide their time until another opportunity arises.
What about the giant squid?
For the time period, this film looked amazing and the art direction and special effects both won Academy Awards for that year. The design of the Nautilus was also very interesting and it photographed well underwater.
I thoroughly enjoyed embarking on this aquatic journey and had to hold my breath until it was over!
Valerio (15 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Keenu Reeves (3 more)
Dogs
Stunning fighting actions
Turn off your brain and enjoy
The most badass assassin the world have ever seen.
I've been introduced to the franchise when the second movie was released. I will review those later on. John Wick 3 was the first movie of the trilogy I watched in the cinema and what a brilliant experience. I'm not an action junkie but this movie is simply amazing. You can sit comfy, turn off your brain and enjoy the fun. The photography is just amazing, probably one of the best I ever seen in an action movie. The colours are vivid and NYC is just amazing. I will not write about the story because its a marginal part of this trilogy. They created a living and enjoyable world where you can lose yourself. The choreography and the fighting scenes are awesome and even if sometimes they can be too extreme (nearly funny to see) it will never be too much. Keenu Reeves. I really need to say anything else?
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) in Movies
Mar 4, 2018 (Updated Mar 4, 2018)
The original Hammer horror movie; the studio did actually know how to spell 'experiment', but the title refers to the 'X' certificate that all self-respecting horror films had at the time this was made. Astronaut comes back from space a changed man; the rest of his crew mysteriously vanished - just what went on out there? Professor Q must figure it out before the mutation afflicting the astronaut reaches its final form.
Actually really, really tame as a horror movie by modern standards, obviously, but also of great historical interest as the birth of a legend in British cinema. One can't help suspecting the TV show was a lot more thoughtful, but this still works pretty well as an SF movie, and an influential one at that, and the juxtaposition of B-movie SF ideas and images with post-war Britain is interesting. Imported American star Brian Donlevy is not very good as Professor Q (original writer Nigel Kneale claimed he was on the sauce all the time); Richard Wordsworth is mesmerising as the doomed astronaut.
Actually really, really tame as a horror movie by modern standards, obviously, but also of great historical interest as the birth of a legend in British cinema. One can't help suspecting the TV show was a lot more thoughtful, but this still works pretty well as an SF movie, and an influential one at that, and the juxtaposition of B-movie SF ideas and images with post-war Britain is interesting. Imported American star Brian Donlevy is not very good as Professor Q (original writer Nigel Kneale claimed he was on the sauce all the time); Richard Wordsworth is mesmerising as the doomed astronaut.
Britt Smith (36 KP) rated Dredd (2012) in Movies
Mar 12, 2018 (Updated Mar 12, 2018)
Pure action (2 more)
True to the comic
MaMa
Yeah.
What's not to love here? A fan of the comic, I had the chance to see the movie in 3D and it is one of the best cinema experiences ever (and the best action to date). Carl Urban does absolute justice to the character, and the movie itself does Mega-City 1 right. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor.
Also, favorite female villain of all time goes to Ma-Ma. Best put by Lena Headey when she said "I think of her like an old great white shark who is just waiting for someone bigger and stronger to show up and kill her. She's ready for it. In fact, she can't wait for it to happen. And yet no one can get the job done. She's an addict, so she's dead in that way, but that last knock just hasn't come. This big, fat, scarred shark moving through the sea and everyone flees and she's like, 'Will someone just have the balls to do it? Please?'"
Also, favorite female villain of all time goes to Ma-Ma. Best put by Lena Headey when she said "I think of her like an old great white shark who is just waiting for someone bigger and stronger to show up and kill her. She's ready for it. In fact, she can't wait for it to happen. And yet no one can get the job done. She's an addict, so she's dead in that way, but that last knock just hasn't come. This big, fat, scarred shark moving through the sea and everyone flees and she's like, 'Will someone just have the balls to do it? Please?'"
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Dans ma peau (2002) in Movies
Jun 27, 2018
"Dans ma peau" is a film that got me into French cinema (along with Martyrs, but this is a different breed of film). It's both horrific and real. An allegory about the pressure of life, specifically as a woman, protagonist Esther injures her leg at a party and develops a fixation on the wound. She begins to mutilate the wound further, using the pain as a distraction from office politics and a hard decision in her romantic life.
Brief interlude: if you struggle with self harm, do yourself a favor and either avoid this film, or watch when you're in a good frame of mind.
This movie is filmed in an innocuous way. That is to say, it doesn't FEEL like a horror movie. In fact, it's hard to even call it that, despite the horrific content. There are scenes which stretch on to the point where the audience is horribly uncomfortable. But they're also REAL. How many times have you felt inadequate or embarrassed and wished you could disappear? That's what this film embodies.
Brief interlude: if you struggle with self harm, do yourself a favor and either avoid this film, or watch when you're in a good frame of mind.
This movie is filmed in an innocuous way. That is to say, it doesn't FEEL like a horror movie. In fact, it's hard to even call it that, despite the horrific content. There are scenes which stretch on to the point where the audience is horribly uncomfortable. But they're also REAL. How many times have you felt inadequate or embarrassed and wished you could disappear? That's what this film embodies.