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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Game Night (2018) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Max (Jason Bateman), and his wife Annie (Rachel McAdams),are a loving
couple who met during a trivia night at a bar. Gaming has been a regular
part of their lives, and they are often involved with hosting game nights
for their friends.
Max and Annie seems have it all save for a family and
when it is determined that stress may be leading to the problem Max
attempts to resolve the issue. Max has issues with his older brother
Brooks (Kyle Chandler), who he sees as ultra-successful and rubbing his
success in his face.
The fact that Max has not seen his brother in a while
is not an issue, the fact that the brother who seems to beat him in
everything has returned is enough to set the mild-mannered Max on edge.
After an enjoyable game night, Brooks offers to host the next one and
although Max knows this is just Brooks looking for a way to show off his
house, he accepts the invitation.
Upon arrival,Brooks tells Max, Annie, and their friends that they will be
playing a mystery night where a group of actors will stage a kidnapping
and they must unravel clues to solve the mystery. The fact that Brooks is
offering a prized car that Max has long coveted is all the motivation he
needs to win the competition.
The game starts and a group of goons arrive and rough up Brooks and kidnap
him in front of the guests who all think this is part of the show. They
soon come to realize that Brooks may not be the person he claims to bend
that the kidnapping may indeed be real and not part of a scripted game.
What follows is a mix of comedy and dramatic mystery that while unfolding
slowly at times, is filled with some funny moments and great characters.
Bateman has his likable everyman persona down well in the film and the
supporting cast does a great job playing in the wacky adventure without
every getting to madcap.
The breakout star of the film is Jesse Plemons
who plays Max and Annie's creepy police neighbor who is deeply disturbed
following the breakup of his marriage and has taken things to a new level.
You will want to stay through the credits as there are some extra scenes
which round out the film nicely. "Game Night", is a pleasant enoughfilm
that cannot quite determine if it is a comedy or dramedy, but it does
enough good things to make it an enjoyable outing.
http://sknr.net/2018/02/22/game-night/
couple who met during a trivia night at a bar. Gaming has been a regular
part of their lives, and they are often involved with hosting game nights
for their friends.
Max and Annie seems have it all save for a family and
when it is determined that stress may be leading to the problem Max
attempts to resolve the issue. Max has issues with his older brother
Brooks (Kyle Chandler), who he sees as ultra-successful and rubbing his
success in his face.
The fact that Max has not seen his brother in a while
is not an issue, the fact that the brother who seems to beat him in
everything has returned is enough to set the mild-mannered Max on edge.
After an enjoyable game night, Brooks offers to host the next one and
although Max knows this is just Brooks looking for a way to show off his
house, he accepts the invitation.
Upon arrival,Brooks tells Max, Annie, and their friends that they will be
playing a mystery night where a group of actors will stage a kidnapping
and they must unravel clues to solve the mystery. The fact that Brooks is
offering a prized car that Max has long coveted is all the motivation he
needs to win the competition.
The game starts and a group of goons arrive and rough up Brooks and kidnap
him in front of the guests who all think this is part of the show. They
soon come to realize that Brooks may not be the person he claims to bend
that the kidnapping may indeed be real and not part of a scripted game.
What follows is a mix of comedy and dramatic mystery that while unfolding
slowly at times, is filled with some funny moments and great characters.
Bateman has his likable everyman persona down well in the film and the
supporting cast does a great job playing in the wacky adventure without
every getting to madcap.
The breakout star of the film is Jesse Plemons
who plays Max and Annie's creepy police neighbor who is deeply disturbed
following the breakup of his marriage and has taken things to a new level.
You will want to stay through the credits as there are some extra scenes
which round out the film nicely. "Game Night", is a pleasant enoughfilm
that cannot quite determine if it is a comedy or dramedy, but it does
enough good things to make it an enjoyable outing.
http://sknr.net/2018/02/22/game-night/
Darren (1599 KP) rated 3 Days To Kill (2014) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Story: 3 Days to Kill starts as we meet CIA agent Ethan Renner (Costner) who along with his team is about to take down one of the biggest threats in the world The Wolf (Sammel) by eliminating his closest associate The Albino (Lemarquis) only the mission gets compromised when Ethan’s health catches up with him as he learns he only has 3 months to live.
Released by the CIA Ethan sets out on cleaning up his own personal affairs wanting to build a relationship with daughter Zooey (Steinfeld) through his ex-wife Christine (Nielsen) after years of times apart working. With everything going badly Ethan knows that it will become difficult but when fellow agent Vivi Delay (Heard) offers him a chance to live longer Ethan comes out of retirement for one last assignment.
Thoughts on 3 Days to Kill
Story – The story for this film tries to balance a dying man’s final months with his family and his CIA life that he has meant to have walked away from. The CIA story does feel very generic of this modern day slick hitman style which is all fine. The dying man’s wish story ends up feeling like an awkward comedy in places. The story also feels very long and doesn’t seem to end up deciding if it wants to be serious or not.
Action/Thriller – The action is all very good and entertaining with the opening sequence looking like it set the tone but in the end if just turns into another slick hitman film.
Characters/Performance – I can’t find anything wrong with Costner’s performance as well as Steinfeld or Neilsen, it is the Heard performance that doesn’t make sense because she doesn’t suit the character and the character doesn’t suit the movie. The movie tries to make all the characters fit into everyday experiences but for some reason Vivi character is wildly over the top for no apparent reason.
Settings – The settings are mostly all in Paris which all works for the film which is trying to make us have a location we want to visit but showing that crime can happen there I guess.
Special Effects – The Special effects are mostly used for the action sequences and they all come off to the level you need them too.
Final Thoughts –This is an overlong action thriller that ends up getting caught up in the middle of comedy too often for its own good.
Overall: Solid action film that starts too strong for its own benefits.
Released by the CIA Ethan sets out on cleaning up his own personal affairs wanting to build a relationship with daughter Zooey (Steinfeld) through his ex-wife Christine (Nielsen) after years of times apart working. With everything going badly Ethan knows that it will become difficult but when fellow agent Vivi Delay (Heard) offers him a chance to live longer Ethan comes out of retirement for one last assignment.
Thoughts on 3 Days to Kill
Story – The story for this film tries to balance a dying man’s final months with his family and his CIA life that he has meant to have walked away from. The CIA story does feel very generic of this modern day slick hitman style which is all fine. The dying man’s wish story ends up feeling like an awkward comedy in places. The story also feels very long and doesn’t seem to end up deciding if it wants to be serious or not.
Action/Thriller – The action is all very good and entertaining with the opening sequence looking like it set the tone but in the end if just turns into another slick hitman film.
Characters/Performance – I can’t find anything wrong with Costner’s performance as well as Steinfeld or Neilsen, it is the Heard performance that doesn’t make sense because she doesn’t suit the character and the character doesn’t suit the movie. The movie tries to make all the characters fit into everyday experiences but for some reason Vivi character is wildly over the top for no apparent reason.
Settings – The settings are mostly all in Paris which all works for the film which is trying to make us have a location we want to visit but showing that crime can happen there I guess.
Special Effects – The Special effects are mostly used for the action sequences and they all come off to the level you need them too.
Final Thoughts –This is an overlong action thriller that ends up getting caught up in the middle of comedy too often for its own good.
Overall: Solid action film that starts too strong for its own benefits.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Fast & Furious 9 (2021) in Movies
Jul 11, 2021
I might not be obsessed with this series but I can't argue with its ridiculous action. I had a catch up on the others as it had been a while, though I discovered I watched them in the wrong order... never mind! Here's a bit of a rundown.
The Fast and the Furious - good
2 Fast 2 Furious - meh
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - too peoply, not enough cars
Fast & Furious - good
Fast Five - my favourite
Fast & Furious 6 - good
Furious 7 - good
The Fate of the Furious - good
F9...
Who really needs an extended synopsis on this one? Cars, family, Corona, space the final frontier. And does it even need any comments on the plot? At this point it's very much random bits of chaos and ridiculous things with cars. Quite honestly, that's the reason I enjoy the films more now they lean into it. Although this one may have become a little too self-aware... in an amusing way.
It wasn't until I did the rewatch that I noticed how much they ignore the concept of genetics when it comes to adding family members. Here we have John Cena playing Jakob, Dom and Mia's brother. It's not the most unbelievable thing in the movie, but it's well up there. Cena has grown on me as an actor, I enjoyed him in The Marine, Bumblebee, and his comedy stylings in Blockers... but we don't talk about Playing With Fire... we never talk about Playing With Fire. He can do funny and he can do serious, but I'm not convinced he was the best choice to combine the two here. His performance was okay, but his style didn't really fit with any of the others. I don't know who I might have put in this role instead, but I think they could have gone with recognisable but not quite as high profile/
As for the other cast members, well, same sh*t different day as they say! Gibson and Ludacris have the same fun dynamic and bring their comedic element to the proceedings. Vin Diesel says the requisite amount of "family" throughout the films, and everyone else does their thing.
Doing the rewatch made me surprisingly emotional when they did the Paul Walker send-off, and there was a nice out to keep the legacy intact. And while it's nice that they keep him in the films, maybe it should just be something that's accepted and not talked about. There's a moment in the film where they say Dom's son is with Brian, and my first thought was horror because I forgot Brian is alive in the franchise, and the look on Dom's face didn't help in that moment either.
F9 has some even whackier action, and it is entirely satisfying to watch. Though unsurprisingly it doesn't take them long to defy the laws of physics... spectacular destruction nevertheless. We know we're in for a tenth instalment, we can only hope for a musical or LEGO version... that last one would be my approved choice.
(I have so many spoiler comments t make about this, but I don't want to ruin the fun of discovering them all for yourself.)
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/f9-fast-saga-movie-review.html
The Fast and the Furious - good
2 Fast 2 Furious - meh
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - too peoply, not enough cars
Fast & Furious - good
Fast Five - my favourite
Fast & Furious 6 - good
Furious 7 - good
The Fate of the Furious - good
F9...
Who really needs an extended synopsis on this one? Cars, family, Corona, space the final frontier. And does it even need any comments on the plot? At this point it's very much random bits of chaos and ridiculous things with cars. Quite honestly, that's the reason I enjoy the films more now they lean into it. Although this one may have become a little too self-aware... in an amusing way.
It wasn't until I did the rewatch that I noticed how much they ignore the concept of genetics when it comes to adding family members. Here we have John Cena playing Jakob, Dom and Mia's brother. It's not the most unbelievable thing in the movie, but it's well up there. Cena has grown on me as an actor, I enjoyed him in The Marine, Bumblebee, and his comedy stylings in Blockers... but we don't talk about Playing With Fire... we never talk about Playing With Fire. He can do funny and he can do serious, but I'm not convinced he was the best choice to combine the two here. His performance was okay, but his style didn't really fit with any of the others. I don't know who I might have put in this role instead, but I think they could have gone with recognisable but not quite as high profile/
As for the other cast members, well, same sh*t different day as they say! Gibson and Ludacris have the same fun dynamic and bring their comedic element to the proceedings. Vin Diesel says the requisite amount of "family" throughout the films, and everyone else does their thing.
Doing the rewatch made me surprisingly emotional when they did the Paul Walker send-off, and there was a nice out to keep the legacy intact. And while it's nice that they keep him in the films, maybe it should just be something that's accepted and not talked about. There's a moment in the film where they say Dom's son is with Brian, and my first thought was horror because I forgot Brian is alive in the franchise, and the look on Dom's face didn't help in that moment either.
F9 has some even whackier action, and it is entirely satisfying to watch. Though unsurprisingly it doesn't take them long to defy the laws of physics... spectacular destruction nevertheless. We know we're in for a tenth instalment, we can only hope for a musical or LEGO version... that last one would be my approved choice.
(I have so many spoiler comments t make about this, but I don't want to ruin the fun of discovering them all for yourself.)
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/f9-fast-saga-movie-review.html
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Free Guy (2021) in Movies
Sep 5, 2021
Wonderful - and Family Friendly!
Like most of us, when I first saw the trailer for the Ryan Reynolds comedy, FREE GUY (well over a year ago), I thought this looked like a bad “money grab” that will quickly come and go.
But after it premiered earlier this summer, buzz started to grow - and a few people that I trust recommended it to me, so I decided to check it out.
And…I’m glad I did for FREE GUY is a fun, family-friendly romp with a charismatic Ryan Reynolds anchoring a strong cast in a surprisingly heart-felt film.
Directed by Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM), Free Guy tells the story of an NPC (Non-Playable Character in a video game) that becomes sentient.
In the capable hands of Director Levy and actor Reynolds, Guy (his character) is charming, earnest and likeable - a trio of qualities that is hard to pull off, but Levy and Reynolds walk this fine line very well, making Guy a character to root for. They wisely steer away from this character becoming cloying and annoying and just keep him charming and sincere.
This is do-able because Levy and screenwriters Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn wisely choose to not make Guy the emotional center of this film, but rather, Guy is the catalyst who moves the plot (and the other characters) towards their final destinations - all the while keeping Guy (basically) the same. A very smart move that has been used in other, successful films (most notably Michael J. Fox in the BACK TO THE FUTURE FILMS).
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and Joe Keery (Stranger Things) are a the heart of this film as 2 video game designers that are trying to find proof that their code was stolen by a heartless Video Game mogul (broadly, comically played by Taika Waititi). Both Comer and Keery are pleasant in their roles and they play off of Waititi (and his chief henchman, played with specific focus - this is a compliment - by Utkarsh Ambudkar). Comer and Keery make it easy for the audience to root for them and Waititi and Ambdukar make it easy for the audience to root against them.
Credit for all of this goes to Director Levy. This film has the same feel as NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. It doesn’t try to do too much, makes the motivations of the good guys and the bad guys very simple to understand and then drops in the variable (Guy) to mix things up - all done with wit, simplicity and charm - a pretty easy combination, that often gets lost in the machinations, but Levy avoids this trap very, very well.
Finally, I have to point out the performance of Lil Rel Howery as Guy’s buddy…named…Buddy. He is the perfect “Best Friend”. Again, Directed to a simple and direct performance by Levy, not trying to be more than he is, but ends up being a character you care about and root for.
A winning combination of Director, Actors and material, FREE GUY isn’t going to win any Oscars, but it is going to do something that very few films these days do - provide entertainment for the entire family.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
But after it premiered earlier this summer, buzz started to grow - and a few people that I trust recommended it to me, so I decided to check it out.
And…I’m glad I did for FREE GUY is a fun, family-friendly romp with a charismatic Ryan Reynolds anchoring a strong cast in a surprisingly heart-felt film.
Directed by Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM), Free Guy tells the story of an NPC (Non-Playable Character in a video game) that becomes sentient.
In the capable hands of Director Levy and actor Reynolds, Guy (his character) is charming, earnest and likeable - a trio of qualities that is hard to pull off, but Levy and Reynolds walk this fine line very well, making Guy a character to root for. They wisely steer away from this character becoming cloying and annoying and just keep him charming and sincere.
This is do-able because Levy and screenwriters Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn wisely choose to not make Guy the emotional center of this film, but rather, Guy is the catalyst who moves the plot (and the other characters) towards their final destinations - all the while keeping Guy (basically) the same. A very smart move that has been used in other, successful films (most notably Michael J. Fox in the BACK TO THE FUTURE FILMS).
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and Joe Keery (Stranger Things) are a the heart of this film as 2 video game designers that are trying to find proof that their code was stolen by a heartless Video Game mogul (broadly, comically played by Taika Waititi). Both Comer and Keery are pleasant in their roles and they play off of Waititi (and his chief henchman, played with specific focus - this is a compliment - by Utkarsh Ambudkar). Comer and Keery make it easy for the audience to root for them and Waititi and Ambdukar make it easy for the audience to root against them.
Credit for all of this goes to Director Levy. This film has the same feel as NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. It doesn’t try to do too much, makes the motivations of the good guys and the bad guys very simple to understand and then drops in the variable (Guy) to mix things up - all done with wit, simplicity and charm - a pretty easy combination, that often gets lost in the machinations, but Levy avoids this trap very, very well.
Finally, I have to point out the performance of Lil Rel Howery as Guy’s buddy…named…Buddy. He is the perfect “Best Friend”. Again, Directed to a simple and direct performance by Levy, not trying to be more than he is, but ends up being a character you care about and root for.
A winning combination of Director, Actors and material, FREE GUY isn’t going to win any Oscars, but it is going to do something that very few films these days do - provide entertainment for the entire family.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Darkwriter1408 (8 KP) rated Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) in Movies
Jun 13, 2019
Funny (2 more)
Good acting
Good diversity
Amazing! Brilliant! Funny
Contains spoilers, click to show
So if you haven't seen the film then go watch it and then come back and read this review! I am about to go in depth!.. GO NOW!!
Right, so the film centres on peter quill who is a earth boy abducted by an alien race, initially you don't know what for *SPOILER* (it gets revealed in GOTG2) that he was abducted for his father but let's not get in to that.
So, Peter is abducted by the alien race and developed into a thief, he's sent to retrieve this orb that he knows nothing about and is to deliver it to ronin... if your familiar with the comics you'll know all about him. He's big, ugly, strong and quite frankly the evil guy.
Peter is meant to take the orb to yondu for him to deliver it. However after taking a little bit of a detour to another planet, Peter finds himself in a 3-way battle with Gamora, rocket and groot. Gamora is there for the orb and rocket and groot are there for gamora and Peter.
All this being said, they end up in a pretty public fight and end up being sent to jail. This is where the film starts to build it's character, they are put in a maximum security stronghold where Drax is. More on him in a moment. The character building in these scenes are quite intense and you really see gamora for who she is..
Drax, right Drax is also seen as the destroyer because Ronin destroyed his planet and family and Drax has held a vengeance for the entirety of his time. Seeing gamora and knowing she is associated with ronin is enough for him to want to kill her. This is where his character starts his arc. After speaking to peter, he decides to join them anf see where he can go.
Following the stronghold scene, they eventually come against ronin after taking a mahoosive detour.
Coming to the end of the film you have been through intense laughter, even bits of sadness but you'll understand all of there standings and why they do what they do. The visual effects are brilliant and second to none and the action and comedy within is also amazing. Then we get to the performances of the cast, these really bring the film together and show the versatility of some of the actors.
Now even without my biased opinion onnthis film it is definitely a family friends amazing film you should definitely watch!!!
Right, so the film centres on peter quill who is a earth boy abducted by an alien race, initially you don't know what for *SPOILER* (it gets revealed in GOTG2) that he was abducted for his father but let's not get in to that.
So, Peter is abducted by the alien race and developed into a thief, he's sent to retrieve this orb that he knows nothing about and is to deliver it to ronin... if your familiar with the comics you'll know all about him. He's big, ugly, strong and quite frankly the evil guy.
Peter is meant to take the orb to yondu for him to deliver it. However after taking a little bit of a detour to another planet, Peter finds himself in a 3-way battle with Gamora, rocket and groot. Gamora is there for the orb and rocket and groot are there for gamora and Peter.
All this being said, they end up in a pretty public fight and end up being sent to jail. This is where the film starts to build it's character, they are put in a maximum security stronghold where Drax is. More on him in a moment. The character building in these scenes are quite intense and you really see gamora for who she is..
Drax, right Drax is also seen as the destroyer because Ronin destroyed his planet and family and Drax has held a vengeance for the entirety of his time. Seeing gamora and knowing she is associated with ronin is enough for him to want to kill her. This is where his character starts his arc. After speaking to peter, he decides to join them anf see where he can go.
Following the stronghold scene, they eventually come against ronin after taking a mahoosive detour.
Coming to the end of the film you have been through intense laughter, even bits of sadness but you'll understand all of there standings and why they do what they do. The visual effects are brilliant and second to none and the action and comedy within is also amazing. Then we get to the performances of the cast, these really bring the film together and show the versatility of some of the actors.
Now even without my biased opinion onnthis film it is definitely a family friends amazing film you should definitely watch!!!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated My Spy (2019) in Movies
Jun 22, 2020
STX made headlines when they agreed to sell their upcoming film “My SPY” to Amazon so the movie could debut on the streaming service versus waiting for the highly uncertain time when audiences will be able to return to theaters in significant numbers to make films profitable.
The movie stars Dave Bautista as a C.I.A. agent named JJ. JJ was a former Special Forces member who joined the agency after his military career ended. After an operation does not go as planned; JJ’s boss David Kim (Ken Jeong) questions whether JJ is right for the type of work that is required.
JJ is assigned with an overzealous analyst named Bobbi (Kristen Schaal) to conduct surveillance on a single mother named Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley) and her nine-year-old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman).
Kate Sophie had just moved from Paris and are struggling to adapt to the new situation. It seems that Sophie’s father was deeply involved in all sorts of illegal operations and JJ and Bobbi are keeping an eye on them to see if their uncle attempts to contact them as he’s a key figure in an ongoing plutonium arms deal.
Things take an unexpected turn when the precocious Sophie figures out that their apartment is loaded with surveillance gear and soon tracks it to an adjacent apartment and confronts JJ and Bobbi.
Unwilling to have to admit to his superiors that their cover was blown by a nine-year-old girl; JJ soon becomes Sophie’s new friend as she forces him to take her ice-skating and to appear at a school career day as she is desperate to make friends following her move.
This arrangement causes issues with Bobbi and she believes that JJ needs to be training her in the finer aspects of his career.
Further complicating matters is a growing attraction between JJ and Kate thanks to Sophie repeatedly finding ways for her mother and JJ to be together.
While most viewers will be able to see where the film is heading; the enjoyable cast and the chemistry between them makes the movie rise above standard family comedies.
Bautista does a great job poking fun at his action persona and clearly showed in his “Guardians of the Galaxy” performances that he is certainly capable of mixing comedy and action.
While the film does not offer much in the way of surprises; it does offer some very charming and enjoyable moments with enough humor to make it an enjoyable viewing experience for the entire family.
3.5 stars out of 5
The movie stars Dave Bautista as a C.I.A. agent named JJ. JJ was a former Special Forces member who joined the agency after his military career ended. After an operation does not go as planned; JJ’s boss David Kim (Ken Jeong) questions whether JJ is right for the type of work that is required.
JJ is assigned with an overzealous analyst named Bobbi (Kristen Schaal) to conduct surveillance on a single mother named Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley) and her nine-year-old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman).
Kate Sophie had just moved from Paris and are struggling to adapt to the new situation. It seems that Sophie’s father was deeply involved in all sorts of illegal operations and JJ and Bobbi are keeping an eye on them to see if their uncle attempts to contact them as he’s a key figure in an ongoing plutonium arms deal.
Things take an unexpected turn when the precocious Sophie figures out that their apartment is loaded with surveillance gear and soon tracks it to an adjacent apartment and confronts JJ and Bobbi.
Unwilling to have to admit to his superiors that their cover was blown by a nine-year-old girl; JJ soon becomes Sophie’s new friend as she forces him to take her ice-skating and to appear at a school career day as she is desperate to make friends following her move.
This arrangement causes issues with Bobbi and she believes that JJ needs to be training her in the finer aspects of his career.
Further complicating matters is a growing attraction between JJ and Kate thanks to Sophie repeatedly finding ways for her mother and JJ to be together.
While most viewers will be able to see where the film is heading; the enjoyable cast and the chemistry between them makes the movie rise above standard family comedies.
Bautista does a great job poking fun at his action persona and clearly showed in his “Guardians of the Galaxy” performances that he is certainly capable of mixing comedy and action.
While the film does not offer much in the way of surprises; it does offer some very charming and enjoyable moments with enough humor to make it an enjoyable viewing experience for the entire family.
3.5 stars out of 5
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated A Quiet Place (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
When the trailer for this one was running I honestly thought I was going to be scared witless. It made me so uneasy that I was seriously contemplating not going to see it. I don't mind watching horror films, but I feel a lot more comfortable about it when I'm at home in a brightly lit room.
I sucked it up though and went anyway figuring that having a double bill with something I knew would definitely entertain me would be an easy way to calm my nerves.
We start the film 89 (was is 89? I've got a brain like a sieve) days into the events of A Quiet Place. The monsters are here, and those that are left are doing their best to stay quiet and survive. I've already reached a point where I am a little grumbly. When it announced where it was in the story I was hoping for some kind of jumping timeline showing you a before and after style tale... because surely they're not just going to gloss over the whole "how" of the aliens coming to Earth... Oh.
I can't really fault the bit in the middle of the film. I found it quite enjoyable. There are lots of questions that you wonder about, that I always wonder about in apocalyptic movies. But that's where you have to give them leeway for artistic license I guess.
The part of the story that this film tells is good, and you can follow the journey of the family understanding everything even with the limited dialogue. There's some superb acting at work from everyone involved and I've been recommending it to anyone that asks about it.
With quite a few of us in the cinema it was amusing to see everyone's reaction throughout the movie. Every time someone crinkled a packet or opened a fizzy drink there were noticeable pauses as if we'd all just thought "Oh my god that was too loud" before realising that it's just a movie we're watching.
The main reason this one gets a three star rating and not a four is not only for the lack of origin story but for what I consider to be a cheesy ending suitable for a comedy action film and not what I had been to see. The locked and loaded ending was the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a Guardians Of The Galaxy movie where the end credit are punctuated by shots of our heroes going into battle. A perplexing end.
When the trailer for this one was running I honestly thought I was going to be scared witless. It made me so uneasy that I was seriously contemplating not going to see it. I don't mind watching horror films, but I feel a lot more comfortable about it when I'm at home in a brightly lit room.
I sucked it up though and went anyway figuring that having a double bill with something I knew would definitely entertain me would be an easy way to calm my nerves.
We start the film 89 (was is 89? I've got a brain like a sieve) days into the events of A Quiet Place. The monsters are here, and those that are left are doing their best to stay quiet and survive. I've already reached a point where I am a little grumbly. When it announced where it was in the story I was hoping for some kind of jumping timeline showing you a before and after style tale... because surely they're not just going to gloss over the whole "how" of the aliens coming to Earth... Oh.
I can't really fault the bit in the middle of the film. I found it quite enjoyable. There are lots of questions that you wonder about, that I always wonder about in apocalyptic movies. But that's where you have to give them leeway for artistic license I guess.
The part of the story that this film tells is good, and you can follow the journey of the family understanding everything even with the limited dialogue. There's some superb acting at work from everyone involved and I've been recommending it to anyone that asks about it.
With quite a few of us in the cinema it was amusing to see everyone's reaction throughout the movie. Every time someone crinkled a packet or opened a fizzy drink there were noticeable pauses as if we'd all just thought "Oh my god that was too loud" before realising that it's just a movie we're watching.
The main reason this one gets a three star rating and not a four is not only for the lack of origin story but for what I consider to be a cheesy ending suitable for a comedy action film and not what I had been to see. The locked and loaded ending was the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a Guardians Of The Galaxy movie where the end credit are punctuated by shots of our heroes going into battle. A perplexing end.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Pow right in the kisser
#shazam is DC's answer to #deadpool its witty, dark & stylish but also feels a tad 'weve seen all this before'. Shazam always looked to me like a film nobody asked for or a straight to #netflix film so when it started I was actually very surprised with what I was watching. Its an extremely well shot film with seemingly high production values, stylish cinematography & a pretty neat soundtrack too. I was also pleasantly surprised at the dark tone/atmosphere the film decided to go for & considering the trailers suggest this was to be a comedy for a younger audience there are some quite horrific deaths, adult #humour, nasty enemies & also some very dark subject matter. All this darkness however is balanced out quite nicely with goofy humour & some genuinely #funny gags & some brilliant references to films like #tomhanks #Big & the #terminator. Theres a running theme throughout about #family/sticking together & another about there being #heroes inside all of us be it from security guards that keep our schools safe, #mums raising #kids, people who adopt & even people who dress up as #santa can help #inspire our kids to do good. Shazam does alot right & at times its a spellbinding film full of #charm but sadly I found it to fall apart in the final act where it loses its #freakazoid mixed with #hancock & #batman the #animated series vibe in favour for a more generic & forgettable conclusion with a main #villain who came across more pedestrian than menacing which is a shame. Shazam is generally a really great #popcorn flick & crowed pleaser, its got #heart & #laughs but I can see it being forgotten about in a few years but for now its well worth your time. #odeon #odronlimitles #dc #dcuniverse #superhero #geek #comic
The Lonely Londoners
Samuel Selvon and Nasta Susheila
8.0
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Both devastating and funny, The Lonely Londoners is an unforgettable account of immigrant experience...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) in Movies
Feb 11, 2021
It might be playing hard to get, but there's plenty to love about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 if you know where to look.
A lot of it's strength lies in its stellar cast once again. All the key players from the first movie are back, with a whole heap of new faces, and expanded roles for side characters. New cast members include Kurt fucking Russell as none other than Ego the Living Planet, which is wild in itself, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, as well as smaller roles for Sylvester Stallone and Elizabeth Debicki. Bigger roles for Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker are also welcome.
In terms of material, it's brimming with Easter eggs, and hints at what's to come in the future - Adam Warlock, the original Guardians roster, The Watchers, Celestials - it has some truly wonderful moments for fans of the comics.
The plot is fun enough, and all leads to the subject of family and parenthood. It has some touching scenes amongst all the space battles. My main issue is with the comedy - the jokes and quips in Vol. 2 are absolutely relentless. Where as the first movie, and plenty of other MCU entries, manage to strike a fine balance in the more comedic side of things, Vol. 2 just throws everything and the kitchen sink at the script hoping that something will stick the landing, and there are plenty of funny lines here, but there's an equal amount of jokes that miss the mark. It becomes a little tiresome, and is the exact same issue I had with Deadpool 2!
However, despite its flaws, Vol. 2 is still a lot of fun, and another decent entry into the cosmic MCU canon, and it's moving closing scene, set to Cat Stevens "Father & Son" is one of my favourites in the entire franchise. Also, Baby Groot.
A lot of it's strength lies in its stellar cast once again. All the key players from the first movie are back, with a whole heap of new faces, and expanded roles for side characters. New cast members include Kurt fucking Russell as none other than Ego the Living Planet, which is wild in itself, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, as well as smaller roles for Sylvester Stallone and Elizabeth Debicki. Bigger roles for Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker are also welcome.
In terms of material, it's brimming with Easter eggs, and hints at what's to come in the future - Adam Warlock, the original Guardians roster, The Watchers, Celestials - it has some truly wonderful moments for fans of the comics.
The plot is fun enough, and all leads to the subject of family and parenthood. It has some touching scenes amongst all the space battles. My main issue is with the comedy - the jokes and quips in Vol. 2 are absolutely relentless. Where as the first movie, and plenty of other MCU entries, manage to strike a fine balance in the more comedic side of things, Vol. 2 just throws everything and the kitchen sink at the script hoping that something will stick the landing, and there are plenty of funny lines here, but there's an equal amount of jokes that miss the mark. It becomes a little tiresome, and is the exact same issue I had with Deadpool 2!
However, despite its flaws, Vol. 2 is still a lot of fun, and another decent entry into the cosmic MCU canon, and it's moving closing scene, set to Cat Stevens "Father & Son" is one of my favourites in the entire franchise. Also, Baby Groot.