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Sarah (7799 KP) rated R.I.P.D. (2013) in Movies
Oct 24, 2018
So bad it’s actually vaguely enjoyable
I remember watching this when it first came out at the cinema and I wasn’t particularly impressed, however on watching it again recently I can admit that this is definitely one of those films that’s so bad it’s actually quite entertaining. Mostly due to Jeff Bridges.
Let’s start with this obvious: I know this is based on a comic, but this is such a blatant rip off of Men in Black, it’s just a shame it comes off as a much poorer relation. Everything about this from the plot progression to the deados just echoes MIB, and that’s high expectations to live up to.
The main humour from this film comes from how the characters look normally versus how they appear in the real world, which admittedly is pretty hilarious but this is the only decent attempt at humour. The plot is completely dull and the Kevin Bacon as the villain is uninteresting too. The special effects are surprisingly good in parts, but then ruined by the downright terrible effects used on the deados. The true saviours of this film are Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds. The relationship and communication between their characters is the most entertaining thing about this film and Jeff Bridges is in fine form hamming it up to the max as Roy. He may be going a little over the top, but it’s damn funny to watch. Just a shame they couldn’t have put more effort into the rest of the story.
Let’s start with this obvious: I know this is based on a comic, but this is such a blatant rip off of Men in Black, it’s just a shame it comes off as a much poorer relation. Everything about this from the plot progression to the deados just echoes MIB, and that’s high expectations to live up to.
The main humour from this film comes from how the characters look normally versus how they appear in the real world, which admittedly is pretty hilarious but this is the only decent attempt at humour. The plot is completely dull and the Kevin Bacon as the villain is uninteresting too. The special effects are surprisingly good in parts, but then ruined by the downright terrible effects used on the deados. The true saviours of this film are Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds. The relationship and communication between their characters is the most entertaining thing about this film and Jeff Bridges is in fine form hamming it up to the max as Roy. He may be going a little over the top, but it’s damn funny to watch. Just a shame they couldn’t have put more effort into the rest of the story.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Switch in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Crime writer Elmore Leonard wrote a lot of stories during his lifetime and this book <i>The Switch</i>, originally published in 1978, has recently been brought to cinema screens as <i>Life of Crime</i> starring Jennifer Aniston. Two ex-cons, Ordell and Louis, kidnap Mickey, the wife of a millionaire, in the belief that they will collect some easy ransom money. However their plan backfires when it is revealed that Frank does not care about his wife and planned to divorce her so he could live with his younger mistress, Melanie.
It is a fairly quick read as it is not a lengthy book but I did not care for the writing style. I have not read many American novels from the 1970s and perhaps this is a typical example of way things were written then, however it made it difficult to remain interested.
There is also not much of a chance to relate to any of the characters therefore it was impossible to become emotionally involved with the plot – for this reason we should be thankful that it was less than 200 pages long.
Although I have not seen the film I can imagine that it would be quite interesting as the actors and scriptwriters would be able to emphasize the suspense and add in comic aspects.
Overall Leonard is usually regarded as a legendary crime writer, however this book was not for me. Nonetheless, I am sure there would be other people who would love the book.
Crime writer Elmore Leonard wrote a lot of stories during his lifetime and this book <i>The Switch</i>, originally published in 1978, has recently been brought to cinema screens as <i>Life of Crime</i> starring Jennifer Aniston. Two ex-cons, Ordell and Louis, kidnap Mickey, the wife of a millionaire, in the belief that they will collect some easy ransom money. However their plan backfires when it is revealed that Frank does not care about his wife and planned to divorce her so he could live with his younger mistress, Melanie.
It is a fairly quick read as it is not a lengthy book but I did not care for the writing style. I have not read many American novels from the 1970s and perhaps this is a typical example of way things were written then, however it made it difficult to remain interested.
There is also not much of a chance to relate to any of the characters therefore it was impossible to become emotionally involved with the plot – for this reason we should be thankful that it was less than 200 pages long.
Although I have not seen the film I can imagine that it would be quite interesting as the actors and scriptwriters would be able to emphasize the suspense and add in comic aspects.
Overall Leonard is usually regarded as a legendary crime writer, however this book was not for me. Nonetheless, I am sure there would be other people who would love the book.
David McK (3547 KP) rated Alien: River of Pain in Books
Jul 21, 2019
The second (or is it third? Audible has it 2nd, but I've also seen it called #3? Maybe 3rd produced, but 2nd set?) of - currently - 3 canon Alien novels, this takes part largely alongside the early parts of the movie Aliens, cutting back and forth between Ripley and the inhabitants of the colony of Hadley's Hope.
Remember I said alongside the start of Aliens? To put that into context, this is - largely - filling in the gaps in the movie, between the point at which Ripley's escape pod is picked up, and the arrival of the Marines (and Ripley, and Burke) to that colony, after all communication with it is lost. As such, there are several scenes in here which are lifted straight from that movie, with some - slightly - expanded upon.
It also gives a reason why Newt is the only survivor found hiding in the air-ducts ("They mostly come at night. Mostly"), why there's Alien Face-huggers in jars in the colony, why the marines are so hyped up when we first meet them in the film (they're just back from R&R), and even why Newt's family went out prospecting in the first place.
Worth a read/listen? Yes, although I have to say that there are elements of this that reminded me quite a bit of the 90s comic/novel "Aliens: Nightmare Asylum" - especially in some of the characters - and that it just seems weird, now, that the presence of Marines on the planetoid, pre Ripley and co, are never mentioned at all!
Remember I said alongside the start of Aliens? To put that into context, this is - largely - filling in the gaps in the movie, between the point at which Ripley's escape pod is picked up, and the arrival of the Marines (and Ripley, and Burke) to that colony, after all communication with it is lost. As such, there are several scenes in here which are lifted straight from that movie, with some - slightly - expanded upon.
It also gives a reason why Newt is the only survivor found hiding in the air-ducts ("They mostly come at night. Mostly"), why there's Alien Face-huggers in jars in the colony, why the marines are so hyped up when we first meet them in the film (they're just back from R&R), and even why Newt's family went out prospecting in the first place.
Worth a read/listen? Yes, although I have to say that there are elements of this that reminded me quite a bit of the 90s comic/novel "Aliens: Nightmare Asylum" - especially in some of the characters - and that it just seems weird, now, that the presence of Marines on the planetoid, pre Ripley and co, are never mentioned at all!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
When so much often goes wrong with movie adaptations of video games, it is always pleasant when the occasional one takes you by surprise and becomes a well written, well acted, adventure of a movie. Prince of Persia, directed by Mike Newell, previously of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, captures much of the fun of the video game while telling a compelling story obviously written for the screen, and not pulled straight from the game itself.
Prince Dastan, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, does a fitting job of balancing the devious and dignified sides of his character. Gemma Arterton plays the role of Tamina with good chemistry with Gyllenhaal, and their dialogue always seems to have a spark of something extra. Ben Kingsley and the rest of the supporting cast do a fantastic job of rounding out the story and providing a degree of comic relief, tension, and reasons to use the special effects budget. The special effects are as expected, coming from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, excellent. Still, they don’t distract or otherwise draw too much attention away from the story itself.
The movie, obviously enough, revolves around Prince Dastan and a mystical dagger that can turn back time for short periods. Despite the plot twists and turns (and there are several), this movie kept me guessing and absorbed in the story, but never confused. If you’re looking for a fun time at the movies to start the summer season, look no further than this lively and fun film.
Prince Dastan, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, does a fitting job of balancing the devious and dignified sides of his character. Gemma Arterton plays the role of Tamina with good chemistry with Gyllenhaal, and their dialogue always seems to have a spark of something extra. Ben Kingsley and the rest of the supporting cast do a fantastic job of rounding out the story and providing a degree of comic relief, tension, and reasons to use the special effects budget. The special effects are as expected, coming from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, excellent. Still, they don’t distract or otherwise draw too much attention away from the story itself.
The movie, obviously enough, revolves around Prince Dastan and a mystical dagger that can turn back time for short periods. Despite the plot twists and turns (and there are several), this movie kept me guessing and absorbed in the story, but never confused. If you’re looking for a fun time at the movies to start the summer season, look no further than this lively and fun film.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Crazies (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
In the farming community of Ogden Marsh, a small town in middle America where everyone knows their neighbor, unspeakable horror is about to happen.
During a game of baseball local Farmer Rory Hamill arrives interrupting the game with shotgun in tow. This odd incident soon leads to more and shows that that something definitely isn’t right as the locals begin losing their minds.
In the new film “The Crazies”, a remake of the classic original film by horror legend George Romero, the audience is taken on a bizarre trip as a an ideal small community becomes the setting of unimagined terror and chaos.
Before the movie, I researched the original and read a comic series in order to get a better grasp on the source material.
Sadly the final product did not live up to my expectations as the film plays out in a very stale manner and it seems that Director Breck Eisner was unsure what direction he wanted to the film to take.
I felt like I was watching a re-packaged “28 Days later” with a little bit of “Quarantine” mixed in, Honestly the movie was so boring to me that I found myself trying to find anything in it that could keep my attention.
Thankfully the film does have some great special FX which for me is the saving grace of the film. While I had expected a bit more form the source material which was rife with possibilities, “The Crazies” plays out as a rather mundane horror film that offers very little that is new and fresh.
During a game of baseball local Farmer Rory Hamill arrives interrupting the game with shotgun in tow. This odd incident soon leads to more and shows that that something definitely isn’t right as the locals begin losing their minds.
In the new film “The Crazies”, a remake of the classic original film by horror legend George Romero, the audience is taken on a bizarre trip as a an ideal small community becomes the setting of unimagined terror and chaos.
Before the movie, I researched the original and read a comic series in order to get a better grasp on the source material.
Sadly the final product did not live up to my expectations as the film plays out in a very stale manner and it seems that Director Breck Eisner was unsure what direction he wanted to the film to take.
I felt like I was watching a re-packaged “28 Days later” with a little bit of “Quarantine” mixed in, Honestly the movie was so boring to me that I found myself trying to find anything in it that could keep my attention.
Thankfully the film does have some great special FX which for me is the saving grace of the film. While I had expected a bit more form the source material which was rife with possibilities, “The Crazies” plays out as a rather mundane horror film that offers very little that is new and fresh.
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