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Knuckledust (2020)
4.0
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When a special police task force kick open the doors of elite underground fight den - Club...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Line of Duty - Season 1 in TV
Apr 22, 2019 (Updated Apr 22, 2019)
Deserving of the hype
Over the past few months, one of the shows that I kept getting told to watch is Line of Duty. Nearly everyone I know is raving about this, and despite the fact that they’re all on series 5, I decided to give this a go from the very first series. And for the most part, this is fairly deserving of the hype.
Police dramas have inundated our screens over the past few years, and it’s unusual to find ones that rise above average - Luther is one, and now I think Line of Duty is another. This has at least found a new angle on the police instead of the usual murder mystery, focusing on the Anti Corruption unit. Whilst I’m pretty sure AC isn’t anywhere nearly as interesting in real life (and indeed the real life name of Professional Standards used for the unit by most actual police forces isn’t as catchy either), Line of Duty at least makes this highly entertaining and intriguing. Corruption sounds boring, but in this it really isn’t and is full of twists and turns and reveals throughout the series. It has a great cast too that really helps and isn’t afraid to show a bit of blood and violence. As sad as I am, I also enjoyed the little nods to real police - the modern glass plated buildings and the police lanyards etc - these made this a lot more relatable.
This isn’t perfect though. I sometimes found some of the jumps in storyline confusing and I don’t feel like everything was wrapped up at the end of the series. I also found that the three main AC12 character weren’t very well developed and there could have been more done to show their backgrounds or personal lives. I don’t doubt that this will be expanded in later series, but it would’ve been nice to see it here! I am however very much looking forward to seeing the next few series.
Police dramas have inundated our screens over the past few years, and it’s unusual to find ones that rise above average - Luther is one, and now I think Line of Duty is another. This has at least found a new angle on the police instead of the usual murder mystery, focusing on the Anti Corruption unit. Whilst I’m pretty sure AC isn’t anywhere nearly as interesting in real life (and indeed the real life name of Professional Standards used for the unit by most actual police forces isn’t as catchy either), Line of Duty at least makes this highly entertaining and intriguing. Corruption sounds boring, but in this it really isn’t and is full of twists and turns and reveals throughout the series. It has a great cast too that really helps and isn’t afraid to show a bit of blood and violence. As sad as I am, I also enjoyed the little nods to real police - the modern glass plated buildings and the police lanyards etc - these made this a lot more relatable.
This isn’t perfect though. I sometimes found some of the jumps in storyline confusing and I don’t feel like everything was wrapped up at the end of the series. I also found that the three main AC12 character weren’t very well developed and there could have been more done to show their backgrounds or personal lives. I don’t doubt that this will be expanded in later series, but it would’ve been nice to see it here! I am however very much looking forward to seeing the next few series.
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Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Ship Ablaze:The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum in Books
Dec 30, 2017
A Timely Tale
This was a good book about a little known tragedy. The General Slocum was a steamer that traveled on the rivers that surrounded New York City. Often these ships were used by groups for excursions to the shore or picnic areas up river. On June 15, 1904 a German church group had booked passage. It was mainly women and children.
As the book title suggest the worst thing that could happen on a ship did when it caught on fire. The early 1900's were still a time of corruption and profit over safety. This helped lead to the deaths of over 1,000 people.
The story in this book is a timely warning to us as safety laws are rolled back for profits. It was a well written and researched tale. We need to heed the warnings of our past so as not to repeat them with larger tragedies.
As the book title suggest the worst thing that could happen on a ship did when it caught on fire. The early 1900's were still a time of corruption and profit over safety. This helped lead to the deaths of over 1,000 people.
The story in this book is a timely warning to us as safety laws are rolled back for profits. It was a well written and researched tale. We need to heed the warnings of our past so as not to repeat them with larger tragedies.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated 13th (2016) in Movies
Sep 19, 2017
Essential viewing for an understanding of current times
There's a very good reason this film won a BAFTA for best documentary, exploring how the American prison system has been monetized in order for huge corporations to profit from punishment.
It also explores how mass incarceration is a new version of an old system of slavery, in some cases literally - using prisoners to make goods for businesses such as Microsoft, Victoria Secret even building parts for Patriot Missiles for free. It shows how ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council), a group of corporations, lobby and create policies for governments to push into law. And it reveals how police brutalisation is but an extension of old ideologies.
There has been a series of incredible exposés recently about the African American struggle and corruption of systems, all of which are absolutely vital and significant for current times, and this is definitely important for those who want to understand how we got to this breaking point in time.
It also explores how mass incarceration is a new version of an old system of slavery, in some cases literally - using prisoners to make goods for businesses such as Microsoft, Victoria Secret even building parts for Patriot Missiles for free. It shows how ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council), a group of corporations, lobby and create policies for governments to push into law. And it reveals how police brutalisation is but an extension of old ideologies.
There has been a series of incredible exposés recently about the African American struggle and corruption of systems, all of which are absolutely vital and significant for current times, and this is definitely important for those who want to understand how we got to this breaking point in time.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Catwoman (2004) in Movies
Feb 15, 2018 (Updated Feb 15, 2018)
Kitty Litter
Wretched misfire of a superhero film proving that DC were quite capable of making bad movies before Zack Snyder was even on the premises. Attempt at a story of feminist empowerment ends up coupled to repeated spectacle of Halle Berry bending over in a leather bra while wearing jeans with holes in the bum cheeks. Dowdy wallflower discovers corruption, is flushed into harbour, given mouth-to-mouth by passing magic cat, wakes up with feline powers (including ability to stick to walls, unlike any cat I've ever seen).
It's not just that the story is poorly told, it's poorly conceived: around the same time Catwoman came out, Spider-Man was saving New York from a nuclear disaster while the X-Men were stopping psionic genocide. What case is Catwoman dealing with? Someone is trying to sell some dodgy make-up. Not just a really shoddy film, but an offensively patronising one, too.
It's not just that the story is poorly told, it's poorly conceived: around the same time Catwoman came out, Spider-Man was saving New York from a nuclear disaster while the X-Men were stopping psionic genocide. What case is Catwoman dealing with? Someone is trying to sell some dodgy make-up. Not just a really shoddy film, but an offensively patronising one, too.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Accountant (2016) in Movies
Mar 11, 2018 (Updated Mar 17, 2018)
Really-not-that-bad-at-all action thriller with Ben Affleck doing a surprisingly good job of playing a brilliant accountant-stroke-hitman. The film kind of dodges around the implication that Affleck's character is autistic, but the inference is clear and while this is still Movie Autism (never mind the crippling downsides, you get super powers!!!), it is still sympathetic and has at least a few vestiges of reality to it.
The plot eventually ends up being completely gonzo, involving corruption in the robotics industry and duelling assassins, but the movie fends off the moment when you shout 'this is all utterly ridiculous!' for a surprisingly long time. Eclectic cast includes Affleck, John Lithgow, Jon Bernthal, and Anna Kendrick (who appears to be about three feet tall in a few of her scenes). A fun and engaging movie; not a particularly great thriller but all the peripheral weirdness keeps it watchable.
The plot eventually ends up being completely gonzo, involving corruption in the robotics industry and duelling assassins, but the movie fends off the moment when you shout 'this is all utterly ridiculous!' for a surprisingly long time. Eclectic cast includes Affleck, John Lithgow, Jon Bernthal, and Anna Kendrick (who appears to be about three feet tall in a few of her scenes). A fun and engaging movie; not a particularly great thriller but all the peripheral weirdness keeps it watchable.
KerrChung (46 KP) rated Robocop (1987) in Movies
Jun 13, 2018
story (2 more)
action
explosions
Cyborgpunk?
Contains spoilers, click to show
One of my favorite films. Awesome story, good actors, stunts, puppetry, models, and good Special Effects. This is Paul Verhoeven and Peter Weller's best movie. $50 million budget (in 1987!), with multiple huge explosions, with hundreds of bullets fired, and scores of stuntmen used.
A cop loses his humanity and is brought back to life, he is resurrected as a cyborg super cop who once again regains his humanity and has to learn how to navigate being robot and deal with his past human memories. ED-209 has all the fire power and is just a cool design for a robot/urban tank. The costume and the suit for RoboCop was beautifully designed. Themes include media influence, gentrification, corruption, authoritarianism, greed, privatization, capitalism, identity, dystopia, and human nature. It is a movie well deserved of it's R rating. In one scene RoboCop prevents a rape when he shoots the rapist in the dick. VIOLENT and amazingly poetic.
A cop loses his humanity and is brought back to life, he is resurrected as a cyborg super cop who once again regains his humanity and has to learn how to navigate being robot and deal with his past human memories. ED-209 has all the fire power and is just a cool design for a robot/urban tank. The costume and the suit for RoboCop was beautifully designed. Themes include media influence, gentrification, corruption, authoritarianism, greed, privatization, capitalism, identity, dystopia, and human nature. It is a movie well deserved of it's R rating. In one scene RoboCop prevents a rape when he shoots the rapist in the dick. VIOLENT and amazingly poetic.