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Fred (860 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Sep 18, 2019
Better than Spider-Verse
Now, this is a great Spider-Man movie!
So, ever since I was a kid, in the 70s, I've always wanted to see a Spider-Man movie featuring Mysterio. I mean, what better villain than the one who creates movie special-effects? However, I did know that the effects available weren't good enough to pull it off. I also knew they would eventually get there. It took a long time, but it was well worth the wait. This is what I wanted since I'm a kid. They pulled it off.
Tom Holland brings the usual to the role, which is perfect. I do love Jon Favreau's Happy, and he brings a lot of the humor to the film. In a way though, I wish Spider-Man was Spider-Man & not Iron-Spider-Man. I wish he was on his own, you know what I mean? But it's okay. It doesn't get in the way of the entertainment. And yes, this film is entertaining. There is no slow-down during this film. It's constantly moving. Not like Endgame, which only gets going at the end. Yes, this film is better than Endgame. It's better than Home Coming. And it's better than Spider-Verse.
Jake Gyllenhaal is great as Mysterio. I like the other co-stars too. The teachers are funny as hell. The Hawaiian kid is funny. MJ is okay. And Flash Thompson, well....he sucks. But anyway, the others are good.
And to finish off my review, I have to say, the secret cameo during the mid-credits made me jump with joy. Shocking to say the least. This is a definite must see!
So, ever since I was a kid, in the 70s, I've always wanted to see a Spider-Man movie featuring Mysterio. I mean, what better villain than the one who creates movie special-effects? However, I did know that the effects available weren't good enough to pull it off. I also knew they would eventually get there. It took a long time, but it was well worth the wait. This is what I wanted since I'm a kid. They pulled it off.
Tom Holland brings the usual to the role, which is perfect. I do love Jon Favreau's Happy, and he brings a lot of the humor to the film. In a way though, I wish Spider-Man was Spider-Man & not Iron-Spider-Man. I wish he was on his own, you know what I mean? But it's okay. It doesn't get in the way of the entertainment. And yes, this film is entertaining. There is no slow-down during this film. It's constantly moving. Not like Endgame, which only gets going at the end. Yes, this film is better than Endgame. It's better than Home Coming. And it's better than Spider-Verse.
Jake Gyllenhaal is great as Mysterio. I like the other co-stars too. The teachers are funny as hell. The Hawaiian kid is funny. MJ is okay. And Flash Thompson, well....he sucks. But anyway, the others are good.
And to finish off my review, I have to say, the secret cameo during the mid-credits made me jump with joy. Shocking to say the least. This is a definite must see!

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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Dune (2021) in Movies
Oct 25, 2021
As I'm writing this, it's been a few days since I watched Dune and I still don't fully know how to process it.
I will start by saying that it's visually stunning. Dune is extremely pleasing to look at from start to finish, from the lush greens and blues of Caladan, to the harsh firey desserts of Arrakis, all of these pallettes jump off the screen. These settings are utilised frequently in countless wide shots and make for do e wonderful vistas. In fact, the whole film is shit beautifully, and I'd expect nothing less from Denis Villeneuve.
All of this works hand in hand with an incredible music score Hans Zimmer. As is standard from Zimmer, every musical point is huge, and turns Dune from a movie into an experience.
The cast is stacked of course. Timothée Chamalet and Rebecca Ferguson absolutely steal the show, and all if the characters are engaging and interesting.
All of this being said, Dune did leave me feeling a little cold. I'm not overly familiar with the source material, so I can accept that I'm not necessarily the target audience, but I felt a lot of the lore was muddied. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate the finished product, but I just felt exhausted when the credits rolled, and not in a good way. It's certainly one I'm going to have to revisit to from a proper opinion on.
Despite my reservations, I still appreciate the epic scale of Dune, and I can fully see why it's been getting glowing reviews across the board. Keeping my fingers crossed for part two!
I will start by saying that it's visually stunning. Dune is extremely pleasing to look at from start to finish, from the lush greens and blues of Caladan, to the harsh firey desserts of Arrakis, all of these pallettes jump off the screen. These settings are utilised frequently in countless wide shots and make for do e wonderful vistas. In fact, the whole film is shit beautifully, and I'd expect nothing less from Denis Villeneuve.
All of this works hand in hand with an incredible music score Hans Zimmer. As is standard from Zimmer, every musical point is huge, and turns Dune from a movie into an experience.
The cast is stacked of course. Timothée Chamalet and Rebecca Ferguson absolutely steal the show, and all if the characters are engaging and interesting.
All of this being said, Dune did leave me feeling a little cold. I'm not overly familiar with the source material, so I can accept that I'm not necessarily the target audience, but I felt a lot of the lore was muddied. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate the finished product, but I just felt exhausted when the credits rolled, and not in a good way. It's certainly one I'm going to have to revisit to from a proper opinion on.
Despite my reservations, I still appreciate the epic scale of Dune, and I can fully see why it's been getting glowing reviews across the board. Keeping my fingers crossed for part two!

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Morbius (2022) in Movies
Apr 2, 2022
For better or for worse, Morbius is finally out and, well, it ain't anything to write home about, but it's not quite as piss poor as I'd been hearing.
I've always liked the Morbius character, a solid C-list villain of Blade and Spider-Man, but did he ever really need his own movie? Well evidently not. It's essentially a run-of-the-mill comic book adaption that feels like it belongs in the mid 2000s with Elektra and Daredevil. It's kind of like a less fun Venom. Jared Leto isn't too shabby in the title roll when he's onscreen by himself, but there's just no chemistry between anyone otherwise, rendering a lot of the runtime quite boring. The action scenes are the kind of predictable grey CGI orgies that we've come to expect by now, and it's difficult to make out what's even happening on some occasions. The CG itself is hit and miss. Morbius actually looks pretty decent for the most part, but Matt Smith's character looks like a reject from I Am Legend. The movie suffers from a lack of an R rating, with a lot of weird looking bloodless scenes where gore was clearly meant to be present. To top things off, it boasts a mid credits scene that at best, doesn't even try to make sense, and at worst, manages to cheapen the events of Marvel movies that have come before.
Honestly though, I didn't outright hate Morbius. There are certainly worse comic book adaptions out there, but I won't be in any rush to watch again. Sony insisted on pushing ahead with it, and ultimately could have done so much more.
I've always liked the Morbius character, a solid C-list villain of Blade and Spider-Man, but did he ever really need his own movie? Well evidently not. It's essentially a run-of-the-mill comic book adaption that feels like it belongs in the mid 2000s with Elektra and Daredevil. It's kind of like a less fun Venom. Jared Leto isn't too shabby in the title roll when he's onscreen by himself, but there's just no chemistry between anyone otherwise, rendering a lot of the runtime quite boring. The action scenes are the kind of predictable grey CGI orgies that we've come to expect by now, and it's difficult to make out what's even happening on some occasions. The CG itself is hit and miss. Morbius actually looks pretty decent for the most part, but Matt Smith's character looks like a reject from I Am Legend. The movie suffers from a lack of an R rating, with a lot of weird looking bloodless scenes where gore was clearly meant to be present. To top things off, it boasts a mid credits scene that at best, doesn't even try to make sense, and at worst, manages to cheapen the events of Marvel movies that have come before.
Honestly though, I didn't outright hate Morbius. There are certainly worse comic book adaptions out there, but I won't be in any rush to watch again. Sony insisted on pushing ahead with it, and ultimately could have done so much more.

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Honestly I think I'm still recovering from the midnight screening, but it was well worth going to. Lots of fans showed up. A real mix across the board, had a lot of banter with them. Slightly disappointed with some that left before the end of the credits... seriously... you should know by now.
I don't want to really give spoilers so this is going to be brief.
I was basically in shock from about minute three of the film right through to the end.
One bit really made me cry, and that annoyed me.
I laughed a lot.
Everyone loves a pirate angel baby.
The atmosphere in the cinema was incredible and it really upped the enjoyment of the film for me. Yes, that is fairly tricky to do as it was already right up there, but there's no denying that it was way better with all those reactions. I was buzzing when I left the cinema at 3am, as was everyone else.
The only thing I would say is that I'm not really sure why people were coming out and acting so shocked... they know what films are in the pipeline and who is signed up for more films... and there's still part two to come... yes, I died a little bit inside by the end of the movie, but you know the outcome for some of the characters. Take a breath and enjoy everything.
Minor off topic (sort of) annoyance... another film with a trailer full of things that you don't see, or don't see quite the same, in the film.
Honestly I think I'm still recovering from the midnight screening, but it was well worth going to. Lots of fans showed up. A real mix across the board, had a lot of banter with them. Slightly disappointed with some that left before the end of the credits... seriously... you should know by now.
I don't want to really give spoilers so this is going to be brief.
I was basically in shock from about minute three of the film right through to the end.
One bit really made me cry, and that annoyed me.
I laughed a lot.
Everyone loves a pirate angel baby.
The atmosphere in the cinema was incredible and it really upped the enjoyment of the film for me. Yes, that is fairly tricky to do as it was already right up there, but there's no denying that it was way better with all those reactions. I was buzzing when I left the cinema at 3am, as was everyone else.
The only thing I would say is that I'm not really sure why people were coming out and acting so shocked... they know what films are in the pipeline and who is signed up for more films... and there's still part two to come... yes, I died a little bit inside by the end of the movie, but you know the outcome for some of the characters. Take a breath and enjoy everything.
Minor off topic (sort of) annoyance... another film with a trailer full of things that you don't see, or don't see quite the same, in the film.

Erika (17789 KP) rated The Mandalorian - Season 1 in TV
Dec 28, 2019 (Updated Dec 28, 2019)
I want to say that I love this show like nearly everyone else, but it's simply not the case. It's just not amazing or mind-blowing, like many suggest.
The show is sufficiently entertaining, but I have a few issues with it. The episodes were all directed by different people (Filoni and Chow directed 2), and that may have been the issue. The styles were just too different. I'm also not sure why Bryce Dallas Howard was allowed to direct an ep, she should really leave the directing to her father and stick with acting. Howard's ep was, by far, the worst of them all.
I was bummed that the eps were so short, just over 30 minutes with the end credits. It was definitely a bummer.
My favorite (and the best) episodes were directed by Deborah Chow, who is set to direct the new Obi-Wan series. I'm even more excited for that now, because she was rock solid.
I won't say much about the story line, I don't want to spoil it more than it already has been. The episodes were kind of everywhere, and I found myself thinking after them, what the hell was the point of this ep? It was all just a little disappointing, the hype was too much for this show.
I liked Pascal's Mando, and Cara Dune (Carano) was probably my favorite human character. The Child is, of course, ADORABLE, but I need to know the mystery. A scene in ep 6 or 7 seemed to dismiss my personal theory, but I'm still sticking to it.
If you're a fan of the Clone Wars and/or Rebels, the final scene of the last ep will be a treat. Though, what the hell happened in order for that artefact to land in that person's hands??
The show is sufficiently entertaining, but I have a few issues with it. The episodes were all directed by different people (Filoni and Chow directed 2), and that may have been the issue. The styles were just too different. I'm also not sure why Bryce Dallas Howard was allowed to direct an ep, she should really leave the directing to her father and stick with acting. Howard's ep was, by far, the worst of them all.
I was bummed that the eps were so short, just over 30 minutes with the end credits. It was definitely a bummer.
My favorite (and the best) episodes were directed by Deborah Chow, who is set to direct the new Obi-Wan series. I'm even more excited for that now, because she was rock solid.
I won't say much about the story line, I don't want to spoil it more than it already has been. The episodes were kind of everywhere, and I found myself thinking after them, what the hell was the point of this ep? It was all just a little disappointing, the hype was too much for this show.
I liked Pascal's Mando, and Cara Dune (Carano) was probably my favorite human character. The Child is, of course, ADORABLE, but I need to know the mystery. A scene in ep 6 or 7 seemed to dismiss my personal theory, but I'm still sticking to it.
If you're a fan of the Clone Wars and/or Rebels, the final scene of the last ep will be a treat. Though, what the hell happened in order for that artefact to land in that person's hands??

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Date Night (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
Date Night, directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum), is a surprisingly funny film. More often than not, you can determine the quality of a film by the time you finish watching its trailer. This movie was a nice wake-up call that what you see isn’t always what you get.
Steve Carell and Tiny Fey have an unexpected amount of on-screen chemistry. This affinity is most evident in a clever dining scene in the beginning of the film, during which they each ad-lib other restaurant patrons’ conversations (be sure to stay in your seats during the credits for several hilarious out-takes of this scene). Carell and Fey genuinely feel like a couple in a bit of a slump in their marriage. Romantic comedies are often guilty of betraying a stunning lack of subtlety when it comes to heartfelt dialogue, but not in this case. The way they work through it during the countless shenanigans of their date night never comes across as trite or clichéd.
I was surprised the type of humor varied quite a bit during this film. Each of us have a different type of funny bone, so while some jokes fell relatively flat on me personally, these same moments were met with a good amount of laughter from others in the theater. Don’t come into this movie expecting a singular form of comedy. Visual humor, situational comedy, unexpected irony, running gags (involving Mark Wahlberg), and several obviously bad jokes told with fearless gusto pushed this movie to unanticipated levels of laughter.
After a few questionable plot events, the ending was something of a deus ex machina. The writer, Josh Klausner, ended up working the implausibility into the story nicely for a decent finish to a funny film.
Steve Carell and Tiny Fey have an unexpected amount of on-screen chemistry. This affinity is most evident in a clever dining scene in the beginning of the film, during which they each ad-lib other restaurant patrons’ conversations (be sure to stay in your seats during the credits for several hilarious out-takes of this scene). Carell and Fey genuinely feel like a couple in a bit of a slump in their marriage. Romantic comedies are often guilty of betraying a stunning lack of subtlety when it comes to heartfelt dialogue, but not in this case. The way they work through it during the countless shenanigans of their date night never comes across as trite or clichéd.
I was surprised the type of humor varied quite a bit during this film. Each of us have a different type of funny bone, so while some jokes fell relatively flat on me personally, these same moments were met with a good amount of laughter from others in the theater. Don’t come into this movie expecting a singular form of comedy. Visual humor, situational comedy, unexpected irony, running gags (involving Mark Wahlberg), and several obviously bad jokes told with fearless gusto pushed this movie to unanticipated levels of laughter.
After a few questionable plot events, the ending was something of a deus ex machina. The writer, Josh Klausner, ended up working the implausibility into the story nicely for a decent finish to a funny film.

Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated A Serious Man (2009) in Movies
Jan 21, 2020
Old Movie Revisited: A Serious Man. A friend just asked me what I was watching, I said A Serious Man, a Coen Brothers movie. The reply, I hate them... I freaking love them. Who else can tell the tale of a man and his life totally unraveling and still be able to laugh at it, like the Coen Bros. Oh well... The movie tells the tale of Larry Gopnik, and like I said, his life is falling apart. It all starts one day as he's sitting in his office, a college psychics teacher, and a student tries to bribe him for a passing grade, goes home, his neighbor is going over property lines with a lawnmower and making things look shitty, his brother is living with them because someone has a gambling problem, his daughter is stealing money from his wallet to save up for a nose job, and his son owes 20 bucks to the fat drug dealer up the street. And of course right before dinner, his wife lets him know she wants a quickie divorce so she can be with a another man, a good friend of the family. And thats the first 20 minutes. For the rest of the flick, it seems Larry just wants to make everyone happy tho his own life is going insanely out of control, all while staying within the confines of his religion. And thanks to the Coen brothers the Jewish faith looks totally insane (Being fair, all religion to me is insane) It really was an awesome movie, pulls you in with a great story and great acting, Michael Stuhlbarg, not exactly a household name, was excellent as Larry!! And right before the credits roll. It kicks you in the balls one last time, its great!

Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Jan 12, 2020
The movie seems to be set a couple of years after the first, all 4 friends have gone their seperate ways but come together to meet up at their local coffee shop, all except Spencer. Worried about him, fridge, Martha and bethany go to his house where they meet spencers grandad and his ex business partner Milo but spencer is nowhere to be seen. They hear the familiar drums coming from the basement and decide to go investigate, they notice the smashed games console and spencers phone and realise he has gone back into the game. They know They need to go back in and rescue him so they all touch the console and get dragged back into jumanji, but this time there's a difference. Everyone except martha are in different bodies and not only that but grandad and milo are somehow dragged in too.
Once again they have to complete different levels in the game but with 2 old people in tow instead of spencer and bethany with funny consequences. Dwayne johnson and kevin hart had the new characters down to a tea, the way they spoke and everything.
The storyline was along the same lines as the first movie but their play through was different. I liked how Martha was much more confident than last time and took the lead this time around. There was some laughs but not as much as the first film and i found some scenes dragged on longer than they should but overall it was a good movie and by the looks of the mid credits scene there is room for a 3rd to finish it off.
Once again they have to complete different levels in the game but with 2 old people in tow instead of spencer and bethany with funny consequences. Dwayne johnson and kevin hart had the new characters down to a tea, the way they spoke and everything.
The storyline was along the same lines as the first movie but their play through was different. I liked how Martha was much more confident than last time and took the lead this time around. There was some laughs but not as much as the first film and i found some scenes dragged on longer than they should but overall it was a good movie and by the looks of the mid credits scene there is room for a 3rd to finish it off.

KalJ95 (25 KP) rated Uncut Gems (2019) in Movies
Jan 12, 2020
The performance of Sandler's career. (2 more)
Nail biting, stressful viewing.
The resolution is worth the slow burn that climbs and climbs.
Sandler's gem.
Often throughout Uncut Gems, I found myself biting my nails to the nearest inch of my skin. At one point, closing in an hour, I realised I started to bleed from my index finger. The blood hadn't even occurred to me until the credits rolled, took a deep breath, and looked. The stressful nature of a character like Howard Ratner was difficult to understand, whether you sympathized with him or not. I neither routed for his destructive behaviour, nor wanted harm to come his way. Sitting on the fence didn't feel comfortable either. And this is why Uncut Gems is so special.
(No spoilers ahead.)
Howard's spiral towards more trouble is so nerve inducing it's hard to watch, even more hard to look away. His bad decision making creates a cause and effect chain, and often when you think his luck will turn around, he weasels and worms his way into even more trouble, all created by his constant addiction to make it big. Undeniably, this is all down to a masterclass from Adam Sandler.
The Safdie Brothers opened a can of worms, and Adam Sandler brought everything out. His slow burn decent towards losing it all is all the effective because he brings so many layers to the role. Ratner is a creep, a loser, a cheat, and a liar. He's also ambitious, outspoken, and sometimes even sympathetic. I never liked him as a person, but I did feel sorry for him.
I've seen some fine performances this year in cinema, and Sandler is most definitely up their with Joaquin Phoenix.
Uncut Gems is pulsatingly good, exhausting and draining, and one of the best thrillers you'll see in years. Adam Sandler, you're redeemed for Jack and Jill.
(No spoilers ahead.)
Howard's spiral towards more trouble is so nerve inducing it's hard to watch, even more hard to look away. His bad decision making creates a cause and effect chain, and often when you think his luck will turn around, he weasels and worms his way into even more trouble, all created by his constant addiction to make it big. Undeniably, this is all down to a masterclass from Adam Sandler.
The Safdie Brothers opened a can of worms, and Adam Sandler brought everything out. His slow burn decent towards losing it all is all the effective because he brings so many layers to the role. Ratner is a creep, a loser, a cheat, and a liar. He's also ambitious, outspoken, and sometimes even sympathetic. I never liked him as a person, but I did feel sorry for him.
I've seen some fine performances this year in cinema, and Sandler is most definitely up their with Joaquin Phoenix.
Uncut Gems is pulsatingly good, exhausting and draining, and one of the best thrillers you'll see in years. Adam Sandler, you're redeemed for Jack and Jill.