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Michael day (3 KP) rated Alien: Covenant (2017) in Movies
Jul 8, 2017
Li Hughes (285 KP) rated Marvel's The Defenders - Season 1 in TV
Aug 21, 2017
I love the cinematography in this series! The color schemes, the camera work, the choices that are made throughout are great. The story likewise, though it is quite slow through the first couple of eps as the team is re-introduced and brought together. Jessica Jones' snark is great, Luke Cage is strong and thoughtful as always, Matt Murdock steeps in his angst a bit more than I'd really prefer, and Danny Rand...is a spoiled, immature child playacting at being a superhero as before but everyone else's reactions to him make him a bit more palatable. The discussion between Cage and Rand in episode 2 was great.
Overall this is a good addition to Marvel canon. It's only as strong as its story and its weakest link, but still an enjoyable show.
Overall this is a good addition to Marvel canon. It's only as strong as its story and its weakest link, but still an enjoyable show.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Once upon a Time in Mexico (2003) in Movies
Dec 19, 2017
The third instalment in the Mariachi trilogy (which I still don't quite agree with as El Mariachi and Desperado were basically the same film but with the title character being weak/strong) sees El happily together with Salma Hayek but on the run from banditos who finally tracked him down. Opening silly action sequence where they climb down a building while chained at the wrist and escape on top of a bus. Johnny Depp appears as a very naughty CIA agent, who is constantly building up empires/governments to watch them fall and profiting from the spoils. He becomes embroiled in Willem Defoe's coup of the Mexican Culiacan region, meanwhile tries to even out the balance in Mexico by killing all chefs whose Puerco Pibil is too good or not good enough.
Roles for Mickey Rourke as a fugitive, Enrique Eglesias as a down on his luck mariachi gigolo, Cheech Marin as ... Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo as ... Danny Trejo give this film a strong cast and a familiar Rodriguez film.
Further silly action scenes, exploding / remote controlled guitar cases and double/triple crossing complete an excellent fun ride of a film where belief has to be suspended.
Roles for Mickey Rourke as a fugitive, Enrique Eglesias as a down on his luck mariachi gigolo, Cheech Marin as ... Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo as ... Danny Trejo give this film a strong cast and a familiar Rodriguez film.
Further silly action scenes, exploding / remote controlled guitar cases and double/triple crossing complete an excellent fun ride of a film where belief has to be suspended.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Spider-Man 2 (2004) in Movies
Sep 23, 2020
The second of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films is a shining example of a comic book sequel outshining it's predecessor. Everything is better, the set pieces, the characters, the effects, and the stakes are higher.
Spider-Man 2 owes a lot to Alfred Molina. His performance as Otto Octavius, and later, Doctor Octopus is pure villainous perfection, whilst lending the character a sympathetic undertone. Spider-Man has a fantastic rogues gallery to chooses from, and Doc Ock is one of the more complicated ones. This movie does the character justice.
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, J.K. Simmons and Rosemary Harris all return from the first film and all cement their positions in movie history as these beloved comic characters.
The effects look a little dated by today's standards, but they're still more than passable, and another great score by Danny Elfman is the cherry on top.
Spider-Man 2 is both a strong sequel, and a strong comic book adaption.
Spider-Man 2 owes a lot to Alfred Molina. His performance as Otto Octavius, and later, Doctor Octopus is pure villainous perfection, whilst lending the character a sympathetic undertone. Spider-Man has a fantastic rogues gallery to chooses from, and Doc Ock is one of the more complicated ones. This movie does the character justice.
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, J.K. Simmons and Rosemary Harris all return from the first film and all cement their positions in movie history as these beloved comic characters.
The effects look a little dated by today's standards, but they're still more than passable, and another great score by Danny Elfman is the cherry on top.
Spider-Man 2 is both a strong sequel, and a strong comic book adaption.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Trance (2013) in Movies
Feb 1, 2020
Danny Boyle is a director who rarely disappoints me even with weaker material his unique visual style makes for entertaining viewing. For me this was one of his better recent efforts and the story here is compelling with twists and turns galore (some plausible and some perhaps not so plausible) as we slowly unravel multiple plot lines connected with hypnosis and a botched art heist. The film is well paced and visually very impressive and kept me suitably hooked. The performances are also strong with James McAvoy and Vincent Cassel being the standouts but if the films plot leaves you scratching your head just a bit too much then there is always an eyebrow raising turn from Rosario Dawson that will certainly leave you with fond memories of the film.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Jul 5, 2020 (Updated Jul 5, 2020)
If it ain't broke and all that
Reviewed in one sentence -
There's a bit where Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson full on anime punches an ostrich. 6/10
To elaborate slightly - Jumanji: The Next Level isn't quite as fun as it's predecessor, mainly because it's pretty much a strikingly similar re-tread.
It's still a lot of fun with some imaginative set pieces, mostly decent effects, and a strong cast - Karen Gillan once again shows off just how much star quality she has.
It's fairly forgettable, but it's feel good. Kevin Hart spends half the film doing a hauntingly accurate impression of Danny Glover which never stops being amusing, and by the time the films increasingly absurd climax comes around, it's clear that you would have to be a bit of a Grinch to not take something positive away.
There's a bit where Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson full on anime punches an ostrich. 6/10
To elaborate slightly - Jumanji: The Next Level isn't quite as fun as it's predecessor, mainly because it's pretty much a strikingly similar re-tread.
It's still a lot of fun with some imaginative set pieces, mostly decent effects, and a strong cast - Karen Gillan once again shows off just how much star quality she has.
It's fairly forgettable, but it's feel good. Kevin Hart spends half the film doing a hauntingly accurate impression of Danny Glover which never stops being amusing, and by the time the films increasingly absurd climax comes around, it's clear that you would have to be a bit of a Grinch to not take something positive away.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 4 in TV
Jul 10, 2017
The Gentleman (3 more)
Somthing Blue
Hush episode as a whole
Superstar
Knocking on Windows
Whilst there are other series I love over this one, I have to give it a 10 star rating purely because of the episode Hush. Never before has a Tv series pushed the boundaries where a good per cent-age of the show there was no talking. Cine-graphically this episode is on a level above and beyond normal television programming. There are some great preformaces this series in this series in the form of Danny strong as Jonathan in Superstar. Giles turned into a Fyral demon. Buffy and Spike engaged in something Blue. Personally i wasn't a big fan of the initiative story arc or Riley but could see why others did.
"Can't even shout, can't even cry
The Gentlemen are coming by
Looking in windows, knocking on doors
They need to take seven and they might take yours
Can't call to mom, can't say a word
You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard."
"Can't even shout, can't even cry
The Gentlemen are coming by
Looking in windows, knocking on doors
They need to take seven and they might take yours
Can't call to mom, can't say a word
You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard."
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Ambulance (2022) in Movies
Apr 18, 2022
Repetitive drone camera work (2 more)
Cringey humor and dialogue
An outdated and juvenile screenplay
Ambulance Review: Action At Its Dumbest And Gaudiest
Ambulance is a remake of a 2005 Danish film of the same name. Michael Bay’s version of the film follows former Marine Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as he struggles to find a job and support his family; his wife requires an experimental surgery that their health insurance won’t pay for.
Will turns to his estranged yet wealthy adopted brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal). Danny wants Will to participate in a bank heist worth $32 million. Will takes the job out of desperation, but when the heist goes sideways the two brothers hijack an ambulance and take a wounded cop along with a paramedic named Cam (Elza Gonzalez) as hostages.
The performances from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhall save Ambulance from being nothing more than an explosive, gyrating mess of a film. You don’t necessarily walk out of the theater feeling sympathy for Will, but you understand why the character turns to robbing a bank after serving his country through the heartfelt actions of Abdul-Mateen’s performance.
Jake Gyllenhaal is a memorable psychopath as Danny Sharp. Gyllenhaal has a ton of charisma as the character and can be incredibly likeable at times, but he has a temper that ignites without warning. Gyllenhaal is able to become intense and unhinged whenever Danny loses control of the situation, which is quite often over the course of 136-minutes.
The action thriller is dripping with what has either made you a fan of Michael Bay’s work or made you despise the Los Angeles born filmmaker for the majority of his career. The editing of the film is spastic and frenetic. There doesn’t seem to be a single sequence that lasts longer than eight seconds before cutting to another angle.
There are several references to other Michael Bay films in Ambulance; The Rock, 13 Hours, Armageddon, and Pearl Harbor. There’s also stuff you’d expect to find in a Michael Bay film like countless explosions and extravagant car wrecks. The film also seems to recycle the rotating camera Bay utilized in Bad Boys to highlight intense conversations between Will and Danny when they’re not confined to being inside the ambulance.
Despite working with a screenwriter whose first screenwriting credit is this film, Ambulance has writing that feels like it was something Bay produced over a decade ago. The dialogue feels extremely outdated and juvenile as characters walk this thin line between cringey humor and being downright sexist or racist. It feels like Bay was trying to feature a strong, independent woman in Ambulance with Cam. She's a competent single woman who is good at her job and doesn’t have to rely on anyone for anything. But the reveal of why she’s cold and remorseless is entirely cliché. The male characters have no real character development either though as their defining quality is that they all want to fight each other any chance they possibly get.
The Will character is also written in a way that is insulting and kind of offensive. So because he served his country he can get away with robbing a bank, shooting a cop, and participating in and driving the getaway vehicle during a massive car chase? He has a wife and daughter and his wife needs “experimental surgery” for an undisclosed illness and we’re supposed to root for this guy? Are we really this dumb?
It couldn’t be a film set in Los Angeles without someone making a reference to how terrible drivers are in LA. The secondary storylines don’t make sense or are just a complete waste of time. That conversation Danny has with his assistant about futbol/soccer and the lawn flamingos was obviously something extremely relevant to the overall story of the film. A cop also tries to ask out a bank teller while the bank is being robbed and literally doesn’t notice. We also have these other massively relevant and not pointless at all story points; bringing a dog to a car chase, Danny joking about walking around with herpes, and performing surgery in the back of an ambulance while stopping the bleeding with a hair clip.
Revoke Michael Bay’s license to utilize drones in his films. Every outside sequence seemed to have the same establishing shot of the camera flying up into the air turning around and zooming back down towards the ground. The camera in this film never stops moving. That combined with the film’s brutal rapid fire editing style will have you wanting to barf long before Danny calls upon the cartel for back up.
Buried deep within Ambulance’s loud, flashy action, sickening editing, overstimulated filming techniques, and a screenplay that seems like it was fished out of a port-a-potty is a somewhat thrilling action film. Jake Gyllenhaal is a cashmere obsessed lunatic that you can’t help but love, but Ambulance is a gaudy and sloppy excuse of an action film otherwise.
Will turns to his estranged yet wealthy adopted brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal). Danny wants Will to participate in a bank heist worth $32 million. Will takes the job out of desperation, but when the heist goes sideways the two brothers hijack an ambulance and take a wounded cop along with a paramedic named Cam (Elza Gonzalez) as hostages.
The performances from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhall save Ambulance from being nothing more than an explosive, gyrating mess of a film. You don’t necessarily walk out of the theater feeling sympathy for Will, but you understand why the character turns to robbing a bank after serving his country through the heartfelt actions of Abdul-Mateen’s performance.
Jake Gyllenhaal is a memorable psychopath as Danny Sharp. Gyllenhaal has a ton of charisma as the character and can be incredibly likeable at times, but he has a temper that ignites without warning. Gyllenhaal is able to become intense and unhinged whenever Danny loses control of the situation, which is quite often over the course of 136-minutes.
The action thriller is dripping with what has either made you a fan of Michael Bay’s work or made you despise the Los Angeles born filmmaker for the majority of his career. The editing of the film is spastic and frenetic. There doesn’t seem to be a single sequence that lasts longer than eight seconds before cutting to another angle.
There are several references to other Michael Bay films in Ambulance; The Rock, 13 Hours, Armageddon, and Pearl Harbor. There’s also stuff you’d expect to find in a Michael Bay film like countless explosions and extravagant car wrecks. The film also seems to recycle the rotating camera Bay utilized in Bad Boys to highlight intense conversations between Will and Danny when they’re not confined to being inside the ambulance.
Despite working with a screenwriter whose first screenwriting credit is this film, Ambulance has writing that feels like it was something Bay produced over a decade ago. The dialogue feels extremely outdated and juvenile as characters walk this thin line between cringey humor and being downright sexist or racist. It feels like Bay was trying to feature a strong, independent woman in Ambulance with Cam. She's a competent single woman who is good at her job and doesn’t have to rely on anyone for anything. But the reveal of why she’s cold and remorseless is entirely cliché. The male characters have no real character development either though as their defining quality is that they all want to fight each other any chance they possibly get.
The Will character is also written in a way that is insulting and kind of offensive. So because he served his country he can get away with robbing a bank, shooting a cop, and participating in and driving the getaway vehicle during a massive car chase? He has a wife and daughter and his wife needs “experimental surgery” for an undisclosed illness and we’re supposed to root for this guy? Are we really this dumb?
It couldn’t be a film set in Los Angeles without someone making a reference to how terrible drivers are in LA. The secondary storylines don’t make sense or are just a complete waste of time. That conversation Danny has with his assistant about futbol/soccer and the lawn flamingos was obviously something extremely relevant to the overall story of the film. A cop also tries to ask out a bank teller while the bank is being robbed and literally doesn’t notice. We also have these other massively relevant and not pointless at all story points; bringing a dog to a car chase, Danny joking about walking around with herpes, and performing surgery in the back of an ambulance while stopping the bleeding with a hair clip.
Revoke Michael Bay’s license to utilize drones in his films. Every outside sequence seemed to have the same establishing shot of the camera flying up into the air turning around and zooming back down towards the ground. The camera in this film never stops moving. That combined with the film’s brutal rapid fire editing style will have you wanting to barf long before Danny calls upon the cartel for back up.
Buried deep within Ambulance’s loud, flashy action, sickening editing, overstimulated filming techniques, and a screenplay that seems like it was fished out of a port-a-potty is a somewhat thrilling action film. Jake Gyllenhaal is a cashmere obsessed lunatic that you can’t help but love, but Ambulance is a gaudy and sloppy excuse of an action film otherwise.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Smallfoot (2018) in Movies
Jan 8, 2019
Surprisingly Awesome
A yeti freaks out his entire community when he sees a mythical “smallfoot” (human) for the first time. Since no one believes him, he decides to go on a journey to prove that they are real.
Acting: 10
Solid cast all around. Channing Tatum is the lead yeti Migo and his voice matches the over-the-top innocence of his character. His father Dorgle is voiced by Danny DeVito who I thought delivered the best performance. You can feel that he loves his son and wants to protect him because he wants the best for him. DeVito is heartfelt and feels like a true dad.
Beginning: 3
The beginning had me wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into. It starts off extremely slow and I can’t help but think there might have been a better way to introduce the yeti and their community. There is much to love once the film progresses, however.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 8
Genre: 7
Memorability: 10
Smallfoot is pretty hilarious at times. The visuals are strong (watch this baby in 4K), especially when you’re looking at the lighting inside the caves and the beautiful sunrises. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of this movie, though, is its strong message. It revolves around finding truth and seeking peace. I love it when animated films give you something to think about.
Pace: 5
Plot: 10
Resolution: 10
Overall: 8
1A great family film that does more than just entertain; it teaches us something. With beautiful visuals and a powerful message, Smallfoot was definitely a pleasant surprise in 2018.
Acting: 10
Solid cast all around. Channing Tatum is the lead yeti Migo and his voice matches the over-the-top innocence of his character. His father Dorgle is voiced by Danny DeVito who I thought delivered the best performance. You can feel that he loves his son and wants to protect him because he wants the best for him. DeVito is heartfelt and feels like a true dad.
Beginning: 3
The beginning had me wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into. It starts off extremely slow and I can’t help but think there might have been a better way to introduce the yeti and their community. There is much to love once the film progresses, however.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 8
Genre: 7
Memorability: 10
Smallfoot is pretty hilarious at times. The visuals are strong (watch this baby in 4K), especially when you’re looking at the lighting inside the caves and the beautiful sunrises. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of this movie, though, is its strong message. It revolves around finding truth and seeking peace. I love it when animated films give you something to think about.
Pace: 5
Plot: 10
Resolution: 10
Overall: 8
1A great family film that does more than just entertain; it teaches us something. With beautiful visuals and a powerful message, Smallfoot was definitely a pleasant surprise in 2018.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Doctor Sleep (2019) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Characters – Danny Torrance grew up to learn how to contain the nightmares of the Overlook Hotel, he has turned to alcohol and drugs to get him through adult life, until he looks to clean up his life and start fresh, using his ability to guide people to the afterlife. He does make a new friend that communicates through a wall, one that will force him into using his ability to a new fight, a new evil, where he must protect a teenage girl who is being targeted. Rose the Hat is the leader of the cult, she selects who to eat or who to turn, she is the strongest of her group and keeps them in line, she searches for the next targets, with her eyes set on Abra, only to learn just how strong she really is. Abra is a teenage girl that has the ability to look and see miles away from her location, feeling the pain of the victims, she communicates with Danny for years and now calls for his help to deal with Rose and her friends. Billy is the man that sees the good in Danny and wants to help him clean up his act, becoming his best friend. Snakebite Andi shows what it is like to be recruited by Rose, she is one character that you did want to learn more about, because it feels like certain parts of her arc are left in the editing room.
Performances – Ewan McGregor taking the leading role is wonderful in this film, showing how damaged his character’s life is. Rebecca Ferguson is a joy to watch in the villainous role. Kyliegh Curran gives a fantastic performance filled with fear, determination and aggression in the fight.
Story – The story here brings us into the modern times as Danny Torrance is all grown up, dealing with most of the nightmares from his childhood, until he starts communicating with a teenage girl that has seen herself targeted by a cult that preys on the children with the shining abilities. This is a sequel to the much-loved The Shining and does bring us a brand-new story that does make complete sense. We do see certain ideas from other Stephen King novels come to light, with the idea of good and evil joining up before a battle, much like The Stand, while we get references of others through the film. The biggest and best part of the story comes from the idea that both sides can be dealt with the scarier moments in the story, making nobody feel safe.
Horror – The horror is the most interesting and strongest part of the film, we get Danny having his nightmares and to impress more, Abra and Rose using their abilities to try and stay ahead of each other, not to mention one of the most disturbing sequences of the year.
Settings – The film might be known for the iconic location of the Overlook Hotel, the rest of the locations see the gypsy characters travelling around showing how the powers are more than just a long time alone in a hotel.
Special Effects – The effects in this film show just what will happen to the cult if they don’t receive the steam, while also managing to recreate iconic moments from the original.
Scene of the Movie – Rose visits Abra.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Snakebite Andi did seem to have more to her story.
Final Thoughts – This is by far the best horror film of the year, it spins the horror ideas on its head by having both sides being put through the horror elements and does continue the legacy created by The Shining.
Overall: One of the Best Horrors Ever.
Performances – Ewan McGregor taking the leading role is wonderful in this film, showing how damaged his character’s life is. Rebecca Ferguson is a joy to watch in the villainous role. Kyliegh Curran gives a fantastic performance filled with fear, determination and aggression in the fight.
Story – The story here brings us into the modern times as Danny Torrance is all grown up, dealing with most of the nightmares from his childhood, until he starts communicating with a teenage girl that has seen herself targeted by a cult that preys on the children with the shining abilities. This is a sequel to the much-loved The Shining and does bring us a brand-new story that does make complete sense. We do see certain ideas from other Stephen King novels come to light, with the idea of good and evil joining up before a battle, much like The Stand, while we get references of others through the film. The biggest and best part of the story comes from the idea that both sides can be dealt with the scarier moments in the story, making nobody feel safe.
Horror – The horror is the most interesting and strongest part of the film, we get Danny having his nightmares and to impress more, Abra and Rose using their abilities to try and stay ahead of each other, not to mention one of the most disturbing sequences of the year.
Settings – The film might be known for the iconic location of the Overlook Hotel, the rest of the locations see the gypsy characters travelling around showing how the powers are more than just a long time alone in a hotel.
Special Effects – The effects in this film show just what will happen to the cult if they don’t receive the steam, while also managing to recreate iconic moments from the original.
Scene of the Movie – Rose visits Abra.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Snakebite Andi did seem to have more to her story.
Final Thoughts – This is by far the best horror film of the year, it spins the horror ideas on its head by having both sides being put through the horror elements and does continue the legacy created by The Shining.
Overall: One of the Best Horrors Ever.