Search

Search only in certain items:

Ice Guardians (2016)
Ice Guardians (2016)
2016 |
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Speaking from my own personal perspective, Ice Guardians is one of the most interesting gripping documentary’s I have watched recently. Full Disclosure first… I am a Brit, a little Englander if you will so my knowledge of Ice Hockey and the world of that sport is very limited to the Mighty Ducks movies. However I love a good personal Documentary that can engage me in something I know little about. Ice Guardians covers that for me so lets do this.

Director Brett Harvey carefully and passionately explores one of the most controversial and provocative positions in the history the National Hockey League, the Enforcer.

This movie is the Story of the most controversial positions in the world of sport, from its birth (out of little policing by the refs in the game) to today. ‘The Enforcer’ this is a position that has been talked about through the decades. Is it needed? Is it Necessary? Who the hell would take this role in a game of Ice Hockey?. Essentially the role is to be an “Ice Boxer” hit harder and faster than the guy on the opposite side, be such a menace that everyone on your team is safe because the opposition are scared Shit-less to start something because you will get them.

Of course my simplistic analysis above is that of a man before watching this movie. Watch as giants of the game and some of the hardest son of bitches in the position, strip everything back to bare all on the role they play, why they play it and the sheer scrutiny they are are faced with on a day to day basis. I will honestly say I was moved by this Documentary at times, these men are looked at like caged beasts, Unhinged if you want. However these men are exactly that ‘MEN’ with more Honor, Integrity and way more Loyalty than most Sportsmen.

Written by Harvey and Scott Dodds, the film features interviews with NFL greats such as Dave “The Hammer” Schultz, Clark Gillies and Dave Semenko.



We at 365 Highly recommend this Documentary and hope you will it a chance because it is engaging as hell and gives you a deep insight into the role of the Enforcer from the Enforcers point of view. Its not as black and white as you may think and I truly think you will take something away to think from this flick.

I want you all to watch this movie its wonderfully made and deals with a subject like this carefully and with the respect it deserves.
  
    Minecraft: Story Mode

    Minecraft: Story Mode

    Games and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    *EPISODE 1 is now available to download for FREE!* **iPHONE 4 & 4S USERS - WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND...

Military Wives (2020)
Military Wives (2020)
2020 | Drama
8
8.6 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The story perfectly balances between melodrama and feel good comedy (1 more)
Kristin Scott-Thomas and Sharon Horgan work fabulously together
The trailer. Slight spoiler and doesn't get across how good this is. (0 more)
Bound to grab the grey pound and be a huge UK success
I must admit that I was a bit of a drag-along to this one. The trailer excited me not.... one.... bit. Sentimental film. Dull story. Wrong demographic. No, no, no. But... in this case I am very happy to be proved wrong, wrong, wrong.

True that I didn't sit in the ideal demographic for this movie. 90% of the audience at the UK premiere showing I attended last night were female and older that me. This is a movie to turn the blue-rinse crowd out in DROVES! Because the - inherently British - story is engaging and rewarding from start to finish.

Loosely based on the true story, it's 2010 and a regiment of husbands (and at least one wife.... nice to see an all female marriage featured) are dispatched from the fictional "Flitcroft Barracks" to Afghanistan on a tour of duty. Thereafter every ring at the door by a friend spells mild panic ; every thoughtless call from an accident-chaser induces hypertension.

Trying to take their minds off there loved ones, Colonel's wife Kate (Kristin Scott Thomas) muscles in on the insipid entertainment plans of Lisa (Sharon Horgan) in organising a singing group. Lisa thinks "girls just wanna have fun"; Kate thinks they should be training as a proper choir. Sparks fly.

But against all the odds, the women progressively improve until they get the chance to present their talents to an unaware nation.

My wife summed up in one word why this movie is so good...... "balance". The movie covers topics of fear, grief, social conflict, family conflict and uplifting joy. One step off the tightrope could have spelled disaster. But director Peter Cattaneo, of "Full Monty" fame, through the expert script of Roseanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard, walks that line with perfect balance. It never feels overly melodramatic; never feels a light piece of superficial fluff either.

And when "the performance" happens, you will be hard pushed not to need a tissue or two..... I certainly succumbed to the emotion of the moment.

At the core of the story are the perfectly cast duo of Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan. With just a handful of introductory lines, you quickly get the measure of Kate's character, without ever knowing the story behind the icy and brittle facade. The conflict between her and the fun-loving egalitarian Lisa is writ large. What's nice here is that you are never totally sure who's side of the argument you are on. It is easy to side with Lisa at the start of the film, but as you learn more and particularly after a particularly careless act by Lisa towards the end of the film, your sympathies change.

The rest of the excellent ensemble cast also work naturally together, with Emma Lowndes as Annie and Amy James-Kelly as the newly married Sarah being particularly impressive.This feels like a group of actors who were brought together to film a story and bonded as friends in the process. You end up caring a great deal for what happens to them

Although the script is based on the true story of the military wives it diverges significantly from what actually happens in the interests of an engaging story. Choirmaster Gareth Malone was, of course, actively involved in the true story as a part of a TV programme, but none of that is referenced in the movie. But that doesn't remotely impinge on your enjoyment of the movie for one second.

In particular, a sub-story about the long-term effects of grief is particularly well handled, with 'Dave' turning from being a passive to an active participant in the story at a key moment.

It's that depressing time of the year when everyone is fed up of rain, wind and dripping noses. It's a time of year when you look for some uplifting entertainment.... people surely watch "Death in Paradise" for the sun rather than the stories? Ladies - and the odd gentleman - I give you "Military Wives". It's not bloody Shakespeare. But if this doesn't make you feel uplifted and better about the world, then I will dutifully kiss the regimental goat.

(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2020/02/25/one-manns-movies-film-review-military-wives-2020/. Thanks).
  
Army of the Dead (2021)
Army of the Dead (2021)
2021 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
6
6.8 (21 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I can't say that the name Zack Snyder held any pull to watching Army of the Dead. I'm still mad that I watched 8 hours of Justice League. But, I was sold on zombies and the poster, so I gave it a go.

Zombies have taken Las Vegas and the only option to end the danger is to raise the city to the ground. As the countdown to the cities destruction begins, a group of mercenaries are recruited to enter the quarantined zone for a wealthy businessman. Their retrieval mission will end with them getting out of the city safely, or the zombies getting them... whichever comes first.

A heist film with zombies and plenty of action? Three of my favourite things in one. The heist part is solid, it had time constraints to add tension, and the added peril of flesh eating monsters brought a bit of the unknown to each scene in the quarantine zone.

However... the idea doesn't pan out so well in production.

I enjoy Dave Bautista's acting career. Drax is a legend, and his dramatic yet comedic role in My Spy is great. Army of the Dead is a whole new ball game. Scott has the potential to be a really good lead, there's backstory, moments of action that Bautista is made for... but there's that script. There are so many points that diverge from what's happening that he ends up with something that hovers around average.

The humour between Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) and Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer) was fun. It wasn't quite a double act but it did cut through some of the more serious (and clunky) sections. My other call out is Tig Notaro. I loved the attitude she brings to her role, that's the level of sass I aspire to. It wasn't until after my viewing that I realised she had been CGId into the film as a last minute replacement. For the majority of the time I didn't notice, it's just one group shot as they enter Vegas that sticks out like a sore thumb. And with it being so early in proceedings, I was worried that it would be foreshadowing for what was to come.

Thankfully though, the effects were pretty good apart from that (and that tiger). The creatures were impressive and I was pleased to see that they still had the consistency of who the zombie population would be while they were inside the walls. Some of the action sequences may have been a little over the top, but it is a zombie action film so you've got to give it leeway.

I enjoyed Army of the Dead while I was watching it. But it's one of those films that changes when you think about it deeper. The main issue for me is that... this film doesn't need to happen... and a close second is that they attempt to give it a twist that comes to nothing, and because of that, ultimately felt bizarre. I don't think I'd mind watching it again, but I'm not feeling the urge to rush to Netflix.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/08/army-of-dead-movie-review.html
  
    DrumJam

    DrumJam

    Music and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    DrumJam is a whole new world of percussion and drums for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Designed...