Pitch Black (2000)
Movie Watch
When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped...
Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (2003)
Movie Watch
A decade has passed since John Connor (Nick Stahl) helped prevent Judgment Day and save mankind from...
The Financial Times Guide to Value Investing: How to Become a Disciplined Investor
Book
'Glen Arnold makes complex investment concepts understandable. He explains what the masters of the...
Speaking of Dogs: The Best Collection of Canine Quotables Ever Compiled
James Charlton and Arnold Roth
Book
Who doesn't love dogs? Answer that question in the negative and find yourself contradicted by the...
Black Sails
TV Show Watch
A prequel to the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel "Treasure Island," "Black Sails" is a pirate...
Body Bags (1993)
Movie
Three short stories in the horror genre: the first about a serial killer, the second about a hair...
Cathars in Question
Book
Cathars have long been regarded as posing the most organised challenge to orthodox Catholicism in...
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated The Expendables (2010) in Movies
May 30, 2018
I went to see this film the week it came out. The cinema was fairly full, and as the film started I noticed something about the audience, they were loving the movie. As the film continued it started to feel like I was seeing this in my living room with a large group of friends. Everyone was laughing, gasping and really getting into the spirit of the film. This really added something special to the film. I have not experienced this during a normal screening of a film.
The film itself follows a very basic formula, big characters, big explosions, big guns and lots of bad guys dying. But what makes this one stand out from modern action films is it doesn't try to be anything more. It is a throw back to the great action films from the 80's and 90's like Commando, Predator, Die Hard and Rambo: First Blood Part II. Films that are so over the top but so very entertaining.
The cast is an action movie fans wet dream. Action movie legends Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren Gary Daniels and Mickey Rourke star alongside modern day action stars Jason Statham, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Randy Couture and Terry Crews. Add to the cast Eric Roberts, David Zayas and Charisma Carpenter and you have probably the greatest cast assembled since Ocean's Eleven was remade in 2001. The cast works well. I always believe that if the cast had a good time making a movie then it will show in their performance. They must have had the time of their lives filming this.
A film like this will never get any major awards (it did win awards for the stunt work), but then again you don't go to see this looking for award winning performances. You go to see this to escape from the reality of life and to just be entertained. I am a major action movie fan and it really doesn't get any better than this.
Medievalism: Key Critical Terms
Elizabeth Emery and Richard Utz
Book
The discipline of medievalism has produced a great deal of scholarship acknowledging the "makers" of...
Gareth von Kallenbach (974 KP) rated Ratchet & Clank (2016) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Fate steps in when a defective robot named Clank (David Kaye) arrives with news that will shake the very fabric of the galaxy. Ratchet and Clank team up to help the Rangers and must overcome all obstacles on all sides to save the day. The animation of the film is solid and it was a bit of a surprise that the film was not presented to us in 3D which has become the norm for animated film. The solid voice cast does a good job and there are more than a few nice celebrity voices along the way. The biggest issue I had with the film was that it was a bit dull and dragged in places. Our screener was loaded with children and families and I saw some leave the cinema during the film and did not return.
The movies takes a while to get going and there are more than a few nods to the game and other Playstation characters along the way. The biggest issue is that it seems as if the film is dedicated to hardcore fans of the series. I have played the last three games in the series and I found myself lost at times as it was clear that this was for those who have been there from the start. This is not to say that new fans will not be gained by the film, but one has to wonder how many children who are not familiar with the characters will have the patience to wait for things to get rolling in the film.
As it stands the film is a good first effort but may or may not be enough to successfully launch a long term franchise.
http://sknr.net/2016/04/28/ratchet-and-clank/