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John Wick. Chapter 4 (2023)
John Wick. Chapter 4 (2023)
2023 | Action, Crime, Thriller
9
7.8 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Keanu reeves (1 more)
Donnie yen
Watched today probably the best action movie I've seen this year so far the action scenes especially shot around Paris are quite amazing and hats off to donnie yen as the retired assassin who knows John wick is brilliant nice to see both ian mcshane and lance riddick in his last role before his but my favourite character goes to shamier Anderson as nobody who's never seen without his dog by his side gets plenty to do and laughs as well overall good action movie
  
The Call Of The Wild (2020)
The Call Of The Wild (2020)
2020 | Drama
9
7.4 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
When they announced Call of the Wild with Harrison Ford I was onboard, then they said they were CGIing the dog and I became expressionless. I understood how some bits would need to be CGId... but the whole dog? I WANT FLOOFS!

An excitable family pet gets taken to the wilds of the Yukon and sold as a sled dog. Along the way he makes new friends and learns about the call of the wild... I know, you'd never have guessed from the title of the film!

Let's deal with the giant dog in the room first. It's difficult to express my exact feelings about the CGI in the film, yes it isn't great, but by the end of the film [well, quite early on] I didn't care. Buck has so many personality traits and goofball moments that you know he must be CGI but it really doesn't matter. A lot of the things on screen I'm sure you would see in a real dog, but you can't put them through the same actions as their computer-generated counterparts. The opening sequence with Buck running through the house was cartoonish and daft, and while I rolled my eyes it was one of the many funny moments that happened throughout the film. You just acclimatise to the whole thing and forget that Buck isn't real.

While the humans take a back seat to Buck's adventures most of the time they're still great on screen. Omar Sy and Cara Gee as Perrault and Françoise make a great duo, and Sy with Buck has some very fun pieces. His reaction to the dogs feels very natural and the ice scene you briefly see in the trailer was a strong moment for everyone involved.

Dan Stevens playing Hal is the villain of the piece and his whole performance reminds me of a classic animated Disney villain, a cross between things from Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast and 101 Dalmations. There's a very specific maniacal villain in my head but I can't remember who or what film and it's driving me nuts! [Do let me know if you know!] By the end of the film though I was bothered more by his cartoonish acting than I was by the CG.

Our main pull was, of course, Harrison Ford. I don't know how John Thornton is portrayed in the book but the one in this film is a very relaxed character that only occasionally has to step it up. It isn't much of a stretched for Ford, I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone told me he wasn't even acting.

This is peak adventure, with excitement, peril and humour. The whole audience was reacting, and it was wonderful. Having gone in prepared to be annoyed the whole way through I was amazed at just how much I laughed and cried, and how exhilarating they managed to make things. Call of the Wild was a delightful watch, dubious CGI and all.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-call-of-wild-movie-review.html
  
Fort: Cats and Dogs Expansion
Fort: Cats and Dogs Expansion
2021 | Card Game
In the expansion review series, we take a look at a game expansion to discuss whether it is a necessary purchase/addition to one’s collection.

This breakdown is for the expansion for the hit game Fort, and this expansion titled Fort: Cats & Dogs Expansion.

This expansion adds a bunch of Dog cards, some Cat cards, and four Doghouse tiles. The Dog and Cat components belong to their respective modules, and the expansion can be played with either module or both simultaneously.

The Dogs module will add Dogs to players’ starting decks. When a Dog is played, their need (the text immediately below their picture) must be fulfilled before their special action is completed. They may also be used as their normal icon to be played with the base game actions. Most Dog cards are then discarded to the players’ Doghouse. However, if Dogs end up in a player’s Yard, at the beginning of their turn they must discard the Dog to the neighbor’s Doghouse. The player with the most Dogs in their Doghouse at the end of the game scores a cool seven points!


Cats, however, are little terrors and have no loyalty to their owner and their special abilities may be lent to whomever currently controls the Cat card. Cats are attracted to certain players based on which cards are present in their Yard at the end of their turn. It is then that the Cat card moves to the player’s tableau and can offer ongoing effects. The other players may then attempt to lure the Cat card to their own Yards at the end of their turns as well. Players score more points at the end of the game for having more Cats attracted to their Yard.
In my opinion Fort did not need any expansions that change the game. However, after adding Cats & Dogs to my game I found that another level of attention must be paid to each turn if you wish to score these extra bonus points. For example, should a player monopolize all the Cats and also have the most Dogs, that will score them 17 bonus points at the end of the game! That is certainly nothing to sniff at. The cards feature great art, again by Kyle Ferrin, and the Doghouses are nice cardboard tiles. I still most certainly enjoy playing vanilla Fort, but I think that with other gamers who are familiar with the base game I will almost always include both Cats & Dogs modules in my games.

Official recommendation: If you are a fan of Fort, as we all are, then adding in Cats & Dogs may spice up your game for you. However, if you are a fan of Fort as is, then this is certainly not a must-have. I thoroughly enjoy this expansion, and like I mentioned – will probably always be adding it into my games, but Fort definitely stands on its own. It is a luxury expansion, yes, but it is also very affordable. So pick it up the next time you are filling your board game carts. I recommend it highly, and the value added far outweighs the cost for this reviewer. MORE FORT!!
  
Too Big to Die by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Odelia Grey #12) – 5
One Saturday, Odelia and Greg’s errands are interrupted when they see a dog trapped in a car on a hot day. They rescue the dog, but the dog’s owner is less than happy with them. She turns out to be former reality TV star Marla Kingston, and her husband is a client of the law firm where Odelia works. While he makes Odelia’s work life difficult, the man who stopped to help them winds up dead. What have Odelia and Greg gotten into now?

Any fan of this long running series will tell you to expect a fast-moving case, and that’s exactly what we find here as well. One of the complications that arises here involves a series regular; that part of the book will appeal most to fans of the series. Zee is a strong character in this book, and I always love seeing her, although all the series regulars get a scene or two to shine. A suspenseful climax caps another fantastic book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-to-big-to-die-by-sue-ann.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.