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Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Gives the audience more of what was great about the first film, but also pushes forward the idea that anybody could inhabit those avatars. (0 more)
The plot felt a little repetitive of the first film (0 more)
Solid sequel
While the plot is a little derivative of the previous film, Next Level is a very worthy sequel to Welcome to the Jungle. It expands the world of Jumanji in a big way, it revisits the characters I grew to care about while introducing new ones, it has a big Easter egg from the original Jumanji from 1996 and it gives Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black tons of freedom to play around with the avatar characters and do different interpretations of them. Danny Devito and Danny Glover were easily my favorite part of the film...especially when seeing Dwayne and Kevin attempt to act the part. All in all, Next Level is not that big of an improvement over Welcome to the Jungle, but if you like Welcome to the Jungle you'll definitely enjoy this one.
  
A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding
A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding
Amanda Svensson | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I gave up reading it twice, but something kept pulling me back. I still can’t work out what the system is that’s so blinding, but I did like how quirky the whole novel was. It’s surreal, everyone in it has some sort of mental health issue, and is muddling their way through a life that they can make no sense of. Honestly, I couldn’t make sense of their lives either.
There are some really quite beautiful descriptive passages of London and Easter Island, and I found myself googling one of the photographic artists that was mentioned and falling down a rabbit hole for a while.
Should this win the international Booker prize? I have no idea, and I wouldn’t want to be the one that had to choose. Am I glad that I read it? I’m still not absolutely sure on that one. It’s left me with more questions than answers, and I don’t know as there even are any answers!
  
Ready Player One (2018)
Ready Player One (2018)
2018 | Sci-Fi
Very Good Time
It's 2045 and most of the world's population has turned to the virtual world called OASIS which has become a second home for many. When the world's creator James Halladay (Mark Rylance) passes away, he leaves behind an easter egg inside the virtual world and whoever finds that egg will inherit both his fortune and the OASIS. Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) hopes to find that egg before Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) and his greedy corporation IOI can get their hands on it and forever ruin the OASIS.

Acting: 8

Beginning: 10

Characters: 2

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 9
A death-defying race chocked full of easter eggs (like Ryu from Street Fighter and the bike from Akira) where the participants have to deal with a shifting path, bulldozers, the T-Rex from Jurassic Park and a very angry King Kong. Yeah, that's just the first ten minutes.

In Ready Player One, it's not just about the action but about everyone and everything involved in said action. I can't go into too much detail without ruining the surprises, but I will say there is plenty of eye-candy and intense action sequences that will keep you fully engaged in the film. Just when you think you've seen it all, they surprise you with something new.

Genre: 9

Memorability: 8

Pace: 10
The epitome of a popcorn movie. Just relax. Have fun. Enjoy the ride. Don't expect substance. Just thrills on top of consistent thrills. The film arrives from one scene to the next at a speed I felt was just right.

Plot: 7

Resolution: 10
Solid ending that made me appreciate the otherwise flat characters more. There's a good message here revolving around the importance of taking full advantage of life around you. You just might call me a sap when you see it for yourself but, for this film...it fits.

Overall: 83
Was Ready Player One as good as the novel it was made after? No. Not even close. If you can keep that in mind from the jump like I was able to do, the film should still make for a very enjoyable experience. You can tell that a lot of time and love was poured into the film. See it.
  
    Salad Recipe Book

    Salad Recipe Book

    Food & Drink and Health & Fitness

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    App

    Salad recipes free is a completely free app which brings you the collection of wide variety of...

Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)
Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)
2023 | Fantasy
8
7.5 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A Ton of Fun
The BankofMarquis is not into Dungeons & Dragons - the role playing/fantasy game that the film DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES is based on, so any Easter Eggs for fans of the game is lost here. What the BankofMarquis is into is a good, fun action/adventure film and DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES is all that…and more.

The 4th film to be based on the RPG game, this D&D is no relation to the previous three and should be viewed as a reboot of the franchise…and if HONOR AMONG THIEVES is an indication of where this film series will go, then the audience is in for a fun ride, indeed.

Written and Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, D&D follows a smooth talking, good-looking musician (the perfectly cast Chris Pine), his tough-as-nails best friend (the perfectly cast Michelle Rodriguez) and their merry band of thieves as they go on a quest to right wrongs and achieve a goal.

What that goal is doesn’t really matter as it is the journey - not the destination - that matters and the journey is quite fun thanks to an enjoyable cast and a script and direction that evokes memories of THE PRINCESS BRIDE, THE LORD OF THE RINGS and, yes, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL along the way.

The cast (Pine, Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant) know exactly what type of film they are making and jump in with both feet to have some fun, fight some creatures and make a family-friendly medieval action/adventure comedy that works.

Credit, of course, goes to Daley & Goldstein and this appears to be their first film together as Directors. If that is the case, the BankofMarquis is eager to see where they go from here.

While, I’m sure, there are plenty of Easter Eggs in this film for the D&D fan, the BankofMarquis caught none of that and just sat back and had a really fun 2+ hours, chuckling out loud on more than one occassion.

This film is now streaming on Paramount Plus. If you run across, check it out, you’ll have a good time.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect: Andromeda
2017 | Role-Playing
Game play (1 more)
World graphics
Facial graphics (2 more)
Bugs
Incomplete storyline
Andromeda got too much hate
Before the war against the Reapers led by Shepard, The Andromeda Initiative sought to send out colonies to another galaxy. You play as Sarah or Scott Ryder, a soldier in the Initiative to find a new home for your colony. Explore new planets and discover new species.

My thoughts? I played Andromeda when it first came out. It was super buggy. The facial expressions were laughable. But it was in space with all our familiar ME Easter eggs, had great game play, and a vast amount of potential. However due to the backlash of fans (yes, EA should have NOT released such a unrefined game. Yes, it isn't as good as the original trilogy - because it is unfair to compare it to the story arc of a complete trilogy!) EA has stepped away from continuing with this story which is the most frustrating thing ever. EA needs to bring it back and the team needs to break boundaries and be creative to bring this story line further to life and continue it on for a DLC or next game.
  
Us (2019)
Us (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
Cast (0 more)
Jordan Peele is a very good storyteller. Much like Get Out, there is a message behind the story and the film is filled with easter eggs and some pretty amazing jokes. I laughed quite a bit throughout. The cast of this movie is amazing. Lupita Nyong'o does an exceptionally good job. The lead actor, whose name escapes me, was playing a character clearly modeled after Peele himself which just made him that much funnier. I kept wondering during the movie, having never seen the actor in anything else, if maybe they had grown up together or something because he sounds EXACTLY like Peele so I did some digging and found that it was a conscious acting decision which I applaud. It was a good choice and he played it so well. There is a twist ending, however, it seemed fairly obvious to me very early on in the film. My only real problem with the film is how much is left unexplained. It's understandable given how the story is being told but at the same time it's a bit frustrating when the film ends and you still have so many questions!