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Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Great villian (5 more)
Exciting
Well directed
Crew chemistry
SFX
Soundtrack
A thrillride all the way through
I have no idea why this movie opened to mixed reviews, as it is actually my favourite of the three reboot Star Trek Movies. All of the characters are great, the chemistry that is seen between the cast members due to the circumstances of the plot is fun and well written, the movie is exciting and very well directed by Justin Lin. The stakes are high and the villain is complex and a truly frightening threat. The special effects are beautiful, the tone and the soundtrack are refreshing and the script is well written. I came out of this one having enjoyed it way more than I thought I would going in. Also, it is full of Easter eggs and call backs for long time Trekkies, while also being easily accessible to anyone that isn’t familiar with the franchise.
  
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
1988 | Animation, Fantasy
10
8.9 (47 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Animated and drawn beautifully (0 more)
There wasn’t more (0 more)
Beautiful and my favourite film
I was so young when I first watched this film and I can honestly say that I have never watched anything more beautiful and heartwarming.
This is a movie that shows love, friendship, loss and hardships. It’s so beautifully drawn you feel such a connection that it’s as if the characters leap off the screen and are sat there with you. Watch out for little Easter eggs that hint at their other creations and it will make the experience even more enjoyable. It’s hard to spot them all but it’s a fun game once you’ve watched it a few times.
If you haven’t watched this film yet I urge you to watch it, but be prepared to fall in love and never be able to forget this film.
Just remember once you’ve watched this, watch all the other studio Ghibli films as you can’t stop at this one.
  
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
2018 | Horror
Good, dislikable characters (1 more)
So fun to try and spot the background ghosts
The ending was a bit weak. (1 more)
The dad's contact lenses
Tense and has lots of Easter eggs.
I haven't read the book, so sadly I can't compare (though I'm just going to assume the book is better.)

The show is less about scaring you with cheap jumpscares and more a character analysis and what their fears look like, what their own ghosts look like.
It's slow and patient, showing each characters best and worst qualities, making them dislikable in a very good way. Plus the great acting helps you construct your own opinion on each family member.

There are some things I didn't enjoy so much, the ending didn't feel the same as the rest of the show and the fact the younger version of the dad has really, really bad contact lenses threw me off Every time he was on scenes.
  
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
I liked Tobey Maguire as Spidey. I liked Andrew Garfield a bit more. I felt like he was more relatable. However, he has been dethroned. Tom Holland is PERFECT for the role of Spiderman. He brings a fun personality that you truly believe could be the web slinger and he does so with the humor that has been present in the comic books since the beginning of time.

The story picks up without too much explanation needed as to what's happened since we last saw our hero, so that's nice. As with all MCU movies today, the effects and visuals were top notch. The makers were able to offer a refreshing take on Mysterio and Jake Gyllenhaal played the part marvelously. There were some wild twists in the story and tons of easter eggs to be had. Overall a good time, Also, Zendaya plays a wonderful MJ. Much more realistic portrayal that we've been given in film before.
  
Mortal Kombat (2021)
Mortal Kombat (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
CGI (1 more)
Fight scenes
Very gory (0 more)
I won a DVD in a give-away and here is my honest review, on the movie.
I really enjoyed the movie and went into it knowing full well it was a fight movie. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a bit of a storyline. I think it did a good job balancing out what was expected from those who played the game, except one scene that I was slightly sad they didn't end the fight in a certain way but that is completely personal preference.

I liked the CGI, it wasn't over done.
There is a lot of gore and I think it definitely holds up the R rating. I haven't watched or played Mortal Combat since the early 2000s but was able to follow along really well. It may help if you have some familiarity with the game especially for the Easter Eggs like catchphrases and backgrounds but not completely necessary.
  
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
2022 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
7
6.5 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Jurassic Park cast (2 more)
Nostalgia in various ways
New Dinosaurs
Covering old ground (1 more)
Plot isn't the best
Fun for fans
Potentially bringing the Jurassic World series to a close. This is one fans will appreciate more than others. After the Dinosaurs escape and mix in the real world, life has to find a way to adapt. There are still shady companies and characters around who are up to no good.
It's good to see a new real world setting for the dinosaurs and there is plenty of actions scenes. Good to see some totally different species and some old favourites. Towards the end it does start to all feel a bit familiar and like a reboot of some previous plot elements from the Jurassic Park films. Fun to see all the main cast back together along with some easter egg type nods to the other films. Overall maybe not the grand finale most would have hoped for but still a fun film to enjoy.
  
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Dana (24 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
Ready Player One
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.9 (161 Ratings)
Book Rating
So I want to start off by saying that I read this for my book club with my friends, not that that changes anything, I just wanted you to know. Also, I did a hybrid reading of this. I would actually read the physical book for about half of it, but the other half, I listened to the audio book. (It's read by Wil Wheaton, y'all!)

Okay, so onto my review. I really enjoyed reading this book. I am not a gamer at all, but I do love 80s references., especially to movies. So even though I didn't understand a lot of the video game references (except Pac Man and a few others), I still understand the overall encompassing love of the 80s culture.

At first, this is a really cool dystopian sci-fi book focusing on a kid who is trying to win an Easter Egg hunt inside of a video game to get out of a crappy situation at home. By the end, there is action, romance, bad guys, and so much more. Kind of like what you would find in a typical 1980s classic film.

I think what I loved most about this is all of the hidden allusions to the 80s. Yes, there are the overt ones like to Ferris Buller's Day Off or Pac Man or Blade Runner. But there are a lot of little moments as well that are subtle that I barely caught. I don't want to give any away, so I won't spoil them on here. This book almost becomes it's own kind of easter egg hunt for the readers.

I loved trying to figure out the clues with Winston. A few of them, I did get, but some I did not. It was still fun trying to write down all of the clues and figure it out like a code cracker.

I loved the relationships in this book, especially since they weren't the main focus of the novel. It was refreshing to see people getting along and working together toward the same goal.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend you see it before you go see the movie next year!
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Evil of Frankenstein (1964) in Movies

Feb 19, 2018 (Updated Feb 19, 2018)  
The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
1964 | Horror
6
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
It's (not really) alive!
Hammer's third Frankenstein movie is basically a soft reboot, disregarding the continuity of the first two. Down-on-his-luck Baron F (Cushing) rediscovers frozen body of his original monster (Kingston), doesn't really think through consequences of hiring someone called Zoltan the Evil Hypnotist (Woodthorpe) to help with monster-wrangling duties as he prepares to try and restore his reputation.

Hammer won the rights to reuse much imagery from the 1930s Universal Frankenstein series (that said, the monster looks more like an Easter Island statue than Boris Karloff); in their delight at this coup they seem to have forgotten to come up with a proper story for this film. Cushing is given a run for his money by the underrated character actor Peter Woodthorpe; in the end the parts are competently assembled but the spark of life remains elusive. Title seems a little harsh, as Frankenstein is certainly more sinned against than sinning on this occasion: poor choice of staff hardly constitutes 'evil', if you ask me.
  
The Jabberwocky Princess
The Jabberwocky Princess
Cece Louise | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read this book not realising that it was the second of a series. And all I can say is that I will definitely be finding the first and reading it!
This was a great concept and it was written very well. I especially liked the "Easter eggs" within the story (I won't say more because I don't want to give them away, but I found three). I loved how the poem was used within the story and for the first time the poem has given me the chills. I had always read it differently. The characters were written really well, the relationship outcome a bit predictable, but how else could it end? You leave a lot about the protagonist's past really quickly without it impeding the present story and this makes it really easy to relate to her. The writing was very easy to read and the story telling was excellent. Love love love!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
  
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.