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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Onitama: Way of the Wind in Tabletop Games
Feb 10, 2021
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 excellent two-player game Onitama, and the expansion is named Way of the Wind, from Arcane Wonders.
This expansion includes two new Move cards, a new Wind Spirit mini, and eight Wind Spirit cards. The Wind Spirit mini is placed in the middle of the board at setup. Either player can move the Wind Spirit on their turn by playing one of the specific Wind Spirit Move cards. These special Move cards are divided into two segments where the top segment is for normal student/master movement and the bottom is for Wind Spirit movement. Should the Wind Spirit be moved onto an existing student, the Wind Spirit and student switch spots on the board. It can never be moved onto a master’s spot, and the Wind Spirit cannot be captured nor can it capture another piece on the board.
Right away, this small expansion adds more animal Move cards to the base game. That’s a good thing. Variety is the spice of life, no? It also adds another wonderful mini in a translucent blue to be moved around the board. That’s also a good thing. Along with the mini the Wind Spirit also brings its own special Move cards and rules for movement. Good. All in all, the expansion adds more things to the base game and new things for the expansion. I like it.
Is it necessary to own? No. Is it nice to have to spice up your game of Onitama? Absolutely. Being able to thwart your opponent’s plans by placing the Wind Spirit in the way is a nice touch, and it adds more great table presence with the new mini.
Official recommendation: Grab it if you are a fan of Onitama and want to throw something new into the mix, but do not feel obligated to add it. Onitama is good enough on its own without this, but I am certainly glad I have my copy.
This breakdown is for the excellent two-player game Onitama, and the expansion is named Way of the Wind, from Arcane Wonders.
This expansion includes two new Move cards, a new Wind Spirit mini, and eight Wind Spirit cards. The Wind Spirit mini is placed in the middle of the board at setup. Either player can move the Wind Spirit on their turn by playing one of the specific Wind Spirit Move cards. These special Move cards are divided into two segments where the top segment is for normal student/master movement and the bottom is for Wind Spirit movement. Should the Wind Spirit be moved onto an existing student, the Wind Spirit and student switch spots on the board. It can never be moved onto a master’s spot, and the Wind Spirit cannot be captured nor can it capture another piece on the board.
Right away, this small expansion adds more animal Move cards to the base game. That’s a good thing. Variety is the spice of life, no? It also adds another wonderful mini in a translucent blue to be moved around the board. That’s also a good thing. Along with the mini the Wind Spirit also brings its own special Move cards and rules for movement. Good. All in all, the expansion adds more things to the base game and new things for the expansion. I like it.
Is it necessary to own? No. Is it nice to have to spice up your game of Onitama? Absolutely. Being able to thwart your opponent’s plans by placing the Wind Spirit in the way is a nice touch, and it adds more great table presence with the new mini.
Official recommendation: Grab it if you are a fan of Onitama and want to throw something new into the mix, but do not feel obligated to add it. Onitama is good enough on its own without this, but I am certainly glad I have my copy.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Elder Sign in Tabletop Games
Jul 16, 2019 (Updated Aug 21, 2019)
One of the best parts of the board gaming experience is finding a fun group of people with whom to play! Sometimes, though, coordinating a game night is easier said than done. We all must occasionally forego the group experience and face the world as the Lonely Only. But fear not! The world of solo-play is a vast and exciting realm! What follows is a chronicle of my journey into the solo-playing world – notes on gameplay, mechanics, rules, difficulty, and overall experience with solo variations of commonly multiplayer games! I hope this will provide some insight as you continue to grow your collection, or explore your already owned games!
Disclaimer: There are many expansions for Elder Sign. I do not have any of them, nor do I have any gameplay experience with any of them. If and when I do get them added into my base game, I will either amend this review or write a new one! – L
In Elder Sign, players take on the roles of Investigators who must use their supernatural knowledge and keen wit to seal dimensional portals and prevent the Ancient Ones from entering our world and destroying humanity. Just another day at the office, right? Players take turns rolling dice to fight monsters and complete adventures that will reward them with artifacts, health and/or sanity, clues, or even Elder Signs – the symbols necessary for sealing away the Ancient Ones for good. Be careful, though – if you fail to complete an adventure, you will be harshly punished! I’m talking losing health and sanity, accidentally summoning monsters, or even bringing the Ancient One one step closer to our world! As a solo game, Elder Sign plays the same way as it would in a group setting. The only difference is that the solo player cannot use the ‘Assisting’ ability because there are no other players who can offer you aid. Besides that, gameplay remains the same – even a lone Investigator can put their dice to good use to ward off evil!
I enjoy playing Elder Sign as a solo game. Although mostly dominated by dice rolling, there is a fair amount of strategy required for this game. I don’t feel like I’m mindlessly rolling dice – I have to decide which adventures are attainable with my given items, and which rewards benefit me the most in my overall task. There are rewards and consequences to be weighed with every decision, so action must be taken with great thought. Because of the strategic implications, Elder Sign keeps me thoroughly engaged, even when playing solo, and that’s one reason why I keep coming back to it.
On the flip side, one thing that isn’t my favorite about Elder Sign is its reliance on dice rolls to progress in the game. Yeah, I know, it’s a dice game – what did I expect? Sometimes, though, you just can’t roll to save your life (quite literally, in this game) and that can make the game frustrating to play. A series of poor rolls can feel like they completely negate any strategy you’ve enacted and can unravel your entire plan. On a good dice-rolling day for me, I love this game! On a not-so-good dice-rolling day, I find it a little harder to enjoy myself. But hey – if it was totally easy, it wouldn’t be fun, right? One positive of this, I guess, is that I always have to be adjusting my strategy to take the current dice into account. I can’t just pick one strategy and run with it since almost all outcomes are dependent on the luck of the roll! Elder Sign keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure.
I got Elder Sign from Travis as a birthday present last year, and it has been a good addition to my collection. There is enough going on to keep me engaged the entire game, but not so much that I feel overwhelmed. And yeah, maybe I’m not always the greatest dice-roller, but that just makes me adapt my strategy to deal with the current situation. I have read that adding expansions makes the game even more enjoyable, and hopefully one of these days I’ll get to experience that for myself. For the time being, though, I’m content with the base game. If you enjoy Elder Sign, I recommend you try it solo – it doesn’t feel any different to play, and I think you’ll enjoy it just as much as a group game!
Disclaimer: There are many expansions for Elder Sign. I do not have any of them, nor do I have any gameplay experience with any of them. If and when I do get them added into my base game, I will either amend this review or write a new one! – L
In Elder Sign, players take on the roles of Investigators who must use their supernatural knowledge and keen wit to seal dimensional portals and prevent the Ancient Ones from entering our world and destroying humanity. Just another day at the office, right? Players take turns rolling dice to fight monsters and complete adventures that will reward them with artifacts, health and/or sanity, clues, or even Elder Signs – the symbols necessary for sealing away the Ancient Ones for good. Be careful, though – if you fail to complete an adventure, you will be harshly punished! I’m talking losing health and sanity, accidentally summoning monsters, or even bringing the Ancient One one step closer to our world! As a solo game, Elder Sign plays the same way as it would in a group setting. The only difference is that the solo player cannot use the ‘Assisting’ ability because there are no other players who can offer you aid. Besides that, gameplay remains the same – even a lone Investigator can put their dice to good use to ward off evil!
I enjoy playing Elder Sign as a solo game. Although mostly dominated by dice rolling, there is a fair amount of strategy required for this game. I don’t feel like I’m mindlessly rolling dice – I have to decide which adventures are attainable with my given items, and which rewards benefit me the most in my overall task. There are rewards and consequences to be weighed with every decision, so action must be taken with great thought. Because of the strategic implications, Elder Sign keeps me thoroughly engaged, even when playing solo, and that’s one reason why I keep coming back to it.
On the flip side, one thing that isn’t my favorite about Elder Sign is its reliance on dice rolls to progress in the game. Yeah, I know, it’s a dice game – what did I expect? Sometimes, though, you just can’t roll to save your life (quite literally, in this game) and that can make the game frustrating to play. A series of poor rolls can feel like they completely negate any strategy you’ve enacted and can unravel your entire plan. On a good dice-rolling day for me, I love this game! On a not-so-good dice-rolling day, I find it a little harder to enjoy myself. But hey – if it was totally easy, it wouldn’t be fun, right? One positive of this, I guess, is that I always have to be adjusting my strategy to take the current dice into account. I can’t just pick one strategy and run with it since almost all outcomes are dependent on the luck of the roll! Elder Sign keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure.
I got Elder Sign from Travis as a birthday present last year, and it has been a good addition to my collection. There is enough going on to keep me engaged the entire game, but not so much that I feel overwhelmed. And yeah, maybe I’m not always the greatest dice-roller, but that just makes me adapt my strategy to deal with the current situation. I have read that adding expansions makes the game even more enjoyable, and hopefully one of these days I’ll get to experience that for myself. For the time being, though, I’m content with the base game. If you enjoy Elder Sign, I recommend you try it solo – it doesn’t feel any different to play, and I think you’ll enjoy it just as much as a group game!
Fred (860 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies
Mar 15, 2019
Spider-Ham (3 more)
Fantastic design
Good music
Good voice acting
The choppy animation is headache inducing (2 more)
Story is bland
Some of the characters are wasted
Good. Not great.
Here we go again. Another over-rated superhero movie. Yes, it's good, but it's not great. Basically, what we got here is Miles Morales' origin story. I do love the characters & they are all acted well. I love the new Doc Oc & all of the Spider-people. The design of the characters & settings are a sight to see. The main problem is the movement of them. Every other frame is cut out, so the characters have a jerky movement to them. Supposedly, this is meant to encapsulate a comic book. Since a comic book does not move, this is a stupid reason given for lack-luster animation. There are quite a few anime out there today that use CGI-drawn animation. It looks choppy, cheap & crappy. And that's what we got here. Instead of smooth, graceful, Spider-Man like movement, we got what looks like low bitrate video. I truly feel this is why the movie, although it did well, did not do stupendous numbers at the box office compared to other recent animated movies.
Anyway, tossing that aside & taking account the design of the movie, I also found that the story was lackluster. I didn't find it too interesting or original. It just didn't grab me. I felt myself many times saying to myself that nothing special was going on. When they introduced the others from the Spider-Verse, I felt that some of them were a waste of space. Spider-Man Noir, played by Nicholas Cage, was funny but didn't do anything special. The Japanese girl with the robot, was utterly useless. If she wasn't in the film, it would be no different, except maybe to sell some toys. Now, I will say, I loved Spider-Ham, but I've been a fan of his since the 80s & still have all the original comic books. So, I am biased towards him. I would love to see him get his own movie, but I doubt he will.
Anyway, here's my bottom line. The movie was good. The style was great. Music was great. Characters were great. Story was meh. Animation was bad. After I watched the movie, I said, well that was pretty much a waste of time, but I'm not mad I watched. I just probably would never watch it again.
Anyway, tossing that aside & taking account the design of the movie, I also found that the story was lackluster. I didn't find it too interesting or original. It just didn't grab me. I felt myself many times saying to myself that nothing special was going on. When they introduced the others from the Spider-Verse, I felt that some of them were a waste of space. Spider-Man Noir, played by Nicholas Cage, was funny but didn't do anything special. The Japanese girl with the robot, was utterly useless. If she wasn't in the film, it would be no different, except maybe to sell some toys. Now, I will say, I loved Spider-Ham, but I've been a fan of his since the 80s & still have all the original comic books. So, I am biased towards him. I would love to see him get his own movie, but I doubt he will.
Anyway, here's my bottom line. The movie was good. The style was great. Music was great. Characters were great. Story was meh. Animation was bad. After I watched the movie, I said, well that was pretty much a waste of time, but I'm not mad I watched. I just probably would never watch it again.
Darren (1599 KP) rated 100 Bloody Acres (2013) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: 100 Bloody Acres starts as we meet one of the brothers Reg (Herriman) who is a part of an organic fertiliser business, after Reg picks up a dead body, he finds himself drawn into picking up three hitchhikers, Sophie (McGahan), James (Ackland) and Wes (Kristian) who are heading to a music festival for a binge filled weekend.
Once Reg arrives back to his brother Lindsay (Sampson) the hapless brothers must decide to kill the three to continue to produce the highly popular fertiliser and keep their reputation up or let them go.
Thoughts on 100 Bloody Acres
Characters/Performance – Reg is the simple-minded brother who is always out to impress his brother, he brings the victims back to the factory. Lindsay is the brains of the act and he must clean up the mess Reg has left him in. He will go through with any killing. Sophie is the main reason Reg stops, she is travelling with her boyfriend but been cheating on him with their other friend. James just believes he is going to have the life he planned with Sophie. Wes is the traveller who enjoys a drug or two finding himself high through the whole film.
Performance wise, Damon and Angus are both good as the brother showing good chemistry as they do come off very different. Anna, Oliver and Jamie are all fine in the victim roles without coming off as interesting characters.
Story – The story has moments that feel fresh in places but in the main it is all just another version of group of travellers get taken by isolated people who must fight to survive or become the latest victims. It has good moments but doesn’t end up being the most memorable story in the genre.
Comedy/Horror – The comedy is good in places and does add to all the events of the film as it is almost what could go wrong does go wrong. The horror works in places too as we get the gore from it.
Settings – The Australian outback always makes for a good setting as we know how isolated the places are when it comes to the horror.
Special Effects – The effects work when needed without being used too often, the highlights come from the wild trip Wes is going through.
Final Thoughts – You want to see an Australian version of Tucker & Dale versus Evil, then this is for you but it doesn’t quite live up to the levels of that one.
Overall: Enjoyable horror comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/10/18/movie-reviews-101-midnight-halloween-horror-100-bloody-acres-2012/
Once Reg arrives back to his brother Lindsay (Sampson) the hapless brothers must decide to kill the three to continue to produce the highly popular fertiliser and keep their reputation up or let them go.
Thoughts on 100 Bloody Acres
Characters/Performance – Reg is the simple-minded brother who is always out to impress his brother, he brings the victims back to the factory. Lindsay is the brains of the act and he must clean up the mess Reg has left him in. He will go through with any killing. Sophie is the main reason Reg stops, she is travelling with her boyfriend but been cheating on him with their other friend. James just believes he is going to have the life he planned with Sophie. Wes is the traveller who enjoys a drug or two finding himself high through the whole film.
Performance wise, Damon and Angus are both good as the brother showing good chemistry as they do come off very different. Anna, Oliver and Jamie are all fine in the victim roles without coming off as interesting characters.
Story – The story has moments that feel fresh in places but in the main it is all just another version of group of travellers get taken by isolated people who must fight to survive or become the latest victims. It has good moments but doesn’t end up being the most memorable story in the genre.
Comedy/Horror – The comedy is good in places and does add to all the events of the film as it is almost what could go wrong does go wrong. The horror works in places too as we get the gore from it.
Settings – The Australian outback always makes for a good setting as we know how isolated the places are when it comes to the horror.
Special Effects – The effects work when needed without being used too often, the highlights come from the wild trip Wes is going through.
Final Thoughts – You want to see an Australian version of Tucker & Dale versus Evil, then this is for you but it doesn’t quite live up to the levels of that one.
Overall: Enjoyable horror comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/10/18/movie-reviews-101-midnight-halloween-horror-100-bloody-acres-2012/
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Darren (1599 KP) rated A Long Way Down (2014) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: A Long Way Down starts on New Year’s Eve as disgraced TV celebrity Martin (Brosnan) is planning to kill himself only to get interrupted by the lonely Maureen (Collette), heartbroken Jess (Poots) and cancer stricken JJ (Paul) who are also using the same rooftop to plan their suicide.
All going against the suicide the four make a pact to not kill themselves until at least Valentine’s day and support each other through the six weeks once the tabloids want to make a story of why they were together. The four become good friends exposing their own secrets to why they want to escape their lives.
Thoughts on A Long Way Down
Characters/Performance – Martin is the disgraced TV talk show host, his small mistake has ruined his career, his family and even finding himself in jail. Now out of jail he wants to kill himself to get away from the headlines. Maureen is a single mother spending everyday looking after her disabled son, not getting any real free time. Jess is the daughter of politician whose sister vanished a few years before, she is a lost soul in the world turning to the drinks and drugs. JJ is an American musician who can’t find his place in the world.
Performance wise, I feel all four of the main actors give brilliant performances, Paul and Poots both show that this could be one of their best of their careers in film, while Brosnan and Collette must have theirs put on their underrated performances of their careers.
Story – The story shows the struggles everyday people can have with depression, it shows that you can get support from people you didn’t even know. I think this film tackles the issues of depression on a brilliant level, and shows just how you can find light in the strangest places.
Settings – The settings are used to show just how different the location these four have come from, it shows just how important finding help outside your comfort zone can be.
Final Thoughts – This is a film I didn’t expect too much from and I can say I truly enjoyed the film, the characters all feel real, their problems feel real and most importantly the answers to the problems didn’t cure everything they helped them realizes how important they are.
Overall: This is a very underrated film I feel people should be seeing.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/09/15/a-long-way-down-2014/
All going against the suicide the four make a pact to not kill themselves until at least Valentine’s day and support each other through the six weeks once the tabloids want to make a story of why they were together. The four become good friends exposing their own secrets to why they want to escape their lives.
Thoughts on A Long Way Down
Characters/Performance – Martin is the disgraced TV talk show host, his small mistake has ruined his career, his family and even finding himself in jail. Now out of jail he wants to kill himself to get away from the headlines. Maureen is a single mother spending everyday looking after her disabled son, not getting any real free time. Jess is the daughter of politician whose sister vanished a few years before, she is a lost soul in the world turning to the drinks and drugs. JJ is an American musician who can’t find his place in the world.
Performance wise, I feel all four of the main actors give brilliant performances, Paul and Poots both show that this could be one of their best of their careers in film, while Brosnan and Collette must have theirs put on their underrated performances of their careers.
Story – The story shows the struggles everyday people can have with depression, it shows that you can get support from people you didn’t even know. I think this film tackles the issues of depression on a brilliant level, and shows just how you can find light in the strangest places.
Settings – The settings are used to show just how different the location these four have come from, it shows just how important finding help outside your comfort zone can be.
Final Thoughts – This is a film I didn’t expect too much from and I can say I truly enjoyed the film, the characters all feel real, their problems feel real and most importantly the answers to the problems didn’t cure everything they helped them realizes how important they are.
Overall: This is a very underrated film I feel people should be seeing.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/09/15/a-long-way-down-2014/
Natacha (374 KP) rated Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3) in Books
Jan 13, 2020
My poor little heart! I think this is my favourite book in the trilogy. It's going to be hard to do a spoiler-free review so just in case: Might contain LIGHT SPOILERS
Things I liked:
-In book two on of my complaints was that the base of the story plot resembled a lot the story plot of the first one. Well, this one was completely different. This one is about different kingdoms coming together to defeat the enemy.
-I loved how the characters evolve in this book, more than the previous two. I love seeing Skara turned into a powerful Queen, I love seeing other character falling from hight. And Yarvi. Although it's not one of our main POV we see a lot of him and how much he has changed since book one.
-What I like in Abercrombie writing is that he right the relationship between characters in a way that they feel true to life. If two characters are not meant to be together for X or Y reason he will not come up with a plot or excuse to pair those characters just because this is what our heart wants. And I always appreciate that no matter how much it hurts.
-Raith! I loved this character so much. I have a sweet spot for bad boys that deep down are good. Especially when we get to see this side of them come out naturally.
-I rarely cry when reading books or watching movies, and I still didn't while reading this book but it did manage to make my heart feel sad. Well done!
-Raith and Skara. Oh, my little heart. I loved those two together.
-We got to see even more magic than book two!
-They where a couple of big twists that I didn't see coming. Especially the one with the traitor. Kept me guessing throughout the book and when we learn how it was I wasn't expecting it.
Things I didn't like
It was very hard to find things that I didn't like but here some nitpicking
-So you know how I said that I loved the plot twist with the traitor. I did I'm not taking it back but... If you look closely I feel like maybe there are some tiny plothole that I can't really discuss without spoiling everything.
-The elves. Although we see way more elf-magic we still don't really get a lot of information about them. At the end of this trilogy, a still feel that I wanted to know more about them.
Things I liked:
-In book two on of my complaints was that the base of the story plot resembled a lot the story plot of the first one. Well, this one was completely different. This one is about different kingdoms coming together to defeat the enemy.
-I loved how the characters evolve in this book, more than the previous two. I love seeing Skara turned into a powerful Queen, I love seeing other character falling from hight. And Yarvi. Although it's not one of our main POV we see a lot of him and how much he has changed since book one.
-What I like in Abercrombie writing is that he right the relationship between characters in a way that they feel true to life. If two characters are not meant to be together for X or Y reason he will not come up with a plot or excuse to pair those characters just because this is what our heart wants. And I always appreciate that no matter how much it hurts.
-Raith! I loved this character so much. I have a sweet spot for bad boys that deep down are good. Especially when we get to see this side of them come out naturally.
-I rarely cry when reading books or watching movies, and I still didn't while reading this book but it did manage to make my heart feel sad. Well done!
-Raith and Skara. Oh, my little heart. I loved those two together.
-We got to see even more magic than book two!
-They where a couple of big twists that I didn't see coming. Especially the one with the traitor. Kept me guessing throughout the book and when we learn how it was I wasn't expecting it.
Things I didn't like
It was very hard to find things that I didn't like but here some nitpicking
-So you know how I said that I loved the plot twist with the traitor. I did I'm not taking it back but... If you look closely I feel like maybe there are some tiny plothole that I can't really discuss without spoiling everything.
-The elves. Although we see way more elf-magic we still don't really get a lot of information about them. At the end of this trilogy, a still feel that I wanted to know more about them.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Black and Blue (2019) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Having seen the film I can confidently say that this has been woefully under screened. Just one screening at my local, luckily at the sensible time of 17.20 every day. Looking at other times it's getting relegated to some late slots which is never good.
Alicia West has come back to her home town and joined the local police department after being deployed. It's not the neighbourhood she remembers, there's distrust and gangs everywhere she looks, even her old friend pretends not to know her.
Taking a double shift as a favour to her partner she goes out on patrol with Officer Brown, he's old school and not going to change his ways... they don't see eye to eye. He takes a private call and says they need to go on a call so he cn meet a CI. He orders her to stay in the car and she waits suspiciously until two shots ring out. She enters the building to investigate, body cam turned on, and comes across a group of police officers who have executed members of a local gang. Thinking on instinct they shoot at her which allows her to escape. She needs to get the footage uploaded to expose the corruption but between her and the station are corrupt police officers and a community that hates cops. Who can she trust?
I found Black And Blue to be a really enjoyable. The action was tense and the story had a consistent pace all the way through and I felt really gripped as I watched it. My only disappointment was that they gave it sickly sweet ending. It brought the story full circle for West but it was so out of place with what we'd already seen. It wasn't necessary and I feel like it detracted from the effort everything else put in.
Naomie Harris is our lead and she handles the role like a seasoned pro. She brings across the optimism of West's character and you can see the intrigue and sadness in her as she realises just how bad things have become in her neighbourhood. Harris adapts well to each scenario and at times you could feel a genuine sense of fear as she's being pursued.
Frank Grillo plays Terry Malone, the leader of our group of corrupt cops. He's a great bit of casting. Towards the end I feel like the character deviates a little from what I might have expected but the performance was so good to watch that I wasn't too bothered by that.
Another face you'll recognise is Mike Colter as Darius, Darius is the head of one of the local gangs and during the course of the story he's also hot on West's heals. He's a very dark character and Colter captures that well, there's a particularly good scene with West where we're preparing for the finale of the film and the way he changes in his split second decisions really elevates the moment.
The last actor I'll mention is Tyrese Gibson as Milo, Milo brings a much softer side to the whole story, he's not about the violence and I think that Gibson had the perfect demeanour for this role. We get some much needed respite from the heavy tension and action with his scenes. I feel like there's some back story we needed to know for him though, he needed some more explaining and that was just missing in everything we saw.
Black And Blue has a strong message about society divided by hate, I'm not the right person to tell ou its accuracy. There are stereotypes knocking around all over the place but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. The film focused on the corruption in the neighbourhood and that's what you see, you wouldn't be getting other walks of life so it fits the idea perfectly.
I genuinely enjoyed watching this and the film kept me on the edge of my seat, this it something I'll look forward to watching again.
What you should do
If you like crime drama then I think you'll enjoy this, there's good action and great characters.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Some of West's kickass moves and super human will to survive.
Alicia West has come back to her home town and joined the local police department after being deployed. It's not the neighbourhood she remembers, there's distrust and gangs everywhere she looks, even her old friend pretends not to know her.
Taking a double shift as a favour to her partner she goes out on patrol with Officer Brown, he's old school and not going to change his ways... they don't see eye to eye. He takes a private call and says they need to go on a call so he cn meet a CI. He orders her to stay in the car and she waits suspiciously until two shots ring out. She enters the building to investigate, body cam turned on, and comes across a group of police officers who have executed members of a local gang. Thinking on instinct they shoot at her which allows her to escape. She needs to get the footage uploaded to expose the corruption but between her and the station are corrupt police officers and a community that hates cops. Who can she trust?
I found Black And Blue to be a really enjoyable. The action was tense and the story had a consistent pace all the way through and I felt really gripped as I watched it. My only disappointment was that they gave it sickly sweet ending. It brought the story full circle for West but it was so out of place with what we'd already seen. It wasn't necessary and I feel like it detracted from the effort everything else put in.
Naomie Harris is our lead and she handles the role like a seasoned pro. She brings across the optimism of West's character and you can see the intrigue and sadness in her as she realises just how bad things have become in her neighbourhood. Harris adapts well to each scenario and at times you could feel a genuine sense of fear as she's being pursued.
Frank Grillo plays Terry Malone, the leader of our group of corrupt cops. He's a great bit of casting. Towards the end I feel like the character deviates a little from what I might have expected but the performance was so good to watch that I wasn't too bothered by that.
Another face you'll recognise is Mike Colter as Darius, Darius is the head of one of the local gangs and during the course of the story he's also hot on West's heals. He's a very dark character and Colter captures that well, there's a particularly good scene with West where we're preparing for the finale of the film and the way he changes in his split second decisions really elevates the moment.
The last actor I'll mention is Tyrese Gibson as Milo, Milo brings a much softer side to the whole story, he's not about the violence and I think that Gibson had the perfect demeanour for this role. We get some much needed respite from the heavy tension and action with his scenes. I feel like there's some back story we needed to know for him though, he needed some more explaining and that was just missing in everything we saw.
Black And Blue has a strong message about society divided by hate, I'm not the right person to tell ou its accuracy. There are stereotypes knocking around all over the place but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. The film focused on the corruption in the neighbourhood and that's what you see, you wouldn't be getting other walks of life so it fits the idea perfectly.
I genuinely enjoyed watching this and the film kept me on the edge of my seat, this it something I'll look forward to watching again.
What you should do
If you like crime drama then I think you'll enjoy this, there's good action and great characters.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Some of West's kickass moves and super human will to survive.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Quatermass Experiment (2005) in Movies
Sep 14, 2020
The first U.K. Maned mission to space vanishes off course only to return with two two of it's three crew missing and the third unable to communicate. As Professor Quatermass and his team try to find out what happened they discover that they come to realise that the rocket may have returned with more than they first thought.
As remakes go This one is quite good, it follows the same basic script as the original and the modernisation (mostly) works. The film doesn't go for much in the way of monster effects, relying instead on building atmosphere and tension which helps it keep the feel of the original 1955 version. It also helps that the original writer, Nigel Kneale, was also consulted on this remake.
This version of the film does have a very (modern) British feel to it which is mostly from the fact that is was made by the BBC so has actors that have appeared in other BBC sic Fi shows, most noticeably David Tennant and Mark Gatiss.
I do have a couple of problems with this film though, firstly the main set, used though tout the first half of the film does look to much like a,well film set. The hospital ward, MoD offices and press conference room all appear to be in the same building and, in fact in one scene, the camera pans from one room to the next making the whole thing look as if it was set up in a warehouse or large stage, which it probability was for filming but you shouldn't realy notice that in the finished film.
The other issue was some of the costumes. The film seems to be set in time it was filmed (2007) but some of the costumes don't seem to fit. One reporter looks like a 'teddy boy' whilst one looks like she's from the 20's and there's a scene with 80's/90's looking goths (Yes I know there are still goths but the look has changed a bit through the decades, as with most looks).
I can't quite work out if the remake looses anything from the original, in some ways the threat seems bigger but the ending seems less climatic. The final scene takes place in an art gallery instead of a church but this is due to a slight change in some of the symbology in the film (and probably because the BBC have had complainants when they have blown up churches in the past).
The original had scenes that stuck with me ( I was quite young when i first saw it) and I feel that the remake doesn't have this effect, although that could just be my age now. However the remake does up the tension and it does feel that there is more riding on Quatermass' success
Apart from those points the film is good. Fans of the original will recognise it for what it is but new views won't need any knowledge of the original to watch it.
As remakes go This one is quite good, it follows the same basic script as the original and the modernisation (mostly) works. The film doesn't go for much in the way of monster effects, relying instead on building atmosphere and tension which helps it keep the feel of the original 1955 version. It also helps that the original writer, Nigel Kneale, was also consulted on this remake.
This version of the film does have a very (modern) British feel to it which is mostly from the fact that is was made by the BBC so has actors that have appeared in other BBC sic Fi shows, most noticeably David Tennant and Mark Gatiss.
I do have a couple of problems with this film though, firstly the main set, used though tout the first half of the film does look to much like a,well film set. The hospital ward, MoD offices and press conference room all appear to be in the same building and, in fact in one scene, the camera pans from one room to the next making the whole thing look as if it was set up in a warehouse or large stage, which it probability was for filming but you shouldn't realy notice that in the finished film.
The other issue was some of the costumes. The film seems to be set in time it was filmed (2007) but some of the costumes don't seem to fit. One reporter looks like a 'teddy boy' whilst one looks like she's from the 20's and there's a scene with 80's/90's looking goths (Yes I know there are still goths but the look has changed a bit through the decades, as with most looks).
I can't quite work out if the remake looses anything from the original, in some ways the threat seems bigger but the ending seems less climatic. The final scene takes place in an art gallery instead of a church but this is due to a slight change in some of the symbology in the film (and probably because the BBC have had complainants when they have blown up churches in the past).
The original had scenes that stuck with me ( I was quite young when i first saw it) and I feel that the remake doesn't have this effect, although that could just be my age now. However the remake does up the tension and it does feel that there is more riding on Quatermass' success
Apart from those points the film is good. Fans of the original will recognise it for what it is but new views won't need any knowledge of the original to watch it.
Peter_mark84 (59 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of WWE 2K20 in Video Games
Dec 27, 2019
Universe now feels more real, with PPVs having upto 14 matches. (2 more)
Newer roster
More modes
Buggy (2 more)
DLC nonsensical
Some bad renders
Like a Episode of Raw
So I buy WWE games annually, have done for years. Upon on hearing the reviews for this year's game I waited for Black Friday.
I am glad I did, while I enjoy playing this (really ever play universe mode) it is really buggy. The game is not an improvement on previous in a sustained a d meaningful way.
It is fun now there are patches a the roster does make this a good game, if u are a fan of the women's movement in wrestling. As large number of new faces are included this year.
DLC is a joke however, I feel short changed. With the inclusion of WWE originals. I feel that either 2k and visual concepts wanted to make quick buck or hit a wall in development. Yes I got Chyna and Hogan. However the rest of the Originals content seems like an acid. Who needs demonic Finn Balor or wasteland Samoa Joe. I get what they went for. Turning the wacky of wrestling up to 11.
However with no new characters, this just feels lazy. Why not include legends like LOD and Warlord in the wasteland DLC or Boogeyman/ Gangrel in the Bump In The Night.
So overall WWE2K20 is not the worst game I have played. However it has made me question my devotion to the franchise, should it continue
I am glad I did, while I enjoy playing this (really ever play universe mode) it is really buggy. The game is not an improvement on previous in a sustained a d meaningful way.
It is fun now there are patches a the roster does make this a good game, if u are a fan of the women's movement in wrestling. As large number of new faces are included this year.
DLC is a joke however, I feel short changed. With the inclusion of WWE originals. I feel that either 2k and visual concepts wanted to make quick buck or hit a wall in development. Yes I got Chyna and Hogan. However the rest of the Originals content seems like an acid. Who needs demonic Finn Balor or wasteland Samoa Joe. I get what they went for. Turning the wacky of wrestling up to 11.
However with no new characters, this just feels lazy. Why not include legends like LOD and Warlord in the wasteland DLC or Boogeyman/ Gangrel in the Bump In The Night.
So overall WWE2K20 is not the worst game I have played. However it has made me question my devotion to the franchise, should it continue