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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Farming (2018) in Movies
Mar 18, 2020
No Thank You
A young black teenager struggling with his identity joins up with a gang of skinheads. Despite what seems like an intriguing premise, Farming has to be one of the all-time worst movies I’ve ever seen. Since I’m on a streak of reviewing bad movies, might as well keep the train rolling.
Acting: 5
I couldn’t tell up from down, good from bad from these characters and, while that is attributed partly to writing, I think it falls on the poor acting performances as well. With the exception of a couple people here and there, almost everyone dropped the ball in this movie. It was almost as if they were making something they wanted no part of and, as a result, never really gave themselves over to it.
Beginning: 6
The beginning was good enough to get my attention. However, definitely didn’t love it. Like the majority of the movie, it was missing something for me. Little did I know, I was in for even more disappointment…
Characters: 1
Cinematography/Visuals: 0
Conflict: 3
Entertainment Value: 4
After twenty-five minutes of watching, I knew the movie was pretty much headed nowhere. It’s hard to enjoy a movie when you spend the majority of it breaking down and destroying the main character until it’s no longer interesting. It was like watching someone pick at a dead ant. The more I watched, the more I lacked interest.
Memorability: 0
Never have a single solitary desire to see this movie again. The message sucks. The movie sucks. “Forgettable” doesn’t begin to describe it.
Pace: 6
The pace is solid in spots but the story is so painful it negates that things are moving quickly. I wanted this to end so many times and it wouldn’t. It frustrated me to no end.
Plot: 1
An interesting premise spoiled by terrible execution. The movie should have centered on empowerment, yet it lingered too long on the tearing down portion. Eventually that becomes a bane to your audience and hard to stomach.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 36
I did sympathize with the main character’s culture shock in Farming having to go from African culture to British culture. I can imagine it would almost be enough to drive someone crazy and it definitely did a number on him. I would have liked to see his story told in a better fashion with a stronger glimmer of hope. That’s what we watch movies for, right? To hope for something better than the same old mundane shit we deal with on a regular. Farming dropped the ball and I’m damn sad about it.
Acting: 5
I couldn’t tell up from down, good from bad from these characters and, while that is attributed partly to writing, I think it falls on the poor acting performances as well. With the exception of a couple people here and there, almost everyone dropped the ball in this movie. It was almost as if they were making something they wanted no part of and, as a result, never really gave themselves over to it.
Beginning: 6
The beginning was good enough to get my attention. However, definitely didn’t love it. Like the majority of the movie, it was missing something for me. Little did I know, I was in for even more disappointment…
Characters: 1
Cinematography/Visuals: 0
Conflict: 3
Entertainment Value: 4
After twenty-five minutes of watching, I knew the movie was pretty much headed nowhere. It’s hard to enjoy a movie when you spend the majority of it breaking down and destroying the main character until it’s no longer interesting. It was like watching someone pick at a dead ant. The more I watched, the more I lacked interest.
Memorability: 0
Never have a single solitary desire to see this movie again. The message sucks. The movie sucks. “Forgettable” doesn’t begin to describe it.
Pace: 6
The pace is solid in spots but the story is so painful it negates that things are moving quickly. I wanted this to end so many times and it wouldn’t. It frustrated me to no end.
Plot: 1
An interesting premise spoiled by terrible execution. The movie should have centered on empowerment, yet it lingered too long on the tearing down portion. Eventually that becomes a bane to your audience and hard to stomach.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 36
I did sympathize with the main character’s culture shock in Farming having to go from African culture to British culture. I can imagine it would almost be enough to drive someone crazy and it definitely did a number on him. I would have liked to see his story told in a better fashion with a stronger glimmer of hope. That’s what we watch movies for, right? To hope for something better than the same old mundane shit we deal with on a regular. Farming dropped the ball and I’m damn sad about it.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Cerulean Monarch in Books
Apr 6, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Cerulean Monarch by Prashanti Talluri follows directly in the footsteps of The Core Fulcrum and continues the adventures of Goldie and his friends. Once again the kittens are left to save the world.
The beginning of the second semester at Meow Wow High School promises to be just as interesting as the first semester was. At the high school, there is a secret room in the library that houses special or secret information. During the pre-opening cleaning of the school, the librarian hears strange noises but the source of the sound is not discovered until later.
Goldie and the other members of the “Curiosity Kills the Cat” class are brought in with their professor to solve the mystery of what happened in the secret library. They must be careful because a traitor or spy is suspected. The class is split into two teams to work on this case and once again Goldie finds himself pitted against Hisky and his gang. The only clue they have is petrified remains, ferrofluids, and an image of Ocspires (an extent amphibian in their world). That's not much to go on if they are to save their species once again.
I enjoyed how the professor encouraged the kittens to solve the mystery themselves and encouraged independence. Though with how important solving this was to the cat world I would have thought the professor would have been more involved from the start. Similarly to the first book I did not care for all the cat puns. I understand that this is because of it being a cat world, but I did not find it enjoyable. The strange spellings and combined or made-up words also took away from the book.
Young readers will enjoy this book the most, in part because they tend to be more forgiving of made-up stuff. Also, their imagination probably won’t try to reject the world built up in these books nearly as much. I rate this book 2 out of 4. Yet again there were just too many strange things in this book. At times it was almost like this book was about humans then it shifts gears and the characters are cats (or cat-like) again.
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The beginning of the second semester at Meow Wow High School promises to be just as interesting as the first semester was. At the high school, there is a secret room in the library that houses special or secret information. During the pre-opening cleaning of the school, the librarian hears strange noises but the source of the sound is not discovered until later.
Goldie and the other members of the “Curiosity Kills the Cat” class are brought in with their professor to solve the mystery of what happened in the secret library. They must be careful because a traitor or spy is suspected. The class is split into two teams to work on this case and once again Goldie finds himself pitted against Hisky and his gang. The only clue they have is petrified remains, ferrofluids, and an image of Ocspires (an extent amphibian in their world). That's not much to go on if they are to save their species once again.
I enjoyed how the professor encouraged the kittens to solve the mystery themselves and encouraged independence. Though with how important solving this was to the cat world I would have thought the professor would have been more involved from the start. Similarly to the first book I did not care for all the cat puns. I understand that this is because of it being a cat world, but I did not find it enjoyable. The strange spellings and combined or made-up words also took away from the book.
Young readers will enjoy this book the most, in part because they tend to be more forgiving of made-up stuff. Also, their imagination probably won’t try to reject the world built up in these books nearly as much. I rate this book 2 out of 4. Yet again there were just too many strange things in this book. At times it was almost like this book was about humans then it shifts gears and the characters are cats (or cat-like) again.
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
In 2010, the most unlikely Viking proved that dragons and humans can co-exist in the first How To Train Your Dragon film. Set five years after the original movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2 opens up on the Village of Berk where Vikings and dragons have developed a fond relationship. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), the nerdy chieftain’s son, is now a few years older and has made himself a winged suit and spends his days soaring the skies with his beloved dragon, Toothless. This film brings together the original gang of friends, Astrid (America Ferrera), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), and twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut (Kristen Wiig and TJ Miller). Still at odds with his expectations, Hiccup’s father Stoick (Gerard Butler) demands that he begins the preparations and training to follow in his footsteps and become chief of their Village. This is not the future Hiccup sees for himself, he and Toothless flee the Village and explore the world and stumble upon a cave full of dragons and encounter a Mysterious Dragon Rider (Cate Blanchett), with a similar affinity for dragons. Hiccup has realized that war still exists between dragons and men beyond the borders of his Village. He attempts to negotiate peace with dragon-hunter Drago (Djimon Hounsou), who is threatening to invade the village with his army.
Writer/director Dean DeBlois helms the reins on this one; he has opened up the story without losing the tone of the original. The true delight is in the details, the visual effects are stunning; a prime example of how much computer generated animation has progressed in such a short amount of time. From the diverse landscapes to the design of the characters were absolutely breathtaking. Even the most minute details, such as the texture from the armor, to the scales on the dragons, even the battles scars on the soldiers are so vividly expressed, they assisted in creating the most dramatic and heartfelt moments.
The overall theme has matured from the first film with a continually surprising plot. In the first go around, Hiccup learned to be himself; in this installment Hiccup is taught to become a better version of himself when those unbreakable bonds are tested, and the line between good vs. evil is skewed.
I wouldn’t say there is much training in the sequel, however there is still a wonderful message of friendship, love, and loyalty. Some of the material may be a little too dark, and there were moments that spent way too much time developing the characters which can be pretty taxing for young children.
A worthy follow up….
Writer/director Dean DeBlois helms the reins on this one; he has opened up the story without losing the tone of the original. The true delight is in the details, the visual effects are stunning; a prime example of how much computer generated animation has progressed in such a short amount of time. From the diverse landscapes to the design of the characters were absolutely breathtaking. Even the most minute details, such as the texture from the armor, to the scales on the dragons, even the battles scars on the soldiers are so vividly expressed, they assisted in creating the most dramatic and heartfelt moments.
The overall theme has matured from the first film with a continually surprising plot. In the first go around, Hiccup learned to be himself; in this installment Hiccup is taught to become a better version of himself when those unbreakable bonds are tested, and the line between good vs. evil is skewed.
I wouldn’t say there is much training in the sequel, however there is still a wonderful message of friendship, love, and loyalty. Some of the material may be a little too dark, and there were moments that spent way too much time developing the characters which can be pretty taxing for young children.
A worthy follow up….
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Monsters University (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Monsters University brings Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and the whole gang back in what I can only describe as a huge win.
Twelve years after Disney and Pixar brought us the wildly successful Monsters Inc., Pixar finally follows up with this year’s must-see family movie, which comes to us in the form of a prequel.
Monsters University opens by showing us a very young Mike Wazowski, who gets lost on a school trip to a very familiar scare floor at Monsters Inc. After surviving a trip to the human realm, he receives a hat from one of the professional scarers, emblazoned with MU. From that point on, a wide-eyed Wazowski dedicates his life to getting into Monsters University.
Fast forward many years and Mike is at his first day of college. MU becomes the backdrop for the education, friendships, scare games, and destiny-setting events that lead into the original movie we already know and love.
I was a bit skeptical going in I was a fan of the original, but prequels are damned hard to pull off, and kid/family movies aren’t typically my preference. Fortunately, after the first 15 minutes, the humor started picking up. The writers, designers, and artists did a masterful job of combining kid-humor antics with adult humor. Like many Pixar films, it contains one-liners and inside jokes that require life experience to really appreciate. (There was nothing dirty, just more adult-themed quips.)
I was impressed by the pacing, the detail, and the seamless flow of the animation, not to mention the excellent voice talent. Crystal, Goodman, Nathan Fillion, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, and all the other actors did top-notch work.
I do have two complaints. There was not one mention of Mike Wazowski’s parents. We don’t know who they were or what they did, nor did we even get a visual of what they looked like. In a world occupied by such a wide variety of monsters, my curiosity was piqued. Even more maddening was the repeated mention of James P (Sulley) Sullivan’s father, who was apparently a very famous scarer. Sully is repeatedly reminded of living up to the family name, yet we never see so much as a picture showcasing his family. Perhaps this was addressed in a scene that didn’t make it from storyboards to the final cut.
Those minor issues aside, Monsters University is done very well, and it is extremely entertaining. From the many laugh-out-loud moments to the solemn, tear-jerking scenes, this movie is a real win.
Twelve years after Disney and Pixar brought us the wildly successful Monsters Inc., Pixar finally follows up with this year’s must-see family movie, which comes to us in the form of a prequel.
Monsters University opens by showing us a very young Mike Wazowski, who gets lost on a school trip to a very familiar scare floor at Monsters Inc. After surviving a trip to the human realm, he receives a hat from one of the professional scarers, emblazoned with MU. From that point on, a wide-eyed Wazowski dedicates his life to getting into Monsters University.
Fast forward many years and Mike is at his first day of college. MU becomes the backdrop for the education, friendships, scare games, and destiny-setting events that lead into the original movie we already know and love.
I was a bit skeptical going in I was a fan of the original, but prequels are damned hard to pull off, and kid/family movies aren’t typically my preference. Fortunately, after the first 15 minutes, the humor started picking up. The writers, designers, and artists did a masterful job of combining kid-humor antics with adult humor. Like many Pixar films, it contains one-liners and inside jokes that require life experience to really appreciate. (There was nothing dirty, just more adult-themed quips.)
I was impressed by the pacing, the detail, and the seamless flow of the animation, not to mention the excellent voice talent. Crystal, Goodman, Nathan Fillion, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, and all the other actors did top-notch work.
I do have two complaints. There was not one mention of Mike Wazowski’s parents. We don’t know who they were or what they did, nor did we even get a visual of what they looked like. In a world occupied by such a wide variety of monsters, my curiosity was piqued. Even more maddening was the repeated mention of James P (Sulley) Sullivan’s father, who was apparently a very famous scarer. Sully is repeatedly reminded of living up to the family name, yet we never see so much as a picture showcasing his family. Perhaps this was addressed in a scene that didn’t make it from storyboards to the final cut.
Those minor issues aside, Monsters University is done very well, and it is extremely entertaining. From the many laugh-out-loud moments to the solemn, tear-jerking scenes, this movie is a real win.
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated House of Frankenstein (1944) in Movies
Jun 18, 2020 (Updated Jun 18, 2020)
Get The Gang All Together: The Crossover
House of Frankenstein- is the ultimate monster crossover. It has Frankenstein, Dracula played by John Carradine, the Hunchback and the Wolf-Man played by Lon Chaney Jr. and a mad scientist played by Boris Karloff.
This "monster rally" approach would continue in the following film, House of Dracula, as well as the 1948 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
The plot: After escaping from prison, the evil Dr. Niemann (Boris Karloff) and his hunchbacked assistant, Daniel (J. Carrol Naish), plot their revenge against those who imprisoned them. For this, they recruit the powerful Wolf Man (Lon Chaney), Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and even Dracula himself (John Carradine). Niemann pursues those who wrong him, sending each monster out to do his dirty work. But his control on the monsters is weak at best and may prove to be his downfall.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) had been the first on-screen pairing of two Universal Studios monsters, but The House of Frankenstein was the first multi-monster movie. Early drafts of the story reportedly involved more characters from the Universal stable, including the Mummy, the Ape Woman, the Mad Ghoul, and possibly the Invisible Man. Working titles—which included Chamber of Horrors (a reference to Lampini's travelling horror show) and The Devil's Brood—emphasized the multi-monster nature of the story.
The multi-monster approach, which emphasized box office appeal over continuity, was used in House of Dracula the following year and later in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The House of Frankenstein marked Glenn Strange's debut as the monster. Strange, a former cowboy, had been a minor supporting player in dozens of low-budget Westerns over the preceding 15 years. He reprised the role in House of Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and cemented the popular image of the monster as shambling, clumsy, and inarticulate. Boris Karloff, who had moved on from playing the monster to playing the mad scientist, reportedly coached Strange on how to play the role.
Some continuity errors are evident in the finished film. After Dracula is thrown from the carriage, he looks over to where his coffin has landed; in a close-up, part of his mustache is gone. Also, when Talbot transforms into the Wolf Man for the final time, his hands lack fur.
Karloff's performance in this film is his last in Universal's classic horror cycle.
Its a fun entertaining movie starring the uninversal monsters.
This "monster rally" approach would continue in the following film, House of Dracula, as well as the 1948 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
The plot: After escaping from prison, the evil Dr. Niemann (Boris Karloff) and his hunchbacked assistant, Daniel (J. Carrol Naish), plot their revenge against those who imprisoned them. For this, they recruit the powerful Wolf Man (Lon Chaney), Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and even Dracula himself (John Carradine). Niemann pursues those who wrong him, sending each monster out to do his dirty work. But his control on the monsters is weak at best and may prove to be his downfall.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) had been the first on-screen pairing of two Universal Studios monsters, but The House of Frankenstein was the first multi-monster movie. Early drafts of the story reportedly involved more characters from the Universal stable, including the Mummy, the Ape Woman, the Mad Ghoul, and possibly the Invisible Man. Working titles—which included Chamber of Horrors (a reference to Lampini's travelling horror show) and The Devil's Brood—emphasized the multi-monster nature of the story.
The multi-monster approach, which emphasized box office appeal over continuity, was used in House of Dracula the following year and later in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The House of Frankenstein marked Glenn Strange's debut as the monster. Strange, a former cowboy, had been a minor supporting player in dozens of low-budget Westerns over the preceding 15 years. He reprised the role in House of Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and cemented the popular image of the monster as shambling, clumsy, and inarticulate. Boris Karloff, who had moved on from playing the monster to playing the mad scientist, reportedly coached Strange on how to play the role.
Some continuity errors are evident in the finished film. After Dracula is thrown from the carriage, he looks over to where his coffin has landed; in a close-up, part of his mustache is gone. Also, when Talbot transforms into the Wolf Man for the final time, his hands lack fur.
Karloff's performance in this film is his last in Universal's classic horror cycle.
Its a fun entertaining movie starring the uninversal monsters.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Rest of Us Just Live Here in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is the second book I've read by Patrick Ness, the first being More Than This which I adored. So I was really looking forward to The Rest of Us Just Live Here, and I was not disappointed!
The theme of this novel was basically what if you're not the Chosen One? As in, what if you aren't the one who slays the vampires, or exorcises all the demons? What if you don't fall in love with a Goddess or an angel? What if you're just a regular kid, like Mike?
At the start of each chapter, there's a short summary of what's happening in the "main story" - the indie kids fighting the Immortals, saving the world and that kinda thing. But that's all we get of their story; the rest is dedicated to Mike and his friends and family, struggling to lead happy, normal lives.
Each character is so unique and realistic. This is the important bit. There are characters with OCD, alcoholic parents, eating disorders. All of them are so well developed and relatable (expect perhaps Jared, who happens to be 1/4 God of Cats). I just love how their lives are normal lives, and how that doesn't mean they don't get a book written about them. Okay, Henna and Mikey nearly die, Jared can heal people and they encounter blue-eyed creatures a few times, but for the most part they aren't the heroes. They are just people.
I loved how you could compare the normal lives of the gang to what's happening with the indie kids. You can see how certain things affect each group of people differently, and how everything changes what they do. Such as the ending with Finn #2, which decides Jared's fate and alters the indie kids' story completely.
The writing is sometimes a little simplistic, like the kind of thing you read when you're a pre-teen or something. But it's easy to read, and really does draw you in. I have a few other Ness books I'd like to read, and I really am loving his work so far.
As you may or may not know, I'm a sucker for books featuring mental health problems. Anxiety, OCD, anorexia... They need to be addressed! It's great seeing how Mike and his sister get on with their lives despite the problems they're facing, and how they get involved without being judged based on their issues. Like I said, this is a really honest book, which we really need! I'd say 4 stars for this; I love it, but it's not quite in my favourites.
The theme of this novel was basically what if you're not the Chosen One? As in, what if you aren't the one who slays the vampires, or exorcises all the demons? What if you don't fall in love with a Goddess or an angel? What if you're just a regular kid, like Mike?
At the start of each chapter, there's a short summary of what's happening in the "main story" - the indie kids fighting the Immortals, saving the world and that kinda thing. But that's all we get of their story; the rest is dedicated to Mike and his friends and family, struggling to lead happy, normal lives.
Each character is so unique and realistic. This is the important bit. There are characters with OCD, alcoholic parents, eating disorders. All of them are so well developed and relatable (expect perhaps Jared, who happens to be 1/4 God of Cats). I just love how their lives are normal lives, and how that doesn't mean they don't get a book written about them. Okay, Henna and Mikey nearly die, Jared can heal people and they encounter blue-eyed creatures a few times, but for the most part they aren't the heroes. They are just people.
I loved how you could compare the normal lives of the gang to what's happening with the indie kids. You can see how certain things affect each group of people differently, and how everything changes what they do. Such as the ending with Finn #2, which decides Jared's fate and alters the indie kids' story completely.
The writing is sometimes a little simplistic, like the kind of thing you read when you're a pre-teen or something. But it's easy to read, and really does draw you in. I have a few other Ness books I'd like to read, and I really am loving his work so far.
As you may or may not know, I'm a sucker for books featuring mental health problems. Anxiety, OCD, anorexia... They need to be addressed! It's great seeing how Mike and his sister get on with their lives despite the problems they're facing, and how they get involved without being judged based on their issues. Like I said, this is a really honest book, which we really need! I'd say 4 stars for this; I love it, but it's not quite in my favourites.
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