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tonidavis (353 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) in Movies
Dec 13, 2017
Has the feel of original series (2 more)
BB8
Hans Solo and Princess/ Genral Leia are back
Star wars for a new generation
The force awaken opens up star wars for a whole new generation whilst the original trilogy had the world enraputed with this epic adventure series and revolutionized the way we see Sci Fi, Fantasy today Phathom menace, attack of the clones and revenge of the sith, didnt quiet capture the sprirt of the original trilogy. However Force awakens come out swinging.
Not only do we see our old favorites of Han solo Cewbacca Princess now General Leia the new characters leave a force of there own you cant help but admire Rey strength and determination. Fall in love with little BB-8. Finn ability to feel even though hes a storm trooper bring up a whole new level of meaning to established characters from the series.
Ive always like the dark side more than the light as my friendtell me i only ever like assholes so obviously Darth Vader is my favorite star wars character however Kylo Ren is no Darth Vader. However much he may wish to be and although the ending cements his darkness between Vader and Kylo there no choice who i think is the better villian so this film get a 9/10 rather than 10/10
Not only do we see our old favorites of Han solo Cewbacca Princess now General Leia the new characters leave a force of there own you cant help but admire Rey strength and determination. Fall in love with little BB-8. Finn ability to feel even though hes a storm trooper bring up a whole new level of meaning to established characters from the series.
Ive always like the dark side more than the light as my friendtell me i only ever like assholes so obviously Darth Vader is my favorite star wars character however Kylo Ren is no Darth Vader. However much he may wish to be and although the ending cements his darkness between Vader and Kylo there no choice who i think is the better villian so this film get a 9/10 rather than 10/10
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Alien: Covenant (2017) in Movies
Jul 25, 2017
Michael Fassbender (1 more)
Better than Prometheus
Well at least it's better than Prometheus...
Contains spoilers, click to show
I'll be honest, I hated Prometheus. It had potential, but was completely ruined by nonsense and plot holes. Alien: Covenant is the film Prometheus should've been, but it still isn't anything to shout about.
There are still plot holes, although nowhere near as many as Prometheus, and some very dodgy action choices from supposedly expert characters. For example, going out onto an unknown planet without any sort of protective suit?! Advise anyone to hit up YouTube for more plot holes and stupidity if you didn't spot these yourself.
Character development was lacking. The CGI was surprisingly bad in parts. The first and last parts of the films were very similar to Alien and Aliens, which may not necessarily be bad. However there's a fine line between being an homage and being a carbon copy, and I don't think this film quite pulls it off.
Finally, the whole nonsense about David being the creator of the Xenomorphs? Utter nonsense. Personally I hate the idea of a homicidal android having created the Xenomorphs and I hate that Ridley Scott has gone down this route.
I also can't stand that Ridley has said there will be 2 more prequels before the events of these films link up to the events of Alien - is that really necessary?
There are still plot holes, although nowhere near as many as Prometheus, and some very dodgy action choices from supposedly expert characters. For example, going out onto an unknown planet without any sort of protective suit?! Advise anyone to hit up YouTube for more plot holes and stupidity if you didn't spot these yourself.
Character development was lacking. The CGI was surprisingly bad in parts. The first and last parts of the films were very similar to Alien and Aliens, which may not necessarily be bad. However there's a fine line between being an homage and being a carbon copy, and I don't think this film quite pulls it off.
Finally, the whole nonsense about David being the creator of the Xenomorphs? Utter nonsense. Personally I hate the idea of a homicidal android having created the Xenomorphs and I hate that Ridley Scott has gone down this route.
I also can't stand that Ridley has said there will be 2 more prequels before the events of these films link up to the events of Alien - is that really necessary?
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010) in Movies
Jan 14, 2018
One of the better HP adaptations
I have a bit of an issue with the Harry Potter films in general. I'm grateful that they've at least brought the wizarding world onto the big screen, I just think it's a shame that some of them are very poor versions of the books. Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows is a fairly decent adaptation, but even still it's very frustrating to see how much has been missed out. My other half even commented asking if Dobby had a bigger part in the books, as it was obvious even to him as a non book reader that storylines from the books had been implied in the films rather than actually featured.
Still despite all that, it is definitely one of the better in the series and I like how dark the series has gone. The acting is great from the seasoned cast, but at little hit and miss from the younger actors. The effects are fairly good too if a little overused..
I have a love hate relationship with the HP films. I love the sets and how the wizarding world has been brought to life - without these films we wouldn't have the studios in London and the amazing world in Universal Florida. It's just a shame so much of the back story and detail from the books has been left out.
Still despite all that, it is definitely one of the better in the series and I like how dark the series has gone. The acting is great from the seasoned cast, but at little hit and miss from the younger actors. The effects are fairly good too if a little overused..
I have a love hate relationship with the HP films. I love the sets and how the wizarding world has been brought to life - without these films we wouldn't have the studios in London and the amazing world in Universal Florida. It's just a shame so much of the back story and detail from the books has been left out.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Death Note (2017) in Movies
Aug 25, 2017
If you like the Anime save yourself don't watch! (5 more)
Ruined entire premise of light
Ruined L
Bad writing
What's with this teen angst
With seriously never been so angry
I'm used to Hollywood ruinning Japanese anime by now. However this is possibly the worst anime film adaption ever.
Anime/magna Light is a genius who at the start truly does what he believes is right and just and later power turns him mad, into a genius on power who clever enough to manipulate a good of death. What does this film give us a whingey teenage angst ridden pathetic human being who in love with the cliche of cliche cheerleader.
Don't get me started with the cheerleader
L anime and manga is a genius who has beyond increble presence power and essence not to mention his stance and love of cake is notorious that makes you love him more. This L is just bad and that giving him credit.
William Dafoe plays the voice of Ryuk which isn't enough to do anything for this film unfortunately because I do love William Dafoe and no one plays villain like him but the writing and general Hollywood let see if we can make generic cash cow by using popular teen actors rather than getting decent script writer or following any semblance of plot has ruined this movie
Anime/magna Light is a genius who at the start truly does what he believes is right and just and later power turns him mad, into a genius on power who clever enough to manipulate a good of death. What does this film give us a whingey teenage angst ridden pathetic human being who in love with the cliche of cliche cheerleader.
Don't get me started with the cheerleader
L anime and manga is a genius who has beyond increble presence power and essence not to mention his stance and love of cake is notorious that makes you love him more. This L is just bad and that giving him credit.
William Dafoe plays the voice of Ryuk which isn't enough to do anything for this film unfortunately because I do love William Dafoe and no one plays villain like him but the writing and general Hollywood let see if we can make generic cash cow by using popular teen actors rather than getting decent script writer or following any semblance of plot has ruined this movie
Jennifer Daniell (108 KP) rated A Wrinkle in Time (2018) in Movies
Apr 17, 2018
A Solid Attempt
I didn't have very high hopes when I saw that they were making this movie, but I think they did an okay job. I love the casting choices for the most part, although Oprah doesn't make a ton of sense for me. That being said I think that however random the casting of the Misses seems they did make it work. I really love that they chose to feature an interracial family and placed emphasis and importance on the acceptance and self love for and of natural hair and features. It is a message little brown girls rarely hear from the world and its an important one. The main issue I had with the movie was that it was very very rushed. Because they crammed multiple books into one movie a lot of details and imagery that make the books so fantastical was lost. The worlds and landscapes they did build and feature were beautifully done, as were the costumes - with one glaring exception - Oprah's eyebrows. Maybe its just me but they were always slightly crooked and just off in general and it was glaring and distracting. If you haven't read the books you will probably enjoy it more than if you have, but you should read them, they're good.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated The Poisonwood Bible in Books
May 25, 2018
Wow! What a story!
The Poisonwood Bible follows the Price family, missionaries who are living in (pretty scary) parts of Africa for a large part of the book. The book talks a LOT about their religion, and its in general a pretty chilling book. A lot of reviews are judging this book on Christianity or America, or whatever - but I think this book deserves five stars for the story and writing alone. The story was beautiful and it ALMOST made me question everything I've ever thought or believed in! I learned so very much about things in Africa that most of us have no idea are happening - or have happened.
I do think things sort of went back and forth throughout the story - how amazing the African people are, then what monsters they are - but they're just like every other human in America right? It also follows two sisters who are SO different its almost not believable. Rachel and Leah. Rachel is fun to follow - in a way the only humor in the whole book. Their story is fascinating no matter which point of view it's told from.
The book is VERY long. I could have ended it before the adult part - I was bored by that and felt it unnecessary. Otherwise - would def had been 5 stars!
The Poisonwood Bible follows the Price family, missionaries who are living in (pretty scary) parts of Africa for a large part of the book. The book talks a LOT about their religion, and its in general a pretty chilling book. A lot of reviews are judging this book on Christianity or America, or whatever - but I think this book deserves five stars for the story and writing alone. The story was beautiful and it ALMOST made me question everything I've ever thought or believed in! I learned so very much about things in Africa that most of us have no idea are happening - or have happened.
I do think things sort of went back and forth throughout the story - how amazing the African people are, then what monsters they are - but they're just like every other human in America right? It also follows two sisters who are SO different its almost not believable. Rachel and Leah. Rachel is fun to follow - in a way the only humor in the whole book. Their story is fascinating no matter which point of view it's told from.
The book is VERY long. I could have ended it before the adult part - I was bored by that and felt it unnecessary. Otherwise - would def had been 5 stars!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Blackhat (2015) in Movies
Feb 10, 2019
Terribly dull
I’ve had this film on my Sky box now for well over 2 years and I’ve never felt in the right mood to watch it. Due to changing over my Sky box, I’m now having to watch everything I’ve got recorded and I’ve now found out first hand why I’ve been avoiding watching this film for the past few years.
It is so terribly dull and stupid that it could barely hold my attention. Whilst I find the general subject of hacking quite interesting, this film has made it look so terribly boring. I’m also not the biggest fan of Michael Mann’s style and this is definitely not his best work. The few fight scenes could have been good but were spoilt by dodgy camera work, and the music is oddly overly dramatic and misjudged, and doesn’t fit in with the story at all. The plot itself is just convoluted and silly, and jumps all over the place. It also has the most pointless and unbelievable romantic subplot I’ve seen in quite a while. The entire film is just completely disinteresting and badly underused a very talented cast - I really don’t know what Viola Davis was doing in this. Unless you want to be bored for over 2 hours, I’d highly recommend avoiding this one.
It is so terribly dull and stupid that it could barely hold my attention. Whilst I find the general subject of hacking quite interesting, this film has made it look so terribly boring. I’m also not the biggest fan of Michael Mann’s style and this is definitely not his best work. The few fight scenes could have been good but were spoilt by dodgy camera work, and the music is oddly overly dramatic and misjudged, and doesn’t fit in with the story at all. The plot itself is just convoluted and silly, and jumps all over the place. It also has the most pointless and unbelievable romantic subplot I’ve seen in quite a while. The entire film is just completely disinteresting and badly underused a very talented cast - I really don’t know what Viola Davis was doing in this. Unless you want to be bored for over 2 hours, I’d highly recommend avoiding this one.
Rhubarbio (27 KP) rated Chronicles of Crime in Tabletop Games
May 25, 2019
Great use of QR codes (3 more)
Perfect integration of old and new - VR technology with a board game
Co-operative deductive game
Engaging stories!
Chronicles of Crime by Lucky Duck Games is an amazing co-operative game that incorporates QR codes, to be scanned by a mobile phone, VR technology to see crime scenes in 3D, and a board with locations. Therefore this game not only marries technology with traditional gaming, but does this without being tacky or a gimmick! Originally this game was launched via Kickstarter, but I believe this will have hit general release with a few expansions already. The stories are engaging and the game very enjoyable. I must say, the crime scenes are quite sobering and grim, therefore not for children but an amazing experience for adults. The way the game is structured, Lucky Duck can continue to publish new cases, using the characters and locations on the boards you already have, resulting in a potential for continued play beyond the stories contained in the box. I thoroughly recommend this game at a player count of 2-3...more than this, I think it may become a little boring for additional players.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Kong: Skull Island (2017) in Movies
Feb 9, 2018 (Updated Feb 9, 2018)
The Vietnam Movie That Time Forgot
Surprisingly effective and entertaining attempt to combine classic monster movie structure with a Vietnam War movie vibe. The secret monster-hunting agency of the US government organises an expedition to the mysterious Skull Island; everyone gets more than they bargained for. Is it a spoiler to reveal there's quite a big gorilla called Kong in residence?
Leading players Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson seem a bit all at sea but there is some good work from the supporting cast, who know just how much of the scenery to chew - Samuel L Jackson, John Goodman, and John C Reilly all raise a smile. The monster mashes are good fun, too. You could probably argue that doing a King Kong movie where Kong never gets off the island kind of misses the point entirely, but this is still arguably the most faithful take on the general tone of the original movie since the 1930s.
Altogether much lighter on its feet and less portentous than the most recent American Godzilla, with which it is in continuity - they don't make a big deal out of this, thankfully, but all-in-all you do rather hope the forthcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla Vs Kong are closer in style to this than the 2014 movie. Toho fans should stick around for the post-credits bit.
Leading players Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson seem a bit all at sea but there is some good work from the supporting cast, who know just how much of the scenery to chew - Samuel L Jackson, John Goodman, and John C Reilly all raise a smile. The monster mashes are good fun, too. You could probably argue that doing a King Kong movie where Kong never gets off the island kind of misses the point entirely, but this is still arguably the most faithful take on the general tone of the original movie since the 1930s.
Altogether much lighter on its feet and less portentous than the most recent American Godzilla, with which it is in continuity - they don't make a big deal out of this, thankfully, but all-in-all you do rather hope the forthcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla Vs Kong are closer in style to this than the 2014 movie. Toho fans should stick around for the post-credits bit.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Language Arts in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Charles Marlow is an English teacher at a private high school. His life, therefore, is filled with language and words. However, all the language in the world cannot help him communicate with his son, Cody, who is autistic. Cody's diagnosis took a toll on his marriage and now Charles finds himself alone in the house -- all his kids are out of the house, his marriage has ended -- and he's wrestling with his demons.
I absolutely loved Kallos' "Broken For You," so I was extremely excited to pick up her latest novel. It definitely took some time for this one to grow on me. The book got off to a slow start and Charles is not the most likable of characters. Still, once I got into the plot, it's a lovely tale and extremely moving. Kallos does an amazing job of tying together her ancillary characters into a beautiful way--not one that's trite, per se, but a manner that seems fitting for each.
Overall, the book is a touching tribute to language, in many forms, and to art, as well. It's also a very insightful look at autism and the toll it can take on a family, but also some of the gifts that those termed as "disabled" by the general public can give to us. Definitely worth reading - just be patient.
I absolutely loved Kallos' "Broken For You," so I was extremely excited to pick up her latest novel. It definitely took some time for this one to grow on me. The book got off to a slow start and Charles is not the most likable of characters. Still, once I got into the plot, it's a lovely tale and extremely moving. Kallos does an amazing job of tying together her ancillary characters into a beautiful way--not one that's trite, per se, but a manner that seems fitting for each.
Overall, the book is a touching tribute to language, in many forms, and to art, as well. It's also a very insightful look at autism and the toll it can take on a family, but also some of the gifts that those termed as "disabled" by the general public can give to us. Definitely worth reading - just be patient.
Tonybillson999 (2 KP) Dec 13, 2017