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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Gods Of Egypt (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Gods of Egypt is a visually stunning fantasy film that teeters on the edge of being campy.
The trailers for this film set high expectations, promising a story of the mythical, god-like beings that come from Egyptian lore. But they also raised questions: would the story keep in tune with common mythos, or branch out into a whole new realm?
With Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau taking the lead, along with 300’s Gerard Butler, the film starts off in a beautiful, ancient Egypt, ruled over by Osiris and his Queen. Horus, Osiris’s son (Coster- Waldau), is ready to assume the crown, but Set (Butler), brother to Osiris, has other plans. He feels scorned for having to live in the desert, and decides it is his time to rule all of Egypt. He murders Osiris, but leaves Horus alive, taking his eyes instead of his life.
Enter a thief, who wants to rescue his beloved from the clutches of Set’s architect (Rufus Sewell). The love of his life somehow talks him into rallying a dejected Horus to fight Set.
All the gods of Egypt are represented in some form or fashion, even if in minor capacity.
The gods have the ability to morph into larger, more powerful beings. They are nigh invincible, but still age, and die. They pray to Ra, god of the sun and grandfather to Horus.
This two-hour movie is filled to the brim with star-power, and superb acting. The special effects are a sight to behold, and they instill a sense of wonderment. The adventure is grand indeed, and will certainly leave you entertained.
That said, the script is sub-par. There are moments where emotional lines could be delivered, but aren’t. This is not from lack of trying on the part of the actors; the writers simply failed to find the proper words. In these moments, there was laughter from the audience at my viewing — during scenes clearly not meant for humor. This is the precarious knife-edge the movie walks between greatness and campy.
I’ve read several articles about how moviegoers are upset at the very Caucasian-looking cast. I shared this sentiment, to a certain degree. It seemed odd that a movie about a specific time and place in history made little effort to be ethnically accurate.
In the end, I let it go. The movie’s lore turned out to be so far from a real-world tie in that it no longer mattered. It was clear this was some sort of alternate universe; one of the major plot holes is a lack of connection to planet Earth.
If you can divorce yourself from some of these elements, you can really enjoy the film for what it is.
My screener companion said he didn’t care for the graphics, because they were obviously fake. I experienced this movie using animated films as my frame of reference, and that made it easier to watch. It is also clearly a High Fantasy film.
In summary: great acting is the glue that holds this film together. Without that talent, it wouldn’t stand up. It is, however, worth seeing if you love fantasy films. You will be entertained, for sure.
3.5 out 5 stars
The trailers for this film set high expectations, promising a story of the mythical, god-like beings that come from Egyptian lore. But they also raised questions: would the story keep in tune with common mythos, or branch out into a whole new realm?
With Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau taking the lead, along with 300’s Gerard Butler, the film starts off in a beautiful, ancient Egypt, ruled over by Osiris and his Queen. Horus, Osiris’s son (Coster- Waldau), is ready to assume the crown, but Set (Butler), brother to Osiris, has other plans. He feels scorned for having to live in the desert, and decides it is his time to rule all of Egypt. He murders Osiris, but leaves Horus alive, taking his eyes instead of his life.
Enter a thief, who wants to rescue his beloved from the clutches of Set’s architect (Rufus Sewell). The love of his life somehow talks him into rallying a dejected Horus to fight Set.
All the gods of Egypt are represented in some form or fashion, even if in minor capacity.
The gods have the ability to morph into larger, more powerful beings. They are nigh invincible, but still age, and die. They pray to Ra, god of the sun and grandfather to Horus.
This two-hour movie is filled to the brim with star-power, and superb acting. The special effects are a sight to behold, and they instill a sense of wonderment. The adventure is grand indeed, and will certainly leave you entertained.
That said, the script is sub-par. There are moments where emotional lines could be delivered, but aren’t. This is not from lack of trying on the part of the actors; the writers simply failed to find the proper words. In these moments, there was laughter from the audience at my viewing — during scenes clearly not meant for humor. This is the precarious knife-edge the movie walks between greatness and campy.
I’ve read several articles about how moviegoers are upset at the very Caucasian-looking cast. I shared this sentiment, to a certain degree. It seemed odd that a movie about a specific time and place in history made little effort to be ethnically accurate.
In the end, I let it go. The movie’s lore turned out to be so far from a real-world tie in that it no longer mattered. It was clear this was some sort of alternate universe; one of the major plot holes is a lack of connection to planet Earth.
If you can divorce yourself from some of these elements, you can really enjoy the film for what it is.
My screener companion said he didn’t care for the graphics, because they were obviously fake. I experienced this movie using animated films as my frame of reference, and that made it easier to watch. It is also clearly a High Fantasy film.
In summary: great acting is the glue that holds this film together. Without that talent, it wouldn’t stand up. It is, however, worth seeing if you love fantasy films. You will be entertained, for sure.
3.5 out 5 stars
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Urban Shaman (Walker Papers, #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I had a difficult time really getting into this book simply because I could not connect with the main character, Joanne Walker. The reader gets thrown into the fast-paced plot right from the beginning, but background information about Joanne Walker is almost non-existent. I kept asking myself why this was happening to Joanne, which is explained about half-way through the plot. Nothing is explained about the world that Joanne lives in in regards to the supernatural aspects, only what is immediately happening to her in particular. Why is she being singled out by these Celtic gods, and if there are Celtic ones what about other mythical gods from other cultures? While the plot is exciting and entertaining, the "world-building" information is lacking. From what I can gather, the only reason she is singled out as a shaman in name is because of her Cherokee background, otherwise she would only be a "healer." My question is, what's the difference, where are the details that make her so important and special? Plus, even though she is just discovering her abilities as a shaman, she wields them like a pro, as if she has known how to use them for most of her life. In my opinion, it is much more realistic to make mistakes with such abilities before mastering them, as with any new skill. I did find how Joanne behaves when she is recovering from stepping outside her body humorous as it greatly resembles a drunk, minus the cons of abusing alcohol. Ironically, that was when she was most interesting as a character. Joanne seems to be driven only by instinct and what her abilities are telling her without any real understanding of what is happening. More than once, she wanted to stop and think about what was happening to her, but that never really played out in the plot.
Also, I did pick up on certain similarities with the Patricia Briggs series of Mercy Thompson, such as the main character's interest in being a car mechanic, as well as the coyote presence. Joanne's snarkiness and attitude is also similar to Mercy's.
I give this book three roses simply because as the first book in a series, I am hoping that I get more depth to the character and world with subsequent books.
Also, I did pick up on certain similarities with the Patricia Briggs series of Mercy Thompson, such as the main character's interest in being a car mechanic, as well as the coyote presence. Joanne's snarkiness and attitude is also similar to Mercy's.
I give this book three roses simply because as the first book in a series, I am hoping that I get more depth to the character and world with subsequent books.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Clash of the Titans (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
The creators of this remake of Clash of the Titans changed quite a few things from the original 1981 film. They perfected the special effects, lost all the campiness, but still failed to make an engaging film. Director Louis Leterrier, (Incredible Hulk, Danny the Dog) needs to find a way to redeem himself after this emotionless film.
The script is obviously the problem here, because most of the actors themselves have shown their mastery of the art in recent movies. Sam Worthington (Avatar), Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes are all actors we know and love and they have shown us their capabilities in commanding performances in other films. Unfortunately, Clash of the Titans is likely something they will want to leave off their resumes.
The movie tried to have us empathize with Perseus (Worthington) and the humans in their battle against the Gods, but try as they might, little was felt for either side’s petty grievances. The film began by attempting to explain away a conflict between men and the Gods, but without any degree of detail behind this central plot-line, there was no real tension between the two sides. The characters themselves were poorly established in the beginning of the film. There is no relating to them without understanding their motives in the first place.
The movie stumbled along from subplot to subplot, without giving adequate reasons to the audience why the characters were doing what they did. It is likely obvious from the trailer that Perseus ends up fighting the Kraken, but there wasn’t any reason for him to do so. The Kraken would destroy a city, yes, but he was a prisoner of that city. What reason would he have to fight for a city that was indirectly responsible for destroying everything he loved? Does anyone else see a problem with this?
The special effects were quite stunning in 3D, but some scenes were simply edited with too many abrupt cuts and had too many awkward camera angles, making it difficult to follow the action. Unless you’re taking 3D to “James Cameron” levels of immersion, you’re probably better off getting it right in 2D. Without a compelling story, 3D is just a gimmick.
On a more positive note, the movie clocked in under two hours.
The script is obviously the problem here, because most of the actors themselves have shown their mastery of the art in recent movies. Sam Worthington (Avatar), Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes are all actors we know and love and they have shown us their capabilities in commanding performances in other films. Unfortunately, Clash of the Titans is likely something they will want to leave off their resumes.
The movie tried to have us empathize with Perseus (Worthington) and the humans in their battle against the Gods, but try as they might, little was felt for either side’s petty grievances. The film began by attempting to explain away a conflict between men and the Gods, but without any degree of detail behind this central plot-line, there was no real tension between the two sides. The characters themselves were poorly established in the beginning of the film. There is no relating to them without understanding their motives in the first place.
The movie stumbled along from subplot to subplot, without giving adequate reasons to the audience why the characters were doing what they did. It is likely obvious from the trailer that Perseus ends up fighting the Kraken, but there wasn’t any reason for him to do so. The Kraken would destroy a city, yes, but he was a prisoner of that city. What reason would he have to fight for a city that was indirectly responsible for destroying everything he loved? Does anyone else see a problem with this?
The special effects were quite stunning in 3D, but some scenes were simply edited with too many abrupt cuts and had too many awkward camera angles, making it difficult to follow the action. Unless you’re taking 3D to “James Cameron” levels of immersion, you’re probably better off getting it right in 2D. Without a compelling story, 3D is just a gimmick.
On a more positive note, the movie clocked in under two hours.
Rose (201 KP) rated Assassin's Creed: Origins in Video Games
Nov 28, 2017
Beautiful visuals (1 more)
Engaging story
This may actually beat AC: Syndicate for my second favorite Assassin's Creed game, the first being AC: Brotherhood.
The visuals are beautiful, in both day and night.
As per usual, I'm far more interested in exploring the world and doing side quests than running through the main story, but when I do, I get sucked right in: I need to know what happens next... until I get the itch to go exploring again or another side quest catches my eye.
I like the inclusion of taming certain animals and having them be additional dps when fighting. It's really cool knowing that a huge lion has your back when you're taking out a group of bandits. Though I am disappointed that they don't seem to follow you into caves or are still waiting outside when you emerge from clearing out a bandit infestation.
I'm very impressed at the schedule of extra quests and events such as fighting various gods like Anubis and Sobek, as well as the upcoming history to lay out the groundwork for the brotherhood in an expansion next year.
All of these are going to keep me very entertained for quite a while.
The visuals are beautiful, in both day and night.
As per usual, I'm far more interested in exploring the world and doing side quests than running through the main story, but when I do, I get sucked right in: I need to know what happens next... until I get the itch to go exploring again or another side quest catches my eye.
I like the inclusion of taming certain animals and having them be additional dps when fighting. It's really cool knowing that a huge lion has your back when you're taking out a group of bandits. Though I am disappointed that they don't seem to follow you into caves or are still waiting outside when you emerge from clearing out a bandit infestation.
I'm very impressed at the schedule of extra quests and events such as fighting various gods like Anubis and Sobek, as well as the upcoming history to lay out the groundwork for the brotherhood in an expansion next year.
All of these are going to keep me very entertained for quite a while.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow in Books
Jan 10, 2018
An interesting theory undermined by flimsy argument and unconvincing evidence
@Yuval Noah Harari once again returns with another thought-provoking anthropological book, similar to @Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, however, this time he turns his focus toward humanity's future, and our quest to upgrade humans into gods.
The implications for the developments in artificial intelligence and genetic engineering - and the combining of the two are mind-blowing and we ignore them at our peril. The same applies to the amount "the system" knows about us from how we use the internet. It is alarming how willingly we have walked down that path.
While Sapiens had a few historical tenets and facts that Harari was able to access with a clear argument, given his historian background, there was a tendency in this volume to set up unrealistic false dichotomies, and 'creatively' misinterpret belief systems in order to bolster his increasingly thin argument.
The thrust of what Harari is saying may well be true, but what I would have liked to see him do is to discuss the implications a bit more thoughtfully and, in effect, set an agenda for discussion.
The implications for the developments in artificial intelligence and genetic engineering - and the combining of the two are mind-blowing and we ignore them at our peril. The same applies to the amount "the system" knows about us from how we use the internet. It is alarming how willingly we have walked down that path.
While Sapiens had a few historical tenets and facts that Harari was able to access with a clear argument, given his historian background, there was a tendency in this volume to set up unrealistic false dichotomies, and 'creatively' misinterpret belief systems in order to bolster his increasingly thin argument.
The thrust of what Harari is saying may well be true, but what I would have liked to see him do is to discuss the implications a bit more thoughtfully and, in effect, set an agenda for discussion.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Game Of Thrones - Season 3 in TV
Jul 14, 2017
The Rains of Castermere (3 more)
Oueen of thorns
Tyrion
Tyrells
Nice day for a red wedding
By far rains of Castermere is my favorite game of thrones episode. With the exception of Ayra im not a Stark fan i usually find characters that are perceived at that noble are the most hypocritical. Catelyn's treatment of Jon is enough for that she promised the gods if Bran lived she would treat him like a son that didn't happen. So the red wedding was a great episode for me.
Season 3 also had the arrival of the character i want to be when i grow old the Queen of thorns herself Olenna Tyrell Not only is this character a major hard ass power player she is played by the amazing and wonderful Diana Rigg who brings this character to life. Her sharp toungue and wit is great and lets face it you don't live that long in game of thrones without knowing how to play the game well.
As every other season Both Ayra character development is well written and great to follow and Tyrion is still the master of all.
Season 3 also had the arrival of the character i want to be when i grow old the Queen of thorns herself Olenna Tyrell Not only is this character a major hard ass power player she is played by the amazing and wonderful Diana Rigg who brings this character to life. Her sharp toungue and wit is great and lets face it you don't live that long in game of thrones without knowing how to play the game well.
As every other season Both Ayra character development is well written and great to follow and Tyrion is still the master of all.