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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) in Movies
Jan 28, 2021
Returning to a much more balanced tone that the overly "cooky" Temple of Doom, the third Indiana Jones adventure gives Raiders of the Lost Ark some serious competition for best entry in the franchise (Raiders just about beats it for me based on the ratio of melting nazi face content).
The Last Crusade is a hugely entertaining movie from start to finish. It has a fantastic cast from the ever reliable Harrison Ford in the title role, to the convincingly menacing antagonist played by Julian Glover. Of course, Sean Connery is here for the ride this time around, as Indy's old man. The dynamic between Connery and Ford is great, and every scene with the two of them is cinema gold. Alison Doody makes for a welcome change with this films female protagonist (sort of), her character finally bucking the trend of typical love interest and having some depth, and a hell of a mean streak. Its nice to see John Rhys-Davies return from his ToD absence, and River Phoenix makes for an extremely memorable young Indiana in the movies opening flashback scene - on the subject of that scene, the transition from young Indy to Harrison Ford Indy is epic, thanks in part to another wonderful John Williams score, and is one of my highlights of the entire franchise!
The pacing is spot on - the over-two-hour runtime never once feels like a slog. The constant action is some of Spielberg's best work, and is suitably high octane. Everything in between boasts an engaging screenplay that develops all of the characters nicely, and the comedy elements are well done and sporadically placed, making the sillier moments genuinely funny (even the ridiculous Hitler scene)
All in all, The Last Crusade is a wonderful conclusion to the original trilogy, and is a genuinely fantastic adventure movie that stands toe to toe with the first film in its quality.
The Last Crusade is a hugely entertaining movie from start to finish. It has a fantastic cast from the ever reliable Harrison Ford in the title role, to the convincingly menacing antagonist played by Julian Glover. Of course, Sean Connery is here for the ride this time around, as Indy's old man. The dynamic between Connery and Ford is great, and every scene with the two of them is cinema gold. Alison Doody makes for a welcome change with this films female protagonist (sort of), her character finally bucking the trend of typical love interest and having some depth, and a hell of a mean streak. Its nice to see John Rhys-Davies return from his ToD absence, and River Phoenix makes for an extremely memorable young Indiana in the movies opening flashback scene - on the subject of that scene, the transition from young Indy to Harrison Ford Indy is epic, thanks in part to another wonderful John Williams score, and is one of my highlights of the entire franchise!
The pacing is spot on - the over-two-hour runtime never once feels like a slog. The constant action is some of Spielberg's best work, and is suitably high octane. Everything in between boasts an engaging screenplay that develops all of the characters nicely, and the comedy elements are well done and sporadically placed, making the sillier moments genuinely funny (even the ridiculous Hitler scene)
All in all, The Last Crusade is a wonderful conclusion to the original trilogy, and is a genuinely fantastic adventure movie that stands toe to toe with the first film in its quality.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Witness (1985) in Movies
Feb 21, 2021
Very classy romantic drama-thriller. When a young Amish boy witnesses a brutal murder, it leads to detective John Book uncovering widespread corruption in his own department. He is forced to hide out amongst the Amish, and finds he is drawn to their way of life almost despite himself.
This is a classic movie, but also one of those films which looks deceptively simple and straightforward: there are no staggering plot twists, no big set pieces (except for the one where some people build a barn) - it's one of those very brave films with the confidence to take its time and let the characters and story grow and breathe. The contrast between the ugliness of the big city and the quiet consolations of the Amish lifestyle is carefully achieved; Harrison Ford seizes the chance to lead the movie and give a proper acting performance (this got him his Oscar nomination). A great film; didn't quite make me want to go and live on a farm, but a close thing.
This is a classic movie, but also one of those films which looks deceptively simple and straightforward: there are no staggering plot twists, no big set pieces (except for the one where some people build a barn) - it's one of those very brave films with the confidence to take its time and let the characters and story grow and breathe. The contrast between the ugliness of the big city and the quiet consolations of the Amish lifestyle is carefully achieved; Harrison Ford seizes the chance to lead the movie and give a proper acting performance (this got him his Oscar nomination). A great film; didn't quite make me want to go and live on a farm, but a close thing.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) in Movies
May 26, 2020 (Updated May 26, 2020)
Old Indy: Nuke The CGI Refrigeror
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- is the fourth indiana movie. I wish their didnt make a fourth movie, cause in my opinion and others the trilogy as a whole was and is perfect. The third movie was called, "The Last Crusade", so it should of been the last, but nope. Over 20's year, their had to make anethor one. Thanks Steven, George and Harrison, cause we really needed anethor one. With CGI Gophers, Monkey's, Aliens, and also Indiana surviving a atomic bomb test by hiding in a refrigator and surviving. Ya, no. He should be dead. Relying on to much CGI, pointless charcters, plot and a terrible ending. This movie doesnt live up to the oringal trilogy.
The plot: It's the height of the Cold War, and famous archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), returning from his latest adventure, finds out his job at Marshall College is in jeopardy. He meets Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), a young man who wants Indy to help him find the legendary Crystal Skull of Akator, and the pair set out for Peru. However, deadly agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) is searching for the powerful artifact, too, because the Soviets believe it can help them conquer the world.
I mean the action was good, the adventure was good and Cate Blanchett was good as the villian, everything else was bad.
But at the same time though its always good to see Indiana and his adventures. To see Indiana back after all these years, did put a smile on my face. Old Indiana.
Though in my opinon, just watch the oringal trilogy, its 10x better than this garbage. I mean this bomb. Atomic Bomb, boom got them. Seriously, dont watch this one, its bad.
The plot: It's the height of the Cold War, and famous archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), returning from his latest adventure, finds out his job at Marshall College is in jeopardy. He meets Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), a young man who wants Indy to help him find the legendary Crystal Skull of Akator, and the pair set out for Peru. However, deadly agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) is searching for the powerful artifact, too, because the Soviets believe it can help them conquer the world.
I mean the action was good, the adventure was good and Cate Blanchett was good as the villian, everything else was bad.
But at the same time though its always good to see Indiana and his adventures. To see Indiana back after all these years, did put a smile on my face. Old Indiana.
Though in my opinon, just watch the oringal trilogy, its 10x better than this garbage. I mean this bomb. Atomic Bomb, boom got them. Seriously, dont watch this one, its bad.
Dominique Marie (7 KP) rated The Princess Diarist in Books
Nov 28, 2018 (Updated Nov 28, 2018)
MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun
Category: Book in a genre you usually avoid
I avoid celebrity memoirs, mostly because I feel that I can get enough celebrity news from the internet and tv. I don't want to read books about that subject in most cases. I chose The Princess Diarist because I love Star Wars, and this memoir takes place during the filming. I had very mixed feelings about this book. Fisher is hilarious and relatable, at times far to crass for my liking, but candid. Her diaries from when she was young were probably the most interesting part to me. Her affair with Harrison was just so heartbreaking to me. She tries to defend him, but I think it's awful. Right after he "rescues" her from some co-workers who have gotten her plastered, he takes her into his car and makes out with her. He was 15 years older than her, and married with two kids. It was also heartbreaking because she idolized him so much. The contrast between her diaries and her current thoughts made for a good read, but I can't say that I really liked it, or really hated it. It was just such a mixed bag for me.
Category: Book in a genre you usually avoid
I avoid celebrity memoirs, mostly because I feel that I can get enough celebrity news from the internet and tv. I don't want to read books about that subject in most cases. I chose The Princess Diarist because I love Star Wars, and this memoir takes place during the filming. I had very mixed feelings about this book. Fisher is hilarious and relatable, at times far to crass for my liking, but candid. Her diaries from when she was young were probably the most interesting part to me. Her affair with Harrison was just so heartbreaking to me. She tries to defend him, but I think it's awful. Right after he "rescues" her from some co-workers who have gotten her plastered, he takes her into his car and makes out with her. He was 15 years older than her, and married with two kids. It was also heartbreaking because she idolized him so much. The contrast between her diaries and her current thoughts made for a good read, but I can't say that I really liked it, or really hated it. It was just such a mixed bag for me.
Jane Wiedlin recommended Blade Runner (1982) in Movies (curated)
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Ex in Books
Aug 5, 2019
Jack Harrison is an author who has suffered great loss in his life. In high school, he lost his mother. A few years later, his father. A few years after that, his brother. The same day his brother died in a car accident, was the same day he found out that his long-term girlfriend, Olivia Randall had been cheating on him. Jack goes on and lives his life and after being married for about 10 years, he loses his wife to gun violence. The person who killed his wife was a young boy whose father thought guns were the right way to reach his mentally troubled son. So the families were suing the boys father for wrongful death. But that suit was dropped and everyone is devastated. A few days later, Malcolm Neeley, father of the boy who killed Jack's wife is shot to death along with two other people. All signs point to Jack as the person who committed this crime. But, Olivia knows Jack and he would never do something like this, right? Is Jack guilty or innocent. As time goes on, it's hard to tell.
Thank you to my Bookaholic friends for suggesting this book to me. This is the first book I have read by Alafair Burke and I can't wait to read more.
Imagine what you would do if you were accused of a crime you know you didn't commit. But all signs point to you. How can you handle it? What if your ex-girlfriend is the one who is representing you, do you think that would be a good idea? Jack Harrison seems like your typical guy, living his life and minding his business.
This book really touched me from start to finish. I had to know if Jack was really guilty or if someone was framing him and why would they do that? Jack is a man without too much in his life. It's just him and his daughter and his best friend. Why would his risk losing what little he had to get back at a man, whose son killed his wife.
Even though Olivia knew Jack 20 years ago, does she know the man today? Is she able to put aside their differences and see the evidence for what it is? You will have to read the book to find out.
Thank you to my Bookaholic friends for suggesting this book to me. This is the first book I have read by Alafair Burke and I can't wait to read more.
Imagine what you would do if you were accused of a crime you know you didn't commit. But all signs point to you. How can you handle it? What if your ex-girlfriend is the one who is representing you, do you think that would be a good idea? Jack Harrison seems like your typical guy, living his life and minding his business.
This book really touched me from start to finish. I had to know if Jack was really guilty or if someone was framing him and why would they do that? Jack is a man without too much in his life. It's just him and his daughter and his best friend. Why would his risk losing what little he had to get back at a man, whose son killed his wife.
Even though Olivia knew Jack 20 years ago, does she know the man today? Is she able to put aside their differences and see the evidence for what it is? You will have to read the book to find out.
Holly Johnson recommended Blade Runner Soundtrack by Vangelis in Music (curated)
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) in Movies
Mar 26, 2020
Let's be honest, Solo was getting un-earnt hate from the minute it was announced. "No one asked for this" was thrown around often. "It's not Harrison Ford" was another one, and as a result, it was met in release with a fair amount of vitriol, and underperformed at the box office (apparently, still made shit tons of money...)
This is a great shame in my opinion. Solo isn't a perfect film by any means but it's still a fun and enjoyable sci-fi adventure.
Seeming as the plot revolves mainly around Han Solo, who of course is a huge staple character in the original trilogy, set after this one, the stakes are relatively low, and this gives the film room to relax a present us with what is essentially a heist movie, just one thats set in the Star Wars universe.
Alden Ehrenreich is fine as the titular Solo. He isn't trying to just copy Harrison Ford, but still provides something that feels familiar, whilst giving his own take on the character.
Donald Glover is pitch perfect as a young Lando Calrissian, and is arguably the highlight cast member.
It's great to have the likes of Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson involved as well.
As I've said in my GoT reviews, I've always struggled to full get on board with Emilia Clarke, and it's no different here. She's just kind of there, and I honestly feel that the film wouldn't have suffered to greatly without her character.
My main gripe with Solo is the constant need to over explain everything - ever wondered how Han got his blaster and jacket? No? Well tough shit because we're going to tell you! Ever wondered where he got those dice that hang in the Millennium Falcon for like two seconds in one of the films? No? Shut up and watch dammit. Ever wondered why Han's second name is Solo? No? Well fuck you, because you're about to find out (and it's horribly cringey) Ever wanted to see what the Kessel Run is that Han spoke about once in the history of Star Wars? Well, maybe, kind of, but surprise, ITS A BIG CGI SQUID HAHAHA.
Any mystery and intrigue that you may have about Han Solo is explained away in incessant detail to the point where it becomes quickly tiresome. Not everything needs a back story dammit.
Honestly though, Solo could have been soooo much worse, but as it happens, it actually decent. It's not perfect as I mentioned, but I would happily take it over episodes 8 and 9. If you're one is those fans who have just straight up refused to watch it for some reason, stop being a silly goose and give it a go.
This is a great shame in my opinion. Solo isn't a perfect film by any means but it's still a fun and enjoyable sci-fi adventure.
Seeming as the plot revolves mainly around Han Solo, who of course is a huge staple character in the original trilogy, set after this one, the stakes are relatively low, and this gives the film room to relax a present us with what is essentially a heist movie, just one thats set in the Star Wars universe.
Alden Ehrenreich is fine as the titular Solo. He isn't trying to just copy Harrison Ford, but still provides something that feels familiar, whilst giving his own take on the character.
Donald Glover is pitch perfect as a young Lando Calrissian, and is arguably the highlight cast member.
It's great to have the likes of Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson involved as well.
As I've said in my GoT reviews, I've always struggled to full get on board with Emilia Clarke, and it's no different here. She's just kind of there, and I honestly feel that the film wouldn't have suffered to greatly without her character.
My main gripe with Solo is the constant need to over explain everything - ever wondered how Han got his blaster and jacket? No? Well tough shit because we're going to tell you! Ever wondered where he got those dice that hang in the Millennium Falcon for like two seconds in one of the films? No? Shut up and watch dammit. Ever wondered why Han's second name is Solo? No? Well fuck you, because you're about to find out (and it's horribly cringey) Ever wanted to see what the Kessel Run is that Han spoke about once in the history of Star Wars? Well, maybe, kind of, but surprise, ITS A BIG CGI SQUID HAHAHA.
Any mystery and intrigue that you may have about Han Solo is explained away in incessant detail to the point where it becomes quickly tiresome. Not everything needs a back story dammit.
Honestly though, Solo could have been soooo much worse, but as it happens, it actually decent. It's not perfect as I mentioned, but I would happily take it over episodes 8 and 9. If you're one is those fans who have just straight up refused to watch it for some reason, stop being a silly goose and give it a go.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Star Wars goes western
Star Wars has had somewhat of a chequered history since turning over to the dark side, sorry, I mean Disney. You see, since LucasFilm was acquired by the House of Mouse there has been one Star Wars movie each year. The Force Awakens was good, if a little safe and The Last Jedi was brilliant, but incredibly divisive.
What’s been more exciting to see evolve however, is the Star Wars Story movies. Rogue One became my 2nd favourite film in the series after Empire with Godzilla director, Gareth Edwards proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Then, LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were hired to direct a Han Solo origins story and that got people very excited indeed.Fast forward a few months and they were unceremoniously dumped from the project during filming with veteran director Ron Howard brought in as their replacements. Howard’s name is a concerning one. He’s become something of a director-for-hire over the last decade: competent but not exemplary. Phew! Keeping up? Good.
The resulting film has been plagued by ballooning costs, expensive reshoots and rumours of on-set acting classes for some of the stars. It’s finally here, but are we looking at the first new generation Star Wars failure?
Young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) finds adventure when he joins a gang of galactic smugglers, including a 196-year-old Wookie named Chewbacca. Indebted to the gangster Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), the crew devises a daring plan to travel to the mining planet Kessel to steal a batch of valuable coaxium. In need of a fast ship, Solo meets Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), the suave owner of the perfect vessel for the dangerous mission — the Millennium Falcon.
Thankfully, and by nothing short of a miracle, Solo: A Star Wars Story is engaging, packed full of nostalgia and features an incredible ensemble cast. It’s not perfect by any means, but we’ll get on to that later.
Billed as a heist meets western kinda movie, Solo hits all the right beats to carefully straddle the line between those two genres. The writing is snappy, genuinely funny and engaging with all the cast members doing their fair share of the heavy lifting. Emilia Clarke is great as Solo’s love interest Qi’Ra and Woody Harrelson is as charming as ever in a role that could’ve been serviced by many 50-something actors who could do fancy stuff with a blaster.
It is in Donald Glover however that the film truly belongs. His Lando Calrissian is absolutely, unequivocally sublime. He channels his counterpart from Empire beautifully and you do feel like you’re watching a young Billy Dee Williams in action.
There is some striking imagery throughout the film with the western-style finale being absolutely superb
In fact, there are only two of the main cast members that fail to register in the way that they had clearly intended to do. One is Paul Bettany’s Dryden Vos; the Star Wars universe’s first real villain failure. Alas, it’s not the fault of Bettany. The part was originally written for a CGI motion capture performance but was changed at the last minute with reshoots being added for Bettany’s scenes.
The other, unfortunately, is Han Solo himself. Alden Ehrenreich definitely makes all the right noises. He’s cocky, arrogant, self-assured, just like Harrison Ford, but, for all of his effort, he just isn’t doing a Harrison Ford in this film. Now, that doesn’t ruin the movie as much as you might think it does, as it’s easy to just go along for the ride, but at no point in Solo’s run time did I think we were watching a young Harrison Ford in action. Ehrenreich is good, he’s just not that good.
Thankfully, what is that good is the cinematography. The action is staged beautifully, though I’m unsure as to whether this is Howard’s influence or the previous directors. There is some striking imagery throughout the film with the western-style finale being absolutely superb. The CGI is nicely integrated with animatronics and props, just like a Star Wars movie should be, and each of the set pieces is brimming with excitement.
One sequence in particular, involving the liberation of some slaves is really nicely filmed with a great colour palate and the much-marketed monorail heist is edge-of-your-seat stuff with cracking CGI.
Pacing is generally good, and at 135 minutes that is no easy win though things do drag a little about half way through. What is pleasing however, is how the bromance between Chewbacca and Han takes a backseat up until about 40 minutes before the end in which a familiar theme plays over the action: it’s spine-tingling in its simplicity. In fact, John Powell’s score is rousing when it needs to be and beautifully put together. A real match for John Williams’ classic orchestral soundtrack.
Overall, Solo: A Star Wars Story is better than it had any right to be. Whenever a film goes through such a turbulent production process, it’s always concerning that the final product will be somehow lesser in quality, but this isn’t the case here. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but as a continuation of the new Star Wars mantra under Disney, it’s a fitting entry and a great addition to the series.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/05/24/solo-a-star-wars-story-review-stars-wars-goes-western/
What’s been more exciting to see evolve however, is the Star Wars Story movies. Rogue One became my 2nd favourite film in the series after Empire with Godzilla director, Gareth Edwards proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Then, LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were hired to direct a Han Solo origins story and that got people very excited indeed.Fast forward a few months and they were unceremoniously dumped from the project during filming with veteran director Ron Howard brought in as their replacements. Howard’s name is a concerning one. He’s become something of a director-for-hire over the last decade: competent but not exemplary. Phew! Keeping up? Good.
The resulting film has been plagued by ballooning costs, expensive reshoots and rumours of on-set acting classes for some of the stars. It’s finally here, but are we looking at the first new generation Star Wars failure?
Young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) finds adventure when he joins a gang of galactic smugglers, including a 196-year-old Wookie named Chewbacca. Indebted to the gangster Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), the crew devises a daring plan to travel to the mining planet Kessel to steal a batch of valuable coaxium. In need of a fast ship, Solo meets Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), the suave owner of the perfect vessel for the dangerous mission — the Millennium Falcon.
Thankfully, and by nothing short of a miracle, Solo: A Star Wars Story is engaging, packed full of nostalgia and features an incredible ensemble cast. It’s not perfect by any means, but we’ll get on to that later.
Billed as a heist meets western kinda movie, Solo hits all the right beats to carefully straddle the line between those two genres. The writing is snappy, genuinely funny and engaging with all the cast members doing their fair share of the heavy lifting. Emilia Clarke is great as Solo’s love interest Qi’Ra and Woody Harrelson is as charming as ever in a role that could’ve been serviced by many 50-something actors who could do fancy stuff with a blaster.
It is in Donald Glover however that the film truly belongs. His Lando Calrissian is absolutely, unequivocally sublime. He channels his counterpart from Empire beautifully and you do feel like you’re watching a young Billy Dee Williams in action.
There is some striking imagery throughout the film with the western-style finale being absolutely superb
In fact, there are only two of the main cast members that fail to register in the way that they had clearly intended to do. One is Paul Bettany’s Dryden Vos; the Star Wars universe’s first real villain failure. Alas, it’s not the fault of Bettany. The part was originally written for a CGI motion capture performance but was changed at the last minute with reshoots being added for Bettany’s scenes.
The other, unfortunately, is Han Solo himself. Alden Ehrenreich definitely makes all the right noises. He’s cocky, arrogant, self-assured, just like Harrison Ford, but, for all of his effort, he just isn’t doing a Harrison Ford in this film. Now, that doesn’t ruin the movie as much as you might think it does, as it’s easy to just go along for the ride, but at no point in Solo’s run time did I think we were watching a young Harrison Ford in action. Ehrenreich is good, he’s just not that good.
Thankfully, what is that good is the cinematography. The action is staged beautifully, though I’m unsure as to whether this is Howard’s influence or the previous directors. There is some striking imagery throughout the film with the western-style finale being absolutely superb. The CGI is nicely integrated with animatronics and props, just like a Star Wars movie should be, and each of the set pieces is brimming with excitement.
One sequence in particular, involving the liberation of some slaves is really nicely filmed with a great colour palate and the much-marketed monorail heist is edge-of-your-seat stuff with cracking CGI.
Pacing is generally good, and at 135 minutes that is no easy win though things do drag a little about half way through. What is pleasing however, is how the bromance between Chewbacca and Han takes a backseat up until about 40 minutes before the end in which a familiar theme plays over the action: it’s spine-tingling in its simplicity. In fact, John Powell’s score is rousing when it needs to be and beautifully put together. A real match for John Williams’ classic orchestral soundtrack.
Overall, Solo: A Star Wars Story is better than it had any right to be. Whenever a film goes through such a turbulent production process, it’s always concerning that the final product will be somehow lesser in quality, but this isn’t the case here. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but as a continuation of the new Star Wars mantra under Disney, it’s a fitting entry and a great addition to the series.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/05/24/solo-a-star-wars-story-review-stars-wars-goes-western/
