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The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) rated Cast Away (2000) in Movies
Apr 1, 2018
Russ Troutt (291 KP) rated I See You (2019) in Movies
Oct 6, 2020
I see you scrolling through all of those movies on Amazon trying to figure which one to watch. As the lead detective on this case I'm here to help you find those great movies that are buried deep, and sometimes right under your nose, that never get discovered. Today's find is I See You, a great little thriller starring Helen Hunt and Jon Tenney that unfolds like a swiss army knife.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Twister (1996) in Movies
Aug 2, 2019
Deep Impact
Twister- is one of those films that you hate but enjoy, its stupid it but you enjoy it every time you watch it.
The plot: During the approach of the most powerful storm in decades, university professor Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and an underfunded team of students prepare the prototype for Dorothy, a ground-breaking tornado data-gathering device conceived by her estranged husband, Bill (Bill Paxton). When Harding tells Bill that Dorothy is ready for testing -- and that their privately funded rival Dr. Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes) has stolen the idea and built his own -- Bill rejoins the team for one last mission.
Bill Paxton, Helen Hurt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are great in this film.
I do reccordmend this film, cause like i said before its a dumb action disaster film.
The plot: During the approach of the most powerful storm in decades, university professor Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and an underfunded team of students prepare the prototype for Dorothy, a ground-breaking tornado data-gathering device conceived by her estranged husband, Bill (Bill Paxton). When Harding tells Bill that Dorothy is ready for testing -- and that their privately funded rival Dr. Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes) has stolen the idea and built his own -- Bill rejoins the team for one last mission.
Bill Paxton, Helen Hurt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are great in this film.
I do reccordmend this film, cause like i said before its a dumb action disaster film.
David McK (3422 KP) rated Twister (1996) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020 (Updated Aug 8, 2024)
Come for Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt; stay for the flying cow
Disaster movie - of a sort - from 1996, that is probably best remembered for 2 words: "flying cow".
This follows the exploits of a group of storm chasers - who really only act as ciphers to move the audience from one breathless set piece to the next - who are doing, well, just that: trying to get in front of a Twister to launch scientific equipment up into it to further their understanding of the same, and so that they can better predict just when and where one is going to hit.
Storm Chasers, apparently, are a real thing. Why you'd want to be one is beyond me.
This follows the exploits of a group of storm chasers - who really only act as ciphers to move the audience from one breathless set piece to the next - who are doing, well, just that: trying to get in front of a Twister to launch scientific equipment up into it to further their understanding of the same, and so that they can better predict just when and where one is going to hit.
Storm Chasers, apparently, are a real thing. Why you'd want to be one is beyond me.
Adam White (32 KP) rated The Night Clerk (2020) in Movies
Jun 23, 2020
Always check for cameras in the hotel room
At First I thought I was watching 13 cameras as it has the same feeling. At first you are pissed off at the main character Bart Bromley (Tye Sheridan) but by the end you are drawn to him, well at least I was.
John Leguizamo plays a tough going Detective and Helen Hunt plays the mom to this autistic main character. Both John and Helen nail the roles, as you would expect from the veteran actor and actress but as for the rest, maybe the next film they will nail down.
I feel the storyline could have been worked on. During some parts, I felt lost and wandering, it seemed to need more filler storyline.
Overall it's not that bad, but if you are tired you may want to hold off till you are wide awake as you may node off some.
The movie isn't scary, but it does make you wonder if you should check the hotel room for camera's the next time you stay at one.
John Leguizamo plays a tough going Detective and Helen Hunt plays the mom to this autistic main character. Both John and Helen nail the roles, as you would expect from the veteran actor and actress but as for the rest, maybe the next film they will nail down.
I feel the storyline could have been worked on. During some parts, I felt lost and wandering, it seemed to need more filler storyline.
Overall it's not that bad, but if you are tired you may want to hold off till you are wide awake as you may node off some.
The movie isn't scary, but it does make you wonder if you should check the hotel room for camera's the next time you stay at one.
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated What Women Want (2001) in Movies
Mar 8, 2020
This film was so profoundly bad, I am so surprised I managed to sit through the whole thing. I watched its counterpart (?) or maybe it's a reboot, who knows, "What Men Want" last year with Taraji P. Hensen and it made me eager to watch the original that it was based on.
The best thing about this film was the cast and it wasn't even the main characters I was impressed with - Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The ones that surprised me and I was happy to see were Ashley Johnson, Marisa Tomei, Judy Greer, Sarah Paulson, Lisa Edelstein, Brooke Elliot made an appearance, really just great women popped up in this film from left to right and I was really impressed. I've followed their careers down their various paths and it's always cool to see them trackback to films together.
Overall, I think the plot of this movie is interesting, I just think that it was done badly and the ending was literally the worst. Am I glad I watched it? I don't know. I don't think I'll ever watch it again either. Maybe it was a waste of time. Hmm.
The best thing about this film was the cast and it wasn't even the main characters I was impressed with - Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The ones that surprised me and I was happy to see were Ashley Johnson, Marisa Tomei, Judy Greer, Sarah Paulson, Lisa Edelstein, Brooke Elliot made an appearance, really just great women popped up in this film from left to right and I was really impressed. I've followed their careers down their various paths and it's always cool to see them trackback to films together.
Overall, I think the plot of this movie is interesting, I just think that it was done badly and the ending was literally the worst. Am I glad I watched it? I don't know. I don't think I'll ever watch it again either. Maybe it was a waste of time. Hmm.
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated I See You (2019) in Movies
Oct 12, 2020
A young lad rides through the forest on a bike, when an invisible force pulls him off. A shot of the main characters house and the title of the movie appears......... Erm OK.... What?
Anyway, when the movie properly starts we are made aware that the husband and wife are having marital problems due to the wife having an affair. At work the husband is placed on the case of the missing boy from the start of the movie, and at home strange things are happening, windows are being broken, photos going missing, TV is turning on by itself and it is evident that someone or something is watching the family.
The first half of the movie is showing the strange things happening, whilst the second half of the movie is dedicated to explaining what is going on and quite frankly I lost interest very quickly.
I found the movie rather boring and uninteresting. The acting throughout was very wooden for the most part, which was very surprising for Helen Hunt as I've always found her good, but it seems her acting skills have withered away over the years. The music they tried too hard to make it sound eerie, that it just ended up sounding like it was put together by a trainee and to top it off nothing in the movie made sense. Overall it was awful, I was time watching the whole time wondering when it would be over.
Anyway, when the movie properly starts we are made aware that the husband and wife are having marital problems due to the wife having an affair. At work the husband is placed on the case of the missing boy from the start of the movie, and at home strange things are happening, windows are being broken, photos going missing, TV is turning on by itself and it is evident that someone or something is watching the family.
The first half of the movie is showing the strange things happening, whilst the second half of the movie is dedicated to explaining what is going on and quite frankly I lost interest very quickly.
I found the movie rather boring and uninteresting. The acting throughout was very wooden for the most part, which was very surprising for Helen Hunt as I've always found her good, but it seems her acting skills have withered away over the years. The music they tried too hard to make it sound eerie, that it just ended up sounding like it was put together by a trainee and to top it off nothing in the movie made sense. Overall it was awful, I was time watching the whole time wondering when it would be over.
Andrew Thomas (363 KP) rated Trancers III: Deth Lives (1992) in Movies
Jul 26, 2020 (Updated Jul 26, 2020)
Cheesy B-grade videostore goodness.
Contains spoilers, click to show
I purchased all three of what I have nicknamed the Lena Trilogy out of pure curiosity. I'd walked past the Trancers movies in my local videostore numerous times in years past but never took the plunge. Finally I decided to give em a try because of nostalgia and because I learned that Helen Hunt was in them. The first Trancers I enjoyed, the second film was a little all over the place for me but it was still fun. Trancers 3 was a bit of a let down.
The Jack/Lena romance comes to a dissatisfying end...a romance I was never rooting for to begin with considering that the time travel angle makes it an incestuous relationship. The story teases a return to the post-apocalyptic future of Angel City, but it's only a quick stop off before heading back to the 1990s. The idea of witnessing the origins of the Trancer threat was tantalizing in theory, but it comes across as a bad Captain America rip off. Plus the absence of Art LaFleur as Jack's future boss McNulty leaves out an important element of what made the first 2 movies fun. Bottom line, Trancers 3 let me down, but I don't regret watching it. If you are able to enjoy the first 2 films you might like this one.
The Jack/Lena romance comes to a dissatisfying end...a romance I was never rooting for to begin with considering that the time travel angle makes it an incestuous relationship. The story teases a return to the post-apocalyptic future of Angel City, but it's only a quick stop off before heading back to the 1990s. The idea of witnessing the origins of the Trancer threat was tantalizing in theory, but it comes across as a bad Captain America rip off. Plus the absence of Art LaFleur as Jack's future boss McNulty leaves out an important element of what made the first 2 movies fun. Bottom line, Trancers 3 let me down, but I don't regret watching it. If you are able to enjoy the first 2 films you might like this one.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Angel Has Fallen (2019) in Movies
Aug 22, 2019
Verdict: Franchise Hasn’t Fallen
Story: Angel Has Fallen starts when Mike banning (Butler) is the only survivor of a drone attack on President Allan Trumbull (Freeman), the rest of the team are killed and Mike has been framed for the assassination attempt. FBI agent Helen Thompson (Smith) is investigating the case, with Mike looking cut and dry to have been the man behind it, but when Mike escapes, he sets out to prove his innocence.
Mike turns to his estranged father Clay (Nolte) as he looks to discover why his old friend an private contractor Wade Jennings (Huston) has set him up and how he can prove his isn’t involved despite a nationwide manhunt for him.
Thoughts on Angel Has Fallen
Characters – Mike Banning is still a senior secret service man, playing righthand to the President, he has been keeping his injuries secret, which is nice to see an action man actually suffering injuries, instead of just being fine, like most action stars. He does his duty saving the President from an attack, only to find himself framed. When the people come to finish the job on Banning, he escapes and uses all his training to allude and search for a way to prove his innocence. Allan Trumbull is now the President, stepping up from his role as the Vice in the previous two outings, he is looking to change certain ideas, though he spends most of his film in a coma after the attack, he is the only other witness who could defend Mike’s involvement too. Wade Jennings is the private military contractor and old military buddy of Mike’s, he has framed him and is using his expertly trained team to hunt him down and finish off the job. Leah is the wife of Mike’s she is trying to keep him from working now they have a child and must deal with the consequences of seeing the name dragged through the dirt. FBI Agent Helen Thompson is trying to put the pieces together, seeing Mike as the prime suspect, she just wants the case closed without anybody else being hurt. Clay Banning is the estranged father of Mike’s he has been off the grid for years because of his own trauma from his time in the war, he is the only person Mike knows he can turn too.
Performances – Gerard Butler is great in the leading role, he is always going to be a bankable star when it comes to action roles and this is no different. Morgan Freeman does everything you would expect from a President role, without needing to do much. Piper Perabo takes over from Radha Mitchell in the wife role, which doesn’t have much to do if we are being honest. Danny Huston is one of these actors that you know is always going to be a villain, he does everything we know he can do in this role. Nick Nolte is a lot of fun, bringing his trademark estranged father role to the big screen once again, he gets a few laughs in too.
Story – The story here sees Mike Banning being framed for the assassination attempt of the President, the figure that he has been guarding for years and he must go off the grid to prove who was really behind it. The story is one that is great to watch for action, but if you have seen the previous instalments of the franchise, you will be left asking a few questions. First what happened to President Benjamin Asher, we have zero mention of him, secondly, how is nobody on Mike’s side after all he has done in the past, like seriously, he pretty much saved the President against impossible odds twice. While this question could be answered with the number of pieces of evidence placed on him, it still doesn’t seem to fit the character these people have created. Away from these questions, we must say this does build on the scale of the previous film’s stories, which is good because it does feel different, which each film does do. We could easily watch this story as a single film too and the fact that we do touch on the physical injuries that Mike has suffered through his job, does show a vulnerable action character.
Action – The action is big, we might not have the large scale opening attack, but once we get into the military formations ideas, we get plenty of tactical shootings.
Settings – The film does build on the settings, with the first one being one building, the second being one city, now we have a nationwide hunt.
Special Effects – The effects, well this has been an issue for the franchise all along, but the green screen scenes are so clear to see it almost feels like they didn’t finish the job yet.
Scene of the Movie – Mike and Clay have an escape plan.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – No mention of former President Benjamin Asher, like what happened here?
Final Thoughts – This is a action sequel that does enough different to make it feel fresh even if certain parts of the story feels too farfetched, it does continue to have a 24 vibe to everything, but it is well for a watch if you have seen the franchise or not.
Overall: Trilogy that hasn’t Fallen.
Story: Angel Has Fallen starts when Mike banning (Butler) is the only survivor of a drone attack on President Allan Trumbull (Freeman), the rest of the team are killed and Mike has been framed for the assassination attempt. FBI agent Helen Thompson (Smith) is investigating the case, with Mike looking cut and dry to have been the man behind it, but when Mike escapes, he sets out to prove his innocence.
Mike turns to his estranged father Clay (Nolte) as he looks to discover why his old friend an private contractor Wade Jennings (Huston) has set him up and how he can prove his isn’t involved despite a nationwide manhunt for him.
Thoughts on Angel Has Fallen
Characters – Mike Banning is still a senior secret service man, playing righthand to the President, he has been keeping his injuries secret, which is nice to see an action man actually suffering injuries, instead of just being fine, like most action stars. He does his duty saving the President from an attack, only to find himself framed. When the people come to finish the job on Banning, he escapes and uses all his training to allude and search for a way to prove his innocence. Allan Trumbull is now the President, stepping up from his role as the Vice in the previous two outings, he is looking to change certain ideas, though he spends most of his film in a coma after the attack, he is the only other witness who could defend Mike’s involvement too. Wade Jennings is the private military contractor and old military buddy of Mike’s, he has framed him and is using his expertly trained team to hunt him down and finish off the job. Leah is the wife of Mike’s she is trying to keep him from working now they have a child and must deal with the consequences of seeing the name dragged through the dirt. FBI Agent Helen Thompson is trying to put the pieces together, seeing Mike as the prime suspect, she just wants the case closed without anybody else being hurt. Clay Banning is the estranged father of Mike’s he has been off the grid for years because of his own trauma from his time in the war, he is the only person Mike knows he can turn too.
Performances – Gerard Butler is great in the leading role, he is always going to be a bankable star when it comes to action roles and this is no different. Morgan Freeman does everything you would expect from a President role, without needing to do much. Piper Perabo takes over from Radha Mitchell in the wife role, which doesn’t have much to do if we are being honest. Danny Huston is one of these actors that you know is always going to be a villain, he does everything we know he can do in this role. Nick Nolte is a lot of fun, bringing his trademark estranged father role to the big screen once again, he gets a few laughs in too.
Story – The story here sees Mike Banning being framed for the assassination attempt of the President, the figure that he has been guarding for years and he must go off the grid to prove who was really behind it. The story is one that is great to watch for action, but if you have seen the previous instalments of the franchise, you will be left asking a few questions. First what happened to President Benjamin Asher, we have zero mention of him, secondly, how is nobody on Mike’s side after all he has done in the past, like seriously, he pretty much saved the President against impossible odds twice. While this question could be answered with the number of pieces of evidence placed on him, it still doesn’t seem to fit the character these people have created. Away from these questions, we must say this does build on the scale of the previous film’s stories, which is good because it does feel different, which each film does do. We could easily watch this story as a single film too and the fact that we do touch on the physical injuries that Mike has suffered through his job, does show a vulnerable action character.
Action – The action is big, we might not have the large scale opening attack, but once we get into the military formations ideas, we get plenty of tactical shootings.
Settings – The film does build on the settings, with the first one being one building, the second being one city, now we have a nationwide hunt.
Special Effects – The effects, well this has been an issue for the franchise all along, but the green screen scenes are so clear to see it almost feels like they didn’t finish the job yet.
Scene of the Movie – Mike and Clay have an escape plan.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – No mention of former President Benjamin Asher, like what happened here?
Final Thoughts – This is a action sequel that does enough different to make it feel fresh even if certain parts of the story feels too farfetched, it does continue to have a 24 vibe to everything, but it is well for a watch if you have seen the franchise or not.
Overall: Trilogy that hasn’t Fallen.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
WARNING: PLEASE NOTE THE CONTENTS IN THIS REVIEW MY NOT BE COMPLETELY ACCURATE. THIS REVIEW WAS DONE ON THE BOOK BEFORE IT WAS COMPLEATED FOR RELEASE AND THE AUTHOR MAY CHANGE THINGS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU READ ON.
Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
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Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
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