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Dean (6927 KP) rated The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) in Movies
Apr 30, 2019
Jet Li v Jackie Chan ...well for one scene at least. This is a great martial arts, fantasy film that seemed to not get a cinema release?! I find that very strange considering this is the first film to feature Chan and Li together. It has the same fight choreographer from The Matrix, Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger! The fights are truly awesome. Add some humour, a little adventure, good SFX and an all round good cast, makes for a great film. The start reminds me of some of the great fantasy films of my childhood like Never ending story. It's no coincidence that the old martial arts series Monkey is on the TV towards the start, as this film has a similar feel to it as that. So if you like the sound of any of that check this out.
Glen Banyard (13 KP) rated Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) in Movies
May 12, 2019
Predictable plot (1 more)
Forced humour
Pika Pika
Pokemon is a global brand spanning cartoon, cards, animated films, video games and now a live film, well as live as you can get with imaginary creatures.
Watched in 3D, it really didn't bring anything extra to film.
The plot is pretty much by the numbers and suffers from being horribly predictable, this most likely due to being aimed at a much younger demographic. Bill Nighy really got license to over act his heart out and it shows, in his somewhat limited screen time.
Will it spawn a sequel, possibly, only time will tell as it's launched at difficult time with Endgame still massing larger viewings and Aladdin and John Wick 3 releasing in the next 10 days, it may get squashed to limited performances quickly.
Watched in 3D, it really didn't bring anything extra to film.
The plot is pretty much by the numbers and suffers from being horribly predictable, this most likely due to being aimed at a much younger demographic. Bill Nighy really got license to over act his heart out and it shows, in his somewhat limited screen time.
Will it spawn a sequel, possibly, only time will tell as it's launched at difficult time with Endgame still massing larger viewings and Aladdin and John Wick 3 releasing in the next 10 days, it may get squashed to limited performances quickly.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Fast Five (2011) in Movies
Feb 11, 2018
Fast Five star! The series has gone full circle and this one breathes new life into the series which got stronger with the 4th installment and is bettered by this one! We have even more of the cast from the earlier films including Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson from the second. Not to mention another surprise cameo after the credits to hint at a 6th film!
This one goes from street racing to heist film, but there are plenty of big stunts, fights, sexy girls, humour, a cool soundtrack and of course a range of awesome cars. I love that there are so many ties with the cast and events to the previous films. The Rock is a great addition to the series as the extreme FBI hunter sent to capture them. You couldn't ask for more from an action film!
This one goes from street racing to heist film, but there are plenty of big stunts, fights, sexy girls, humour, a cool soundtrack and of course a range of awesome cars. I love that there are so many ties with the cast and events to the previous films. The Rock is a great addition to the series as the extreme FBI hunter sent to capture them. You couldn't ask for more from an action film!
Sarah Thompson (2 KP) rated The Heart's Invisible Furies in Books
Feb 1, 2018
I finished reading The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne late last night. I thoroughly enjoyed this book; by far the best book I have read so far this year and January has been a good book month!
A tale beginning in Ireland in the 1940s and spanning several countries and decades, it encompasses so many different aspects of life, love and death with the main focus being relationships, bigotry and sexual intolerance.
Beautifully written and somewhat Dickensian in essence, I fell in love with the characters and some of the experiences they had saddened me while others were just utterly hilarious. Cyril and his wry humour was just wonderful.
Just to add from John Boyne's note on The Heart's Invisible Furies "The desire to love and to share one's life with someone is neither a homosexual nor a heterosexual conceit. It's human".
A tale beginning in Ireland in the 1940s and spanning several countries and decades, it encompasses so many different aspects of life, love and death with the main focus being relationships, bigotry and sexual intolerance.
Beautifully written and somewhat Dickensian in essence, I fell in love with the characters and some of the experiences they had saddened me while others were just utterly hilarious. Cyril and his wry humour was just wonderful.
Just to add from John Boyne's note on The Heart's Invisible Furies "The desire to love and to share one's life with someone is neither a homosexual nor a heterosexual conceit. It's human".
Awix (3310 KP) rated Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) in Movies
Mar 4, 2018 (Updated Mar 4, 2018)
Justly acclaimed black comedy is a somewhat atypical film from Ealing Studios, better known for their affectionate depictions of post-war British life. Calculating man-on-the-make Dennis Price sets out to get on in the world by murdering the eight members of the D'Ascoyne family who stand between him and inheriting the dukedom of Chalfont.
Best known for the fact that Alec Guinness plays all the D'Ascoynes, but Dennis Price is just as good as the homicidal would-be aristocrat. The broad comedy of some of Guinness' performances, plus the staging of several of the murders, is underpinned by some much subtler and more understated humour about class and morality. One of those films you can watch several times and still find new layers to enjoy; very funny, too, though that should go without saying.
Best known for the fact that Alec Guinness plays all the D'Ascoynes, but Dennis Price is just as good as the homicidal would-be aristocrat. The broad comedy of some of Guinness' performances, plus the staging of several of the murders, is underpinned by some much subtler and more understated humour about class and morality. One of those films you can watch several times and still find new layers to enjoy; very funny, too, though that should go without saying.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Thor: The Dark World (2013) in Movies
Jun 9, 2018 (Updated Jun 9, 2018)
Marvel's second Thor movie is a not especially well-judged mixture of somewhat leaden epic fantasy and cutesy, kooky rom-com. Looks spiffy throughout, but it doesn't half drag in places: you can see why they decided to shake things up so thoroughly in the third one.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Not Another Teen Movie (2001) in Movies
Jun 5, 2018 (Updated Jul 10, 2021)
One of the best Spoof films
A lewd, crude, rude and a rather funny film. Not heard much about it, so I expected the worse.....but actually found myself laughing an awful lot! It's a great spoof mainly of She's all that, American Pie, Cruel Intentions and Pretty in Pink. Featuring a great cameo from Molly Ringwald, Lindsay Lohan from Mean girls and even Mr T! Along the way there are scenes aimed at Porky's, Grease, Risky Business, the list is endless. Every type of humour is here and if you know the mentioned films well you could like it. Not a bad DVD with a quiz on teen movies, Music videos, Making of as well. Overall a fun package and even a lot of females on my friend list liked it to my surprise!
Dean (6927 KP) rated Thir13en Ghosts (2001) in Movies
Jun 18, 2018 (Updated Jun 30, 2021)
Another cool Dark Castle entertainment horror re-make. Didn't know of the original until I saw some reviews mention it. This reminded me a lot of the House on Haunted Hill remake made 2 years earlier. It's fun, not too serious, has a good mix of humour and gore/kills. The cast is ok and well known with Shannon Elizabeth and Matthew Lillard, but it was a nice surprise to see Tony Shalhoub (Monk) appear in this. What really makes this film enjoyable in my opinion, along with House on Haunted Hill, is the set design, make up and ghoulish characters created. Both films have a great wacky house setting, good SFX and the ghosts in this look awesome. A great way to enjoy 90mins. So if you liked House on Haunted Hill you will like this just as much.
Loz Hughes (80 KP) rated Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) in Movies
Jul 10, 2018
Much better than expected.
I saw this film as a recommendation from a family member and for the first fifteen mins I wondered if I would regret it. It was a little awkward and corny to start with and the stereotyping did grate a little. However once the film progressed the humour worked well with the story line and I started to enjoy it. The characters each lent the film different qualities and it was a completely different spin on the story compared to the original film.
I wouldnt recommend for some younger viewers due to some innuendo and kinda sexualised scenes (nothing graphic but references are there).
Overall a good, casual movie.
I wouldnt recommend for some younger viewers due to some innuendo and kinda sexualised scenes (nothing graphic but references are there).
Overall a good, casual movie.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) in Movies
Jul 31, 2018
More of the same as the cast of the Hotel decide to go on vacation (the family decide to take all their friends obviously), on a cruise ship.
The overall plot was OK, but quote obvious, but the humour was definitely turned down compared to previous films in the series.
And what is with the obligatory DJ battle scenes?! Does Sandler have a load of low quality dance tracks he has to shoe-horn into movies as part of his contract now?! Just a total nonsense ending.
Having said that, my kids loved it.
I think I have unconsciously removed a couple of marks simply because my kids insisted on replicating the finale's dance moves for the next three hours (this makes me sound like a monster but once you know what that involves you'll understand!).
The overall plot was OK, but quote obvious, but the humour was definitely turned down compared to previous films in the series.
And what is with the obligatory DJ battle scenes?! Does Sandler have a load of low quality dance tracks he has to shoe-horn into movies as part of his contract now?! Just a total nonsense ending.
Having said that, my kids loved it.
I think I have unconsciously removed a couple of marks simply because my kids insisted on replicating the finale's dance moves for the next three hours (this makes me sound like a monster but once you know what that involves you'll understand!).