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Paul Palin (3 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) in Movies
Dec 16, 2017
It was Ok I guess
Contains spoilers, click to show
The movie on the whole was pretty decent yet I felt there was something missing. I feel like there was questions left than answers given. I also feel they tried to mimic Empire just s bit too much especially with the opening scenes where the rebels were evacuating the base. I had hoped for a bit more information as to who Lord Snoke really was and as a character he was wasted. I felt Disney tried to Marvel the movie by adding unnecessary humour is Finn banging his head on his healing capsule and walking around half naked with tubes dripping or with Snoke hitting Rey in the head with a floating light sabre just to mention a few. That being said I did enjoy the movie and strongly recommend it to any Star Wars fans out there. The light sabre battle at the end between Kylo and Rey vs The imperial guards was worth the wait and Luke's triumphant return to the force was a spectacle to behold.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Ferdinand (2017) in Movies
Dec 27, 2017
This is a pretty typical offering these days - someone in a group is a little different, is mocked by the others who don't realise that his difference is a good thing, he runs away, comes back stronger, wins them round and eventually everyone wins.
This was basically Chicken Run in a Spanish bull farm. The bulls are all vying to become the one chosen to take place in the big bullfight, not realising it meant their death.
Given the subject matter and how controversial bullfighting has become, I thought this was dealt with quite carefully. The death was only hinted at early on and then was quite a shock to the characters so was delivered as a plot point rather than a moral statement. The end does move slightly towards preaching but it doesn't force it home. My daughters both left knowing bullfighting was wrong and not nice but they weren't traumatised by it.
As usual, there is a fair amount of humour for adults mixed in through the film, and the voice actors are all quite adequate.
Overall a decent family film.
This was basically Chicken Run in a Spanish bull farm. The bulls are all vying to become the one chosen to take place in the big bullfight, not realising it meant their death.
Given the subject matter and how controversial bullfighting has become, I thought this was dealt with quite carefully. The death was only hinted at early on and then was quite a shock to the characters so was delivered as a plot point rather than a moral statement. The end does move slightly towards preaching but it doesn't force it home. My daughters both left knowing bullfighting was wrong and not nice but they weren't traumatised by it.
As usual, there is a fair amount of humour for adults mixed in through the film, and the voice actors are all quite adequate.
Overall a decent family film.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Going Postal in Books
Jul 25, 2017
Sheer brilliance
I tried reading the first Discworld book (The Colour of Magic) years ago & I couldn't get into it. Skip forward to this year & a conversation with some of my learned Pratchett reading colleagues who advised that starting at Book 1 wasn't advisable & instead offered a few alternative starting points - Going Postal being the favourite.
All I can say is that I will be forever thankful for this book. Not only was it a fantastic way of getting into the Discworld series, but it is now among my favourite ever books of all time.
It's beautifully written - full of humour and wit. It's also a great alternative take on industrialisation and the introduction of the postal service. Moist Von Lipwig is a brilliant character, flawed but still loveable, and the supporting characters too all have their charms. Mr Pump especially raised quite a few laughs.
This is Pratchett at his best and if youre ever thinking about tackling the mammoth Discworld series, this is the place to start.
All I can say is that I will be forever thankful for this book. Not only was it a fantastic way of getting into the Discworld series, but it is now among my favourite ever books of all time.
It's beautifully written - full of humour and wit. It's also a great alternative take on industrialisation and the introduction of the postal service. Moist Von Lipwig is a brilliant character, flawed but still loveable, and the supporting characters too all have their charms. Mr Pump especially raised quite a few laughs.
This is Pratchett at his best and if youre ever thinking about tackling the mammoth Discworld series, this is the place to start.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Ghostbusters (2016) in Movies
Jul 29, 2017
Decent Cgi for the Ghosts (1 more)
Good cast chemistry
Who ya gonna call?
Well this caused a stir among the Fanboys. I really like the original but not so much I don't think anyone should make another Ghostbusters film. Some didn't like the idea of an all female team this time round, who cares? From the director of @Spy (2015) , @The Heat (2013) @Bridesmaids (2011) , along with some cast members from the latter. This had a good comedy team involved. It's not great, the humour is more on the silly and slapstick side, a bit crude at times as well. The Cgi and ghost designs were pretty good, if a little cartoonish. Almost like something out of Scooby-Doo. Something that makes me feel this was aimed a young audience and not really fans of the original. It has some nice cameos but overall it's an average film. Watch and make your own mind up.
Dean (6927 KP) rated The House of the Dead: Overkill in Video Games
Feb 24, 2019
Great graphics (2 more)
Variety of levels and enemies
Very funny!
A bloody good shooter!
An excellent light gun game for the Wii. One of the best I've played on any console and definitely the most fun. The best House of the Dead game for me, this was the first game that really sold the light gun gaming on the Wii.
The graphics are very good, it's quite a big game compared to other gun games. Some levels could take a good 15-20 minutes to complete. The music is groovy, there are plenty of guns to use. There is plenty of replay value with mini-games, various achievements to go for.
The thing that stands out the most is the humour. The whole feel is a tongue in cheek '70's grindhouse, Horror B Movie vibe. It works, the voice acting is good and it will probably make you laugh.
Overall it is a little easy on the normal levels but it's so enjoyable. If you like Horror films and light gun games you'll love this.
The graphics are very good, it's quite a big game compared to other gun games. Some levels could take a good 15-20 minutes to complete. The music is groovy, there are plenty of guns to use. There is plenty of replay value with mini-games, various achievements to go for.
The thing that stands out the most is the humour. The whole feel is a tongue in cheek '70's grindhouse, Horror B Movie vibe. It works, the voice acting is good and it will probably make you laugh.
Overall it is a little easy on the normal levels but it's so enjoyable. If you like Horror films and light gun games you'll love this.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Cold Pursuit (2019) in Movies
Feb 28, 2019
Latest Hollywood remake of a film with the gall not to be in English (the horror!) is a better-not-call-it-black comedy thriller about a snowplough driver whose rampage of vengeance gets out of control. Liam Neeson drives a plough, murders a bunch of drug dealers, and doesn't think enough about what he says on the publicity tour; the quality of the film kind of vanishes into the backdrop as a result.
After a horribly choppy opening - is it a serious drama about grieving parents or another thickheaded Neeson revenge melodrama? - the film settles down to feel like a pastiche of the sort of thing the McDonagh brothers make, with genre elements drolly deconstructed with offbeat humour and a knowing provocativeness. It's just not quite quirky, funny, or intelligent enough; Neeson underplays it too much and film doesn't seem to have any real point to make. Some good jokes and it passes the time, but it would have slipped into obscurity fairly quickly if only Liam had kept his mouth shut on the junket.
After a horribly choppy opening - is it a serious drama about grieving parents or another thickheaded Neeson revenge melodrama? - the film settles down to feel like a pastiche of the sort of thing the McDonagh brothers make, with genre elements drolly deconstructed with offbeat humour and a knowing provocativeness. It's just not quite quirky, funny, or intelligent enough; Neeson underplays it too much and film doesn't seem to have any real point to make. Some good jokes and it passes the time, but it would have slipped into obscurity fairly quickly if only Liam had kept his mouth shut on the junket.
Awix (3310 KP) rated King Kong (2005) in Movies
Mar 5, 2019
Audacious film-maker attempts to mount spectacular entertainment featuring giant ape, finds he's bitten off more than he can chew - handily, this covers both the plot of King Kong and the movie itself. The equivalent of one of those bloated Harry Potter books written when JK Rowling was so successful no-one was brave enough to say 'this needs an edit': movie is exhaustingly long with a lot of dead wood in every department.
Main problem is that Jackson and his co-writers seem to think they are making Titanic rather than a pulp monster movie: this film takes itself very, very seriously considering the subject matter; sorely needs a sense of humour. Only really comes to life in the big set-piece CGI sequences, most of which are original to this film - Jackson is obviously having fun during the sauropod stampede and the bit with the giant man-eating crabs, not so much the rest of the time. Technically superior in every department to the 1976 version, but still less entertaining somehow.
Main problem is that Jackson and his co-writers seem to think they are making Titanic rather than a pulp monster movie: this film takes itself very, very seriously considering the subject matter; sorely needs a sense of humour. Only really comes to life in the big set-piece CGI sequences, most of which are original to this film - Jackson is obviously having fun during the sauropod stampede and the bit with the giant man-eating crabs, not so much the rest of the time. Technically superior in every department to the 1976 version, but still less entertaining somehow.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2) in Books
Mar 27, 2019
A Series of Unfortunate Events is my favourite series on Netflix, so a few months ago I decided I was finally going to buy the books and read the whole series, and I don’t regret that decision.
The Reptile Room is the second book in the series and is much better than the Netflix series.
The book opens with Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire on their way to live with their uncle, Dr Montgomery Montgomery, a semi-successful herpetologist with a large collection of reptiles.
Dr Montgomery’s assistant, Gustav, left him without any notice just before the Baudelaire orphans arrive, and his replacement, Stephano is strangely like Count Olaf.
The thing I love about The Reptile Room is the dark humour running throughout it. There are constant jokes that are definitely not aimed towards children which make it such a fun book to read.
It’s funny, sad and entertaining all at the same time and I really do wish I’d have read it when I was younger because it’s just the ideal book for me.
The Reptile Room is the second book in the series and is much better than the Netflix series.
The book opens with Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire on their way to live with their uncle, Dr Montgomery Montgomery, a semi-successful herpetologist with a large collection of reptiles.
Dr Montgomery’s assistant, Gustav, left him without any notice just before the Baudelaire orphans arrive, and his replacement, Stephano is strangely like Count Olaf.
The thing I love about The Reptile Room is the dark humour running throughout it. There are constant jokes that are definitely not aimed towards children which make it such a fun book to read.
It’s funny, sad and entertaining all at the same time and I really do wish I’d have read it when I was younger because it’s just the ideal book for me.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Exact Opposite of Okay in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Absolutely hilarious!
Izzy is probably one of the best characters ever. She’s laugh-out-loud funny, mixes feminism and dry wit, and doesn’t let anything get her down. She is the kind of person everyone wishes that they could be.
I was giggling at this book from start to finish. I love that although Izzy ends up in some pretty bad situations, she never loses her sense of humour.
I love that the author does manage to be serious about the issues of slut-shaming and bullying while keeping the story educational. It shows the effects of slut-shaming on a teenager and how bullies can affect a person’s mental health while at the same time staying very light even though it is full of honesty.
The novel sticks by reality and nothing that happens is beyond what can happen in real life. It is painfully honest and truthful.
I absolutely loved this. It was brilliant and one of the best books I’ve read this year. You NEED to read it!
Izzy is probably one of the best characters ever. She’s laugh-out-loud funny, mixes feminism and dry wit, and doesn’t let anything get her down. She is the kind of person everyone wishes that they could be.
I was giggling at this book from start to finish. I love that although Izzy ends up in some pretty bad situations, she never loses her sense of humour.
I love that the author does manage to be serious about the issues of slut-shaming and bullying while keeping the story educational. It shows the effects of slut-shaming on a teenager and how bullies can affect a person’s mental health while at the same time staying very light even though it is full of honesty.
The novel sticks by reality and nothing that happens is beyond what can happen in real life. It is painfully honest and truthful.
I absolutely loved this. It was brilliant and one of the best books I’ve read this year. You NEED to read it!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Sliding Doors (1998) in Movies
Mar 30, 2019
An enjoyable romcom
I’m ashamed to admit that despite this film coming out in 1997, I’ve never seen it until now. Probably with good reason, as it had me bawling my eyes out by the end. This is your typical British romcom, with a lot of heart, humour and some seriously sad moments. It has a great cast, I adore John Hannah and it’s always good to see him in a lead role in a romcom, especially as he isn’t your typical leading man. But who can resist a charming, funny Scot? I also realised that I've not really seen many Gwyneth Paltrow films and she’s actually a lovely and very engaging lead, even though her English accent is a little dodgy at times.
The plot itself isn’t that of your usual typical romcom and I love the unique way of telling two versions of the same story, set apart simply by the small act of missing a train. It’s a great heartwarming and smart film, even if it is sadly showing it’s age now!
The plot itself isn’t that of your usual typical romcom and I love the unique way of telling two versions of the same story, set apart simply by the small act of missing a train. It’s a great heartwarming and smart film, even if it is sadly showing it’s age now!
TCBellflower (2 KP) Dec 29, 2017