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Sorrow & Splendour by Jason Lowe
Sorrow & Splendour by Jason Lowe
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
This could be a song by George Harrison because the lyrics are that good and the voice is that humble. The string section is the lake that we float upon and the acoustic guitar is the boat that carries us across. And always with the voice just behind your shoulder. It's not a whisper, it's not a shout.

As the song progresses it approaches a sort of poetic ecstasy that flowers and fades and after there is much to discuss:

“Yeah and pain is your teacher now
You’ll make it through somehow
Do all you can to find the light”
— Jason Lowe
  
Clash Of The Titans (1981)
Clash Of The Titans (1981)
1981 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rollicking but not exactly thought-through fantasy yarn, Ray Harryhausen's valedictory movie. Strapping lad Perseus attempts to win the hand of the princess Andromeda, but must contend with sea monsters, giant scorpions, the Medusa and so on. Meanwhile Laurence Olivier sits on the throne of Zeus and counts his appearance fee.

Knockabout stuff, if not strong on mythological accuracy or internal coherence, very much in the vein of the same producer's Jason and the Argonauts. Solid (if slightly eggy) performances from a good cast. Everything is in service to Harryhausen's animation sequences, anyway, which are technically immaculate even if the movie lacks a single stand-out set-piece like the skeleton battle or allosaurus-roping sequence of previous projects. Looks like a great movie when you're about eleven; pretty good fun when you grow up, too.
  
The Devil All the Time (2020)
The Devil All the Time (2020)
2020 | Drama
Brothers and sisters, let me preach to ya for just a moment, and give praise to The Devil All The Time. I haven't read the good book, that the screenplay is based off of, but I can tell you the movie is great; one of my favorites I have been able to bear witness to this year. Amazing perfromances from the killer cast of Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgard, Haley Bennett, Kristin Griffith, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, and many more. There may be a lot of no-good sons of bitches out there in this world, but I can tell you who's not not one of them and that's Antonio Campos, the director of The Devil All The Time. He photographed one helluva movie and I cannot wait to see more of his work.
  
Sleeping with Other People (2015)
Sleeping with Other People (2015)
2015 | Comedy
7
7.0 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Old Movie Revisited: Sleeping with Other People. Yea most rom coms suck balls, but this one did not. It's an IFC production so that might explain some of it. I dunno, a good cast might help a tad too. First and foremost it stars Alison Brie, and fuckin A, she is hott! Also stars Jason Sudeikis, Amanda Peet, Jason Mantzoukas, Andrea Savage, Adam Scott, and a bunch of smaller pop ins from a bunch of todays funny people: Adam Brody, Billy Eichner, Natasha Lyonne, but anyways...Sudeikis and Brie play friends who a long time ago at college they lost their virginity to each other, and seperated ways and only bumped into each other years later at a sex addicts meeting. And so its about them finding friendship and not falling into bed together, and this is a rom com so you can see the ending a million miles away, but it's the journey that counts...and this journey includes Alison Brie being scantily clad, several times, so for that alone its worth it. Go ahead watch it!
  
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
1984 | Horror
6
7.2 (21 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (although, far from being final) is a favourite in the series for many a fan of the franchise, and it's easy to see why.
It takes the formula of the first three and just adds more of it. There are more teenagers to be mercilessly slaughtered, more violence, (slightly) more character development, more stupid decisions being made by said characters, more of Jason in a hockey mask...
For me, it hasn't quite got as much charm as the first two, but it's certainly better put together than Part 3. The dialogue isn't quite as bad as it has been before, and it just seems a bit more of a solid slasher.

A big plus I'd having Tom Savini back on board in the effects department. There's plenty of practical gore effects going on (Crispin Glover getting a cleaver to the face is particularly gnarly), and of course the show stopper moment of seeing Jason unmasked is one of the franchise highlights.

The characters are pretty much what you would expect by now, although the story does go to some efforts to connect to past events (one character is the brother of someone killed by Jason in Part 2) and of course Tommy Jarvis is introduced here, a character that would go on to appear again, and become something of a horror icon.

The Final Chapter is a good time all in all, and gets extra points for tying up the first four relatively grounded movies neatly - the franchise get increasingly batshit from here on out!
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Pet Sematary (2019) in Movies

Apr 9, 2019 (Updated Apr 9, 2019)  
Pet Sematary (2019)
Pet Sematary (2019)
2019 | Horror
Stephen King adaptation is a serviceable tale warning against meddling with the primal forces of life and death; also about the importance of correct spelling. Starts with the usual horror film trope of a nice family moving to the peaceful countryside and having horrible experiences; this time they concern an ancient burial ground out the back of the house with the power to reanimate corpses buried there - sounds great for when the family pet gets run over, but is it really such a good idea?

Benefits greatly from a strong performance from Jason Clarke as one of King's Everyman protagonists, driven into very bad choices; John Lithgow is also good value as the neighbourhood's Creepy Exposition Yokel. The pacing is a bit skewed, but the film digs profitably into ideas of grief and madness, although some may find it tough to watch in a not-very-fun way due to some of the subject matter. A competent and enjoyable piece of high-class schlock.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Gift (2015) in Movies

Jul 12, 2020  
The Gift (2015)
The Gift (2015)
2015 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An average thriller
I recall watching this at the cinema when this was first released and thought it was alright, and watching it again 5 years later my view hasn't really changed.

This has a good cast, I always love Jason Bateman and it's nice to see Joel Edgerton directing and acting and I think he does a good job in both. The plot itself seems very similar to other stalker/obsessive/revenge films but it's still quite entertaining and fortunately not overly long. The problem is I wouldnt say this is particularly thrilling or tense. The ending is a little surprising but it feels rather lacklustre in general as a psychological thriller. I also found character motivations and actions to be a little unusual and unexplainable, to the point it makes the film even more unbelievable than it is to begin with.

Overall it's an average watchable psychological drama which is sadly ultimately forgettable.
  
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David McK (3245 KP) rated Hancock (2008) in Movies

Apr 11, 2021 (Updated Jul 11, 2022)  
Hancock (2008)
Hancock (2008)
2008 | Action, Comedy, Drama
8
7.1 (16 Ratings)
Movie Rating
"Good job" / "no, you did a good job"
You know that bit in Superman 3 (I think) where Superman goes bad?

Straightening the leaning tower of Pisa, blowing out the Olympic torch, drinking, etc?

That's pretty much how this film starts, with Will Smith's Hancock a hard-drinking, hard-living (and miserably lonely) 'superhero' more concerned about his next drink than saving the day.

However, when he recues publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), Hancock soon becomes convinced to change his way of life, voluntarily surrendering himself to the authorities (who are sick of the damage he has caused and the ensuing financial implications of the same) and going to prison until the public starts missing him and the police need his help.

There is a real surprise in the third Act of the film, which does take it in a totally different direction that it had been going up to that point.
  
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Amanda (1 KP) rated The Meg (2018) in Movies

Jan 2, 2019  
The Meg (2018)
The Meg (2018)
2018 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Jason Statham (1 more)
A Prehistoric shark
Somewhat cheesy (0 more)
Possibly best shark movie since the arrival of Jaws
Contains spoilers, click to show
There is one thing I absolutely love and that is a shark movie, I have seen just about all that is out there however I was somewhat dubious about this film.

With the initial feeling it was jumping on the back of the cult success of the sharknado franchise, I decided to check out the book before the movie and loved it. I went into this movie still a little unsure but by the end of it, I was hooked. Jason Statham, for me was one of the best things about this movie...how many times can we say that he seen him hit a 70ft Shark with a spear and he was a total scene stealer thought everyone was actually really good (think I might be used to the level of acting in things like Ghost Shark).

I think the meg was a much Moreno enjoyable film than expected however due to being released as a block buster does leave it open to criticism from those who love Jaws...if you haven’t already seen it, I would dear recommend it!
  
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Kate Mara recommended Lady Jane (1986) in Movies (curated)

 
Lady Jane (1986)
Lady Jane (1986)
1986 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"You know, I haven’t seen the film in a very long time, but because it was another thing that my sister and I, as kids, would watch — the film Lady Jane, with Helena Bonham Carter. And Helena Bonham Carter was, I think she was like, 17. I feel funny saying that’s one of my favorite films, but it really inspired us, and we’re both actors now, and she is, to us, still amazing. When I watched it, I just remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, that’s my dream,” to play that role. I love her. Lady Jane started my love of period films and the British accent, which I’m obsessed with. I just did my first one. I did a medieval film [Ironclad] that… Do you know Jason Flemyng? He’s one of my really good friends. As soon as I heard Jason Flemyng was doing it and that it was medieval, I was like, I don’t even care what it’s about — I gotta do it just for the fun. I was the only girl on the movie. It was hilarious. And yes, I got to do my British accent."

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