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Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) created a video about Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Oct 21, 2017
Erika (17788 KP) rated White Boy Rick (2018) in Movies
Sep 18, 2018 (Updated Sep 18, 2018)
Overall, and interesting and entertaining film based on the true story of the youngest hustler/drug dealer/FBI Informant. Sadly, the trailers were better than the film. There were a lot of other random actor that didn't actually do much for the story, i.e. Jennifer Jason Leigh. Matthew McConaughey's part was smaller than advertised, I imagine he was used to sell the film, heck, it got me in the seat.
Sonofdel (6291 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Jan 29, 2019
A good clever story
I gave this film a 7 as i really enjoyed it. It was a good sci-fi, fantasy film with the right amount of horror and suspense. The cast which was almost entirely female were excellent and other than the brilliant Jennifer Jason Leigh and the equally brilliant Natalie Portman i though the supporting cast were excellent too. I wont give too much away other than to say its a good if somewhat slow build up. Definitely glad i watched it. :)
John Taylor recommended Short Cuts (1993) in Movies (curated)
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Hateful Eight (2015) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Violent Clue
I compair this movie to clue, it myserious, has suspense, its funny and overall a great movie. This movie is very very violent, unlike clue, i mean clue is violent, but not like this film. This film is rated R and clue is PG.
The plot: While racing toward the town of Red Rock in post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) encounter another bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson) and a man who claims to be a sheriff. Hoping to find shelter from a blizzard, the group travels to a stagecoach stopover located on a mountain pass. Greeted there by four strangers, the eight travelers soon learn that they may not make it to their destination after all.
The hateful eight has a great cast and a great director.
I would highly reccordmend this movie.
The plot: While racing toward the town of Red Rock in post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) encounter another bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson) and a man who claims to be a sheriff. Hoping to find shelter from a blizzard, the group travels to a stagecoach stopover located on a mountain pass. Greeted there by four strangers, the eight travelers soon learn that they may not make it to their destination after all.
The hateful eight has a great cast and a great director.
I would highly reccordmend this movie.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Feb 25, 2018 (Updated Feb 25, 2018)
I don't know what I was expecting out of this film. I'm on a very long wait list to borrow the book from the library. As always, I'm sure the book is probably better, but I'll have to wait to make that judgment.
So, Alex Garland's Ex Machina was my favorite movie of 2014, so I was expecting a lot from the director. Again, I'm not familiar with the source material, so I'm not sure how well it was, or wasn't translated. The story was interesting, but there was a lot of tense silence. Yeah, it worked in the movie, Drive, but I don't think it worked here. The visuals were stunning, so it was interesting to watch from that aspect.
Now, the cast... I'm not sure how/why Jennifer Jason Leigh gets roles, because she is not a great actress (sorry, not sorry). Oscar Isaac was completely wasted. Tessa Thompson's character... she had glasses, so she must be smart??
The only interesting part of the movie, where any sort of tension was present, was the end in the lighthouse. Whatever that was... It gave me Pale Man vibes (see Pan's Labyrinth) vibes, which completely and totally freaked me out. I have serious heebie-jeebies after that, and even right at this moment...
Overall, it was an alright scifi movie, but, I'm glad I have moviepass so I legit didn't pay for it.
So, Alex Garland's Ex Machina was my favorite movie of 2014, so I was expecting a lot from the director. Again, I'm not familiar with the source material, so I'm not sure how well it was, or wasn't translated. The story was interesting, but there was a lot of tense silence. Yeah, it worked in the movie, Drive, but I don't think it worked here. The visuals were stunning, so it was interesting to watch from that aspect.
Now, the cast... I'm not sure how/why Jennifer Jason Leigh gets roles, because she is not a great actress (sorry, not sorry). Oscar Isaac was completely wasted. Tessa Thompson's character... she had glasses, so she must be smart??
The only interesting part of the movie, where any sort of tension was present, was the end in the lighthouse. Whatever that was... It gave me Pale Man vibes (see Pan's Labyrinth) vibes, which completely and totally freaked me out. I have serious heebie-jeebies after that, and even right at this moment...
Overall, it was an alright scifi movie, but, I'm glad I have moviepass so I legit didn't pay for it.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Possessor (2020) in Movies
Dec 4, 2020
From the mind of Brandon Cronenberg comes his second feature length, Possessor, and the best way I could sum it up is that it's a subtle assault on the senses. Although it occasionally throws unsettling imagery at the screen now and again, these moments are seldom and fleeting. The main assault comes from the constant sense of dread that is present from it's visually striking and bloody opening, straight through to it's pretty insane climax. I just felt on edge consistently, thanks to the minimal but forboding score, top notch editing on display, and some quite brilliant performances.
Andrea Riseborough is great, as she was in Mandy, and her presence in modern horror is a welcome one. Her character is the overarching glue that holds all the emotional strains of the plot together with a cold core.
Christopher Abbott is wonderful, as he essentially plays two seperate characters, and sells his descent into madness perfectly.
The supporting cast include the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton, and Sean Bean, and it's honestly just a pretty solid cast all around.
The plot is intriguing in a dystopian sci-fi kind of way, and has enough horror elements to really get under the skin. The scene that the already recognisable poster image is taken from is one of the most recoil inducing and uncomfortable scenes I've seen in a while. This premise played out with a decent screenplay, accompanied by sudden bursts of extreme violence, give Possessor an identity of it's own, and make it a modern horror entry that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys.
One of the films of the year for me!
Andrea Riseborough is great, as she was in Mandy, and her presence in modern horror is a welcome one. Her character is the overarching glue that holds all the emotional strains of the plot together with a cold core.
Christopher Abbott is wonderful, as he essentially plays two seperate characters, and sells his descent into madness perfectly.
The supporting cast include the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton, and Sean Bean, and it's honestly just a pretty solid cast all around.
The plot is intriguing in a dystopian sci-fi kind of way, and has enough horror elements to really get under the skin. The scene that the already recognisable poster image is taken from is one of the most recoil inducing and uncomfortable scenes I've seen in a while. This premise played out with a decent screenplay, accompanied by sudden bursts of extreme violence, give Possessor an identity of it's own, and make it a modern horror entry that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys.
One of the films of the year for me!
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Hateful Eight (2015) in Movies
Aug 30, 2019 (Updated Sep 11, 2019)
A modern masterpiece
Honestly, there is nothing I dislike about the 8th film from Quentin Tarantino. Absolutely nothing.
From the minute The Hateful Eight starts it's meaty runtime, we're treated to some stunning long distance shots. The setting is gorgeous, and every shot in the opening moments has been shot with care.
It's not long until the cast start getting introduced, specifically Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), John Ruth (Kurt Russell), Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), as they all make their way to the town of Red Rock for various reasons.
All four of them are fantastic, as they masterfully work Tarantino's wonderful script. As usual, the dialogue throughout The Hateful Eight is thoroughly engaging, and didn't lose my attention for one second.
On the way there, they stop at an inn to shelter from the violent blizzard - Minnie's Haberdashery - where the rest of the film takes place. It's here we meet Bob (Demián Bichir), Oswald Mobray (Tom Roth), Joe Gabe (Michael Madsen), and General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), rounding out our eight strong cast of hateful characters.
What follows is a dialogue heavy, intense ride as these characters begin to find themselves at odds with each other, revealing hidden secrets along the way, in the aftermath of American Civil War.
It's an intriguing set up that I can't say anymore about without spoiling anything.
It's certainly a film that benefits from knowing nothing about it before going in.
As I said, this is an amazing looking movie, with an extremely solid cast, and a tight and often funny script. The music score is beautiful just to add a lovely finishing touch.
I can't praise this masterpiece enough - Tarantino at his best.
From the minute The Hateful Eight starts it's meaty runtime, we're treated to some stunning long distance shots. The setting is gorgeous, and every shot in the opening moments has been shot with care.
It's not long until the cast start getting introduced, specifically Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), John Ruth (Kurt Russell), Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), as they all make their way to the town of Red Rock for various reasons.
All four of them are fantastic, as they masterfully work Tarantino's wonderful script. As usual, the dialogue throughout The Hateful Eight is thoroughly engaging, and didn't lose my attention for one second.
On the way there, they stop at an inn to shelter from the violent blizzard - Minnie's Haberdashery - where the rest of the film takes place. It's here we meet Bob (Demián Bichir), Oswald Mobray (Tom Roth), Joe Gabe (Michael Madsen), and General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), rounding out our eight strong cast of hateful characters.
What follows is a dialogue heavy, intense ride as these characters begin to find themselves at odds with each other, revealing hidden secrets along the way, in the aftermath of American Civil War.
It's an intriguing set up that I can't say anymore about without spoiling anything.
It's certainly a film that benefits from knowing nothing about it before going in.
As I said, this is an amazing looking movie, with an extremely solid cast, and a tight and often funny script. The music score is beautiful just to add a lovely finishing touch.
I can't praise this masterpiece enough - Tarantino at his best.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
Lena (Natalie Portman) has spent over a year grieving thinking that her husband has died. Her husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac), was part of a covert Army team. He would leave on missions and not be able to send any word. But a year was too long. Then as she is painting the bedroom of her house Kane walks up the stairs and into the bedroom. She is overwhelmed by happiness. After the initial flutter of excitement wears off she has so many questions. His responses are short and are not making sense. All of the sudden he starts cough up blood. Lena and Kane are headed to the hospital in the ambulance when government vehicles. Lena is pulled out and drugged and quickly loses consciousness. When she awakes she finds herself in a cell being asked questions by a Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) about her husband and his sudden appearance. She quickly finds out that her husband and his team were one of several team over the past three years that were sent into a place called The Shimmer. The Shimmer was a growing circle surrounding a light house. Nothing that had gone into this area had returned…until Kane. With Kane on the brink of death Lena is determined to find out what is happening inside. She spent over seven years and in the Army and now was a Biology Professor at Johns Hopkins. This made her uniquely qualified to join Dr. Ventress and her team in the latest expedition into The Shimmer.
The movie is based on a novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. It was written for the screen by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Sunshine), who also directed (also Ex Machina). This film visually very interesting. When they enter The Shimmer you are immediately aware that you are still on Earth but something is definitely different. At times it is gritty and others bright and stunning. The cinematography as a whole make this film worth catching in the theater. The story is definitely original. I thought that the performances were good but at times a little cheesy for how serious of a tone was being set. I thought Natalie Portman had a strong performance. Supporting actors Gina Rodriguez (as Anya Thorensen), Tuva Novotny (as Cass Sheppard) and Tessa Thompson (as Josie Radek) all brought interesting character to life. Jennifer Jason Leigh’s performance felt out of place to me and didn’t gel with the story. I enjoyed the story overall and how the tension built throughout but in the end I was disappointed. The suspense, in my opinion, wound up concluding in an unoriginal way. That is all that I will say to avoid spoilers.
Overall I think this film definitely makes you think about the story after you watch it. I think it is worth watching and coming to your own conclusion. For me it really fell short at the end but up until that point I was definitely interested in where the story was taking me.
The movie is based on a novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. It was written for the screen by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Sunshine), who also directed (also Ex Machina). This film visually very interesting. When they enter The Shimmer you are immediately aware that you are still on Earth but something is definitely different. At times it is gritty and others bright and stunning. The cinematography as a whole make this film worth catching in the theater. The story is definitely original. I thought that the performances were good but at times a little cheesy for how serious of a tone was being set. I thought Natalie Portman had a strong performance. Supporting actors Gina Rodriguez (as Anya Thorensen), Tuva Novotny (as Cass Sheppard) and Tessa Thompson (as Josie Radek) all brought interesting character to life. Jennifer Jason Leigh’s performance felt out of place to me and didn’t gel with the story. I enjoyed the story overall and how the tension built throughout but in the end I was disappointed. The suspense, in my opinion, wound up concluding in an unoriginal way. That is all that I will say to avoid spoilers.
Overall I think this film definitely makes you think about the story after you watch it. I think it is worth watching and coming to your own conclusion. For me it really fell short at the end but up until that point I was definitely interested in where the story was taking me.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) in Movies
Sep 25, 2020
Terrific, under-rated gem
Coen Brother's films fall into 3 categories for me:
Terrific, well-known films: FARGO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Terrible, overly-indulgent films: HAIL CAESAR, A SERIOUS MAN, BURN AFTER READING
Under-rated gems: BARTON FINK, MILLER'S CROSSING, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS
And this film, the 1994 homage to 1940's fast-talking comedies THE HUDSUCKER PROXY.
Set in the business world, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY tells the tale of a young, ambitious corporate ladder climber who is taken under the thumb of a conniving business exec who wants to use the young man as a patsy for the business.
Tim Robbins stars as the young, ambitious Norville Barnes who's "gee shucks" demeanor and the faithful belief in those around him anchors this film in a common decency that Robbins exudes in spades. Countering Robbins is a crafty film veteran - Paul Newman as evil, corrupt Corporate Executive Sidney J. Mussburger. Newman was winding down his career at this point, so must have seen something in the script that caught his eye, for Newman has a spark and a spring in his step that shows that the old man "still has it". He plays off of Robbins well and it is a joy to watch this veteran actor work. Equally interesting in this film is Jennifer Jason Leigh who channels her inner Rosalind Russell as fast-talking, hard-pushing reporter (and erstwhile girlfriend of Barnes), Amy Archer.
But this being a Coen Brothers film, this movie is just as strongly about the atmosphere and the dialogue as it is the characters - and what an atmosphere they create. Delivering a strong "1940's Art Deco meets Techno-Punk" theme, the Coens deliver a visually interesting world that is incorporated with intriguing characters.
In other words - it's a Coen Brothers comedy - and one that is well done.
To tell more about the story is to spoil the picture, but realize that this film is well made, well scripted and well acted (if a little slight on story). It is a very entertaining way to spend a few hours.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Terrific, well-known films: FARGO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Terrible, overly-indulgent films: HAIL CAESAR, A SERIOUS MAN, BURN AFTER READING
Under-rated gems: BARTON FINK, MILLER'S CROSSING, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS
And this film, the 1994 homage to 1940's fast-talking comedies THE HUDSUCKER PROXY.
Set in the business world, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY tells the tale of a young, ambitious corporate ladder climber who is taken under the thumb of a conniving business exec who wants to use the young man as a patsy for the business.
Tim Robbins stars as the young, ambitious Norville Barnes who's "gee shucks" demeanor and the faithful belief in those around him anchors this film in a common decency that Robbins exudes in spades. Countering Robbins is a crafty film veteran - Paul Newman as evil, corrupt Corporate Executive Sidney J. Mussburger. Newman was winding down his career at this point, so must have seen something in the script that caught his eye, for Newman has a spark and a spring in his step that shows that the old man "still has it". He plays off of Robbins well and it is a joy to watch this veteran actor work. Equally interesting in this film is Jennifer Jason Leigh who channels her inner Rosalind Russell as fast-talking, hard-pushing reporter (and erstwhile girlfriend of Barnes), Amy Archer.
But this being a Coen Brothers film, this movie is just as strongly about the atmosphere and the dialogue as it is the characters - and what an atmosphere they create. Delivering a strong "1940's Art Deco meets Techno-Punk" theme, the Coens deliver a visually interesting world that is incorporated with intriguing characters.
In other words - it's a Coen Brothers comedy - and one that is well done.
To tell more about the story is to spoil the picture, but realize that this film is well made, well scripted and well acted (if a little slight on story). It is a very entertaining way to spend a few hours.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)