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Mother! (2017)
Mother! (2017)
2017 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
This is a film that many might love but unfortunately I didn’t. ‘mother!’ is a clear case of ambition gone horribly wrong. Other than Lawrence and Pfeiffer, film has nothing much to write home about.
Critic- John H. Foote
Original Score: 1 out of 5

Read Review: https://www.thecinemaholic.com/mother-review/
  
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
2017 | Action, Crime, Thriller
Keanu reeves (1 more)
Action scenes
Is it as good as the orignal yes and more keanu reeves is even better in this one the action scenes are better all the supporting cast from the first one are back too plus a matrix reuion with lawrence fishburne wasnt sure if at first if the sequel would be better than the first it is lets hope there will be a thrid chapter want to know what happens next to john wick thimbs up
  
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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies

May 19, 2019 (Updated May 19, 2019)  
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime, Thriller
Great Fight Choreography in a very strong 3rd Chapter
The latest installment of the JOHN WICK story (titled CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM) is one long chase scene. It's 2 hours and 10 minutes of John Wick (Keanu Reeves) running and fighting and chasing and fighting and running again and fighting again.

And...that's just fine with me. For JOHN WICK 3 (JW3 as I'll call it from now on) is one of the finest choreographed films (fight scene-wise) that I have seen in quite a long time.

Picking up right after JOHN WICK CHAPTER 2 - JW3 follows John as he is declared "Ex-Communicado" from the underground Assassins organization that he has been a part of, then retired from, then pulled back in with a $14 million bounty on his head.

This flick kicks right into action (literally) with John and a few "red-shirt assassins" taking on each other in a hallway filled with knives. Will all these knives be used in the ensuing fight? You bet they will be - but it is how they are used - and how this scene (and all the fight scenes) are set-up, choreographed, and shot that makes this movie a strong cut above the standard fare in this sort of film.

That's because Director Chad Stahelski - a stunt man/fight coordinator for over 70 films - wisely focuses his attention on the grace, athleticism and strength of the stunts/fights and eschews the "quick-cut edit" style of fight scenes that is so en vogue these days. Stahelski keeps his camera "in place" and lets us, the audience, watch what's going on in (seemingly) long shots that are going to have you saying to yourself "how did they do that". Stahelski has helmed all 3 John Wick films thus far and I hope he helms many, many more.

You'll also be asking yourself how did 53 year old Keanu Reeves do all that fight work? It is incredible, physical work for him - and he is up to the task. John Wick is a man of few words - and much, much action - which suits the acting talents of this performer quite well.

Back for another go in the series - and having fun along the way - are Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne and Lance Reddick - as colleagues, collaborators and/or foes of John Wick in this underworld. Capably joining in - with just as much a twinkle in their eyes - are Angelica Huston, Hallee Berry (in her best work in years) and Jerome Flynn (Bron from Game of Thrones). A new addition (at least to me) was the strong work brought forth by Asia Kate Dillon (TV's ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK) as "the Adjudicator" - who is monitoring the John Wick proceedings, Special mention needs to be made of the work of Mark Dacascos (TV's Iron Chef America!) as Wick's chief adversary - a strong effort (both acting-wise and physically/fighting wise) that I just didn't know this performer had in him.

A quick side-note on some animal performances here. There is a scene where a bad guy "gets it" from a horse...and I thought...how are they going to top that...and then immediately top it - GOOD FOR YOU, HORSE! And...a film has FINALLY figured out a way to use attack/guard dogs in a way that had you rooting for these four-legged, furry friends over the fiends they are attacking.

But...make no mistake about this...this film is about the fighting...and the intriguing Assassin's world that was first presented in the original (and I do mean ORIGINAL) John Wick film. I said at the time that I hoped they would expand this world, I wanted to see more of it. And...expand it they have...for the better. The world has become more intriguing to me, and I want EVEN MORE, PLEASE, of this world and of the uniquely original fight choreography that comes along with it.

This film is not for everyone - it is bloody (but in a "cartoon way"...I wouldn't say it is gory) and it is one long chase scene. But, if this is "your thing", you'll enjoy it very much.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Gruff Rhys recommended Barafundle by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci in Music (curated)

 
Barafundle by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Barafundle by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
1997 | Psychedelic, Pop
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Gorky's were one of the greats. Whoever the greats of the rock canon are – and it's no use me bothering to name various people – Gorky's are as important as any of these people. Euros Childs is a phenomenal songwriter, has a pitch perfect voice and this record is their classic line-up with John Lawrence still in the band. This is also produced by Gorwel Owen and he was perfecting his vision in a way as he was getting more and more into simplicity; the song Heywood Lane was recorded with just one microphone and they bypassed the mixing desk and went straight to tape! It's a really great sounding record. It was really bizarre that the singles all charted in the low-40s without ever breaking the Top 40. You could release two versions of a single at the time to get it into the charts but they never did that even though they probably sold as much as chart-claiming people! But the records are there. It's aged incredibly well and still sounds really fresh and complete."

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Red Sparrow (2018)
Red Sparrow (2018)
2018 | Mystery, Thriller
A Sexy spy thriller that would have been better without the SEXY
The new Jennifer Lawrence spy thriller RED SPARROW is being advertised as a "sexy" thriller, and if you watch the trailers for it, you would think it was a Jason Bourne/Mission Impossible-type of action thriller - with "sexy" action - and you would be misled and disappointed.

For, RED SPARROW, is a sexy, intelligent, inner-workings, "out-smart-the-other-guy" type of spy thriller in more of the mode of a John LeCarre novel (like TINKER, TAILOR, SOLIDER, SPY). It does have some action and some GRAPHIC torture scenes, but I would not classify it as an action film, so those looking for that will be bored.

RED SPARROW follows the tale of Bolshoi Ballet Prima Ballerina, Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) who, after an accident ends her ballet career, is drawn into the deadly world of International Intelligence by her Uncle and must her her body as well as her mind to survive.

This is billed - and shot - as a "sexy" thriller with "SEXY" being the primary driving force - and that is too bad, for I found the sex and nudity to be gratuitous and didn't really drive the narrative forward. When the film stopped focusing on this aspect and focused on the mystery - and misdirection - at hand and Dominika's ability to outsmart and outhink those around her, that the film really catches it's footing and is quite good.

Unfortunately, you have to sit through the first 1/2 of this film - the training portion - and that is filled with gratuitous sex and sexual conquest and using your sex to disarm the enemy. It's an unfortunate choice that almost took me out of the movie, so when the (really) good second half of the film came about, I was surprised by it.

But if you can get through that, you'll be rewarded by a pretty good, pretty smart, pretty INTELLIGENT thriller.

Letter Grade: B (C for the 1st half, A for the 2nd half)

7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
John Wick. Chapter 4 (2023)
John Wick. Chapter 4 (2023)
2023 | Action, Crime, Thriller
8
7.8 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating
More of the Same - which is a GOOD thing
Once a series gets to it’s 4th installment - and that installment is NOT a reboot or “prequel” - the audience for said series is pretty much settled in. There is a rabid group of movie-going watchers that are looking for the intimate details and Easter Eggs to further their immersion into this world while the rest of the movie going public has probably moved on and, just might, check it out on a whim.

Such is the case with JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 - the 4th installment of the Keanu Reeves led/Chad Stahelski Directed series that is long on style, action, intrigue and mythology while being low on logical plot-lines and…well…daylight.

But this won’t matter to the John Wick movie-goer. They are getting more of the same - cartoon violence professionally created by Stahelski and Reeves with plenty of bad guys battling (and losing) to Wick while the mysterious, underground society that Wick has run afoul of tries to take him down.

This insider intrigue will be enriching for the true John Wick fan but will be inconsequential for the casual movie-goer as these plot machinations are just an excuse to line Reeves up against seemingly insurmountable obstacle after seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

And what a journey it is. Starting with a tussle at the Osaka Continental (featuring veteran Martial Artists Hiroki Sanada and Donnie Yen) to a battle in Germany to the final in Paris, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is just one, long stylized fight sequence with both Stahelski (the Director and Fight Choreographer) and Reeves (as Wick) showing off their talents in new and interesting ways.

There are way too many fight sequences to mention, but there is one sequence in a building that is shot from on high (reminiscent of watching video game play) that is the most interesting/effective - but they all are a ton of fun.

Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise the Clown in the IT movies) is along as the Marquis (cool name) who is in charge of bringing Wick down. He is joined by the always good Clancy Brown (the voice of Mr. Krabs on Spongebob) on the “bad guy” side while Wick regulars Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne and the late, great Lance Reddick line up on Wick’s side.

It is a fun roller-coaster ride - if a bit long at almost 3 hours (the middle sags a bit) - that will entertain casual fans of action flicks while satisfying the hard-core “Wick-aphiles” (if that is a term) with a further peeling back of a layer of this world.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Saw (2004) in Movies

Dec 17, 2019 (Updated Jan 8, 2020)  
Saw (2004)
Saw (2004)
2004 | Horror
The Start
Saw- this one started it all, this one started the franchise. This one is the best one out of all of them. This one has the best story, the best plot and the best twist ending to all of them. This one is more detective film than a tourture film, it still had tourture in it, but its more about the two main charcters trying to survivor and figure out where their are and the detective trying to find them. With introduction Jigsaw/John Kramer, doctor Gordon and Amanda Young.

The Plot: Photographer Adam Stanheight (Leigh Whannell) and oncologist Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) regain consciousness while chained to pipes at either end of a filthy bathroom. As the two men realize they've been trapped by a sadistic serial killer nicknamed "Jigsaw" and must complete his perverse puzzle to live, flashbacks relate the fates of his previous victims. Meanwhile, Dr. Gordon's wife (Monica Potter) and young daughter (Makenzie Vega) are forced to watch his torture via closed-circuit video.

After this one, the franchise became more of a tourture porn franchise, well it did become tourture porn in the sequels, with focus more on tourture and the traps rather than a story. The story is just sprinkled within inside the tourture porn and traps, you just have to find the story.

Like i said before this one is the best one out of all of them, the best story, the best plot and the best twist ending.

Want to play a game, do you punk? Well do you?
  
Brief Encounter (1974)
Brief Encounter (1974)
1974 | Drama, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I knew and liked David Lean, a director of genius, who was very kind to me when he was making The Sound Barrier for my Uncle Alex, and Brief Encounter has always seemed to me the very best of classic British filmmaking, with its fiercely restrained emotions and good manners trumping passion, typical of its era. It is the best of the “small” British pictures, which my Uncle Alex tried to replace with “big” British pictures in an attempt to outdo Hollywood, rather than coexist with it, after he left it for Britain in 1932. Lean, who in Brief Encounter made this most English of English films (a distinction perhaps shared by This Happy Breed and The Fallen Idol, see below), moved onward and upward to ever bigger pictures, by way of The Sound Barrier, Summertime, and eventually the biggest and best of all epic films, Lawrence of Arabia, escaping from the confines of England to “international” films that challenged and beat those of the Hollywood studios. But Brief Encounter was a perfect, close-up view of a shabby, threadbare England, the England of “books from Boot’s, good drains, and class distinction,” in John Betjeman’s words, and of a muted, sad, doomed, and very English love affair. It has always been a film that puzzles the French, who find it hard to believe in a love story with almost no eroticism, and in which the lovers are usually dressed in raincoats. It is also Trevor Howard, a wonderful actor, at his best."

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Do the Right Thing (1989)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
1989 | Comedy, Drama

"First one on my list is Do the Right Thing. Spike Lee, man. I actually saw that twenty times in the theaters. That’s before VCRs; I mean, that was like right when the VCRs were kind of happening, and you had to wait a year for something to come out on VHS. It wasn’t the quick turnaround like we have right now. But Do the Right Thing changed my life in so many ways, because I had never seen… it was a movie that was comedic, yet so powerful. I didn’t really have a definition, because I’d never seen black people on screen like that, and it was just one of those things. It was my era; it was my generation. There was a lot of blaxploitation before that, you know, and you could see people on TV, and all this stuff. But I remember I was in college, and it was kind of like this empowerment. Spike had made She’s Gotta Have It, but then Do the Right Thing really broke it down. It changed my life. It made me want to get into the business like never before. Totally. I was like, I am a Spike Lee nut; I want to do this. I thought it should have won Best Picture that year; it just meant so much. It just meant a lot to everybody. There was a lot of race relations stuff, and just think of the stars that came out of that: Sam Jackson, Martin Lawrence, and Spike himself, and Rosie Perez, and John Turturro. I mean, it’s just… Whew! It just changed the game, changed the game."

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House of Dracula (1945)
House of Dracula (1945)
1945 | Horror, Sci-Fi
8
6.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Get The Gang All Together: The Crossover II
House of Dracula- was a direct sequel to House of Frankenstein, and continued the theme of combining Universal's three most popular monsters: Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange), Count Dracula (John Carradine), and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.).

The plot: This monster movie focuses on the iconic vampire, Count Dracula (John Carradine), and Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney), better known as the Wolf Man. Both beings of the night are tired of their supernatural afflictions, so they seek out Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) for cures for their respective curses. While trying to aid the imposing creatures, Edelmann himself develops a transformative condition, adding to the many ghouls lurking around the foreboding landscape.

The working titles for the film were Dracula vs. the Wolf Man or The Wolf Man vs. Dracula.

Although Glenn Strange appears as the Monster in most of the film, footage of Chaney as the Monster from The Ghost of Frankenstein and Boris Karloff from Bride of Frankenstein was recycled; Karloff appears in a dream sequence, while Chaney, as well as his double Eddie Parker, are seen in footage in a fire scene.

Strange recounts that a scene with the Monster stuck in quicksand was particularly arduous for him. On top of three hours of getting into makeup, Strange spent the rest of the day buried in cold sand, including during the lunch break, and was so cold by midafternoon that he could barely feel his legs. Lon Chaney Jr. attempted to help Strange keep warm by passing him a bottle of scotch, with the result that Strange was so drunk that after getting out of costume and makeup, he had difficulty dressing himself in his street clothes. Chaney's drinking contributed to his reputation as being difficult to work with, and probably was the reason Universal let him go after the film was completed.

The film, which was the seventh Universal film to feature Frankenstein's monster, as well as the fourth with Count Dracula and the Wolf Man, was a commercial success, but was one of the last Universal movies featuring Frankenstein's monster, vampires, and werewolves, with the exception of the comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), in which all three appear.

Its a fun entertaing horror film starring the universal monsters.