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The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde inseglet) (1957)
The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde inseglet) (1957)
1957 | Action, International, Classics
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Bergman as a fabulist—my favorite—is absolutely mesmerizing. These two films have the primal pulse of a children’s fable told by an impossibly old and wise narrator. Fanny and Alexander is Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, and John Calvin rolled into one. Both tales are ripe with fantastical imagery and a sharp sense of the uncanny. Also, I am often surprised at how the humor and comedic elements in The Seventh Seal seem to be overlooked in favor of its reputation as a quintessential “serious” art film."

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Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
1982 | Drama, International

"Bergman as a fabulist—my favorite—is absolutely mesmerizing. These two films have the primal pulse of a children’s fable told by an impossibly old and wise narrator. Fanny and Alexander is Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, and John Calvin rolled into one. Both tales are ripe with fantastical imagery and a sharp sense of the uncanny. Also, I am often surprised at how the humor and comedic elements in The Seventh Seal seem to be overlooked in favor of its reputation as a quintessential “serious” art film."

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
1991 | Action, Sci-Fi
Come with me if you want to live
The best in all of the series. This takes place roughly 12 years after the first one in which we see a young John Connor who is destined to lead the resistance against the machines, in a foster home cause mom Sarah has tried to blow up certain places that a responsible for Judgement Day. The hunter a Terminator that can shape shift after touching an item or become a sharp object cuase it's body is a liquid metal, has been sent to kill young John. Our savior is the T-1000 that was sent to orginally kill Sarah and had been captured and reprogrammed and sent back to protect them both. This story line was the best of all the series and really the most interesting. The effects from this movie won a lot of reward for the cutting edge effects that were created.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies

May 17, 2019 (Updated May 17, 2019)  
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime, Thriller
More of the same, and that's perfectly ok with me!
The original John Wick movie in 2014 was one hell of a pleasant surprise. Keanu Reeves exploded onto the screen as the retired contract killer, sporting sharp suits and expertly taking out the bad guys who stole his prized car, and killed his dog. Beautifully choreographed, intensely satisfying action - just pure escapism. John Wick 2 landed in 2017 and expanded on some of the mythology introduced in the first movie, delving into the wider world of an assassin community which seemingly outnumbers average citizens! But John Wick broke the rules, losing his cool and killing a member of the High Table on the grounds of the Continental Hotel, a place designated to be safe ground for those in the assassin business. His actions led to him being deemed "excommunicado" by the High Table, with all privileges removed and an open contract of $14 million placed on his head. Wick had just an hour head start granted to him by old friend Winston, before becoming fair game for anyone and everyone. And that is where the second movie left us dangling...

Chapter 3 picks things up pretty much right from where chapter 2 ended. It's around 5:10pm, and a wounded John Wick is making his way through New York with his latest doggy friend alongside him. Excommunicado kicks in at 6pm, and he is clocked by various assassins as he moves through the streets, all preparing themselves for getting their shot at the $14 million. He takes care of the important stuff - making sure his dog is in safe hands and that his wounded shoulder is patched up - and every so often we cut to the administration room, where communications are sent out to all the assassins, paperwork gets stamped and a time check is announced. 20 minutes until excommunicado, 10 minutes, 1 minute, 5 seconds. It's an intense build up and you have no idea what's going to happen at 6pm, but you cannot wait to find out!

When 6pm arrives, it's not quite the all out war you're expecting. Instead, we get a bunch of nicely choreographed fights involving small groups of chancers, all keen to try their hand at taking out the legendary John Wick. We get book-fu, we get horse-fu, and we get a fight in a room full of knives and swords. Which is great, unless you're squeamish about anything involving sharp objects and eyeballs (that would be me then).

As much as I'd love to watch two solid hours of John Wick just kicking ass, there does need to be the odd break here and there, and there's a lengthy period where the brakes are slammed on somewhat. We get bogged down in more mythology, and while John tries to arrange safe passage to Casablanca in order to bargain for his life, an adjudicator arrives in New York to question those who seemingly broke the rules to help John in the last movie and serve suitable punishment on them.

When John hooks up with old friend Sofia (Halle Berry), things move up a gear once more. Sofia can more than hold her own in a fight and it's an impressive, albeit far too brief performance from Halle Berry. But it's her two dogs who manage to steal the show during a fight between John, Sofia and another bunch of goons. Repeatedly leaping out of nowhere and viciously taking guys down with a set of pretty impressive moves of their own. Going for the neck, pulling on arms, but mostly going for the crotch.

The final act resorts to simply providing a relentless onslaught of opponents for John to take out, and that's perfectly fine by me. Pausing for breath after each round (for our benefit as much as his!), before moving to the next. While not quite as impressive as the original movie, this was on the same level as chapter 2 for me. And I certainly haven't tired of seeing John Wick do his thing just yet.
  
I may be good, but Sherlock Holmes is better. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle weaves unusual and fantastical tales about the globally beloved detective in this collection of stories. Each is short and can be devoured in less than an hour. They are some of his more famous short works and highly enjoyable.

Doyle paints a narrative through the eyes of Holmes' companion, Dr. Watson and makes the tale more accessible to the average reader. Holmes' sharp mannerisms and lofty thoughts would not be as intriguing if Watson's nobler sentiments and smoothing words did not soften him. Each mystery slowly unfolds before the reader's eyes and if their powers of deduction are keen, they may even discover some clues or Holmes' motives before they're expressly detailed.

The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were beloved in their time and are now classics for a reason. This is a wonderful collection of stories and highly recommended to fans of detective stories, classic novels, or have never read a story about Sherlock Holmes before and wish to give them a shot. (You won't be disappointed.)
  
The Kiss of Life (Soul Mate Rescued, #1)
The Kiss of Life (Soul Mate Rescued, #1)
Char Sharp | 2015 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a fast-paced and action-packed story involving a young widow and a senator, among others. Her husband was killed thirteen months ago in what she presumed was a mugging but it turns out to be something completely different.

Elizabeth is a strong character from the start. She is being chased by two men but doesn't just cower and whimper but is constantly fighting back and looking for ways to escape. Senator John comes to her rescue, but she threatens to kick his ass if he doesn't give her some answers. I loved this part! The story then continues with action throughout as they try to figure out just what is going on within the timeframe they have, as well as trying to stay alive and have a new relationship.

Personally, I found the dialogue between John and Liz to be quite stilted at times, and the timing seemed 'off' on a couple of occasions too. Not that what was said, wouldn't have been said - just, would it have been said at that precise time? At other times, it flowed and seemed perfectly natural so it isn't something that happens throughout the book!

There is plenty to enjoy about this book and I, for one, am certainly looking forward to seeing more from Char Sharp and her Soul Mate Rescued series. Definitely recommended.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 26, 2015
  
Moonfall (2022)
Moonfall (2022)
2022 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Approximately 30 minutes from the end, due to a sudden and sharp escalation of absurdity, I turned round to my mate and said "what the fuck is happening" - a simple remark that I think sums up Moonfall quite well. It relates directly to the main positive that I found, in that I can't help but admire how hard this film commits to all out sci-fi when it comes to crunch time. It prevents the end result from being a complete bore at the very least.
Roland Emmerich has become a master of underwhelming, disaster flicks at this point, he can make them in his sleep. Instead of doing something new, he's taken his best film, Independence Day, and one of his worst films, 2012, and just smashed them together like a kid playing with their action figures. It results in a predictable outcome - a film that's kind of entertaining, with passable CGI, and a host of characters that we don't care about, with personal issues that we don't care about, and who have more screentime than the mindless destruction of the planet that we all crave. John Bradley, bless him, gives it his all. Easily the highlight of a cast that are woodenly cashing in a paycheck. The dialogue is so awful that I zoned out pretty hard on several occasions.
There was guy in the same screen as us who just very loudly demolished a multi pack of Cadburys Picnics, followed by an entire loaf of Soreen, which was quite astonishing, and made the experience a bit more memorable. Cheers mate.
  
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama, Western
8
7.4 (33 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A Hornery Exit.
As a big fan of the original – a staple of many Bank Holiday afternoons in my youth – I was prepared to be sniffy about this remake and came to the film on my high-horse (I left that tied to the rail outside the cinema by the way). But I was surprised to have my expectations reset.
 
Possibly on the basis that Trump has been given the Mexican’s a good bashing lately, the villain of the piece in this film is updated from Mexican bandit Calvera to Sacremento based land-snatcher and all round bad-egg Bartholomew Bogue (an expressionless Peter Sarsgaard). After ripping through some of the inhabitants of Rose Creek in a brutal pre-title sequence, widowed sharp-shooter Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett, “The Equalizer”) heads into the West on a recruiting mission for hired guns. She first recruits the bounty hunter Chisholm (sing “Chisum, John Chisum…”… no, sorry different Western) played by Denzel Washington. Washington matches Yul Brynner’s famous black outfit, and unlike Brynner is obviously able to finish off the ensemble naturally!

They recruit another six (who’d have thought it?) including wise-guy gambler Faraday (Chris “Guardians of the Galaxy” Pratt); famed confederate sniper Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke); his nifty knife throwing Asian sidekick (but good for the Far East box office) Billy Rocks (Bjung-hun Lee, from Terminator: Genisys); and religious bear-of-a-man Indian-hunter Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Jurassic World”). After trying to whip the incompetent townsfolk into shape, and setting some Home-Alone style surprises, the stage is set for a showdown as Bogue whips up an army to re-take “his” town.

I like classic Westerns, with John Ford’s Rio Bravo being a particular favourite. In my view the problem with many modern Westerns is that they try too hard to shock (Tarentino’s recent “Hateful 8” was a case in point: a promising start ruined by gratuitous over-the-top violence). “The Magnificent Seven” doesn’t make that mistake, and while the squib-master and blood-bag boy are heavily employed throughout, nothing is too excessive: in fact, my view – and I don’t often tend in this direction – is that the censors rather over-egged the UK 12A rating on this one and could have gone with a 12. Director Antoine Fuqua has produced a film that is highly respectful of its heritage: perhaps to the point where many scenes might be deemed to be clichéd. But I personally warmed to that.

Denzel Washington was born to be in a Western like this and the emerging Chris Pratt does his star potential no harm by turning in a stellar performance adding both levity – with some whip-sharp lines – and screen presence in the role made famous by Steve McQueen. (Although no one comes close to the screen presence of McQueen…. Look up “real man” in the dictionary and his picture is there!) Also effective is Ethan Hawke in the nearest thing to the Robert Vaughan character in this film.

Where the adapted script by Richard Wenk and Nik Pizzolatto falters somewhat is in the motivations of the characters, which come across as superficial and unconvincing. (Perhaps “selling” was a whole lot easier in the Old West?) It is even unclear at the end of the film whether the survivors (and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the seven don’t all make it!) actually take their payment, or even a “share of the gold” that the town is sitting on. It makes for an unsatisfactory closure. The degree of racial harmony present in the film is also difficult to buy into, and the script could have made something more of this.

The film soundtrack marks the swan-song of the late James Horner, so tragically killed in a plane crash last year at the age of just 61. As the natural successor to the great John Williams and the late Jerry Goldsmith, Horner’s loss was a terrible one. The film is dedicated to him. Although the soundtrack was completed by Simon Franglen, there are flourishes of classic Horner, most notably in the first Rose Creek showdown scene. There is also a treat to the ears over the closing credits which is very welcome.

Although the film draws natural comparison with its 5* classic predecessor, this is a good film in its own right – a genuinely pleasant surprise. Perhaps its done well enough that we might get to now see a remake of “The Return of the Seven”. I hope so… “the Western is dead… long live the Western”!
  
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
2018 | Biography, Comedy, Crime
The first real Oscar contender of 2018
The first shot of the 2018 Oscar race has been fired and it is Spike Lee's BLACKkKLANSMAN. If you are an "Oscar completest" I highly recommend you check this film out as you will be hearing it's name called (probably many times) when the Oscar nominations are revealed.

But...is it a good film?

For the most part, yes.

Based on the incredible true story of Colorado Springs undercover office, Ron Stallworth, an African-American, who was able to infiltrate the KKK via the phone. He then needs a surrogate to keep the subterfuge up in face to face meetings.

In playing Stallworth, relative newcomer John David Washington (son of Denzel) shows that he has inherited at least some of his famous father's acting chops. His portrayal of Washington shows a conflicted man, determined to do his job while juggling his feelings and responsibilities of being a black man in early 1970's America.

Laura Harrier (Liz in SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING) matches Washington beat for beat as Black activist - and potential love interest - Patrice Dumas who has razor-sharp focus on changing the plight of African Americans and drives Stallworth to thinking about more than just his job.

Other strong performances comes from Topher Grace (as KKK Head David Duke), Robert John Burke as Chief Bridges and Corey Hawkins in an extended cameo as Kwame Ture (aka 1960's Black Activist Stokely Carmichael). I really liked the passion and furvor Hawkins brought to this part.

But...the standout performance in this film comes from Adam Driver as the "white face" of Ron Stallworth to the KKK. He portrays Flip Zimmerman who has been constantly denying his Jewish heritage to pass as a WASP in this world and when he comes face to face with race hatred, he must confront his own inner feelings towards his own past. This is another strong performance by Driver (who is much, much more than just Kylo Ren) and I expect to hear his name called when Oscar nominations are announced.

But...good acting aside...this is a Spike Lee "joint" in all the ways (good and bad) that Spike Lee directs his films. There is a cleanliness in the way he drives the narrative never losing focus on what the main theme of the proceedings needs to be. He paints interesting pictures on the screen and crafts a strong, message picture that should be seen by all.

But...he does have a tendency to overplay his hand, hitting the audience over the head over and over again with his themes to the point of me wanting to say to the screen "all right already, I get it!". This knocks the film down just a hair.

But...that is the price of admission for a very good Spike Lee film, one that I highly recommend you see.

Letter Grade: A-

8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)
2009 | Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi
8
7.8 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The fourth (and lets hope not final) of the planned straight to DVD Futurama movies, “Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder” has arrived and continues the winning formula of the television series and three previous films as well as ties things up nicely should this be the final outing for the Planet Express crew.

The film opens with a new take on the traditional opening and we are treated to the scenic Mars Vegas complete with futuristic interpretations of the class Las Vegas hotels. As the film opens, Mars Vegas is being destroyed to make way for a new and even better Mars Vegas. This does not sit well with Amy (Lauren Tom) as her father is the one behind all of this, and when she learns that he plans to eliminate portions of a solar system to make the universes biggest miniature golf course, she decides to join a militant feminist group with Leela (Katey Sagal).

As this is happening Fry (Billy West), learns that he has the power to read minds and is recruited by a secret organization who inform him of a great evil that is loose in the galaxy and that he will be the key to preserving the universe.

Bender (John Di Maggio), as usual is happy to drink and grift his way through life, that is until a affair with a local crime figures wife provides him with some danger and distraction.

When a planned protest goes horribly wrong, Leela and Amy end up as fugitives and are doggedly pursued by Captain Zapp Brannigan as they race against the clock to save the creatures of the solar system from Leo Wong’s planned construction.

The film is as usual, loaded with laughs and plenty of pop culture gags. Snoop Dogg and Penn Jilette make cameo appearances as do many of the characters from the series.

With sharp picture and sound, this is a very enjoyable new adventure for fans and should add demand for future adventures in the series and provide great viewing enjoyment.

There are loads of extras which include deleted scenes, commentaries, as well as deleted scenes.