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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Aquaman (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Straight out of the blocks I want to say that there's excellent fluffy in the shape of a golden retriever puppy, and we also get some brilliant chompers in the form of an army of sharks... and you know how I feel about sharks.
The other thing I want to say, and I'm sorry in advance for the fact that it might annoy you if you haven't been to see it yet, but every wistful shot of the sky over the ocean seems to look like the Free Willy poster shot. Not even kidding. It was the first thing I thought when I saw it. Right there >>> they might have just photoshopped it in, I really don't know.
But I'm getting away from the reason I'm doing this... Aquaman.
I'm please to say that (as you can see from my rating) I thoroughly enjoyed this film. DC have really managed to pull it back. I was a firm believer that it was DC TV and Marvel films that were the winners, when they went off and tried the other side it wasn't such a success for either of them. DC seem to have found the magic formula though and hot on the trail of Wonder Woman and Justice League this feels like a real winner.
Yes I enjoyed Justice League, we're not going to argue about it now!
The attention to detail in the effects is impressive. You just have to look at all the minute details in the reflections on the glass to see that. We're also treated to a lot of ocean scenery that I'm sure you could comb over for hours and still not spot everything hidden in there.
There are moments where the effects become a little iffy though. The tremendous scene where Aquaman and Mera are being chased over roof tops for example. We get wide shots that leave little room to scrimp on the effort and they look visually stunning. At the same time though one of the bad guys is chasing Mera by running through the buildings below her and the graphics on him just don't hold the same impact at all.
Aquaman's underwater scenes actually didn't look a lot different than any normal film apart from the fact that everyone tends to be hovering in mid air/water with ballet pose toes. But just for a minute let us talk about the hair and the capes. Both floaty things in water. Both awful to look at on screen. It's bizarrely unnatural and really sticks out like a sore thumb from the first time you see it. At least it's not something that all the characters had, some of them had their hair tied back, and then they've got some kind of underwater hair gel (they could market that really well on land), both of those options gave scenes a little less distraction.
The first action sequence we get with Aquaman in the sub has some amazing camera work in it. We turn and flip with the characters following the motion of the body as it's being tossed around by our hero. It makes for an exciting scene, it's honestly not something I remember seeing in other films. This sequence also had a rather impressive use of a doorway as a lethal weapon.
While Aquaman is definitely a light-hearted superhero movie it does have it's deep moments. (And I'm not just talking about the ocean... no? Fine! No ridiculous jokes.) Manta and his father have a particularly moving moment that I wasn't expecting at all, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Michael Beach work so well together in that scene that it was a real shame it was over so quickly. Jason Momoa also gets some great speeches throughout the film, but in his case they are taken away from him at the last moment. I get it, he's an edgy no nonsense kind of a character that says it like it is. But let him just have one speech where he doesn't ruin it at the end by calling someone a dick.
Now I'll admit that it didn't hurt that this movie had some very attractive people in it that were wet a lot of the time... you know you were thinking it too! I do however want to call them out on their Bond-esque emerging from the water scene... it didn't work, find your own niche.
I'm honestly amazed at how many notes I wrote, I've got so many thing I want to talk about but honestly we'd be here all day so I'm just going to highlight the rest for your free interpretation: superhero landings, power slides, "little baby oceans", drumming octopus, killer narwhals?, bar montage, Ant-Man And The Wasp rip off credits, rip off Bifrost, stop pollution the oceans it's pissing off the Atlantians. Oh, and Julie Andrews was in it!
What you should do
This is a very good superhero movie. There's love, there's action, there's friendship, and more importantly they have a cute dog. You should definitely see it.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I do love the water, so some Atlantian superpowers wouldn't go amiss. There's no way I currently look that graceful in the water.
The other thing I want to say, and I'm sorry in advance for the fact that it might annoy you if you haven't been to see it yet, but every wistful shot of the sky over the ocean seems to look like the Free Willy poster shot. Not even kidding. It was the first thing I thought when I saw it. Right there >>> they might have just photoshopped it in, I really don't know.
But I'm getting away from the reason I'm doing this... Aquaman.
I'm please to say that (as you can see from my rating) I thoroughly enjoyed this film. DC have really managed to pull it back. I was a firm believer that it was DC TV and Marvel films that were the winners, when they went off and tried the other side it wasn't such a success for either of them. DC seem to have found the magic formula though and hot on the trail of Wonder Woman and Justice League this feels like a real winner.
Yes I enjoyed Justice League, we're not going to argue about it now!
The attention to detail in the effects is impressive. You just have to look at all the minute details in the reflections on the glass to see that. We're also treated to a lot of ocean scenery that I'm sure you could comb over for hours and still not spot everything hidden in there.
There are moments where the effects become a little iffy though. The tremendous scene where Aquaman and Mera are being chased over roof tops for example. We get wide shots that leave little room to scrimp on the effort and they look visually stunning. At the same time though one of the bad guys is chasing Mera by running through the buildings below her and the graphics on him just don't hold the same impact at all.
Aquaman's underwater scenes actually didn't look a lot different than any normal film apart from the fact that everyone tends to be hovering in mid air/water with ballet pose toes. But just for a minute let us talk about the hair and the capes. Both floaty things in water. Both awful to look at on screen. It's bizarrely unnatural and really sticks out like a sore thumb from the first time you see it. At least it's not something that all the characters had, some of them had their hair tied back, and then they've got some kind of underwater hair gel (they could market that really well on land), both of those options gave scenes a little less distraction.
The first action sequence we get with Aquaman in the sub has some amazing camera work in it. We turn and flip with the characters following the motion of the body as it's being tossed around by our hero. It makes for an exciting scene, it's honestly not something I remember seeing in other films. This sequence also had a rather impressive use of a doorway as a lethal weapon.
While Aquaman is definitely a light-hearted superhero movie it does have it's deep moments. (And I'm not just talking about the ocean... no? Fine! No ridiculous jokes.) Manta and his father have a particularly moving moment that I wasn't expecting at all, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Michael Beach work so well together in that scene that it was a real shame it was over so quickly. Jason Momoa also gets some great speeches throughout the film, but in his case they are taken away from him at the last moment. I get it, he's an edgy no nonsense kind of a character that says it like it is. But let him just have one speech where he doesn't ruin it at the end by calling someone a dick.
Now I'll admit that it didn't hurt that this movie had some very attractive people in it that were wet a lot of the time... you know you were thinking it too! I do however want to call them out on their Bond-esque emerging from the water scene... it didn't work, find your own niche.
I'm honestly amazed at how many notes I wrote, I've got so many thing I want to talk about but honestly we'd be here all day so I'm just going to highlight the rest for your free interpretation: superhero landings, power slides, "little baby oceans", drumming octopus, killer narwhals?, bar montage, Ant-Man And The Wasp rip off credits, rip off Bifrost, stop pollution the oceans it's pissing off the Atlantians. Oh, and Julie Andrews was in it!
What you should do
This is a very good superhero movie. There's love, there's action, there's friendship, and more importantly they have a cute dog. You should definitely see it.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I do love the water, so some Atlantian superpowers wouldn't go amiss. There's no way I currently look that graceful in the water.
Perry Larkin (8 KP) rated Lady Bird (2017) in Movies
Dec 11, 2017
Contains spoilers, click to show
I am a huge fan of dry humor and coming of age stories. This movie was a nice surprise, and without too many spoiler trailers out there, I was really not expecting anything. The movie had a great flow, and the interaction between mother and daughter was so real and emotional. The only complaint I have is that the movie was so abruptly ended. I enjoy leaving it open-ended for the imagination, but I feel like the last 15 minutes completely changed the flow of the movie and lead us to believe there was going to be one more reveal that never happens. I didn't need a complete summary, but I did want to know just a little bit more.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Down at the End of the River: Stories in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[Down at the End of the River] by [Angus Woodward] is a compilation of short stories, which usually are not the type of thing I like to read. I did enjoy these and if I did not know they were the same author I would have thought they were penned by many different people.
[Woodward] does an excellent job in creating characters and using those characters to drive the story. More than a few even caused me to feel the nervousness or anxiety of the characters.
I was disappointed that the setting of Louisiana was not highlighted more that it was just a passing reference. I believe the south has a character all it's own and could have added even more to the stories.
[Woodward] does an excellent job in creating characters and using those characters to drive the story. More than a few even caused me to feel the nervousness or anxiety of the characters.
I was disappointed that the setting of Louisiana was not highlighted more that it was just a passing reference. I believe the south has a character all it's own and could have added even more to the stories.
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated The War of the Worlds (1953) in Movies
Apr 7, 2019
Classic Gold
This movie is just classic. There is no other way to describe it. The story follows the the plight of mankind having to contend with a more advanced alien invasion force from Mars. The acting was good and the special effects were great for the time. There hasn't been a War of the Worlds movie that can touch this one in terms of a pure invasion movie( yes even the Tom Cruise version which is another story). You feel the danger and hopelessness of the situation. The acting was great and the ending was what you expect if you know the story. Maybe someday someone will do a great WotW movie that is great like this one with the technology of today.
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated 12 Monkeys (1995) in Movies
Jan 30, 2018
Um OK
James Cole (Willis) lives in a time where disease has ravaged the planet and has been put in charge of a riddle on how maybe he can save the world. He also is given the ability to time travel to try and catch up to the elusive group the 12 monkeys. Along the way we see him run in to an mixture of crazy characters like Jeffery Goines (pitt) who is a pure nut ball but tries to make him believe he can help. The real question is that will he solve the riddle through all the muck and guck and save the world or will we perrish.
movie was not that great. They had a good idea just didn't follow through
movie was not that great. They had a good idea just didn't follow through
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Every Which Way Crochet Borders: 139 Patterns for Customized Edgings in Books
Jan 18, 2018
As a crocheter not yet a pro, I am constantly trying to find ways to make my work look more interesting. This is a great tool for making your crocheted works not only look interesting, but complete as well. There are many different varieties you can choose from so that you can find the best fit for your project. Not only that, but the instruction are clear and easy to read, even for someone who still has trouble reading patterns. The author doesn't just give you patterns either. She adds troubleshooting, tips and tricks, and crystal clear images so you know what your work is suppose to look like.
I highly recommend this book as the perfect companion for an crocheter to add something extra.
I highly recommend this book as the perfect companion for an crocheter to add something extra.
Lindsay (1771 KP) rated Bluebonnet Bride (Love Across the Sea #1.5) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
This mystery is somewhat fun to read about. There a mystery that keep you interested in the book. I wonder what is to happen for this couple and family. Who is behind the attacks? Why would they want to attack. Will Elli or even Nathan going to solve this. So far this book has me want get the other books in the series. My first reaction is good so far. I would rate this 4 stars or 4 Rats in my case. I would recommend the author Colleen Coble to others if they asked. I want you to decide if this for you or anyone else to read. Just because I liked it does not mean that you like it. It is up to you.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Signalman in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I've never read a Dicken's novel before, I always felt like I would come out of them dumbfounded... his writing seems too intellectual and educational for my little brain. But, this is just a ghost story, so it was easy enough to get on with!
Yes, I enjoyed this, but it wasn't my favourite short story. A classic old school ghost story, but it could have been so much creepier than it was, so that let me down. There is a slight pang of shock at the tail end of this short, but it's nothing to write home about.
What's most interesting, to me, about this book, is the fact that it's been pulled out of a personal tragedy of Dicken's.
Yes, I enjoyed this, but it wasn't my favourite short story. A classic old school ghost story, but it could have been so much creepier than it was, so that let me down. There is a slight pang of shock at the tail end of this short, but it's nothing to write home about.
What's most interesting, to me, about this book, is the fact that it's been pulled out of a personal tragedy of Dicken's.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Ritual (2017) in Movies
Jul 21, 2018
Nothing new
The problem with The Ritual is that horror films set in a forest with weird goings on have been done before. Many times. And sadly The Ritual has nothing new to add.
I'm very glad it at least didn't go down the shaky cam found footage route, as that has been done to death. It does well to create a tense and uneasy atmosphere but I wouldn't say it was particularly scary. Creepy at best. The characters are alright but I didn't feel like they were particularly well developed and they were fairly weak. The plot wasn't bad but all in all it was just an okay horror film. Nothing special. I've heard the book is much better!
I'm very glad it at least didn't go down the shaky cam found footage route, as that has been done to death. It does well to create a tense and uneasy atmosphere but I wouldn't say it was particularly scary. Creepy at best. The characters are alright but I didn't feel like they were particularly well developed and they were fairly weak. The plot wasn't bad but all in all it was just an okay horror film. Nothing special. I've heard the book is much better!
ashezbookz (32 KP) rated Red Queen in Books
Jul 5, 2018
Definitely thought it was going to be more action packed after the first bit of the book was totaly good and I was like, I'm going to love this - then about 40% on I'd say was just boring AF - the end was action packed too which I get, most books do that, but at least give me something in between - the minor issues in there did nothing for the excitement level and I found myself wanting to DNF this book at 70% but I pushed through because that would have been sad. Definitely not continuing with the series but it was alright. I adore her family dynamic and her sense of right and wrong as well. and Cal is a treat.