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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Free Guy (2021) in Movies
Aug 13, 2021
Some comedy action feels like a no-brainer really, and I do love a bit of Ryan Reynolds.
Guy is loving life in Free City, his goldfish, the amazing view from his apartment, getting to work with his best pal at the bank, it's all great. But when he meets the girl of his dreams, he starts to realise that there might be more to his world than he ever realised.
Well... this is exactly my sort of film, and yet, I'm really not feeling the excitement for it. The audience experience had me chuckling though, to my left... yawning, to my right... squeals of glee.
I think my main issue is that it felt very much like something I'd seen before. Almost instantly my brain said LEGO Movie and Truman Show, with some Ready Player One thrown in for good measure. Looking at the writers' back catalogue left no real surprises. Zak Penn wrote the screenplay for Ready Player One (one of his first credits on IMDb is for the story of Last Action Hero, and that feels like it gave some contributions too), and I had a mild recognition of bits from Matt Lieberman's Scoob and Playing With Fire.
Guy's initial evolution in the film is quite nice to watch with his days changing slightly each time. Everything then ramps up quite quickly once he steps out of his NPC programming properly for the first time... and this is where I thought I would be on board with it.
Once the video game elements kicked in I did have a bit of Easter egg spotting euphoria. Watching the background players jumping randomly, the generic but obviously named shops and locations. Much like Ready Player One, there were lots of things to discover in scenes outside of the storyline. But the style kept jumping between this "real life" video game and the video game that didn't know it was a video game. Admittedly there's a very fine line between those two realities. I did like that it replicates the way immersive play can feel when you forget that you are just playing a game, but even this, at times, felt a little forced.
As much as I love Ryan Reynolds, this wasn't a very challenging or original role for him. And just like the film overall, this felt like a mish-mash of his role that we've already seen on the big screen.
Comer's performance was great, and her online and real life personas had the subtle differences I'd expect to see... this does however, mildly highlight a slightly wider issue, and that's the stereotyping of gamers.
Computer nerds and gamers living in their mum's basements and being a little odd. That's a staple in media. Matty Cardarople's gamer, Kevin Smith's Warlock, Chris Reed's Todd Zarnecki. We love them, or we love to hate them, but it's getting a little tired.
One thing I couldn't fault the film for was the look of everything. Vibrant colours, a bit of fun with the costumes, and the effects throughout the action. It worked as a whole package, and for the most part, it balanced out the danger of the comedy getting a little too ridiculous.
I didn't overly notice an excess of IP/brand plugs, but there was one little cluster in Free Guy. One of the few things I truly enjoyed was where the Disney property merged into a fight scene towards the end. It amused me because I was expecting something like it to happen. It may have gone a smidge over the line of enjoyable, but I'm going to give it a pass. (And I do have a point that would have made this scene better, and I'm honestly disappointed that they didn't think to do it.)
I had been hoping that Free Guy would be a 4 star film, but I don't think I could give it more than a 3. It's watchable, but I don't feel any great need to own it or hunt it down before it's streaming. That being said, I am going to see it again. In the same vein as Ready Player One and 1917, I've watched it for the story, now I'm going back for the background detail.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/08/free-guy-movie-review.html
Guy is loving life in Free City, his goldfish, the amazing view from his apartment, getting to work with his best pal at the bank, it's all great. But when he meets the girl of his dreams, he starts to realise that there might be more to his world than he ever realised.
Well... this is exactly my sort of film, and yet, I'm really not feeling the excitement for it. The audience experience had me chuckling though, to my left... yawning, to my right... squeals of glee.
I think my main issue is that it felt very much like something I'd seen before. Almost instantly my brain said LEGO Movie and Truman Show, with some Ready Player One thrown in for good measure. Looking at the writers' back catalogue left no real surprises. Zak Penn wrote the screenplay for Ready Player One (one of his first credits on IMDb is for the story of Last Action Hero, and that feels like it gave some contributions too), and I had a mild recognition of bits from Matt Lieberman's Scoob and Playing With Fire.
Guy's initial evolution in the film is quite nice to watch with his days changing slightly each time. Everything then ramps up quite quickly once he steps out of his NPC programming properly for the first time... and this is where I thought I would be on board with it.
Once the video game elements kicked in I did have a bit of Easter egg spotting euphoria. Watching the background players jumping randomly, the generic but obviously named shops and locations. Much like Ready Player One, there were lots of things to discover in scenes outside of the storyline. But the style kept jumping between this "real life" video game and the video game that didn't know it was a video game. Admittedly there's a very fine line between those two realities. I did like that it replicates the way immersive play can feel when you forget that you are just playing a game, but even this, at times, felt a little forced.
As much as I love Ryan Reynolds, this wasn't a very challenging or original role for him. And just like the film overall, this felt like a mish-mash of his role that we've already seen on the big screen.
Comer's performance was great, and her online and real life personas had the subtle differences I'd expect to see... this does however, mildly highlight a slightly wider issue, and that's the stereotyping of gamers.
Computer nerds and gamers living in their mum's basements and being a little odd. That's a staple in media. Matty Cardarople's gamer, Kevin Smith's Warlock, Chris Reed's Todd Zarnecki. We love them, or we love to hate them, but it's getting a little tired.
One thing I couldn't fault the film for was the look of everything. Vibrant colours, a bit of fun with the costumes, and the effects throughout the action. It worked as a whole package, and for the most part, it balanced out the danger of the comedy getting a little too ridiculous.
I didn't overly notice an excess of IP/brand plugs, but there was one little cluster in Free Guy. One of the few things I truly enjoyed was where the Disney property merged into a fight scene towards the end. It amused me because I was expecting something like it to happen. It may have gone a smidge over the line of enjoyable, but I'm going to give it a pass. (And I do have a point that would have made this scene better, and I'm honestly disappointed that they didn't think to do it.)
I had been hoping that Free Guy would be a 4 star film, but I don't think I could give it more than a 3. It's watchable, but I don't feel any great need to own it or hunt it down before it's streaming. That being said, I am going to see it again. In the same vein as Ready Player One and 1917, I've watched it for the story, now I'm going back for the background detail.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/08/free-guy-movie-review.html
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Wish You Weren't in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
The blurb of this book really caught my eye. I don't usually read middle grade books, but this one sounded very interesting.
The title of this book is fantastic! It's really conveys what the book is about. Once you read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about.
I like the cover, but I don't feel like a child in junior high school or elementary would be drawn to the cover. For me, the cover encompasses what this book is about.
The world building, for a children's book, was believable. I feel like children will instantly be immersed in Marten's world.
The pacing starts off decent enough, but I felt like it becomes a little too fast paced. There were times I was left so confused as to what had just happened. I felt like the transitions between one scene to the next weren't very smooth. I feel that maybe if this book was a little bit longer, the pacing could have been better as things could've been explained a bit better.
I think children in middle school and older elementary children will definitely enjoy the plot. I'm sure many children with younger siblings have been so annoyed with them, that they've wished they would disappear. That's exactly what happens to Marten, but after his wish comes true, he begins to regret it and does anything and everything he can in order to make his little brother come back. Wish You Weren't conveys such a fantastic message about being a family.
I think most children will be able to easily relate to Marten. He's an 11 year old boy who is sick of his younger brother always messing with his stuff and always getting him in trouble. Marten is definitely a brave boy, and throughout the book, it's easy to see how much he really does love his brother as well as the rest of the family. I don't really have an opinion about Paul. On one hand, he just felt like a really pointless character, but I could see why the author chose to put him in the book. Paul is Marten's best friend, and I felt like he contributed to making Marten feel a bit braver. I would've like to know more about Aldrin, Marten's younger brother, so I would feel a bit more emotional towards him.
The dialogue flows really well and fits in with a middle grade level book. I think children who are interested in astronomy will really love this book as there's some scientific information regarding stars and space in this book. There's not any violence or sexual references and no swearing unless you consider "hell" a swear word which was only mentioned once.
Overall, Wish You Weren't by Sherrie Petersen is a great read for older elementary children as well as those in junior high. It touches on a topic that most children can relate to and has a sense of adventure to it. The only downside was the pacing which goes a little too fast although that doesn't take away from the book that much. However, the message this book conveys is a very good one!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 8+ who have ever wished a sibling away or for those that like a book that has a great sense of adventure within its pages.
(I received a free ebook of this title from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
The blurb of this book really caught my eye. I don't usually read middle grade books, but this one sounded very interesting.
The title of this book is fantastic! It's really conveys what the book is about. Once you read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about.
I like the cover, but I don't feel like a child in junior high school or elementary would be drawn to the cover. For me, the cover encompasses what this book is about.
The world building, for a children's book, was believable. I feel like children will instantly be immersed in Marten's world.
The pacing starts off decent enough, but I felt like it becomes a little too fast paced. There were times I was left so confused as to what had just happened. I felt like the transitions between one scene to the next weren't very smooth. I feel that maybe if this book was a little bit longer, the pacing could have been better as things could've been explained a bit better.
I think children in middle school and older elementary children will definitely enjoy the plot. I'm sure many children with younger siblings have been so annoyed with them, that they've wished they would disappear. That's exactly what happens to Marten, but after his wish comes true, he begins to regret it and does anything and everything he can in order to make his little brother come back. Wish You Weren't conveys such a fantastic message about being a family.
I think most children will be able to easily relate to Marten. He's an 11 year old boy who is sick of his younger brother always messing with his stuff and always getting him in trouble. Marten is definitely a brave boy, and throughout the book, it's easy to see how much he really does love his brother as well as the rest of the family. I don't really have an opinion about Paul. On one hand, he just felt like a really pointless character, but I could see why the author chose to put him in the book. Paul is Marten's best friend, and I felt like he contributed to making Marten feel a bit braver. I would've like to know more about Aldrin, Marten's younger brother, so I would feel a bit more emotional towards him.
The dialogue flows really well and fits in with a middle grade level book. I think children who are interested in astronomy will really love this book as there's some scientific information regarding stars and space in this book. There's not any violence or sexual references and no swearing unless you consider "hell" a swear word which was only mentioned once.
Overall, Wish You Weren't by Sherrie Petersen is a great read for older elementary children as well as those in junior high. It touches on a topic that most children can relate to and has a sense of adventure to it. The only downside was the pacing which goes a little too fast although that doesn't take away from the book that much. However, the message this book conveys is a very good one!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 8+ who have ever wished a sibling away or for those that like a book that has a great sense of adventure within its pages.
(I received a free ebook of this title from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Moments We Forget (Thatcher Sisters, #2) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
illian Thatcher has spent most of her life playing the family peacemaker, caught in the middle between her driven, talented older sister and her younger, spotlight-stealing twin sisters. Then on the night of her engagement party, a cancer diagnosis threatens to once again steal her chance to shine. Now, Jillianยs on the road to recovery after finally finishing chemo and radiation, but residual effects of the treatment keep her from reclaiming her life as sheยd hoped. And just when her dreams might be falling into place, a life-altering revelation from her husband sends her reeling again. Will Jillian ever achieve her own dreams, or will she always be ยjust Jillian,ย the less-than Thatcher sister? Can she count on her sisters as she tries to step into a stronger place, or are they stuck in their childhood roles forever?
My Thoughts: This is a compelling story about three sisters who all have the difficulties that they are overcoming. Each one is on a journey that brings them back together again. This is a story that the readers can get lost in, that can connect and relate to in each of their own lives. The characters are real, with down to earth troubles that can happen at any time in our lives. This is a story about coming together, letting the past go, looking forward to the future and of course, there is an element of forgiveness.
I do like that the gospel is given in this novel, the fact that we do need God in our lives is foremost to living a life worth living. To those who don't know Christ, they can become lost or bitter during some of the circumstances that these sisters faced.
The writer has written a novel that is easy to read, the storyline flows well and she brings the reader into the story that makes it personal to the reader.
I truly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from Beth K. Vogt.
My Thoughts: This is a compelling story about three sisters who all have the difficulties that they are overcoming. Each one is on a journey that brings them back together again. This is a story that the readers can get lost in, that can connect and relate to in each of their own lives. The characters are real, with down to earth troubles that can happen at any time in our lives. This is a story about coming together, letting the past go, looking forward to the future and of course, there is an element of forgiveness.
I do like that the gospel is given in this novel, the fact that we do need God in our lives is foremost to living a life worth living. To those who don't know Christ, they can become lost or bitter during some of the circumstances that these sisters faced.
The writer has written a novel that is easy to read, the storyline flows well and she brings the reader into the story that makes it personal to the reader.
I truly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from Beth K. Vogt.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Possum (2018) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Philip is a puppeteer with one of the creepiest puppets you have ever seen, he is returning home to escape after his latest show went terribly wrong and it isnโt long before the strange events continue to plague him. He becomes a suspect in a missing persons case and the puppet he is trying to get rid of, keeps returning for him. Maurice is his stepfather that always pushes him too far, he always seems to be judging Philip. We only truly get to meet two characters with the puppet having a life of its own.
Performances โ Sean Harris is genuinely creepy through this film giving a performance that is bound to get him placed in any horror film he wants for years to come. Alun Armstrong does well in the supporting role which does work very well in the film.
Story โ The story follows the puppeteer that is haunted by his own puppet while is clearly a metaphor for something else going on in his life. This is a strange film to say the least, it does deal with real issues that can be disguised and will keep you feeling uneasy throughout. We could spend time studying certain issues in this film, but that goes into full spoilers.
Horror โ The horror comes from the uneasy feeling we are getting through the film, with just what could be going on, the appearances of the puppet itself, which does look genuinely creepy.
Settings โ The settings for this feel only add to the atmosphere involved in the film, each place feels like something terrible could happen.
Special Effects โ The effects in the film come from the puppet creation and slow movements that it gives us through the film.
Scene of the Movie โ Puppet first appearance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me โ It is slow in places.
Final Thoughts โ This is a movie that does leave you feeling unsettled by what we see with a puppet that just feels difficult to look at.
Overall: Creepy horror.
Performances โ Sean Harris is genuinely creepy through this film giving a performance that is bound to get him placed in any horror film he wants for years to come. Alun Armstrong does well in the supporting role which does work very well in the film.
Story โ The story follows the puppeteer that is haunted by his own puppet while is clearly a metaphor for something else going on in his life. This is a strange film to say the least, it does deal with real issues that can be disguised and will keep you feeling uneasy throughout. We could spend time studying certain issues in this film, but that goes into full spoilers.
Horror โ The horror comes from the uneasy feeling we are getting through the film, with just what could be going on, the appearances of the puppet itself, which does look genuinely creepy.
Settings โ The settings for this feel only add to the atmosphere involved in the film, each place feels like something terrible could happen.
Special Effects โ The effects in the film come from the puppet creation and slow movements that it gives us through the film.
Scene of the Movie โ Puppet first appearance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me โ It is slow in places.
Final Thoughts โ This is a movie that does leave you feeling unsettled by what we see with a puppet that just feels difficult to look at.
Overall: Creepy horror.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Identity (2003) in Movies
Sep 22, 2020 (Updated Nov 26, 2020)
"๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ?! ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ!"
*or*
"๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ, ๐'๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ-๐ถ๐ฑ, ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ต, ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ."
True "What the fuck is going on? Huh? What..? Who?? ... wait what the fuck is that I- um, did they just? What the hell, but...where? Why? Uh, how?" cinema. This sort of exasperatingly looney, balls-planted-firmly-to-the-wall thriller with like 60 twists is sort of played these days - but I'd imagine that in its day it was quite revelatory. This was honestly a hoot and a holler but sadly its greatness is sunk by James Mangold - for the most part - being a hack who has no clue how to dramatize, have any definable mark as a director, or make inherently compelling things at all very compelling unless the studio has a firm grip on the project. His films mostly look like flat TV movies and play like no one behind the camera has much of a clue on what they're doing beyond maybe an introductory film guide on the back of a cereal box. This one isn't all that different either, but material with *this* low of a regard for any sense of subtlety or earthly realism and with a gleeful eagerness to throw all of its cards violently onto the table any chance it gets has a pass from me - especially when it's acted by a banging troupe of crackerjack character actors and reliable leads like this one. Really, really fun and sincerely manic - Agatha Christie meets a line of coke at a gas station bathroom. Plus the uninterrupted, heaping downpour is a helluva gimmick and it works where Mangold doesn't.
*or*
"๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ, ๐'๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ-๐ถ๐ฑ, ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ต, ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ."
True "What the fuck is going on? Huh? What..? Who?? ... wait what the fuck is that I- um, did they just? What the hell, but...where? Why? Uh, how?" cinema. This sort of exasperatingly looney, balls-planted-firmly-to-the-wall thriller with like 60 twists is sort of played these days - but I'd imagine that in its day it was quite revelatory. This was honestly a hoot and a holler but sadly its greatness is sunk by James Mangold - for the most part - being a hack who has no clue how to dramatize, have any definable mark as a director, or make inherently compelling things at all very compelling unless the studio has a firm grip on the project. His films mostly look like flat TV movies and play like no one behind the camera has much of a clue on what they're doing beyond maybe an introductory film guide on the back of a cereal box. This one isn't all that different either, but material with *this* low of a regard for any sense of subtlety or earthly realism and with a gleeful eagerness to throw all of its cards violently onto the table any chance it gets has a pass from me - especially when it's acted by a banging troupe of crackerjack character actors and reliable leads like this one. Really, really fun and sincerely manic - Agatha Christie meets a line of coke at a gas station bathroom. Plus the uninterrupted, heaping downpour is a helluva gimmick and it works where Mangold doesn't.
The Wheel '77
Medical and Utilities
App
The Wheel '77 is a historic novelty for those clinicians who remember the 70's and those plastic,...
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Young Bess (Elizabeth Trilogy, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
While I was reading this book I had my moments where I was thinking โthis is niceโฆthis is cuteโฆโ the writing was very eloquent and good. However the plot was justโฆ nonexistent. By page 85 not much had happened. I had no urge to continue reading and even though I enjoyed it while I was reading it, I had to force myself to sit down and read it. And you should never have to force yourself to read a book (except for school). I felt the same way about The Midnight Charter. Both of these were similar in that they both had a bit of politics in them.
I did like the characters (Loved Tom Seymour!) and the writing, again, was great. But nothing made me want to keep reading.
I didnโt get far enough into the book to be able to say what content was in it.
Young Bess was re-published by Sourcebooks March 1st. Please know that I am in the minority for those who didnโt like/finish it. See other reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
I did like the characters (Loved Tom Seymour!) and the writing, again, was great. But nothing made me want to keep reading.
I didnโt get far enough into the book to be able to say what content was in it.
Young Bess was re-published by Sourcebooks March 1st. Please know that I am in the minority for those who didnโt like/finish it. See other reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Kay Bee (1 KP) rated John Wick (2014) in Movies
Jan 28, 2018
Best Movie Surprise I've Ever Had
I generally like Keanu Reeves even though he can be wooden at times action films have become his Forte. My husband and I both love action movies so we went to see it when it came out in the theater and hadn't really heard any Buzz about it. I was absolutely blown away and it was my favorite movie of the year, so much so that we were in line opening night to see John Wick 2 (and were not disappointed in that one either but that's another review). It really is just an all-around great movie if you like action films, revenge thrillers, or Keanu Reeves; you really can't go wrong. The score is so great I bought and downloaded it immediately after we left the theater. The club scene is perfection.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated All the Summer Girls in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Not the type of thing I normally read, but I've been hearing a lot of good things about it from patrons at the library, as the book largely takes place in Avalon, and even makes mention of many recognizable local establishments. While that is kind of cool, it is not ultimately what made me like the book so much. The characters are interesting and the situations they find themselves dealing with are engaging and relatable. The writing does periodically feel a bit rambling, but more often than not the descriptive nature of the book only helps to pull one into the world being created. My only real complaint is that the climax of what is seemingly the central plot point seems to end a bit too abruptly. Not to say it isn't the ending I wanted, it just seemed like it was the one thing the author sort of glossed over, which seemed slightly disappointing. Still, a great book and perfect for reading on the beach on a warm Summer day.