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Will Oldham recommended Five Easy Pieces (1970) in Movies (curated)

 
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
1970 | Classics, Drama, Musical

"This is a journey of a film, which ends where we couldn’t have imagined it would. A lesson in complexity, pain, fun, and beauty. Karen Black comes off as a worse actress than she is, and Jack Nicholson comes off as a better actor than he is. I think I saw this on VHS in the mid 1980s and then again at the Cinema Village in New York City in 1989. Throughout both viewings, but more so during the second time, I felt: grateful, grateful. This movie keeps on giving. A month or two ago I remembered the scene between Nicholson’s character and the mute father. I’m grateful for that."

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Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle totally delivers on exactly what the trailers sales it as. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Kevin Heart, Jack Black and the blue lady from Guardians of the Galaxy (Karen Gillan), thrown into hilarious hijinks and shenanigans.

The film sets up and explains the rules of the world of Jumanji, every step of the way. It does not take itself too serious. It realizes the audience is there to have a laugh and it surprisingly tells a coherent story. As a result, are able to enjoy ourselves through the spectacle, without questions or consequence…because hey, it’s a family fun movie after all and it is not trying to be anything else.

Each of the high school characters grow as they get an opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone that is the complete opposite of themselves. Whether it’s the “nerd” (Alex Wolff) gaining confidence by becoming the “physical specimen explorer with no weakness” (Dwayne Johnson), the “jock” (Ser’Darius Blain) becoming the “puny zoologist with no strengths” (Kevin Heart) and thus learning what it is like to be weak, the “self-centered popular girl stuck on her phone” (Madison Iseman) learning to judge less and like physical activity by becoming an “overweight middle aged man,” (Jack Black) and the “loner nerd girl” (Morgan Turner) gaining confidence in her womanhood by becoming the “hot girl,” (Karen Gillan). Each of these roles is acted well by both sets of actors, which helps create jokes, humorous experiences and makes them likeable.

Overall, Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle delivers exactly what it is trying to be. Fun!
  
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
I was not expecting much out of this new iteration of Jumanji. Jumanji scared the crap out of me when I was a kid (I ran out of the theater crying, and my mom had to convince me to watch the end to see that it ended up alright. I was an 8 year old wimp). Anyway, I think it varied enough from the original to not be a complete knock off. The cast was hilarious together, and Jack Black did amazingly with his character. I love watching anything with Karen Gillian. Shout out to the scriptwriters for pointing out how ridiculous it is for movies/video games to put females in skimpy clothing in adventure settings. I feel like this movie was made specifically for the people that were kids when the first Jumanji came out. Overall, I loved it, and will definitely be seeing it for a 3rd time.
  
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The rock, yes he is pretty badass in this, but he captured the person playing him (no idea how to explain that part lol) well. (1 more)
It was actually quite funny.
Exceeding expectations
All the 4 avatar characters are awesome and well played. You get the sense of the person behind the avatar. I loved Jack Black, whom I usually cannot stand. Kevin Hart was his usual brilliantly funny self, the rock i mentioned in my good bits and Karen Gillan was fabulous!!!
I was sceptical, being a HUGE fan of Jumanji. After they get to the tree house with a little shout out to Alan Parish (which i absolutely loved, melted my heart, felt like something so natural, to give a nod to the comedy legend Robin Williams.) It definitely didn't feel like an insult to the orginal, more like a tribute in a way. I glimspe into where Alan spent all those years.
  
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AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies

Dec 13, 2019 (Updated Dec 13, 2019)  
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
I had hoped for so much more, and yet there I was in the cinema believing I had gone back in time and was watching the very first, and by first I mean The Rock Remake all over again.
Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable enough, and i definitely did not hate it. But i found myself rolling my eyes as the same jokes and gags were repeated and rehashed.
With a great cast, you couldn’t help but wish for something more. As before Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart work well together and bring the characters to light. It didn’t hurt that Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Rory McCann make appearances and bring their own elements of performance to add to the mix.
It was light and funny, my 10 year old most certainly enjoyed the humorous elements, but it was a sequel that could have been a remake of a remake.
  
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Versusyours (757 KP) Dec 13, 2019 (Updated Dec 13, 2019)

Looking forward to this and the 10 year old in me will love it!!

HT
Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer, #5)
Karen Chance | 2011 | Paranormal, Romance
Hunt the Moon is a great addition to the series because it takes us Deeper than ever before. Prepare to light up the dark side of the moon, because this book is a super-bright flashlight on the mysteries and mythologies that fuel the Cassandra Palmer world and the overall plot of the series. But be ready for some shadows and more questions to be thrown in as unexpected twists and turns take us on a whole new, thrilling angle.

I really enjoyed Hunt the Moon. Karen Chance onces again nails the pace of action, romance and deepening our understanding of the loveable characters she has created. In Hunt the Moon we learn a lot about the big three, Cassie, Pritkin and Mircea which puts their behaviour and way of reacting to life in a whole new light. It's a work of art.

In Hunt the Moon, Cassie finds herself a brand new enemy, because rogue vampires, black wizards and gods were't enough. Now she gets to throw in the fae and demi-gods too. Who bring with them a whole new bag of tricks. And while you shouldn't laugh at someone who always seems to find herself and her bodyguards in the midst of explosions, but, well, it's damn funny when a stoned pythia is glaring at a possessed fridge. Karen is able to be serious and cover some unsettling topics like war, politics and childhood trauma (of all varieties) and balance it with pleasant prose and just straight-up fun. That's the best word for the Cassie Palmer series, it is fun to read.
  
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Gives the audience more of what was great about the first film, but also pushes forward the idea that anybody could inhabit those avatars. (0 more)
The plot felt a little repetitive of the first film (0 more)
Solid sequel
While the plot is a little derivative of the previous film, Next Level is a very worthy sequel to Welcome to the Jungle. It expands the world of Jumanji in a big way, it revisits the characters I grew to care about while introducing new ones, it has a big Easter egg from the original Jumanji from 1996 and it gives Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black tons of freedom to play around with the avatar characters and do different interpretations of them. Danny Devito and Danny Glover were easily my favorite part of the film...especially when seeing Dwayne and Kevin attempt to act the part. All in all, Next Level is not that big of an improvement over Welcome to the Jungle, but if you like Welcome to the Jungle you'll definitely enjoy this one.
  
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A "Game" Cast makes this fun film as good as the last one
Did you enjoy the previous JUMANJI film where Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan were video game avatars of 4 teens sucked into a video game? It was alot of fun, an unexpected big hit and, inevitably, spun a sequel.

Well...if you liked the last one, then you'll like this one, for JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL pretty much delivers the same type of fun film, but avoids the cliches and lack of energy that a "quickie" sequel inevitably delivers.

Credit for this should go to returning Director Jake Kasdan and a "game" cast that are ALL back from the previous film. While the plot is fairly similar (4 teens are sucked into a real-life video game where they can be trapped forever if they cannot "win" the game), the twist of adding 2 old folks (played in the real world by Danny Glover and Danny DeVito) almost derails the fun, but this winning cast and passably exciting action sequences steers this film into an enjoyable entertainment activity.

I am a big Kevin Hart fan - and he does a great job of channeling Danny Glover in his character. He really brought the charm - and the funny - from the get go. He is ably assisted by Karen Gillan, who doesn't really have anything new to do, but brings the same "kick-butt action with a wink in the eye" characterization and energy as the first film. The surprise for me was Jack Black who I thought was very, very funny and energized. If anything, I thought his characterization was BETTER than the previous film. Only "The Rock" fails to equal his previous efforts - and he is just fine (he is "The Rock" after all). When you are talking about a team of actors playing against each other in an action/comedy and "The Rock" is the weak link, then you are in good shape.

A fine addition to the proceedings is the always watchable Awkwafina as another character in the game while Nick Jonas returns as the avatar Alex and Rory McCann (the Hound in GAME OF THRONES) is very fun as the "big bad" in this film.

The action scenes are fun, the characters are enjoyable to spend 2 hours with and the puzzle that they are trying to solve is clever (enough) that you will be able to pass a few enjoyable hours with your family this Holiday season.

Letter Grade: B+

8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The most fun you can have with Jack Black’s penis.
In 1995, Joe Johnston (“The Rocketeer”, “Captain America: The First Avenger”) directed “Jumanji” – a quirky, fantastical and dark film starring the late, great Robin Williams that got a rough critical reception at the time of release, but was embraced by the public and has gone on to be a modern classic. So when it was announced that a sequel was in the works 22 years later, my first reaction was “Oh no… is nothing sacred?”. It’s fair to say that I went into this flick with extremely low expectations.

But I have to say that – given this low base – I was pleasantly surprised. It’s actually quite a fun fantasy film that I predict that older kids will adore.

Seriously kick-ass. Karen Gillan – or rather one of her stunt doubles – gets hands… er… feet on with an aggressive level-character.
Initially set (neatly) in 1995, a teen – Alex (Nick Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers) unearths the board game Jumanji where it ended up buried in beach-sand at the end of the last film. “Who plays board games any more?” he scoffs, which the game hears and morphs into a game cartridge. Cheesy? Yes, but no more crazy than the goings on of the first film. Back in 2017, four high-school teens – geeky Spencer (Alex Wolff, “Patriot’s Day“); sports-jock Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain); self-obsessed beauty Bethany (Madison Iseman); and self-conscious, nerdy and shy Martha (Morgan Turner) – find the game and are sucked into it, having to complete all the game levels before they can escape.

Bethany (Madison Iseman) wishing she had her phone out for a selfie of this.
But they are not themselves in the game; they adopt the Avatars they chose to play: Dr Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson, “San Andreas“); Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart, “Get Hard“); Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan, “Dr Who”, “The Circle“; “Guardians of the Galaxy“); and Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black, “Sex Tape“, “Kong”). Can they combine their respective game talents – and suppress the human mental baggage they brought with them – to escape the game?

Avatars all. Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.
There was a really dark time-travelling angle to the storyline of the original film – the traumatic start of Disney’s “Flight of the Navigator” was perhaps also borrowed from the concept in the book by Chris Van Allsburg. An attempt is made to recreate this in the sequel. I felt the first film rather pulled its punches though in favour of a Hollywood happy ending: will this be the case this time?

The film delivers laughs, but in a rather inconsistent fashion – it is mostly smile-worthy rather than laugh-out-loud funny. Much fun is had with the sex change of Bethany’s character, with Jack Black’s member featuring – erm – prominently. The characters all have strengths and weaknesses, like a game of Top Trumps, and this also entertains. But the most humour derives from the “three lives and it’s game over” device giving the opportunity for various grisly ends, often relating to the above referenced weaknesses.


A weakness for cake… something many of us have, but not quite to this extent.
Given the cast that’s been signed up, the acting is not exactly first rate although Karen Gillan shines as the brightest star. But “it’s not bloody Shakespeare” so ham-acting is not that much of a problem and the cast all have fun with their roles. Dwayne Johnson in particular gets to play out of character as the ‘nerd within the hunk’, and his “smouldering look” skill – arched eyebrow and all – is hilarious. Rhys Darby, looking so much like Hugh Jackman that I had to do several double takes, also turns up as an English game-guide in a Land Rover, and Bobby Cannavale (“Ant Man“) is Van Pelt, the villain of the piece.

There has been much controversy over Karen Gillan’s child-sized outfit. But she is clearly a parallel to the well-endowed Lara Croft, and young male teens didn’t play that game for the jungle scenery! She is meant to be a hot and sexy video game character, and man – does she deliver! Gillan is not just hot in the film: she is #lavahot. This makes her comic attempts at flirting lessons (as the internally conflicted Martha) especially funny. Hats off to her stunt doubles as well, for some awe-inspiring martial arts fight scenes.

Seeing treble. Karen Gillan (centre) with her talented stunt doubles Joanna Bennett and Jahnel Curfman.
Fans of “Lost” will delight in the Jumanji scenery, surely one of the most over-used film locations in Hawaii if not the world!
Where the film gets bogged down is in too much cod-faced philosophizing over the teenager’s “journeys”. This is laid on in such a clunky manner in the early (slow!) scenes that the script could have been significantly tightened up. And as I said above the script, written (rather obviously) by a raft of writers, could have been so much funnier. Most of the humour comes from visually seeing what’s happening: not from the dialogue.

Directed by Jake Kasdan (son of director and Star Wars/Raiders screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan) it’s really not half as bad as it could have been and certainly not as bad as I feared: I would gladly watch it again. For it’s target audience, which is probably kids aged 10 to 14, I think they will love it. And, unlike many holiday films, the parents won’t be totally bored either (especially the Dads, for the obvious misogynistic reasons outlined above!).
  
Child's Play (1988)
Child's Play (1988)
1988 | Horror
Good Guy Doll
Childs Play- after the remake that came out early this year, i finally watched this one. Yes the remake was the first chucky movie that i watched, i wasnt really that intresting in the child's play franchise and still really not that intresting in it. But i wanted to watch the oringal one, i wanted to know where it all started from and what a start in a good way. This movie started Brad Drouif's iconic voice as chucky and went on to voice Chucky in the sequels followed. Also Chris Sarandon who started in Fright Night two years before star in this and Tom Holland, no not that one. The one who directed Fright Night directed this one. So lets talk about it...

The Plot: Gunned down by Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), dying murderer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) uses black magic to put his soul inside a doll named Chucky -- which Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) then buys for her young son, Andy (Alex Vincent). When Chucky kills Andy's baby sitter, the boy realizes the doll is alive and tries to warn people, but he's institutionalized. Now Karen must convince the detective of the murderous doll's intentions, before Andy becomes Chucky's next victim.

Their are so many iconic scenes and iconic lines in this movie, that people remember till this day. Lines like...

"Well John it's been fun, but i gotta go, i have a date with a 6 year-old boy. ..."

"I bled and it hurt like a son of a bitch."

"We're friends 'til the end, remember?"

"This is the end, friend."

"Andy remember, friends stick together till the end".

"Hi, I'm Chucky wanna play?"

"I said talk to me, damn it. Or else I'll throw you in the fire."

"You stupid bitch! You filthy slut! I'll teach you to fuck with me!"

So many iconic lines and scenes, Child's play is a iconic late 80's horror movie that had many sequels afterwards.

If you havent seen child's play, than i highly recordmend watching this film.