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Aqua Map Americas - Marine GPS
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An app to satisfy all your Fishing and Boating's needs, developed with the help of professional...
Aqua Map: Emirates - GPS Nautical Charts | HD
Navigation and Travel
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An app to satisfy all your Fishing and Boating's needs, developed with the help of professional...
Lee (2222 KP) rated Rampage (2018) in Movies
Apr 13, 2018
Dwayne Johnson (2 more)
The Action
The Humour
Surprisingly enjoyable video game movie!
I have fond memories of playing the Rampage video game in my early teens. Me and my two brothers, huddled around my feeble ZX Spectrum, each of us taking control of one of three monsters. George the giant King-Kong style gorilla, Lizzie a dinosaur/Godzilla creature and Ralph the big wolf. The idea of the game was simple, but hugely satisfying - smash up city buildings until they collapse, while avoiding damage from the military who are out to stop you. Hitting your fellow monsters also takes out their energy, making it a great game for competitive brothers to be playing! Eating food you find, and even the soldiers trying to kill you, restores your energy. Lots of fun.
Rampage the movie begins out in space, where genetic editing experiments too dangerous/illegal are taking place onboard a space station. Things have gone badly wrong though and canisters containing an experimental genetic pathogen begin hurtling towards North America in what looks like a meteor shower. Back down on Earth we're introduced to Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) - San Diego zoologist, ex-military (so, comfortable with guns, flying helicopters etc, could come in handy later...) and general all-round cool guy. In his care is an albino gorilla called George, who was rescued from poachers as a baby by Davis. They've built up a special bond ever since, communicating in sign language to the level where they are able to joke and generally take the piss out of each other. Overnight, one of the space canisters lands in the zoo and is released into the face of an inquisitive (or Curious?) George. From there he begins to grow bigger, and become increasingly violent.
Elsewhere, two other canisters have landed out in the wild. One right by a pack of wolves and another hitting a lake. The brother and sister team heading up Energyne, the company responsible for the space station and the genetic work (Malin Åkerman and Jake Lacy), dispatch a bunch of clean up guys with big guns to try and apprehend the wolf, which ends up going badly. Meanwhile, an ex employee of Energyne, Dr Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), who is also responsible for creating the pathogen, heads to the zoo. She wants to make amends for everything and bring down the company that fired her. Government agent Harvey Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) also shows up at the zoo with a bunch of men of his own, looking to take George away by plane - something else which you just know is going to end badly. Morgan plays Harvey Russell as basically just a slightly toned down version of his Walking Dead character, Negan. Grinning cockily throughout the whole movie and when he first squares up to Davis, you fully expect him to start swaggering around, monologuing about swinging dicks or something. He tells Davis that "when science shits the bed, I'm the guy they call to change the sheets"!
The three monsters begin making their way to Chicago to start smashing stuff up, attracted by a beacon emitting a sound only they can hear. Something "the tech guys rustled up overnight" at Energyne. Davis and Dr Caldwell also head to Chicago to try and help George and end the destruction, eventually aided by Harvey Russell.
Rampage has the potential to be a trainwreck, another casualty in the long line of awful video game movies, especially when there are so many CGI-heavy monster-city-smash movies out there these days. It all works surprisingly well though. When the monsters begin trashing things, it's not an over the top assault on the senses where you can't even make out any sign of human life and the affect that all of this is having on them. The action is well done and enjoyable, and peppered with plenty of trademark Dwayne Johnson humour too. Outside of the action, it's also Johnson that holds the rest of the movie together and prevents it from dipping below average. Dr Caldwell is a very underused and forgettable character, serving only as sidekick to The Rock. Everyone else, aside from Harvey Russell, is also pretty forgettable too. But then at the end of the day, this is all about George and his monster buddies, and overall I found this to be a very enjoyable movie.
Rampage the movie begins out in space, where genetic editing experiments too dangerous/illegal are taking place onboard a space station. Things have gone badly wrong though and canisters containing an experimental genetic pathogen begin hurtling towards North America in what looks like a meteor shower. Back down on Earth we're introduced to Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) - San Diego zoologist, ex-military (so, comfortable with guns, flying helicopters etc, could come in handy later...) and general all-round cool guy. In his care is an albino gorilla called George, who was rescued from poachers as a baby by Davis. They've built up a special bond ever since, communicating in sign language to the level where they are able to joke and generally take the piss out of each other. Overnight, one of the space canisters lands in the zoo and is released into the face of an inquisitive (or Curious?) George. From there he begins to grow bigger, and become increasingly violent.
Elsewhere, two other canisters have landed out in the wild. One right by a pack of wolves and another hitting a lake. The brother and sister team heading up Energyne, the company responsible for the space station and the genetic work (Malin Åkerman and Jake Lacy), dispatch a bunch of clean up guys with big guns to try and apprehend the wolf, which ends up going badly. Meanwhile, an ex employee of Energyne, Dr Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), who is also responsible for creating the pathogen, heads to the zoo. She wants to make amends for everything and bring down the company that fired her. Government agent Harvey Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) also shows up at the zoo with a bunch of men of his own, looking to take George away by plane - something else which you just know is going to end badly. Morgan plays Harvey Russell as basically just a slightly toned down version of his Walking Dead character, Negan. Grinning cockily throughout the whole movie and when he first squares up to Davis, you fully expect him to start swaggering around, monologuing about swinging dicks or something. He tells Davis that "when science shits the bed, I'm the guy they call to change the sheets"!
The three monsters begin making their way to Chicago to start smashing stuff up, attracted by a beacon emitting a sound only they can hear. Something "the tech guys rustled up overnight" at Energyne. Davis and Dr Caldwell also head to Chicago to try and help George and end the destruction, eventually aided by Harvey Russell.
Rampage has the potential to be a trainwreck, another casualty in the long line of awful video game movies, especially when there are so many CGI-heavy monster-city-smash movies out there these days. It all works surprisingly well though. When the monsters begin trashing things, it's not an over the top assault on the senses where you can't even make out any sign of human life and the affect that all of this is having on them. The action is well done and enjoyable, and peppered with plenty of trademark Dwayne Johnson humour too. Outside of the action, it's also Johnson that holds the rest of the movie together and prevents it from dipping below average. Dr Caldwell is a very underused and forgettable character, serving only as sidekick to The Rock. Everyone else, aside from Harvey Russell, is also pretty forgettable too. But then at the end of the day, this is all about George and his monster buddies, and overall I found this to be a very enjoyable movie.
Becca Major (96 KP) rated Love O2O in TV
Jan 21, 2019
Characters (Main and Side) (2 more)
The Story
I like the basic premise.
A Simple Meet-Cute
Contains spoilers, click to show
One of the best things about Netflix is that there are a plethora of media that would otherwise be practically unavailable for viewing otherwise. For me, that primarily means Asian dramas, though I know many people discovered anime or other foreign television the same way. One of the most recent shows I watched via Netflix was a 2016 Chinese drama called Love 020. While it is not my favorite drama ever (that distinction belongs to Bromance) it is pretty good.
The story follows university students Bei Weiwei and Xiao Nai, who are computer technology majors at Qing University and both have a passion for game design. One day Weiwei has to log into her preferred MMORPG from a public computer and is spotted by Nai. He later finds her in-game and they begin a relationship between their characters. It isn’t long before Weiwei and Nai begin to develop real feelings, and Nai goes out of his way to pass by Weiwei in real life. Their eventual official IRL meeting is sufficiently exciting.
The best part is that Xiao Nai, while ruffling a few of my feathers for his more stalker-y actions, is not an asshole! He is nice to Weiwei from the start and is a devoted and engaged boyfriend. Weiwei herself is smart and sassy, though aloof online. One of my favorite scenes involves her putting her ex-in-game-husband in his place once they meet IRL. It also doesn’t help that these two are practically the perfect couple.
All of the characters, in fact, are fairly interesting. Both sets of roommates have different but very dynamic relationships with each other; it feels very organic. My personal favorites were K.O, Hao Mei, and Weiwei’s roommate Erxi. Though my attachments may be because they are the central characters to my favorite side-plots. If there was a character I had to choose to dislike, it would probably be Nana, the character who does the most bad in the plot but doesn’t suffer any real consequences for her actions.
I don’t want to spoil the ending for you, but most of my criticisms concern how the story wraps up, so if you want to watch the series, then go for it! It is a very simple, easy story that hits all the right buttons if you just finished a heart-wringer.
|SPOILERS|
My main points of contention with Love O2O stem almost entirely from the way the series ends. As a brief summary, Xiao Nai’s game development company goes head to head with a rival, more established company, over the right to develop a particular game that both companies really really want, and (extra spoilers) they win. The side-plot of Erxi and Cao Guang comes to a head as the two realize the misunderstanding that’s been happening for the last few months. And Hao Mei still doesn’t realize that K.O has a huge crush on him!
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind this ending because it flows with the narrative, every story thread is tied, and it ends on a happy note with the main couple en-route to a wedding. It’s just… Where are the stakes?! The tension, where it exists, doesn’t stem from Xiao Nai or Weiwei or their relationship with each other, like what happens in most other dramas that I watch. Almost all of that drama and tension seemed to be relegated to other characters.
Everything is wrapped up so easily, the antagonists (for what little they did to advance the plot) simply admitted to the leads that they were wrong and they’re sorry. Additionally, the final “threat” that Xiao Nai and Weiwei face is meeting Weiwei’s parents, in which Weiwei’s father doesn’t like Nai because of course he doesn’t; and that is solved easily by Nai reminiscing with his future father-in-law about Weiwei as a child and how adorable their future children will be.
I wish I could have enjoyed this series a lot more than I did, but the ending means a lot for me because it’s the last thing I tend to remember, and the emotions that go with those endings tend to stick. So, yes I enjoyed this series, but the ending left a disappointing aftertaste.
The story follows university students Bei Weiwei and Xiao Nai, who are computer technology majors at Qing University and both have a passion for game design. One day Weiwei has to log into her preferred MMORPG from a public computer and is spotted by Nai. He later finds her in-game and they begin a relationship between their characters. It isn’t long before Weiwei and Nai begin to develop real feelings, and Nai goes out of his way to pass by Weiwei in real life. Their eventual official IRL meeting is sufficiently exciting.
The best part is that Xiao Nai, while ruffling a few of my feathers for his more stalker-y actions, is not an asshole! He is nice to Weiwei from the start and is a devoted and engaged boyfriend. Weiwei herself is smart and sassy, though aloof online. One of my favorite scenes involves her putting her ex-in-game-husband in his place once they meet IRL. It also doesn’t help that these two are practically the perfect couple.
All of the characters, in fact, are fairly interesting. Both sets of roommates have different but very dynamic relationships with each other; it feels very organic. My personal favorites were K.O, Hao Mei, and Weiwei’s roommate Erxi. Though my attachments may be because they are the central characters to my favorite side-plots. If there was a character I had to choose to dislike, it would probably be Nana, the character who does the most bad in the plot but doesn’t suffer any real consequences for her actions.
I don’t want to spoil the ending for you, but most of my criticisms concern how the story wraps up, so if you want to watch the series, then go for it! It is a very simple, easy story that hits all the right buttons if you just finished a heart-wringer.
|SPOILERS|
My main points of contention with Love O2O stem almost entirely from the way the series ends. As a brief summary, Xiao Nai’s game development company goes head to head with a rival, more established company, over the right to develop a particular game that both companies really really want, and (extra spoilers) they win. The side-plot of Erxi and Cao Guang comes to a head as the two realize the misunderstanding that’s been happening for the last few months. And Hao Mei still doesn’t realize that K.O has a huge crush on him!
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind this ending because it flows with the narrative, every story thread is tied, and it ends on a happy note with the main couple en-route to a wedding. It’s just… Where are the stakes?! The tension, where it exists, doesn’t stem from Xiao Nai or Weiwei or their relationship with each other, like what happens in most other dramas that I watch. Almost all of that drama and tension seemed to be relegated to other characters.
Everything is wrapped up so easily, the antagonists (for what little they did to advance the plot) simply admitted to the leads that they were wrong and they’re sorry. Additionally, the final “threat” that Xiao Nai and Weiwei face is meeting Weiwei’s parents, in which Weiwei’s father doesn’t like Nai because of course he doesn’t; and that is solved easily by Nai reminiscing with his future father-in-law about Weiwei as a child and how adorable their future children will be.
I wish I could have enjoyed this series a lot more than I did, but the ending means a lot for me because it’s the last thing I tend to remember, and the emotions that go with those endings tend to stick. So, yes I enjoyed this series, but the ending left a disappointing aftertaste.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Little Joe (2019) in Movies
Feb 6, 2020
I managed to get a ticket to see this at the London Film Festival, it had made my long shortlist, the premise looked interesting and the graphics were extremely appealing. I was very excited to see what Little Joe had in store.
Alice is developing a new breed of flower, a beautiful crimson flower that has an incredible therapeutic value to its owner. Look after it properly, speak to it nicely, and it will make you happy.
After Alice sneaks one home to her son she soon notices that rather than a happy demeanour he starts acting strangely, and he's not the only one showing odd behaviour after being around Little Joe.
Little Joe has some very strong style choices. The colour palette is beautiful, and I wish I could find the notes I made about it from the Q&A after the film. The vibrant pastels are homely and comforting while at the same time unsettling around the normal tones of life.
That's what a lot of the film is made to do though, the music is something I noted frequently. The oriental music works directly against what's happening in the story, an intentional choice by the composer. I also wrote down the word "whistling" a lot with regards to sound. While I can understand (sort of) why the composer went that way with the music I didn't feel like it worked. I didn't dislike the music itself, but my comments were mainly exclaiming that it stuck out and felt too different from everything around it that it became distracting.
Another piece of the film that didn't sit well with me was camera work. There are some very well shot scenes, when we first encounter Little Joe in Alice's home and a scene later on inside the greenhouse (that I won't go into because of spoilers), that draw the viewer in with intrigue. But then... you know when you're doing something and you get bored and realise you've drifted off looking at a point in the distance? The camera appears to get bored too and it'll zoom to the gaps between characters. Maybe I'm just programmed to expect this sort of shot to reveal something secret to the audience that the characters haven't noticed... I found it more distracting and annoying than having any artistic benefit.
Alice (Emily Beecham) has a dual mother role, firstly with her son Joe and secondly with her plants. Little Joe appears to be more like a son to her than her own flesh and blood, her scientific mind perhaps finding it easier to interact with an inanimate object that begins to defy what she knows to be possible. The film gets across her struggle quite well with her therapy sessions and the interactions with those around her as we get deeper into the story. Beecham's performance is... relaxed? Even when there's urgency nothing ever seems to be very urgent.
That's something that is common throughout, the pace plods. You would expect a somewhat subdued pace in this sort of invasion storyline, but there are no real points of climax and that makes it more of a meander... perhaps those exciting moments happened when the camera zoned out.
There are touches here and there that do make you hopeful for the film, but overall it feels like Little Joe went for subtle and took it slightly too far. Everything felt too calm, the only one that seemed to react as you'd expect was Bella, but the nature of her part of the story meant that this was over the top because it was so far from everything else.
I like the idea behind this and we know from many different films that this sort of thing can work, but the lack of a real punch anywhere made this a struggle to watch. Oddly, I think this would have worked as a limited series without a lot of changes. The slow pace wouldn't have been so evident if it was broken down into episodes, there are small peaks in there that would give just enough intrigue to hold over to the next episode, I even feel like the ending as it is would have worked more in this style. Sadly, as it was I don't feel like there was enough reward for the time invested in watching it as a film, there's a different expectation between and film and a TV series but it's very difficult to explain it here without revealing spoilers.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/little-joe-movie-review.html
Alice is developing a new breed of flower, a beautiful crimson flower that has an incredible therapeutic value to its owner. Look after it properly, speak to it nicely, and it will make you happy.
After Alice sneaks one home to her son she soon notices that rather than a happy demeanour he starts acting strangely, and he's not the only one showing odd behaviour after being around Little Joe.
Little Joe has some very strong style choices. The colour palette is beautiful, and I wish I could find the notes I made about it from the Q&A after the film. The vibrant pastels are homely and comforting while at the same time unsettling around the normal tones of life.
That's what a lot of the film is made to do though, the music is something I noted frequently. The oriental music works directly against what's happening in the story, an intentional choice by the composer. I also wrote down the word "whistling" a lot with regards to sound. While I can understand (sort of) why the composer went that way with the music I didn't feel like it worked. I didn't dislike the music itself, but my comments were mainly exclaiming that it stuck out and felt too different from everything around it that it became distracting.
Another piece of the film that didn't sit well with me was camera work. There are some very well shot scenes, when we first encounter Little Joe in Alice's home and a scene later on inside the greenhouse (that I won't go into because of spoilers), that draw the viewer in with intrigue. But then... you know when you're doing something and you get bored and realise you've drifted off looking at a point in the distance? The camera appears to get bored too and it'll zoom to the gaps between characters. Maybe I'm just programmed to expect this sort of shot to reveal something secret to the audience that the characters haven't noticed... I found it more distracting and annoying than having any artistic benefit.
Alice (Emily Beecham) has a dual mother role, firstly with her son Joe and secondly with her plants. Little Joe appears to be more like a son to her than her own flesh and blood, her scientific mind perhaps finding it easier to interact with an inanimate object that begins to defy what she knows to be possible. The film gets across her struggle quite well with her therapy sessions and the interactions with those around her as we get deeper into the story. Beecham's performance is... relaxed? Even when there's urgency nothing ever seems to be very urgent.
That's something that is common throughout, the pace plods. You would expect a somewhat subdued pace in this sort of invasion storyline, but there are no real points of climax and that makes it more of a meander... perhaps those exciting moments happened when the camera zoned out.
There are touches here and there that do make you hopeful for the film, but overall it feels like Little Joe went for subtle and took it slightly too far. Everything felt too calm, the only one that seemed to react as you'd expect was Bella, but the nature of her part of the story meant that this was over the top because it was so far from everything else.
I like the idea behind this and we know from many different films that this sort of thing can work, but the lack of a real punch anywhere made this a struggle to watch. Oddly, I think this would have worked as a limited series without a lot of changes. The slow pace wouldn't have been so evident if it was broken down into episodes, there are small peaks in there that would give just enough intrigue to hold over to the next episode, I even feel like the ending as it is would have worked more in this style. Sadly, as it was I don't feel like there was enough reward for the time invested in watching it as a film, there's a different expectation between and film and a TV series but it's very difficult to explain it here without revealing spoilers.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/little-joe-movie-review.html
Lee (2222 KP) rated Toy Story 4 (2019) in Movies
Jun 24, 2019 (Updated Jun 24, 2019)
I really can't believe it's been 9 years since Toy Story 3! It's even more unbelievable to think that the first Toy Story came out in 1995, meaning these beloved characters have now been with us for nearly a quarter of a century! I don't think anybody really expected, or even thought we needed, yet another sequel to these movies, as Toy Story 3 seemed to give us a natural, and highly emotional conclusion to the series. And yet here we are with number 4. Interestingly, I felt the trailers for this Toy Story didn't really highlight anything new and exciting for the series, possibly only existing as a bit of a cash grab. Thankfully, there's a lot here that's new and exciting, and I'm sure it will make a tonne of money too!
Toy Story 4 begins by taking us back 9 years, to a scene which helps to explain the absence of Bo Peep from the last movie, before bringing us back to present day. The gang are all right where we left them, living with Bonnie and being played with regularly. Although, worryingly for Woody, he seems to be getting left behind in Bonnie's wardrobe on a more regular basis during the play sessions. Overlooked in favour of the other toys and, worse still, even having his sheriff badge removed and placed on Jessie!
Woody still feels a duty of care towards Bonnie though, so when a taster day at kindergarten arrives, Woody decides to accompany a very nervous Bonnie for the day, stowing away in her backpack. We then get to relive what all of us have been through at some point during our younger years - going somewhere new and feeling very alone, scared, out of your comfort zone and thinking that everyone dislikes you. Woody does his best to try and make the day more bearable for Bonnie, without being seen of course, throwing discarded craft items from the bin so that she has something to work with during craft time.
Back in Bonnie's room later on, Woody reveals to the rest of the toys the result of Bonnie's crafting session - a spork with googly eyes, pipe-cleaner arms and a broken ice lolly stick for feet. His name is Forky and, having effectively just been 'born', Forky struggles to understand who he is, what he is or why he is. He's also constantly drawn to trash bins, as that's where he came from. As Bonnie's new favourite toy, Woody takes on the role of guardian, repeatedly removing Forky from the bins and ensuring that he's never out of Bonnie's sight in what is a very funny 15 minutes or so. So when Bonnie and her parents head out on a road trip with all the toys, and Forky leaps from the back of the RV, it's up to Woody to go find him and bring him back to Bonnie before she notices.
The journey back to Bonnie isn't quite that straightforward though. Side plots involving an antique store and a fairground provide lots of opportunities for drama and humour and also introduce us to some great new characters. But, Toy Story 4 is primarily about Woody and his journey of self discovery. He learns about what it means to be a toy and his experiences throughout the movie give him an insight into the very different lives that the toys he encounters have all experienced. What it's like to be without a child, whether you desperately want to be with one or aren't really bothered. The only downside of all of this is that the rest of our core team of characters from the original movies are pretty much sidelined, serving only to remain together back in Bonnie's room or the RV while they wait for word back on whether or not Woody is OK. Buzz does get a bit more involved in things than the others do, but seems to have reverted to being slightly dumb in a way that we haven't seen since the first movie.
But these are all very minor negatives. Toy Story 4 is very funny, with much of that humour stemming from the new characters, particularly stunt-rider Duke Caboom and fairground fluffy toys Ducky and Bunny. It's definitely not as sad as Toy Story 3 was, but it does manage to be pretty emotional at times as it tugs at the heartstrings and makes you think a little bit deeper about life, death and creation. After nearly 25 years though, it's incredible that these characters still manage to deliver such satisfyingly enjoyable movies. And if this really is the end of Toy Story movies, it's a great way to end the series.
Toy Story 4 begins by taking us back 9 years, to a scene which helps to explain the absence of Bo Peep from the last movie, before bringing us back to present day. The gang are all right where we left them, living with Bonnie and being played with regularly. Although, worryingly for Woody, he seems to be getting left behind in Bonnie's wardrobe on a more regular basis during the play sessions. Overlooked in favour of the other toys and, worse still, even having his sheriff badge removed and placed on Jessie!
Woody still feels a duty of care towards Bonnie though, so when a taster day at kindergarten arrives, Woody decides to accompany a very nervous Bonnie for the day, stowing away in her backpack. We then get to relive what all of us have been through at some point during our younger years - going somewhere new and feeling very alone, scared, out of your comfort zone and thinking that everyone dislikes you. Woody does his best to try and make the day more bearable for Bonnie, without being seen of course, throwing discarded craft items from the bin so that she has something to work with during craft time.
Back in Bonnie's room later on, Woody reveals to the rest of the toys the result of Bonnie's crafting session - a spork with googly eyes, pipe-cleaner arms and a broken ice lolly stick for feet. His name is Forky and, having effectively just been 'born', Forky struggles to understand who he is, what he is or why he is. He's also constantly drawn to trash bins, as that's where he came from. As Bonnie's new favourite toy, Woody takes on the role of guardian, repeatedly removing Forky from the bins and ensuring that he's never out of Bonnie's sight in what is a very funny 15 minutes or so. So when Bonnie and her parents head out on a road trip with all the toys, and Forky leaps from the back of the RV, it's up to Woody to go find him and bring him back to Bonnie before she notices.
The journey back to Bonnie isn't quite that straightforward though. Side plots involving an antique store and a fairground provide lots of opportunities for drama and humour and also introduce us to some great new characters. But, Toy Story 4 is primarily about Woody and his journey of self discovery. He learns about what it means to be a toy and his experiences throughout the movie give him an insight into the very different lives that the toys he encounters have all experienced. What it's like to be without a child, whether you desperately want to be with one or aren't really bothered. The only downside of all of this is that the rest of our core team of characters from the original movies are pretty much sidelined, serving only to remain together back in Bonnie's room or the RV while they wait for word back on whether or not Woody is OK. Buzz does get a bit more involved in things than the others do, but seems to have reverted to being slightly dumb in a way that we haven't seen since the first movie.
But these are all very minor negatives. Toy Story 4 is very funny, with much of that humour stemming from the new characters, particularly stunt-rider Duke Caboom and fairground fluffy toys Ducky and Bunny. It's definitely not as sad as Toy Story 3 was, but it does manage to be pretty emotional at times as it tugs at the heartstrings and makes you think a little bit deeper about life, death and creation. After nearly 25 years though, it's incredible that these characters still manage to deliver such satisfyingly enjoyable movies. And if this really is the end of Toy Story movies, it's a great way to end the series.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tiny Epic Galaxies: BLAST OFF! in Tabletop Games
Mar 30, 2021
Yes, we have reviewed Tiny Epic Galaxies in the past. We loved it. It’s close to being a Golden Feather Award recipient. It has earned a spot on my Top 10 Games of All Time list. I cannot say enough great things about the game. But wait, a newer updated version has recently hit the scene. Is it just new art on the same game? Nope. Read on.
I will not be explaining the entire game in this review as indeed it is mostly the same game as before. However, I will be visiting some differences between this version and the original.
Firstly, the art is most certainly different. The card layouts are all different. The components are completely different. It is markedly improved for me, but I will save my gushings until the end.
Mechanics-wise, the differences are slight, but perfectly altered. For starters, many of the benefits of using planet powers have been streamlined, simplified, and make a lot of sense. Much of this has to do with iconography on the cards, but also the powers are mostly brand new. Additionally, this version rids players of the Secret Mission cards from the original. Now, I enjoyed that aspect of OG TEG, but I did not find myself pining for it whilst playing BLAST OFF! Also removed from this version is the seventh action die; BLAST OFF! comes complete with six dice total. Again, it reduces the number of actions that can be completed on a turn, but I haven’t missed that extra die. One of the greatest changes in this version is the Converter tweak. In the original game a player would need to sacrifice two inactive dice to convert a third die to whichever face was needed. In the new version, only one die is needed for sacrifice along with either one Energy or one Culture value. The Converter was always neglected in the older version, and now it’s a real option during play.
I do wish certain aspects of the older version were included, however. What has been eliminated in the streamlining process is the Solo mode and the fifth player. BLAST OFF! can accommodate two to four players now instead of one to five players, with the black components being axed from this version. I will miss the Solo mode mostly because I used to love breaking out the game later at night once the kids were asleep to try to conquer the Red rival (I almost never play Red). I do understand that a Solo mode may still be created in the future by Gamelyn directly or by another gamer.
All of these changes are minor, but equate to a much better gameplay overall. I do want to speak more on components, so let’s away with them.
Components. Okay, BLAST OFF! boasts improvements on the original game on every facet of components. Yes, the materials are similar quality, so it’s a wash there, but everything else is so much better. The dice are bigger, and ORANGE (great choice btw)! The iconography is much easier to understand and decipher throughout the game. The planets now have two new alignments: Life (plant icon) and Tech (gear icon). I feel the iconography and terminology in the first version could be confusing to new players, but plants vs gears is easy to distinguish. The ships are more stylized now, and the inclusion of this new Galaxy Slider to move up the Galaxy Track on the mats is most excellent. All of these improvements definitely cater to new Tiny Epic Galaxies players, and are most welcome as I try to convince my brother that this is one of the best games out there.
Obviously I am keeping this version and am seriously considering weeding out my original version of TEG with all expansions in favor for this. I just feel better playing it. It is more streamlined, easier to play and teach, and I love the way it looks on the table much more. One minor wish I have for the game is different player colors. This game could have been a triumph with just four different player colors from the original. Now, there’s nothing wrong with tried and true blue, yellow, green, and red, but I’m much more interested in playing a game with fuscia, purple, volt (like our green color we use throughout our branding), and aqua. Maybe it has to do with colorblindness, I don’t know, but take on the colors like are found in Seasons or something, and this game would blast off higher on my Top 10 Games of All Time list for sure.
That said, Purple Phoenix Games still gives this one a rocket of a GOLDEN FEATHER AWARD! If you are a fan of the original but wish new players to the game would enjoy it more, check out BLAST OFF! Nearly everything that has been changed caters to newer players and giving all players a more aesthetically-pleasing experience over the original. I will definitely be playing my copy a TON. Maybe if I ask nicely Gamelyn Games will make me some different player colors. Maybe.
I will not be explaining the entire game in this review as indeed it is mostly the same game as before. However, I will be visiting some differences between this version and the original.
Firstly, the art is most certainly different. The card layouts are all different. The components are completely different. It is markedly improved for me, but I will save my gushings until the end.
Mechanics-wise, the differences are slight, but perfectly altered. For starters, many of the benefits of using planet powers have been streamlined, simplified, and make a lot of sense. Much of this has to do with iconography on the cards, but also the powers are mostly brand new. Additionally, this version rids players of the Secret Mission cards from the original. Now, I enjoyed that aspect of OG TEG, but I did not find myself pining for it whilst playing BLAST OFF! Also removed from this version is the seventh action die; BLAST OFF! comes complete with six dice total. Again, it reduces the number of actions that can be completed on a turn, but I haven’t missed that extra die. One of the greatest changes in this version is the Converter tweak. In the original game a player would need to sacrifice two inactive dice to convert a third die to whichever face was needed. In the new version, only one die is needed for sacrifice along with either one Energy or one Culture value. The Converter was always neglected in the older version, and now it’s a real option during play.
I do wish certain aspects of the older version were included, however. What has been eliminated in the streamlining process is the Solo mode and the fifth player. BLAST OFF! can accommodate two to four players now instead of one to five players, with the black components being axed from this version. I will miss the Solo mode mostly because I used to love breaking out the game later at night once the kids were asleep to try to conquer the Red rival (I almost never play Red). I do understand that a Solo mode may still be created in the future by Gamelyn directly or by another gamer.
All of these changes are minor, but equate to a much better gameplay overall. I do want to speak more on components, so let’s away with them.
Components. Okay, BLAST OFF! boasts improvements on the original game on every facet of components. Yes, the materials are similar quality, so it’s a wash there, but everything else is so much better. The dice are bigger, and ORANGE (great choice btw)! The iconography is much easier to understand and decipher throughout the game. The planets now have two new alignments: Life (plant icon) and Tech (gear icon). I feel the iconography and terminology in the first version could be confusing to new players, but plants vs gears is easy to distinguish. The ships are more stylized now, and the inclusion of this new Galaxy Slider to move up the Galaxy Track on the mats is most excellent. All of these improvements definitely cater to new Tiny Epic Galaxies players, and are most welcome as I try to convince my brother that this is one of the best games out there.
Obviously I am keeping this version and am seriously considering weeding out my original version of TEG with all expansions in favor for this. I just feel better playing it. It is more streamlined, easier to play and teach, and I love the way it looks on the table much more. One minor wish I have for the game is different player colors. This game could have been a triumph with just four different player colors from the original. Now, there’s nothing wrong with tried and true blue, yellow, green, and red, but I’m much more interested in playing a game with fuscia, purple, volt (like our green color we use throughout our branding), and aqua. Maybe it has to do with colorblindness, I don’t know, but take on the colors like are found in Seasons or something, and this game would blast off higher on my Top 10 Games of All Time list for sure.
That said, Purple Phoenix Games still gives this one a rocket of a GOLDEN FEATHER AWARD! If you are a fan of the original but wish new players to the game would enjoy it more, check out BLAST OFF! Nearly everything that has been changed caters to newer players and giving all players a more aesthetically-pleasing experience over the original. I will definitely be playing my copy a TON. Maybe if I ask nicely Gamelyn Games will make me some different player colors. Maybe.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) in Movies
Oct 2, 2020 (Updated Oct 6, 2020)
Margot Robbie and her return to Harley Quinn (2 more)
Badass fight choreography
Some really cool action sequences
I wasn't a fan of the self narration the entire film. (2 more)
I also didn't like the Tarantino-ish way of chopping up the story and going back and forth the way they did.
I feel like every character in this movie was underutilized and could have been done better or had better character development.
Birds of a Feather Can't Stick Their Landing On This One
Contains spoilers, click to show
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a 2020 action super hero film. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a follow-up to Suicide Squad (2016). The movie was directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson, and it stars Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina and Ewan McGregor.
Four years after the defeat of the Enchantress, the Joker throws Harley Quinn out on the Gotham City streets when they break up. The already extremely volatile and unhinged, Harley (Margot Robbie) finds herself all alone with a huge target on her back. Without the Joker in the picture, the city is turned upside down as criminals that have a beef with Harley hunt her down. Gotham's most narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), and his right-hand man, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), have Harley and a precious diamond in their sights. Now Harley, Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Detective Renee Montoya's (Rosie Perez) paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.
First off let me say that I love Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. I've always been a big Harley fan since before she was mainstream cool and a big part of that would have to be the Batman Animated Series and how it portrayed her. I liked Margot Robbie's performance in Suicide Squad and thought she did an excellent job of bringing that character to "life". I didn't have high expectations for this movie going in and sometimes that can be a good thing because it leaves you more open to the film being better than you thought it was going to be. Right away I didn't like the whole, Harley narrating the movie in the beginning and kind of throughout the movie. I don't know if they were trying to go for a "funny" Deadpool breaking the "4th" wall type thing but for me it just kind of made the movie less fun. I also have to say that I wasn't a big fan of the pacing and the whole going back and forth through time in the events of the movie. I think it might have been better on paper than how it actually came out in the movie. Kind of Tarantino-ish but just kind of overdone because of the info-dumping narration. There were some awesome fight sequences and there was plenty of over the top violence and action but a lot could have been done better. For me the plot was what felt like it made the movie feel a little lackluster. I really felt like they failed to flesh out Black Canary's character and Huntress felt extremely unpolished as well. A lot of the character's were underutilized except in gratuitous fight scenes and the audience is not shown their motivations a lot of the time but instead told them. I have to say some parts did make me laugh and the music wasn't terrible. The acting was extremely bad sometimes though. I don't know what they were going for with Huntress/Mary Elizabeth Winstead but she comes off as a badass but then really awkward or nerdy and then for a little bit she was a raging psychopath killer. I don't think they knew what direction to take the character and her performance definitely suffered. Black Canary/Jurnee Smollett-Bell was a character that was really cool but without knowing her motivations it really took alot out by never uncovering more about her character until later. A lot of things didn't make sense too. I can't believe that anyone would want to mess with Harley even if she wasn't with Joker. I however could have seen anyone and I mean anyone go after her for a big reward like they placed on the kid. Also a big reward like that on a no name kid who is just a low level pick pocket wouldn't have brought in that much results. Plus the diamond that she has is something you wouldn't want anybody else finding out about so why bring so much attention to it. Harley Quinn and all the other female actors in this movie have "plot armor" and never get hurt even when being blown up or shot at. All-in-all, it was an enjoyable movie but I wouldn't say it was anything special. This was a big-budget superhero film that comes off more run of the mill and fails to bring anything "wow" except some pretty kick ass action sequences and Margot Robbie and her return to Harley Quinn. I give it a 5/10.
Four years after the defeat of the Enchantress, the Joker throws Harley Quinn out on the Gotham City streets when they break up. The already extremely volatile and unhinged, Harley (Margot Robbie) finds herself all alone with a huge target on her back. Without the Joker in the picture, the city is turned upside down as criminals that have a beef with Harley hunt her down. Gotham's most narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), and his right-hand man, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), have Harley and a precious diamond in their sights. Now Harley, Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Detective Renee Montoya's (Rosie Perez) paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.
First off let me say that I love Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. I've always been a big Harley fan since before she was mainstream cool and a big part of that would have to be the Batman Animated Series and how it portrayed her. I liked Margot Robbie's performance in Suicide Squad and thought she did an excellent job of bringing that character to "life". I didn't have high expectations for this movie going in and sometimes that can be a good thing because it leaves you more open to the film being better than you thought it was going to be. Right away I didn't like the whole, Harley narrating the movie in the beginning and kind of throughout the movie. I don't know if they were trying to go for a "funny" Deadpool breaking the "4th" wall type thing but for me it just kind of made the movie less fun. I also have to say that I wasn't a big fan of the pacing and the whole going back and forth through time in the events of the movie. I think it might have been better on paper than how it actually came out in the movie. Kind of Tarantino-ish but just kind of overdone because of the info-dumping narration. There were some awesome fight sequences and there was plenty of over the top violence and action but a lot could have been done better. For me the plot was what felt like it made the movie feel a little lackluster. I really felt like they failed to flesh out Black Canary's character and Huntress felt extremely unpolished as well. A lot of the character's were underutilized except in gratuitous fight scenes and the audience is not shown their motivations a lot of the time but instead told them. I have to say some parts did make me laugh and the music wasn't terrible. The acting was extremely bad sometimes though. I don't know what they were going for with Huntress/Mary Elizabeth Winstead but she comes off as a badass but then really awkward or nerdy and then for a little bit she was a raging psychopath killer. I don't think they knew what direction to take the character and her performance definitely suffered. Black Canary/Jurnee Smollett-Bell was a character that was really cool but without knowing her motivations it really took alot out by never uncovering more about her character until later. A lot of things didn't make sense too. I can't believe that anyone would want to mess with Harley even if she wasn't with Joker. I however could have seen anyone and I mean anyone go after her for a big reward like they placed on the kid. Also a big reward like that on a no name kid who is just a low level pick pocket wouldn't have brought in that much results. Plus the diamond that she has is something you wouldn't want anybody else finding out about so why bring so much attention to it. Harley Quinn and all the other female actors in this movie have "plot armor" and never get hurt even when being blown up or shot at. All-in-all, it was an enjoyable movie but I wouldn't say it was anything special. This was a big-budget superhero film that comes off more run of the mill and fails to bring anything "wow" except some pretty kick ass action sequences and Margot Robbie and her return to Harley Quinn. I give it a 5/10.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated A Proclivity to Prurience: Obsession Comes with a Price in Books
Jun 6, 2019
A Proclivity to Prurience by Cheryl Butler captures a world full of family drama and unexpected events surrounding the lives of Abbie, her son Eddie, and his friend, Joe. Yet, it is also very evocative; some may even class this as erotica, although, I’d say it’s actually much more than that, in both theme and the way it is written. I just knew I was going to get something different with a book titled “A Proclivity to Prurience.”
From a very early age, Joe has had a thing about his best friend’s mum Abbie. After the loss of his own mother and being removed from his abusive father, Joe goes to live with Eddie under Abbie’s watchful eye. However, as Joe grows older his obsession for Abbie (and not being able to have her) develops into a promiscuous lifestyle and a hatred for long term relationships. So much so, his love life is just a string of one night stands with anyone who will have him. And if they don’t want him? He’ll make damn sure they do… sometimes to the point where he almost forces them. He’s a game player and proud of it.
Years later, Abbie and Joe finally get it together one night, and Joe is seriously contemplating settling down with her, but it is not a happy beginning for them. That same night, there’s a fatality which turns both their lives around in a blink of an eye and to Joe’s horror, Abbie ups and leaves. For Joe, Abbie’s “mistreatment” of him is not something he can handle well. He’s always been the one to end relationships before they even start, not the other way around! Plus this is Abbie; the woman he’s been obsessing about all these years. How could she do this to him?
This book is full of characters living their lives as they think they know best, and of course, mistakes are made, and plenty of drama unfolds along the way. I felt sorry for Joe, and his inability to hold down relationships. There were even times I didn’t like his character much, but thanks to Cheryl Butler’s articulate writing style – the discoveries I found as her characters revealed their backstories through their thoughts and feelings – provided a deeper insight to better understand why some characters behaved how they did.
That said, it was a compelling, and passionate story with intriguing characters and an ending that was left open for more to come. I cannot wait to see what happens next because it’s clearly not finished yet. An intelligent and provocative read.
From a very early age, Joe has had a thing about his best friend’s mum Abbie. After the loss of his own mother and being removed from his abusive father, Joe goes to live with Eddie under Abbie’s watchful eye. However, as Joe grows older his obsession for Abbie (and not being able to have her) develops into a promiscuous lifestyle and a hatred for long term relationships. So much so, his love life is just a string of one night stands with anyone who will have him. And if they don’t want him? He’ll make damn sure they do… sometimes to the point where he almost forces them. He’s a game player and proud of it.
Years later, Abbie and Joe finally get it together one night, and Joe is seriously contemplating settling down with her, but it is not a happy beginning for them. That same night, there’s a fatality which turns both their lives around in a blink of an eye and to Joe’s horror, Abbie ups and leaves. For Joe, Abbie’s “mistreatment” of him is not something he can handle well. He’s always been the one to end relationships before they even start, not the other way around! Plus this is Abbie; the woman he’s been obsessing about all these years. How could she do this to him?
This book is full of characters living their lives as they think they know best, and of course, mistakes are made, and plenty of drama unfolds along the way. I felt sorry for Joe, and his inability to hold down relationships. There were even times I didn’t like his character much, but thanks to Cheryl Butler’s articulate writing style – the discoveries I found as her characters revealed their backstories through their thoughts and feelings – provided a deeper insight to better understand why some characters behaved how they did.
That said, it was a compelling, and passionate story with intriguing characters and an ending that was left open for more to come. I cannot wait to see what happens next because it’s clearly not finished yet. An intelligent and provocative read.
