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The Darkest Minds (2018)
The Darkest Minds (2018)
2018 | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Music wasn't bad (0 more)
Story (0 more)
It's not exactly "The Xmen or Avengers " and abit cheesy in parts but not the worst film I've seen, the main "adult stars" including Mandy Moore are wasted
  
A Walk to Remember (2002)
A Walk to Remember (2002)
2002 | Drama, Romance
8
7.7 (10 Ratings)
Movie Rating
So a young mandy moore .a sad movie but and i get alot of harrassment about it but i love it as a whole.as a grown man it makes me cry everytime and i just say i got something in my eye lol
  
Midway (2019)
Midway (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, History
I'm a bit conflicted about this film. I thought the actors were great, I was attached to them and their story and that made this film enjoyable and heart wrenching at the same time. I wasn't in love with the scope of the timeline, I feel like it was a lot to remember - not that you have to remember the dates, but part of you feels kind of guilty if you don't, or is that just me? The hard part about that though is that none of it feels unnecessary. I feel like you get a well-rounded look at how we got to that point and all the events that led up to it. Obviously you could include so much more but then we'd be talking about a 6-hour movie and that'd be ridiculous.

I loved this cast. Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Darren Criss, everyone was phenomenal and they played their parts well. Do I think I'll ever watch this film again? Hmmm, probably not. But I'm glad I spent the time to watch it and learn a little bit more too. It's definitely a great story.
  
Senior year (2022)
Senior year (2022)
2022 | Comedy, Drama
9
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
At the start of the movie, the main character steph is recording a video talking about her childhood, she was snubbed by the cool kids so decided she wanted to become popular. She achieved this, got a "hot" boyfriend and became a cheerleader. However, after a cheerleading accident steph ends up in a coma for 20 years. When she wakes up she has to learn all the ins and outs of the present day, such as smart phones, words you can't use anymore, the fact her boyfriend was now married and how much her body has aged.
She soon decides that she wants to finish her month she missed of her senior year, including cheerleading and becoming prom Queen.
I really enjoyed this movie despite it being over the top silly in places and unrealistic, I mean a 37 year old still fitting into her clothes from when she was 17 with very different body shapes is about as unrealistic as you can get!
The soundtrack is all kinds of nostalgic and took me back to my late teens as there was everything from Mandy Moore to a like for like redo of the drive me (crazy) video by britney spears. If you love the 90s/00s era of teen movies, you're sure to love this.
  
A Walk to Remember (2002)
A Walk to Remember (2002)
2002 | Drama, Romance
8
7.7 (10 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: Whenever you get opposites collide you will see sparks fly in a love story. This has a good message for the teenage audience who believe being popular can make you different when it is the people around you that you ignore that make the difference in people’s lives. The story shows how powerful love is and once you first feel it, it can be so hard to stop the feeling. (8/10)

 

Actor Review: Shane West – Landon the bad boy of the school who falls for the outsider. Shane is a good in the lead role showing how letting someone you’re your life can change you forever. (8/10)

 landon

Actor Review: Mandy Moore – Jamie the outsider who goes to church and everything Landon dislikes. Good performance playing the role trying to avoid a romance but in the end it becomes the best thing to ever happen to her. (8/10)

moore

Director Review: Adam Shankman – Good direction showing all the emotional levels very well. (8/10)

 

Drama: Very good drama showed how people will deal with such a head part of life. (8/10)

Romance: Great romances showing how when you find that one person you will do everything to make sure they are you’re everything. (9/10)

Chemistry: Great chemistry between Landon and Jamie. (9/10)

Believability: This sort of heart breaking situation does happen. (8/10)

Chances of Tears: Pretty high chance. (7/10)

Suggestion: This is something I would suggest to someone lost for ideas for date night, it is full of heart break but they story is so very touching. (Date Night)

 

Best Part: Landon and Jamie’s first date.

Favourite Quote: Landon ‘Our love is like the wind, I can’t see it but I sure can feel it.’

Trivia: Shane West bought the car he uses in the film.

Oscar Chances: No

Chances of Sequel: No

 

Overall: A tragic love story that will pull some heart strings, bring the tissues.

https://moviesreview101.com/2014/02/16/a-walk-to-remember-2002/
  
47 Meters Down (2017)
47 Meters Down (2017)
2017 | Horror
The British horror film “47 Meters Down” tells the tale of two young women on vacation in Mexico who get far more of a thrill then they bargained for during a shark cage swim session. Sisters, Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) meet two charming young men as they try to lick Lisa’s post-break up wounds during a night out somewhere Mexico. When the guys offer to take them out on a shark swim adventure, Kate pushes Lisa to go ahead and do it in an effort to prove she is not as boring as her ex claims.

The film spends about twenty minutes building up this background story, but fails to create any moments for the audience to connect with the characters.

The whole premise is built around what clearly is a poor decision as a rusty old boat pulls into the marina to board the sisters. At this point forward, the entire rest of the film is shot primarily from Lisa’s point of view deep inside the ocean.

As the cage the girls are in first lowers down, there are a few shots of sharks that are very beautiful and thrilling. But after the predictable breakage of the winch holding the cage to the boat ensues, the girls sink to the bottom and attempt to fight for survival.

At this point forward it becomes a bit frustrating to watch because the entire film is very dark and you only get a few glimpses of a shark here or there. If there had been a bit more character build up or story line including rescue efforts, this may have been a theater worthy view. Audiences definitely won’t get as much excitement as they did from other shark films like that of “Jaws” or “Sharknado.” Mostly because this film attempts to take on a more realistic feel. Unfortunately it falls a bit flat and the audience finds comedy in what was supposed to be serious.

I give “47 meters Down” 1 out of 5 stars.
  
47 Meters Down (2017)
47 Meters Down (2017)
2017 | Horror
Down Down, Deeper and Down.
It’s summer again; it’s a shark movie. Lisa and Kate are two sisters on holiday in Mexico with one grieving a lost relationship and the other looking for fun. Against their better judgement they go shark cage diving 5 metres below a vessel that looks like it should have been in the salvage yard 20 years ago. After a mechanical failure the cage plummets down to the sea bed….. (Go on, how deep? Have a guess. Go on, go on, go on …)
With sharks circling and air running low, will the girls survive their ordeal?

Last year, one of the surprise movies of the year for me was “The Shallows“, which I really enjoyed. A tense, well made yarn held together by a solid performance by Blake Lively and with a genuine escalation of tension (albeit let down by a poor ending).

“47 Metres Down” differs from that film in three major respects: B-movie acting, from Mandy Moore and Claire Holt (with Holt being significantly better than Moore); a screenplay by Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera that is both ponderous and unbelievable; and dialogue that is at times truly execrable.
The film really takes its time to get to the ‘sharp end’ (as it were). Once there, the actions of the girls are so clinically stupid that they are deserving of Darwin Award nominations. Fortunately, the IQs of the sharks (well realised as CGI by Outpost VFX) are only marginally greater: the sharks will appear and then go away for ten minutes at a time, just so that the implausible plot can progress unmolested.

These films always need an escalator for the tension: in “The Shallows” it was the rising tide; in this film it is the air supply. This element works well and adds an additional element of claustrophobia to the film that is already at 11 on the scale (you surely don’t need me to tell you that claustrophobics need to avoid this film!).

Much of the dialogue is expository regarding what is going on in the darkness and is so repetitive (“We ARE going to get out of here Kate!”) that it would make a good drinking game. The worst dialogue award though goes to Matthew Modine (“Memphis Belle”) who’s repeated medical descriptions of “the bends” becomes mildly comical – I literally got a fit of the giggles at one point.

I’m not going to completely savage the film though, since there IS a nice twist to the ending, albeit one that’s heavily signposted. And instead of reaching constantly for the classic “Ben’s head in the boat” jump scare, the film occasionally teases the audience with set-ups that ultimately just feature murky water and nothing more.
My recommendation: if you’ve not yet seen “The Shallows”, check that out on DVD and give this one a miss.
  
Yarn Bombing—the art of crochet and knit graffiti by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain
Genre: craft/art
Rating: 4/5

Yarn Bombing is an extremely inspirational and creative book. It got my knitting juices flowing and made my hands itch for the needles when I saw pictures of colorful yarn knit into… beautiful graffiti?

Yes, yarn graffiti. Yarn Bombing is a rather large thing in big cities and even other countries where knitting is prominent, especially Sweden (see links below).

Yarn Bombing has many fantastic pictures, ideas for bombing, some basics for getting started, points and tips, advice on what to say if you get caught in the act (either by passer-bys or police), interviews with yarn bombers, and some patterns.

Here is my favorite pattern:
this pattern is for chain-link fence weave:
1. Cast On 12.
2. Open a bottle of wine.
3. Knit every row until sober.
4. Bind off
5. Repeat 1-4 seven more times…

I find this hilarious, though some people who aren’t knitters may not. By the way, the real pattern for the chain link fence weave is written in the book right under that ;)

There are patterns in the book for knitting items for yourself, such as arm warmers, hoods that cover your whole face except your eyes (so you can be a ninja-yarn-bomber!) sweaters, and some other stuff. Some of the bombing patterns include treesweaters, knit tulips and mushrooms, Knit sneakers to hang over wires, Bolo balls, Elf Stockings, and more.

I give it a 4/5 because, considering that graffiti is illegal and I’m perusing Criminology… let’s just say that I’m being gracious.(and I’m actually considering giving this a try… I’ll keep you posted on that one ;). Also, it was laid out a little odd and it was a bit hard to find some things. Lastly it didn’t have quite as many patterns as I expected. But, all in all, it was an awesome craft book!

Recommendation: knitters and Crocheters of any age, anyone interested in graffiti or contemporary art.

Here are some links to some yarn-bombers that you should check out, there are tons more! Follow the links you find on their blogs and explore the yarn-bombing community.
  
Midway (2019)
Midway (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, History
The events of December 7th 1941 left an indelible mark on the psyche of America and became a date that truly has lived in infamy. Though historians, authors, and filmmakers have attempted to analyze the events during and leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor; there is still a great deal of interest about the attack and the aftermath.

While Pearl Harbor was for many the opening shots of the U.S. entry into World War II; some would say that the stage was set earlier when the United States attempted to curtail what they saw as an aggressive and Imperialistic Japan by placing restrictions on their vital resources such as oil and the tonnage of their Navy.

In the new film “Midway” we are given a glimpse into this when four years before the attack, when Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) meets with Admiral Nagumo (Jun Kunimura) who lets him know that hardline factions in his government have been buoyed by their invasion of China and will do what is needed to make sure the vital oil that is supplied by the U.S. remains constant.

Flash forward to the day of the attack and Layton who has warned that an attack was possible at Pearl Harbor is seeing his worst predictions come true. In the aftermath he is assigned to Admiral Nimitz (Woody Harrelson); who has been given the thankless task of taking charge of what is left of the Pacific Fleet and finding a way to stop the Japanese fleet.

The U.S. finds themselves outnumbered, outgunned, and waging war with ships and planes that are inferior to the Japanese but they must find a way to overcome the great obstacles before them and defeat a relentless enemy.

Layton and a team of code breakers are convinced the Japanese intend to attack the island of Midway and go all in to set a trap with the goal of destroying the enemy carriers so the U.S. can gain an aerial advantage in the Pacific.

With a strong cast which features Luke Evans, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas and a fine supporting cast, Director Roland Emmerich has given audiences a gripping war movie that despite the impressive visual effects; never loses site of the fact that this is a story of real people who found themselves in pivotal moments of history.

The film also shows how the Japanese commanders had differing views of the Americans they fought. Some considered them to lack braveness while others admired their tenacity and were grateful that they had what they saw as inferior and outdated planes to attack them in.

The film also does a great job showing the Doolittle Raid and how what from a military standpoint caused minor damage yet was a huge psychological boost as Japan believed they were immune from attack yet the American forces found a way to bomb Tokyo by the impossible task of using land based bombers off a carrier.

The film is a great mix of human drama that shows not only the terrible toll of war but how a group of extraordinary individuals gave their all.
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) Nov 12, 2019

Just to say, that's Yamamoto talking to Layton at the start, not Nagumo.

Midway (2019)
Midway (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, History
So bad...it's bad
There are times when you watch a film and you can just hear the conference room discussion that happened back at the studio before getting it green-lit...

Studio Flunky: "Remember the 1970's WWII flick MIDWAY starring Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Charles Coborn, Richard Mitchum and an All Star cast"?

Studio Head: "Yeah...I loved that flick..."

Studio Flunky: "We have a fairly weak script here that pretty much rips that off, but we have the Director of Independence Day ready to Direct, so we'd just need some strong actors and top notch special effects to pull it off".

Studio Head: " I love it. Just one thing..."

Studio Flunky: "What's that?"

Studio Head: "Cut the budget to about 1/10th of what you're asking for."

And that's the issue with the Roland Emrich 2019 version of MIDWAY...what the film lacks in script quality, it makes up with by casting weak actors and crossing them with cheap special effects.

Yeah...it doesn't work very well. No wonder it came and went pretty quickly in the theaters.

Patrick Wilson is the most successful in this film in his role as Intelligence Officer Edwin Layton who figures out what the Japanese are up to in the early days of World War II. He has some fun scenes with Brennan Brown as one of this "codebreakers" and his interactions with Woody Harrelson as Admiral Nimitz are fun.

And...that's about it for the acting and interesting things in this film. Harrelson is wasted in his role (he clearly owed someone a favor to appear in what should be considered and extended cameo). Dennis Quaid overacts (as he is want to do) as "Bull" Halsey. Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas and Luke Evans bring no charisma to roles that were written with the hopes that an actor would bring charisma to them. They all bring "one dimension" and play the heck out of that singular character trait...but interesting characters that does not build.

And then there is the case of Ed Skrein (in the Charlton Heston role) as the "rogue fighter pilot, bucking the system, but learning through the course of this film that he would be more effective bringing his unique insights into the system than buck it". Skrein is my poster child for "warning...bad movie ahead." He has, in my opinion, "anti-charisma". He sucks a movie into his void and we, the audience, are stuck there with him. Of course, we spend most of the film with him...much to my chagrin.

At least, you say, today's special effects would rescue this film.

Nope...it looked like someone's kid slapped something together on his MAC. The depth of the EFX are slim, the color schemes don't seem to match and the actors didn't look at all like they were in the scene with the effects.

Nothing really works in this film. Avoid it at all costs. I can't even give you the "it's so bad it's good" line on this one.

It's so bad, it's bad.

Letter Grade "D"

2 Stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)