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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated A Spy in the House (The Agency, #1) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

In the words of Y. S. Lee:
<blockquote>"Women's choices were grim in those days, even for the clever. If a top secret women's detective agency existed in Victorian England, it left no evidence--just as well, since that would cast serious doubt on its competence. The Agency is a totally unrealistic, completely fictitious antidote to the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like Mary Quinn."</blockquote>

An easy and interesting read, with an intriguing protagonist in Mary Quinn. The plot and characters easily kept my attention and I look forward to the others in the series.

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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Body at the Tower (The Agency, #2) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

<b>3.5 stars</b>

Good, but not quite as good as the first book, [b:A Spy in the House|6698199|A Spy in the House (The Agency, #1)|Y.S. Lee|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IGDM-I3oL._SL75_.jpg|6502621]. The plot and its mystery didn't interest me that much and could be boring. I kept hoping for a big twist, but it never came, so the mystery wasn't very mysterious at all. The secondary characters were okay but nothing special, so I didn't care what happened to who or whodunit. Still, it's a fun series and I like Mary, James, their exchanges with each other, and the idea of the Agency. I look forward to the third (and final?) installment.

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David McK (3540 KP) rated Spider-Man (2002) in Movies

Oct 3, 2021

Spider-Man (2002)

2002 | Action, Sci-Fi

8

7.5

(64 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Well-crafter origin story (0 more)

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"Remember, Peter: with great power comes great responsibility"

2002.

So that's back before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a thing (Iron Man was '08).

It's also not long after the twin Towers disaster, which - I believe - had to be edited out of this film.

This was also the first big-screen take on Spider-Man, with a mainly 20 something cast all playing characters in their late teens, headlined by Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and by Kirsten Dunst's redhead Mary-Jane Watson.

The early portions of this movie basically retells Spider-Mans origins story (although, here, Parker is bitten by a Genetically modified Spider instead of a Radioactive one and does not need web-shooters: they come out of his actual wrists), complete with the death of Uncle Ben who gets to utter the immortal lines to Parker that 'with great power comes great responsibility'.

Yes, Stan Lee makes a 'blink and you'll miss it' cameo.

Yes, the soundtrack owes a fair deal to that of 1989s 'Batman'

Yes, the Green Goblin costume does look a bit like a Power Rangers reject.

Yes, the film still holds up nearly 20 year later: there's a reason that 'upside-down' kiss is now iconic!

(Oh, and TK Simmons J Jonah Jameson? *Chef's Kiss*.)

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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Manchester by the Sea (2016) in Movies

Sep 29, 2021

Wow! I’d heard all about the Oscar hype surrounding this film but to be honest, while I thought I would be seeing a solid and well-made indie film, I went into it without great expectations of having an ‘enjoyable’ time: the trailer had “angst” written all over it. And – sure – it is emotional and harrowing in places. However, I was completely knocked out by the depth, the intelligence and the humour of this masterpiece.

‘Family troubles’ is a common trope for the movies, and I was strongly reminded at times in watching this movie of a multi-Oscar winning classic of my youth: Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” back in 1980. In that film the relationship between parents (Mary Tyler-Moore and Donald Sutherland) and their teenage son (Timothy Hutton) is rocked by the accidental death of another family member. Similarly, in “Manchester by the Sea” a drifting handyman Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck, “Triple 9“, “Interstellar“) gets the shocking news that his only brother Joe (Kyle Chandler, “The Wolf of Wall Street“) has suddenly passed away, leaving behind a mid-teens son Patrick (Lucas Hedges) with no-one to look after him.
With the other option being an unstable and ex-alcoholic mother Elise (Gretchen Mol) – now divorced and living in a strictly pious household with new husband Jeffrey (Matthew Broderick) – Joe has legally plumped for naming Lee as the boy’s guardian. This is much to Lee’s surprise and annoyance. For Lee is a man-adrift: an antisocial loner with a very short fuse. Having any sort of responsibility is not in his game plan.
With the ground too frozen to bury his brother, Lee is forced to remain in Manchester-by-the-Sea for a few weeks: a town he can’t stand and a town that, for some reason, can’t stand him. Can Lee’s attitude be softened by his lively and over-sexed nephew? Or will he just continue his emotional and social decline towards a gutter and a brown-bag?

Where this film surprises – with a strong kick to the gut – is that while I have described the high-level story in the paragraphs above that the trailer depicts, there is a whole other dimension to the tale that is hidden and truly astonishing. No spoilers, but if you are not shocked and moved by it, then you need your humanity chip reset.
Casey Affleck is Oscar-nominated now for Best Actor and I would love to see him win for this. I had a real go at his brother, Ben, for a lack of facial variation in his performance in “Live By Night“. Here, while Casey has a similar dour and pretty rigid demeanour, his performance is chalk-and-cheese compared to Ben. He channels a shut-down rage in his eyes that is both haunting and disturbing in equal measure.
Young Lucas Hedges – overlooked by the BAFTAs (he is in the “Rising Star” category) but yesterday nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar – is equally strong, burying his teenage grief in guitars, sex and smart phones in a highly believable way.
Supporting roles are equally strong, with Michelle Williams – albeit only having limited screen time – delivering truly memorable scenes, notably the street encounter with Lee (as featured on the poster) which is electrifying. She is also Oscar nominated for the role.

What really makes these performances shine is the elegant directing by Kenneth Lonergan, better known for his screenplays on films like “Analyze This” and “Gangs of New York”. He gives the actors time… lots of time. A typical example is when young Patrick walks into Lee’s bedroom and stares at some photos on his bedside table before walking on. It must be a good 20 to 30 seconds used, but time really well spent. The film spectacularly uses flash-backs to great effect, with the only visual notification that you are in a different time-zone being the living and breathing appearance of Joe in the shot.

Lonergan also writes the screenplay, and I mentioned in my introduction the humour used. There are some outright belly laughs in this film, which feels incongruous with the morbid subject matter but which also feels guiltily appropriate (we’ve all surely had an experience where a tense funeral mood is lightened by an uncle loudly farting at the back of the church, or similar!).
Manchester-by-the-Sea is a picturesque place in Massachusetts, and the camera work by Jody Lee Lipes (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”, “Trainwreck”) lovingly makes use of that. There is incredibly crisp focus, with the opening boat scene looks like it is hyper-HD.

This is a truly stunning film, and one that will live with me for many years to come. For that reason it receives my highest accolade together with my best wishes for success at the forthcoming Oscars. If you haven’t yet, go see it.

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Darren (1599 KP) rated Annabelle Comes Home (2019) in Movies

Jul 10, 2019

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

2019 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

7

7.0

(42 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Director: Gary Dauberman
Writer: Gary Dauberman (Screenplay) James Wan (Story)
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino, Samara Lee

Plot: While babysitting the daughter of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a teenager and her friend unknowingly awaken an evil spirit trapped in a doll.

Tagline – The Next Chapter In The Conjuring Universe
Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Relentless Scares

Story: Annabelle Comes Home starts one year after the Warren’s Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine (Farmiga) bring the Annabelle doll home, knowing its power to control the other items inside their blessed room. With Ed and Lorraine going on a business trip, it leaves their daughter Judy (Grace) with girl next door babysitter Mary Ellen (Iseman), who has planned a little birthday surprise.
When Mary Ellen’s best friend Daniela (Sarife) decides to visit, with questions about the house, getting a moment alone, she sneaks into the blessed room, only to unleash a host of evil upon the three for a night of terror, all thanks to the dreaded Annabelle doll.

Thoughts on Annabelle Comes Home

Characters – Judy Warren is the daughter of the famous paranormal investigators, she is treated differently at school because of this, with some students being scared, while others just bully her, she does see spirits too and is a shy little girl, she just wants to make friends like any young girl and is struggling with the fact nobody will be her friend except her babysitter Mary Ellen. She does know how to handle herself when hauntings start happening around her house though. Mary Ellen is the girl next door babysitter, she might well be worried about who will take her to homecoming, but she is a friend that Judy needs. Daniela Rios is the best friend of Mary Ellen, she invites herself over to look around, in hopes that she could find a way to connect with her deceased father, whose death was an accident, but she believes was her fault, she unleashes all the evil items on the household, which would make her truly horrible, until you add in the reason why she is trying to find forgiveness. Ed and Lorraine are the familiar faces, only they are basically extended cameos in the film. Bob is the love interest of Mary Ellen and he does through the generic awkward moments of trying to ask her out, he is good for a laugh too.
Performances – McKenna Grace takes over the role of the daughter, she does make us believe that her character has become distant from the world around her, makes us believe she is feeling lonely and isolated too. Madison Iseman makes for an easy pick for the babysitter, she comes off friendly and gives the scream level required to show the fear. Katie Sarife is strong as friend who unleashes everything, somehow making a character we could hate feel sympathy towards. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson do seem to be here as a draw, only they are barely even in the film.
Story – The story here follows a babysitter’s friend visiting the Warren’s house who unleashes all the evil from the safety, only for the three girls needing to put a halt to this before they can become the latest victims of the curses they have. This story does have a few positives and negatives, the first positive being see how the daughter of the Warren’s is struggling with making connections in life because of their work, we could have easily dived deeper with this, but it was nice to see a change in why somebody is isolated. The pure number of different evil figures we meet through the film is brilliant to see because this opens the doors to seemingly endless amounts of spin off movies now, which could be seen as a negative because, while this is an Annabelle movie, it does tend to focus on the other evil, instead of the main one attached to Annabelle. We could get into character decisions, which aren’t the smartest especially when it comes to knowing who the character of Judy is meant to be.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film, is an endless amounts of jump scares, this does work because each does have its own way of being effective, even if a lot if music goes silent and either a boom or something charging the screen. The mystery comes from each new evil that we get to see, we get glimpses into a few leading us to only want to know more.
Settings – The film is set in one singular location, the Warren house, this has all the evil set up within it, which means once it comes out and traps them, they don’t know what will come next.
Special Effects – The effect in the film are strong throughout, with each creation look different, with a couple of tricks for the Ferryman coming off nicely.

Scene of the Movie – The circular shot, I am a fan of this shot even if it was the same as the Nun.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I can’t help but think one of the rules for babysitting at the Warren’s, would be, anything slightly strange happens, get out until we come home.
Final Thoughts – This is a nice jump scare filled horror, it has plenty of references to the previous films and does leave us wanting more from this universe.

Overall: Jump scares for everyone.
Rating

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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Gemini Man (2019) in Movies

Oct 17, 2019

Gemini Man (2019)

2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

7

5.8

(33 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

The Effects Just Aren't Good Enough

Ang Lee is a visionary Director that loves to push the envelope of advances in movie-making technology, so the plot contrivance of GEMINI MAN (a Government Assassin is being chased by his much younger clone) was right up his alley - and he makes good (enough) work of the technology that "de-ages" Will Smith and puts the older and younger version of himself on screen at the same time. This was also his 2nd film (after BILLY FLYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK) that Lee shot in 4K 3D at 120 frames per second (the "normal" shooting speed is 24 FPS).

He should have spent more of his time on the script..

Based on a long gestating screenplay written in the 1990's by David Lemke (and re-written in the 2010's by Billy Ray - THE HUNGER GAMES - and Mr. GAME OF THRONES himself, David Benioff), GEMINI MAN follows a Government Contract Killer, Henry Brogan (Will Smtih) who does "one last job" and is looking forward to retirement. His agency (under the leadership of Clive Owen) decides to "take him out" and sends "Gemini" after him. Brogan tries to escape but his every move is anticipated by the Gemini - a younger clone of himself (this is not a spoiler, it's in the trailer and ON THE POSTER). He is joined by a pair of "buddies" (Mary Elizabeth Winsted and Benedict Wong) in plotting how to outsmart himself.

This film had all the markings of a bad "B" film, but under the watchful eye of Lee and the charismatic performances of Winsted, Wong - and most especially - Smith, this film is actually quite watchable.

What doesn't work - the plot. To say it is contrived is to do a disservice to the word "contrived". It really doesn't give us anything new, it just gives us a bridge from action scene to action. Also, the reasoning of the Government to get rid of Brogan doesn't really work and Clive Owen - as the head of the Gemini program - and the main "suit" that is chasing Smith looks like he is sleepwalking his way through this film.

What works - the interplay and "fun" of Smith, Winsted and Wong as the 3 "professionals" on the run - and outsmarting - "the Agency". These 3 work really well off each other and I would love to have seen a "Mission Impossible" style film of these 3 doing some sort of impossible mission. Special note needs to be made of Smith's performance - as the older Brogan. He is world weary and heavy, but still has the twinkle in his eye and the physical acumen to be a top assassin. This is the type of role that Smith - especially at his age and experience - is ideal for. His charisma shines and he holds his own in the physical/fight scenes. Also, Ang Lee knows how to shoot an action sequence. True, there is nothing "new", revolutionary or evolutionary in any of the fight/chase scenes, but they are put together in a competent, professional manner and did a good enough job.

And then there is the younger Brogan - "Junior" - played by a CGI "de-aged" Will Smith.

We've seen the CGI "de-aging" effect before - most notably in some Marvel Movies like CAPTAIN MARVEL - and while it works well enough, I just don't think it is quite there yet. You can tell that something is just a little off - not enough for it to really bother you, but enough to know that something isn't quite right - especially when Junior spends most of this film on screen with his older self. You see the "real" Will Smith up against the "copy" and the "copy" looks like...a copy. Also, the "de-aging" of the voice didn't really work for me. It sounded "off" and at times it sounded like bad ADR.

I was able to shrug off these slight technical anomalies and enjoy this film for what it is - a breezy action-er that certainly entertains for 2 hours. But it is no masterpiece and no "major" technological breakthrough. That will have to wait for another movie.

Letter Grade: B (mostly for the fun interplay between older Smith, Winsted and Wong)

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)

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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Red 2 (2013) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

Red 2 (2013)

2013 | Action, Drama

8

7.2

(11 Ratings)

Movie Rating

RED was such a great movie that it was inevitable a sequel would be made. And here we have it, RED 2. In this follow up to the 2010 film, we find Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) and Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) trying to adjust to life in a relationship. Only this is not your typical relationship. Frank’s goal is to keep Sarah safe, while Sarah just wants to get into the thick of things, which quickly happens as Frank and Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) are being hunted due to their involvement in an old operation only known as Nightshade.
The humor is quick to come from Malkovich, Parker and Willis who have an incredible chemistry together on screen. We then add in some notables such as the returning characters of Victoria (Helen Mirren) and Ivan Simonov (Brian Cox), and more with new characters such as Katja (Catherine ZetaJones), Bailey (Anthony Hopkins) and the brilliant performance of Byung-hun Lee as Han Cho Bai. This movie is cooking from start to finish.
There is a lot that is recycled from the first movie, including a new twist on the famous scene where Willis steps out of the moving car smooth as butter. But the great thing about this movie is it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The film makers did a great job of not trying to make the film a hardcore action flick or a cut-up comedy, but rather a great blend of the two. The comic timing combined with the action scenes is fantastic, and the cast of characters interact remarkably well with each other.
Is this movie going to be something everyone can enjoy? Probably not. But if you were a fan of the first movie, and you do not mind when film makers take a proven formula and apply it again, then you will enjoy the film. I would recommend it, and hope that we see another one. It was definitely left that way.

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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) in Movies

Nov 4, 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

2018 | Biography, Drama, Music

8

8.5

(156 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Come for the music, stay...for the music

My musical tastes end somewhere in the late 1970's/early 1980's. Billy Joel, ELO and, especially, Queen were in constant rotation on my turntable. So it was with a mixture of excitement and nervousness that I checked out BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, the "Queen movie".

Fortunately, this film rekindled my love for the music of Queen. I gotta admit, I was cranking Queen tunes in the car on the ride home. Unfortunately, the storytelling is weak, so I really did not gain any insight into Freddy, his family, the group, his marriage, his bi-sexuality, his drug use, the times they lived in or the AIDS epidemic of the '80's. All these items were touched upon in the movie, but not delved into, leaving a void in the part of my brain that craves a good, meaningful and touching story with my movie/musicals. It certainly doesn't help this story that I have the wonderful A STAR IS BORN sitting in my recent memory.

But the music, the musical performances and the acting performances of all involved almost make up for this void, leaving a very satisfying experience at the movies.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY follows young Farrokh Bulsara as he joins the band SMILE, changes the bands name to QUEEN, changes his name to Freddie Mercury and becomes an International Superstar leading up to the inevitable fall and resurgence at the Live Aid concert in the 1980's.

In the lead, Rami Malik is wonderful. He has the essence of the superstar we know down well. He is a winning, watchable presence on screen and I wouldn't be surprised if he is mentioned when Oscar nominations roll around. Joining him as members of the band are Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Joe Mazzello as John Deacon and Gwilym Lee as Brian May. All are effective enough in their roles - and believable in the musical scenes - with Lee standing out just a bit more than the others.

Also along for the ride are Lucy Boyton as Freddy's wife, Mary Austin and Tom Hollander, Mike Myers and Aidan Gillen as music execs aiding and attempting to guide Queen to the top. Only Allen Leech as Paul Prenter is unconvincing on the screen. But, I blame this more to the decisions of the screenwriters and directors for Paul is the "villain" of this piece - and a not-too-subtle villain at that.

But, Director Bryan Singer (X-MEN, THE USUAL SUSPECTS) is forgiven his lapses in content and subtlety as the music scenes are strong - and the film finishes with a 20 minute recreation of Queen at the Live Aid concert that is worth the price of admission all on it's own.

All in all, a good time at the movies. If you like Queen, you'll be entertained by this film.

Letter Grade: A-

8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)

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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Night School (2018) in Movies

Oct 15, 2018

Funny...enough - especially the classmates

Both Kevin Hart and Tiffany Hadish are comedic performers that can wear their welcome out if they are not reigned in properly. They both serve best as the comic "2nd banana" of a film, rather than the lead, so it was with some trepidation that I checked out the Hart/Haddish starring comedy NIGHT SCHOOL and when the first meeting of the two was the both of them running their very fast mouths at each other, I thought - for sure - that they would wear their welcome out with me.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Night School - the focus of this film veered away from these two bantering with each other and settled into a fairly funny, fairly innocuous comedy that I walked away liking.

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee (GIRLS TRIP), Night School stars Hart as a High School drop-out who is now a motor-mouthed salesman who loses his job and just might lose his girl if he doesn't go back and get his GED so he can land a new job. Haddish stars as the teacher of the Night School. Both the leads are used sparingly enough that they were enjoyable participants in this film.

But for me, the strength of this film comes in the rogues gallery of comedians that were brought in to play the other students in the Night School. Rob Riggle, Mary-Lynn Rajskub, Romany Malco, Fat Joe and Al Madrigal are all winning and comforting strengths of this film as the adult "Breakfast Club" that fall under the spell - and direction - of Hart's character. It is a group that I loved spending time with and wouldn't mind spending more time with.

And I'm glad they are there for the Direction, plot twists and other characters are all pretty predictable, but they made it an enjoyable enough romp that I fall on the side of recommending it - especially if you are looking for a mindless comedy that will NOT require you to break into a discussion group afterward. A good "Netflix", rental or rainy afternoon on TBS comedy.

Letter Grade: B-

6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the BankofMarquis

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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated A Spy in the House (The Agency, #1) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Body at the Tower (The Agency, #2) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

Andy K (10823 KP) created a poll about in Movies are the shiz!

Jul 11, 2018

David McK (3540 KP) rated Spider-Man (2002) in Movies

Oct 3, 2021

Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Manchester by the Sea (2016) in Movies

Sep 29, 2021

Darren (1599 KP) rated Annabelle Comes Home (2019) in Movies

Jul 10, 2019

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Gemini Man (2019) in Movies

Oct 17, 2019

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Red 2 (2013) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) in Movies

Nov 4, 2018

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Night School (2018) in Movies

Oct 15, 2018

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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated A Spy in the House (The Agency, #1) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Body at the Tower (The Agency, #2) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

Andy K (10823 KP) created a poll about in Movies are the shiz!

Jul 11, 2018

David McK (3540 KP) rated Spider-Man (2002) in Movies

Oct 3, 2021

Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Manchester by the Sea (2016) in Movies

Sep 29, 2021

Darren (1599 KP) rated Annabelle Comes Home (2019) in Movies

Jul 10, 2019

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Gemini Man (2019) in Movies

Oct 17, 2019

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Red 2 (2013) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) in Movies

Nov 4, 2018

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Night School (2018) in Movies

Oct 15, 2018