Search
Search results
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Safe House (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
In a complicated deadly game of international espionage things are rarely what they appear to be. Take the case of Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds), a young man who, for all intents and purposes, appears to divide his time between his adoring French girlfriend (Nora Arnezeder) and a South African hospital. But if one were to pull back the curtain they would learn that Matt is actually a CIA agent who spends his time watching over a safe house, an assignment of painfully tedious monotony.
In the new action thriller “Safe House”, Reynolds eschews his typical charming, cocky, wisecracking on-screen personas to portray Matt as a mature young man with ambitions both inside and outside of his job. Matt longs to be assigned to a more glamorous position and is hopeful that when his 12 month tour in South Africa is up, a more exciting post awaits him in Paris. It doesn’t hurt that a Paris post will also allow him to be closer to his girlfriend when she returns to Europe in the near future. But his boss David Barlow (Brendan Gleason) isn’t as optimistic.
As his frustrations at the lack of mobility grows, Matt soon finds his quiet world torn asunder by the arrival of Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington). Frost is a former agent who went rogue and is considered an extremely dangerous and high-profile target. Having eluded the CIA for years, he only draws even more suspicion when he surrenders himself to a US consulate in South Africa. The CIA knows they have to act fast to determine what Frost knows, and quickly whisk him away to a safe house for intense interrogation. But the CIA aren’t the only ones who want to know Tobin’s secrets.
Although Matt is highly trained for his job running the safe house, he is very green when it comes to the reality of having to defend his domain against a surprise attack which leaves Tobin and Matt as the only survivors. Forced to flee and with nowhere to turn, Frost tries to convince Matt that they have been set up because someone in the agency does not want Frost to talk. At first skeptical, Matt is forced to step outside of his comfort zones and confront a deadly array of assassins as well as the threat posed by Frost himself and the unseen elements working against them. In a frantic race, Matt must keep Frost and himself alive as they attempt to reach safety and get to the truth behind the deadly game in which they’ve been cast.
Washington and Reynolds worked very well together and had a very natural, unforced chemistry. It was very nice to see Reynolds take on a grittier and more intense role than we have seen from him previously. Washington is a true artist at playing taciturn and wiley, and no one else can portray the pain and shock of being shot as subtly or as convincingly as Washington with just a simple change of expression.
That being said, the film had a number of issues. First and foremost, plot holes that you could drive a truck through and gaps in logic that really require the audience to take some serious leaps of faith. While there was some intense action, it was difficult to appreciate when it looked like the camera was being kicked around the floor during fight scenes, giving the film a very jerky quality. The film also suffered from some pacing issues with parts of the movie dragging as it worked toward an extremely predictable conclusion, one that I figured out very early into the film. There is some fine supporting work in the movie, particularly that of Gleeson and Arnezeder, as well as Ruben Blades as an old cohort of Frost’s, but it is not enough to help the film live up to its intriguing premise.
In the new action thriller “Safe House”, Reynolds eschews his typical charming, cocky, wisecracking on-screen personas to portray Matt as a mature young man with ambitions both inside and outside of his job. Matt longs to be assigned to a more glamorous position and is hopeful that when his 12 month tour in South Africa is up, a more exciting post awaits him in Paris. It doesn’t hurt that a Paris post will also allow him to be closer to his girlfriend when she returns to Europe in the near future. But his boss David Barlow (Brendan Gleason) isn’t as optimistic.
As his frustrations at the lack of mobility grows, Matt soon finds his quiet world torn asunder by the arrival of Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington). Frost is a former agent who went rogue and is considered an extremely dangerous and high-profile target. Having eluded the CIA for years, he only draws even more suspicion when he surrenders himself to a US consulate in South Africa. The CIA knows they have to act fast to determine what Frost knows, and quickly whisk him away to a safe house for intense interrogation. But the CIA aren’t the only ones who want to know Tobin’s secrets.
Although Matt is highly trained for his job running the safe house, he is very green when it comes to the reality of having to defend his domain against a surprise attack which leaves Tobin and Matt as the only survivors. Forced to flee and with nowhere to turn, Frost tries to convince Matt that they have been set up because someone in the agency does not want Frost to talk. At first skeptical, Matt is forced to step outside of his comfort zones and confront a deadly array of assassins as well as the threat posed by Frost himself and the unseen elements working against them. In a frantic race, Matt must keep Frost and himself alive as they attempt to reach safety and get to the truth behind the deadly game in which they’ve been cast.
Washington and Reynolds worked very well together and had a very natural, unforced chemistry. It was very nice to see Reynolds take on a grittier and more intense role than we have seen from him previously. Washington is a true artist at playing taciturn and wiley, and no one else can portray the pain and shock of being shot as subtly or as convincingly as Washington with just a simple change of expression.
That being said, the film had a number of issues. First and foremost, plot holes that you could drive a truck through and gaps in logic that really require the audience to take some serious leaps of faith. While there was some intense action, it was difficult to appreciate when it looked like the camera was being kicked around the floor during fight scenes, giving the film a very jerky quality. The film also suffered from some pacing issues with parts of the movie dragging as it worked toward an extremely predictable conclusion, one that I figured out very early into the film. There is some fine supporting work in the movie, particularly that of Gleeson and Arnezeder, as well as Ruben Blades as an old cohort of Frost’s, but it is not enough to help the film live up to its intriguing premise.
GameCritics (290 KP) rated Prison Architect in Video Games
Oct 20, 2017
Prison Architect is an engaging experience, adding personality to a genre that's failed to evolve in years. Between a range of interlinking mechanics and ingeniously portrayed narrative, the game sits among the best management simulations
Critic- Matt Brown
Original Score: 4 out of 5
Read Review: https://www.windowscentral.com/review-prison-architect
Original Score: 4 out of 5
Read Review: https://www.windowscentral.com/review-prison-architect
GameCritics (290 KP) rated South Park: The Fractured But Whole in Video Games
Oct 26, 2017
Easily the funniest videogame since Stick of Truth and sure to be the funniest until whenever the hell Trey Parker and Matt Stone decide to do this again.
Critic- CGM
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.cgmagonline.com/reviews/south-park-fractured-whole-ps4-review-smart-smutty-silly-sublime/
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.cgmagonline.com/reviews/south-park-fractured-whole-ps4-review-smart-smutty-silly-sublime/
GameCritics (290 KP) rated Tekken 7 in Video Games
Oct 26, 2017
Overall, this is the pinnacle of the Tekken series – a joy to play, with a wealth of content, that's as challenging and precise for aficionados as it is inviting and engaging for neophytes.
Critic- Matt Kamen
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/tekken-7-review
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/tekken-7-review
MusicCritics (472 KP) rated Prince Of Tears by Baxter Dury in Music
Nov 2, 2017
Sounding a bit bare at first, it may take a few spins for Prince of Tears to reveal its appeal but it shows the younger Dury is a talented songwriter in his own right
Critic- Matt the Raven
Original Score: 7 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/baxter_dury_prince_of_tears/
Original Score: 7 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/baxter_dury_prince_of_tears/
Peter G. (247 KP) rated The Great Wall (2016) in Movies
Jun 5, 2019
I would call this movie a Matt Damon vacation movie, one that pays the Bill's between blockbusters and is Entertaining yet non taxing
Scenes and SFX look beautiful and is a visual feast, the sound design is well thought through, just a very predictable story, an easy watch but not essential!
Scenes and SFX look beautiful and is a visual feast, the sound design is well thought through, just a very predictable story, an easy watch but not essential!
Peter G. (247 KP) rated The Martian (2015) in Movies
Jun 12, 2019
A retelling of Robinson Crusoe for the modern Era that is well acted and executed.
The struggle is very real given that a deserted island has been substituted for Mars and Matt Damon is the Math genius/astronaut that finds ingenious ways to make food until he can be rescued!
The struggle is very real given that a deserted island has been substituted for Mars and Matt Damon is the Math genius/astronaut that finds ingenious ways to make food until he can be rescued!
Dean (6925 KP) rated The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) in Movies
Feb 20, 2018
High-quality cinematography (2 more)
Matt Smith love that man
All the subtle references to the time period of the show
Way too much drama I know it's a drama but I'm not big on those (1 more)
Can be very slow at times
Not really my preferred genre watched at a friend's house
Cumberland (1142 KP) rated All The Broken Pieces in Books
Feb 4, 2019
Loved it
This is a middle grade read that was wrote in a poetry style. Matt is a young boy living with an adoptive family in the United States after the army pulled him out of Vietnam during the war.
This book was heartbreaking at times. Matt has suffered a lot, and he is still blaming himself for the past. He is a character that you want to cheer for, and see succeed. The book also does a great job of showing how other characters were effected by the war, and how that eventually has an impact on Matt's life.
I would consider this book a must read for its target age group.
This book was heartbreaking at times. Matt has suffered a lot, and he is still blaming himself for the past. He is a character that you want to cheer for, and see succeed. The book also does a great job of showing how other characters were effected by the war, and how that eventually has an impact on Matt's life.
I would consider this book a must read for its target age group.