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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Run Lola Run (1999) in Movies
Nov 2, 2020
Heart-racing!
If someone asked me to describe Run Lola Run in a phrase or a few words, I would say, “Think Groundhog Day if it were a heist movie.” Though not quite on the same level as Groundhog Day, Run Lola Run definitely provides its share of intriguing moments. The plot: Lola has twenty minutes to come up with the money her boyfriend lost or he will be killed by gangsters.
Acting: 10
Very believable performances all around. Franka Potente is great as Lola, really helping to add to the overall desperation of the story. As leads go, I was very impressed with how she kept me engaged in the story with her great command of the role. What she had to do was not easy in the slightest. I won’t go into detail as to why for fear of ruining the movie, but let’s just say she was asked to do a lot in a short amount of time.
Beginning: 5
Characters: 6
With everything happening at such a fast clip, they definitely didn’t waste time on character development. While this alone wouldn’t have been enough to propel this movie to high-quality status, it certainly would have helped. Without stronger characters, I felt like the movie lacked in true substance. Sure it was fun, but the end result didn’t leave room for me to care because I didn’t have strong characters to care about.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Time is the conflict here and that concept is used extremely well. Every moment feels dire and extreme. You honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next. The movie does an excellent job of keeping you guessing. Expect a lot of strong moments that will keep your heart racing!
Entertainment Value: 7
Memorability: 3
Personally, the movie didn’t do enough to stick out in my memory bank. Not that it wasn’t decent, but that was the problem for me: It was just decent. There were no over-the-top scenes that blew me away. I would be happy watching this once…and never again.
Pace: 10
Full use was made of the 81-minute runtime. Run Lola Run keeps you engaged from beginning to end. For what it’s worth, I don’t recall many dull parts, if any.
Plot: 2
Resolution: 10
Satisfying ending to tie the story up nicely. It was good, almost frustratingly so. If the story had been that level of quality, I would be in love with this movie.
Overall: 73
Don’t get me wrong, I can totally see why so many people are enamored with Run Lola Run. Unfortunately for me it was just ok. I would certainly recommend a one-time watch, but it doesn’t hold up as a classic for me.
Acting: 10
Very believable performances all around. Franka Potente is great as Lola, really helping to add to the overall desperation of the story. As leads go, I was very impressed with how she kept me engaged in the story with her great command of the role. What she had to do was not easy in the slightest. I won’t go into detail as to why for fear of ruining the movie, but let’s just say she was asked to do a lot in a short amount of time.
Beginning: 5
Characters: 6
With everything happening at such a fast clip, they definitely didn’t waste time on character development. While this alone wouldn’t have been enough to propel this movie to high-quality status, it certainly would have helped. Without stronger characters, I felt like the movie lacked in true substance. Sure it was fun, but the end result didn’t leave room for me to care because I didn’t have strong characters to care about.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Time is the conflict here and that concept is used extremely well. Every moment feels dire and extreme. You honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next. The movie does an excellent job of keeping you guessing. Expect a lot of strong moments that will keep your heart racing!
Entertainment Value: 7
Memorability: 3
Personally, the movie didn’t do enough to stick out in my memory bank. Not that it wasn’t decent, but that was the problem for me: It was just decent. There were no over-the-top scenes that blew me away. I would be happy watching this once…and never again.
Pace: 10
Full use was made of the 81-minute runtime. Run Lola Run keeps you engaged from beginning to end. For what it’s worth, I don’t recall many dull parts, if any.
Plot: 2
Resolution: 10
Satisfying ending to tie the story up nicely. It was good, almost frustratingly so. If the story had been that level of quality, I would be in love with this movie.
Overall: 73
Don’t get me wrong, I can totally see why so many people are enamored with Run Lola Run. Unfortunately for me it was just ok. I would certainly recommend a one-time watch, but it doesn’t hold up as a classic for me.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Blithe Spirit (2020) in Movies
Mar 31, 2021 (Updated Mar 31, 2021)
The women act like shrews. (6 more)
Cheap jokes.
Lack of class and style.
Poor character development.
No depth to the characters at all.
Unsophisticated.
Would have been funnier without the sex jokes.
No! No! No! This is not the way Noel Coward is meant to be seen. Avoid this!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I am a HUGE fan of Noel Coward and absolutely adore the original Blithe Spirit. I had high hopes for this version as I like all of the actors involved in the movie. Unfortunately, it was a complete disappointment. Judi Dench's Madame Arcati paled in the memory of Margaret Rutherford, though much of the dialogue and actions during the seance scene were the same. She tried her best but the script just wasn't any good. I did appreciate the backstory of her losing her husband in the Boer War and that being the reason she was interested in the occult. The significance of the song Always was not mentioned, though it was very important to the plot in the original and made the movie relatable. Gone was the ethereal, sweet, mischievous little minx Elvira, played by Kay Hammond in the original. Enter the selfish, unlovable shrew of a first wife, played by the usually lovable Leslie Mann in the remake. The relationship between Charles and Elvira does not make any sense to the viewer and there was no point for them to have been together or for her to have thought of her and to bring her forth in the present. This is a missed plot point. In the original, it is actually the maid who was thinking of Elvira, not Charles, but the maid is merely a go-between for props in this movie and has no reason for being there, nor the chef. The relationship between Ruth and Charles is also not a good one and they have no reason to be together in this remake, though in the original, they at least have a few things in common. They seem to have nothing but derision toward each other. Again, I don't see the point of them being together. All of them are miserable together. Even when Elvira and Charles are intimate, it is not for romance and love but for mere hatred, jealousy, and spite. There is even a cheap crotch shot joke that I was appalled to see in this work. And the ending of the movie makes little sense. It's hardly the charming farce Noel Coward intended. Oh, the horrors. Skip this version. Watch the original. Trust me on this. This movie is not the way Noel Coward is meant to be seen.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Crysis Remastered in Video Games
Oct 8, 2020
Back in 2007 EA released Crysis which touted a new gaming engine and state of the art technology. The game inspired sequels but many people found the game ran clunky on their PCs as the new engine had some pretty hefty technology requirements.
In the age of remasters gamers now can experience the game with remastered graphics which brings the graphics in the game to a more modern level.
Players play a member of an elite unit who wear specialized Nano Suits during high-risk missions. The suits can make the wearer invisible, move faster, and armor up to absorb energy. The biggest issue is that those abilities do take a considerable amount of power and can only be used for brief increments so players will have to use them strategically.
When a mission goes wrong players must attempt to battle hordes of North Korean troops and other threats to achieve various goals and mission objectives.
Players will be able to utilize an arsenal of weapons ranging from pistols, shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and their fists and must make sure to use ammunition wisely as the supply is not infinite and players will have to recover weapons from enemies when they deplete their ammunition or resort to using their fists until they can find resupply options.
While the game does look more modern, the gameplay is still jerky especially in combat. Compared to modern shooters the smoothness and speed factor is lacking and it at times has a herky-jerky gameplay to it. Being able to cleanly shoot an enemy is erratic as some are real bullet sponges while others in the same class go down fairly easily.
The game also uses a checkpoint save system so failing to complete an objective will have players trying a scenario repeatedly until they are successful.
Players will also be able to utilize vehicles that they find which can help when they need to make a fast escape from a location or if they opt to make a direct assault.
The sound and graphics of the game are solid but the gameplay was decidedly retro and had many of the issues that bothered me with the original release. I had hoped for a total redo but in many ways it was like slapping a new coat of paint on an old car and expecting top of the line performance.
Crysis: Remastered is a nice trip down memory lane but pails when compared to more modern games in terms of enjoyment as I think a new game in the series would have been better. Perhaps this is a way to test what the current demand for the franchise is. For now the game is a nice piece of updated nostalgia.
In the age of remasters gamers now can experience the game with remastered graphics which brings the graphics in the game to a more modern level.
Players play a member of an elite unit who wear specialized Nano Suits during high-risk missions. The suits can make the wearer invisible, move faster, and armor up to absorb energy. The biggest issue is that those abilities do take a considerable amount of power and can only be used for brief increments so players will have to use them strategically.
When a mission goes wrong players must attempt to battle hordes of North Korean troops and other threats to achieve various goals and mission objectives.
Players will be able to utilize an arsenal of weapons ranging from pistols, shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and their fists and must make sure to use ammunition wisely as the supply is not infinite and players will have to recover weapons from enemies when they deplete their ammunition or resort to using their fists until they can find resupply options.
While the game does look more modern, the gameplay is still jerky especially in combat. Compared to modern shooters the smoothness and speed factor is lacking and it at times has a herky-jerky gameplay to it. Being able to cleanly shoot an enemy is erratic as some are real bullet sponges while others in the same class go down fairly easily.
The game also uses a checkpoint save system so failing to complete an objective will have players trying a scenario repeatedly until they are successful.
Players will also be able to utilize vehicles that they find which can help when they need to make a fast escape from a location or if they opt to make a direct assault.
The sound and graphics of the game are solid but the gameplay was decidedly retro and had many of the issues that bothered me with the original release. I had hoped for a total redo but in many ways it was like slapping a new coat of paint on an old car and expecting top of the line performance.
Crysis: Remastered is a nice trip down memory lane but pails when compared to more modern games in terms of enjoyment as I think a new game in the series would have been better. Perhaps this is a way to test what the current demand for the franchise is. For now the game is a nice piece of updated nostalgia.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Blinded by the Light (2019) in Movies
Jul 10, 2019
One of the joys of having a cinema card are the previews, because you chose to pay monthly or yearly for unlimited films you get to see some films early, this can be anything from a day to a month. Then there are the secret films, a preview that can be a few months early but you only find out what you are seeing when the certificate card comes up. This is how I came to see Blinded by the Light. As the title came up I dug through my memory to see if I'd seen any trailers, I thought I had but couldn't remember anything about it. Five people left cinema so there must have been some trailers but people leaving doesn't really tell you much, there's always some one who leaves and it's better than the people who stay and mumble about how rubbish it is. After the title came the words ‘Inspired by real events.’ Which still doesn't give to much away, it could be an over the top farce like ‘I Tonya', a black comedy like ‘Three Billboards’ or a dull trudge like ‘The Post'.
It turns out that 'Blinded by the Light' is not really any of these, it's more of a 'slice of life' it the slice is a couple of years. The film centres on Javed, a Pakistani teen living in Luton, England in the late 1980s. Javed has written diaries and poems for most of his life but, due to his family life he has always kept them to himself. Not long after starting his A levels Javed is introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen and finds that the lyrics speak to him in a way he's never felt before.
Blinded by the Light is a film about family, friends and finding your place. Javed starts off as a quiet, bookish character who, thanks to the people around him and his growing love of Bruce Springsteen records manages to find himself. However, this change leaded to problems as he clash’s with family and friends.
Being set in 80s and being about a Pakistani family the film also touches on the problem of racism and, from the clips I remembered from the trailer I found myself wondering if it was going to erupt into violence in the style of films like 'Made in England'. However, 'blinded by the Light' takes a more family friendly view, it does show some racism but less ‘violent’ and more personal making ‘Blinded by the Light’ a more family friendly film.
Although music plays a large part of the film it is not the music itself that’s important but the effect that it has on Javed, showing how the right music can change someone’s life.
It turns out that 'Blinded by the Light' is not really any of these, it's more of a 'slice of life' it the slice is a couple of years. The film centres on Javed, a Pakistani teen living in Luton, England in the late 1980s. Javed has written diaries and poems for most of his life but, due to his family life he has always kept them to himself. Not long after starting his A levels Javed is introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen and finds that the lyrics speak to him in a way he's never felt before.
Blinded by the Light is a film about family, friends and finding your place. Javed starts off as a quiet, bookish character who, thanks to the people around him and his growing love of Bruce Springsteen records manages to find himself. However, this change leaded to problems as he clash’s with family and friends.
Being set in 80s and being about a Pakistani family the film also touches on the problem of racism and, from the clips I remembered from the trailer I found myself wondering if it was going to erupt into violence in the style of films like 'Made in England'. However, 'blinded by the Light' takes a more family friendly view, it does show some racism but less ‘violent’ and more personal making ‘Blinded by the Light’ a more family friendly film.
Although music plays a large part of the film it is not the music itself that’s important but the effect that it has on Javed, showing how the right music can change someone’s life.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Mr. Holmes (2015) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Sherlock Holmes is one of the iconic characters in any mystery tale, this time we following him in his latter years, as we follow the three moments, the last case he didn’t solve, the trip to Japan and how he is writing the story about his last case. This character is interesting to find because we see a great mind struggling to remember everything that he should. Mrs Munro is the housekeeper looking after Sherlock while he focuses on his projects and bees, she does want to move away with her son because she finds Sherlock more in need of a nurse than a housekeeper. Roger is her young son that Sherlock takes under his wing, he is eager to learn more about his stories and the bees which can leave him in trouble at times. Tamiki has invited Sherlock to Japan, claiming to be a big fan, but he has different motives for this, we don’t really see enough of this character though.
Performances – Ian McKellen is fantastic in the leading role, but could we expect anything less from one of the greatest of all times? Laura Linney has always been able to mould herself into any supporting character and here is no different. Milo Parker is good for a child star, nailing the important scenes and keeping his innocence about him. Hiroyuki Sanada is a man we would have liked to have seen more in this film, I feel there is a lot more that we could have had from his character.
Story – Sherlock Holmes, the icon, the legend, the detective that solves every case, is now old and trying to put together parts of his memory o finish a final book, as he tries to remember the chapters of his life. Following the three different stages of his elderly life, can in places become confusing, but everything is tied up by the end and plays into the idea of what is real or part of a story well. The pace of the story is slow in places which doesn’t help keep on top of everything though.
Mystery – The mystery side of the film, comes off slow, we have a couple of mysteries Holmes wants to solve, but we never get left in a position to want to see them unfold.
Settings – The settings play into the late 40s well, Japan is haunting for this, the beach/cliff top location looks beautiful too.
Scene of the Movie – Japan and the aftermath.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is very slow.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow mystery movie that does focus on certain parts of the later life of a Holmes figure which is different as it is him battle against his own mind while trying to remember or solve the cases.
Overall: Slow, but interesting.
Performances – Ian McKellen is fantastic in the leading role, but could we expect anything less from one of the greatest of all times? Laura Linney has always been able to mould herself into any supporting character and here is no different. Milo Parker is good for a child star, nailing the important scenes and keeping his innocence about him. Hiroyuki Sanada is a man we would have liked to have seen more in this film, I feel there is a lot more that we could have had from his character.
Story – Sherlock Holmes, the icon, the legend, the detective that solves every case, is now old and trying to put together parts of his memory o finish a final book, as he tries to remember the chapters of his life. Following the three different stages of his elderly life, can in places become confusing, but everything is tied up by the end and plays into the idea of what is real or part of a story well. The pace of the story is slow in places which doesn’t help keep on top of everything though.
Mystery – The mystery side of the film, comes off slow, we have a couple of mysteries Holmes wants to solve, but we never get left in a position to want to see them unfold.
Settings – The settings play into the late 40s well, Japan is haunting for this, the beach/cliff top location looks beautiful too.
Scene of the Movie – Japan and the aftermath.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is very slow.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow mystery movie that does focus on certain parts of the later life of a Holmes figure which is different as it is him battle against his own mind while trying to remember or solve the cases.
Overall: Slow, but interesting.
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