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Awix (3310 KP) rated Konga (1961) in Movies
Sep 7, 2019 (Updated Sep 7, 2019)
Staggeringly camp entry to the annals of man-in-a-gorilla-suit fantasy deserves about a 2 as a serious drama, but earns a much higher mark for sheer entertainment value. Michael Gough chews the scenery energetically as a mad scientist whose stated plans to discover the secrets of life by breeding giant rubber Venus fly traps actually seem to revolve around him leching all over his attractive female students and sending his pet ape Konga to strangle people. It all ends badly, as you might expect.
You have admire a film where people are given lines like 'There's a monster gorilla that's constantly growing to outlandish proportions loose in the streets!' and manage to deliver them with a relatively straight face - or perhaps that's just me. Much here to appreciate if you enjoy overacting, dodgy special effects, absurd melodrama, and terrible dialogue. The climax feels a bit bolted on considering what has come before, and it's disappointingly limp and static, but a hugely enjoyable Bad Movie in all other respects.
You have admire a film where people are given lines like 'There's a monster gorilla that's constantly growing to outlandish proportions loose in the streets!' and manage to deliver them with a relatively straight face - or perhaps that's just me. Much here to appreciate if you enjoy overacting, dodgy special effects, absurd melodrama, and terrible dialogue. The climax feels a bit bolted on considering what has come before, and it's disappointingly limp and static, but a hugely enjoyable Bad Movie in all other respects.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Has anyone got an aspirin?
Shhh! Don’t tell anyone I told you this but I’m a little bit of a Transformers fanboy. As a child I had many of the series’ toys and adored the animated series. Heck, I even have an Optimus Prime bobblehead next to my bed.
So when director Michael Bay announced in 2005 that he was planning a Transformers live-action movie with Steven Spielberg as producer, my heart skipped a beat. 2007 came and the film was everything I wanted.
Fast forward ten years and the series has, rightly or wrongly, become a laughing stock for critics the world over. Derided for nonsensical plots, messy special effects and in some cases racism, it’s been regarded as one of the worst film franchises of all time. Does the fifth entry in the franchise, The Last Knight redeem the series somewhat?
Humans are at war with the Transformers and Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) has disappeared. The key to saving the future lies buried in the secrets of the past and the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Now, it’s up to the alliance of Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Bumblebee, a Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and an Oxford professor (Laura Haddock) to save the planet.
Michael Bay’s swansong is definitely the best of the series since the 2007 original, but suffers from all the problems of its 3 sequels.
On a budget of $260million, there was no doubt The Last Knight would look spectacular, but things really have stepped up a gear. The CGI is some of the best put to film and makes the uncharacteristically sloppy special effects of Age of Extinction look incredibly dated.
The Transformers themselves all look great with Bumblebee in particular taking on the role of “lead bot”. Newcomer Squeeks is sure to become the BB-8 of the franchise and is predictably adorable despite his limited screen-time.
Of the cast, it’s a story of same old. The voice acting on all the Transformers is good with a disappointingly underused Peter Cullen stealing the show once again. Mark Wahlberg is permanently likeable and it’s always a pleasure having John Turturro’s Agent Simmons returning to the screen. Laura Haddock is the typical Michael Bay choice of female lead, channelling Megan Fox, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Nicola Peltz.
However, Sir Anthony Hopkins is where this film raises itself above the parapet. The veteran actor is really exceptional and brightens the movie in every single scene he appears in. You can tell he’s not taking it too seriously, and that is exactly the point of this series.
Sure, the plot is a hot steaming mess of nonsensical dialogue with loose strands of story, and at 149 minutes it’s a good half hour too long, but with all the fear and hate in real life, sometimes it’s nice to switch your brain off and escape to a world where robots exist – and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Michael Bay may not be the subtlest of directors. Give him a classy love story and he’ll turn it into Fifty Shades of Grey, but he’s clearly a very clever man. The critics have savaged this franchise but audiences keep coming back for more and who can blame them?
If this is, as has been said by the man himself, Michael Bay’s last entry into the Transformers canon, then it’s not a bad film to leave on whatsoever.
You know the score by now. Don’t go in expecting Shakespeare or Oscar-winning performances and you’ll be fine. Just make sure you take some paracetamol; crikey it’s loud.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/06/24/transformers-the-last-knight-review/
So when director Michael Bay announced in 2005 that he was planning a Transformers live-action movie with Steven Spielberg as producer, my heart skipped a beat. 2007 came and the film was everything I wanted.
Fast forward ten years and the series has, rightly or wrongly, become a laughing stock for critics the world over. Derided for nonsensical plots, messy special effects and in some cases racism, it’s been regarded as one of the worst film franchises of all time. Does the fifth entry in the franchise, The Last Knight redeem the series somewhat?
Humans are at war with the Transformers and Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) has disappeared. The key to saving the future lies buried in the secrets of the past and the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Now, it’s up to the alliance of Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Bumblebee, a Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and an Oxford professor (Laura Haddock) to save the planet.
Michael Bay’s swansong is definitely the best of the series since the 2007 original, but suffers from all the problems of its 3 sequels.
On a budget of $260million, there was no doubt The Last Knight would look spectacular, but things really have stepped up a gear. The CGI is some of the best put to film and makes the uncharacteristically sloppy special effects of Age of Extinction look incredibly dated.
The Transformers themselves all look great with Bumblebee in particular taking on the role of “lead bot”. Newcomer Squeeks is sure to become the BB-8 of the franchise and is predictably adorable despite his limited screen-time.
Of the cast, it’s a story of same old. The voice acting on all the Transformers is good with a disappointingly underused Peter Cullen stealing the show once again. Mark Wahlberg is permanently likeable and it’s always a pleasure having John Turturro’s Agent Simmons returning to the screen. Laura Haddock is the typical Michael Bay choice of female lead, channelling Megan Fox, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Nicola Peltz.
However, Sir Anthony Hopkins is where this film raises itself above the parapet. The veteran actor is really exceptional and brightens the movie in every single scene he appears in. You can tell he’s not taking it too seriously, and that is exactly the point of this series.
Sure, the plot is a hot steaming mess of nonsensical dialogue with loose strands of story, and at 149 minutes it’s a good half hour too long, but with all the fear and hate in real life, sometimes it’s nice to switch your brain off and escape to a world where robots exist – and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Michael Bay may not be the subtlest of directors. Give him a classy love story and he’ll turn it into Fifty Shades of Grey, but he’s clearly a very clever man. The critics have savaged this franchise but audiences keep coming back for more and who can blame them?
If this is, as has been said by the man himself, Michael Bay’s last entry into the Transformers canon, then it’s not a bad film to leave on whatsoever.
You know the score by now. Don’t go in expecting Shakespeare or Oscar-winning performances and you’ll be fine. Just make sure you take some paracetamol; crikey it’s loud.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/06/24/transformers-the-last-knight-review/
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Foxcatcher (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
‘Foxcatcher’ stars Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Carell, Sienna Miller, and Vanessa Redgrave with an appearance by Anthony Michael Hall and tells an account of Olympic Gold Medal Wrestling Champions, brothers Mark and Dave Schultz and their dealings with their millionaire coach, paranoid-schizophrenic John du Pont who eventually murdered Dave Schultz in 1996.
The film has already been received extremely well by critics and has been praised for the performances of Ruffalo, Tatum, and Carell as the three underwent complete character transformations. The film premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival and director Bennett Miller took home the award for best director. As someone who has seen the film I can tell you that at first I didn’t recognize any of the three lead actors when their characters first appeared on screen in the movie. I would bet money on this film being nominated for Oscars, Emmys, and any other movie awards that I cannot imagine right now based on their performances alone. Channing Tatum has even been quoted as say that this was the hardest acting challenge he has had to date in his career.
In the course of the film, we see a unique look inside the mind of an Olympic athlete via Canning Tatum’s performance as Mark Schultz and how they start out as ‘pure’ and patriotic and how those athletes can be corrupted with the promise of big money for sponsorship or with the purpose of restoring and repeating the ‘glory and standing’ they experienced previously and how it reaches into their lives and the lives of the athlete’s families. Example, in the film when at coach John du Pont’s (Carell) insistence, Mark tries to convince his brother Dave (Ruffalo) to join him in putting together team ‘Foxcatcher’ to train wrestlers for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. At first, Dave declines for the reason of not wanting to uproot his family from their home. Later on though, when its of du Pont’s opinion that Mark’s efforts are unsatisfactory du Pont takes matters into his own hands and convinces Dave himself of signing on thereby alienating Mark from and then from his brother. Eventually, the brothers reconcile but this appears to enrage du Pont who’se already starting to display the symptoms associated with paranoid-schizophrenia. Which some say is the true culprit behind du Pont’s mixer of Dave Schultz.
I would personally give this film 4 out of 5 stars. Bennett Miller couldn’t have done a better job directing this film and once again, the performances by Tatum, Ruffalo, and Carell were amazing and I have no doubt that they will become major millstones in their careers. However, there is the obvious downside of knowing the outcome in this particular instance. Although I did indeed enjoy the film it was also for all intents and purposes, the film was basically a two hour march to death for the character of Dave Schultz which was a major bummer. But hey, that’s not the fault of anyone involved in the film. That’s just what happens when you watch a true crime story. That’s my only gripe in regards to the film though. I say go see it. It is a two hour film though so be sure you grab a meal and a few beverages before you hit the theater.
This is your friendly neighborhood freelance photographer ‘The CameraMan’ and on behalf of my fellows at ‘Skewed & Reviewed’ , thanks for reading … and we’ll see you at the movies!
The film has already been received extremely well by critics and has been praised for the performances of Ruffalo, Tatum, and Carell as the three underwent complete character transformations. The film premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival and director Bennett Miller took home the award for best director. As someone who has seen the film I can tell you that at first I didn’t recognize any of the three lead actors when their characters first appeared on screen in the movie. I would bet money on this film being nominated for Oscars, Emmys, and any other movie awards that I cannot imagine right now based on their performances alone. Channing Tatum has even been quoted as say that this was the hardest acting challenge he has had to date in his career.
In the course of the film, we see a unique look inside the mind of an Olympic athlete via Canning Tatum’s performance as Mark Schultz and how they start out as ‘pure’ and patriotic and how those athletes can be corrupted with the promise of big money for sponsorship or with the purpose of restoring and repeating the ‘glory and standing’ they experienced previously and how it reaches into their lives and the lives of the athlete’s families. Example, in the film when at coach John du Pont’s (Carell) insistence, Mark tries to convince his brother Dave (Ruffalo) to join him in putting together team ‘Foxcatcher’ to train wrestlers for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. At first, Dave declines for the reason of not wanting to uproot his family from their home. Later on though, when its of du Pont’s opinion that Mark’s efforts are unsatisfactory du Pont takes matters into his own hands and convinces Dave himself of signing on thereby alienating Mark from and then from his brother. Eventually, the brothers reconcile but this appears to enrage du Pont who’se already starting to display the symptoms associated with paranoid-schizophrenia. Which some say is the true culprit behind du Pont’s mixer of Dave Schultz.
I would personally give this film 4 out of 5 stars. Bennett Miller couldn’t have done a better job directing this film and once again, the performances by Tatum, Ruffalo, and Carell were amazing and I have no doubt that they will become major millstones in their careers. However, there is the obvious downside of knowing the outcome in this particular instance. Although I did indeed enjoy the film it was also for all intents and purposes, the film was basically a two hour march to death for the character of Dave Schultz which was a major bummer. But hey, that’s not the fault of anyone involved in the film. That’s just what happens when you watch a true crime story. That’s my only gripe in regards to the film though. I say go see it. It is a two hour film though so be sure you grab a meal and a few beverages before you hit the theater.
This is your friendly neighborhood freelance photographer ‘The CameraMan’ and on behalf of my fellows at ‘Skewed & Reviewed’ , thanks for reading … and we’ll see you at the movies!
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) in Movies
Dec 27, 2017
Visuals on par with the comic (2 more)
True to the source material
Superb voice talent
Using R rating incorrectly (1 more)
Batgirl
Missed opportunity
Contains spoilers, click to show
I remember reading the source graphic novel when it was first released in 1988 thinking "this would make a cool movie". This was even before the 1989 Michael Keaton-Tim Burton film in 1989.
In the modern world of the R rated Logan and Deadpool, it's now possible to push the envelope; however, not sure about an animated film. The character of Batman certainly is very dark and some of his emotional issues and those of the Joker could venture into those realms, but the tone of this film seem wrong.
The character of Batgirl seemed to be a victim rather than the strong character she is normally, and the "sex" scene between them seemed a little unusual. The brutality inflicted upon her at the hands of the Joker also was a bit much.
The highlight of the experience was listening to Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their now infamous Batman and Joker characters once again.
Overall, the film may have been better off to take "inspiration" from the novel rather than trying to reproduce it 100%.
In the modern world of the R rated Logan and Deadpool, it's now possible to push the envelope; however, not sure about an animated film. The character of Batman certainly is very dark and some of his emotional issues and those of the Joker could venture into those realms, but the tone of this film seem wrong.
The character of Batgirl seemed to be a victim rather than the strong character she is normally, and the "sex" scene between them seemed a little unusual. The brutality inflicted upon her at the hands of the Joker also was a bit much.
The highlight of the experience was listening to Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their now infamous Batman and Joker characters once again.
Overall, the film may have been better off to take "inspiration" from the novel rather than trying to reproduce it 100%.
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated Spotlight (2015) in Movies
Jul 28, 2017
The story is amazing (2 more)
Heartfelt writing
The best ensemble cast in years
Wow. Just wow
Michael fucking Keaton!!!!
Holy shit!!!!
Although he will always be Beetlejuice to me, he keeps proving to me time and time again that he is one of the finest dramatic actors of our time. Id even go as far to say of anytime.
This movie follows the Boston Globe's Spotlight team in the early 2000's as they break a scandal involving the Catholic Church's involvement in a priest molestation case.
Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Leiv Shriver (spelling incorrect I know) also star, as well as a few other familiar faces.
This is not my typical movie, but when something stars Keaton, I check it out. And it didn't disappoint.
It's long, drawn out, and sometimes boring. But in this reviewers opinion, totally worth a watch.
The number 87 will forever stick out in my mind as something that reminds me of that wretched feeling you get in your stomach before you vomit.
Based on true events that transpired over an almost 55 year period, if not longer.
Holy shit!!!!
Although he will always be Beetlejuice to me, he keeps proving to me time and time again that he is one of the finest dramatic actors of our time. Id even go as far to say of anytime.
This movie follows the Boston Globe's Spotlight team in the early 2000's as they break a scandal involving the Catholic Church's involvement in a priest molestation case.
Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Leiv Shriver (spelling incorrect I know) also star, as well as a few other familiar faces.
This is not my typical movie, but when something stars Keaton, I check it out. And it didn't disappoint.
It's long, drawn out, and sometimes boring. But in this reviewers opinion, totally worth a watch.
The number 87 will forever stick out in my mind as something that reminds me of that wretched feeling you get in your stomach before you vomit.
Based on true events that transpired over an almost 55 year period, if not longer.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Two Ravens and One Crow (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #4.5) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
This is a short story, that seems to follow the usual Kevin Hearne's strategy of setting a short story between the 'main courses' of his full novels: a taster, if you will, of what those novels are like.
In this particular case, this story is set after the events of [b:Tricked|106843|Tricked|Alex Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347400465s/106843.jpg|102982] but before (I believe, not having read it yet!) of those from [b:Trapped|8428140|Trapped|Michael Northrop|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395769555s/8428140.jpg|13291342], and deals some more with the aftermath of Atticus's trip to Valhalla in [b:Hammered|10443590|Hammered|Mark Ward|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328728608s/10443590.jpg|15348265].
The Two Ravens of the title refers to Odin's birds Hugin and Munin, while the One Crow is the Morrigan, who appears to Atticus six years into training his apprentice Granuaile and insists that he must go on a journey with her.
If I'm honest, I found the previous full-length novel ([b:Tricked|106843|Tricked|Alex Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347400465s/106843.jpg|102982]) to be a bit of a let-down; thankfully he appears to be back on form in this short story.
:-)
In this particular case, this story is set after the events of [b:Tricked|106843|Tricked|Alex Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347400465s/106843.jpg|102982] but before (I believe, not having read it yet!) of those from [b:Trapped|8428140|Trapped|Michael Northrop|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395769555s/8428140.jpg|13291342], and deals some more with the aftermath of Atticus's trip to Valhalla in [b:Hammered|10443590|Hammered|Mark Ward|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328728608s/10443590.jpg|15348265].
The Two Ravens of the title refers to Odin's birds Hugin and Munin, while the One Crow is the Morrigan, who appears to Atticus six years into training his apprentice Granuaile and insists that he must go on a journey with her.
If I'm honest, I found the previous full-length novel ([b:Tricked|106843|Tricked|Alex Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347400465s/106843.jpg|102982]) to be a bit of a let-down; thankfully he appears to be back on form in this short story.
:-)
Merissa (11646 KP) rated Island Tales Vol. 1 (Island Tales #1-2) in Books
Jul 16, 2019
Island Tales Vol. 1 (Island Tales #1-2) by K.C. Wells
Two feel-good stories in one volume, both set in the gorgeous Isle of Wight, UK. Both of them are written extremely well, with emotions clearly showing, and reasons given for acting certain ways. The pacing is smooth, and the characters are well-rounded.
Out of the two, I preferred Waiting for a Prince. I loved how Mark and Sam became friends before lovers, and how Sam's history came to light. I was 'glad' to read about a woman abuser (although I know that sounds wrong!) It is something that happens all too often, and yet is not really spoken - or written - about.
I enjoyed September's Tide, but the whole business with Clark just annoyed me, especially when Michael got involved. And, to be honest, I still don't know why he did, or what he stood to gain by it. That's just me though.
A couple of great stories that are easy to read, and definitely recommended to read near the sea!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Out of the two, I preferred Waiting for a Prince. I loved how Mark and Sam became friends before lovers, and how Sam's history came to light. I was 'glad' to read about a woman abuser (although I know that sounds wrong!) It is something that happens all too often, and yet is not really spoken - or written - about.
I enjoyed September's Tide, but the whole business with Clark just annoyed me, especially when Michael got involved. And, to be honest, I still don't know why he did, or what he stood to gain by it. That's just me though.
A couple of great stories that are easy to read, and definitely recommended to read near the sea!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
jameswelsh (3 KP) rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in Movies
Jul 16, 2017
great script (3 more)
very good main villain
fits so well into the mcu
back on form for spidey
spidey back on form
spiderman homecoming, a return to form for the webslinger after a series of disapointing movies. Not since spiderman 2 has there been such a good version of the character. Is it as good as those films know but in terms of the 3rd rami film and the mark webb films this movies is head and shoulder above them. Tom holland is perfectly cast as the hero. He balances the awkwardness and geeky charm of peter parker mixed with the wisecracking and heroism of spidey perfectly. Michael Keaton plays a rare beast a good mcu villian. He plays it so well you hate what he is doing but you can feel for the guy because of what he has been through. all other characters fit there purpose even a small role from iron man brings more connection with the wider mcu and helps further the story. I like the fact they went with the more john hughs feel with this movie. Its good there keeping the character in high school because in my opinion they skipped over that two fast in previous films.
my only criticism is that i found the spiderman suit too gimmicky. he is spiderman not iron spiderman.
in all this is a great film. with a fantastic cast and a great entry into the mcu. I look forward to more spidey in the future.
my only criticism is that i found the spiderman suit too gimmicky. he is spiderman not iron spiderman.
in all this is a great film. with a fantastic cast and a great entry into the mcu. I look forward to more spidey in the future.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Dead by Daylight in Video Games
Jun 20, 2019
A hugely enjoyable, and often frustrating, horror multiplayer
I'll admit first off, that I've put a truly unhealthy amount of hours into Dead By Daylight - I imagine at this point, it's probably around the 700-800 hour mark - certainly enough to have a pretty solid idea of how the game works, and I'll say this - this game is as fun as you make it, and the most important part of that statement is friends.
Communication in DBD is key, and unfortunately, the game is subject to very douchebag-ways of playing (on both the killer and the survivor side).
Playing as one of four survivors can be incredibly frustrating, so jumping in with three friends is an easy fix - and when you're having fun, DBD is an absolute blast, a nice blend of scares, tension, action and teamwork.
Playing as a killer can also be heaps of fun, especially since a number of horror icons have been added as DLC (Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, The Pig from Saw, Ghostface), and they sit nicely alongside a humble roster of original killer characters, all with unique powers and perks, that make playing as them, and surviving against them, into an exciting mix of tactics and gameplay.
DBD does seem to have issues with bugs and glitches fairly regularly, but on the flip side, there are also regular patches and updates, from a Dev team that listen to their player base more often than not.
If you love horror games, the I implore you to get involved.
Communication in DBD is key, and unfortunately, the game is subject to very douchebag-ways of playing (on both the killer and the survivor side).
Playing as one of four survivors can be incredibly frustrating, so jumping in with three friends is an easy fix - and when you're having fun, DBD is an absolute blast, a nice blend of scares, tension, action and teamwork.
Playing as a killer can also be heaps of fun, especially since a number of horror icons have been added as DLC (Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, The Pig from Saw, Ghostface), and they sit nicely alongside a humble roster of original killer characters, all with unique powers and perks, that make playing as them, and surviving against them, into an exciting mix of tactics and gameplay.
DBD does seem to have issues with bugs and glitches fairly regularly, but on the flip side, there are also regular patches and updates, from a Dev team that listen to their player base more often than not.
If you love horror games, the I implore you to get involved.
