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Fire HD 8 Tablet with Alexa
Fire HD 8 Tablet with Alexa
eBook Readers
Affordable (3 more)
Expandable Storage
Good for reading
Good for video
Somewhat poor image quality (2 more)
Some apps/browsers are slow
Need to sideload some apps
Fire HD 8 6th Generation Tablet
For the most part, this is a solid tablet. I mostly use it for reading and watching movies and it works well for those things. Most apps run pretty smoothly on it. The browser (Silk) works pretty well but can be somewhat slow.

Another downside was that I had to sideload Google Play onto this tablet because there are several apps that were not available through Amazon's selection. They do seem to have most things, but obviously, they would prefer you to use their reading platforms over others so some of them are not available through their app store.

The screen may not be as clear as an iPad or some other tablets, but it still works very well. I've watched movies on it and read comics and have had no issues. If it's important to see an image as clear as possible for any reason this may not be the tablet for you. I've spoken with some photographers who will not use this tablet because it somewhat distorts the images they want to view. Of course, for most people, I doubt that will be a problem.

The device has either 16GB or 32 GB options. This may seem small to most people, but the Fire allows you to expand that with an SD card.

If tablet color matters to you, I love the magenta option for this tablet and I think that the color choices of the 6th generation were much better than the current generation.

Overall, this is not a perfect tablet but it is still a great device. If you have the need for high image quality or fast speed, this may not be the tablet for you. If you just want a tablet to enjoy media on that can fit into just about any budget, this might be what you're looking for.
  
The Descent (2005)
The Descent (2005)
2005 | Horror
There are some great British films but would this be one of them?
Contains spoilers, click to show
I watched this with my girlfriend Kelly not knowing what to expect. We knew it was a horror, but it was also a British film. There are some great British films but would this be one of them? The film is about a group of women who get together to explore a set of remote caves. During the expedition they encounter strange creatures and end up having to fight for their lives. Staring Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, MyAnna Buring & Nora-Jane No one. All are great in the roles of the six friends, however Natalie Mendoza stands out for me as Juno. There are undertones of something more with her character and her performance is eerie and mysterious. This film is one of the best modern horror films I have seen. While many modern horror films fall under the category of torture porn like Saw and Hostile, this film doesn't rely on gore and gross out moments to shock you. It manages it in traditional ways using subtle camera effects, building tension and good acting. The director is a genius in his ability to scare you. He builds the tension to a point where you feel you will burst. There are no cheesy moments just good old fashioned scares. And what scares they are. There are moments that truly scare and surprise you. This is one of the best horror movies and a very well made film. The intro is just long enough to give you a good background to the friends and then all hell breaks loose! If you like classic horror movies check this one out. Keep the lights on and if you are watching with your girlfriend, watch out for your hands. Kelly was so scared I thought she would break mine when she squeezed it really hard when she jumped!
  
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Lee (2222 KP) rated Creed II (2018) in Movies

Dec 1, 2018  
Creed II (2018)
Creed II (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, Sport
An Outstanding Sequel
The first Creed movie breathed fresh life into the tired Rocky franchise, introducing Michael B Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed and having Rocky Balboa mentor him through to becoming a professional boxer. All the familiar key elements were there from previous Rocky movies - the training montages, the love interest, the opponent you can't wait to see defeated. But this new take on it all worked well, resulting in a hugely enjoyable movie, and a sequel was inevitable.

With Creed 2, we get even more ties to the Rocky movies. In a bleak looking Ukraine, Ivan Drago lives with son Viktor. In Rocky IV, Ivan was the man responsible for killing Apollo Creed in a boxing match, before suffering defeat at the hands of Rocky in his hometown of Russia in the epic finale. In terms of cinematic experiences, Rocky IV was the absolute peak of the franchise. So intense, drawing unified cheers and applause from the audience I was watching it with, something you don't very often get in the cinema.

That defeat in mother Russia brought shame on Ivan and he and Viktor now live a simple life, with Viktor being trained daily by Ivan and participating in small local boxing matches, pummeling his opponents and drawing the attention of an American boxing promoter. When Adonis Creed wins the heavyweight title over in America, you can almost see the dollar signs flashing in the promoters eyes, and bringing these two together to settle old scores forms the basis of the rest of the movie.

Those familiar plot beats I described earlier, they're all here again, but that's not to say that they're any less enjoyable than when we've seen them before. At times they're even more exciting, with the added intensity coming from knowing that this is a fight that's been over 30 years in the making.

Despite the traditional halfway lull, with our hero experiencing a period of doubt and self reflection, this is once again another intense and uplifting movie. Brilliant.
  
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Good use of humour throughout (0 more)
Emotionally upsetting (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
After winning this in @Smashbomb giveaway recently I sat and watched the movie again. I must admit when i watched it at cinema I nearly walked out after the first five minutes of the movie having watched Loki die, my favourite character. And after having watched it four or five times it's not any easier to watch.
I like this movie as it feel a bit more grown up in terms of the story line than the other avengers movies. You know that this is the build up to the big showdown, and something serious is going to happen.
Having said that they do still manage to keep the humour going all the way through the movie which lightens it up a bit.
I think my favourite thing about it is all the separate characters coming together I.e Dr strange and the guardian's being introduced. The only downfall being Hawkeye and Antman are absent.
Also as much as your supposed to hate him. I kind of love Thanos in the movie, Josh Brolin played him brilliantly, and I would have maybe liked to have known a little more of his back story.
Also the end of this film was so edge of seat suspense, I've never felt like that before watching a film. You so want them to win but know that they won't. I was practically screaming in the cinema at the screen. It has been a ten year journey with the marvel franchise and I've got to say I feel like these movies are a part of me. I think the cliffhanger this movie left on, left everyone in my cinema screen in utter shock and speechless.
The only reason I've marked it down is because there is.one more avengers.movie and I would hope that all this is leading up to a ten out of ten for the final one, as heart breaking and soul destroying that one may be.
Thankyou @Smashbomb for my dvd
  
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Eleanor (1463 KP) Jul 18, 2019

Had the same Loki moment... 😭🙄

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Emma (519 KP) Jul 18, 2019

Even Heimdall made me emotional, worst five minutes of a film ever 😥

Machete (2010)
Machete (2010)
2010 | Action, Mystery
This is the film your parents did not want you to see as a child. Violent, vulgar, and more than a little offensive Machete is shocking, not just for the eyes but also to moral sensibilities. Yet, it is also undeniably funny.

This make believe movie trailer highlighted in the movie Grindhouse was, due to its popularity, turned into a full length feature packed with ridiculous fight scenes and some of the most simplistic dialogue of any modern action film. The visuals stay with you. The action is impressive. This is not just another trip to the movies but a wild chaotic journey at the end of a giant blade.

Director and co-author, Robert Rodriguez, has mixed classic Tarantino styling, the wild world of B movies, and his own flair for dramatic character creation to create a film that is violently astonishing. The fight scenes are engaging from weapon selection all the way to last man standing, and do I really need to tell you who that man is? Of, course not.
Machete is not just your typical anti-hero, he is the vision of an anti-hero with ladies and one-liners in tow. While Danny Trejo (Machete) steals the show he is not the only big name appearing on this cast list. The film is packed with stars such as Jessica Alba (Sartana), Michelle Rodriguez (Luz), and Lindsey Lohan (April), who all play critical characters in this bizarre tale. And so far as the men go, there are also quality performances from Robert De Niro (Senator McLaughlin), Don Johnson (Lt. Stillman), Steven Segal (Torrez) and Cheech Marin (Padre).

Moreover, it is not a stretch to say that this film abruptly addresses some significant stereotypes. In fact Machete doesn’t just confront these issues, it wields a large blade of sarcasm in their direction. Giving a new base line for “over the top,” Machete is sure to be a hit with anyone who is not easily offended.
  
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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Lara Croft - Tomb Raider (2001) in Movies

Aug 11, 2019 (Updated Aug 14, 2019)  
Lara Croft - Tomb Raider (2001)
Lara Croft - Tomb Raider (2001)
2001 | Action, Sci-Fi
I remember very clearly going to see this in the cinema when it came out (I was but a starry eyed 11 year old full of hopes and dreams back then), and I absolutely loved it. It was loud, obnoxious, and it had Lara Croft in it (again - I was an 11 year old boy...)
I also grew up playing the original Tomb Raider trilogy, so this was an exciting event in my pre adolescent life.


As as I've gotten older, it has become apparent that I don't have a lot of love for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider after all. It's just another shoddy video game adaption that doesn't have a lot of meat to it.
It's a film firmly stuck in the early 00s, with leather jackets, shades, and cringey breakbeat dance music in the background (thanks a lot Matrix).

One thing that is a huge positive, and why it still deserves at least 4/10 from me is Angelina Jolie. The script is just awful, but she is the embodiment of the original Lara Croft. It's honestly like watching the original game hero come to life.
The rest of the cast are pretty so-so. An early appearance from Daniel Craig (with a super dodgy American accent) is largely forgettable.
Iain Glen plays a pretty vanilla villain (although I really find it hard to dislike good old Iain), and Lara's assistants (played by Noah Taylor and Chris Barrie) are mostly enjoyable comic relief.

The action scenes aren't too bad (apart from the aforementioned music choices), and it's good to see some actual Tomb Raiding, but unfortunately Jolie alone isn't enough to elevate Tomb Raider above the ever growing pile of underwhelming video game movies.

I would like to finish this review with an apology to my girlfriend (who is also on Smashbomb and who will read this) who absolutely f***ing loves these movies - please don't hate me!
  
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Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) Aug 11, 2019

I enjoyed the 1st when I was younger and still appreciate the effort today, it's still fun to watch but amidst all the 90s pop culture cliches try to Remember...the Cradle of Light....there is no need for it to exist, it started of promising and quickly went south and became its own downfall that just dragged on.
We now have another Tomb raider movie which is clearly heavily based on the Tomb raider videogame reboot but where the game seems to have nailed it - the movie seems to have just missed the mark. Chris barrie was brilliant personally, besides- who doesn't wanna run around in their pj's shooting bad guy's haha.

Curse of Chucky (2013)
Curse of Chucky (2013)
2013 | Horror
A horror franchise this many movies in should be on its arse at this point, but the Child's Play series still manages to be entertaining with it's sixth entry.
After the silliness if Bride and Seed, Curse of Chucky steps back in to horror territory a bit more.

The majority of the film takes place in a creepy old house, as Chucky stalks an entirely new set of victims.

The characters this time around aren't hugely likable, except for Nica (played by Fiona Dourif, Brad Dourif's daughter). Not only is she likable and realistic final girl type, but she pretty badass as well. She is also wheelchair bound, which is a refreshing direction to take in this kind of film, and her disability adds a whole new dynamic to the Chucky series and just makes her more badass.
The plot itself is straightforward slasher material, but the last 20 minutes or so, really hammer home the movies connections to the original film, and the rest of the series. The ret con of Charles Lee Ray's origins and work a treat, and learning about more about him is an unexpected highlight.

The Chucky doll this time around looks weird. Really unsettling actually. There's a semi twist halfway through that actually has something to do with the way Chucky looks, and he's still pretty horrible looking.
The effects are mostly passable - there's a kill quite early on involving a car, that boasts some genuinely impressive practical effects, but it does mean towards CGI after that. Not always a bad thing mind, but there's one shit in particular of Chucky walking down a staircase... It's could have been so so good, but the obvious CGI is horrible...bleughh.

Other than that though, Don Mancini throws some decent camera work at us (the title card is an early highlight) and he successfully makes Curse of Chucky into a decent little horror movie.
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
1995 | Action, Animation, Drama
7
7.8 (4 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
A Must See Classic Of The Time
Contains spoilers, click to show
Re-watching this anime kind of threw me for a loop. I guess I had never really seen the actual anime series and just seen parts or some of the movies. I liked how the series expanded the story of the movies and how it showed more character development and interaction between the characters than I remember. It was also kind of weird and awkward how I don't remember so much of it having to do with Shinji being at the age where he's going through puberty and interest in girls and there being a lot of context that went over my head when I was younger. That being said a lot of that held up quite well for this anime being dated. The thing I didn't like was it didn't really answer the questions I had about the Angels, where they were coming from, what were they, and what was there purpose for attacking. I remember them saying something about them having human DNA or something but that's all I remember. The giant mecha fights were just as good as I remember but with one difference, I didn't remember that they had to have a cord to be plugged in for power. That did give it a different dynamic from most other robot anime I've seen where they can operate forever or don't run out of gas/fuel. I also didn't remember Rei's character being so dull, to me she didn't really have much personality or character development. And totally didn't remember about the boys that he made friends with every came out again let alone one was chosen to pilot an Evangelion. All in all it has it's pros and cons but is definitely a must see for fans of anime and mecha, especially if they've never seen it before. So once again I give it a 7/10.
  
TinkerBell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014)
TinkerBell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014)
2014 | Action, Animation, Family
8
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
To its Credit, Not Bad
As the scout fairies fear the Neverbeast will destroy Pixie Hollow, Fawn has to convince them that the creature is actually a gentle giant.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 10

Characters: 5

Cinematography/Visuals: 10
I have to give credit where it’s due. I have watched all three of the Tinker Bell movies that made it to theaters (not in theaters) and every movie saw improved visuals. It was kind of like watching the Toy Story movies get better over time. By the time they got to the third, the attention that went into just Lotso’s fur was unreal. I love the attention to detail in this Tinker Bell installment from the lush world to the unique creatures.

Conflict: 10

Entertainment Value: 8
At a very quick 76 minutes, this movie manages to do a lot in a little bit. I was very surprised at how much I got into it. The story flows smoothly and you’re rooting for the characters that are driving it.

Memorability: 4

Pace: 10
It should go without saying, but any movie that can tell a story in 76 minutes will not get any negative marks on the pace side from me. As previously mentioned, a lot happens in a little bit of time. I must also say that nothing ever felt rushed or forced, rather it was a natural pacing of story.

Plot: 2

Resolution: 10
Cute ending that put a bit of a smile on my face. The overall story was a hot mess, but at least it ended well. I was definitely satisfied when it was all said and done.

Overall: 79
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast suffers from a weak story that was obviously made for kids. Had they put a bit more time and energy into the plot aspect of things, the score would have been a lot higher. As it stands, it doesn’t quite get out of the “Folding Clothes Movie” category.
  
Men in Black International (2019)
Men in Black International (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Fun Characters, Fun Ride
In this sequel of sorts, two secret agents set out to stop an intergalactic threat. Oh, the reviews for this thing were just plain horrible. Honestly, I didn’t think it was bad. Good? No. Decent enough to watch while folding laundry? Sure.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 8
While the first ten minutes won’t blow you away, it was definitely enough to get my attention. I didn’t watch it and get turned off from the rest of the movie. Not perfect, but still fun.

Characters: 10
Men In Black typically knocks it out of the park with an array of unique characters and Men In Black International is no exception. It’s fun knowing that any and everything could be an alien and watching those lines get blurred is always fun. Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and Agent M (Tessa Thompson) also make a great combo in their reuniting.

Cinematography/Visuals: 10
I love the advancements they have expanded on since the third film. The forcefields blocking an intergalactic scene of the crime is a particularly nice touch. These type of sci-fi movies require much attention to detail and this movie doesn’t disappoint. From the all-white confines of the chic MIB offices to an interspecies card game, the movie is a visual feast.

Conflict: 10
Action you say? Not bad at all. Again, very consistent and fun to watch. The stakes were high enough to keep me engaged. The battles were sprawling and sharp. It really is a good time.

Entertainment Value: 6

Memorability: 1

Pace: 10

Plot: 4

Resolution: 2

Overall: 71
While I liked some of the twists Men In Black International tried to throw in, there was really nothing separating it from being your average, run-of-the-mill action movie. Fun? Sure, but it doesn’t have staying power or hold with stronger movies in the genre. Definitely doesn’t deserve the 22% Rotten Tomatoes gave it, but also not the strongest of the series.