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David McK (3562 KP) rated Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir in Books
Mar 21, 2019
Often cited as the best thing to come out of 'The Phantom Menace', the athletic Darth Maul has developed quite a bit of a fan following since his debut.
Which Lucasfilm (as was) and Disney/Marvel obviously recognised, with - in the expanded universe - Maul surviving his encounter with and bisection by Kenobi, even - SPOILER ALERT - cameoing in the recent Han Solo prequel movie.
This collection of stories, apparently (or so I've heard) is developed from unused Clone Wars scripts, which might explain how - I felt - it assumed familiarity with events that aren't covered/shown in the movies.
For me, that was a bit of a put-off: since I had no previous connection with most of the characters (apart from the obvious, like Maul himself or The Emperor or Sidious), it's kind of hard to care what happens to them!
Which Lucasfilm (as was) and Disney/Marvel obviously recognised, with - in the expanded universe - Maul surviving his encounter with and bisection by Kenobi, even - SPOILER ALERT - cameoing in the recent Han Solo prequel movie.
This collection of stories, apparently (or so I've heard) is developed from unused Clone Wars scripts, which might explain how - I felt - it assumed familiarity with events that aren't covered/shown in the movies.
For me, that was a bit of a put-off: since I had no previous connection with most of the characters (apart from the obvious, like Maul himself or The Emperor or Sidious), it's kind of hard to care what happens to them!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Iron Man 3 (2013) in Movies
Mar 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 28, 2020)
Somewhat atypical Marvel movie solves the problem of how to keep things fresh and interesting by recruiting Shane Black as director, who brings his usual blend of hardboiled thriller and screwball comedy to the genre. When a series of terror attacks by the mysterious Mandarin strikes close to home, Tony Stark vows to take him on - but not all is as it seems...
Hardly an essential movie in terms of the mighty Marvel meta-plot, but still a hugely clever, fun, well-constructed movie. Unfairly gets a raw deal from some comic fans for its radical interpretation of a classic Iron Man villain, but the sparklingly witty script and great performances from the principal cast more than make up for it. Black handles the big-scale action sequences as adroitly as the comic scenes. One of the more underrated movies in the MCU.
Hardly an essential movie in terms of the mighty Marvel meta-plot, but still a hugely clever, fun, well-constructed movie. Unfairly gets a raw deal from some comic fans for its radical interpretation of a classic Iron Man villain, but the sparklingly witty script and great performances from the principal cast more than make up for it. Black handles the big-scale action sequences as adroitly as the comic scenes. One of the more underrated movies in the MCU.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Meg (2018) in Movies
Mar 23, 2019
It's a stupid shark movie, what did you expect!?!
When a deep sea expedition unleashes a prehistoric killer mega shark, a team of divers has use their wits and skill to outwit the mega beast to survive. The animal is cunning and ferocious, so it will take all the crew has got in order to make it through.
Not sure what people were expecting. Certainly not Jaws or a classic horror movie. More like a cheesy Godzilla movie in the water. Some of it was implausible, cheesy or stupid dialogue. The CGI wasn't bad mostly, but a few parts felt very fake.
I'm sure my expectations were low based on what I heard beforehand; however, don't get me started on comparing movies to books. That is a lost cause.
Not sure what people were expecting. Certainly not Jaws or a classic horror movie. More like a cheesy Godzilla movie in the water. Some of it was implausible, cheesy or stupid dialogue. The CGI wasn't bad mostly, but a few parts felt very fake.
I'm sure my expectations were low based on what I heard beforehand; however, don't get me started on comparing movies to books. That is a lost cause.
David McK (3562 KP) rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in Movies
Apr 9, 2019 (Updated Dec 23, 2020)
Spider-Man: The High School Spiderman
This is the web-slingers first full foray into the MCU, following his introduction in Captain America: Civil War (or, basically, Avengers 2.5).
And in this, thankfully, were spared yet another rendition of how he got his powers/Uncle Bens death, arriving already fully formed and with only a brief mention of getting bit by a spider and with no mention whatsoever of 'with great power comes great responsibilty'.
To the best of my knowledge, this is also the Vultures first big-screen appearance, although his own powers here come from scavenged alien tech rather than anything more 'comic-book'y. This also takes the unusual(?) approach of having Spider-Man being teenaged and still at school, rather than all the previous (non-MCU) movies in which he is leaving or has already left university.
And in this, thankfully, were spared yet another rendition of how he got his powers/Uncle Bens death, arriving already fully formed and with only a brief mention of getting bit by a spider and with no mention whatsoever of 'with great power comes great responsibilty'.
To the best of my knowledge, this is also the Vultures first big-screen appearance, although his own powers here come from scavenged alien tech rather than anything more 'comic-book'y. This also takes the unusual(?) approach of having Spider-Man being teenaged and still at school, rather than all the previous (non-MCU) movies in which he is leaving or has already left university.
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated Evolution (2001) in Movies
Apr 11, 2019
A funny sci to good time
Contains spoilers, click to show
This was another movie that was somewhat of a surprise to me. I really enjoyed watching this movie. David Duchovny and Orlando Jones a great comedic chemistry together. I am really surprised they haven't done more movies together. This movie was just good fun. An alien invasion that was foiled by dandruff shampoo or more specifically the selenium sulfate that was in it. I thought every character in this movie lended to the story in some way. Sean William Scott, who unfortunately is type cast to this sort of role, was good in this movie too. There are some scenes that are just great! The scene where a small alien gets into Jones' characters body is just comedic gold. Overall I recommend this movie for a good late afternoon laugh
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Polar (2019) in Movies
Apr 16, 2019 (Updated Apr 16, 2019)
Good movie!
This movie was a bit slow moving but one it picked up, it was intense. Mads Mikkelsen is a very good actor and not seen enough in movies, in my opinion. His performance here was great. There's plenty of blood and violence for any action fan. There's also more than a bit of sex and nudity. The characters were creative and the effects were great. Definitely doesn't hurt that Kathryn Winnick is in this one, either(no, she doesn't get nude but who cares, it's KW!)and she puts on a good performance, as well. Some parts of the story were predictable but it unfolded well and did have a couple pretty good twists. Overall, I'd recommend this one to any action fan, though it may be a bit dark for some and definitely not for the kids! Worth a watch!
Glen Banyard (13 KP) rated Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) in Movies
May 12, 2019
Predictable plot (1 more)
Forced humour
Pika Pika
Pokemon is a global brand spanning cartoon, cards, animated films, video games and now a live film, well as live as you can get with imaginary creatures.
Watched in 3D, it really didn't bring anything extra to film.
The plot is pretty much by the numbers and suffers from being horribly predictable, this most likely due to being aimed at a much younger demographic. Bill Nighy really got license to over act his heart out and it shows, in his somewhat limited screen time.
Will it spawn a sequel, possibly, only time will tell as it's launched at difficult time with Endgame still massing larger viewings and Aladdin and John Wick 3 releasing in the next 10 days, it may get squashed to limited performances quickly.
Watched in 3D, it really didn't bring anything extra to film.
The plot is pretty much by the numbers and suffers from being horribly predictable, this most likely due to being aimed at a much younger demographic. Bill Nighy really got license to over act his heart out and it shows, in his somewhat limited screen time.
Will it spawn a sequel, possibly, only time will tell as it's launched at difficult time with Endgame still massing larger viewings and Aladdin and John Wick 3 releasing in the next 10 days, it may get squashed to limited performances quickly.
Ande Thomas (69 KP) rated Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art in Books
May 30, 2019
This is a great book that honestly changed how I felt about comics completely. I had never really been exposed to comics outside of the weekly newspaper. Of course I knew the titles that were out there, and I did more than my fair share of watching cartoons and movies based on comic characters, but I didn't "get it." The medium was not mine. McCloud's book gave me the tools I needed to really understand the art of comics. How comics use the blending of art and written word to really present ideas in a unique way that no other art form can really do.
Reading this book opened my mind to a broad range of stories that I never would have read or even known about, some of which are among my most cherished books now.
Reading this book opened my mind to a broad range of stories that I never would have read or even known about, some of which are among my most cherished books now.
Dave (4 KP) rated The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) in Movies
Jun 8, 2019
Greatest horror movie ever made
I watched this movie when I was 8 years old on VHS back in 1984. It was just before the VRC(video recordings act) came into being. It changed my life it changed the way I watch horror. First time I watched this film I was like this is the coolest film ever. Now at the age of 43 I watched loads of horror movies but nothing comes close to this. OK maybe Halloween as yes that is a classic also. Some ppl prefer Halloween to this but for me texas chainsaw will always be my no 1 film. Its a cinematic masterpiece of film making. Most of the main cast and crew have now past on with only a few left alive unfortunately. So I rate this 10/10.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Halloween (2007) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Rob Zombie was an inspired choice to helm the 2007 reboot of the series and the resulting film was very good indeed. Opting to focus more on Michael’s backstory was an intriguing change to the formula and a risky one at that.
Many fans concluded that it lessened the impact of Michael’s murders. Showing him as an abused child took away the supernatural elements that made Carpenter’s masterpiece so terrifying in 1978.
Nevertheless, I thought the idea worked well, and although Zombie’s film is a case of style over substance in some sequences, it’s a good reboot and one that manages to raise itself well above its horror stablemates at the time of release.
It also had an absolutely cracking soundtrack, but the less said about the disappointing sequel the better.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/10/28/halloween-movies-top-5/
Many fans concluded that it lessened the impact of Michael’s murders. Showing him as an abused child took away the supernatural elements that made Carpenter’s masterpiece so terrifying in 1978.
Nevertheless, I thought the idea worked well, and although Zombie’s film is a case of style over substance in some sequences, it’s a good reboot and one that manages to raise itself well above its horror stablemates at the time of release.
It also had an absolutely cracking soundtrack, but the less said about the disappointing sequel the better.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/10/28/halloween-movies-top-5/