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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Black Sails - Season 3 in TV
Jun 9, 2017
John Silver (3 more)
Drama
Twists and turns
Jack Rackham
Treasure, Tits and Pirate Ships
All of the cast in this show excel in their roles. Captain Flint is menacing, cunning, and fierce. Charles Vane is strong, bold and unmatched. Blackbeard is clearly as fearsome as men believe him to be, and this is shown through his presence, as we see strong men fear him. Anne Bonnie is also tough, and clearly a woman you do not want to be on the wrong side of. However there are two men I love above any others in this show; Jack Rackham and John Silver.
Let me begin with Jack Rackham, because he is a majority of the minority of comic relief that is in this show. There are laughs here and there but you will always remember that the one who makes you laugh the most is Jack Rackham, with his sarcastic responses, his devious plans, he's less sarcastic responses to his serious plans, and his knowledge of his closest allies and acquaintances, that allow him to give the audience, and unsuspecting cast members, an insight into what could possibly be the next turn of events in the episode/s. He stands out among the rest of the pirate cast because he isn't necessarily strong, although that has been proven to be no bother as he has been seen overcoming men stronger than himself using his intelligence, but because he uses his mind more than any most of the pirates in the show, and the only person who probably exceeds him in this, is John Silver, but possibly only due to the fact that John Silver is faced with more challenging events more often, such as battle and navigation etc.
John Silver has always been my favourite character of this show due to his cunning, and his mind being the one thing that threatens any pirate, any captain, and any Royal Navy personnel, because he is just too smart for his own good. Whilst Jack Rackham understands how his men see him at present, and have always seen him, and Jack accepts his role to them, John Silver is always trying to become better than what his men see him as. When he loses his leg, some of his men probably suspected him to become weaker, but in this season, John Silver proves to be the most menacing character out of the lot. With strength, intelligence and sheer will power, he has overcome any and all obstacles and ensured that they eventually turn in his favor.
The season as a whole has proven to be one of my favourites, simply because everything that the first two seasons built up to, is executed in this season with so many brilliant twists and turns that whilst they are not always what you want to happen, you still accept them as necessary because the events that unfold in their aftermath, are exciting and entertaining.
During climatic scenes where men die you can't help but think about how this is a prequel to Treasure Island, and now we know there is a fourth and final season to watch, so whilst characters like John Silver, Captain Flint, Billy Bones and during this season the introduction to Ben Gunn, if you know the book, you'll have the certainty in your mind that these are the characters that aren't going to die during this show....ever.....but does that make it any less thrilling or nerve wrecking to watch? NO! Here's why;
Just because these characters can't die, you have watched them all evolve into who they are, and understand what they want, and what they plan....since they cannot die....what's to worry about? What about a severe injury, that could unhinge everything they have worked so hard to achieve? What about their alliances, and their rivalries? There is no shortage of possibilities that could be seen as worth than death itself, because if a man (or woman) dies, he (or she) has now cares, but if he (or she) lives, there is always something a man (or woman) cares about. That's what this show excels at portraying more than most shows I have ever watched.
Highly recommend this show, and I'd recommend this season more, but this season would be nothing without it's predecessors. You cannot watch a single season one by one. To enjoy it's full potential you must take part in the journey and the evolution of each character, which in most mediums would be difficult, since there are quite a few characters to watch and examine, but this show brilliantly breaks down who is who, and how you should feel about them.
Let me begin with Jack Rackham, because he is a majority of the minority of comic relief that is in this show. There are laughs here and there but you will always remember that the one who makes you laugh the most is Jack Rackham, with his sarcastic responses, his devious plans, he's less sarcastic responses to his serious plans, and his knowledge of his closest allies and acquaintances, that allow him to give the audience, and unsuspecting cast members, an insight into what could possibly be the next turn of events in the episode/s. He stands out among the rest of the pirate cast because he isn't necessarily strong, although that has been proven to be no bother as he has been seen overcoming men stronger than himself using his intelligence, but because he uses his mind more than any most of the pirates in the show, and the only person who probably exceeds him in this, is John Silver, but possibly only due to the fact that John Silver is faced with more challenging events more often, such as battle and navigation etc.
John Silver has always been my favourite character of this show due to his cunning, and his mind being the one thing that threatens any pirate, any captain, and any Royal Navy personnel, because he is just too smart for his own good. Whilst Jack Rackham understands how his men see him at present, and have always seen him, and Jack accepts his role to them, John Silver is always trying to become better than what his men see him as. When he loses his leg, some of his men probably suspected him to become weaker, but in this season, John Silver proves to be the most menacing character out of the lot. With strength, intelligence and sheer will power, he has overcome any and all obstacles and ensured that they eventually turn in his favor.
The season as a whole has proven to be one of my favourites, simply because everything that the first two seasons built up to, is executed in this season with so many brilliant twists and turns that whilst they are not always what you want to happen, you still accept them as necessary because the events that unfold in their aftermath, are exciting and entertaining.
During climatic scenes where men die you can't help but think about how this is a prequel to Treasure Island, and now we know there is a fourth and final season to watch, so whilst characters like John Silver, Captain Flint, Billy Bones and during this season the introduction to Ben Gunn, if you know the book, you'll have the certainty in your mind that these are the characters that aren't going to die during this show....ever.....but does that make it any less thrilling or nerve wrecking to watch? NO! Here's why;
Just because these characters can't die, you have watched them all evolve into who they are, and understand what they want, and what they plan....since they cannot die....what's to worry about? What about a severe injury, that could unhinge everything they have worked so hard to achieve? What about their alliances, and their rivalries? There is no shortage of possibilities that could be seen as worth than death itself, because if a man (or woman) dies, he (or she) has now cares, but if he (or she) lives, there is always something a man (or woman) cares about. That's what this show excels at portraying more than most shows I have ever watched.
Highly recommend this show, and I'd recommend this season more, but this season would be nothing without it's predecessors. You cannot watch a single season one by one. To enjoy it's full potential you must take part in the journey and the evolution of each character, which in most mediums would be difficult, since there are quite a few characters to watch and examine, but this show brilliantly breaks down who is who, and how you should feel about them.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Iron Man 2 (2010) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
Characters – Tony Stark revealed his identity at the end of the last movie, he has become even more famous as the man that ended conflict in the world, the government want control over the suit and worry that other parts of the world could develop their own version of the suit. He must deal with his own mortality when the one thing keeping him alive, is making him sick. He will also need to fight for his father’s mistakes, pushing his closest friends away. Pepper Potts has been given a promotion by Tony, to CEO, she already runs his affairs, she is now running his company, while trying to control him during his self-destruction. Rhodey is still in his role in the military, he is still challenging Tony, but gets to use his own suit the correct way, for guiding the military. Natasha goes undercover in Stark’s company, she is a member of SHIELD where she uses her skills in combat to keep Tony out of trouble. Justin Hammer is a rival inventor still trying to get ahead of Tony in the weapons business, he has been working on his own Iron Man suit, without much success, he hires Ivan to build him a suit. Ivan Vanko has built his own weaponised suit, he is the son of a rival of Tony’ father, which sees him want to take revenge on Tony for his father’s action, becoming whiplash, the one man that has created a suit that could rival Iron Man.
Performances – Robert Downey Jr is still great to watch, he keeps the charisma required for his role, while bringing an emotional factor which is needed for where his character goes in this film. Gwyneth Paltrow does have a bigger role here and brings us a much stronger performance with her character. Don Cheadle is an improvement on Terrence Howard, bringing Rhodey to life more. Scarlett Johansson has the perfect look for this character which is only first jumping into the franchise. Sam Rockwell as another inventor arms dealer who is filled with the swagger required. Mickey Rourke as the villain has good motives he does everything he can even if he character does grumble a lot.
Story – The story follows up the beginning of Iron Man dealing with the idea that the military would want control of the equipment and the rest of the world will be playing catch up, with their own versions of the Iron Man suit. This is a strong world building exercise to the Iron Man universe, we get to see how SHIELD are operating in the shadows watching over the potential threats. We have a villain that is competition and another one that is out for personal revenge. We up the stakes in this one, Tony does have to deal with his own problems by needing to improve the suit and we get to set up the position of who is one the good side with teases of the eventual Avengers team up.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in this film relies on a couple of big scenes, we have the racing introduction, the mid-life crisis sequence and the showdown, each has their own way to make an impact. The sci-fi side of the film continues to show the technology advances that Tony is dealing with.
Settings – The film uses the settings more for the action with one of the most iconic action sequences in the franchise, we continue to see Tony’s lab which tends to get destroyed a lot too.
Special Effects – The special effects in the film make each fight, drone or Iron Man suit look realistic through the film which is what needed for the film.
Scene of the Movie – Monte Carlo entrance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – There is a small pacing issue.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun sequel that continues to build the universe we know now, Tony still needs to learn about his place and how to handle the suit which is important and shows the past could come back to haunt you.
Overall: Fun sequel.
Performances – Robert Downey Jr is still great to watch, he keeps the charisma required for his role, while bringing an emotional factor which is needed for where his character goes in this film. Gwyneth Paltrow does have a bigger role here and brings us a much stronger performance with her character. Don Cheadle is an improvement on Terrence Howard, bringing Rhodey to life more. Scarlett Johansson has the perfect look for this character which is only first jumping into the franchise. Sam Rockwell as another inventor arms dealer who is filled with the swagger required. Mickey Rourke as the villain has good motives he does everything he can even if he character does grumble a lot.
Story – The story follows up the beginning of Iron Man dealing with the idea that the military would want control of the equipment and the rest of the world will be playing catch up, with their own versions of the Iron Man suit. This is a strong world building exercise to the Iron Man universe, we get to see how SHIELD are operating in the shadows watching over the potential threats. We have a villain that is competition and another one that is out for personal revenge. We up the stakes in this one, Tony does have to deal with his own problems by needing to improve the suit and we get to set up the position of who is one the good side with teases of the eventual Avengers team up.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in this film relies on a couple of big scenes, we have the racing introduction, the mid-life crisis sequence and the showdown, each has their own way to make an impact. The sci-fi side of the film continues to show the technology advances that Tony is dealing with.
Settings – The film uses the settings more for the action with one of the most iconic action sequences in the franchise, we continue to see Tony’s lab which tends to get destroyed a lot too.
Special Effects – The special effects in the film make each fight, drone or Iron Man suit look realistic through the film which is what needed for the film.
Scene of the Movie – Monte Carlo entrance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – There is a small pacing issue.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun sequel that continues to build the universe we know now, Tony still needs to learn about his place and how to handle the suit which is important and shows the past could come back to haunt you.
Overall: Fun sequel.
Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1)
10.0
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Book
One disaster bi single dad. One sexy plumber on a house call. One hot-as-hell romance…. Rhys ...
Contemporary MM Romance
Warriors of the Storm
6.0
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The new novel in Bernard Cornwell's number one bestselling series on the making of England and the...
David McK (3623 KP) rated Moon Knight in TV
May 8, 2022
If you'd asked me ion the 90s to name a Marvel superhero, I'd probably been able to name you Spiderman. Maybe Captain America.
In the 00's? Expand that to include Daredevil before the MCU came into being, then (once it did) the likes of Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk (may have been able to name him in the 90s due to the 70s TV show).
2010s? Even further to include Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Basically, as MCU films with those characters were released.
At no pint prior to late 2021, however, would I have been able to name 'Moon Knight'.
That changed with the release of this 'limited series' on Disney+ in 2022, with Oscar Isaacs taking the lead role of a character suffering from Dissociative identity disorder (DID) - a mental disorder where a patient has two or more personalities - who also becomes a superhero after making a deal with an Egyptian god.
And he's actually very good at portraying which identity is in control at any one time, all down to mannerisms, accents and body language.
Unusually for an MCU project, there's no end credit stings until the very last episode (where it is worth staying for that sting).
In the 00's? Expand that to include Daredevil before the MCU came into being, then (once it did) the likes of Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk (may have been able to name him in the 90s due to the 70s TV show).
2010s? Even further to include Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Basically, as MCU films with those characters were released.
At no pint prior to late 2021, however, would I have been able to name 'Moon Knight'.
That changed with the release of this 'limited series' on Disney+ in 2022, with Oscar Isaacs taking the lead role of a character suffering from Dissociative identity disorder (DID) - a mental disorder where a patient has two or more personalities - who also becomes a superhero after making a deal with an Egyptian god.
And he's actually very good at portraying which identity is in control at any one time, all down to mannerisms, accents and body language.
Unusually for an MCU project, there's no end credit stings until the very last episode (where it is worth staying for that sting).
Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall
7.7
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Book
Adolf Hitler: My Part on His Downfall is volume One of Spike Milligan's outrageous, hilarious,...
Softer Than You Think
Utterly bonkers attempt at combining an apocalyptic thriller with gritty police procedural; the preposterousness of the plot combined with the fact that it always takes itself Very, Very Seriously results in what's essentially a hilarious unintentional comedy.
So, what's it about? Well, a pair of London coppers (cockney geezer and troubled waif) stumble upon a USB stick containing the government's advance planning for the end of the world, which is due in about five years. Quite what form this planning takes is a little unclear, as it neglects to mention just what form the apocalypse is going to take (which if nothing else allows the show a nice big revelation at the end of the season). Geezer and Waif must try to get the truth out there while fending off government agents who want them dead!
Except, it's not really about that: news of the impending catastrophe, whatever it is, lures various nutters out of the woodwork to start committing grisly murders, and - wouldn't you know it - whenever Geezer and Waif get a spare moment from being hunted by the government, they have to go around catching them By Any Means Necessary! (At one point Geezer contemplates waterboarding an innocent man who's not being cooperative enough.)
Except, it's not just about that, either, for Geezer and Waif have the most implausibly complicated back-stories known to man, involving an extramarital fling, a secure unit, an internal affairs investigation, the murder of Geezer's old partner, a secret deal, and Waif's homicidal grown-up son (who seems to be nearly as old as she is).
All of this stuff bangs together in the most grisly and unlikely fashion, with a general tone of overwrought existential misery (every one of the duo's cases either features a moment where they literally start beating each other up with collapsible truncheons, or one where they sit down together and wail 'What's the point of any of this? We're all going to be dead in five years anyway!').
The sheer ridiculousness of Hard Sun makes it quite watchable in a stick-it-on-in-the-background-while-you're-doing-something else kind of way; every time you find yourself saying 'This can't possibly get any sillier' the show comes right back and proves you wrong. The makers of the show are clearly hoping for a full five year run, counting down to the actual apocalypse itself, although clearly the format is in for a big retool somewhere along the line. Fingers crossed this finds the devoted global audience such a potential cult camp classic deserves.
So, what's it about? Well, a pair of London coppers (cockney geezer and troubled waif) stumble upon a USB stick containing the government's advance planning for the end of the world, which is due in about five years. Quite what form this planning takes is a little unclear, as it neglects to mention just what form the apocalypse is going to take (which if nothing else allows the show a nice big revelation at the end of the season). Geezer and Waif must try to get the truth out there while fending off government agents who want them dead!
Except, it's not really about that: news of the impending catastrophe, whatever it is, lures various nutters out of the woodwork to start committing grisly murders, and - wouldn't you know it - whenever Geezer and Waif get a spare moment from being hunted by the government, they have to go around catching them By Any Means Necessary! (At one point Geezer contemplates waterboarding an innocent man who's not being cooperative enough.)
Except, it's not just about that, either, for Geezer and Waif have the most implausibly complicated back-stories known to man, involving an extramarital fling, a secure unit, an internal affairs investigation, the murder of Geezer's old partner, a secret deal, and Waif's homicidal grown-up son (who seems to be nearly as old as she is).
All of this stuff bangs together in the most grisly and unlikely fashion, with a general tone of overwrought existential misery (every one of the duo's cases either features a moment where they literally start beating each other up with collapsible truncheons, or one where they sit down together and wail 'What's the point of any of this? We're all going to be dead in five years anyway!').
The sheer ridiculousness of Hard Sun makes it quite watchable in a stick-it-on-in-the-background-while-you're-doing-something else kind of way; every time you find yourself saying 'This can't possibly get any sillier' the show comes right back and proves you wrong. The makers of the show are clearly hoping for a full five year run, counting down to the actual apocalypse itself, although clearly the format is in for a big retool somewhere along the line. Fingers crossed this finds the devoted global audience such a potential cult camp classic deserves.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Find Me Guilty (2006) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
There are many ways you could frame defenses/reasons to watch this, but at the end of the day it will always be a one-man-show for Vin Diesel's consummate performance first and foremost. Unlike many I can't say this is his finest acting hour while 𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 still exists, but it's undoubtedly in his top 5. While the film itself is riddled with sins (ungodly long, content with being just a breezy comedy rather than really interrogating its fascinating real life subject matter with anything deeper, pretty melodramatic, paced like shit, and why the ever-loving fuck is that score so loud lmfao it's embarrassing), this performance is faultless. Comedy and drama is married within it in such a way that makes it just unforgettable. Without Vin, there is no movie - he singlehandedly makes you sympathize with the mob, and he can effortlessly go from hilarious to heartwrenching in the very same scene. Even as a Vin defender, I didn't think he had this one in him. This is what full commitment to a role looks like, and that hairpiece is just intrinsically funny.
Alex Wolff recommended Taxi Driver (1976) in Movies (curated)
Colin Campbell (25 KP) rated Braveheart (1995) in Movies
Apr 28, 2019
Action (2 more)
Swordplay
Freedom
Historically inaccurate (1 more)
Gibson's accent
Hold... Hold... HOOOLLLLDDDD!
Contains spoilers, click to show
As a story this is a great film, unfortunately people who have limited or no knowledge of Scottish History take this film as a portrayal of all things Scottish around this time.
So to save some confusion:
Longshanks died well after Wallace
The French Princess did not exist
The Bruce wasn't a traitor
Wallace wasn't the leader until after Stirling Bridge
Woad hadn't been worn for about 1000 years
It didn't start with the death of his wife
So now I have this off my chest, to the film itself. It is an epic and one of the films that you must see before you die, just like Shawshank, High Noon and Inside Out.
The story of the one group persecuting another, and a man coming back to his village after spending time abroad learning taking revenge on the death of his secret wife cumulating in open rebellion and war is a common story told many times in cinema history. What makes this is the scenery and the cinematography.
The fight scenes show the brutality and barbarity of war in this era in history. This does it expertly!
If you want something more historically accurate look at Rob Roy with Liam Neeson, if you want a chill film this is the one for you.
So to save some confusion:
Longshanks died well after Wallace
The French Princess did not exist
The Bruce wasn't a traitor
Wallace wasn't the leader until after Stirling Bridge
Woad hadn't been worn for about 1000 years
It didn't start with the death of his wife
So now I have this off my chest, to the film itself. It is an epic and one of the films that you must see before you die, just like Shawshank, High Noon and Inside Out.
The story of the one group persecuting another, and a man coming back to his village after spending time abroad learning taking revenge on the death of his secret wife cumulating in open rebellion and war is a common story told many times in cinema history. What makes this is the scenery and the cinematography.
The fight scenes show the brutality and barbarity of war in this era in history. This does it expertly!
If you want something more historically accurate look at Rob Roy with Liam Neeson, if you want a chill film this is the one for you.