Search

Search only in certain items:

Carnival Row
Carnival Row
2019 | Drama, Fantasy
Strong individual performances (1 more)
Some good plot twists
Few underdeveloped characters/storylines (0 more)
From looking at the poster and trailer, I wasn't sure whether Carnival Row would be 'up my street'. However, after the first episode I was gripped. One of the main things I look out for in any TV show or film is the sincerity of the acting. Cara Delevigne shone for me. I was pleasantly surprised by her as I have only known her as a model. Orlando Bloom also showed great talent, as always. If you like crime and fantasy, this is the perfect blend of both worlds, and I would highly recommend giving it a go. It deserves all the praise it has received. I am very much looking forward to the second season.
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Three Musketeers (2011) in Movies

Feb 11, 2018 (Updated Feb 11, 2018)  
The Three Musketeers (2011)
The Three Musketeers (2011)
2011 | Action, Romance
2
4.9 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Dumb and Dumas
Paul W.S. Anderson, the man behind the Resident Evil and Alien Vs Predator franchises, shows us what real creativity looks like as he gives us his take on a piece of classic literature, adding all those crucial things that Alexandre Dumas inexplicably forgot to include in the original version of The Three Musketeers: aqualungs, flamethrowers, airship battles, Orlando Bloom in a pompadour hairstyle, and Milla Jovovich doing somersaults in a basque.

Pretty much wholly ghastly from start to finish, almost to the point where banning Anderson from reading books seems like a reasonable precaution, just to be on the safe side. About as thrilling as watching your laptop install an update, with all the comic charm of an outbreak of venereal disease. The special effects are technically competent but that really is the best you can say about it.
  
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
2011 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
6
6.3 (30 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Oft-forgot-about (or so it seems) 4th instalment in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series, this is the one with Penelope Cruz that also sees Jack set off to find the Fountain of Youth: the Fountain itself also sought after by both English and Spanish factions, and by the notorious pirate Blackbeard (as portrayed by Ian McShane) who, here, also dabbles in Vodoo and is also (inexplicably) able to control his ship the Queen Anne's revenge by magic.

With no Orlando Bloom or Kiera Knightley in sight, the focus on this one is firmly on Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow (a character who initially, remember, way back in the first film, was not the main focus), although it has to be said that his Keith Richards schtick is perhaps getting old by this point in the franchise.

Standout sequence of the film? That would be the Whit Cap bay mermaid bit.
  
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
2005 | Drama, History, War
Watch the Directors Cut instead.
I remember that, back in the early 2000s, there was a sudden surge in the 'Historical epic' sub genre of movies, largely as a result of 2000s 'Gladiator'

This was one such movie.

Set in a little known period of history, between the Second and Third Crusades, this follows the exploits of the blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom), who follows his estranged father Baron Godfrey (Liam Neeson) to Jerusalem to attempt to atone for his sins.

Of course, being a movie, he then goes on to be involved in many great events, from shipwreck to meeting Saladin and (eventually) leading the defence if Jerusalem.

Not bad, but maybe a bit long and slow, with The Directors Cut doing a better job of tying the themes together, including a whole subplot largely dropped from the theatrical release regarding the romance he becomes involved in.
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated Haywire (2012) in Movies

Feb 20, 2018 (Updated Feb 20, 2018)  
Haywire (2012)
Haywire (2012)
2012 | Action, Drama, Mystery
8
5.4 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
'You should not think of her as a woman. That would be a mistake.'
Rousing action thriller looks on paper like another Besson movie, is actually typically classy Steven Soderbergh genre pastiche. Basically a vehicle for delicate flower of women's MMA Gina Carano to batter the living daylights out of an array of A-list leading men, which she does with aplomb and charisma.

The script is sympathetically structured so Carano doesn't have to do more than the minimal amount of actual acting, but the plot is competently twisty-turny and Soderbergh puts an impressive cast around his star. Some first-class fight sequences and chases, as you would expect. At the time I had my fingers crossed for a new subgenre of pro-celebrity martial arts movies with Carano proceeding to kick in Jude Law, Orlando Bloom, Ryan Reynolds, etc, in subsequent outings, but it never happened. Shame; notable careers have been built on considerably less potential than Carano showed in this film.
  
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
2006 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
8
7.2 (50 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Drunk Johnny Part 2
Yo-Ho, what do you get when you based you movie off of a disney ride, a great movie. Yes you read the correctly, this movie is based off of the ride at disney. So how does a 20-30 minute ride turn into a 2h and 40min movie, well you ride the ride a bunch of times, than evently you get to the 2h and 40min mark. Im kidding, dont do that, instead watch this movie. Plus you get more drunking Johnny Depp or Johnny Depp playing pirate Keith Richards, so thats always good.

This movie is great and is better from the first one, coming off the first one, this one has more action, comedy, adventure and overall a better plot and a excellent villian.

The Plot: When ghostly pirate Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) comes to collect a blood debt, Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) must find a way to avoid his fate lest his soul be damned for all time. Nevertheless, the wily ghost manages to interrupt the wedding plans of Jack's friends Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).

Bill Nighy is excellent as Davy Jones, i love the charcter and his haterd against Jack Sparrow.

This film was shot back-to-back with the third film of the series, At World's End.

Its a excellent movie and highly reccordmend it.
  
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007)
2007 | Action, Sci-Fi
Drunk Johnny Part 3
This one, this one is my favorite out of all of them. Let my explain, this one ends the trilogy, this one continues off from the second movie and does it excellently. This one has the most epic battle out of all the movies, this one you see the chacters at their best, you see them at their peak, you see them battle for their lives. You see Keith Richards in this one, wait what? Yes you read that correctly, Keith Richards is in this one and he plays as Captain Jack Sparrow's Father, of course he does. Cause Johnny Depp is playing a drunk verison of pirate Keith Richard's. Anyways the plot:

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) join forces with Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to free Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones' locker. Meanwhile, the crew of the Flying Dutchman ghost ship wreaks havoc on the Seven Seas. The friends must navigate dangerous waters to confront Chinese pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) and, ultimately, they must choose sides in a battle where
in the pirate life hangs in the balance.

At World's End is the pefect title for a perfect trilogy and should of ending with this one, but nope had to make two more after this one.
  
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
For pity's sake, enough
In which the world is menaced by a shambling undead menace that simply will not stop - I'm not describing the plot, but the fact that they keep making Pirates of the Caribbean films a decade after they were actually cool or funny.

The plot is basically the same as in all the others: Johnny Depp and some blandly attractive young people are chased about by a scenery-chewing bad guy, requiring a convoluted quest to find some plot device or other. The action regularly grinds to a halt so Depp can do his impression of Keith Richards in a comedy sketch. By the end of the film it turns out that all the other characters are related to each other, somehow. Just when you thought it was safe to relax they wheel on Orlando Bloom. Actually piracy is kept to a minimum, as is the Caribbean.

I suppose this would be quite diverting if you hadn't seen any of the other movies in the franchise, but then I imagine you would struggle to follow much of what's going on. There is a sequence with zombie sharks which I suppose is not too badly done. Overall, though, this feels like a shameless attempt to perpetuate this series long after the makers' wells of creativity and enthusiasm have dried up. If there is a sixth film, I imagine it will be entitled 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Just Here for the Cheque'.