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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Overcooked Gourmet Edition in Video Games
Jul 24, 2017
Cooking With Gas
When Overcooked came out I could care less. It looked like a dumb cartoony time waster that was best played with someone else. However, my girlfriend shortly after decided to get a PS4 and I suggested playing through the game as it was on sale on the PSN. Then as we played through it, I slowly realised why this could become a serious contender for GOTY 2016. It's hard to explain why this dumb game is so fun and so satisfying, but it is, all the way through.
Quick warning though, if you do play this with your other half, know that it will make or break your entire relationship. No pressure.
Quick warning though, if you do play this with your other half, know that it will make or break your entire relationship. No pressure.
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Life After Beth (2014) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020
Life After Beth is a take on an overcooked trope that actually finds a way to convince you to invest in the characters and story. A difficult task indeed.
Full disclosure, as a rule, I hate zombie movies. I think most of them are just awful, overdone hack jobs (no pun intended.)
There are, as with anything, some exceptions. This is one of them. The focus is never inherently on that element at all. The focus remains firmly on the character development throughout. The makers actually found a way to make the entire premise interesting, even though the base has been told a million times, usually poorly.
Love Aubrey Plaza. Love John C. Reilly. That was enough to convince me to give it a chance, and I'm actually thankful that I did. Perhaps there is hope for this burnt out genre after all.
Full disclosure, as a rule, I hate zombie movies. I think most of them are just awful, overdone hack jobs (no pun intended.)
There are, as with anything, some exceptions. This is one of them. The focus is never inherently on that element at all. The focus remains firmly on the character development throughout. The makers actually found a way to make the entire premise interesting, even though the base has been told a million times, usually poorly.
Love Aubrey Plaza. Love John C. Reilly. That was enough to convince me to give it a chance, and I'm actually thankful that I did. Perhaps there is hope for this burnt out genre after all.
Julia MineGirl
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Ooolá pessoal, Sejam muito bem-vindos ao canal Julia Minegirl. Meu nome é Julia, tenho 14 anos e...
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Good Liar (2019) in Movies
Nov 13, 2019
Roaringly bonkers British movie probably thinks that it's a dark and convoluted psychological thriller but is undone by a couple of overcooked lead performances and a frankly ludicrous script. Career con man Roy Courtnay (McKellen) sets his sights on rich widow Betty (Mirren). But as his activities draw near to their climax, could it be that the old rogue is suffering from pangs of conscience? Can he bring himself to go through with it?
Sounds fairly ordinary, but this does not take into account quite how nutty the various twists in the tale turn out to be, nor the sheer relish with which the stars attack their roles: to say that McKellen, in particular, carves himself off a thick slice of ham is probably to understate things considerably. Still, very easy to watch (though it has an unexpectedly hard and vicious edge to it in places), and a lot of fun, provided you don't take it too seriously.
Sounds fairly ordinary, but this does not take into account quite how nutty the various twists in the tale turn out to be, nor the sheer relish with which the stars attack their roles: to say that McKellen, in particular, carves himself off a thick slice of ham is probably to understate things considerably. Still, very easy to watch (though it has an unexpectedly hard and vicious edge to it in places), and a lot of fun, provided you don't take it too seriously.
Peter G. (247 KP) rated Near Dark (1987) in Movies
Oct 30, 2019
Quite ingeniously keeping a large chunk of the actors carried over from the movie 'Aliens' this was one of the better modern day vampire movies.
One thing that you will notice straight off the bat and that's the budget which is incredibly low and it shows mainly through its lack of locations and lots of reasonably well written dialogue, what I dont get is this films rise to classic status.... it's ok at best considering its cast and i remember having watched it not being able work out if i liked it as much as others who raved about it.
I am and was a big fan of Bill Paxton however I felt he overcooked his role a little and went from hugely intimidating to a parody of most of the characters he has played over the years.
Adrian Pasdar who I believe is a versatile actor was the best thing in the movie.
I understand this movie has somewhat of a following, it's not one I find myself revisiting however, and Bigelow has gone on to create some very good films.
One thing that you will notice straight off the bat and that's the budget which is incredibly low and it shows mainly through its lack of locations and lots of reasonably well written dialogue, what I dont get is this films rise to classic status.... it's ok at best considering its cast and i remember having watched it not being able work out if i liked it as much as others who raved about it.
I am and was a big fan of Bill Paxton however I felt he overcooked his role a little and went from hugely intimidating to a parody of most of the characters he has played over the years.
Adrian Pasdar who I believe is a versatile actor was the best thing in the movie.
I understand this movie has somewhat of a following, it's not one I find myself revisiting however, and Bigelow has gone on to create some very good films.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Official Secrets (2019) in Movies
Oct 18, 2019
Superior based-on-fact thriller with Keira Knightley leading a strong cast. Huge demonstrations fill the streets of London but are totally ignored by the government, the British Prime Minister is a smirking liar, and the US administration is hugely embarrassed by a whistleblower. How very different things were 15 years ago. Said whistleblower (Knightley) reveals an attempt by the US and UK to blackmail members of the UN security council into authorising an otherwise-illegal invasion of Iraq, bringing the whole power of the establishment down on her head.
There's a lot going on here, plotwise, with various strands following Knightley's personal situation, the attempts of journalists to verify and publish her story, and the court case that ensued, but the story is always engrossing and never difficult to follow. Knightley's performance is possibly a little overcooked, but she is extremely well supported by a cast including Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Rhys Ifans. Raises some serious issues about the rights of a government to keep secrets from its secrets; stirs up some recent history, too, for what it's worth. An excellent piece of intelligent entertainment.
There's a lot going on here, plotwise, with various strands following Knightley's personal situation, the attempts of journalists to verify and publish her story, and the court case that ensued, but the story is always engrossing and never difficult to follow. Knightley's performance is possibly a little overcooked, but she is extremely well supported by a cast including Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Rhys Ifans. Raises some serious issues about the rights of a government to keep secrets from its secrets; stirs up some recent history, too, for what it's worth. An excellent piece of intelligent entertainment.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Doctor Sleep (2019) in Movies
Nov 1, 2019
What-time-d'you-call-this-then Shining sequel/follow-up doesn't have the magisterial formal brilliance of Kubrick, but scores consistently for solid storytelling and simple entertainment value. Many years on from the nastiness in the snow, Dan Torrance has tried to put his special faculties to good use, working in a hospice. However, a gifted young girl he has befriended becomes the target of a pack of inhuman killers who feed on the souls of psychics, and he finds himself compelled to intervene. Faced with a terrifying enemy, he finds he may have to make a reservation at a certain hotel.
The prospect of a two-and-a-half-hour sequel to a Kubrick movie, made by someone I hadn't really heard of gave me pause, to be honest, but Doctor Sleep rapidly develops into an engrossing and satisfying dark fantasy, with mostly good performances and impressive set piece sequences. Most impressive is the way it works hard to stand on its own merits, saving all the crowd-pleasing Shining references until late on, by which time it feels like it's earned them - almost. It's still probably self-indulgently overlong, and the climax likewise feels a bit overcooked, but this is still a cut above the majority of Stephen King movies.
The prospect of a two-and-a-half-hour sequel to a Kubrick movie, made by someone I hadn't really heard of gave me pause, to be honest, but Doctor Sleep rapidly develops into an engrossing and satisfying dark fantasy, with mostly good performances and impressive set piece sequences. Most impressive is the way it works hard to stand on its own merits, saving all the crowd-pleasing Shining references until late on, by which time it feels like it's earned them - almost. It's still probably self-indulgently overlong, and the climax likewise feels a bit overcooked, but this is still a cut above the majority of Stephen King movies.
Television: A History in 100 Programmes
Book
An entertaining and illuminating celebration of televisual history by cultural historian Phil Norman...
A History of Television in 100 Programmes
Book
An entertaining and illuminating celebration of televisual history by cultural historian Phil Norman...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Just Mercy (2019) in Movies
Jan 21, 2020
Fact-based courtroom drama. Idealistic young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan), fresh out of Harvard, heads down to Alabama and sets up an agency to provide legal support to people with no other recourse. He comes across the case of convicted murderer Walter McMillian (Foxx), which strikes him as deeply compromised. But can he overcome a prejudiced system and win his client justice?
I was all set to be very glib and cynical about what looks like - from the trailer at least - another box-ticking exercise in liberal angst about the Plight of Black America, calculated to have a presence during awards season. Well, to some extent this is that kind of a movie, but it is also a genuinely involving, powerful and moving drama - it's the kind of film that gets past your defences and forces you to care, thanks to basic film-making virtues, a compelling story, and strong performances. Anyone doubting that Michael B Jordan is now a significant leading man should check out his performance here: he brings strength, dignity, and nobility, as you would expect, but there is also a willingness to show naivety and vulnerability. Obviously this is part of a tradition of films about racism in America that includes To Kill a Mockingbird and In the Heat of the Night, but by focusing mainly on the legal plotline and saving its political points until near the end, it makes them all the more impactful when they land. Jordan gets stuck with a bit too much speechifying as the film goes on, and a couple of the supporting performances are arguably overcooked, but otherwise this is an extremely accomplished film.
I was all set to be very glib and cynical about what looks like - from the trailer at least - another box-ticking exercise in liberal angst about the Plight of Black America, calculated to have a presence during awards season. Well, to some extent this is that kind of a movie, but it is also a genuinely involving, powerful and moving drama - it's the kind of film that gets past your defences and forces you to care, thanks to basic film-making virtues, a compelling story, and strong performances. Anyone doubting that Michael B Jordan is now a significant leading man should check out his performance here: he brings strength, dignity, and nobility, as you would expect, but there is also a willingness to show naivety and vulnerability. Obviously this is part of a tradition of films about racism in America that includes To Kill a Mockingbird and In the Heat of the Night, but by focusing mainly on the legal plotline and saving its political points until near the end, it makes them all the more impactful when they land. Jordan gets stuck with a bit too much speechifying as the film goes on, and a couple of the supporting performances are arguably overcooked, but otherwise this is an extremely accomplished film.