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Merissa (13379 KP) created a post
Oct 31, 2025
Maya Angelou recommended Collected Poems in Books (curated)
Jeff Nichols recommended Hud (1963) in Movies (curated)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Starship Troopers (1997) in Movies
Sep 22, 2020
Do you know what? Starship Troopers is a 5 star film and there's nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise.
It's 90s sci-fi at its absolute best.
It has a great cast - Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick-Harris, Jake Busey - none of them feel replaceable.
It has special effects that genuinely still.homd up over 20 years later, and also a fuck tonne of genuinely horrific practical effects - some of the violence in Starship Troopers is next level, in true Paul Verhoeven style.
It has a corny yet airtight script, it's suitably cheesy when it wants to be, and wonderfully satirical throughout.
It's also got a top tier score courtesy of Basil Poledouris.
I saw this film when I was in my early teens, a few years after it released and it has always stuck with me since. Starship Troopers is perfection, fight me.
It's 90s sci-fi at its absolute best.
It has a great cast - Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick-Harris, Jake Busey - none of them feel replaceable.
It has special effects that genuinely still.homd up over 20 years later, and also a fuck tonne of genuinely horrific practical effects - some of the violence in Starship Troopers is next level, in true Paul Verhoeven style.
It has a corny yet airtight script, it's suitably cheesy when it wants to be, and wonderfully satirical throughout.
It's also got a top tier score courtesy of Basil Poledouris.
I saw this film when I was in my early teens, a few years after it released and it has always stuck with me since. Starship Troopers is perfection, fight me.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Paddington 2 (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Bear faced brilliance.
I never went to see âPaddington 2â at the cinema when it came out. Well, itâs a kids film isnât it? And my grandkids I thought⌠well, their probably a bit too young for the long haul on this one. But â after catching up with it recently on a transatlantic flight â Iâm sorry I missed it. For it is brilliant in its own way.
Having not seen the first âPaddingtonâ, also directed by Paul King, there is a useful little flashback to the Peruvian origins of the little chap before we pitch into the plot proper. Paddington (voiced by Ben Wishaw, âSpectreâ) has nicely settled down to life with The Brownâs in their London home and is a well-loved member of the community (well, well loved that is by everyone except the cranky Mr Curry (Peter Capaldi, âDr Whoâ, âWorld War Zâ). But he longs to buy his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton, âFinding Your Feetâ) a special birthday present â a pop-up book of London scenes that heâs seen in a local antique shop. But for that he needs a lot of cash, and so proceeds to earn it through a variety of different jobs.
However, fading actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant, âFlorence Foster Jenkinsâ, âThe Man From U.N.C.L.E.â) also shows an unhealty interest in the book and, after it disappears from the shop with Paddingtonâs paw prints all over the scene, the poor bear finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
This is a continually inventive movie, which rockets along with truly impressive verve and panache from scene to scene. As a particular example of this, an animated walk through the pop-up book is marvellously done: a tribute to the 2D retro nature (even in those days!) of the TV animation of the 70âs that will go over the heads of younger viewers. There are plenty of slapstick scenes â notably of Paddington trying window cleaning, and his job in a barberâs shop â which will not only delight younger children but also made this 57 year old laugh out loud too! The prison sequence also delights, with a laundry blunder by the bear leading into a comical showdown with the prisonâs chief poisoner, sorry, head chef played by Brendan Gleeson (âAlone in Berlinâ, âLive By Nightâ).
Vision AND sound! Paddington with incarcerated friends, including Brendan Gleeson (centre).
The cast all seem to revel in their parts, with Hugh Bonneville (âViceroyâs Houseâ, âThe Monuments Menâ) energetic as Mr Brown and Oscar runner-up (surely!) Sally Hawkins (âThe Shape of Waterâ) very chirpy as Mrs Brown. All of the residents of Windsor Gardens are a whoâs who of UK film and TV, and each cameo has a lovely little tale behind it: Julie Walters (âBrooklynâ) as Mrs Bird, the Brownâs help; Sanjeev Bhaskar as Dr Jafri, forever nearly locking himself out; Miss Kitts (Jessica Hynes) and the crusty Colonel Lancaster (Ben Miller) in a âwill they/wonât theyâ potential romance. Elsewhere, Jim Broadbent (âBridget Jones Babyâ, âEddie the Eagleâ) is great as the antique store owner; Tom Conti adds both gravitas and humour as Judge Biggleswade and Richard Ayoade (âThe Doubleâ) is very funny as a forensic expert.
The Brown family: from left; Mr Brown (Hugh Bonneville); Jonathan (Samuel Joslin); Mrs Brown (Sally Hawkins); Mrs Bird (Julie Walters); and Judy Brown (Madeleine Harris).
Head and shoulders above all of them though is Hugh Grant who is just outstandingly good as the puffed-up and self-important ham-actor. His Best Supporting Actor nomination for a BAFTA was surprising, but having seen the film so very much deserved. Hang around in the end credits for his last words of the film which are cornily hilarious! One can only hope that Phoenix Buchanen returns for Paddington 3.
A career best⌠Hugh Grant as the devilishly slippery Phoenix Buchanan.
I would have thought that some of the scenes towards the end of the film, particularly one where Paddington seems doomed to a watery end, might be a little frightening for younger viewers. Thank heavens Sally Hawkins has gills! đ
Overall, this is a movie I would gladly watch again, with or without kids. In a movie landscape that is pretty devoid of good comedy, here is a movie that really did make me laugh out loud.
Having not seen the first âPaddingtonâ, also directed by Paul King, there is a useful little flashback to the Peruvian origins of the little chap before we pitch into the plot proper. Paddington (voiced by Ben Wishaw, âSpectreâ) has nicely settled down to life with The Brownâs in their London home and is a well-loved member of the community (well, well loved that is by everyone except the cranky Mr Curry (Peter Capaldi, âDr Whoâ, âWorld War Zâ). But he longs to buy his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton, âFinding Your Feetâ) a special birthday present â a pop-up book of London scenes that heâs seen in a local antique shop. But for that he needs a lot of cash, and so proceeds to earn it through a variety of different jobs.
However, fading actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant, âFlorence Foster Jenkinsâ, âThe Man From U.N.C.L.E.â) also shows an unhealty interest in the book and, after it disappears from the shop with Paddingtonâs paw prints all over the scene, the poor bear finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
This is a continually inventive movie, which rockets along with truly impressive verve and panache from scene to scene. As a particular example of this, an animated walk through the pop-up book is marvellously done: a tribute to the 2D retro nature (even in those days!) of the TV animation of the 70âs that will go over the heads of younger viewers. There are plenty of slapstick scenes â notably of Paddington trying window cleaning, and his job in a barberâs shop â which will not only delight younger children but also made this 57 year old laugh out loud too! The prison sequence also delights, with a laundry blunder by the bear leading into a comical showdown with the prisonâs chief poisoner, sorry, head chef played by Brendan Gleeson (âAlone in Berlinâ, âLive By Nightâ).
Vision AND sound! Paddington with incarcerated friends, including Brendan Gleeson (centre).
The cast all seem to revel in their parts, with Hugh Bonneville (âViceroyâs Houseâ, âThe Monuments Menâ) energetic as Mr Brown and Oscar runner-up (surely!) Sally Hawkins (âThe Shape of Waterâ) very chirpy as Mrs Brown. All of the residents of Windsor Gardens are a whoâs who of UK film and TV, and each cameo has a lovely little tale behind it: Julie Walters (âBrooklynâ) as Mrs Bird, the Brownâs help; Sanjeev Bhaskar as Dr Jafri, forever nearly locking himself out; Miss Kitts (Jessica Hynes) and the crusty Colonel Lancaster (Ben Miller) in a âwill they/wonât theyâ potential romance. Elsewhere, Jim Broadbent (âBridget Jones Babyâ, âEddie the Eagleâ) is great as the antique store owner; Tom Conti adds both gravitas and humour as Judge Biggleswade and Richard Ayoade (âThe Doubleâ) is very funny as a forensic expert.
The Brown family: from left; Mr Brown (Hugh Bonneville); Jonathan (Samuel Joslin); Mrs Brown (Sally Hawkins); Mrs Bird (Julie Walters); and Judy Brown (Madeleine Harris).
Head and shoulders above all of them though is Hugh Grant who is just outstandingly good as the puffed-up and self-important ham-actor. His Best Supporting Actor nomination for a BAFTA was surprising, but having seen the film so very much deserved. Hang around in the end credits for his last words of the film which are cornily hilarious! One can only hope that Phoenix Buchanen returns for Paddington 3.
A career best⌠Hugh Grant as the devilishly slippery Phoenix Buchanan.
I would have thought that some of the scenes towards the end of the film, particularly one where Paddington seems doomed to a watery end, might be a little frightening for younger viewers. Thank heavens Sally Hawkins has gills! đ
Overall, this is a movie I would gladly watch again, with or without kids. In a movie landscape that is pretty devoid of good comedy, here is a movie that really did make me laugh out loud.
Butch Vig recommended Country Life by Roxy Music in Music (curated)
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Paddington (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The timeless storybook written by Michael Bond about a loveable, well-mannered immigrant Bear who tries to adapt to the human world.
The movie opens up with an English Explorer, Montgomery Clyde (Tim Downie), who ventures to the darkest Peru and encounters Paddingtonâs Aunt Lucy(voiced by Imelda Stauton) and Uncle Pastuzo(voiced by Michael Gambon). Instead of shooting them to take back to the Geographersâ Guild to be stuffed, he teaches them to speak English and introduces them to marmalade. He ends his adventure by telling the two bears he would always give them a home in London. Fast forward 40 years, Lucy and Pastuzo are now raising their very energetic nephew (voiced by Ben Wishaw) and teach him everything they know about London and how to make marmalade. Sadly, tragedy strikes after a devastating earthquake destroys their home. This forces Aunt Lucy to allow the young bear to stowaway on a ship bound for London to find Montgomery Clyde, the explorer, while she takes residence at a facility for retired bears.
The little bear is discovered by the Brown family while wandering Paddington Station. After reading the tag that says, âPlease look after this bear,â the Browns take him home and give him the name Paddington. They also agreed to help him find the explorer that once befriended his aunt and uncle. Confused by his new unfamiliar surroundings, Paddington becomes an accident prone guest who inadvertently creates chaos and devastation where ever he goes.
Writer/Director Paul King has made an ingeniously witty, funny film that will appeal to moviegoers of all ages. A sweet and playful take on the beloved 1950s childrenâs book. For the most part, it does follow the storyline of the book. With the exception of the character Millicent, played by Nicole Kidman, who is a museum taxidermist. She wants nothing more than to make Paddington the newest member of the museumâs collection of stuffed exotic animals.
You canât help but fall in love with Paddington, and itâs just as easy to love the Brown family. This is a delightfully charming film with the perfect amount of quirkiness. A story of a lost child trying to find friends and a place to belong. A wonderful movie that will melt your heart!
The movie opens up with an English Explorer, Montgomery Clyde (Tim Downie), who ventures to the darkest Peru and encounters Paddingtonâs Aunt Lucy(voiced by Imelda Stauton) and Uncle Pastuzo(voiced by Michael Gambon). Instead of shooting them to take back to the Geographersâ Guild to be stuffed, he teaches them to speak English and introduces them to marmalade. He ends his adventure by telling the two bears he would always give them a home in London. Fast forward 40 years, Lucy and Pastuzo are now raising their very energetic nephew (voiced by Ben Wishaw) and teach him everything they know about London and how to make marmalade. Sadly, tragedy strikes after a devastating earthquake destroys their home. This forces Aunt Lucy to allow the young bear to stowaway on a ship bound for London to find Montgomery Clyde, the explorer, while she takes residence at a facility for retired bears.
The little bear is discovered by the Brown family while wandering Paddington Station. After reading the tag that says, âPlease look after this bear,â the Browns take him home and give him the name Paddington. They also agreed to help him find the explorer that once befriended his aunt and uncle. Confused by his new unfamiliar surroundings, Paddington becomes an accident prone guest who inadvertently creates chaos and devastation where ever he goes.
Writer/Director Paul King has made an ingeniously witty, funny film that will appeal to moviegoers of all ages. A sweet and playful take on the beloved 1950s childrenâs book. For the most part, it does follow the storyline of the book. With the exception of the character Millicent, played by Nicole Kidman, who is a museum taxidermist. She wants nothing more than to make Paddington the newest member of the museumâs collection of stuffed exotic animals.
You canât help but fall in love with Paddington, and itâs just as easy to love the Brown family. This is a delightfully charming film with the perfect amount of quirkiness. A story of a lost child trying to find friends and a place to belong. A wonderful movie that will melt your heart!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Are you ready kids?â
âAye, Aye, CaptainâŚâŚâŚâŚâ
As if, one motion picture wasnât enough. Nickelodeon decides to release a sequel to the well received 2004 movie, âSpongebob Squarepants.â
The game is afoot with pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas), who finds a treasure map that leads him to a legendary book. This book tells the story of the day in the life of the residence of Bikini Bottom. Spongebob is hard a work flipping burgers at the Krusty Krab. Plankton as usual is trying steal the secret recipe to everyoneâs favorite snack, the Krabby patty. In the midst of the battle to save the recipe from Planktonâs evil hands, the recipe vanishes in midair. When the town realizes this may be the end of the Krabby patty forever, everyone begins panic, panic turns into destruction, and destruction leads to a satirical play on every post-apocalyptic film imaginable. Always the skeptic, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) turns the town and Spongebobâs closest friends against him. Forcing Spongebob to team up with Plankton, who has his own ulterior motives, to search for the recipe.
Plankton decides the best way to try to find the recipe is to invent a time machine so they can travel back to just before the recipe disappeared. Thus begins the adventure of travelling through time and ultimately ending with the entire gang, dressed up as superheroes, venturing on land to locate Burger Beard and get the recipe back.
Director Paul Tibbitt does an excellent job at taking all the visual humor that weâve come to love from the TV show, and presents it with wonderful animation and stellar computer generated sequences for the dry land scenes.
Ninety minutes of Spongebob and friendsâ zany antics, absurdities, and that obnoxious laugh is more than any parent can handle. That aside, you donât have to be a fan of the show to enjoy those goofy laugh out loud moments. Definitely a movie geared towards kids!
âAye, Aye, CaptainâŚâŚâŚâŚâ
As if, one motion picture wasnât enough. Nickelodeon decides to release a sequel to the well received 2004 movie, âSpongebob Squarepants.â
The game is afoot with pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas), who finds a treasure map that leads him to a legendary book. This book tells the story of the day in the life of the residence of Bikini Bottom. Spongebob is hard a work flipping burgers at the Krusty Krab. Plankton as usual is trying steal the secret recipe to everyoneâs favorite snack, the Krabby patty. In the midst of the battle to save the recipe from Planktonâs evil hands, the recipe vanishes in midair. When the town realizes this may be the end of the Krabby patty forever, everyone begins panic, panic turns into destruction, and destruction leads to a satirical play on every post-apocalyptic film imaginable. Always the skeptic, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) turns the town and Spongebobâs closest friends against him. Forcing Spongebob to team up with Plankton, who has his own ulterior motives, to search for the recipe.
Plankton decides the best way to try to find the recipe is to invent a time machine so they can travel back to just before the recipe disappeared. Thus begins the adventure of travelling through time and ultimately ending with the entire gang, dressed up as superheroes, venturing on land to locate Burger Beard and get the recipe back.
Director Paul Tibbitt does an excellent job at taking all the visual humor that weâve come to love from the TV show, and presents it with wonderful animation and stellar computer generated sequences for the dry land scenes.
Ninety minutes of Spongebob and friendsâ zany antics, absurdities, and that obnoxious laugh is more than any parent can handle. That aside, you donât have to be a fan of the show to enjoy those goofy laugh out loud moments. Definitely a movie geared towards kids!
JT (287 KP) rated Takers (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
The bank heist, itâs been done to death in Hollywood over the years but it still seems to be a film favourite. Youâd be hard pressed to find a really bad one out there and most of the ones that I have seen have been exceptional films.
Of course they all follow a very similar pattern. Group steals money, plan one last job which will inevitable go wrong where someone will get double crossed and not everyone walks off into the sunset with the money.Its a no brainer really and only an idiot could really mess up that style of plot.
Takers is no different from any other before it, the cast here seem to be a bit mismatched in places. There are real life rappers Chris Brown and T.I. aka Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., eye candy favourites Matt Dillon and Paul Walker with Brit Idris Elba making it the most unconventional mix of cops and robbers ever.
The filmâs highlights are the well choreographed set pieces including a decent hotel gun fight, a hiest that goes wrong leading to more gun play, and an impressive chase through the city. Even the opening does well to set the story and character back grounds.
Where the film letâs itself down, through no fault of its own, is the way in which we are always one step ahead of the plot. This is just down to all the hiest films we have seen before and weâre pretty much going to make our own assumptions as to what is going to happen and who is going to get away with what at the climax.
There are a couple of wasted back stories which do little to the film such as Matt Dillonâs corrupt partner or Idris Elbaâs crackhead sister. Zoe Saldana is a virtual unknown in this and pops up from time to time doing nothing but enlighten the screen with her clear beauty.
Itâs never going to compete against the big boys such as Heat, Point Break or The Town, but it does well enough to hold the attention for 90 minutes or so.
Of course they all follow a very similar pattern. Group steals money, plan one last job which will inevitable go wrong where someone will get double crossed and not everyone walks off into the sunset with the money.Its a no brainer really and only an idiot could really mess up that style of plot.
Takers is no different from any other before it, the cast here seem to be a bit mismatched in places. There are real life rappers Chris Brown and T.I. aka Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., eye candy favourites Matt Dillon and Paul Walker with Brit Idris Elba making it the most unconventional mix of cops and robbers ever.
The filmâs highlights are the well choreographed set pieces including a decent hotel gun fight, a hiest that goes wrong leading to more gun play, and an impressive chase through the city. Even the opening does well to set the story and character back grounds.
Where the film letâs itself down, through no fault of its own, is the way in which we are always one step ahead of the plot. This is just down to all the hiest films we have seen before and weâre pretty much going to make our own assumptions as to what is going to happen and who is going to get away with what at the climax.
There are a couple of wasted back stories which do little to the film such as Matt Dillonâs corrupt partner or Idris Elbaâs crackhead sister. Zoe Saldana is a virtual unknown in this and pops up from time to time doing nothing but enlighten the screen with her clear beauty.
Itâs never going to compete against the big boys such as Heat, Point Break or The Town, but it does well enough to hold the attention for 90 minutes or so.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Ghost Stories (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
In that sleep of death, what dreams may come.
âGhost Storiesâ is based on the spooky London West-End stage play by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman who both write and direct the film version. I didnât know this until the end credits, but began to wonder in the final act where the action suddenly becomes very âstageyâ in nature. The screenplay was always bound to be both bizarre and intriguing, since Dyson has been a past contributor to TVâs âLeague of Gentlemenâ and other equally surreal programmes and Nyman has been a major collaborator with the stage-illusionist Derren Brown.
Nyman himself plays TV paranormal debunker Professor Goodman who receives a surprise message from a respected colleague, long thought dead, who on his death bed wants Goodman to investigate the three cases from his career that he was never able to debunk. The first concerns Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse, âThe Death of Stalinâ) as a night watchman at a spooky old asylum; the second concerns Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther, young Turing in âThe Imitation Gameâ) as a freaked-out young man with a forest breakdown; and Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman, âBlack Pantherâ) as a rich broker with parenting issues. As Goodman investigates each case weirder and weirder things start to happen: is this his mind playing tricks as his faith is rocked, or is there something more sinister going on?
The primary issue I have with this film is its portmanteau nature, harking back to similar films like âThe Twilight Zone: the Movieâ. Having three segments, loosely linked together, feels like a clunky device for a feature filmâŚ. (âWhy are there three cases to investigate? Well, two would have made the film too short, and four would have made it too long!â).
That being said, the overall story arc and the drawing together of the strands for the unexpected (although not terribly original) conclusion, is intriguing.
The film looks and feels like a British-made horror film, which is both a compliment and a criticism. Who doesnât like the jump-scares and the vague tackiness of a Hammer horror? But if you care to compare the production values on show here versus âA Quiet Placeâ, there is no comparison. The location-shot scenes (which are most of the scenes) seem to be very poorly lit: and thatâs the non-spooky ones where you are supposed to see whatâs going on!
The cast seem to be well-suited to their roles, with Paul Whitehouse in particular being impressive as the âon the makeâ Matthews, who always feels like being on the knife-edge of violent outburst. I particularly liked Alex Lawther who does âspookedâ extremely well! The script also seems to be well-tuned to the characters, with a number of laugh-out-loud lines. â****ing O2â exclaims Simon as he waves his mobile in the air⌠something the marketing department at the telecoms giant must have loved!
The critics seem to have been overtly positive about this film, which I canât quite match. Apart from one or two scenes towards the end, all of the jump scares were pretty well signposted in advance. But itâs still as fun as a slightly tacky ghost house ride at the fairground, if you like that sort of thing, and is certainly a much more interesting and better watch in my book than some recent and much higher budget horror films like âItâ.
Nyman himself plays TV paranormal debunker Professor Goodman who receives a surprise message from a respected colleague, long thought dead, who on his death bed wants Goodman to investigate the three cases from his career that he was never able to debunk. The first concerns Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse, âThe Death of Stalinâ) as a night watchman at a spooky old asylum; the second concerns Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther, young Turing in âThe Imitation Gameâ) as a freaked-out young man with a forest breakdown; and Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman, âBlack Pantherâ) as a rich broker with parenting issues. As Goodman investigates each case weirder and weirder things start to happen: is this his mind playing tricks as his faith is rocked, or is there something more sinister going on?
The primary issue I have with this film is its portmanteau nature, harking back to similar films like âThe Twilight Zone: the Movieâ. Having three segments, loosely linked together, feels like a clunky device for a feature filmâŚ. (âWhy are there three cases to investigate? Well, two would have made the film too short, and four would have made it too long!â).
That being said, the overall story arc and the drawing together of the strands for the unexpected (although not terribly original) conclusion, is intriguing.
The film looks and feels like a British-made horror film, which is both a compliment and a criticism. Who doesnât like the jump-scares and the vague tackiness of a Hammer horror? But if you care to compare the production values on show here versus âA Quiet Placeâ, there is no comparison. The location-shot scenes (which are most of the scenes) seem to be very poorly lit: and thatâs the non-spooky ones where you are supposed to see whatâs going on!
The cast seem to be well-suited to their roles, with Paul Whitehouse in particular being impressive as the âon the makeâ Matthews, who always feels like being on the knife-edge of violent outburst. I particularly liked Alex Lawther who does âspookedâ extremely well! The script also seems to be well-tuned to the characters, with a number of laugh-out-loud lines. â****ing O2â exclaims Simon as he waves his mobile in the air⌠something the marketing department at the telecoms giant must have loved!
The critics seem to have been overtly positive about this film, which I canât quite match. Apart from one or two scenes towards the end, all of the jump scares were pretty well signposted in advance. But itâs still as fun as a slightly tacky ghost house ride at the fairground, if you like that sort of thing, and is certainly a much more interesting and better watch in my book than some recent and much higher budget horror films like âItâ.