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Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007) in Movies
Jun 25, 2019
I used to be a plumber
Jack brooks: monster slayer pays homage to movies like Evil dead, from dusk till dawn & gremlins.
After witnessing his family's brutal murder as a child, he grows up with an unquenching fury he is constantly fighting.
After accidentally unleashing an ancient evil during a plumbing job, his client/professor (Robert Englund) becomes possessed and mutates into a gruesome monster with an undying hunger.
This results in Jack facing his fears he can no longer run from and discover the purpose of his inner rage.
This is a great movie that honestly pays off, a low budget project that deserves a franchise.
Starring Trevor Mathews & Robert Englund
Story by: John Ainslie; Jon Knautz; Trevor Matthews; Patrick White
Directed by: Jon Knautz
Release date: October 9, 2007 (Sitges Film Festival); July 25, 2008 (Canada); August
After witnessing his family's brutal murder as a child, he grows up with an unquenching fury he is constantly fighting.
After accidentally unleashing an ancient evil during a plumbing job, his client/professor (Robert Englund) becomes possessed and mutates into a gruesome monster with an undying hunger.
This results in Jack facing his fears he can no longer run from and discover the purpose of his inner rage.
This is a great movie that honestly pays off, a low budget project that deserves a franchise.
Starring Trevor Mathews & Robert Englund
Story by: John Ainslie; Jon Knautz; Trevor Matthews; Patrick White
Directed by: Jon Knautz
Release date: October 9, 2007 (Sitges Film Festival); July 25, 2008 (Canada); August
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Larry Crowne (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
“Larry Crowne” is a movie (in the works since 2006) that stars Tom Hanks in the lead as Larry Crown and Julia Roberts as Mercedes Tainot, a disenchanted community college speech professor.
“Larry Crowne” tells the tale of a Navy veteran and recent divorce’ whom, after many years of tirelessly and loyally working at the same big-box store, is fired on the spot supposedly because of the fact that he does not have a college degree. Coincidentally at the same time the bank demands the money from the mortgage taken out on his home. With no options and on the advice of his next door neighbor Lamar (who tries to sell him a “free” college degree for 20 cents at his garage sale) Larry decides to enroll in community college From there the movie follows Larry as falls in love with his speech professor Dr. Mercedes Tainot (who is still married to some Internet businessman obsessed with large breasted women) while at the same time, being befriended by a “gang” of motor-scooter/vespa enthusiasts.
Now ….. normally I’m not the one to go see the stereotypical “feel good movie” of the season. Plus, I’m honestly not that big a fan of Julia Roberts. But come on ….. Personally, I cannot ever recall Tom Hanks in a bad movie and I have to admit it Julia Roberts had me laughing the minute she started talking. After the first 15 minutes of the movie, you have a pretty good idea of the general direction the movie will go in and how it will end. However, this is one of those movies where it’s more entertaining to see how the whole movie plays out despite that fact. The ensemble cast that Tom Hanks put together does an excellent job of keeping you on your seat laughing (including a hilarious performance by the great George Takei as a militant economics professor who is trying to pimp his new book very two minutes in his class). Plus, the movie does a great job keeping you focused on the story. Especially when the gang of motor-scooter enthusiasts seemingly appear out of nowhere to show him how NOT to dress like a cop and to explain the concept of “Fung Shui”.
The ensemble cast that includes Bryan Cranstson, Pam Grier, Cedric The Entertainer, Rob Riggle, Wilmer Valderama, and George Takei amongst many others supports the lead characters well.
All in all, I’d say this movie deserves 4 out of 5 stars. Not a movie you’d want to take the kids to due some sexual content and alcohol use in the movie. Definitely a great “Date Movie” though. Besides being slow at some points and it’s “predictability” I’d say it’s definitely worth your hard earned money. Go to a matinee showing or get it “on demand”.
“Larry Crowne” tells the tale of a Navy veteran and recent divorce’ whom, after many years of tirelessly and loyally working at the same big-box store, is fired on the spot supposedly because of the fact that he does not have a college degree. Coincidentally at the same time the bank demands the money from the mortgage taken out on his home. With no options and on the advice of his next door neighbor Lamar (who tries to sell him a “free” college degree for 20 cents at his garage sale) Larry decides to enroll in community college From there the movie follows Larry as falls in love with his speech professor Dr. Mercedes Tainot (who is still married to some Internet businessman obsessed with large breasted women) while at the same time, being befriended by a “gang” of motor-scooter/vespa enthusiasts.
Now ….. normally I’m not the one to go see the stereotypical “feel good movie” of the season. Plus, I’m honestly not that big a fan of Julia Roberts. But come on ….. Personally, I cannot ever recall Tom Hanks in a bad movie and I have to admit it Julia Roberts had me laughing the minute she started talking. After the first 15 minutes of the movie, you have a pretty good idea of the general direction the movie will go in and how it will end. However, this is one of those movies where it’s more entertaining to see how the whole movie plays out despite that fact. The ensemble cast that Tom Hanks put together does an excellent job of keeping you on your seat laughing (including a hilarious performance by the great George Takei as a militant economics professor who is trying to pimp his new book very two minutes in his class). Plus, the movie does a great job keeping you focused on the story. Especially when the gang of motor-scooter enthusiasts seemingly appear out of nowhere to show him how NOT to dress like a cop and to explain the concept of “Fung Shui”.
The ensemble cast that includes Bryan Cranstson, Pam Grier, Cedric The Entertainer, Rob Riggle, Wilmer Valderama, and George Takei amongst many others supports the lead characters well.
All in all, I’d say this movie deserves 4 out of 5 stars. Not a movie you’d want to take the kids to due some sexual content and alcohol use in the movie. Definitely a great “Date Movie” though. Besides being slow at some points and it’s “predictability” I’d say it’s definitely worth your hard earned money. Go to a matinee showing or get it “on demand”.
Darren (1599 KP) rated 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starts when scientist professor Pierre Aronnax (Lukas) gets assigned to investigate a large number of sinkings in the open ocean, joined by his trusted sidekick Conseil (Lorre). When the ship they are travelling on gets sunk by the creature, Peirre, Conseil and sailor Ned Land (Douglas) go in search of rescue finding the Nautilus seemingly abandoned on the ocean.
The Nautilus captained by Nemo (Mason) tests the men before letting them stay aboard learning the wonders from beneath the ocean and taking on the creatures that have been lurking in the deep.
Thoughts on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Characters – Captain Nemo is the mysterious captain of the Nautilus, he doesn’t follow any over the rules of the ocean as he plans his own way to clean it up with his loyal men, he reluctantly lets the three survivors onboard knowing Professor Aronnax could help his work. He does get frustratingly tired of Ned’s behaviour which puts his crew in danger at times. Ned Land is a sailor that is one of the few survivors from the shipwreck, he doesn’t like Nemo and wants to focus on collecting treasure over learning from the ocean. Professor Pierre Aronnax is one of the most famous scientist in the world, he is welcomed on board the ship because of his reputation which impress Nemo, he jumps at the chance to make huge waves in science onboard the ship. Conseil is the assistant to the professor who quickly starts to side with ned when it comes to the methods being shown onboard the vessel.
Performances – This is a strange way to bill the cast, because James Mason is the main character and he is great to watch when it comes to his speeches and ideas for what his character wants. Kirk Douglas is mostly the comic relief which is fun to see for the most part. Paul Lukas fits the posh scientist role in the film which is the one that can simplify things for the audience. Peter Lorre makes for a good sidekick figure for whoever his character helps.
Story – The story here follows the character of Captain Nemo that must educate three new crew members of the wonders of the ocean, showing them the answers are here instead of in how the world is acting. This is one that shows us science need exploring rather than questioning which takes out characters across the world to see things never imagined for the 1800s. While the story does give us entertainment, it would have been nice to see them ship take on a real creature for more than five minutes instead of going into the science versus sailing talk we most explore.
Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi – The adventure side of this film takes our crew around the world to places they would have never seen to see places only few would have, make new discoveries. The fantasy mixes into the sci-fi because of the films setting in the 1800s where the technology isn’t like anything imaginable.
Settings – The film keep sus out at sea for most of the film, it is the interior of the Nautilus which is fantastic creation here show us just what was in the minds of the people.
Special Effects – The effects for the time were great, they show us what could have been achieved with practical effects and clever camera work.
Scene of the Movie – Squid battle.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not much creature action.
Final Thoughts – This is a must watch classic of cinema, it reaches levels you might not have expected for the time only to become something you need to admire.
Overall: Must watch classic
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/03/20/20000-leagues-under-the-sea-1954/
The Nautilus captained by Nemo (Mason) tests the men before letting them stay aboard learning the wonders from beneath the ocean and taking on the creatures that have been lurking in the deep.
Thoughts on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Characters – Captain Nemo is the mysterious captain of the Nautilus, he doesn’t follow any over the rules of the ocean as he plans his own way to clean it up with his loyal men, he reluctantly lets the three survivors onboard knowing Professor Aronnax could help his work. He does get frustratingly tired of Ned’s behaviour which puts his crew in danger at times. Ned Land is a sailor that is one of the few survivors from the shipwreck, he doesn’t like Nemo and wants to focus on collecting treasure over learning from the ocean. Professor Pierre Aronnax is one of the most famous scientist in the world, he is welcomed on board the ship because of his reputation which impress Nemo, he jumps at the chance to make huge waves in science onboard the ship. Conseil is the assistant to the professor who quickly starts to side with ned when it comes to the methods being shown onboard the vessel.
Performances – This is a strange way to bill the cast, because James Mason is the main character and he is great to watch when it comes to his speeches and ideas for what his character wants. Kirk Douglas is mostly the comic relief which is fun to see for the most part. Paul Lukas fits the posh scientist role in the film which is the one that can simplify things for the audience. Peter Lorre makes for a good sidekick figure for whoever his character helps.
Story – The story here follows the character of Captain Nemo that must educate three new crew members of the wonders of the ocean, showing them the answers are here instead of in how the world is acting. This is one that shows us science need exploring rather than questioning which takes out characters across the world to see things never imagined for the 1800s. While the story does give us entertainment, it would have been nice to see them ship take on a real creature for more than five minutes instead of going into the science versus sailing talk we most explore.
Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi – The adventure side of this film takes our crew around the world to places they would have never seen to see places only few would have, make new discoveries. The fantasy mixes into the sci-fi because of the films setting in the 1800s where the technology isn’t like anything imaginable.
Settings – The film keep sus out at sea for most of the film, it is the interior of the Nautilus which is fantastic creation here show us just what was in the minds of the people.
Special Effects – The effects for the time were great, they show us what could have been achieved with practical effects and clever camera work.
Scene of the Movie – Squid battle.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not much creature action.
Final Thoughts – This is a must watch classic of cinema, it reaches levels you might not have expected for the time only to become something you need to admire.
Overall: Must watch classic
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/03/20/20000-leagues-under-the-sea-1954/
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Special Topics in Calamity Physics in Books
May 25, 2018
I loved, loved, loved this book! 5 STARS!
Blue Van Meer is a young girl studying at Harvard who decides to write about her life. Kind of a brainiac, and a bit odd, she starts with some tidbits of her childhood. Her mother died when she was very young, so she was raised primarily by her eccentric father who is a professor that moved her around a lot, from place to place. But most of the book takes place in Blue's high school years, particularly her senior year where she meets and befriends her teacher Hannah Schneider and joins an elite group of eccentrics, named the Bluebloods. And then, there is a murder.
Its a great mystery, a definite page-turner and you see how this murder has impacted Blue's life, and my goodness, it just gets better and better as you read on. I'm a big fan of Pessl's now!
Blue Van Meer is a young girl studying at Harvard who decides to write about her life. Kind of a brainiac, and a bit odd, she starts with some tidbits of her childhood. Her mother died when she was very young, so she was raised primarily by her eccentric father who is a professor that moved her around a lot, from place to place. But most of the book takes place in Blue's high school years, particularly her senior year where she meets and befriends her teacher Hannah Schneider and joins an elite group of eccentrics, named the Bluebloods. And then, there is a murder.
Its a great mystery, a definite page-turner and you see how this murder has impacted Blue's life, and my goodness, it just gets better and better as you read on. I'm a big fan of Pessl's now!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Artifact (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
New history professor Jaya Jones is trying to process the death of her ex-boyfriend when she receives a package in the mail from him that contains a bracelet. It looks to be old and possibly valuable. Now, she’s wondering if he really died in an accident like everyone thinks or if it was murder. And what is the story of the bracelet?
While I always enjoy a cozy mystery, I love when an author adds something else, which is the case here. I was hoping for a caper feel to things, and this book delivered on that perfectly. Between the mystery and the treasure hunt, there is always something going on. Along the way, we get to meet a great cast of characters. I’ll definitely be back for more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-artifact-by-gigi-pandian.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While I always enjoy a cozy mystery, I love when an author adds something else, which is the case here. I was hoping for a caper feel to things, and this book delivered on that perfectly. Between the mystery and the treasure hunt, there is always something going on. Along the way, we get to meet a great cast of characters. I’ll definitely be back for more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-artifact-by-gigi-pandian.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated The Theory of Everything (2014) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Acting at it's finest! (1 more)
A fantastic look into the life of one of the most remarkable people ever on this earth.
Fantastic.
Yes the movie can feel long when you are not in the right mood to watch it but seriously, get yourself into the mood to watch it (nice, calm afternoon cosy up the blanket with a cup of tea and some biscuits). It will make you laugh, cry, be angry, sad, elated, humbled, inspired and be in awe with the remarkable man that was Stephen Hawking (may he rest peacefully.)
It not only shows his amazing resilience but it also shows the effect on his family, particularly Jane Hawking. She seemed to be such an amazing, strong influential woman that definitely helped more than she knows in Professor Hawking's like and accomplishments.
Please watch this movie atleast once, it just goes to show that anything is possible.
It not only shows his amazing resilience but it also shows the effect on his family, particularly Jane Hawking. She seemed to be such an amazing, strong influential woman that definitely helped more than she knows in Professor Hawking's like and accomplishments.
Please watch this movie atleast once, it just goes to show that anything is possible.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Mentor, The in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Oh, Im so sad I can only give this book a 3 star review. I really wanted to love this one! The synopsis sounds so dark, intense and creepy, but it let me down in that department
almost completely!
The first 40% of this book was definitely enthralling, at times silly and over the top, but still exciting to read. The characters were interesting, the story was moving along nicely and the writing was simple, but not bad. It was about when I got to 50% that I realised I was getting a little bit bored by this novel.
Characters in this one werent so bad. They were well developed and even though there were a fair few number of them, we did get to know them individually, quite well. My problem was that they were pretty unbelievable and I didnt really like any of them. Im not sure if Kyle was meant to come across as an anti-hero, but thats kind of what he felt like although for me, it was mostly anti, less hero. I really didnt like the introduction to the character as being a semi-graphic description of the sex he had with his girlfriend.
The plot for this book sounded amazing! An English professor writes a depraved book that sounds like an unsolved murder case from years ago? Is it just a coincidence or is it something more sinister? Doesnt that sounds amazing? Well, it isnt, I hate to say! Yes, this professor does write a depraved, and terribly written, book about kidnapping a girl but it doesnt allude to the fact it might be about a cold case until around the 60% mark, which is ridiculous!
At 336 pages, this isnt a long novel, but it definitely could have been cut down! Most of this novel was a very repetitive back and forth between Kyle and his mad professor. Repetition like this in books is something I absolutely despise and with each new chapter, I could feel myself losing the will to read this book.
That was my first issue with the writing, and then my annoyance moved on to the number of spelling, grammatical and sentence structure errors. Considering this novel was about an editor, you would have thought the real editor would have caught the vast number of cock ups in this book!
I got very irritated by this novel towards the end. The story was convoluted, silly and unrealistic. I got to the point of skimming pages in the ending chapters, yes, it was that disappointing. Not to mention this wasnt creepy or tense at all. It was pretty predictable all the way through and the ending was a cheap way out.
Overall, I wouldnt recommend this novel. It gets 3 stars because I did enjoy the first 40% or so, but the story became silly and I couldnt get over the number of errors in the writing.
The first 40% of this book was definitely enthralling, at times silly and over the top, but still exciting to read. The characters were interesting, the story was moving along nicely and the writing was simple, but not bad. It was about when I got to 50% that I realised I was getting a little bit bored by this novel.
Characters in this one werent so bad. They were well developed and even though there were a fair few number of them, we did get to know them individually, quite well. My problem was that they were pretty unbelievable and I didnt really like any of them. Im not sure if Kyle was meant to come across as an anti-hero, but thats kind of what he felt like although for me, it was mostly anti, less hero. I really didnt like the introduction to the character as being a semi-graphic description of the sex he had with his girlfriend.
The plot for this book sounded amazing! An English professor writes a depraved book that sounds like an unsolved murder case from years ago? Is it just a coincidence or is it something more sinister? Doesnt that sounds amazing? Well, it isnt, I hate to say! Yes, this professor does write a depraved, and terribly written, book about kidnapping a girl but it doesnt allude to the fact it might be about a cold case until around the 60% mark, which is ridiculous!
At 336 pages, this isnt a long novel, but it definitely could have been cut down! Most of this novel was a very repetitive back and forth between Kyle and his mad professor. Repetition like this in books is something I absolutely despise and with each new chapter, I could feel myself losing the will to read this book.
That was my first issue with the writing, and then my annoyance moved on to the number of spelling, grammatical and sentence structure errors. Considering this novel was about an editor, you would have thought the real editor would have caught the vast number of cock ups in this book!
I got very irritated by this novel towards the end. The story was convoluted, silly and unrealistic. I got to the point of skimming pages in the ending chapters, yes, it was that disappointing. Not to mention this wasnt creepy or tense at all. It was pretty predictable all the way through and the ending was a cheap way out.
Overall, I wouldnt recommend this novel. It gets 3 stars because I did enjoy the first 40% or so, but the story became silly and I couldnt get over the number of errors in the writing.
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Seduced by Fire (Dragons of Bloodfire #3) in Books
Sep 8, 2017
Seduced by Fire (Dragons of Bloodfire #3) by Erin Kellison
Seduced by Fire is the third book in the Dragons of Bloodfire series. In this book our two main characters are both dragons, and both have secrets to keep. Ryder, also known as Professor Ted, has managed to live amongst the humans, working as a professor. Everything he has worked for, and lived with, becomes a moot point when he crosses paths with a Tempus during one of his lectures. He is exposed to the human world, and has decisions to make. Aura is a Sun Dragon, and you don't really know much about her to begin with, except that her and Ryder have a history. As the story progresses you find out more about both our main characters, and the story itself. We reunite with Warrick and Samantha from book 2, whilst Thane from book 1 is only spoken about.
Something was missing from this book for me, and I'll be damned if I can figure out what it was. I love Erin Kellison's work, and this, by technical standards, is the same high quality as you would expect, with no editing or grammatical errors that I could see. However, I just didn't feel like I connected with the characters or the story as much as the others, especially book 1. I am sure that this will only be my opinion in amongst the rest, as it is more than usual to get lost in the worlds that Erin Kellison produces.
So, for me, this book was good and I did enjoy it. It just didn't wow me like others have in the past. I would still recommend both this book, and others by this author, to anyone who loves paranormal romance.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Something was missing from this book for me, and I'll be damned if I can figure out what it was. I love Erin Kellison's work, and this, by technical standards, is the same high quality as you would expect, with no editing or grammatical errors that I could see. However, I just didn't feel like I connected with the characters or the story as much as the others, especially book 1. I am sure that this will only be my opinion in amongst the rest, as it is more than usual to get lost in the worlds that Erin Kellison produces.
So, for me, this book was good and I did enjoy it. It just didn't wow me like others have in the past. I would still recommend both this book, and others by this author, to anyone who loves paranormal romance.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Ross (3282 KP) rated Captain Underpants (2017) in Movies
Oct 9, 2017
This rating is based on the general consensus of my family (me, my wife and my three children).
We were already somewhat aware of Captain Underpants before we saw the movie - I bought my eldest the boxset of books which are admittedly still in their shrinkwrap.
The film is obviously aimed at children, probably aged 3 to 7. The potty humour got a bit stale for my 9 year old, but the 3 and 6 year olds were still amused throughout. I normally expect a few more clever jokes for the parents from a film like this, but was sadly disappointed that there weren't any. The humour really is restricted to a man in his pants and the name Professor Poopypants. There really isn't much more to it than that.
I liked the idea of the storyline, but would have liked more levels of humour.
I think we were all a bit bored of it by the end.
We were already somewhat aware of Captain Underpants before we saw the movie - I bought my eldest the boxset of books which are admittedly still in their shrinkwrap.
The film is obviously aimed at children, probably aged 3 to 7. The potty humour got a bit stale for my 9 year old, but the 3 and 6 year olds were still amused throughout. I normally expect a few more clever jokes for the parents from a film like this, but was sadly disappointed that there weren't any. The humour really is restricted to a man in his pants and the name Professor Poopypants. There really isn't much more to it than that.
I liked the idea of the storyline, but would have liked more levels of humour.
I think we were all a bit bored of it by the end.
Lila Maclean is excited to be teaching her first semester as a professor. She’s not so happy with her department chair, however, especially after he shoots down her idea for a course on mysteries and basically tells her to sit down and observe. Walking into a department meeting a couple of hours later, she finds him stabbed to death on a table. With rumors that she knows more than she is saying, she decides to find the killer herself.
This is a fun debut. The college came alive for me, and I really enjoyed the setting. Now that Lila’s co-workers won’t be suspects, I’m looking forward to seeing them grow more as well since I liked most of them. While the book starts out quickly, I did feel the pace lagged a little in the middle before things came together for a logical end.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-semester-of-our-discontent.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a fun debut. The college came alive for me, and I really enjoyed the setting. Now that Lila’s co-workers won’t be suspects, I’m looking forward to seeing them grow more as well since I liked most of them. While the book starts out quickly, I did feel the pace lagged a little in the middle before things came together for a logical end.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-semester-of-our-discontent.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.