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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
20th Century Fox releases Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. Starring a new cast, as the previous cast ember kids aged out of their roles, it has Alecia Silverstone as Mom, Tom Everett Scott as Dad, Jason Drucker as Wimpy Kid Greg, and Charlie Wright as older brother Roderick.
Headed cross country to their MeeMaw’s 90th birthday, it’s a 4-day haul to Indiana, and Mom has banned all electronic devices.
At least from an adult perspective, I can understand the premise, seeing as the kids are always up to their ears in iPads and Minecraft these days, and having a “conversation” can be like pulling teeth. However, again from an adult perspective, this movie might have been better if the characters HAD been up to their ears in iPads and Minecraft for the trip.
There was lots of bathroom humor, which did seem to pull some laughs from my 8-year-old son, although maybe not as many as might have been expected (some of it, thankfully, was still over his head), but just had me shaking my head and wondering what has happened to good clean humor?
Greg’s main goal throughout the Long Haul is trying to erase or at least overcome his accidental internet sensationalism caught when he is filmed freaking out over a diaper he finds while playing in a ball-pit. He continues to try to re-route the family trip in order to get himself into a video with (what he sees as) a “famous” gamer who goes by Mac Digby, who will be at a convention in Indiana “only two inches away” from MeeMaw’s when looking at the map. His brother Roderick wants to become famous by drumming along in a video game and Greg manages to re-program the GPS in order to direct them closer to the gaming convention.
Along the way, they stop at a county fair and the youngest Heffley, Manny (played by twins Dylan and Wyatt Walters) manages to win an adorable baby piglet, who might honestly have the best role in the film. Who doesn’t like baby pigs?
There are more hijinks along the way in some sort of feud with another family, and in what might be the best part of the film, an homage to Hitchcock’s “Psycho”.
All in all, though, something is seriously lost in translation between the popular Jeff Kinney kids novel that the movie is based on, and this film. Previous installments of the Wimpy Kid movies have not been nearly as unpalatable to me. My son says that he likes this one, but even he says, “the book was better” and he’s only 8.
Between the poop, pee and puke “humor” and the never addressed or resolved lying of the kids and even dad, it’s not a movie I could really appreciate.
Headed cross country to their MeeMaw’s 90th birthday, it’s a 4-day haul to Indiana, and Mom has banned all electronic devices.
At least from an adult perspective, I can understand the premise, seeing as the kids are always up to their ears in iPads and Minecraft these days, and having a “conversation” can be like pulling teeth. However, again from an adult perspective, this movie might have been better if the characters HAD been up to their ears in iPads and Minecraft for the trip.
There was lots of bathroom humor, which did seem to pull some laughs from my 8-year-old son, although maybe not as many as might have been expected (some of it, thankfully, was still over his head), but just had me shaking my head and wondering what has happened to good clean humor?
Greg’s main goal throughout the Long Haul is trying to erase or at least overcome his accidental internet sensationalism caught when he is filmed freaking out over a diaper he finds while playing in a ball-pit. He continues to try to re-route the family trip in order to get himself into a video with (what he sees as) a “famous” gamer who goes by Mac Digby, who will be at a convention in Indiana “only two inches away” from MeeMaw’s when looking at the map. His brother Roderick wants to become famous by drumming along in a video game and Greg manages to re-program the GPS in order to direct them closer to the gaming convention.
Along the way, they stop at a county fair and the youngest Heffley, Manny (played by twins Dylan and Wyatt Walters) manages to win an adorable baby piglet, who might honestly have the best role in the film. Who doesn’t like baby pigs?
There are more hijinks along the way in some sort of feud with another family, and in what might be the best part of the film, an homage to Hitchcock’s “Psycho”.
All in all, though, something is seriously lost in translation between the popular Jeff Kinney kids novel that the movie is based on, and this film. Previous installments of the Wimpy Kid movies have not been nearly as unpalatable to me. My son says that he likes this one, but even he says, “the book was better” and he’s only 8.
Between the poop, pee and puke “humor” and the never addressed or resolved lying of the kids and even dad, it’s not a movie I could really appreciate.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Halloween Ends (2022) in Movies
Oct 14, 2022 (Updated Oct 14, 2022)
Halloween Ends Closes The New Trilogy With What Fans Expect
The final film I the new “Halloween” trilogy has arrived with “Halloween
Ends” and it looks to bring closure to the character of Laurie Strode
(Jamie Lee Curtis) and the terror of Michael Myers.
The film takes place about four years after the events of “Halloween
Kills” and Michael has not been seen since leaving some to speculate that
he died while others are convinced he is still out there. The fear brought
on by Myers still hangs over the community and suicides and other horrific
aftermaths of his terror keeps the community from healing and moving on.
Laurie has decided to write a book about her experiences and while raising
her Granddaughter Allyson (And Matichak), she is coming to peace with her
life and has even awkwardly flirted with Officer Hawkins (Will Patton).
When a young man named Corey (Rohan Campbell), is involved in a tragic
event, he is marked as a psycho by the community and is often the subject
of abuse from the locals. Laurie sees a person in need and introduces him
to Allyson which starts a relationship that should help both of them heal
and move on.
When Corey is roughed up by locals, he discovers Michael is indeed alive
and well and Michael sees something in Corey due to his past and lets him
live. This sparks a change in Corey as he starts to manifest a darker side
where killing and revenge are his motivations and Michael is his mentor.
At this point it seemed as if the film would be a tale of revenge and
Michael would be grooming a potential replacement but it actually becomes
a bit convoluted as the film seems to be unsure of which storylines to
advance. After a slow start in the carnage department, the body count
rises quickly but without the pacing and tension normally associated with
the best films in the series.
It all leads up to a final confrontation between Michael and Laurie which
should delight fans as Curtis is truly magnificent and there brutal and
deadly dance had the audience cheering during my press screening.
While one device I saw coming a mile away as it was clear someone would be
dealing with it, the film does deliver even if the plot is more muddled
than fans would like. While it does not reach the greatness of the new
reboot, “Halloween Ends” is a fitting finale and is better than several of
the films in the series that followed it, the biggest issue is that the
first film in the trilogy set such a high standard, it was nearly
impossible of the next two films to measure up.
3 stars out of 5
Ends” and it looks to bring closure to the character of Laurie Strode
(Jamie Lee Curtis) and the terror of Michael Myers.
The film takes place about four years after the events of “Halloween
Kills” and Michael has not been seen since leaving some to speculate that
he died while others are convinced he is still out there. The fear brought
on by Myers still hangs over the community and suicides and other horrific
aftermaths of his terror keeps the community from healing and moving on.
Laurie has decided to write a book about her experiences and while raising
her Granddaughter Allyson (And Matichak), she is coming to peace with her
life and has even awkwardly flirted with Officer Hawkins (Will Patton).
When a young man named Corey (Rohan Campbell), is involved in a tragic
event, he is marked as a psycho by the community and is often the subject
of abuse from the locals. Laurie sees a person in need and introduces him
to Allyson which starts a relationship that should help both of them heal
and move on.
When Corey is roughed up by locals, he discovers Michael is indeed alive
and well and Michael sees something in Corey due to his past and lets him
live. This sparks a change in Corey as he starts to manifest a darker side
where killing and revenge are his motivations and Michael is his mentor.
At this point it seemed as if the film would be a tale of revenge and
Michael would be grooming a potential replacement but it actually becomes
a bit convoluted as the film seems to be unsure of which storylines to
advance. After a slow start in the carnage department, the body count
rises quickly but without the pacing and tension normally associated with
the best films in the series.
It all leads up to a final confrontation between Michael and Laurie which
should delight fans as Curtis is truly magnificent and there brutal and
deadly dance had the audience cheering during my press screening.
While one device I saw coming a mile away as it was clear someone would be
dealing with it, the film does deliver even if the plot is more muddled
than fans would like. While it does not reach the greatness of the new
reboot, “Halloween Ends” is a fitting finale and is better than several of
the films in the series that followed it, the biggest issue is that the
first film in the trilogy set such a high standard, it was nearly
impossible of the next two films to measure up.
3 stars out of 5
Maddi Zoe (6 KP) rated MANIA by Fall Out Boy in Music
Feb 8, 2018
feet-tapping tunes (1 more)
light and dark
Fresh new sound, still Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy return with their seventh studio album titled 'Mania', which continues to explore their heavy alternative rock sound.
Mania is very similar in sound to Fall Out Boy's previous album from 2015 'American Beauty/American Psycho'. It's a far cry from where they first began with hits such as 'Sugar We're Goin' Down' and 'Dance, Dance'. Although it was classic rock hits such as 'I Don't Care' that brought them out into the spotlight in the first place. But you can clearly see the evolution of their music through each and every album.
They started to turn to heavier rock in their stand out album, 'Save Rock and Roll' in 2013, and continued to explore this style through to their 2015 album. Mania follows again follows this same successful recipe. But it's still fresh, with Pete Wentz describing it as a 'palette cleanse'.
You can tell that Fall Out Boy are passionate about their music. It's taken two years to get this album to a point where they felt happy with the finished product. Patrick Stump and the band started writing the new album during their 2016 tour, and it was originally scheduled for release in September last year. The release was delayed because they felt it was 'too rushed' and they didn't want to give fans something they felt was 'sub-par'.
The lyrics are, as usual, clever and intricate. It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into writing all of these songs. Some songs do again hint towards religion, such as 'Church' and 'Heaven's Gate'. This is becoming a common theme for the band, yet they maintain their heavy ego pop musicality. Fans of the band may also know it is common for the lyrics to sometimes reference other artists or the music industry in general. Anyone with a keen ear will notice the Britney Spears references in 'Young and Menace'.
Stump's voice. It is outstanding. This new album is no different. It is something that makes Fall Out Boy stand out among other bands. It is so crucial, especially in recent years, and Fall Out Boy continue to distance themselves away from bog-standard guitar solos. More often than not they have a bridge that is different to the rest of the song. This gives them more time to show off Stump's incredible and unique voice.
While the album is heavier than the majority of their music, some tracks such as 'Hold Me Tight or Don't', which are a bit lighter, and hint back to their 'old style'. Yet they continue to remain completely fresh. Whilst tracks such as 'Young and Menace' and 'Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea' almost have a dubstep/dance vibe to them.
All ten tracks on the new album are completely different from one another other. There is something for everyone. It is combines the 'old' Fall Out Boy which we first fell in love with and the 'newer, even fresher' Fall Out Boy. It is yet again, another outstanding album from the band.
Mania is very similar in sound to Fall Out Boy's previous album from 2015 'American Beauty/American Psycho'. It's a far cry from where they first began with hits such as 'Sugar We're Goin' Down' and 'Dance, Dance'. Although it was classic rock hits such as 'I Don't Care' that brought them out into the spotlight in the first place. But you can clearly see the evolution of their music through each and every album.
They started to turn to heavier rock in their stand out album, 'Save Rock and Roll' in 2013, and continued to explore this style through to their 2015 album. Mania follows again follows this same successful recipe. But it's still fresh, with Pete Wentz describing it as a 'palette cleanse'.
You can tell that Fall Out Boy are passionate about their music. It's taken two years to get this album to a point where they felt happy with the finished product. Patrick Stump and the band started writing the new album during their 2016 tour, and it was originally scheduled for release in September last year. The release was delayed because they felt it was 'too rushed' and they didn't want to give fans something they felt was 'sub-par'.
The lyrics are, as usual, clever and intricate. It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into writing all of these songs. Some songs do again hint towards religion, such as 'Church' and 'Heaven's Gate'. This is becoming a common theme for the band, yet they maintain their heavy ego pop musicality. Fans of the band may also know it is common for the lyrics to sometimes reference other artists or the music industry in general. Anyone with a keen ear will notice the Britney Spears references in 'Young and Menace'.
Stump's voice. It is outstanding. This new album is no different. It is something that makes Fall Out Boy stand out among other bands. It is so crucial, especially in recent years, and Fall Out Boy continue to distance themselves away from bog-standard guitar solos. More often than not they have a bridge that is different to the rest of the song. This gives them more time to show off Stump's incredible and unique voice.
While the album is heavier than the majority of their music, some tracks such as 'Hold Me Tight or Don't', which are a bit lighter, and hint back to their 'old style'. Yet they continue to remain completely fresh. Whilst tracks such as 'Young and Menace' and 'Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea' almost have a dubstep/dance vibe to them.
All ten tracks on the new album are completely different from one another other. There is something for everyone. It is combines the 'old' Fall Out Boy which we first fell in love with and the 'newer, even fresher' Fall Out Boy. It is yet again, another outstanding album from the band.
Necole (36 KP) rated Lies You Never Told Me in Books
Aug 25, 2018
ARC Win
I won this as a goodreads give-away and am glad I did!
A gripping, thrilling, page-turning YA novel that grabbed you from the beginning until the last page! It touches base on many different relationships. How lies, secrets, desires and choices in life can haunt you, make you question things and make you rethink if the choices you made were the right ones. This was a quick read that kept you guessing. A mixture of romance, thriller, mystery and young adult relationships, struggles and emotions.
Lies You Never Told Me can be broken down into two stories.
The first is about Gabe, a teenager who gets lost in a relationship with his girlfriend Sasha and questions why he stays with her. Sasha is the typical high school popular girl and bully. He decides to break up with her, however Sasha does not want the relationship to end. Sasha tries different things to get Gabe back. She is the epidemy of a psycho ex-girlfriend. Gabe starts falling for another girl Catherine and that too is a complicated relationship in itself. And while this is all happening Gabe finds himself a victim of a hit and run.
The second story in Lies You Never Told Me is about a girl named Elyse who is a teenage high school student who tries to hide a family secret about her mother, while going to school, working and keeping her and her mother from becoming homeless. Her only outlet of feeling normal is from her drama theater class. She gets a role in the school play and her life gets even more complicated. She falls for her high school drama teacher, Aiden Hunter and she has to hide this from everyone including her best friend Brynn. And her story unfolds from there.
In the end, these two stories collide together in such a way, it leaves the readers wanting more and gives you that aha moment of why the book was written how it was.
I rated it 4/5 because it was a little confusing of how the two stories tied together until you got to the end. Both stories told in Lies You Never Told Me dealt with a complicated teenage relationship though both very different, psychologically gripping and written in a way you get pulled to the characters, the stories didn't collide until the end so you were wondering throughout the book why it was written like it was and felt disconnected from each other. You felt like you were reading 2 separate novels until the last few chapters.
I would highly recommend this book to YA readers and adults who want a fast read, like a book told in different character perspectives, want a mystery/psychothriller mixed in with romance and relationship issues, those who like engaging characters and teenage issues that adults can understand as well!!!! I would say it's a YA book that compares adults book authors like Gillian Flynn, B.A. Paris, Lisa Jewell and others with similar writing styles and plots!
A gripping, thrilling, page-turning YA novel that grabbed you from the beginning until the last page! It touches base on many different relationships. How lies, secrets, desires and choices in life can haunt you, make you question things and make you rethink if the choices you made were the right ones. This was a quick read that kept you guessing. A mixture of romance, thriller, mystery and young adult relationships, struggles and emotions.
Lies You Never Told Me can be broken down into two stories.
The first is about Gabe, a teenager who gets lost in a relationship with his girlfriend Sasha and questions why he stays with her. Sasha is the typical high school popular girl and bully. He decides to break up with her, however Sasha does not want the relationship to end. Sasha tries different things to get Gabe back. She is the epidemy of a psycho ex-girlfriend. Gabe starts falling for another girl Catherine and that too is a complicated relationship in itself. And while this is all happening Gabe finds himself a victim of a hit and run.
The second story in Lies You Never Told Me is about a girl named Elyse who is a teenage high school student who tries to hide a family secret about her mother, while going to school, working and keeping her and her mother from becoming homeless. Her only outlet of feeling normal is from her drama theater class. She gets a role in the school play and her life gets even more complicated. She falls for her high school drama teacher, Aiden Hunter and she has to hide this from everyone including her best friend Brynn. And her story unfolds from there.
In the end, these two stories collide together in such a way, it leaves the readers wanting more and gives you that aha moment of why the book was written how it was.
I rated it 4/5 because it was a little confusing of how the two stories tied together until you got to the end. Both stories told in Lies You Never Told Me dealt with a complicated teenage relationship though both very different, psychologically gripping and written in a way you get pulled to the characters, the stories didn't collide until the end so you were wondering throughout the book why it was written like it was and felt disconnected from each other. You felt like you were reading 2 separate novels until the last few chapters.
I would highly recommend this book to YA readers and adults who want a fast read, like a book told in different character perspectives, want a mystery/psychothriller mixed in with romance and relationship issues, those who like engaging characters and teenage issues that adults can understand as well!!!! I would say it's a YA book that compares adults book authors like Gillian Flynn, B.A. Paris, Lisa Jewell and others with similar writing styles and plots!
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated The Outsider (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
The concept of ‘The Outsider’ is a very interesting one, and partially why I was so drawn to the film in the first place. The film follows a former American GI by the name of Nick Lowell who joins the Yakuza, and that synopsis alone was enough to grab my attention. The second reason was the fact it starred Jared Leto, as I believe he’s a very good actor based on his performances in ‘Requiem for a Dream’, ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and ‘American Psycho’.
Coming into this film, I had incredibly high hopes and was expecting an afternoon of thrilling scenes and engaging characters. As it was so easily accessible on Netflix, I also had no excuse to pass up the opportunity to get it watched. Unfortunately for me, I was left mostly disappointed by what ‘The Outsider’ delivered.
Running at 2 hours, it seems to drag on for much longer than that because the pacing of the film is poor. To be clear, I have no issue with films that have long runtimes provided they can make it work (‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, for example, runs at 3 hours yet seems to fly by), but this film has tedious scenes that simply didn’t do enough to hold my interest. They could’ve easily cut out half an hour’s worth of footage and still made the film work, in my opinion. It seems strange that a film about the Yakuza could be so boring, but sadly it was.
Jared Leto’s character, Nick, doesn’t have a clear backstory and because of this he’s a very uninteresting character. When we’re first introduced to him, I liked the fact he was such an enigma and assumed we’d learn more about him, but we never really do save for a few chunks of information scattered randomly throughout the narrative. As a Leto fan, I was disappointed that he didn’t really bring anything special to the role and literally any other actor could’ve taken his place and still delivered the same story.
The characters that Nick encounters throughout the film aren’t particularly noteworthy either, as they seem to exist to just berate Nick and frown at him, and not much happens beyond that. It seems very lazy that a film like ‘The Outsider’ has so many characters that are sloppily written, with no backstories to keep the audience interested.
‘The Outsider’ did have some redeeming features, though not enough for me to say I particularly enjoyed watching the film. There are a few gory, intense moments that hold your attention and make you squirm, but much less than I expected from a supposed crime film, especially one that focuses on such a notorious criminal organisation. Cinematically, it’s a decent film to look at based on the camerawork and colour grading throughout, but the absence of any decent story makes it fall flat.
Martin Zandvliet’s cinematic portrayal of the Japanese Yakuza is mediocre at best, and not what I expected based on the marketing I’d seen prior to watching the film. I wanted a violent, sexy, engaging crime film and got absolutely none of that.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/the-outsider/
Coming into this film, I had incredibly high hopes and was expecting an afternoon of thrilling scenes and engaging characters. As it was so easily accessible on Netflix, I also had no excuse to pass up the opportunity to get it watched. Unfortunately for me, I was left mostly disappointed by what ‘The Outsider’ delivered.
Running at 2 hours, it seems to drag on for much longer than that because the pacing of the film is poor. To be clear, I have no issue with films that have long runtimes provided they can make it work (‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, for example, runs at 3 hours yet seems to fly by), but this film has tedious scenes that simply didn’t do enough to hold my interest. They could’ve easily cut out half an hour’s worth of footage and still made the film work, in my opinion. It seems strange that a film about the Yakuza could be so boring, but sadly it was.
Jared Leto’s character, Nick, doesn’t have a clear backstory and because of this he’s a very uninteresting character. When we’re first introduced to him, I liked the fact he was such an enigma and assumed we’d learn more about him, but we never really do save for a few chunks of information scattered randomly throughout the narrative. As a Leto fan, I was disappointed that he didn’t really bring anything special to the role and literally any other actor could’ve taken his place and still delivered the same story.
The characters that Nick encounters throughout the film aren’t particularly noteworthy either, as they seem to exist to just berate Nick and frown at him, and not much happens beyond that. It seems very lazy that a film like ‘The Outsider’ has so many characters that are sloppily written, with no backstories to keep the audience interested.
‘The Outsider’ did have some redeeming features, though not enough for me to say I particularly enjoyed watching the film. There are a few gory, intense moments that hold your attention and make you squirm, but much less than I expected from a supposed crime film, especially one that focuses on such a notorious criminal organisation. Cinematically, it’s a decent film to look at based on the camerawork and colour grading throughout, but the absence of any decent story makes it fall flat.
Martin Zandvliet’s cinematic portrayal of the Japanese Yakuza is mediocre at best, and not what I expected based on the marketing I’d seen prior to watching the film. I wanted a violent, sexy, engaging crime film and got absolutely none of that.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/the-outsider/
Darren (1599 KP) rated A United Kingdom (2017) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: A Untied Kingdom starts in 1947 England where Prince Seretse Khama (Oyelowo) of Bechuanaland (known today as Botswana) is in England studying law, he meets file clerk Ruth Williams (Pike) and the two fall in love.
With tension between Bechuanaland and South Africa high the idea of the soon to be King marrying a white woman would be unheard off. The British government doesn’t want him to become king and Seretse own family don’t want him to become king if he stays with Ruth. With the racial divide still going strong, Seretse pushed for equality over anything else, so he can unite his kingdom when he becomes king.
Thoughts on A United Kingdom
Characters – Seretse Khama is the prince of Bechuanaland he has been studying law in England to prepare for his time as king, he falls in love a white woman in Ruth Williams which throws tensions from his family, government in the air and to prove his love is more important than his traditions and bring the equality between the races together. Ruth Williams is an English clerk whose family has been working to teach Christianity to Africans, she meets and falls in love with Seretse and goes against everyone else’s desires and marries him. Rufus Lancaster is the British liaison in Bechuanaland who leads the opposition from the land, which only shows us just how the English were over controlling.
Performances – David Oyelowo is wonderful in the leading role, showing us once again that he can lead any movie he wants too. Rosamund Pike shines to showing everyone that she can handle to calm roles after the psycho ones in Gone Girl. The rest of the cast are wonderful even if the British characters are as stuck up as you would imagine them to be.
Story – The story follows the lives of King Seretse who marries an English white woman which puts the balance between the racial tension in his home land and British rule. We learn a lot from this movie, because we see how the country was being controlled from outside forces that only saw them as a piece of land. There is a lot to take in and the history lesson about this union that created a chance in the land.
Biopic/Romance – What King Seretse and his wife Ruth achieved for Botswana was incredible and this shows us how their love drove them to achieve this change.
Settings – The settings show us the high society British look at an African country that was following its own traditions to become the independent from this style of rule.
Scene of the Movie – Speech to the ‘tribe’ as the British called them.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Knowing the English were this shallow.
Final Thoughts – This is a good look at how the world was once ruled by people who believe they are in the right to control countries affairs and how their union would change everything.
Overall: History is always worth learning.
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/05/21/abc-film-challenge-biopics-u-a-united-kingdom-2016/
With tension between Bechuanaland and South Africa high the idea of the soon to be King marrying a white woman would be unheard off. The British government doesn’t want him to become king and Seretse own family don’t want him to become king if he stays with Ruth. With the racial divide still going strong, Seretse pushed for equality over anything else, so he can unite his kingdom when he becomes king.
Thoughts on A United Kingdom
Characters – Seretse Khama is the prince of Bechuanaland he has been studying law in England to prepare for his time as king, he falls in love a white woman in Ruth Williams which throws tensions from his family, government in the air and to prove his love is more important than his traditions and bring the equality between the races together. Ruth Williams is an English clerk whose family has been working to teach Christianity to Africans, she meets and falls in love with Seretse and goes against everyone else’s desires and marries him. Rufus Lancaster is the British liaison in Bechuanaland who leads the opposition from the land, which only shows us just how the English were over controlling.
Performances – David Oyelowo is wonderful in the leading role, showing us once again that he can lead any movie he wants too. Rosamund Pike shines to showing everyone that she can handle to calm roles after the psycho ones in Gone Girl. The rest of the cast are wonderful even if the British characters are as stuck up as you would imagine them to be.
Story – The story follows the lives of King Seretse who marries an English white woman which puts the balance between the racial tension in his home land and British rule. We learn a lot from this movie, because we see how the country was being controlled from outside forces that only saw them as a piece of land. There is a lot to take in and the history lesson about this union that created a chance in the land.
Biopic/Romance – What King Seretse and his wife Ruth achieved for Botswana was incredible and this shows us how their love drove them to achieve this change.
Settings – The settings show us the high society British look at an African country that was following its own traditions to become the independent from this style of rule.
Scene of the Movie – Speech to the ‘tribe’ as the British called them.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Knowing the English were this shallow.
Final Thoughts – This is a good look at how the world was once ruled by people who believe they are in the right to control countries affairs and how their union would change everything.
Overall: History is always worth learning.
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/05/21/abc-film-challenge-biopics-u-a-united-kingdom-2016/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Frayed (2007) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Many aspiring filmmakers spend years looking for their big break, a chance to show their talents to the world and to be given an opportunity to make a living doing the work that they love.
Sadly in such a competitive field, many struggle to be given that shot, and never get a chance to see their dreams reach fruition. Thanks to Screamfest, (www.screamfest.com) independent horror film makers are given their chance to submit their works to be included in an annual competition.
The competition screens films for fans and judges, and awards prizes to the top films of the competition. This is ideal for filmmakers as not only do they get publicity and an audience for their work, but a chance at a distribution deal and future work.
This year a local Washington State based company (lock It Entertainment) called has seen the culmination of years of work realized as their film “Frayed” has been accepted into the competition and stands out as one of the most promising films of the competition.
The film is set in a small town in Washington State where a small boy named Kurt brutally kills his mother and is confined to a mental institution. It is learned that Kurt is trapped in his mind and that he may not ever be able to return to normalcy.
The film then moves to the present day where Kurt is scheduled to be transferred to a facility that is better suited to his condition, as he has grown beyond any help. His father, the local Sheriff, Pat Baker, (Tony Doupe’), is struggling with the decision as he knows that it is the right thing to do, but finds it hard to sign his son away to the care of another institution.
At home, Sheriff Baker returns to find his daughter Sara (Alena Dashiell), on her way to a camping trip and his new wife Jolene (Kellee Bradley) frustrated over the boundaries that Sara and her friends have.
As if his day could not get any worse, Sheriff Baker learns that Kurt has escaped during his move, and is leaving a trail of carnage in his wake.
Torn between his loyalty to his son and his duty to protect the community, Sheriff Baker mounts a manhunt to capture Kurt unaware that a security officer from the hospital named Gary (Aaron Blakely), is in hot pursuit of Kurt and is witness to his deadly brutality firsthand.
What follows is a tension filled race against time where all of the central characters are caught up in an intertwining web of terror.
The film is surprisingly effective as at first I thought I was in for a “Halloween” style film of the psycho killer on the loose. Instead the film cleverly mixes the slasher film genre with ample amounts of drama and psychological drama.
Norb Caoili and Rob Portmann who co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced the film along with Executive Producer and co-writer KurtSvennungsen, have made an entertaining film that packs plenty of horror staples along with some effective twists and turns that makes “Frayed” a surprisingly original and effective thriller.
Sadly in such a competitive field, many struggle to be given that shot, and never get a chance to see their dreams reach fruition. Thanks to Screamfest, (www.screamfest.com) independent horror film makers are given their chance to submit their works to be included in an annual competition.
The competition screens films for fans and judges, and awards prizes to the top films of the competition. This is ideal for filmmakers as not only do they get publicity and an audience for their work, but a chance at a distribution deal and future work.
This year a local Washington State based company (lock It Entertainment) called has seen the culmination of years of work realized as their film “Frayed” has been accepted into the competition and stands out as one of the most promising films of the competition.
The film is set in a small town in Washington State where a small boy named Kurt brutally kills his mother and is confined to a mental institution. It is learned that Kurt is trapped in his mind and that he may not ever be able to return to normalcy.
The film then moves to the present day where Kurt is scheduled to be transferred to a facility that is better suited to his condition, as he has grown beyond any help. His father, the local Sheriff, Pat Baker, (Tony Doupe’), is struggling with the decision as he knows that it is the right thing to do, but finds it hard to sign his son away to the care of another institution.
At home, Sheriff Baker returns to find his daughter Sara (Alena Dashiell), on her way to a camping trip and his new wife Jolene (Kellee Bradley) frustrated over the boundaries that Sara and her friends have.
As if his day could not get any worse, Sheriff Baker learns that Kurt has escaped during his move, and is leaving a trail of carnage in his wake.
Torn between his loyalty to his son and his duty to protect the community, Sheriff Baker mounts a manhunt to capture Kurt unaware that a security officer from the hospital named Gary (Aaron Blakely), is in hot pursuit of Kurt and is witness to his deadly brutality firsthand.
What follows is a tension filled race against time where all of the central characters are caught up in an intertwining web of terror.
The film is surprisingly effective as at first I thought I was in for a “Halloween” style film of the psycho killer on the loose. Instead the film cleverly mixes the slasher film genre with ample amounts of drama and psychological drama.
Norb Caoili and Rob Portmann who co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced the film along with Executive Producer and co-writer KurtSvennungsen, have made an entertaining film that packs plenty of horror staples along with some effective twists and turns that makes “Frayed” a surprisingly original and effective thriller.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Vertigo (1958) in Movies
Oct 20, 2019
An ex cop is asked to surveil the wife of a friend who seems to be exhibiting erratic behavior. Unfortunately, Scottie had to retire from active duty after an incident of vertigo caused the death of another officer. He takes the job and wanders with the woman as she visits an art gallery and cemetery among others. She inexplicably one day decides to hurl her body into San Francisco Bay and luckily he is there to retrieve her.
Once revived, Madeleine is no worse for wear, but does not remember the incident or the circumstances of her rescue at the hands of Scottie. They form a quick friendship that turns quickly into lust and a deepening feeling of obsession for Scottie. One day, they take a trip to Mission San Juan Bautista based on a nightmare vision described by Madeleine. She climbs the bell tower, but Scottie is unable to follow restrained by his vertigo and, unfortunately, has to just watch as she plunges to her death.
Afterwards, an investigation reveals Madeleine had been exhibiting irrational behavior which was the cause of her husband's concern in hiring Scottie, so her death is ruled a suicide. Scottie is distraught over the loss and takes consolation in his friend, Midge. On the mend, Scottie frequents locations Madeleine had visited previously hoping this would offer consolation to his grief. He meets a familiar, yet strange woman there.
Vertigo is usually not only considered Hitchcock's best film, but also on many critic lists as the greatest film of all time alongside Citizen Kane and Casablanca.
The movie does have a lot to admire including its complicated, intriguing screenplay which had smart discussions with its characters with lots of exposition given at various points challenging the audience to keep up. The film's situations are interesting and the plot keeps going at a vicious pace through the twists to the end.
I learned recently Hitchcock diva Vera Miles was initially cast for the role of Madeleine, but had to withdraw as she became pregnant before filming so Kim Novak replaced her. Due to several unforeseen delays, Miles had given birth and could've been available; however Hitchcock forged ahead with Novak anyways.
The harrowing initial scene where Scottie chases a random perpetrator across blackened rooftops only to stumble and discover his title affliction really sets the tone for the film both with the cinematography which is stunning and the blistering score at full pace.
Picking an absolute favorite Hitchcock movie has always been difficult for me. Vertigo would probably rank 3rd behind Psycho and The Birds, but still all masterpieces. I love the fact as in other Hitchcock classics, you think you know where the story is going, but he always keeps you guessing.
A magnificent performance by Jimmy Stewart as well. Well deserved of the praise he has gotten over the years for it. He is intense, charming and morose throughout the film which makes him electrifying to watch. His work with Hitchcock including Rope and Rear Window is among his best work.
A masterpiece.
Once revived, Madeleine is no worse for wear, but does not remember the incident or the circumstances of her rescue at the hands of Scottie. They form a quick friendship that turns quickly into lust and a deepening feeling of obsession for Scottie. One day, they take a trip to Mission San Juan Bautista based on a nightmare vision described by Madeleine. She climbs the bell tower, but Scottie is unable to follow restrained by his vertigo and, unfortunately, has to just watch as she plunges to her death.
Afterwards, an investigation reveals Madeleine had been exhibiting irrational behavior which was the cause of her husband's concern in hiring Scottie, so her death is ruled a suicide. Scottie is distraught over the loss and takes consolation in his friend, Midge. On the mend, Scottie frequents locations Madeleine had visited previously hoping this would offer consolation to his grief. He meets a familiar, yet strange woman there.
Vertigo is usually not only considered Hitchcock's best film, but also on many critic lists as the greatest film of all time alongside Citizen Kane and Casablanca.
The movie does have a lot to admire including its complicated, intriguing screenplay which had smart discussions with its characters with lots of exposition given at various points challenging the audience to keep up. The film's situations are interesting and the plot keeps going at a vicious pace through the twists to the end.
I learned recently Hitchcock diva Vera Miles was initially cast for the role of Madeleine, but had to withdraw as she became pregnant before filming so Kim Novak replaced her. Due to several unforeseen delays, Miles had given birth and could've been available; however Hitchcock forged ahead with Novak anyways.
The harrowing initial scene where Scottie chases a random perpetrator across blackened rooftops only to stumble and discover his title affliction really sets the tone for the film both with the cinematography which is stunning and the blistering score at full pace.
Picking an absolute favorite Hitchcock movie has always been difficult for me. Vertigo would probably rank 3rd behind Psycho and The Birds, but still all masterpieces. I love the fact as in other Hitchcock classics, you think you know where the story is going, but he always keeps you guessing.
A magnificent performance by Jimmy Stewart as well. Well deserved of the praise he has gotten over the years for it. He is intense, charming and morose throughout the film which makes him electrifying to watch. His work with Hitchcock including Rope and Rear Window is among his best work.
A masterpiece.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Invisible Man (1933) in Movies
Mar 2, 2020
Verdict: Classic
Story: The Invisible Man starts as the heavily bandaged man Dr Jack Griffin (Rains) stumbles through a snow storm to a tavern demanding a room to try and fix the problem he faces, the fact he is now invisible, which strikes fear into the tavern and town.
Dr Cranley (Travers) and Dr Kemp (Harrigan) are trying to figure out what happened to Jack, even though he has started to become insane with the side effects of becoming invisible, showing just how dangerous he has become.
Thoughts on The Invisible Man
Characters – Dr Jack Griffin has become invisible after performing an experiment on himself, he covers himself up not to scare people, making himself look like an injured man, as he tries to find a cure, only it makes him act crazier become a psycho that is willing to kill to escape. Flora is the partner of Jack’s who is trying to make sure he is safe, getting worried believing he will still having good in him. Dr Kemp is one of the scientists that gets caught up in the middle of trying to help Jack and being scared of what he could be, unlike Dr Cranley that knows more of the secrets of the substance he has been using.
Performances – Claude Rains is haunting and disturbing in the leading role, he shows how easily he can snap and how desperate he has been to fix himself. Elsewhere the cast are strong, most reacting to the action more than anything else.
Story – The story follows a man that has become invisible and is desperately trying to recover from his experiment, which has caused him to get more aggressive towards people in life, causing the locals to go in search for him to get stop him. This is an interesting story that shows how people will come together to solve a problem and will be left in fear of the unexplained. While the story might show a villainous figure, it would have been nice to see the science behind what caused what happened, only this might have been difficult to achieve for the time this was made. This is a story that does show hunting for what can’t be seen is interesting to see.
Horror/Sci-Fi – The horror comes from the shock value of seeing Jack without the bandages for the first time and just what he could get up to without being seen, while the sci-fi side of the film does show us just how the unexplained could become terrifying.
Settings – The film does use the settings to show how Jack can go into hiding, or where he could go for answers.
Special Effects – The effects are amazing for the time, when we see the unbandaging sequence it is truly shocking to see.
Scene of the Movie – Jack shows us beneath the bandages.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t learn enough of the science.
Final Thoughts – This is a true classic of cinema, bringing us one of the first horror icons in the genre in the 1930s and is a film you need to check out.
Overall: Horror Classic.
Story: The Invisible Man starts as the heavily bandaged man Dr Jack Griffin (Rains) stumbles through a snow storm to a tavern demanding a room to try and fix the problem he faces, the fact he is now invisible, which strikes fear into the tavern and town.
Dr Cranley (Travers) and Dr Kemp (Harrigan) are trying to figure out what happened to Jack, even though he has started to become insane with the side effects of becoming invisible, showing just how dangerous he has become.
Thoughts on The Invisible Man
Characters – Dr Jack Griffin has become invisible after performing an experiment on himself, he covers himself up not to scare people, making himself look like an injured man, as he tries to find a cure, only it makes him act crazier become a psycho that is willing to kill to escape. Flora is the partner of Jack’s who is trying to make sure he is safe, getting worried believing he will still having good in him. Dr Kemp is one of the scientists that gets caught up in the middle of trying to help Jack and being scared of what he could be, unlike Dr Cranley that knows more of the secrets of the substance he has been using.
Performances – Claude Rains is haunting and disturbing in the leading role, he shows how easily he can snap and how desperate he has been to fix himself. Elsewhere the cast are strong, most reacting to the action more than anything else.
Story – The story follows a man that has become invisible and is desperately trying to recover from his experiment, which has caused him to get more aggressive towards people in life, causing the locals to go in search for him to get stop him. This is an interesting story that shows how people will come together to solve a problem and will be left in fear of the unexplained. While the story might show a villainous figure, it would have been nice to see the science behind what caused what happened, only this might have been difficult to achieve for the time this was made. This is a story that does show hunting for what can’t be seen is interesting to see.
Horror/Sci-Fi – The horror comes from the shock value of seeing Jack without the bandages for the first time and just what he could get up to without being seen, while the sci-fi side of the film does show us just how the unexplained could become terrifying.
Settings – The film does use the settings to show how Jack can go into hiding, or where he could go for answers.
Special Effects – The effects are amazing for the time, when we see the unbandaging sequence it is truly shocking to see.
Scene of the Movie – Jack shows us beneath the bandages.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t learn enough of the science.
Final Thoughts – This is a true classic of cinema, bringing us one of the first horror icons in the genre in the 1930s and is a film you need to check out.
Overall: Horror Classic.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Identity Thief (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Life for Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), is a comfortable middle class existence. He is a father of two daughters and is expecting a third child soon with his loving wife Trish (Amanda Peet). While they have financial concerns with the pending arrival of their new baby, Sandy is hoping for a bonus and promotion at his job working for a financial service company. Things take a turn for the worse for Sandy when not only does he get neither a bonus nor promotion, but he learns that his supervisors are authorizing themselves large bonus checks which he is in charge of issuing.
Sandy and his friend Daniel (John Cho), decide that enough is enough and decide to start their own company with Sandy as V.P. Although a risky move, this could be the answer to his financial needs and Sandy jumps aboard without a second thought. Enter Diana (Melissa McCarthy), a professional identity thief who packs her Florida home with all manner of items obtained via her knack for creating credit cards belonging to other people.
Sandy thanks to his unisex name, has become the latest target for Diana and in no time, finds that his credit cards are maxed out, and worst yet, he is wanted by the police. This does not sit well for his new position as a V.P. with credit issues and warrants will scare off investors. Sandy learns that the timeline for clearing his name can be extensive, so he hatches a plan after receiving a spa confirmation call from Florida. Sandy with the knowledge of the police plans to travel to Florida and bring the person who has stolen his identity to Denver to clear his name. He hopes that a promise of no prosecution will trick her into the trip and clearing his good name.
Since the film is a comedy, things naturally do not go as planned as Denise is crafty and will resort to anything from throat punches to vehicular assault to stay one step ahead of the law. Denise has run afoul of a criminal element for issuing them credit cards that she has already maxed out and they dispatch two killers to take her and anyone she is with out. As if this is not bad enough, a psycho skip tracer (Robert Patrick) is also in hot pursuit and set on capturing the large reward on Denise. What follows is a mixture of the buddy comedy formula and road trip film which more than once reminded me of the recent “Due Date”. “Identity Thief” has a great premise and cast to it, but it is saddled by long stretches that drag on. The film takes a while to get started and never seems to find a pace that works for it.
McCarthy has some great lines and moments and Bateman does a solid job as the straight main foil. The problem is, the laughs are to few and far between to justify the nearly two hour run time. This is a shame as with about 30 minutes trimmed this could have been a very tight and witty comedy but instead under director Seth Gordon best efforts, the film never reaches its potential.
Sandy and his friend Daniel (John Cho), decide that enough is enough and decide to start their own company with Sandy as V.P. Although a risky move, this could be the answer to his financial needs and Sandy jumps aboard without a second thought. Enter Diana (Melissa McCarthy), a professional identity thief who packs her Florida home with all manner of items obtained via her knack for creating credit cards belonging to other people.
Sandy thanks to his unisex name, has become the latest target for Diana and in no time, finds that his credit cards are maxed out, and worst yet, he is wanted by the police. This does not sit well for his new position as a V.P. with credit issues and warrants will scare off investors. Sandy learns that the timeline for clearing his name can be extensive, so he hatches a plan after receiving a spa confirmation call from Florida. Sandy with the knowledge of the police plans to travel to Florida and bring the person who has stolen his identity to Denver to clear his name. He hopes that a promise of no prosecution will trick her into the trip and clearing his good name.
Since the film is a comedy, things naturally do not go as planned as Denise is crafty and will resort to anything from throat punches to vehicular assault to stay one step ahead of the law. Denise has run afoul of a criminal element for issuing them credit cards that she has already maxed out and they dispatch two killers to take her and anyone she is with out. As if this is not bad enough, a psycho skip tracer (Robert Patrick) is also in hot pursuit and set on capturing the large reward on Denise. What follows is a mixture of the buddy comedy formula and road trip film which more than once reminded me of the recent “Due Date”. “Identity Thief” has a great premise and cast to it, but it is saddled by long stretches that drag on. The film takes a while to get started and never seems to find a pace that works for it.
McCarthy has some great lines and moments and Bateman does a solid job as the straight main foil. The problem is, the laughs are to few and far between to justify the nearly two hour run time. This is a shame as with about 30 minutes trimmed this could have been a very tight and witty comedy but instead under director Seth Gordon best efforts, the film never reaches its potential.