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SUDA Outdoors - Adventure GPS
Sports and Social Networking
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SUDA is the app to explore, discover and share the best of outdoor sports. This app is an essential...
Lee (2222 KP) rated Rent-A-Pal (2020) in Movies
Nov 2, 2020
If by any chance you’re feeling nostalgic for the days of VHS videotapes, then Rent-A-Pal is here to satisfy that craving. Set in Denver during 1990, VHS video features rather heavily throughout Rent-A-Pal, from the retro font used in the opening titles to the closeups of videotapes being inserted into a VCR, the internal mechanism engaging with the tape as it prepares to play.
The person responsible for firing up the VCR is David (Brian Landis Folkins), who is settling down to view the latest set of video profiles he’s received from dating agency Video Rendezvous, of which he is a member. David lives in the basement flat of his mum’s house, who has dementia. His father died ten years ago, meaning David is now the sole carer for his mother. And David is lonely, painfully lonely. When he calls Video Rendezvous for an update on any profile matches, he’s told that he has still not received any interest from potential partners who have viewed his profile. He is however urged to come into their office and record a new video profile, as his current one is now 6 months old.
When David sits down in front of the camera to record his new profile, he comes across well, showing just how much of a nice guy he is – a caregiver who simply wants the chance to care for a soulmate, sharing life within a loving relationship. You really do feel for him, certain that the genuine sincerity in his video will finally land him the date he so desperately needs and deserves. That is until the cameraman informs him that he has completely overrun the thirty-second limit allocated to male video profiles and that he is going to have to do it again. The shortened version David then delivers under pressure is rushed, with David now coming across as awkward and creepy, and your heart drops, knowing that he’s likely to remain single for a while longer yet. But then, as he’s having his credit card swiped by the dating agency yet again, David notices an interesting VHS sitting in the nearby bargain bin, titled Rent A Pal, and decides to buy it.
Back in his basement, David puts the Rent-A-Pal video into his VCR and presses play. He’s greeted by Andy (Will Wheaton), a cheery-looking man in a colourful knitted tank top. Andy talks of becoming best friends with David, asking him questions and leaving a pause to allow David to answer. Those pauses aren’t always long enough though, resulting in David being cut off mid-sentence, and the responses from Andy don’t always match the answers that David has given him either. But, desperate for a friend, David persists with this strange form of interaction.
We see that after repeat viewings of the tape David has managed to perfect his responses so that the conversation flows between him and Andy as if it were a real-life conversation. There are parts of the video where Andy plays cards with the viewer, takes a selfie with his back to the camera so that the viewer can be in it, and he and David are able to have the kind of deep and meaningful conversations that only two very good friends would have. It’s a rather lengthy and elaborate videotape, with certain sections earning a revisit should David ever feel the need to have a specific conversation about a certain aspect of his life. Eventually, we as the audience begin to wonder how much of this ‘relationship’ is real or imagined, with some of the questions or replies from Andy beginning to sound eerily close to being very specific and personal to David.
In his real life, David finally gets a lucky break with the dating agency, landing a date with Lisa (Amy Rutledge). Lisa also works in the care sector, and she comes across as a very nice person too. Once again you find yourself willing David to do well and thankfully, they do hit it off. But from the moment David brings Lisa down to his basement and you see that somebody is likely to sit on the VCR remote, you just know things are due to take a dark turn.
Watching David as he interacts with Andy for hours on end, day after day is surprisingly riveting. I was completely engrossed in him and his life as I waited and hoped he might catch a break. For much of the movie, I was just mesmerised by the wonderful performances from the entire cast, thoroughly enjoying the believable, likeable characters they portrayed. But, Rent-A-Pal is billed as a horror movie, so when things do eventually take a turn right at the end, we get a fast-paced, gory ending which felt somewhat disappointing, proving to be the weakest aspect of a movie which really did impress me overall.
The person responsible for firing up the VCR is David (Brian Landis Folkins), who is settling down to view the latest set of video profiles he’s received from dating agency Video Rendezvous, of which he is a member. David lives in the basement flat of his mum’s house, who has dementia. His father died ten years ago, meaning David is now the sole carer for his mother. And David is lonely, painfully lonely. When he calls Video Rendezvous for an update on any profile matches, he’s told that he has still not received any interest from potential partners who have viewed his profile. He is however urged to come into their office and record a new video profile, as his current one is now 6 months old.
When David sits down in front of the camera to record his new profile, he comes across well, showing just how much of a nice guy he is – a caregiver who simply wants the chance to care for a soulmate, sharing life within a loving relationship. You really do feel for him, certain that the genuine sincerity in his video will finally land him the date he so desperately needs and deserves. That is until the cameraman informs him that he has completely overrun the thirty-second limit allocated to male video profiles and that he is going to have to do it again. The shortened version David then delivers under pressure is rushed, with David now coming across as awkward and creepy, and your heart drops, knowing that he’s likely to remain single for a while longer yet. But then, as he’s having his credit card swiped by the dating agency yet again, David notices an interesting VHS sitting in the nearby bargain bin, titled Rent A Pal, and decides to buy it.
Back in his basement, David puts the Rent-A-Pal video into his VCR and presses play. He’s greeted by Andy (Will Wheaton), a cheery-looking man in a colourful knitted tank top. Andy talks of becoming best friends with David, asking him questions and leaving a pause to allow David to answer. Those pauses aren’t always long enough though, resulting in David being cut off mid-sentence, and the responses from Andy don’t always match the answers that David has given him either. But, desperate for a friend, David persists with this strange form of interaction.
We see that after repeat viewings of the tape David has managed to perfect his responses so that the conversation flows between him and Andy as if it were a real-life conversation. There are parts of the video where Andy plays cards with the viewer, takes a selfie with his back to the camera so that the viewer can be in it, and he and David are able to have the kind of deep and meaningful conversations that only two very good friends would have. It’s a rather lengthy and elaborate videotape, with certain sections earning a revisit should David ever feel the need to have a specific conversation about a certain aspect of his life. Eventually, we as the audience begin to wonder how much of this ‘relationship’ is real or imagined, with some of the questions or replies from Andy beginning to sound eerily close to being very specific and personal to David.
In his real life, David finally gets a lucky break with the dating agency, landing a date with Lisa (Amy Rutledge). Lisa also works in the care sector, and she comes across as a very nice person too. Once again you find yourself willing David to do well and thankfully, they do hit it off. But from the moment David brings Lisa down to his basement and you see that somebody is likely to sit on the VCR remote, you just know things are due to take a dark turn.
Watching David as he interacts with Andy for hours on end, day after day is surprisingly riveting. I was completely engrossed in him and his life as I waited and hoped he might catch a break. For much of the movie, I was just mesmerised by the wonderful performances from the entire cast, thoroughly enjoying the believable, likeable characters they portrayed. But, Rent-A-Pal is billed as a horror movie, so when things do eventually take a turn right at the end, we get a fast-paced, gory ending which felt somewhat disappointing, proving to be the weakest aspect of a movie which really did impress me overall.
No Debt High Growth Low Tax: Hong Kong's Economic Miracle Explained
Book
Governments around the world are wrestling with the problems of enormous debts, low growth, high...
Kaysee Hood (83 KP) rated Survive the Night in Books
Oct 17, 2017
More like a 5.5
I had expected something more from Vega since I've read two of her other books. I knew her writing style and knew what to expect, yet somewhere 2/3 through it went downhill. It felt like when you rent a movie from Red Box and you can tell this movie was something someone made in a month. You're all into it. The gore is amazing, the plot is actually kind of decent for a low budget fill, and you started to cheer for the main characters to live despite the fact you were okay with them all being slaughtered at the beginning because that's what horror movies are for. Then it's like whoever created it ran out of money so the end was glued together in an attempt to have something and hope it was good enough, but you're back wishing everyone got slashed.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Bugs (2003) in Movies
Mar 7, 2019
Imax can be better...
Contains spoilers, click to show
Are you not entertained!? Bugs! 3D! Sounds interesting. Should be interesting but unless the experience was 100% different and by that, I mean better on the Imax screen, then this was a real disappointment. The 3D was good, considering, though I did see in via the RED/CYAN format which obviously has its drawbacks, but it was still very effective.
The documentary short follows several insects who reside in the rainforest, some fight, though be it slowly, some forage and some hide and literally 'make like a tree', but don't really leave. And though this is interesting, Imax demands more if we are to be entertained.
The DVD: The DVD is a rarity, available on Region 2 DVD but only in Germany, and the now defunct HD-DVD, again in Europe. It's worth it as a collectible but not as a Saturday night's entertainment. Rent "Dumbo" if a short film is your pleasure!
The documentary short follows several insects who reside in the rainforest, some fight, though be it slowly, some forage and some hide and literally 'make like a tree', but don't really leave. And though this is interesting, Imax demands more if we are to be entertained.
The DVD: The DVD is a rarity, available on Region 2 DVD but only in Germany, and the now defunct HD-DVD, again in Europe. It's worth it as a collectible but not as a Saturday night's entertainment. Rent "Dumbo" if a short film is your pleasure!
On the day Winnie Johnson has to close her bakery due to a huge rent increase, she inherits an antique ambulance. She decides to use it to reopen her bakery as a mobile business, rushing her desserts to those in need. But when her neighbor is murdered, it puts a definite damper on her plans. Who would kill an elderly man?
The mystery aspect takes a back seat at times to getting the new business up and running, but I find the concept of this business absolutely brilliant. I’m wondering why no one hasn’t tried this in real life. The mystery does reach a logical conclusion that wraps things up. The characters are strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing where relationships go in future books. Rush out and get this debut.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-eclair-and-present-danger.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The mystery aspect takes a back seat at times to getting the new business up and running, but I find the concept of this business absolutely brilliant. I’m wondering why no one hasn’t tried this in real life. The mystery does reach a logical conclusion that wraps things up. The characters are strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing where relationships go in future books. Rush out and get this debut.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-eclair-and-present-danger.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Ready or Not (2019) in Movies
Feb 11, 2020
Me and my husband originally wanted to see this in our cinema, but our local wasn't showing it. We finally got to rent it from amazon prime last night.
The movie is about a young bride who has to take part in a family tradition of game night. What that game is depends on the card which is drawn from a box, unbeknown to the bride one card is a deadly game of hide and seek. Which is the card she draws, meaning she has to hide and the rest of the family have to find her and kill her before sunrise, because they believe if she lives they all die. The movie was very good, not too much gore but enough for any horror fan to enjoy, with some humour thrown in for good measure. They do try a few jump scares but they didn't phase me at all (and I'm a very jumpy person), that aside I would highly recommend it.
The movie is about a young bride who has to take part in a family tradition of game night. What that game is depends on the card which is drawn from a box, unbeknown to the bride one card is a deadly game of hide and seek. Which is the card she draws, meaning she has to hide and the rest of the family have to find her and kill her before sunrise, because they believe if she lives they all die. The movie was very good, not too much gore but enough for any horror fan to enjoy, with some humour thrown in for good measure. They do try a few jump scares but they didn't phase me at all (and I'm a very jumpy person), that aside I would highly recommend it.
EasterBunnyKiller (31 KP) rated Truth or Dare (2018) in Movies
Jul 31, 2019 (Updated Jul 31, 2019)
My wife wanted to see this, because she loves Lucy Hale. Having seen parts of it from working in a movie theater, I knew it wasn't goin to be great, but I decided to bite the bullet and rent it.
I'm glad I used the points I accrued from my Redbox rentals instead of spending actual money to see it. It was exactly what I expected, a movie about young, attractive, and utterly milquetoast characters bumbling from scene to scene and a marginally interesting hook for why the bad thing is out to get them.
The acting is fine, and it's not terrible visually, but this movie lacks any kind of soul. Just your basic Friday night junk food horror flick. And don't get me wrong, I love junk food. But it's the difference between potato skins from TGIFridays and those terrible TGIFridays potat skin flavored chips.
Of course, my wife loved it.
I'm glad I used the points I accrued from my Redbox rentals instead of spending actual money to see it. It was exactly what I expected, a movie about young, attractive, and utterly milquetoast characters bumbling from scene to scene and a marginally interesting hook for why the bad thing is out to get them.
The acting is fine, and it's not terrible visually, but this movie lacks any kind of soul. Just your basic Friday night junk food horror flick. And don't get me wrong, I love junk food. But it's the difference between potato skins from TGIFridays and those terrible TGIFridays potat skin flavored chips.
Of course, my wife loved it.
Five Quarters: Recipes and Notes from a Kitchen in Rome
Book
'Of course I thought Rome was glorious, but I didn't want to stay. A month, three at most, then I'd...
Contest Theory: Incentive Mechanisms and Ranking Methods
Book
Contests are prevalent in many areas, including sports, rent seeking, patent races, innovation...