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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
When we last saw John Wick (Keanue Reeves), the former elite assassin had just completed a bloody and brutal mission of revenge after being pulled
back into a world he risked everything to leave behind. In “John Wick: Chapter 2”, the film picks up with Wick tying off some loose ends from the
first film and then returning to his home to finally find peace and leave his old life behind forever.
Sadly, a marker from his past is called in and John is not so subtly reminded of the consequences of failing to repay a marker, and is tasked with a no win situation.
John soon finds himself in Rome where he must eliminate a person of position despite having no real reason to do so other than to repay his debt. The fact that he knows his target is an even more of a challenge for him to contend with.
As if this was not bad enough, John upon completing his task is soon double crossed and finds that a bounty of 7 million dollars has been placed on him, and he know has every assassin in the greater New York area gunning for him.
The film maintains the frantic and breathlessly intense and sustained combat of the first film without ever being stale or repetitive. Guns, knives, and other implements all became part of a symphony of violence and destruction that is captivating to watch.
The film also goes deeper into the characters around John and the world in which he lives such as Winston (Ian McShane), who runs the Continental Hotel where rules for conduct are set, and those in John’s line of work find refuge and supplies for their “work”.
The film is one of the rare sequels that is as good if not better than the original and sets up a third outing very well. Reeves owns the character and you can sense his conflict as one who wants to leave his past behind but who cannot escape his past.
The very physical and demanding nature of the part shows the passion he has for the character and watching the fury and smoothness of how he dispatches his foes really underscores that this is pretty much everything you would want in an action film and more.
The very satisfying action sequences and performances combine well to make a compelling, exciting, and highly entertaining adrenaline rush, and I cannot wait to see what they come up with for the next outing.
http://sknr.net/2017/02/09/john-wick-chapter-2/
back into a world he risked everything to leave behind. In “John Wick: Chapter 2”, the film picks up with Wick tying off some loose ends from the
first film and then returning to his home to finally find peace and leave his old life behind forever.
Sadly, a marker from his past is called in and John is not so subtly reminded of the consequences of failing to repay a marker, and is tasked with a no win situation.
John soon finds himself in Rome where he must eliminate a person of position despite having no real reason to do so other than to repay his debt. The fact that he knows his target is an even more of a challenge for him to contend with.
As if this was not bad enough, John upon completing his task is soon double crossed and finds that a bounty of 7 million dollars has been placed on him, and he know has every assassin in the greater New York area gunning for him.
The film maintains the frantic and breathlessly intense and sustained combat of the first film without ever being stale or repetitive. Guns, knives, and other implements all became part of a symphony of violence and destruction that is captivating to watch.
The film also goes deeper into the characters around John and the world in which he lives such as Winston (Ian McShane), who runs the Continental Hotel where rules for conduct are set, and those in John’s line of work find refuge and supplies for their “work”.
The film is one of the rare sequels that is as good if not better than the original and sets up a third outing very well. Reeves owns the character and you can sense his conflict as one who wants to leave his past behind but who cannot escape his past.
The very physical and demanding nature of the part shows the passion he has for the character and watching the fury and smoothness of how he dispatches his foes really underscores that this is pretty much everything you would want in an action film and more.
The very satisfying action sequences and performances combine well to make a compelling, exciting, and highly entertaining adrenaline rush, and I cannot wait to see what they come up with for the next outing.
http://sknr.net/2017/02/09/john-wick-chapter-2/
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Fast X (2023) in Movies
May 17, 2023
Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is enjoying the good life as a husband and a
father and has found himself happy with his life but admits that he
worries about losing the ones he loves. In “FastX” which is the latest
film in the long-running series; the sins of the past are about to return
to wreak revenge upon Dominic and his crew.
Linking the events of the sixth film in the series, the crew find
themselves setup and framed after an extended and intense action sequence
in Rome and are on the run from the very agency they have been working
for.
The enigmatic and flamboyant Dante (Jason Mom); always seems to be
one step ahead of the team which finds themselves scattered at various
locations around the world which gives them plenty of time to fight,
drive, tech, and plan their next step in what is increasingly becoming a
deadly game from which there seems to be no way to survive.
The film has a very large cast and it is great to see the faces old and new
pop in and out of the film while they focus on the core characters. The
film does have some slow segments between the action but this is done to
establish new characters and develop the family relationships between
others as a family is a large theme of the series.
This is both a good and bad thing as it is nice to see so many characters
but some have little more than a brief cameo and others get more time than
is necessary. With so many moving parts and locations; the film does
deliver what fans will expect as the creators know the formula that has
made the series such a success and make sure that the over-the-top,
absurd, bombastic, adrenaline ride of the series remains even though it
requires the audience to throw logic and reason out the window and just go
along with the intense stunts and action sequences.
The film sets up the planned next film well and there are some interesting
side stories that I am curious to see how they will be developed in the
next film which had been reported to be the finale of the series before
spin-offs would carry the franchise forward.
It has been reported that Universal has asked for a twelfth film to make
the finale a trilogy and based on the latest outing, there is still enough
gas in the tank to give fans a flawed yet enjoyable summer Popcorn movie.
3.5 stars out of 5
father and has found himself happy with his life but admits that he
worries about losing the ones he loves. In “FastX” which is the latest
film in the long-running series; the sins of the past are about to return
to wreak revenge upon Dominic and his crew.
Linking the events of the sixth film in the series, the crew find
themselves setup and framed after an extended and intense action sequence
in Rome and are on the run from the very agency they have been working
for.
The enigmatic and flamboyant Dante (Jason Mom); always seems to be
one step ahead of the team which finds themselves scattered at various
locations around the world which gives them plenty of time to fight,
drive, tech, and plan their next step in what is increasingly becoming a
deadly game from which there seems to be no way to survive.
The film has a very large cast and it is great to see the faces old and new
pop in and out of the film while they focus on the core characters. The
film does have some slow segments between the action but this is done to
establish new characters and develop the family relationships between
others as a family is a large theme of the series.
This is both a good and bad thing as it is nice to see so many characters
but some have little more than a brief cameo and others get more time than
is necessary. With so many moving parts and locations; the film does
deliver what fans will expect as the creators know the formula that has
made the series such a success and make sure that the over-the-top,
absurd, bombastic, adrenaline ride of the series remains even though it
requires the audience to throw logic and reason out the window and just go
along with the intense stunts and action sequences.
The film sets up the planned next film well and there are some interesting
side stories that I am curious to see how they will be developed in the
next film which had been reported to be the finale of the series before
spin-offs would carry the franchise forward.
It has been reported that Universal has asked for a twelfth film to make
the finale a trilogy and based on the latest outing, there is still enough
gas in the tank to give fans a flawed yet enjoyable summer Popcorn movie.
3.5 stars out of 5
Rachel King (13 KP) rated The Hunger Games in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Right away this book captures my attention with a quick introduction to Katniss's survival skills followed by the District 12 Hunger Games lottery, a grim holiday that nobody wants to celebrate, but is still mandatory. It does not take long for the reader to feel sympathetic towards Katniss and the hardship she struggles with everyday just to survive.
Every detail leading up to the actual event of the Hunger Games has a surreal feel, as Katniss is primped and paraded like a beauty pageant contestant, as if everyone is ignoring the fact that these are children, with all but one facing imminent death. This is reality television meets the ancient gladiator games of Rome, combined with the sick irony of using a nation's most precious commodity -- its children. As a mother of three, I can not even fathom living in a country that tolerated this year after year. These Hunger Games are the country's way of preventing rebellion in its citizens through fear, brainwashing, and desensitization, as it is mandatory for every citizen to watch. In some districts, this is so successful that children are routinely trained specifically for the Hunger Games, volunteering to face murder and death for a chance at fame and fortune.
The love triangle is obvious early on, though the conflict can't come into play until the second book in the series. Peeta is the one in the spotlight, the one that humanizes Katniss for the viewers and makes her likable due to his own romantic feelings for her. Unfortunately, Katniss is too busy staying alive to be certain of her true feelings, even though she can pretend well enough to convince even Peeta. Peeta is self-sacrificing, while Katniss is observant and resourceful. Katniss is able to avoid becoming a cold-hearted murderer only because of Peeta's presence.
Regarding the actual Game, those that run it operate to keep the entertainment value up, adding to the danger of the contestants still alive, handing out gifts to give one an edge over another, forcing contestants into battle to increase bloodshed and drama, and generally treating the twenty-four as actors and actresses in any other fictional television drama. What Katniss keeps returning to is how "normal" these people of the Capitol see of the deaths of these children. It occurred to me while reading this that it would be better to be one of those that died in the Games, rather than live with being the monster responsible for the deaths of twenty-three other children purely for the entertainment of the shallow and self-absorbed.
This book is both shocking and heart-rending, and I look forward to the next installment, Catching Fire.
Every detail leading up to the actual event of the Hunger Games has a surreal feel, as Katniss is primped and paraded like a beauty pageant contestant, as if everyone is ignoring the fact that these are children, with all but one facing imminent death. This is reality television meets the ancient gladiator games of Rome, combined with the sick irony of using a nation's most precious commodity -- its children. As a mother of three, I can not even fathom living in a country that tolerated this year after year. These Hunger Games are the country's way of preventing rebellion in its citizens through fear, brainwashing, and desensitization, as it is mandatory for every citizen to watch. In some districts, this is so successful that children are routinely trained specifically for the Hunger Games, volunteering to face murder and death for a chance at fame and fortune.
The love triangle is obvious early on, though the conflict can't come into play until the second book in the series. Peeta is the one in the spotlight, the one that humanizes Katniss for the viewers and makes her likable due to his own romantic feelings for her. Unfortunately, Katniss is too busy staying alive to be certain of her true feelings, even though she can pretend well enough to convince even Peeta. Peeta is self-sacrificing, while Katniss is observant and resourceful. Katniss is able to avoid becoming a cold-hearted murderer only because of Peeta's presence.
Regarding the actual Game, those that run it operate to keep the entertainment value up, adding to the danger of the contestants still alive, handing out gifts to give one an edge over another, forcing contestants into battle to increase bloodshed and drama, and generally treating the twenty-four as actors and actresses in any other fictional television drama. What Katniss keeps returning to is how "normal" these people of the Capitol see of the deaths of these children. It occurred to me while reading this that it would be better to be one of those that died in the Games, rather than live with being the monster responsible for the deaths of twenty-three other children purely for the entertainment of the shallow and self-absorbed.
This book is both shocking and heart-rending, and I look forward to the next installment, Catching Fire.
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