Justified - Season 1
9.7
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TV Season
Raylan Givens a talented law man with a old west mentality Gets transferred to his hometown...
True Blood - Season 1
5.8
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TV Season
In the not-too-distant future, vampires have come out of the coffin...no longer in need of a human...
Introduction to Control Systems
Book
The Second Edition of this text, which is largely revised and updated version of Introduction to...
Dodgeball - A True Underdog Story (2004)
7.6
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Movie Watch
Average Joe's Gym and its owner, Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn), are both down on their luck. A fancy...
Touching Spirit Bear (Spirit Bear #1)
8.3
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Book
After severely injuring Peter Driscal in an empty parking lot, troublemaker Cole Matthews is in...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Free Guy (2021) in Movies
Sep 5, 2021
But after it premiered earlier this summer, buzz started to grow - and a few people that I trust recommended it to me, so I decided to check it out.
And…I’m glad I did for FREE GUY is a fun, family-friendly romp with a charismatic Ryan Reynolds anchoring a strong cast in a surprisingly heart-felt film.
Directed by Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM), Free Guy tells the story of an NPC (Non-Playable Character in a video game) that becomes sentient.
In the capable hands of Director Levy and actor Reynolds, Guy (his character) is charming, earnest and likeable - a trio of qualities that is hard to pull off, but Levy and Reynolds walk this fine line very well, making Guy a character to root for. They wisely steer away from this character becoming cloying and annoying and just keep him charming and sincere.
This is do-able because Levy and screenwriters Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn wisely choose to not make Guy the emotional center of this film, but rather, Guy is the catalyst who moves the plot (and the other characters) towards their final destinations - all the while keeping Guy (basically) the same. A very smart move that has been used in other, successful films (most notably Michael J. Fox in the BACK TO THE FUTURE FILMS).
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and Joe Keery (Stranger Things) are a the heart of this film as 2 video game designers that are trying to find proof that their code was stolen by a heartless Video Game mogul (broadly, comically played by Taika Waititi). Both Comer and Keery are pleasant in their roles and they play off of Waititi (and his chief henchman, played with specific focus - this is a compliment - by Utkarsh Ambudkar). Comer and Keery make it easy for the audience to root for them and Waititi and Ambdukar make it easy for the audience to root against them.
Credit for all of this goes to Director Levy. This film has the same feel as NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. It doesn’t try to do too much, makes the motivations of the good guys and the bad guys very simple to understand and then drops in the variable (Guy) to mix things up - all done with wit, simplicity and charm - a pretty easy combination, that often gets lost in the machinations, but Levy avoids this trap very, very well.
Finally, I have to point out the performance of Lil Rel Howery as Guy’s buddy…named…Buddy. He is the perfect “Best Friend”. Again, Directed to a simple and direct performance by Levy, not trying to be more than he is, but ends up being a character you care about and root for.
A winning combination of Director, Actors and material, FREE GUY isn’t going to win any Oscars, but it is going to do something that very few films these days do - provide entertainment for the entire family.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2206 KP) rated All That Is Necessary in Books
Mar 9, 2018
<a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/01/amazon.html">Read my full review at Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2206 KP) rated End Me a Tenor (Glee Club, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
There's lots going on here, and I did feel the mystery suffered a bit as a result. On the other hand, Paige is such a great character I couldn't help but root for her even when the show choir sub-plot was taking center stage.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/12/book-review-end-me-tenor-by-joelle.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Tate (25 KP) rated Uncles Tom's Cabin in Books
Jul 14, 2018
You follow the story of uncle Tom, a slave living in Kentucky. His story is one of hardship, pain, and loneliness with beautiful examples of love and faith woven through.
Eliza is also an important character. She's a woman fighting to keep her family together and free. Her adventurous escape is daring and dangerous. Thrilling to say the least!
This book is impossible to put down! It fosters deep thoughts and perspectives about slavery and racism. Not an easy read but definitely worth it!
KarenRC (6 KP) rated The Death of Mrs Westaway in Books
Jul 23, 2018
Overall, a really good read with twists and turns to keep you guessing and a few surprises along the way.