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JT (287 KP) rated Escape Room (2019) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Escape Room (2019)
Escape Room (2019)
2019 | Action, Horror, Thriller
Escape rooms are all the rage at the moment. The premise is simple, a group of people are trapped inside a confined space full of clues and puzzles in order to find a way out – so it was only a matter of time before the horror genre got hold of it.

There have been a few incantations of this new age idea already; Escape Room (2017) & No Escape Room, but this one is probably the best of a bad bunch.

Six strangers each receive a cryptic puzzle box, which once opened invites them to compete for a $10,000 prize – if they can get through a series of deviously constructed rooms. The group comes from all walks of life, a gifted maths student, an Iraq War vet a blue collar trucker to name a few, each with a seemingly interconnected past.

After a frantic flash-forward where we see someone coming unstuck in one of the rooms, we are introduced to each of the characters one by one. There isn’t enough time to go into massive details, so it feels like we only scratch the surface as to what makes them tick.

Meeting in a plush reception area the game begins – although none of them realise it at first. The room starts to get hot and they soon discover that they are about to get burnt alive – unless they can work out the clues to escape.

The group quickly realise that they will have to work together in order to survive.

Aside from getting burnt alive they also face a winter themed room where the ice cracks beneath them, an upside down bar where the floor drops away and a hallucinogenic trip fest which is extremely freaky to watch.

During proceedings, in which there is a lot of infighting and panic, you half expect Billy the Puppet to come peddling out on his tricycle and explain the next part of the game. There are definite similarities to Saw, people are in a race against time before they ultimately meet a grizzly end, but because many people have experienced this style of entertainment before the reality is unnerving.

While the gore doesn’t reach Saw levels it provides enough tension, but it then starts to tail off a little towards the end. The conclusion is far too predictable although there is just enough intrigue to see what they will conjure up next.
  
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Drama
Rambo's Last Hurrah, Decent Action Flick
Rambo: Last Blood is a 2019 action movie directed by Adrian Grunberg, with screenplay written by both Sylvester Stallone and Matthew Cirulnick and story by Stallone and Dan Gordon. It was produced by Millennium Media, Balboa Productions and Templeton Media and distributed by Lionsgate with producers Avi Lerner, Kevin King Templeton, Yariv Lerner and Les Weldon. The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Adriana Barraza.


In Bowie, Arizona on his father's horse ranch John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) lives with his old friend Maria (Adriana Barraza) and her granddaughter Gabriela (Yvette Monreal), eleven years after the events in Burma. Against Rambo and Maria's wishes, Gabriela ventures to Mexico to find her estranged father when her friend Gizelle finds his location. In Mexico she is drugged and kidnapped by a Mexican Cartel and now Rambo must do everything he can to save her.


I have to say that before I saw this movie I was hearing bad things from reviewers and critics. That made me lower expectations before I saw it but what I took away from it was that it was going to be lacking story wise but definitely shouldn't be lacking in action. Then I was very surprised to learn that the creator of Rambo said that the movie wasn't good. Now I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the movie. After watching it, I have to say that this movie was good. I have to be honest and say that usually I'm a sucker for revenge movies but this movie was better than what I thought it would be. The plot, of course was very simple but for the story it was trying to tell, it didn't need to be complicated. The acting was alright, some actors could have done a better job. Stallone did a decent job reprising John Rambo. The setting when they travel to Mexico was pretty realistic and I really liked his ranch in Arizona that was the backdrop for the third act of the movie. The action was really brutal and gory which was expected as the last installment in the franchise Rambo was also equally brutal. All in all I thought this movie was pretty good, I give it a 7/10.
  
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
1978 | Comedy

"The last film is Animal House. Where I [veer] away from intense dramas. This thing is a perfect comedy, and I saw it right when it came out, as many people of my age did. It’s one of those films — I saw it one weekend; I went back to see it the next weekend and the next weekend. It’s a perfect piece of work and I watch it almost once a year. I’m no expert on it — can’t tell you the cast except for the big names — but it’s one of those things where I don’t even know if it’s any good. All I know is, I laughed in the same places, like Pavlov’s dog. “Hey, I’m a zit!” and the food comes out of [John] Belushi’s mouth — to me that is about the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Until he does this or until he does that. And you know: “A pledge pin on your uniform,” stuff like that. It’s funny down to my DNA. You know how it is with films. You love them so much, you almost adopt them. Like if there’s a song you really like — you almost kinda wrote it yourself. Because now it’s in your bone marrow. Animal House to me is from a much happier time of my life. As an adult I’m over-serious and worried. But as a younger person, that comedy was just so effortlessly immature and funny. The humor is not the highest brow, but it’s done so well. It works on every human cliche, like the drunk wife of the dean and the dean is over-serious… That was a film I watched usually around Christmas time. Somehow, I always find it in December and I watch it and I laugh sometimes, and I find myself crying because I miss Belushi. I think he was a great talent. I’ll watch him eating the food and I laugh so hard, literally, tears will go down my face. I don’t know the guy but I spoke to him once on the phone, briefly, but I just miss the guy. ‘Cause he’s one of my guys, like Bill Murray and Chevy Chase. All those SNL people — that’s my kind of humor. It’s just a perfect low budget comedy. It’s what you do with great acting and great writing. You don’t need a budget. You just need great acting and great writing."

Source
  

"We played at the Freddie Mercury tribute at Wembley in 1992. The best part was doing 'All The Young Dudes' with Bowie and Mick Ronson and Brian May. That was the best three minutes – musically – of my career, from an emotional point of view. It was the last time Mick Ronson played on stage and it was celebrating the life of a phenomenal musician that we all miss to this day. Brian May is a career long friend of mine. I remember Phil Collen (guitar) was really nervous. I said to him: 'You're bloody doing it. You'll regret it you're entire life if you don't' I literally had to drag him on stage by the collar. We were looking across and there was Ronson and Bowie and May. And it's my glam anthem, you know? It's my funeral tune and there we were doing it with everyone who ever meant anything to me all on one stage. Bolan would have made it even better I suppose, but he was dead. But this record Ziggy Stardust? The way I see it is this: what other record could have influenced, say, me, Boy George and Morrissey in the same way, you know? We don't have much in common but we all saw that same thing…. we saw Bowie with his arm around Ronson on Top Of The Pops and it was like 'well, that's what I'm going to do for the rest of my life'. Seeing it on colour TV as well: it looked amazing. To see Slade; The Sweet; Bolan - all of them with the purples, greens, oranges, reds and silvers – it was bonkers. Even Gary Glitter covered in bloody Bacofoil. To come from black and white to that! Bowie oozed class. I got the Ziggy album when I was 12-years-old. You're full of shit at that age but you're also a sponge. And I was listening to things like 'Rock n Roll Suicide' and I'd think: 'I wonder if we really are all going to be over and done with by 1977'. It was a great story. [sings] 'Pushing through the market square…' Brilliant vocal delivery which was a) listenable b) commercial and c) totally accessible to anybody, from hardcore Bowie fans to little girls who were probably enamoured of David Cassidy. I was listening in awe. He had it all."

Source
  
Uncut Gems (2019)
Uncut Gems (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The fact that the Safdie's landed Christmas is still absolutely wild to me. There were so many people in our theater that looked like they just DIDN'T belong there.

First things first, I'd like to get my negatives out of the way really quickly. My issue with this film, and why I view it as lesser than Good Time is one simple reason, and that is heart. I felt every moment of Good Time pulsating through my bones and truly felt for the ride that Connie went through. I saw the pain and remorse and emotion in his eyes grow with every passing moment. In Uncut Gems, I don't get the same gravitas and power of the emotion that is provided in Good Time. I never truly saw any remorse in Howard, nor that he really cared about anything else but himself, so when the emotional beats come when we are supposed to feel bad for him, I have a rather hard time doing that. He's not necessarily an unlikable guy, he just doesn't have that anti-hero vibe that Connie supplied. That is the main facet that significantly detracted from my appreciation for this film.

That being said, everything else is stellar. The grittiness of the cinematography works so well with the world we are being immersed in, with even the long shots being very unsteady and dirty looking in the way that the characters are framed. As everyone else is saying, Sandler puts on a magnificent performance (although if he gets nominated and Robert Pattinson didn't for Good Time, I'll be pretty frustrated) that reminds the public of why he demands the level of respect her does. However, the standout here for me is Julia Fox, who makes this film funnier than it has any right to be. She really carries herself in a way that I felt like I had met her before, or at least someone exactly like her. Going off of that, the humor really really works, so much so that I could argue that this is a black comedy instead of the crime thriller it is listed as. Everything from the situational comedy to the witty lines of dialogue just hits you in the chest.

Overall, a wonderful film that I hope will push the Safdie's into the mainstream like Hereditary did to Aster.
  
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Laura T (4 KP) rated Stranger Things - Season 2 in TV

Nov 4, 2017 (Updated Nov 4, 2017)  
Stranger Things  - Season 2
Stranger Things - Season 2
2017 | Sci-Fi
Steve And Dustins bromance. (3 more)
Eleven and Hopper as a family.
Lucas’s little sister (she needs a bigger part next time)
Ghostbusters!
Max’s brother Billy. (0 more)
Love letter to the 80s
I don’t normally review stuff but I ADORE this show. I love anything geeky anyway but this just combines it with the awesomeness that was the 80s. A fantastic show that you can’t help be sucked into and want to watch them all in one go (who needs sleep?!?) I wasn’t sure whether I’d watch it when I first saw it advertised, but I’m so glad I did. They’ve got it down to a t. Bad hair, crap fashion, awesome music, and fantastic homages to some great 80s films. It’s just one big love letter to some of the best things about that decade. Wasn’t sure if S2 would be as good, but i think it’s just as good if not better. And we know how rare that can be. I’m not gonna go into everything about the show as I think you just need to clear a big chunk of space in your free time and binge them all. S3 and 4 cant come soon enough!!
  
Bright (2017)
Bright (2017)
2017 | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Premise (0 more)
To long (1 more)
Somtimes tries to hard to be intellegent
Again better than critic give it credit for.
Ever since I saw the first trailer for this film I wanted to see more.

 The opening half an hour of the film for me was a rather slow burner. That being said the story that is being told and entire plot is something that we need more off. Some people will look at this film at see it as making a political point others will look at it and go it got great chi others will go great sci fi. That happens to be what makes it special is that it bridges the gap of so many diffrent genres and age groups maybe that why it can come across as disjointed at times.


This film is also a film I think you need to watch a couple of times to truly grasp it depth and meaning and the true beauty of it. This may put some people off but it has left me wanting to watch again to truly grasp everything and if that is not the Mark of a great film well I dont know what is.
  
Flatliners (2017)
Flatliners (2017)
2017 | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
The idea of the plot (0 more)
nothing really happens and what does wasn't that great (0 more)
Nearly bored me to flatline.
Okay first off I'm pretty sure I never saw the original flatliners so I went into this like it was a newish concept for a movie.

Flatliners at its bare bones has a really interesting take on what happens to us after we die and what could happen to us if we manage to come back, I really wished they would have focused more on that aspect of the story and showed a little more of what each person went through when they "crossed over" instead of adding unnecessary love plotlines and even more unnecessary sex scenes that just ended up boring me nearly to death.


The other thing I was really hoping for was for this to venture a little more into the horror genre but sadly they wasted a really good opportunity with a few crappy jump scares that you could see coming from a mile away.


I recommend watching this if you literally have nothing else to watch or if you were a fan of the original and want to see how they updated it.
  
This book is fantastic. It's so inspiring and interesting and exciting. It's divided into four sections: Cuffs and Collars, Necklines, Corners and Edges, and Closures. Each one has pages and pages of different interesting unique ideas.

I would call this book a designer's sourcebook. Yes the patterns can be used to change or alter an existing pattern, or dress up that plain sweater, but they can also be used in and of themselves. Collars can be used as cowls, Cuffs can be turned into wristlets, or even mittens or gloves. I see potential hats and socks in here too for people like me who like to write down the pattern as they go, or design something based off a picture they saw.

There's even a few full patterns thrown in here, all of which I love, and a few of which I'm definitely going to have to knit… especially that fair isle sweater. Goodness gracious it makes me want to jump for joy.

The patterns themselves are easy to understand and concise, and the pictures are very good and show off the project without being distracting.