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Dean (6925 KP) rated Memento (2000) in Movies

May 7, 2017  
Memento (2000)
Memento (2000)
2000 | Mystery, Thriller
Amazing concept (2 more)
Great cast
Easter egg on the DVD
Outstanding film
I love this film! One you can rewatch over and over again, yet never tire of it. The film is shown in flash backs, each scene showing what happened just before the last section. The main character has short term memory loss which plays well with how the film is viewed. It has a gripping story and plenty of twists. One of the most original films ever! If you have the DVD there is an Easter egg to watch it in the correct chronological order of events, brilliant!
  
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Ruben Ostlund recommended Playtime (1967) in Movies (curated)

 
Playtime (1967)
Playtime (1967)
1967 | Classics, Comedy

"This film is the most ambitious failure. I love Tati as an actor, and I love the way the scenes are made; they’re so intelligent and funny, and the timing is fantastic in each and every moment. It has a Chaplin-like precision. But it’s also a black hole that sucks energy from the audience. I also really love his short films, like the one where he’s teaching actors how to walk into a wall properly. For me, Tati took acting to a level comparable to sports. His performances are very direct, and you can see his skill as an actor."

Source
  
The Horse's Mouth (1958)
The Horse's Mouth (1958)
1958 | Classics, Comedy
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"This is not only one of the funniest films ever made, but, as one who has spent time with a number of painters, I could see that it was really about painters and painting. And it was responsible for my first film—a short that ran for almost a year at the Paris Theater in New York. Of course, I’ll always love it. One of the lines I love is when the helper lady asks how you can tell when a picture is finished, and the painter hero looks at her quizzically and says, “You just know.” For me, that was movies."

Source
  
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
1981 | Action, Adventure
There is literally nothing I could say that hasn't already been said about Raiders of the Lost Ark, so in short...

Although films such as Star Wars and Jaws had come before, the first Indiana Jones adventure truly set the blueprint for blockbuster cinema. It scared me as a kid, delighted me as I grew a little older, and still rips all these years later. Its influence can be seen in all avenues of popular culture since, and I will never, NEVER forget how Paul Freeman didn't even flinch a millimeter when a fly crawled into his mouth mid line. Cold. As. Ice.
  
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David McK (3233 KP) rated T2: The Future War (Gollancz) in Books

Jan 30, 2019 (Updated Dec 13, 2020)  
T2: The Future War (Gollancz)
T2: The Future War (Gollancz)
S.M. Stirling | 2004 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Final part of S.M. Stirling's trilogy of books that present an alternate story than that told in <i>T3: Rise of the Machines</i> and <i>Terminator: Salvation</i>.

Unlike the previous two entries (<i>T2: Infiltrator</i> and <i>T2: Rising Storm</i>), this is not so much the one-on-one of the Connors versus a single Terminator, but is rather humanity versus Skynet which, remember, had become sentient at the end of the last novel. While the beginning of the novel does take place pre-Judgement day, the bulk of it actually takes place during the war itself: a war only hinted at in the first two films.

I quite enjoyed this read, and how it tied into both the films and earlier novels. In short, one of the better expanded universe novels out there (though you would have to read the first two first).
  
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies

Jul 2, 2019 (Updated Jul 2, 2019)  
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Great SFX (2 more)
Cool locations
Plenty of humour
An Amazing Spider-Man Film
I wasn't the biggest fan of Homecoming. It was a good film but lacked something to put it on the level of the best Marvel films. This however is definitely up there with the best of the them and one of the best Spider-man films. Coming so soon after Endgame and set a short while after those events it had a lot to live up to.
The action scenes are great as Spider-man leaves his neighbourhood and battles all over Europe. It still has plenty of funny lighthearted moments. It also deals with Spider-Man coming to terms of being a superhero and trying to have a normal teenage life. Overall another great Marvel film that's up with the best of them. Scenes after the animated credits and another after the final credits to wait for.
  
Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard (1988)
1988 | Action
For my money, this is Bruce Willis's breakout role as New York detective John McClane, who - when visiting his estranged wife Holly for Christmas in Los Angeles - gets caught up when a group of criminals (led by Alan Rickman, in another brilliant role) seizes control of the high-rise building in which she works.

On his own, and presenting a more everyday action hero than the like of Schwarzenegger or Stallone (who would probably walk over broken glass without flinching in one of their films), the wise-cracking McClane finds himself taking on the group one by one in the cramped confines of the high rise.

There's a reason many-a-film since has been called "Die Hard on a xxx"

In short, oft imitated but never bettered

(and, back here, McClane has not yet transformed into the almost-superhero who shrugs off injuries that would cripple a lesser man that he becomes in the alter films)
  
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) in Movies

Feb 25, 2022 (Updated Feb 25, 2022)  
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
2022 | Horror
Some good gore scenes (0 more)
Unlikeable characters (2 more)
Very short
A massacre of ideas
Nothing new
Thought I'd give this a go as it's been a while since the previous versions. Other than setting it in the current time with influencers and current technology, this offers nothing new. Just a bunch of unlikeable characters to the predictable slaughter.
Following on the recent Halloween films trend of making a sequel to the original set decades later. We have a cameo from the original film final girl who has gone Linda Hamilton bad ass up for revenge. With some real T2 elements in some scenes. A very weak plot line as she and leatherface must be in their 70's now as nearly 50 years have passed from the original.
Gore fans will probably like it and fans of TCM films in general, for others there is no real depth to it and full of Slasher film clichés. Shame as it had potential but ends up a bit of a mess.
  
The Silence (2019)
The Silence (2019)
2019 | Horror
Nothing new
I’m starting to get a little sick of all these apocalyptic end of the world type films. It’s not so bad when they’re actually done well, but sadly this is not one of those films. It’s a very poor relation of A Quiet Place, and an unnecessary one at that. Apart from Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka, I don’t really have anything good to say about this film.

It’s mostly predictable and pretty dull really, with a lot of plot ideas being taken from other films and shows. There’s nothing truly original about this other than the creatures themselves, and that’s not something to be proud of. Whilst on first glance the creatures might be slightly weird and creepy, the more you see of them the more you realise they’re not actually that scary after all. I started to find them quite laughable. The characters in this are mostly stupid making silly mistakes and despite its short 90 minute run time, this really drags to the point where I was quickly losing attention. And the ending was just lame and rushed.

If you want to watch a creature horror film about silence, watch A Quiet Place, not this.
  
Ghost Stories (2018)
Ghost Stories (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror
Good cast (1 more)
Some creepy moments
Weird 3rd act (0 more)
Disappointing
I was looking forward to this British Horror as it looked a bit different to most horror films.
Unfortunately the early part of the film relies too much on jump scares and loud noises. The first horror tale was eerie but not scary. The second was more creepy and uneasy, although cut a bit short I felt. The third was ok but then it starts to get a bit weird.
I didn't like the ending much and thought it took something away from the film by changing the whole feel of the film. Something of a marmite film I think.