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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
Form-Prefect of the Dead.
The Plot
Meredith Houseman (Simon Pegg) is housemaster of Sparta house in Slaughterhouse school: an ancient public school establishment steering England’s future greats to greatness (which probably explains a lot about the current Brexit mess!). Houseman is not in a happy place, given that his girlfriend is now in deepest darkest African doing “good works” with handsome French doctors, and particularly that she is played by Margot Robbie: I would be also be sad… #punching!
New school starter Don Wallace (Finn Cole) is equally unhappy as he is a northern teen dragooned into attending the school by his well-meaning Mum (Jo Hartley). His strange room-mate Willoughby (Asa Butterfield) seems to be a chronic depressive; he is being picked on by the prefect-bully Clegg (Tom Rhys Harries); and his bed was previously occupied by a Viscount, since deceased under unpleasant circumstances that no-one wants to talk about. At least he has the distraction of the upper-sixth school goddess Clemsie Lawrence (Hermione Corfield) to take his mind off his woes.
All this washes over “The Bat” – the school’s headmaster (Michael Sheen) – since he is engrossed in some shady deal with an evil corporation doing fracking in the school grounds. The fracking though seems to be doing more than just causing a few minor earth tremors, as ancient forces are unleashed.
The Review
The movie is positioned as a “comedy/horror”, along the lines of “Shaun of the Dead”. The film also has Frost and Pegg as executive producers and they also have starring roles in the film. But there the similarities really end: this is a “Cornetto film” without a cone of solid chocolate lurking at the bottom to enjoy.
The script (by director Crispian Mills and first-time screenwriter Henry Fitzherbert) is nowhere near as sharp as the Frost/Pegg scripts for their famous collaborations. The story overall makes precious little sense: it’s a hodge-podge of elements from many Harry Potter films (especially “The Chamber of Secrets”), Lindsay Anderson’s “If…”; and Roy Boulting’s “The Guinea Pig”; with also a sprinkling of the anarchic essence of Michael Palin’s classic “Tomkinson’s Schooldays”. The whole thing never manages to gel into a cohesive whole.
After the second reel, the film completely loses sight of the plot: there’s a whole lot of running, screaming and dying going on but there’s little logic behind any of it that I could fathom. What didn’t help my comprehension of what was going on were some ‘Cornetto-esque’ sequences of manic editing. Images were thrown onto the screen so subliminally that any clever nuance was lost. I’m sure at one point there was a droll (if gross) segue at a “Roman orgy” of a girl receiving oral sex before being ‘eaten out’ in an entirely different way. But you would need a Blu-ray and a frame-by-frame pause function to get the joke.
That’s not to say that I didn’t laugh a few times along the way. There are some sight gags – for example, Wooten (Kit Connor) as the lad at the bottom of the bullying pecking order, chained to a U-bend – that made me laugh, and some running jokes – for example, Frost as the head of the anti-fracking camp offering the kids drugs at every encounter – that mildly amuse. But once again here’s a British comedy that, like the atrocious “The Brits are Coming“, thinks that “funny” largely revolves around swearing a lot – how useful that “frack” sounds so similar to another word – with added bodily dismemberment.
The turns
Pegg and Frost ham it up with their usual comedy schtick well enough, and it was quite fun to see Sheen try a comedy role for a change as the conniving and supercilious headmaster. Elsewhere all the young cast put their hearts into it, but it’s again Asa Butterfield that your eyes gravitate to, due to his striking features. I last saw Asa in the excellent if harrowing WW1 drama “Journey’s End“, and he here proves again that he is a One Mann’s Movies ‘name to watch for the future’.
Final thoughts
There’s a lot to irritate in this film. From the “z” in the title to… well… about 80% of the film. There is no nuance or subtlety to either the writing or the direction. I think that’s a great shame. The film has a good premise hidden in there. An adult comedy set around the ridiculous rules and rites of public schools (away from the light nonsense of “St Trinians”) is overdue. And the whole subject of fracking, and the conflicts surrounding the controversial techniques, hasn’t yet – to my knowledge – been explored in a fictional movie. The film does have a few very funny moments. But as a whole I left the cinema with that “wasted two hours” feeling. Not recommended.
Meredith Houseman (Simon Pegg) is housemaster of Sparta house in Slaughterhouse school: an ancient public school establishment steering England’s future greats to greatness (which probably explains a lot about the current Brexit mess!). Houseman is not in a happy place, given that his girlfriend is now in deepest darkest African doing “good works” with handsome French doctors, and particularly that she is played by Margot Robbie: I would be also be sad… #punching!
New school starter Don Wallace (Finn Cole) is equally unhappy as he is a northern teen dragooned into attending the school by his well-meaning Mum (Jo Hartley). His strange room-mate Willoughby (Asa Butterfield) seems to be a chronic depressive; he is being picked on by the prefect-bully Clegg (Tom Rhys Harries); and his bed was previously occupied by a Viscount, since deceased under unpleasant circumstances that no-one wants to talk about. At least he has the distraction of the upper-sixth school goddess Clemsie Lawrence (Hermione Corfield) to take his mind off his woes.
All this washes over “The Bat” – the school’s headmaster (Michael Sheen) – since he is engrossed in some shady deal with an evil corporation doing fracking in the school grounds. The fracking though seems to be doing more than just causing a few minor earth tremors, as ancient forces are unleashed.
The Review
The movie is positioned as a “comedy/horror”, along the lines of “Shaun of the Dead”. The film also has Frost and Pegg as executive producers and they also have starring roles in the film. But there the similarities really end: this is a “Cornetto film” without a cone of solid chocolate lurking at the bottom to enjoy.
The script (by director Crispian Mills and first-time screenwriter Henry Fitzherbert) is nowhere near as sharp as the Frost/Pegg scripts for their famous collaborations. The story overall makes precious little sense: it’s a hodge-podge of elements from many Harry Potter films (especially “The Chamber of Secrets”), Lindsay Anderson’s “If…”; and Roy Boulting’s “The Guinea Pig”; with also a sprinkling of the anarchic essence of Michael Palin’s classic “Tomkinson’s Schooldays”. The whole thing never manages to gel into a cohesive whole.
After the second reel, the film completely loses sight of the plot: there’s a whole lot of running, screaming and dying going on but there’s little logic behind any of it that I could fathom. What didn’t help my comprehension of what was going on were some ‘Cornetto-esque’ sequences of manic editing. Images were thrown onto the screen so subliminally that any clever nuance was lost. I’m sure at one point there was a droll (if gross) segue at a “Roman orgy” of a girl receiving oral sex before being ‘eaten out’ in an entirely different way. But you would need a Blu-ray and a frame-by-frame pause function to get the joke.
That’s not to say that I didn’t laugh a few times along the way. There are some sight gags – for example, Wooten (Kit Connor) as the lad at the bottom of the bullying pecking order, chained to a U-bend – that made me laugh, and some running jokes – for example, Frost as the head of the anti-fracking camp offering the kids drugs at every encounter – that mildly amuse. But once again here’s a British comedy that, like the atrocious “The Brits are Coming“, thinks that “funny” largely revolves around swearing a lot – how useful that “frack” sounds so similar to another word – with added bodily dismemberment.
The turns
Pegg and Frost ham it up with their usual comedy schtick well enough, and it was quite fun to see Sheen try a comedy role for a change as the conniving and supercilious headmaster. Elsewhere all the young cast put their hearts into it, but it’s again Asa Butterfield that your eyes gravitate to, due to his striking features. I last saw Asa in the excellent if harrowing WW1 drama “Journey’s End“, and he here proves again that he is a One Mann’s Movies ‘name to watch for the future’.
Final thoughts
There’s a lot to irritate in this film. From the “z” in the title to… well… about 80% of the film. There is no nuance or subtlety to either the writing or the direction. I think that’s a great shame. The film has a good premise hidden in there. An adult comedy set around the ridiculous rules and rites of public schools (away from the light nonsense of “St Trinians”) is overdue. And the whole subject of fracking, and the conflicts surrounding the controversial techniques, hasn’t yet – to my knowledge – been explored in a fictional movie. The film does have a few very funny moments. But as a whole I left the cinema with that “wasted two hours” feeling. Not recommended.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018) in Movies
Nov 14, 2018
Such a disappointment
I've seen a lot of horrendous reviews for this film and whilst I'd agree that it isn't great, it's not nearly as bad as expected.
The problem is that this film has a stellar cast with impressive comedy credentials, yet apart from one or two titters, it just isn't funny. The humour falls completely flat. Michael Sheen, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ham it up the best they can but their performances border on cringeworthy. Even the cameo from Margot Robbie is wasted. I did quite like Asa Butterfield though, who managed to get away with some of the best lines in the film.
The plot isn't the worst, and is surprisingly relevant to current affairs. Considering the ongoing debate over fracking and the fracking going on in Lancashire (30 mins down the road from where I live), I was impressed at the relevance even if they didn't really touch on any of the serious issues. The start of the story is a little bit cliched too. Fish out of water Northerner going to a posh Southern boarding school? Some originality would be nice, as a northerner myself it's gets a little frustrating seeing so many films choose this sort of plot mechanism.
The creatures themselves are underdeveloped and aren't scary, although the amount of blood and gore was a nice touch. And it all just gets a little bit silly and ridiculous with them towards the end, which is a shame as there was some potential hidden here somewhere.
That said, as horror comedies go it's fairly inoffensive. Whilst I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to watch it, if you're ever at a loss for something easy to watch, there are worse films you could choose. Just don't expect another of the Cornetto films...
The problem is that this film has a stellar cast with impressive comedy credentials, yet apart from one or two titters, it just isn't funny. The humour falls completely flat. Michael Sheen, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ham it up the best they can but their performances border on cringeworthy. Even the cameo from Margot Robbie is wasted. I did quite like Asa Butterfield though, who managed to get away with some of the best lines in the film.
The plot isn't the worst, and is surprisingly relevant to current affairs. Considering the ongoing debate over fracking and the fracking going on in Lancashire (30 mins down the road from where I live), I was impressed at the relevance even if they didn't really touch on any of the serious issues. The start of the story is a little bit cliched too. Fish out of water Northerner going to a posh Southern boarding school? Some originality would be nice, as a northerner myself it's gets a little frustrating seeing so many films choose this sort of plot mechanism.
The creatures themselves are underdeveloped and aren't scary, although the amount of blood and gore was a nice touch. And it all just gets a little bit silly and ridiculous with them towards the end, which is a shame as there was some potential hidden here somewhere.
That said, as horror comedies go it's fairly inoffensive. Whilst I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to watch it, if you're ever at a loss for something easy to watch, there are worse films you could choose. Just don't expect another of the Cornetto films...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
This one seems to have received a very mixed reception among Trek fans, but I absolutely loved it when it first came out, giving it 4.5/5 in one of my early One Mann’s Movies reviews.
I find the pre-titles sequence on this one a real blast, both thrilling in content and enormously funny with the primitive stone age race trashing their previous relic in favour of their new Enterprise-shaped deity! And then the dramatic pseudo-blackmailing of Harewood, (an impressive Noel Clarke, when he was being given better roles that he is at the moment), to Michael Giacchino’s awesome “London Calling” music, is a truly memorable bit of movie-making.
The cast have all settled into their roles nicely. Chris Pine’s Kirk is still the arrogant ladies man (e.g. bedding twin aliens and chatting up the starfleet totty…. “Hi Ladies… Jim Kirk”), but learning the hard way that with great power comes at least a modicum of responsibility. He actually needs to act in this movie. And I find Scotty (Simon Pegg) slightly less grating in this outing (though his sidekick Keenser (Deep Roy) is still the annoying Jar Jar Binks of these films).
Benedict Cumberbatch adds great gravitas as the arch villain, and his announcement of his name was one of those “I am your father” movie-moments for me on first viewing.
It’s also the last screen appearance of Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime – indeed, his last movie appearance period. A nice and fitting way to bow out.
My rating here is a little lower than my previous OMM rating. It’s attempts to shoehorn-in scenes and dialogue from an earlier Trek movie are a misstep by the writers, and grate on repeat viewing. But it’s still a cracking episode in the Trek saga, and another of my personal favourites.
I find the pre-titles sequence on this one a real blast, both thrilling in content and enormously funny with the primitive stone age race trashing their previous relic in favour of their new Enterprise-shaped deity! And then the dramatic pseudo-blackmailing of Harewood, (an impressive Noel Clarke, when he was being given better roles that he is at the moment), to Michael Giacchino’s awesome “London Calling” music, is a truly memorable bit of movie-making.
The cast have all settled into their roles nicely. Chris Pine’s Kirk is still the arrogant ladies man (e.g. bedding twin aliens and chatting up the starfleet totty…. “Hi Ladies… Jim Kirk”), but learning the hard way that with great power comes at least a modicum of responsibility. He actually needs to act in this movie. And I find Scotty (Simon Pegg) slightly less grating in this outing (though his sidekick Keenser (Deep Roy) is still the annoying Jar Jar Binks of these films).
Benedict Cumberbatch adds great gravitas as the arch villain, and his announcement of his name was one of those “I am your father” movie-moments for me on first viewing.
It’s also the last screen appearance of Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime – indeed, his last movie appearance period. A nice and fitting way to bow out.
My rating here is a little lower than my previous OMM rating. It’s attempts to shoehorn-in scenes and dialogue from an earlier Trek movie are a misstep by the writers, and grate on repeat viewing. But it’s still a cracking episode in the Trek saga, and another of my personal favourites.
David McK (3204 KP) rated Star Trek (2009) in Movies
Aug 23, 2020 (Updated Jan 22, 2023)
JJ Abrams prepares for Star Wars
"Space. The Final Frontier. These are the voyages ..."
2009 big screen reimagining of the iconic 60s TV series, and I use that as the touchpoint deliberately: we're back to a (recast) Kirk and co instead of the Next Generation crew, or even those from Voyager/Enterprise/Discovery.
In retrospect, it also somewhat comes across as director JJ Abrams pitch for making a Star Wars movie: this is also lens flare and slow motion, with the action ramped up considerably from the TV series or even most of the previous movies. it's also the first of the three Kelvin-verse Star Trek movies: I'm unsure whether we'll get any more in that timeline, what with the tragic death of some of the (young) key actors - I'm looking at you, Anton Yelchin (Chekov) - and with others of the cast moving on to other bigger (?) sci-fi things - yep, that's you Zoe Saldana (Uhura).
The plot, as alluded to above, involves time travel, with the events thus kicking off an entire new timeline, that here sees Chris Pine taking on the role of James T Kirk - initially introduced as a kid, driving his step fathers classic car off a cliff (talk about setting out your stall early!) - and Zachary Quinto (then more famous as the villain Sylar from TVs 'Heroes') talking on the role of a younger Spock.
Most of the cast, I felt, was pretty much spot on - the only one that really rubbed me up the wrong way was Simon Pegg as Scotty, although even he grew on me a bit (I'm also not entirely sold on the aesthetics of the USS Enterprise here - more like USS Chibiprise!). We also have the 'passing of the torch' (as it were) from one character to another, with the inclusion of a certain key half-human actor who will forever be associated with that role ...
2009 big screen reimagining of the iconic 60s TV series, and I use that as the touchpoint deliberately: we're back to a (recast) Kirk and co instead of the Next Generation crew, or even those from Voyager/Enterprise/Discovery.
In retrospect, it also somewhat comes across as director JJ Abrams pitch for making a Star Wars movie: this is also lens flare and slow motion, with the action ramped up considerably from the TV series or even most of the previous movies. it's also the first of the three Kelvin-verse Star Trek movies: I'm unsure whether we'll get any more in that timeline, what with the tragic death of some of the (young) key actors - I'm looking at you, Anton Yelchin (Chekov) - and with others of the cast moving on to other bigger (?) sci-fi things - yep, that's you Zoe Saldana (Uhura).
The plot, as alluded to above, involves time travel, with the events thus kicking off an entire new timeline, that here sees Chris Pine taking on the role of James T Kirk - initially introduced as a kid, driving his step fathers classic car off a cliff (talk about setting out your stall early!) - and Zachary Quinto (then more famous as the villain Sylar from TVs 'Heroes') talking on the role of a younger Spock.
Most of the cast, I felt, was pretty much spot on - the only one that really rubbed me up the wrong way was Simon Pegg as Scotty, although even he grew on me a bit (I'm also not entirely sold on the aesthetics of the USS Enterprise here - more like USS Chibiprise!). We also have the 'passing of the torch' (as it were) from one character to another, with the inclusion of a certain key half-human actor who will forever be associated with that role ...
Mothergamer (1514 KP) rated the PC version of Fable III in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
I finished my first play through of Fable 3. I did pick the hero role my first time through. You can choose to play an evil tyrant also. I loved hearing John Cleese as the voice of your trusty butler Jasper, along with other recognizable voices throughout the game such as Simon Pegg and Ben Kingsley. The first half of the game follows the template of exploration, quests, and combat as you recruit followers and gather an army as either a prince or princess of Albion. While some of the quests are courier (package delivery) quests, there are quests that are creative with things like donning a chicken costume, performing in a play, or wearing a disguise.
Once you have your army, the revolution can begin and Fable 3 becomes a tactician strategy game where the tough decisions you make actually have an impact in the story. Interaction with others is one on one now making it easier to recruit followers or woo a spouse. Another thing that I loved is the solution to the clunky menu system. That is gone and you now have the sanctuary where you can organize weapons, costumes, and your full magic arsenal. There is also an offline and online co-op feature that works really well so you can play with others and pool together treasure, resources, and rewards from adventuring together.
That isn't to say that there aren't any problems. There are a few. At times, there are loading time issues with the load screen as you enter a new area. There are also little graphic errors here and there where you're holding an npc's hand for a quest and as you are running, it looks like they're not holding hands with you, or they end up stopping and standing there so you have to come back to get them. Even with the world map and fast travel, there still seems to be a loading issue.
However, you forget all that as you play Fable 3 immersed in fun quests, planning a revolution, and deciding if you will be a hero or a villain. Who knew revolution could be so much fun?
Once you have your army, the revolution can begin and Fable 3 becomes a tactician strategy game where the tough decisions you make actually have an impact in the story. Interaction with others is one on one now making it easier to recruit followers or woo a spouse. Another thing that I loved is the solution to the clunky menu system. That is gone and you now have the sanctuary where you can organize weapons, costumes, and your full magic arsenal. There is also an offline and online co-op feature that works really well so you can play with others and pool together treasure, resources, and rewards from adventuring together.
That isn't to say that there aren't any problems. There are a few. At times, there are loading time issues with the load screen as you enter a new area. There are also little graphic errors here and there where you're holding an npc's hand for a quest and as you are running, it looks like they're not holding hands with you, or they end up stopping and standing there so you have to come back to get them. Even with the world map and fast travel, there still seems to be a loading issue.
However, you forget all that as you play Fable 3 immersed in fun quests, planning a revolution, and deciding if you will be a hero or a villain. Who knew revolution could be so much fun?
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
This situation just goes to show why you should pay attention to all sorts of social media. Our Cineworld ran a competition on their Facebook page to win tickets to see this one early and I was so close to missing it. Yes I already had tickets booked to see the double bill... but that had become even more difficult to consider going to. It starts at 9pm on 24th July and obviously goes through to the early hours, that is fine on it's own but Cineworld had also announced an Unlimited Screening on before it... in my old age I was just grateful to have the opportunity not to stay up all night!
Let me talk about the situation for a moment. We were told to get there for 6pm. As you can see, I arrived earlier and saw The Incredibles 2 again before hand. The preamble was long and drawn out. As it turned out the programmed Q&A and movie weren't due to start until 7.45pm, but we were told we would be able to see the red carpet coverage. Had it not been shown to be pre-recorded and edited for our viewing... given away by hearing the voices, without the video, being fast forwarded through and reversed before finally being shown... it would have been more enjoyable. The 45 minute Q&A was interesting to hear, and it was nice to be able to see the scenes they were talking about and link the anecdotes together. It would have been nicer, however, if I hadn't had to sit there for two and a half hours before the film actually started.
So, to the film. I'm not going to waffle for too long about it. It is ultimately a Mission: Impossible film. You know there's going to be good action and an entertaining story. It does do a lot of things you've seen before, but that's not really a problem as they all work again and again.
Simon Pegg is always going to be the best thing about any M:I movie he's in. He was hilarious in the Q&A and he's hilarious in the movies. I love the honesty of Benji. Every time something ridiculous is about to happen I love his little shocked face and the fact that he will point it out.
Just to put this out there... the 'stache is disturbing.
Let me talk about the situation for a moment. We were told to get there for 6pm. As you can see, I arrived earlier and saw The Incredibles 2 again before hand. The preamble was long and drawn out. As it turned out the programmed Q&A and movie weren't due to start until 7.45pm, but we were told we would be able to see the red carpet coverage. Had it not been shown to be pre-recorded and edited for our viewing... given away by hearing the voices, without the video, being fast forwarded through and reversed before finally being shown... it would have been more enjoyable. The 45 minute Q&A was interesting to hear, and it was nice to be able to see the scenes they were talking about and link the anecdotes together. It would have been nicer, however, if I hadn't had to sit there for two and a half hours before the film actually started.
So, to the film. I'm not going to waffle for too long about it. It is ultimately a Mission: Impossible film. You know there's going to be good action and an entertaining story. It does do a lot of things you've seen before, but that's not really a problem as they all work again and again.
Simon Pegg is always going to be the best thing about any M:I movie he's in. He was hilarious in the Q&A and he's hilarious in the movies. I love the honesty of Benji. Every time something ridiculous is about to happen I love his little shocked face and the fact that he will point it out.
Just to put this out there... the 'stache is disturbing.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Star Trek (2009) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019
Just about everybody knows the stories revolving around the U.S.S. Enterprise and it's crew lead by Captain James Tiberius Kirk. This reboot is an alternate reality to what happened in those familiar stories chronicling the early days of how the crew came together, went through the ranks of star fleet, and basically became the characters every Trekkie knows and loves today. The only issues this movie may have had was if it would appeal to people who weren't fans of the original Star Trek and if it would be enjoyable to those people. Considering it was the number one movie in the country in its opening weekend, brought in another $43 million its second weekend in theaters (bringing its grand total to over $147 million), and has glowing reviews on both IMDb (8.5/10, over 50,000 votes, #71 in the top 250 movies) and Rotten Tomatoes (95% fresh, 245 fresh reviews, rated 8.1/10), the answer seems obvious.
Star Trek exceeded all of my expectations. I'm not a Trekkie, but this is the movie that should have kicked off the summer season. The film is somehow capable of keeping the same essence of the original series yet inject a breath of fresh air into the franchise with new faces representing familiar characters. The film really appears to a wide range of moviegoers since it has just about everything anyone is looking for when they go to the movies and affectively blends action, comedy, sci-fi, and romance into one sensational adventure. The cast is truly superb. Karl Urban practically channeled DeForest Kelley in his portrayal of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy and Simon Pegg as Scotty stole every scene he was in. Zachary Quinto fit the young Spock character like a glove. I could go on and on. There really wasn't a poor performance from anyone.
The only minor complaint I have about the film was the lens flare effect they seemed to use throughout the film. It was hardly noticeable at times, but I remember it being a bit irritating towards the last half of the film. Other than that, I'd like to see more of Scotty in the sequel. But that's more of a suggestion than anything.
Star Trek is a fun and exciting film that's really for everyone. The film is a little over two hours long, but it feels much shorter. Go ahead and group this with Batman Begins as one of the successful reboots that's also incredibly enjoyable.
Star Trek exceeded all of my expectations. I'm not a Trekkie, but this is the movie that should have kicked off the summer season. The film is somehow capable of keeping the same essence of the original series yet inject a breath of fresh air into the franchise with new faces representing familiar characters. The film really appears to a wide range of moviegoers since it has just about everything anyone is looking for when they go to the movies and affectively blends action, comedy, sci-fi, and romance into one sensational adventure. The cast is truly superb. Karl Urban practically channeled DeForest Kelley in his portrayal of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy and Simon Pegg as Scotty stole every scene he was in. Zachary Quinto fit the young Spock character like a glove. I could go on and on. There really wasn't a poor performance from anyone.
The only minor complaint I have about the film was the lens flare effect they seemed to use throughout the film. It was hardly noticeable at times, but I remember it being a bit irritating towards the last half of the film. Other than that, I'd like to see more of Scotty in the sequel. But that's more of a suggestion than anything.
Star Trek is a fun and exciting film that's really for everyone. The film is a little over two hours long, but it feels much shorter. Go ahead and group this with Batman Begins as one of the successful reboots that's also incredibly enjoyable.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022) in Movies
Jan 30, 2022
The mimicking raptor (1 more)
The, "power of our spleens," line of dialogue.
Horrendously ugly animation. (2 more)
A terribly boring screenplay.
Humor that is so painfully unfunny.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is the first Disney produced film of the franchise and the first Ice Age film to go directly to streaming. None of the original cast members return other than Simon Pegg as Buck Wild. Scrat is nowhere to be found and the animation is a noticeable downgrade. This project began with the intention of being a new Ice Age TV series, but was then repurposed into an 81-minute feature-length film.
Crash and Eddie (now voiced by Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris) have gotten the itch to branch out on their own. Being a part of the herd with Manny, Diego, Sid, and Ellie has finally reached a boiling point. After ruining a summer getaway with an ice-alanche, Manny encourages Crash and Eddie to go off on their own adventure. He never thought the death portraying duo would take his words to heart.
The possums venture back deep below the ice and back to The Lost World where they are reunited with Buck Wild (Pegg). However, their reunion is bittersweet as a big-headed and big-brained Protoceratops named Orson (Utkarsh Ambudkar, Free Guy) has just returned from exile where he intends to use his raptor henchmen to rule over every living mammal.
This new Ice Age film is animated by Canadian animation company Bardel Entertainment. Other CGI related works Bardel has had a hand in producing include Angry Birds Blues, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, and the Monsters vs. Aliens TV series. The animation in Adventures of Buck Wild is incredibly ugly. Scenery and background characters are minimally detailed and look like poorly colored blobs with a limited color palette.
The film has a very direct-to-video ambiance to it. It’s kind of like watching Reboot or Beast Wars: Transformers today, but what those series lack in animation they make up for with exceptional writing. The Adventures of Buck Wild mostly feels like Disney’s quick attempt at a cash grab after dissolving Blue Sky Studios in 2021. The animation is a bit better when it comes to close-ups of characters as strands of hair have more detail. It still doesn’t help the horrendous character design. Orson is basically the dinosaur version of Yosemite Sam while his raptors look like Wheelie from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Directed by John C. Donkin (producer of the first three Ice Age films, Rio and Rio 2, and Robots) and written by Ray DeLaurentis (Fairly Oddparents), Jim Hecht (Ice Age: The Meltdown), and William Schifrin (Quest for Camelot), Adventures of Buck Wild has stale writing that has a few noteworthy moments. Most of the attempts at humor are met with eyerolling, severe facepalms, or shaking your head with disgust. The raptor that copies everything Orson does may be the best comedic relief the films has and the, “Power of spleens,” bit is easily the best line of dialogue.
Buck Wild is a seriously bizarre character though. He formed his own team and inadvertently destroyed it since he last met Crash and Eddie. Being alone has obviously taken its toll on him. He now talks to his left hand in a silly voice and has a pumpkin daughter that is babysat by a cucumber. Zee, a former team member and ex-best friend of Buck, is a zorilla/striped polecat. She looks like a raccoon, but is super agile and can spray like a skunk. Her and Buck are incredibly similar other than the fact that Buck likes to rush into battle without any sort of preparation whereas Zee likes to train and plan before facing an enemy.
It would have been so incredibly satisfying if Disney had debuted an Ice Age film with solid animation, laugh out loud humor, a well-written story, and likeable or even downright despicable characters. Having those elements would have at least given fans of the franchise thus far that Disney had a vision of where to take Ice Age in the foreseeable future. Instead we get this lackluster dud of a film that is boring to look at and is mostly massively unfunny while making most of the characters – old and new – forgettable. When Zee first meets Crash and Eddie, Buck says something along the lines of, “What they lack in courage they make up for with bumbling ineptitude.” That is all The Adventures of Buck Wild is; an unnecessary animated excursion into bumbling ineptitude.
Crash and Eddie (now voiced by Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris) have gotten the itch to branch out on their own. Being a part of the herd with Manny, Diego, Sid, and Ellie has finally reached a boiling point. After ruining a summer getaway with an ice-alanche, Manny encourages Crash and Eddie to go off on their own adventure. He never thought the death portraying duo would take his words to heart.
The possums venture back deep below the ice and back to The Lost World where they are reunited with Buck Wild (Pegg). However, their reunion is bittersweet as a big-headed and big-brained Protoceratops named Orson (Utkarsh Ambudkar, Free Guy) has just returned from exile where he intends to use his raptor henchmen to rule over every living mammal.
This new Ice Age film is animated by Canadian animation company Bardel Entertainment. Other CGI related works Bardel has had a hand in producing include Angry Birds Blues, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, and the Monsters vs. Aliens TV series. The animation in Adventures of Buck Wild is incredibly ugly. Scenery and background characters are minimally detailed and look like poorly colored blobs with a limited color palette.
The film has a very direct-to-video ambiance to it. It’s kind of like watching Reboot or Beast Wars: Transformers today, but what those series lack in animation they make up for with exceptional writing. The Adventures of Buck Wild mostly feels like Disney’s quick attempt at a cash grab after dissolving Blue Sky Studios in 2021. The animation is a bit better when it comes to close-ups of characters as strands of hair have more detail. It still doesn’t help the horrendous character design. Orson is basically the dinosaur version of Yosemite Sam while his raptors look like Wheelie from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Directed by John C. Donkin (producer of the first three Ice Age films, Rio and Rio 2, and Robots) and written by Ray DeLaurentis (Fairly Oddparents), Jim Hecht (Ice Age: The Meltdown), and William Schifrin (Quest for Camelot), Adventures of Buck Wild has stale writing that has a few noteworthy moments. Most of the attempts at humor are met with eyerolling, severe facepalms, or shaking your head with disgust. The raptor that copies everything Orson does may be the best comedic relief the films has and the, “Power of spleens,” bit is easily the best line of dialogue.
Buck Wild is a seriously bizarre character though. He formed his own team and inadvertently destroyed it since he last met Crash and Eddie. Being alone has obviously taken its toll on him. He now talks to his left hand in a silly voice and has a pumpkin daughter that is babysat by a cucumber. Zee, a former team member and ex-best friend of Buck, is a zorilla/striped polecat. She looks like a raccoon, but is super agile and can spray like a skunk. Her and Buck are incredibly similar other than the fact that Buck likes to rush into battle without any sort of preparation whereas Zee likes to train and plan before facing an enemy.
It would have been so incredibly satisfying if Disney had debuted an Ice Age film with solid animation, laugh out loud humor, a well-written story, and likeable or even downright despicable characters. Having those elements would have at least given fans of the franchise thus far that Disney had a vision of where to take Ice Age in the foreseeable future. Instead we get this lackluster dud of a film that is boring to look at and is mostly massively unfunny while making most of the characters – old and new – forgettable. When Zee first meets Crash and Eddie, Buck says something along the lines of, “What they lack in courage they make up for with bumbling ineptitude.” That is all The Adventures of Buck Wild is; an unnecessary animated excursion into bumbling ineptitude.
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Cue the iconic theme music as Tom Cruise is back for a 5th outing as Ethan Hunt in the latest film in the Mission Impossible Series. “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” finds Ethan and his Impossible Mission Force Team shut down by a government oversite committee as they are nearing the source of a mysterious organization known as “The Syndicate”
Ethan believes that the Syndicate is an elite organization comprised of several former agents from all over the world who have officially been declared dead.
This allows them to operate outside any law or jurisdiction and their mysterious leader Lane (Sean Harris), seems to be connected to several killings, heists, and bizarre happening which seem to be connected in a plot to undermine the governments of the world.
Naturally Ethan is not going to let the closure of his organization go without a fight and opts to go on the run with an unsanctioned operation. This action causes CIA Chief Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) to hotly pursuit Ethan.
With foes surrounding him, Ethan enlists his friend Benji (Simon Pegg), to help him as they must deal with a mysterious new element in Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a former British Agent who appears to work for Lane but has helped Ethan along the way.
In a race against time, locales ranging from Vienna to Morocco and London come into play as Ethan and crew try to retrieve a valuable item that Lane wants that may be the key to defeating a skilled and deadly enemy that seems to know and anticipate their every move.
The action in the film is first-rate and Cruise himself did his own stunts which is amazing when you see how daring, dangerous, and complex they were.
Many of the Mission Impossible films have used overly complicated plots to fuel the action and this film is not as complex but still has many nice twists to it. My only issue was the ending was a bit to “Hollywood” for my liking as certain individuals seemed to operate against type and established patterns for the sake of the finale.
I also wish that Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames were given more to do than talk and hover over a computer as it would have been nice seeing them more involved in the action.
Fortunately Cruise and Ferguson fill that requirement as the film is a very satisfying action film that shows that there is plenty of life in the series.
Director Christopher Mc Quarrie has worked with Cruise many times in the past and knows what his lead is capable of and also gets the chemistry between the stars to show when it is needed without letting the action overshadow the human element of the film.
Rogue Nation is a fast, clever, and entertaining action film which will keep you entertained throughout.
http://sknr.net/2015/07/31/mission-impossible-rogue-nation/
Ethan believes that the Syndicate is an elite organization comprised of several former agents from all over the world who have officially been declared dead.
This allows them to operate outside any law or jurisdiction and their mysterious leader Lane (Sean Harris), seems to be connected to several killings, heists, and bizarre happening which seem to be connected in a plot to undermine the governments of the world.
Naturally Ethan is not going to let the closure of his organization go without a fight and opts to go on the run with an unsanctioned operation. This action causes CIA Chief Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) to hotly pursuit Ethan.
With foes surrounding him, Ethan enlists his friend Benji (Simon Pegg), to help him as they must deal with a mysterious new element in Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a former British Agent who appears to work for Lane but has helped Ethan along the way.
In a race against time, locales ranging from Vienna to Morocco and London come into play as Ethan and crew try to retrieve a valuable item that Lane wants that may be the key to defeating a skilled and deadly enemy that seems to know and anticipate their every move.
The action in the film is first-rate and Cruise himself did his own stunts which is amazing when you see how daring, dangerous, and complex they were.
Many of the Mission Impossible films have used overly complicated plots to fuel the action and this film is not as complex but still has many nice twists to it. My only issue was the ending was a bit to “Hollywood” for my liking as certain individuals seemed to operate against type and established patterns for the sake of the finale.
I also wish that Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames were given more to do than talk and hover over a computer as it would have been nice seeing them more involved in the action.
Fortunately Cruise and Ferguson fill that requirement as the film is a very satisfying action film that shows that there is plenty of life in the series.
Director Christopher Mc Quarrie has worked with Cruise many times in the past and knows what his lead is capable of and also gets the chemistry between the stars to show when it is needed without letting the action overshadow the human element of the film.
Rogue Nation is a fast, clever, and entertaining action film which will keep you entertained throughout.
http://sknr.net/2015/07/31/mission-impossible-rogue-nation/
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Ice Age 3) (2009) in Movies
Aug 9, 2019
Scrat and the gang are back, and this time in stunning 3D in the new “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”. The third chapter in the popular series once again follows the adventures of the unusual mix of friends, in their frozen home.
As the film opens, Manny (Ray Romano), is a nervous wreck as Ellie (Queen Latifah), is expecting their first child. Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), is ecstatic over the pending arrival, while Diego the tiger, (Dennis Leary), believes he has lost his edge and is no longer needed in a family environment.
As Diego prepares to set off on his own, Sid falls through a crack in the ice and discovers three eggs which he believes have been abandoned.
Sid decides to adopt the eggs and soon they hatch with three T-Rex infants. Unaware of what they are, Sid is delighted at his new family and ignores Manny’s warnings up until a gigantic T-Rex arrives looking for her children and takes them and Sid into a hole in the ice.
Despite their misgivings, Diego, Ellie, and Manny venture under the ice to rescue Sid and discover an entire world of dinosaurs that have survived and thrived under the ice. Facing numerous new dangers and having no idea where to go, the group is befriended by a weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg), who helps them track their missing friend.
Along the way the group must contend with flesh eating plants, laughing gas, dangerous dinosaurs, and hostile terrain as they attempt to save their friend and return home.
While the plot is simple and some will no doubt question how dinosaurs and mammals would be around at the same time, the film is fun, and I enjoyed it more than the previous film in the series. The creators know this is a family film that is intended for children and do not waste time with an overly complicated plot and keep character developments to the bare essentials.
Instead, we get a lively and quirky tale about friendship and family, as well as some funny moments and great animation. The technicians behind the film have wisely allowed the characters to remain the focal point of the film, but cleverly included the new 3D techniques to allow the audience a sense of immersion into the film.
The cast works well with one another and seem to be having a good time playing characters that have no doubt become familiar to them. Once again Scrat steals every scene he is appears in as he attempts time and again to capture his beloved acorn. A new character named Scratte adds a new dimension to the character as she plays not only a romantic interest in the film but also a new obstacle in his never ending quest.
The film was paced well and never overstayed its welcome, and despite some jokes that were better suited to an older audience, the film delivered a perfect summer film for the family to enjoy.
As the film opens, Manny (Ray Romano), is a nervous wreck as Ellie (Queen Latifah), is expecting their first child. Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), is ecstatic over the pending arrival, while Diego the tiger, (Dennis Leary), believes he has lost his edge and is no longer needed in a family environment.
As Diego prepares to set off on his own, Sid falls through a crack in the ice and discovers three eggs which he believes have been abandoned.
Sid decides to adopt the eggs and soon they hatch with three T-Rex infants. Unaware of what they are, Sid is delighted at his new family and ignores Manny’s warnings up until a gigantic T-Rex arrives looking for her children and takes them and Sid into a hole in the ice.
Despite their misgivings, Diego, Ellie, and Manny venture under the ice to rescue Sid and discover an entire world of dinosaurs that have survived and thrived under the ice. Facing numerous new dangers and having no idea where to go, the group is befriended by a weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg), who helps them track their missing friend.
Along the way the group must contend with flesh eating plants, laughing gas, dangerous dinosaurs, and hostile terrain as they attempt to save their friend and return home.
While the plot is simple and some will no doubt question how dinosaurs and mammals would be around at the same time, the film is fun, and I enjoyed it more than the previous film in the series. The creators know this is a family film that is intended for children and do not waste time with an overly complicated plot and keep character developments to the bare essentials.
Instead, we get a lively and quirky tale about friendship and family, as well as some funny moments and great animation. The technicians behind the film have wisely allowed the characters to remain the focal point of the film, but cleverly included the new 3D techniques to allow the audience a sense of immersion into the film.
The cast works well with one another and seem to be having a good time playing characters that have no doubt become familiar to them. Once again Scrat steals every scene he is appears in as he attempts time and again to capture his beloved acorn. A new character named Scratte adds a new dimension to the character as she plays not only a romantic interest in the film but also a new obstacle in his never ending quest.
The film was paced well and never overstayed its welcome, and despite some jokes that were better suited to an older audience, the film delivered a perfect summer film for the family to enjoy.