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Rock of Ages (2012)
Rock of Ages (2012)
2012 | Drama, Musical
7
6.8 (25 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Brilliant soundtrack. Great for a singalong. (2 more)
Most of the characters were performed well by the actors and actresses.
A pretty entertaining story.
Tom Cruise. Really not a good fit for the part of Stacy Jaxx. Mostly because of his vocals. (2 more)
Confused scene jumping. Blink and it's somewhere else.
Very stereotyoical boy meets girl plot.
Remember the tale of Dick Whittington, where he travels to London to find his fortune? Trade fortune for fame, add in a cheesy on/off/on again romance with a misunderstanding storyline, and a great singalong soundtrack, and you have Rock of Ages.

It comes across very much as live action Disney for grown ups. The plotline is flimsy, and with more holes than a pair of fishnet tights, but due to its sheer entertainment factor, that doesn't seem important, really.

The soundtrack is great, and if you're into 80's rock then you'll definitely find yourself singing along, and with the tunes stuck in your head for a long time afterwards. The majority of the cast provide great performances (we're not talking Oscar-worthy, but definitely do a great job), although Russell Brand's Brummy accent is a little cringeworthy, it and their singing is great. All but one. Sadly, the absolute weak link in the film is one of the biggest names- Tom Cruise.

The character of Stacy Jaxx needs to be edgy, brash, troubled, arrogant and, ultimately, a huge womaniser. He also needs to have a hard hitting, powerful rock singing voice. Sadly, Cruise doesn't really provide any of this adequately enough. His acting seems 'uncomfortable'- he was definitely out of his comfort zone, and his singing voice just does not cut it. Very unbelievable as the character he's supposed to be portraying. It's a huge shame, because it really does mess up the whole film. The whole film has the potential to be brilliant, but the makers were just short off the mark.

Overall, I did enjoy it, and yes I would watch it again. It's just not great, unfortunately. I imagine the stage version is much better
  
The Great Gatsby (2013)
The Great Gatsby (2013)
2013 | Drama, Romance
Soundtrack (2 more)
Attention to detail in line with novel
Attention to wardrobe
A visual treat and solid adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald classic
As an avid fan of F Scott Fitzgerald I was really impressed with the screen adaption Luhrman gave it. Initially I was worried that he would go over board with the glitz of the roaring 20's. However, I felt there was a balance throughout the film and how the use of archived dresses from designer houses and the very same tailoring company F Scott used provided the suits gave a genuine depth to film. Not at all full of flapper gimmicks. I loved the camera work and the layering of text over scenes throughout was great. Some people disliked Mulligan as Daisy feeling she was too timid and squeaky, but I think this bettered the pain and anger the viewer feels about her betrayal to Gatsby with her and Tom's reckless abandon of others. I just adored the film and soundtrack. Lana Del Rey created such a mesmerizing track for the film which again epitomised the dream of being forever loved once age settles in. It all just wove together beautifully. The further addition of modern music within the film I feel helped to mirror the changing world The Great Gatsby was set within as Wall Street boomed and Prohibition ended. A tireless classic to hopefully spur you into discovering more of F Scott Fitzgerald litaerary offerings.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Strangers: Prey at Night (2018) in Movies

Dec 26, 2018 (Updated Aug 19, 2020)  
Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
2018 | Horror
An unnecessary sequel
Yet again this is another sequel that was entirely unneeded and unnecessary. Whilst the original wasn’t brilliant or a classic, it was at least very creepy and bleak, and the ending was quite interesting and what i found the scariest thing of all about the entire film.

Sadly this sequel fails because it mostly ruins the ending of the first film. It’s initially more of the same but set in a trailer park, with characters who make some very dodgy decisions that wind up getting them hurt/killed. It’s quite bloody and gory at least, and still kind of creepy, and it has a killer soundtrack. The two kids do fairly well, and as with Hard Times at the El Royale, Lewis Pullman really shines and he makes this worth sticking with. The ending however is a little lacklustre and is just your typical horror movie ending. It wasn’t unusual or creepy and bleak like the original, and this is such a shame. Had they improved the ending, I may have rated this a little higher.


Edit 19th Aug 2020:
Having just rewatched the original, I has to return and rate this higher. Not only does it have the killer soundtrack it has some great performances and is a lot more entertaining than the original. There's still a lot of stupidity in this, but it's definitely the better of the 2 films.
  
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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) Jan 1, 2019

Well, now I'm going to have to check out the soundtrack.


I adore Bill Pullman and if his son is anything like him, he's full of great potential and I look forward to seeing his acting skills.

The ending from the first movie really stuck with me. And by stuck with me, I mean terrorized me. How disappointing that this one doesn't stand up to the first. I would have been surprised if it had.

Thanks so much for your review!

    The Big Journey

    The Big Journey

    Games and Stickers

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    Designed for kids and adults alike, The Big Journey is a beautiful, casual adventure. Tilt to roll...

Baby Driver (2017)
Baby Driver (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy
Casting, soundtrack, story (0 more)
Spacey is creepys (0 more)
Driving, music and heists
Contains spoilers, click to show
I went onto this thinking it was just a film about a heist crew getaway driver, in truth it is much deeper.
Baby, a talented driver (played by Ansel Elgort) is a quirky likeable slightly weird character.
We quickly come to learn he is in debt to a crime boss Doc (played creepily by Kevin Spacey) for a mistake made several years earlier.
He is used as the driver for every one of Doc's planned heists with colourful criminals (played by Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez and Jamie Foxx), this is unusual as Doc changes the whole crew for each heist except for Baby whom is used again and again due to his driving talent.
From here there is lots of action and crime, we also however learn about Baby's difficult upbringing and love of music and how that all ties in with the movie.
There is of course the awkward introduction of a love interest Debora (played by Lily James). In the later scenes there is more crime, action and death with twists of revenge.
All in this is a complex and deeply moving take on a crime film where we find ourselves rooting for the main character and hoping he makes it, if he does or not, you will have to see for yourself.
The soundtrack is also very good.
  
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
2010 | Action, Comedy, Romance
Mary Elizabeth Winstead wih with Blue hair! Really what more could you ask for in a female supporting actress (8 more)
Michael Cera in a role that suited him perfectly
Gideon Graves was a fantastic villain
The soundtrack was exceptional. A real highlight of the film.
The Gaming references were spot on
On-screen graphics made the film feel like an Augmented reality experience
Special effects were very good
Edgar Wright as director is always a positive
Overall, the casting was fantastic, with some big names showing up
The film unfortunately left out a number of 'Vital' scenes from the source material (1 more)
Some of the humour just didn't work as intended
Michael Cera CAN ACT!
  
Legion  - Season 1
Legion - Season 1
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Original (4 more)
Surreal
Soundtrack was on point
Aubrey Plaza
Dan Stevens
More could have happened (0 more)
Mind fuck of a TV Show
I really enjoyed this show. It was everything I had wanted from a TV show involving a character as complex as David Haller.
The set pieces were spectacular and the surreal and weirdness of this show kept you questioning everything about what was going on.
Considering the show ran for 8 episodes in the grand scheme of things not a lot actually happened when you take away all the insanity from Haller's mind, but don't let that detract you from this wonderfully crafted show with links to the Marvel world.
Just sit back and enjoy the unimaginable.
  
Final Fantasy XIV Online: Stormblood
Final Fantasy XIV Online: Stormblood
Massively Multiplayer, Role-Playing
Main quest story that is among the best in Final Fantasy history. (4 more)
Lovely soundtrack
Both new jobs, and updated old ones, are on point
New areas, trials and dungeons are all wonderful to look at, and play in
Zenos is an all-time great FF villain
End game will be slow to diversify yet again (1 more)
Still a bit of fetch quest overload
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is the most polished version of the game to date. It flexes its story telling muscles and delivers a main quest that will be remembered as the gold standard for MMORPGs
Critic- Ed McGlone
Original Score: 4.5 out of 5

Read Review: http://twinfinite.net/2017/07/final-fantasy-xiv-stormblood-review/
  
Baby Driver (2017)
Baby Driver (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy
Masterfully directed (1 more)
Soundtrack
Central relationship feels shallow (0 more)
Even Wright's weaker efforts are superior to most everything else you are likely to see.
Baby Driver kind of feels like Wright was trying to prove he could do a film with less "Edgar Wright" style, which isn't a bad thing, persay. It's still better than most of the films it is clearly taking inspiration from, an manages to surprise you unlike most of those films. It's just not "Scott Pilgrim" or "World's End" good, which is another level entirely. It still shows incredible growth to make something like this, at this stage in his career. Saying it's one of his weaker efforts should in no way be construed as a slight.