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Let me start by addressing the Elephant in the room.
I know the games exist.
I've never played them (Xbox exclusive, I prefer PlaySatation).
So I can't compare and contrast with the source material, although I know plenty were up in arms over the liberties taken and the fact that the Master Chief seems to spend about 90% of his time wandering around with his helmet off!
Setting that aside, however, I did find this to be generally engaging - no so much the Dune stand-in Kwan Ha segments - with some episodes better than others.
Interested to see where it goes from here!
I know the games exist.
I've never played them (Xbox exclusive, I prefer PlaySatation).
So I can't compare and contrast with the source material, although I know plenty were up in arms over the liberties taken and the fact that the Master Chief seems to spend about 90% of his time wandering around with his helmet off!
Setting that aside, however, I did find this to be generally engaging - no so much the Dune stand-in Kwan Ha segments - with some episodes better than others.
Interested to see where it goes from here!
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Big Sick (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Just what the doctor ordered: a charming and thoughtful summer comedy.
Romance and comedy work together beautifully on film: love is innately ridiculous after all! But mix in a dramatic element – particularly a serious medical emergency – to a Rom Com and you walk a dangerous line between on the one hand letting the drama overwhelm the comedy ( “Well! I don’t feel like laughing now!”) and on the other hand diverging into shockingly mawkish finger-down-the-throat sentimentality. Fortunately the new comedy – “The Big Sick” – walks that line to perfection.
Kumail Nanjiani plays (who’d have thought it?) Kumail, a Pakistani-born comic-cum-Uber-driver struggling to get recognised on the Chicago comedy circuit. His performances mix traditional stand-up at a club with a rather po-faced one-man show where he explains at length the culture of Pakistan (Naan-splaining?), including intricate detail on the fielding positions and strategies of cricket. Kumail is heckled during a show by the young and perky Emily (Zoe Kazan, the middle daughter from “It’s Complicated”). Lust blossoms (mental note: stand up comedy seems a fabulous strategy for picking up women) and lust turns to romance as the pair grow closer to each other.
A surging romance. Uber gets love from A to B.
Unfortunately Kumail is aware of something Emily isn’t: his strictly Muslim parents Sharmeen and Azmat (Anupam Kher and Zenobia Schroff) believe in arranged marriages to ‘nice Pakistani girls’ and a relationship with – let alone a marriage to – Emily risks disgrace and familial exile. A medical crisis brings Kumail further into dispute, this time with Emily’s parents Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano).
Stand-up is, I assert, a very nationalistic thing. It is a medium hugely dependant on context and while I’m sure great British comics like Peter Kay and Eddie Izzard might rate as only a 4 or a 5 out of 10 for most Americans, so most American stand-up comics tend to leave me cold. And perhaps it’s also a movie-thing, that stand-up on the big screen just doesn’t work well? Either way, the initial comedy-club scenes rather left me cold. (And I don’t think most of them were SUPPOSED to be particularly bad – since they seemed to fill the seats each night). As a result I thought this was a “comedy” that wasn’t going to be for me.
Stand up and be counted. Kumail Nanjiani doing the circuit.
But once Nanjiani and Kazan got together the chemistry was immediate and palpable and the duo completely won me round. Kazan in particular is a vibrant and joyous actress who I would love to see a lot more of: this should be a breakout movie for her.
Broader, but none less welcome, comedy is to be found in Kumail’s family home as his mother introduces serial Pakistani girls to the dinner table.
Holly Hunter (“Broadcast News” – one of my favourite films) and Ray Romano are also superb, delivering really thoughtful and nuanced performances that slowly unpeel the stresses inherent in many long-term marriages. The relationship that develops between Kumail and Beth is both poignant and truly touching.
Where the script succeeds is in never quite making the viewer comfortable about where the movie is going and whether the film will end with joy or heartbreak. And you will find no spoilers here!
So is it a comedy classic? Well, no, not quite. What’s a bit disappointing is that for a film as culturally topical as this, the whole question of Islamophobia in Trump’s America is juggled like a hot potato. Aside from one memorable scene in the club, with a redneck heckler, and an excruciating exchange about 9/11 between Kumail and Terry, the subject is completely ignored. This is a shame. The script (by Nanjiani and Emily Gordon) would have benefited enormously from some rather braver “Thick of It” style input from the likes of Armando Iannucci.
I also have to despair at the movie’s marketing executives who came up with this title. FFS! I know “East is East” has already gone, but could you have possibly come up with a less appealing title? I guess the title does serve one useful purpose in flagging up potential upset for those with bad historical experiences of intensive care. (Like “The Descendants” this is what we would term in our family #notaShawFamilyfilm).
Overall though this film, directed by Michael Showalter (no, me neither!) and produced by Judd Apatow (whose name gets the biggest billing), is a fun and engaging movie experience that comes highly recommended. A delightful antidote to the summer blockbuster season. The end titles also bring a delightful surprise (that I’ve seen spoiled since by some reviews) that was moving and brought added depth to the drama that had gone before.
More Hollywood please, more.
Kumail Nanjiani plays (who’d have thought it?) Kumail, a Pakistani-born comic-cum-Uber-driver struggling to get recognised on the Chicago comedy circuit. His performances mix traditional stand-up at a club with a rather po-faced one-man show where he explains at length the culture of Pakistan (Naan-splaining?), including intricate detail on the fielding positions and strategies of cricket. Kumail is heckled during a show by the young and perky Emily (Zoe Kazan, the middle daughter from “It’s Complicated”). Lust blossoms (mental note: stand up comedy seems a fabulous strategy for picking up women) and lust turns to romance as the pair grow closer to each other.
A surging romance. Uber gets love from A to B.
Unfortunately Kumail is aware of something Emily isn’t: his strictly Muslim parents Sharmeen and Azmat (Anupam Kher and Zenobia Schroff) believe in arranged marriages to ‘nice Pakistani girls’ and a relationship with – let alone a marriage to – Emily risks disgrace and familial exile. A medical crisis brings Kumail further into dispute, this time with Emily’s parents Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano).
Stand-up is, I assert, a very nationalistic thing. It is a medium hugely dependant on context and while I’m sure great British comics like Peter Kay and Eddie Izzard might rate as only a 4 or a 5 out of 10 for most Americans, so most American stand-up comics tend to leave me cold. And perhaps it’s also a movie-thing, that stand-up on the big screen just doesn’t work well? Either way, the initial comedy-club scenes rather left me cold. (And I don’t think most of them were SUPPOSED to be particularly bad – since they seemed to fill the seats each night). As a result I thought this was a “comedy” that wasn’t going to be for me.
Stand up and be counted. Kumail Nanjiani doing the circuit.
But once Nanjiani and Kazan got together the chemistry was immediate and palpable and the duo completely won me round. Kazan in particular is a vibrant and joyous actress who I would love to see a lot more of: this should be a breakout movie for her.
Broader, but none less welcome, comedy is to be found in Kumail’s family home as his mother introduces serial Pakistani girls to the dinner table.
Holly Hunter (“Broadcast News” – one of my favourite films) and Ray Romano are also superb, delivering really thoughtful and nuanced performances that slowly unpeel the stresses inherent in many long-term marriages. The relationship that develops between Kumail and Beth is both poignant and truly touching.
Where the script succeeds is in never quite making the viewer comfortable about where the movie is going and whether the film will end with joy or heartbreak. And you will find no spoilers here!
So is it a comedy classic? Well, no, not quite. What’s a bit disappointing is that for a film as culturally topical as this, the whole question of Islamophobia in Trump’s America is juggled like a hot potato. Aside from one memorable scene in the club, with a redneck heckler, and an excruciating exchange about 9/11 between Kumail and Terry, the subject is completely ignored. This is a shame. The script (by Nanjiani and Emily Gordon) would have benefited enormously from some rather braver “Thick of It” style input from the likes of Armando Iannucci.
I also have to despair at the movie’s marketing executives who came up with this title. FFS! I know “East is East” has already gone, but could you have possibly come up with a less appealing title? I guess the title does serve one useful purpose in flagging up potential upset for those with bad historical experiences of intensive care. (Like “The Descendants” this is what we would term in our family #notaShawFamilyfilm).
Overall though this film, directed by Michael Showalter (no, me neither!) and produced by Judd Apatow (whose name gets the biggest billing), is a fun and engaging movie experience that comes highly recommended. A delightful antidote to the summer blockbuster season. The end titles also bring a delightful surprise (that I’ve seen spoiled since by some reviews) that was moving and brought added depth to the drama that had gone before.
More Hollywood please, more.
MasterSolace (19 KP) rated X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) in Movies
Jun 9, 2019
The Actual Phoenix Force (5 more)
Didn't guess Chastain's part
Action was good
Had a piece of DEEP Lore
GENOSHA
Ambiguous Ending
Some Retreading (3 more)
Simon Kinberg can't direct
Wonky Camera Angles
Did I say retreading?
The End is Here(Spoilers)
Contains spoilers, click to show
Dark Phoenix. A another attempt at getting it right... and... it was close. No, it was NOT perfect. Not even close. But I got enjoyment out of it.
I did NOT guess Jessica Chastain's character. I was guessing Deathbird or a physical manifestation of the Phoenix Force for Jean to talk to. But I never would've guessed Vuk, of the D'Bari. Not only left field, but ACTUALLY connected to the lore. Go look up the D'Bari, you will see what I mean.
Performances weren't bad. Sansa... I mean Sophie Turner is what I always picture Jean Grey to be, and she did well. Still impressed by McAvoy and Fassbender pulling off the younger versions.
Simon Kinberg... first time directing, right? Am I wrong? I knew he wrote... hell, he did Last Stand. But first time directing? Right? You CAN tell.
There is a slight retread of X-Men: Last Stand. But most of that is in the first act...... but I think it may be a good thing as well. It's almost like it gave Simon Kinberg a second chance to get it right. And it IS a HUGE improvement over Last Stand.
Dark Phoenix is the Last FOX X-Men movie... and sadly, it shows. Like their hearts weren't 100% in it. And they went ahead and filmed an ambiguous ending anyway. I say... BRAVO. Makes us wonder... What If?
But... now we can focus on what is next? Disney... it's your turn. Don't screq it up.
I did NOT guess Jessica Chastain's character. I was guessing Deathbird or a physical manifestation of the Phoenix Force for Jean to talk to. But I never would've guessed Vuk, of the D'Bari. Not only left field, but ACTUALLY connected to the lore. Go look up the D'Bari, you will see what I mean.
Performances weren't bad. Sansa... I mean Sophie Turner is what I always picture Jean Grey to be, and she did well. Still impressed by McAvoy and Fassbender pulling off the younger versions.
Simon Kinberg... first time directing, right? Am I wrong? I knew he wrote... hell, he did Last Stand. But first time directing? Right? You CAN tell.
There is a slight retread of X-Men: Last Stand. But most of that is in the first act...... but I think it may be a good thing as well. It's almost like it gave Simon Kinberg a second chance to get it right. And it IS a HUGE improvement over Last Stand.
Dark Phoenix is the Last FOX X-Men movie... and sadly, it shows. Like their hearts weren't 100% in it. And they went ahead and filmed an ambiguous ending anyway. I say... BRAVO. Makes us wonder... What If?
But... now we can focus on what is next? Disney... it's your turn. Don't screq it up.
drapedindarkness (1 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies
Jan 20, 2018
Classic British Horror with a deviant slant
We'll tear your soul apart. With these words my mind was made up.
Move over Freddy, stand aside Jason because there is a new literal hellraiser and he cannot stand to see such a waste of good suffering.
Despite a very limited screentime, the Cenobites with their defacto leader Pinhead are at once both utterly terrifying and completely entrancing, they defy you to look away or even dislike them, they are beyond good and evil and are neither villain nor hero, what they are is absolutely right, you cannot cheat them or escape them.
I don't need to summarise the plot or detail anything about the other characters, they are really only there as window dressing for the real draw, the Cenobites, Chatterer, She, Butterball and Pinhead invite you to join them and you must not say no!
Move over Freddy, stand aside Jason because there is a new literal hellraiser and he cannot stand to see such a waste of good suffering.
Despite a very limited screentime, the Cenobites with their defacto leader Pinhead are at once both utterly terrifying and completely entrancing, they defy you to look away or even dislike them, they are beyond good and evil and are neither villain nor hero, what they are is absolutely right, you cannot cheat them or escape them.
I don't need to summarise the plot or detail anything about the other characters, they are really only there as window dressing for the real draw, the Cenobites, Chatterer, She, Butterball and Pinhead invite you to join them and you must not say no!
PeeweesDad (5 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
Key points are it takes DC in a new direction, the camera work was out standing with a good stand alone story line. (2 more)
There is a lot of action, after a slightly slow start. However it certainly makes up for the slowness in the second part.
The casting choice is well thought out and generally adds to the essence of the film.
Slow starter, but worth a watch...
Joker is a very good film with lots of great points. Do not be disappointed by the slow beginning but instead savour the journey you are about to take.
As the film progresses we see just how well phoenix fits the role. Everything he does is significant in its own right.
There is plenty of action, not for the squeamish.
Certainly worth a watch, enjoyable film.
PeeweesDad Score: 8 out of 10
As the film progresses we see just how well phoenix fits the role. Everything he does is significant in its own right.
There is plenty of action, not for the squeamish.
Certainly worth a watch, enjoyable film.
PeeweesDad Score: 8 out of 10
MissCagey (2652 KP) rated Locke (2014) in Movies
Dec 7, 2017 (Updated Dec 7, 2017)
Watching paint dry is a better use of your time than watching this film
Contains spoilers, click to show
Even the delectable and normally highly watchable Tom Hardy cannot salvage this film. It beggars belief that both he and Olivia Colman signed up for this drivel. The whole film is Tom Hardy driving his car and making and receiving a series of phone calls whilst doing so. That is it. To his wife, his kids, the female he had a one night stand with who is currently in labour with his baby, his workmate and his boss. I persevered to the end expecting Hardy to be involved in a crash and die which would have livened up the film a teensy bit but no, he has these conversations and then the film finishes with no climax whatsoever. Dull and boring from start to finish.
tapestry100 (306 KP) rated Invincible, Vol 2: Eight Is Enough in Books
Aug 2, 2017
This story continues to impress me; with some great humor, well paced action, and some genuine mystery added in for good measure, this volume is definitely all about later plots. While the first volume, Family Matters, set up the core characters for Invincible, this volume is clearly set up as starting points for future story lines, so while it doesn't actually seem like much happens here, it just makes me want to continue reading so I can see how all these plot threads play out. Cory Walker's art and Bill Crabtree's colors are top notch again; I really like the minimal line art and coloring. The inclusion of different artists working on the introduction of additional characters to the book was a nice touch too, helping each character stand out a little while having the briefest of introductions. On to the third volume!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Hotel Artemis (2018) in Movies
Apr 6, 2019
Had potential but didn't deliver
Hotel Artemis is one of those films that looks and sounds good before you see it, but then sadly ends up as a bit of a disappointment. The basic plot is a good idea, a hotel for criminals, even if it is a little similar to the one in John Wick. It also has a great cast, but they're sadly underused with dull or stereotypical characters. The story itself starts off interesting but gets dull too towards the end. I think the problem is that it is trying to be and do too much with different genres and backstories, and ends up just becoming a bit meh. The only real stand out performance was Jeff Goldblum and even he was underused. It's such a shame as this film had so much potential but ultimately failed to deliver.
Woody Allen recommended The World of S.J. Perelman in Books (curated)
Rose (201 KP) rated Get Out (2017) in Movies
Jan 3, 2018
It's daunting to write a review for this movie without giving away any spoilers, but here we go:
I had heard quite a bit of hype regarding this movie and it was well-deserving of it.
Many scenes were eerie without having to try, whether through camera placing/lingering or through catching something off to the side that you weren't quite sure you saw. Especially those oddly silent or dialogue-less scenes that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
I definitely recommend if you want to watch something that's a little bit different from what you expect and with a Stepford Wives edge.
I had heard quite a bit of hype regarding this movie and it was well-deserving of it.
Many scenes were eerie without having to try, whether through camera placing/lingering or through catching something off to the side that you weren't quite sure you saw. Especially those oddly silent or dialogue-less scenes that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
I definitely recommend if you want to watch something that's a little bit different from what you expect and with a Stepford Wives edge.