Search

Search only in certain items:

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
2019 | Action, Comedy, Horror
Implausibility Can't Stop This Fun Movie
The gang from the original are back to deal with new issues and square off against new zombies. Definitely not as good as the first, Zombieland: Double Tap packs enough of an entertaining punch to be worth your while.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 10

Characters: 8

Cinematography/Visuals: 7

Conflict: 10
Between the group’s personal issues and loads beyond loads of zombies, the movie definitely isn’t short of conflict. The film wins ultimately with the originality and variety of the zombie kills. The action is fun and, although lighthearted at times, it keeps you engaged in the movie.

Entertainment Value: 8
There was some implausibility here that made it a challenge at times to enjoy the movie. I also felt like the movie spent more time than needed trying to “chase a ghost” rather than just stand out and be its own thing. In spite of those shortcomings, man was this movie fun to watch!

Memorability: 5
Its been-there-done-that feel keeps this movie out of the classics range. There are quite a few bright spots, but nothing that made me say, “I want to watch this again right now!” Good? Absolutely. Memorable? Meh…

Pace: 10
A quick adventure that moves at a solid clip. I was never bored at any point. In fact, I had to pee extremely bad at one point and was pissed (pun intended) I had to get up. Not surprising, I missed a pretty important part of the movie. Damn you, Alamo Drafthouse, for having bathrooms so far away! What I’m saying is, the story’s flow was extremely smooth.

Plot: 2
The story is so weak it’s maddening at times. I swear, if it wasn’t such an insanely fun movie to watch, I wouldn’t have scored it nearly as high. I say maddening because the first film had so many layers to it while this one seems content on being mediocre in story.

Resolution: 10
Fun ending with a great payoff. If you’re a fan of the original, make sure not to leave right away as the credits are coming up. Cracked me up for sure!

Overall: 80
Despite a plot as strong as Jello, Zombieland: Double Tap will entertain you if you allow yourself a suspension of disbelief. The fun characters and consistent action are enough to carry the movie as a whole. Not as good as the first, but certainly not the first sequel to suffer from that issue. I recommend!
  
Ronaldo: The Vixen Pederson Workshop
Ronaldo: The Vixen Pederson Workshop
Maxine Sylvester | 2019 | Children
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved how Ronaldo not only befriends Cupid and tires to help her but also stands up for her, even when she is not around. (0 more)
In previous Ronaldo books I have mentioned that I don’t like the fart jokes (0 more)
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Ronaldo: The Vixen Peterson Workshop is another amazing book by Maxine Sylvester. It is short, fun, and carries some wonderful messages to its readers. Read it as a stand-alone book or part of the series, either way, this is one book you don’t want to miss.

 Ronaldo and Rudi take readers to the North Pole as they take part in The Vixen Peterson Workshop, focusing on teamwork. The young reindeer are all put into teams and as it happens Ronaldo’s team gets the one cadet that no one wants, Cupid. Poor Cupid is a sweet reindeer with a wonderful attitude, but a terrible flyer. All the members of Ronaldo’s team look to him for guidance with hopes that they may still win the race at the end of the workshop.

 Ronaldo befriends Cupid and tries his best to help her. Finally, he discovers why Cupid has so many problems with flying and can help her correct the issue. As luck would have it Ronaldo has a score throat the day of the big race and is unable to lead his team. He gives up his position to Cupid which builds her confidence even more.

 I loved how Ronaldo not only befriends Cupid and tires to help her but also stands up for her, even when she is not around. There are very few people who will do something like that anymore and it is a lesson that everyone needs to learn, especially children. It is a rare occurrence that I can truly say there is nothing that I did not like about this book. In previous Ronaldo books I have mentioned that I don’t like the fart jokes and while I could still do without them, they have become a common occurance in this series that I have come to expect.

 Just like the rest of the series, this book is great for elementary students. There may be a couple of words that they need help with but overall it shouldn’t be a problem. Alternatively, it would be great for parents to read to their children. I rate this book with a perfect 4 out of 4 once again. This book is wonderful. The story is fun, yet packed full of strong messages. It offers many learning opportunities for children and discussion points for parents.

https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
https://www.nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com
  
40x40

JT (287 KP) rated Halloween (1978) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Halloween (1978)
Halloween (1978)
1978 | Horror
Without a doubt Halloween was one of the finest horror films ever made, John Carpenter was spot on with his portrayal of a serial killer descending on a small American town.

Michael Myers was to become a horror icon and even though it spanned seven sequels, the original will always be the best in many people’s eyes. It is certainly my all time favourite horror film. Carpenter’s cinematic vision of Halloween was brilliant right from the opening credits. The long and short camera angles coupled with the “was he there or wasn’t he” shots of Myers were sublime.

The sinister musical score as well is paramount in making this film a household name in its genre. Jamie Lee Curtis was a scream queen for the 70s and although the acting talents were not up to scratch, it made no difference to the overall outcome of the film. Michael Myers was a disturbed child and after committing a horrific murder when he was just six years old he was committed to a mental institution where he escaped to stalk Laurie Strode, his long lost sister.

His the perfect boogeyman, and during the first part of the film he stalks Laurie sometimes just appearing out of shot as a blur between trees of a faceless driver passing by in his car. Laurie of course has no idea who he is but starts to feel like she is being watched, and her fears are finally realised one night descends and Carpenter ramps up the tension to breaking point.

What I love about this film is the pure simplicity of it, with a budget of just $320,000 it grossed $60m world world and was a massive hit with horror fans the world over. It didn’t want for fancy special effects, and the musical score was hardly a masterpiece but it did the job and it did it well. It is the model slasher flick and most of what has preceded it (maybe with the exception of the first Scream) have not been able to stand up in competition.

We’ve had Freddy and Jason, and we’re still having to sit and watch teenagers heading to remote and desolate locations to be butchered in a variety of unique ways while pints of blood are splashed across the screen. Halloween doesn’t require that, it will have you jumping out of your seat at least more than once and it just goes to prove that simple scares are the most effective.
  
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
Genocide, Shmenocide.
Hobbs and Shaw had an easy job, we have these two great characters that have already been set up for us in other movies so all they needed to do was let them loose in an over the top action spectacle that knows exactly what it is. So why does what we actually got feel like an overlong, overstuffed film with characters (the reason why we are here) that aren't likeable anymore?. Is it the banter thats either worn thin or feels like its trying to hard, the scenes full of characters constantly explaining the plot or whats going to happen, the paint by numbers villain with generic motives or the many random nods to pop culture and other popular things that people like that didnt do anything but make me feel like a carrot is being dangled in front of us the entire time or im watching a peter kay stand up. Answer is im not sure but i know one thing, for every part of this movie i found cool or fun two more things popped up and dragged my enjoyment down. Action set pieces are really cool and well very well filmed with great scale/destruction and the movie overall has a 90s/commando action movie style i really enjoyed which might of worked at an hour and a half but just when you think its over another useless 40 minutes are then tagged on the end and the film becomes basically a big Dwayne Johnson advertisement. Yes i get it he has roots and the tribe thing going on, he has big muscles, he was a wrestler and he has a big tribal tattoo but why does that have to be an integral part of every films plot that he's in nowadays?. I'm just bored of seeing it now and id rather they cut the movie shorter and had a tighter film overall or explored the villain a bit more to be honest. I really did say find some enjoyment in Hobbs and Shaw (especially the action) but it was let down to often elsewhere. Statham steals the show here and clearly tries to have fun with his character but Idris Elba feels wasted as a villain and theres no tension or threat at all when your two leads seem invincible. Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Heart were also totaly unnecessary as was that Italian Job connection. Id say see it for the action scene at about 1h 40m in but other than that is sadly very veru forgettable and a little boring.
  
40x40

Dave Bautista recommended La La Land (2016) in Movies (curated)

 
La La Land (2016)
La La Land (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Drama, Musical

"Just for sh–s and giggles, I want to pick a recent one, but you just never know until years go by whether movies stand up. You love them at first, and you love them the first five times, but 10 years down the line, will you still not be able to switch the channel if this film comes on? I don’t know, but I’m going to pick one, my favorite film of last year. I’m going to say La La Land. I recently worked with Adam Siegel, who was one of the producers. I worked with him on a film called Hotel Artemis, and we have had this conversation, and he asked me what I loved about it. This was the first time I really pinpointed it. I didn’t go when it first came out, because I just didn’t have any interest — musical, just not my thing, I just don’t. So I didn’t really want to go see it. Then it was re-released after the Golden Globes, and I was like, “I’ve got to go see what the hype is all about.” I went and saw it, and I sat in the theater by myself, thinking, “This is the best thing I’ve seen in a long time.” What it was, was that it made me feel like Hollywood was romantic again. I don’t feel that when I go out there. What I feel like now is that it’s a town full of people who want to be on reality shows. It made me feel like old Hollywood. It just made me feel romantic, like this is what I love about films. There was just something very romantic about that film, and just I love it. Then the music is incredible. What I really, really love about it is it’s just completely unpredictable, because up until the very end of that film, I had no idea how it was going to end, and I love that. That is so hard to do nowadays, just to keep people guessing right up to the last two minutes of the film. Like, it’s almost impossible. They did it, and not only did it, but in a magical, exciting way. I just love that movie. And some of the shots, I mean, just technically, some of the shots were amazing. Like, I still don’t know how the hell they did that shot in the pool. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it, and I just thought and thought and thought, and was trying to figure out how the hell they shot that."

Source
  
40x40

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies

Oct 8, 2019 (Updated Oct 23, 2019)  
Joker (2019)
Joker (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama
Believe the hype
Contains spoilers, click to show
Full disclaimer - I have not been a massive fan of any movies DC related since the Dark Knight trilogy. There have been highlights here and there, but it's a been a rough few years to say the least.
I went to see Joker under a pretty neutral assumption - I had heard the good reviews, the bad reviews, and seen the incredibly well put together trailers - but I was still worried that I wouldn't like it.
What I was presented with was quite possibly the film of the year (I can't realistically see anything beating it at this point)

Make no mistake - Joker is a character driven think piece, light on action, and at times difficult to watch.

Jaoquin Phoenix is absolutely phenomenal as Arthur Fleck, and as we watch his descent into madness (or mental freedom depending on which way you look at it), it's hard not to sympathise with him - I felt myself welling up on more than one occasion.
Frances Conroy deserves a round of applause as well, carving out a fading and sad character failing to realise just how low Arthur is spiralling.

The film itself is bleak, painting a realistic Gotham City, on the brink of anarchy, not too dissimilar to how our world is IRL. All it takes is someone ballsy enough to pull the trigger to set it all off.
The film is draped with tense scene after tense scene as the plot builds up to its climax.
The films depiction of mental health issues rings louder than ever, showing us an all too real world that dismisses and laughs at those who suffer with such issues. It's haunting.
The final act is breathtaking - watching Arthur/Joker on Murray Franklin's talk show - when he's underneath the make up, he's a completely different person, threatening, but with a point that makes sense, and that what makes him so sinister.
The much discussed violence is seldom, but impactful, and most importantly, has a purpose as it builds character growth. Everything just seems so wonderfully crafted - hats off to Todd Phillips.

The score is pretty much flawless, hitting all the right notes, as is the cinematography, showcasing fantastic shots continuously throughout.

Joker feels like a true stand-alone, and is concrete evidence why DC should maybe concentrate on one off efforts rather than building an underwhelming connected universe...
It's a fantastic film through and through, and Phoenix deserves an Oscar, at the very least a nomination.