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It's Alright Between Us as It Is by Lindstrøm
Album Watch
On Hans-Peter Lindstrøm’s latest album, those northern disco lights are twinkling once more. Over...
dance electronic
The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
Album Watch
Late in 2016 the trio of Nils Edenloff, Paul Banwatt and Robin Hatch hit the road for a unique set...
rock
Fantastic Plastic by Flamin Groovies
Album Watch
The Flamin' Groovies story goes all the way back to 1965 when the band began as The Chosen Few in...
rock pop
Nike Training Club
Health & Fitness and Lifestyle
App
Welcome to Nike Training Club, your Ultimate Personal Trainer. Get fit with 160+ free workouts in...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country (1991) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
“Star Trek is not bloody Shakespeare” – – I’m sure someone has said that at some point (probably, my wife!). But here, it is! The late Christopher Plummer comes roaring into the series joyfully quoting the great bard (from the original Klingon version!).
Trek got firmly back in the fast lane again with this movie. The fun was back! David Warner becomes the only character to date to appear in two consecutive Trek films as different characters (with curiously Michael Dorn becoming the next – see below!). He gets a meatier part this time though. But he – and indeed everyone else – is upstaged by Plummer’s marvellously over-the-top performance.
Iman is memorable as a cigar-smoking shape-shifting alien, leading to some wonderful Kirk-on-Kirk action, and the delivery of one of the best lines of comedy in the series: surprisingly self-deprecating for the normally ego-centric Shatner. There’s also a welcome call-back to the ‘Kirk gets the girl’ joke of the original series, which you realise, with a shock, has been completely missing from all of the previous movie outings.
There are also a nice range of cameo appearances in here. Christian Slater – a lifelong Trek-fan – has a bit part: apparently he framed, rather than cashed, his cheque! And Michael Dorn – already playing Worf in “The Next Generation”, and to appear as Worf in the next movie – plays Worf’s grandfather, a Klingon defence attorney!
But my favourite piece of trivia relates to a completely different film. Al Pacino was filming “Frankie and Johnny” in the studio at the same time, and a scene (sadly cut from the final film) called for Pacino to look surprised after opening a door. So director Garry Marshall arranged for Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley in full Star Trek costume, to be standing behind the door when he opened it. (Garry Marshall quote here). Love it!
Trek got firmly back in the fast lane again with this movie. The fun was back! David Warner becomes the only character to date to appear in two consecutive Trek films as different characters (with curiously Michael Dorn becoming the next – see below!). He gets a meatier part this time though. But he – and indeed everyone else – is upstaged by Plummer’s marvellously over-the-top performance.
Iman is memorable as a cigar-smoking shape-shifting alien, leading to some wonderful Kirk-on-Kirk action, and the delivery of one of the best lines of comedy in the series: surprisingly self-deprecating for the normally ego-centric Shatner. There’s also a welcome call-back to the ‘Kirk gets the girl’ joke of the original series, which you realise, with a shock, has been completely missing from all of the previous movie outings.
There are also a nice range of cameo appearances in here. Christian Slater – a lifelong Trek-fan – has a bit part: apparently he framed, rather than cashed, his cheque! And Michael Dorn – already playing Worf in “The Next Generation”, and to appear as Worf in the next movie – plays Worf’s grandfather, a Klingon defence attorney!
But my favourite piece of trivia relates to a completely different film. Al Pacino was filming “Frankie and Johnny” in the studio at the same time, and a scene (sadly cut from the final film) called for Pacino to look surprised after opening a door. So director Garry Marshall arranged for Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley in full Star Trek costume, to be standing behind the door when he opened it. (Garry Marshall quote here). Love it!
Fractal: Beyond the Void
Tabletop Game
Fractal: Beyond the Void is redefining the 4X genre with an expansive and dynamic strategy game in...
Bound for Justice Box Set
Book
Bound for Justice: A Box Set Against the Rules Targeted by a drug cartel, Teague is out for...
ANTHOLOGIES AND COLLECTIONS BONDAGE AND BDSM CONTEMPORARY EROTIC ROMANCE
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Deadpool (2016) in Movies
Jul 21, 2017
Ryan Reynolds (2 more)
Hilarious Throughout
Energetic Score
Even Better Than A Chimichanga
Many thought that this movie would never get made, but I am very glad that it did. The movie serves as a long awaited origin story to Deadpool, that is fairly faithful to the comic book, at least more so than the previous iteration that we got of the character. Ryan Reynolds is fantastic in the Deadpool role, he truly was born to play the merc with a mouth in my opinion. Deadpool here is crass, funny, violent and energetic as well as being pretty faithful to comic book Deadpool, with the only thing missing from this version being the multiple voices in his head, but I am pretty sure that we will see that character trait develop in future Deadpool movies. The plot is pretty simple, we are introduced to Deadpool and shown how he got his powers after being diagnosed with incurable cancer via flashback. From there we basically follow him while he attempts to track down Ajax, or Francis, (the guy that turned him into Deadpool and made him deformed,) so that he can cure his skin and give him back his good looks. The one thing that was always going to either make or break this movie, was the humour. However they capture the meta humour perfectly here, which is an essential component of what makes up this character and is one of the main reasons why so many people love him. The movie is chock full of clever fourth wall breaks and pop culture references. The film was granted an R rating by the studio and the filmmakers take full advantage of that fact, with constant blood splatter and f-bombs being dropped left and right. The hip hop based score adds to the energetic tone of the movie and the action scenes are exciting throughout.
All of this results in setting up a Deadpool universe that is full of potential, we already know that we are getting a sequel, probably featuring Cable and possibly introducing the X force, plus I am very curious whether or not we will get to see Deadpool being integrated into the larger X Men universe, it would be really cool to see him interacting with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, since he is the butt of several jokes in the Deadpool movie.
Overall, whether you are a fan of the Deadpool comic or not, as long as you are into crass humour, over the top cartoon violence and R rated superhero movies, then there is no reason why you won’t love this movie. It is also the best Fox superhero movie that we have had and it is the best R rated superhero movie ever produced.
All of this results in setting up a Deadpool universe that is full of potential, we already know that we are getting a sequel, probably featuring Cable and possibly introducing the X force, plus I am very curious whether or not we will get to see Deadpool being integrated into the larger X Men universe, it would be really cool to see him interacting with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, since he is the butt of several jokes in the Deadpool movie.
Overall, whether you are a fan of the Deadpool comic or not, as long as you are into crass humour, over the top cartoon violence and R rated superhero movies, then there is no reason why you won’t love this movie. It is also the best Fox superhero movie that we have had and it is the best R rated superhero movie ever produced.
Ryan Hill (152 KP) rated Iron Man 2 (2010) in Movies
May 9, 2019
"if you could make god bleed people would cease to believe in him"
What made Iron Man so great was its original story, exciting action, and stellar performances. But beneath all the spectacle was a heart, characters we cared about and a coherent story in which we watched a narsasistic asshole become a good guy. All of that has vanished in the rushed, noisy, but enjoyable sequel.
Tony Stark is now living the life of a rockstar, a superhero that everyone knows the identity of, enjoying a celebrity lifestyle. Meanwhile, a villain connected to Tony's past recreates his technology and seeks revenge. Tony also deals with the mystery of his dead parents, his relationship with Pepper, wards off government attempts to control his technology, rebuffs his corporate rival, and has to rework his technology that is slowly killing him. Oh, and The Avengers show up.
If that sounds like an overcrowded movie to you, that's because it is. Iron Man 2 acts as an Iron Man sequel and an Avengers prequel. The clashing of these two stories is due to an unfocused narrative trying to cram in ten different storylines. Half the stories don't conclude in a satisfying way, and we're left with a pretty looking movie.
Luckily the performances are still great, Robert Downey Jr. is again a delight to watch, Sam Rockwell is fun as his counterpart rival, and Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as best friend Rhodes, a worthy replacement. Scarlett Johansson joins the cast as an Avengers refenerence, with very little to do other than look good and kick ass.
Jon Favreau seems much less interested in the project this time around, as he falls under the weight of the studio pushing for a sequel in two years as opposed to three. The script has a couple of witty highlights, mostly with Same Rockwell as Tony's business rival.
The action is thrilling and everything you'd want when it comes, but it doesn't show up often. The visual effects are improved, and the sound design is top notch. The score is mediocre, with a few notable exceptions.
There is too much going on for one movie, but by the end of the movie you're left wanting more. Not enough time was devoted to the different characters and plot lines, which results in a highly uneven movie with short bursts of excitement and a solid cast. Worth one watch.
Tony Stark is now living the life of a rockstar, a superhero that everyone knows the identity of, enjoying a celebrity lifestyle. Meanwhile, a villain connected to Tony's past recreates his technology and seeks revenge. Tony also deals with the mystery of his dead parents, his relationship with Pepper, wards off government attempts to control his technology, rebuffs his corporate rival, and has to rework his technology that is slowly killing him. Oh, and The Avengers show up.
If that sounds like an overcrowded movie to you, that's because it is. Iron Man 2 acts as an Iron Man sequel and an Avengers prequel. The clashing of these two stories is due to an unfocused narrative trying to cram in ten different storylines. Half the stories don't conclude in a satisfying way, and we're left with a pretty looking movie.
Luckily the performances are still great, Robert Downey Jr. is again a delight to watch, Sam Rockwell is fun as his counterpart rival, and Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as best friend Rhodes, a worthy replacement. Scarlett Johansson joins the cast as an Avengers refenerence, with very little to do other than look good and kick ass.
Jon Favreau seems much less interested in the project this time around, as he falls under the weight of the studio pushing for a sequel in two years as opposed to three. The script has a couple of witty highlights, mostly with Same Rockwell as Tony's business rival.
The action is thrilling and everything you'd want when it comes, but it doesn't show up often. The visual effects are improved, and the sound design is top notch. The score is mediocre, with a few notable exceptions.
There is too much going on for one movie, but by the end of the movie you're left wanting more. Not enough time was devoted to the different characters and plot lines, which results in a highly uneven movie with short bursts of excitement and a solid cast. Worth one watch.