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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
If you can manage to throw away what you know about the Marvel Comic book story of Venom, you’ll enjoy this movie immensely. After a successful re-launching of the Spiderman series, it’s no surprise Sony Pictures would capitalize and develop a Venom spin-off.
Venom follows investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who’s living life in San Francisco with his fiancé Annie (Michelle Williams) after being blacklisted by all media outlets in New York for his outlandish attempts at digging for the truth to his stories. Eddie, with his inability to follow protocol and keep boundaries, he steals confidential information from his fiancé’s computer, loses the only job willing to hire him, and tries to bring down the
powerful Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), famed bio-tech entrepreneur. Behind the façade of Drake’s disease curing company, Life Foundation, Drake’s major motive is to bond with alien creatures called symbiotes in hopes of recreating the human by providing them with the ability to survive in space. He managed to send a rocket into space and return 4 symbiotes which he tests on human’s killing 2 of the symbiotes and leaving one to escape and the last one to test on himself. Realizing the amount of power he gets from the merging of the two species, Drake decides he wants to head back into space and bring back more symbiotes
With nothing left to lose, Brock breaks into the Life Foundation and ends up becoming infected by one of the last 2 symbiotes which eventually introduces itself to Brock as Venom. With Venom inhabiting Eddie’s body, they become an unlikely human killing machine each trying to keep to their species capabilities. This unusual pairing consists of quick witted banter, with each trying to upstage the other.
As the two begin to spend some quality time “together,” they realize they aren’t much different. They figure out a way to co-exist all for the sake of saving the human race.
A fast-paced superhero movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, laughing out loud, and completely entertained. The character development is a bit lacking, however the action sequences, and the comradery between our morphed superhero makes up for some of the holes in the story line.
http://sknr.net/2018/10/05/venom/
Venom follows investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who’s living life in San Francisco with his fiancé Annie (Michelle Williams) after being blacklisted by all media outlets in New York for his outlandish attempts at digging for the truth to his stories. Eddie, with his inability to follow protocol and keep boundaries, he steals confidential information from his fiancé’s computer, loses the only job willing to hire him, and tries to bring down the
powerful Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), famed bio-tech entrepreneur. Behind the façade of Drake’s disease curing company, Life Foundation, Drake’s major motive is to bond with alien creatures called symbiotes in hopes of recreating the human by providing them with the ability to survive in space. He managed to send a rocket into space and return 4 symbiotes which he tests on human’s killing 2 of the symbiotes and leaving one to escape and the last one to test on himself. Realizing the amount of power he gets from the merging of the two species, Drake decides he wants to head back into space and bring back more symbiotes
With nothing left to lose, Brock breaks into the Life Foundation and ends up becoming infected by one of the last 2 symbiotes which eventually introduces itself to Brock as Venom. With Venom inhabiting Eddie’s body, they become an unlikely human killing machine each trying to keep to their species capabilities. This unusual pairing consists of quick witted banter, with each trying to upstage the other.
As the two begin to spend some quality time “together,” they realize they aren’t much different. They figure out a way to co-exist all for the sake of saving the human race.
A fast-paced superhero movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, laughing out loud, and completely entertained. The character development is a bit lacking, however the action sequences, and the comradery between our morphed superhero makes up for some of the holes in the story line.
http://sknr.net/2018/10/05/venom/
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Blade (1998) in Movies
Jan 15, 2020
Blade is undeniably a product of it's time. It's the late 90s, everyone loves leather and shades, everyone loves Wesley Snipes, everyone loves dumb one liners, so the character of Blade is ripe for adaption.
But the importance of this gory action flick should absolutely not be understated. Not only was it the first proper big (ish) budget Marvel film, but it's pre dates Black Panther as the first superhero film with a black lead, and it pre dates The Punisher as the first R-rated Marvel blockbuster.
But in a pre X-Men world, comic book movies weren't a big deal at this point. I actually remember me and my friends sneakily renting and watching it (we were 10 at the time...) and none of them even knowing that Blade was even a comic book!
Here we are all these years later and the Blade trilogy is now remembered fondly (well, at least the first two are!)
Wesley Snipes is of course the star of this particular vehicle, and here, he is the most Wesley Snipes he's ever been. The cheesy one liners still come off well, and lend a nice comedic edge to the buckets of blood on display. The charm that he brings to the Blade character is the main reason why it's been hard to imagine anyone else in the role for so long (although I am here all day long for Mahershala Ali)
The other big character throughout the trilogy is Whistler, played by Kris Kristofferson, just generally being old, grumpy and badass, and is honestly the best character in the whole thing (here's hoping the MCU introduce a Whistler series on Disney+...)
Stephen Dorff plays Deacon Frost, the films villain, and he's really not much more than a generic superhero bad guy (the first of many).
The choreography and the fight scenes are pretty great, and the willingness to go hard R is what set Blade apart before comic book movies became a thing. It's sooooo bloody in parts, that it verges heavily into horror territory.
The CGI effects are utterly horrible by todays standards, but it's not used nearly enough to discredit the film too much.
Blade is a decent enough adaption of the cult Marvel series, and is a fun, gory blockbuster, but as mentioned, it's an important step in comic book cinema. Long live Blade!
But the importance of this gory action flick should absolutely not be understated. Not only was it the first proper big (ish) budget Marvel film, but it's pre dates Black Panther as the first superhero film with a black lead, and it pre dates The Punisher as the first R-rated Marvel blockbuster.
But in a pre X-Men world, comic book movies weren't a big deal at this point. I actually remember me and my friends sneakily renting and watching it (we were 10 at the time...) and none of them even knowing that Blade was even a comic book!
Here we are all these years later and the Blade trilogy is now remembered fondly (well, at least the first two are!)
Wesley Snipes is of course the star of this particular vehicle, and here, he is the most Wesley Snipes he's ever been. The cheesy one liners still come off well, and lend a nice comedic edge to the buckets of blood on display. The charm that he brings to the Blade character is the main reason why it's been hard to imagine anyone else in the role for so long (although I am here all day long for Mahershala Ali)
The other big character throughout the trilogy is Whistler, played by Kris Kristofferson, just generally being old, grumpy and badass, and is honestly the best character in the whole thing (here's hoping the MCU introduce a Whistler series on Disney+...)
Stephen Dorff plays Deacon Frost, the films villain, and he's really not much more than a generic superhero bad guy (the first of many).
The choreography and the fight scenes are pretty great, and the willingness to go hard R is what set Blade apart before comic book movies became a thing. It's sooooo bloody in parts, that it verges heavily into horror territory.
The CGI effects are utterly horrible by todays standards, but it's not used nearly enough to discredit the film too much.
Blade is a decent enough adaption of the cult Marvel series, and is a fun, gory blockbuster, but as mentioned, it's an important step in comic book cinema. Long live Blade!
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Spider-Man Knocks It Out Of The Park In This Summer Vacation Superhero Hybrid
Spider-Man Far From Home is a 2019 superhero movie directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris Mckenna and Erik Sommers. It was co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The Midtown School of Science and Technology in New York City organizes a two-week summer field trip to Europe to accommodate the students who were resurrected by "the blip". Peter plans to avoid heroics and confess his feelings to "MJ" on this trip but is warned by Happy that Nick Fury is trying to get in contact with him. Distraught about the events in Endgame and the questions overwhelming him about Tony Stark, Peter decides to not answer when Fury calls him causing Fury to seek him out on his vacation.
This movie was phenomenal. It was really awesome and a perfect summer action blockbuster. Marvel did not drop the ball with this one and I'm so glad I saw it before anybody spoiled it for me because it had plenty of surprises. Especially the after credits scenes, the one after the movie finishes and the one at the very end after the credits. Jake Gyllenhaal was perfect as Mysterio and his acting was on point and Ned (Jacob Battalon) was awesome as Pete's best friend and wing-man in this movie too. The action was great and the effects were spectacular especially for Mysterio and his powers, they really did a amazing job. I really couldn't find much that I didn't like in this movie other than a couple ways the plot or story didn't unfold in a way that I liked; but that's probably me just being picky and a super fan from the comics and watching the cartoons. Also a part having to do with Peter taking a major injury and kind of just shrugging it off when he should have been hurt worse. Zendaya did a good job of portraying "MJ" and showing her come out of her shell a little more too which I though was also cool. I give this movie a 8/10 and I also give it my "Must See Seal of Approval" If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for?
The Midtown School of Science and Technology in New York City organizes a two-week summer field trip to Europe to accommodate the students who were resurrected by "the blip". Peter plans to avoid heroics and confess his feelings to "MJ" on this trip but is warned by Happy that Nick Fury is trying to get in contact with him. Distraught about the events in Endgame and the questions overwhelming him about Tony Stark, Peter decides to not answer when Fury calls him causing Fury to seek him out on his vacation.
This movie was phenomenal. It was really awesome and a perfect summer action blockbuster. Marvel did not drop the ball with this one and I'm so glad I saw it before anybody spoiled it for me because it had plenty of surprises. Especially the after credits scenes, the one after the movie finishes and the one at the very end after the credits. Jake Gyllenhaal was perfect as Mysterio and his acting was on point and Ned (Jacob Battalon) was awesome as Pete's best friend and wing-man in this movie too. The action was great and the effects were spectacular especially for Mysterio and his powers, they really did a amazing job. I really couldn't find much that I didn't like in this movie other than a couple ways the plot or story didn't unfold in a way that I liked; but that's probably me just being picky and a super fan from the comics and watching the cartoons. Also a part having to do with Peter taking a major injury and kind of just shrugging it off when he should have been hurt worse. Zendaya did a good job of portraying "MJ" and showing her come out of her shell a little more too which I though was also cool. I give this movie a 8/10 and I also give it my "Must See Seal of Approval" If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for?
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Black Hammer, Vol. 1: Secret Origins in Books
Nov 30, 2020
I just wanted to preface this with this: I was recommended BH Vol 1 by a co-worker (as well as a Good Reads user). At the time, I was reading something else, but filed it away mentally for later. Two sales on Comixology, and I pass on both. However, a recent Dark Horse sale spoke to me, and I bought Vols 1 (as well as 2), and Issue #12 (which is not included in the two tpbs).
The series pays more than enough clever homage to the Silver Age heroes. Barbalien bears more than a passing resemblance to J'onn J'onz in the DC Universe, while Golden Gail shares notable similarities to Shazam, or Captain Marvel, also from DC. However, despite the similarities, Jeff Lemire's intent is purely nostalgia and respect, nothing resembling fan service by any means!
Despite aspects of the series that clearly apply to the superhero genre, this series anything but a typical superhero book. Instead, we are presented with a dark (and I mean DARK, like you'll want a milkshake or some Insomnia Cookies after you are finished reading it) tale that is very much about the people who embody the heroes in the series. There are a lot of human struggles and internal issues, all dealt with in a well-written manner, the end result of a series created out of love for the comic heroes of old.
Jeff Lemire is swiftly becoming one of my favorite writers. I got sucked in with his recent new series, GIDEON FALLS, and then now this. I know everyone else has been a fan for the longest time, but regardless, I consider myself a fan now, too! :)
As praise as I am throwing Lemire's way, I also need to throw some to Dean Ormston, the series' A-MAZ-INGLY talented artist! His art suited Lemire's ideas and concepts, rendering them in a way that further supported the tribute to the Silver Age that this clearly was. I glad Ormston remained the artist, as it helped to maintain continuity without breaking the mood.
In closing, I just want to say a big thank you to Baxter for the recommendation and thank you to Comixology and Dark Horse for the sale! My new found love of this series is now forever owned to you both, as well as Msrs. Lemire and Ormston! THANK YOU!!
The series pays more than enough clever homage to the Silver Age heroes. Barbalien bears more than a passing resemblance to J'onn J'onz in the DC Universe, while Golden Gail shares notable similarities to Shazam, or Captain Marvel, also from DC. However, despite the similarities, Jeff Lemire's intent is purely nostalgia and respect, nothing resembling fan service by any means!
Despite aspects of the series that clearly apply to the superhero genre, this series anything but a typical superhero book. Instead, we are presented with a dark (and I mean DARK, like you'll want a milkshake or some Insomnia Cookies after you are finished reading it) tale that is very much about the people who embody the heroes in the series. There are a lot of human struggles and internal issues, all dealt with in a well-written manner, the end result of a series created out of love for the comic heroes of old.
Jeff Lemire is swiftly becoming one of my favorite writers. I got sucked in with his recent new series, GIDEON FALLS, and then now this. I know everyone else has been a fan for the longest time, but regardless, I consider myself a fan now, too! :)
As praise as I am throwing Lemire's way, I also need to throw some to Dean Ormston, the series' A-MAZ-INGLY talented artist! His art suited Lemire's ideas and concepts, rendering them in a way that further supported the tribute to the Silver Age that this clearly was. I glad Ormston remained the artist, as it helped to maintain continuity without breaking the mood.
In closing, I just want to say a big thank you to Baxter for the recommendation and thank you to Comixology and Dark Horse for the sale! My new found love of this series is now forever owned to you both, as well as Msrs. Lemire and Ormston! THANK YOU!!
Larry Eisner (2082 KP) rated Logan (2017) in Movies
May 15, 2018
Gripping, tense and emotionally draining
This film is everything a superhero film aspires to be: gritty, action-packed, funny at times, believable, emotional, full of deep characterization and flawed characters...
Honestly, not much more can be said without giving away the plot.
Here’s what I can and will say:
Logan (Wolverine, as played by the forever perfect wolverine, Hugh Jackman) is older, but still mostly in his prime, but his adamantium skeleton had side effects over time.
Professor X, played by the always perfect (in even terribly flawed films) Jean Luc Pic- whoops! I mean, Patrick Stewart! Is fantastic and aged and is being cared for by Logan.
A child enters the scene. And she’s powered. And connected to Logan in ways he doesn’t want to admit. He reluctantly agrees to help her, and adventure, drama and true beautiful storytelling await.
I can not recommend this film enough. It’s not perfection. It’s not filmicly glorious. It’s simply the ultimate epitome of the genre and done flawlessly as such. Worth every penny to own and yes, you will cry. Oh yes, even you.
Honestly, not much more can be said without giving away the plot.
Here’s what I can and will say:
Logan (Wolverine, as played by the forever perfect wolverine, Hugh Jackman) is older, but still mostly in his prime, but his adamantium skeleton had side effects over time.
Professor X, played by the always perfect (in even terribly flawed films) Jean Luc Pic- whoops! I mean, Patrick Stewart! Is fantastic and aged and is being cared for by Logan.
A child enters the scene. And she’s powered. And connected to Logan in ways he doesn’t want to admit. He reluctantly agrees to help her, and adventure, drama and true beautiful storytelling await.
I can not recommend this film enough. It’s not perfection. It’s not filmicly glorious. It’s simply the ultimate epitome of the genre and done flawlessly as such. Worth every penny to own and yes, you will cry. Oh yes, even you.
Sam (228 KP) rated Aquaman (2018) in Movies
Mar 2, 2019
Humor (3 more)
Thorough Plotline
Great Character Growth
Heroic Imagery
Predictable (1 more)
Lots of Poster-Pause Moments
Wonderful for Anyone Who Loves Superheroes
As per everyone else I was waiting for the moment this movie cane out. I had watched minimal ads as I've found that the ads tend to reveal the most important of the plot points, ruining the excitement for those anticipating it's release. Due to my excitement I decided to actually go to the theater for this one and Lord did I make the right choice. Seeing it on the big screen was completely worth it, the sound and picture as epic as a superhero movie should be. The character growth and the script was well adept with both humor and depth. I was not disappointed. My only complaint was the multiple poster pauses throughout the film, by these I mean the epic scenes that suddenly slow down as though to be made into a poster later on, these I found happened every ten minutes throughout the movie and although it did add to the epic feel of the movie, I feel it took away some from the overall film.
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated Captain Marvel (2019) in Movies
Mar 9, 2019 (Updated Mar 9, 2019)
Favorite Female Hero
Contains spoilers, click to show
Captain Marvel was a needed addition to the MCU. My review is about the movie. All this anti feminism crap can take a back seat. This movie was a very good movie, I wouldn't say great but it fits in nicely though. I personally was thrown a curve when the Skrull were portrayed as a "peaceful"race of aliens. In the comics the Skrull were a conquering warlike race of aliens and the Kree were their rivals; who also were a bloodthirsty race of alien. The movie captured the character of Captain Marvel very well. I thought it was a little slow but at the same time I know the story has to be told. The silliest part is how they showed Nick Fury lost his eye....Scratched by an alien creature that looks like a cat. But overall I liked the movie. She has been called the mightiest Avenger and I truly believe that. The Hulk is my favorite Superhero and I think she can stand up against the Hulk...Captain Marvel will be needed to stop Thanos and any future threat that comes to the MCU.
The Craggus (360 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
Apr 6, 2019 (Updated Apr 6, 2019)
The Shazam! (2019) movie is the Billy Batson of the DCEU
The movie comes properly into focus when it becomes clear that thematically, the movie itself is echoing Billy Batson’s character arc. Just as SHAZAM derives his power from the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas; the energy bolts of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury, so “Shazam!” inherits potent traits from its forebears. Like “Man Of Steel”, it’s perhaps a little too fond of fight scenes featuring flying people being flung through skyscrapers. Like “Aquaman”, it suffers the curse of a conspicuously ropey special effects moment. Like “Suicide Squad”, it’s trying a little too hard with its soundtrack choices and like “Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice” it relies too heavily on YouTube clips for exposition. And just as Billy Batson has to battle his own mean-spirited, selfish and angsty urges to become the hero Shazam is meant to be, so too does “Shazam!” push back against the DCEU grimdark tropes to forge a bright new pathway to fun, adventure and a hopeful tone without sacrificing the superhero action...
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusShazam
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusShazam
Mike Carlson (115 KP) rated The Amazing Spider-Man : 24/7 in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Daze in the life
This collection of loosely-strung vignettes varies in quality. It happens, especially when you have half a dozen issues with as many creators.
The first story, "Loose Ends", offers a promising future foe in Kraven's daughter. It's a follow-up to a story told elsewhere.
Next is "Marked". It features a "D-list" (according to Spider-Man) villain going by The Spot. He should be upgraded to more of a threat seeing as he doesn't set off the Spidey Sense anymore.
Following this is "Birthday Boy". Pretty much a character-centric filler with Wolverine. It's not bad - none of these really are - it just feels like treading water.
The 2 part "Face Front" features the Fantastic Four. The story about dabbling in an alternate dimension's affairs is cliche, and the focus on a mindwipe about Spidey's identity starts to grate after a while.
Finally, we have the 3 part "24/7". This is the most entertaining of the bunch. Peter goes on a superhero spree for days, simply to annoy the newly-elected mayor. It also introduces an acid-spitting version of the Vulture.
The first story, "Loose Ends", offers a promising future foe in Kraven's daughter. It's a follow-up to a story told elsewhere.
Next is "Marked". It features a "D-list" (according to Spider-Man) villain going by The Spot. He should be upgraded to more of a threat seeing as he doesn't set off the Spidey Sense anymore.
Following this is "Birthday Boy". Pretty much a character-centric filler with Wolverine. It's not bad - none of these really are - it just feels like treading water.
The 2 part "Face Front" features the Fantastic Four. The story about dabbling in an alternate dimension's affairs is cliche, and the focus on a mindwipe about Spidey's identity starts to grate after a while.
Finally, we have the 3 part "24/7". This is the most entertaining of the bunch. Peter goes on a superhero spree for days, simply to annoy the newly-elected mayor. It also introduces an acid-spitting version of the Vulture.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla II (1993) in Movies
Mar 11, 2018 (Updated Mar 11, 2018)
Old-school Toho monster mash follows the trend of early-90s Godzilla movies by reinventing popular characters from 60s and 70s films. Kind of suffers from the same problem as superhero films with multiple villains (cf Spider-Man 3 or Batman Forever), in that contriving a way for all the monsters to appear and interact requires some outlandish plotting and a good deal of hand-waving of implausibilities (not to mention indulgence from the audience).
In addition to Godzilla, in this film you get Mechagodzilla (well, duh), and also giant pterodactyl Rodan and Minilla (aka Baby Godzilla). The monster battles are pretty good, though there's a slight tendency towards the combatants just standing there and zapping each other with breath-rays, and the monster suits are excellent (the Rodan puppet is particularly impressive). Set against this we must place the fact that the movie doesn't actually have a plot, as such - things just happen one after the other with no sense of theme or structure. Most of the human characters are slightly annoying too. A step down from the previous few films, but still better than much of what was to follow in the late 90s and early 2000s.
In addition to Godzilla, in this film you get Mechagodzilla (well, duh), and also giant pterodactyl Rodan and Minilla (aka Baby Godzilla). The monster battles are pretty good, though there's a slight tendency towards the combatants just standing there and zapping each other with breath-rays, and the monster suits are excellent (the Rodan puppet is particularly impressive). Set against this we must place the fact that the movie doesn't actually have a plot, as such - things just happen one after the other with no sense of theme or structure. Most of the human characters are slightly annoying too. A step down from the previous few films, but still better than much of what was to follow in the late 90s and early 2000s.