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Awix (3310 KP) rated Contagion (2011) in Movies
Apr 4, 2019
One Flu Over - The Cooker's Next
Steven Soderbergh's crack at the all-star disaster movie genre starts well but is eventually tripped up by its own insistence on naturalism and scientific rigour. Gwyneth Paltrow comes back from a business trip with mutant pig-bat flu, drops dead, gets cremated (see review title), authorities struggle to contain the spread of the virus. Gwynnie's widower Matt Damon wanders about looking mournful wondering how well he really knew his wife.
More a collection of subplots than an actual narrative, but there are plenty of good moments and strong performances to begin with (maybe not Jude Law's Australian accent, come to think of it). The problem is that Soderbergh sets out to do this seriously, which means that he struggles to build the thing to a proper climax with any real sense of closure: a real pandemic would be horrible, but not apocalyptic in the way it's usually presented in movies and TV shows. Soderbergh can't help but be effortlessly watchable and stylish though. Not sure what the point of the film is, except to traumatise germophobes and hypochondriacs, but it's good at that and engaging for everyone else.
More a collection of subplots than an actual narrative, but there are plenty of good moments and strong performances to begin with (maybe not Jude Law's Australian accent, come to think of it). The problem is that Soderbergh sets out to do this seriously, which means that he struggles to build the thing to a proper climax with any real sense of closure: a real pandemic would be horrible, but not apocalyptic in the way it's usually presented in movies and TV shows. Soderbergh can't help but be effortlessly watchable and stylish though. Not sure what the point of the film is, except to traumatise germophobes and hypochondriacs, but it's good at that and engaging for everyone else.
Lenard (726 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
May 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)
Did you ever dream of becoming a superhero? Thaddeus Sivana does. Bullied by his father and older brother because they think he is weak, Thaddeus dreams of becoming the most powerful being in the world. However, Wizard, the last remaining guardian of the secrets of the universe, doesn't think he is pure of heart and worthy of being a superhero. Thaddeus decides to become a supervillain and waits for a champion of the downtrodden, Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him Shazam since he IS Captain Marvel unlike Carol Danvers who got a promotion to Captain after being Ms Marvel for decades). A couple decades later, Billy Batson who was abandoned by his mother at a state fair spends his day researching and looking for the woman who abandoned him while running away from various foster homes. That is, until he is placed in a foster home full of damaged children. He learns the value of family while learning how to be a hero. I watched the TV series every Saturday growing up and while the movie is good, the show remains a pivotal time in my life.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Widows (2018) in Movies
Nov 18, 2018 (Updated Nov 18, 2018)
Based on a TV show that most people will probably have either forgotten or never heard of in the first place, the new film from Steve McQueen (not that one) exchanges the existential historical misery of his last one for existential present-day corruption and despair. When a crew of robbers are killed on a job-gone-wrong and the leader's widow is menaced by the target, demanding his money back, she decides to recruit the widows of the other men to execute her former husband's planned next heist in order to meet her obligations.
Smartly written and well played, there is a lot going on here apart from the obvious genre stuff - various subplots explore the lives of women in modern America, police violence, institutional racism, and so on. However, the problem is that the film seems to get lost in exploring all of this and the meat-and-potatoes stuff about the heist kind of gets a bit lost as a result - the robbery, when it finally arrives, feels a bit rushed and underdeveloped. Still, this is a quality movie with lots to commend it.
Smartly written and well played, there is a lot going on here apart from the obvious genre stuff - various subplots explore the lives of women in modern America, police violence, institutional racism, and so on. However, the problem is that the film seems to get lost in exploring all of this and the meat-and-potatoes stuff about the heist kind of gets a bit lost as a result - the robbery, when it finally arrives, feels a bit rushed and underdeveloped. Still, this is a quality movie with lots to commend it.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Unforgiven (1992) in Movies
Dec 5, 2018
Eastwood's best is still Eastwood's best!
On the eve of Eastwood's latest and maybe final film "The Mule" hitting theatres in a few weeks, I decided to rewatch his 1992 Best Picture winning effort to see if it still packs a punch as a subtle masterpiece.
Retired outlaw and present farmer William Munny decides to perform one final execution with his friend Ned and the Schofield Kid after they hear the tale of a prostitute being disfigured by a disgruntled customer. In the process, they have a run in with the local badass sheriff who has his own kind of law he dispenses at will.
It's cliche to say all westerns look beautiful since their nature is to capture the Old West in all its majesty and landscape; however, the cinematography here is the true star. The look of the film is stunning (especially on my new 75" TV) and moves you into this world immediately.
Eastwood, Hackman and Morgan Freeman form one of the greatest movie trifecta performances ever and the acting prowess on display is hard to match.
A true masterpiece.
Retired outlaw and present farmer William Munny decides to perform one final execution with his friend Ned and the Schofield Kid after they hear the tale of a prostitute being disfigured by a disgruntled customer. In the process, they have a run in with the local badass sheriff who has his own kind of law he dispenses at will.
It's cliche to say all westerns look beautiful since their nature is to capture the Old West in all its majesty and landscape; however, the cinematography here is the true star. The look of the film is stunning (especially on my new 75" TV) and moves you into this world immediately.
Eastwood, Hackman and Morgan Freeman form one of the greatest movie trifecta performances ever and the acting prowess on display is hard to match.
A true masterpiece.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
Spiderman 2.........the 3rd one. (Or is it the 4th, there was 2 tv movies?)
Spiderman 2 sees tobey Maguire return as the best Spiderman to date and...........oh wait.......
Spiderman far from home sees tom holland return as ultimate Spiderman for ps2....no wait....tom holland returns as peter parker aka Spiderman who once again does a great job at avoiding nick fury and his feelings, but squeezes into a new array of suits, while trying to enjoy a school trip and mourn the loss of his tech savvy father figure Tony Stark.
While trying to balance the life of a hero and the life of a teen life every hero (lol) the arrival of a mysterious new "hero" dubbed mysterio by parkers class mates, things are quite what they seem and as the lives of everyone of his classmates come under threat, it's upto spidey to uncover the truth and figure out how to use his peter tingle haha.
A great movie that does the Endgame aftermath some justice.
Fantastic SFX, great story formed, great easter eggs and references.
Spiderman far from home sees tom holland return as ultimate Spiderman for ps2....no wait....tom holland returns as peter parker aka Spiderman who once again does a great job at avoiding nick fury and his feelings, but squeezes into a new array of suits, while trying to enjoy a school trip and mourn the loss of his tech savvy father figure Tony Stark.
While trying to balance the life of a hero and the life of a teen life every hero (lol) the arrival of a mysterious new "hero" dubbed mysterio by parkers class mates, things are quite what they seem and as the lives of everyone of his classmates come under threat, it's upto spidey to uncover the truth and figure out how to use his peter tingle haha.
A great movie that does the Endgame aftermath some justice.
Fantastic SFX, great story formed, great easter eggs and references.
Otway93 (567 KP) rated The War of the Worlds in TV
Apr 19, 2020
Casting (1 more)
Special Effects
Story (1 more)
The Martians Reveal
Drawn out, dull, and not worthy of it's own title.
On first hearing about a new adaptation of War of the Worlds set in the original time and place as the book, I was incredible excited, as for some reason it has never been done.
Unfortunately, I, and my entire family were disappointed.
It's quite hard to review this without spoilers, as the main issue here is really the story, which has been so drawn out and distorted from it is no longer the story I know and love, but a show merely "based on" the book.
There are several critical differences in this story and the original story:
- The fates of different characters.
- The addition of pointless characters.
- The slow, intense reveal of the Martian invaders.
Despite these differences, the show could still have been enjoyable if it was not so drawn out. Without all the filler content, the whole thing could easily have been wrapped up into a much better 90 minute TV movie. Instead, the BBC drew it out in to 3 3 hour episodes that could bore the hind AND FRONT legs off a donkey.
Unfortunately, I, and my entire family were disappointed.
It's quite hard to review this without spoilers, as the main issue here is really the story, which has been so drawn out and distorted from it is no longer the story I know and love, but a show merely "based on" the book.
There are several critical differences in this story and the original story:
- The fates of different characters.
- The addition of pointless characters.
- The slow, intense reveal of the Martian invaders.
Despite these differences, the show could still have been enjoyable if it was not so drawn out. Without all the filler content, the whole thing could easily have been wrapped up into a much better 90 minute TV movie. Instead, the BBC drew it out in to 3 3 hour episodes that could bore the hind AND FRONT legs off a donkey.
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