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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Darkest Hour (2011) in Movies
Jun 2, 2018 (Updated Jun 2, 2018)
Ferociously generic hot-young-things-are-chased-by-high-concept-monsters movie. (Winston Churchill does not appear, by the way.) Various American, Australian and Swedish characters bump into each other in a Moscow nightclub, hit it off (or not), then find the evening takes a bit of a turn when aliens made of invisible electricity arrive and start eating people. Lots of sneaking about and tension; it's not that difficult to guess who the aliens are going to chow down on before the end of the film, and in what order.
I suppose it looks okay, and many members of the cast have gone on to marginally better things (remakes of Judge Dredd and Robocop, plus TV work for Marvel), but the whole thing seems to be actively trying to be as forgettable as possible. The film's big innovation - the Moscow setting - ends up contributing nothing to the film, really; actual Russian characters are kept peripheral. Ultimately just a very, very bland film: Olivia Thirlby deserves some kind of mention for actually making you care slightly about her character. Apart from that this is the kind of SF film that brings science fiction into disrepute. And science. And quite probably fiction, come to that.
I suppose it looks okay, and many members of the cast have gone on to marginally better things (remakes of Judge Dredd and Robocop, plus TV work for Marvel), but the whole thing seems to be actively trying to be as forgettable as possible. The film's big innovation - the Moscow setting - ends up contributing nothing to the film, really; actual Russian characters are kept peripheral. Ultimately just a very, very bland film: Olivia Thirlby deserves some kind of mention for actually making you care slightly about her character. Apart from that this is the kind of SF film that brings science fiction into disrepute. And science. And quite probably fiction, come to that.
David McK (3600 KP) rated Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev: Ultimate Collection, Book 1 in Books
Jan 30, 2019
So: Daredevil.
AKA MAtt Murdock: Blind Lawyer by day, Vigilante by night.
And a character that, unlike (say) your Superman or Spiderman or Batman's, only really came to my attention with the (so-so) 2003 movie of the same name, and the more recent (and better) Marvel Netflix series'.
I'd also never read any of the comics/graphic novels before, although I knew that the TV series, in particular, drew heavily from that source, but had heard good things about them. With all that said, I thought I would take a risk on this particular collection (purchased, and read, via Comixology on my iPad) to see what all the fuss was about.
And, at first, I wasn't overwhelmed - I found the first story arc just so-so, and couldn't really get to grips with the art-style.
However, things picked up (for me) once the collection went back to a more conventional art style, with the whole story arc around the attempted coup against the Kingpin, followed by his estranged wife's revenge, then by the outing of Murdock's secret identity (wow!) and the trial of the Costumed Superhero (not him) that follows a succession of whammies (for want of a better word) one after the other ...
More, please!
AKA MAtt Murdock: Blind Lawyer by day, Vigilante by night.
And a character that, unlike (say) your Superman or Spiderman or Batman's, only really came to my attention with the (so-so) 2003 movie of the same name, and the more recent (and better) Marvel Netflix series'.
I'd also never read any of the comics/graphic novels before, although I knew that the TV series, in particular, drew heavily from that source, but had heard good things about them. With all that said, I thought I would take a risk on this particular collection (purchased, and read, via Comixology on my iPad) to see what all the fuss was about.
And, at first, I wasn't overwhelmed - I found the first story arc just so-so, and couldn't really get to grips with the art-style.
However, things picked up (for me) once the collection went back to a more conventional art style, with the whole story arc around the attempted coup against the Kingpin, followed by his estranged wife's revenge, then by the outing of Murdock's secret identity (wow!) and the trial of the Costumed Superhero (not him) that follows a succession of whammies (for want of a better word) one after the other ...
More, please!
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Betron AMT30 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones in Tech
Dec 28, 2018
Most important, the sound is good (1 more)
fit around the head is adjustable and cans are rotating
Solid wireless headphones.
I have one other pair of wireless headphones which are now 4 years old, I was curious to see how different these might be with more modern technology.... performance wise they are the same, both have great quality sound. This one has the adjustable headband which can be adjusted in small measured amounts, which works fine. The "cans" themselves were very tight for my ears, and I didn't feel like anything longer than a 1/2 hour or an hour was comfortable. I would never pair these with my TV and watch a movie while my wife slept or anything like that. I didn't attempt to play them with any video games, but they worked perfectly with my phone listening to podcasts, it automatically connects when I turn it on which is nice. The other one I have is pads rather than cans and it slides to adjust rather than increments. Overall they are both good. they aren't going to make anyone's top ten list, but they are solid.
This review was posted based on getting them in a giveaway here on smashbomb.
This review was posted based on getting them in a giveaway here on smashbomb.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Sushi Girl (2013) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020
Old Movie Revisited: Sushi Girl. Did you ever want to see Luke Skywalker torture Atreyu from Neverending Story? Me either, but if you did, you can see it here. Not only do we have Luke and Atreyu, we get Candyman, Frank from Donnie Darko, and some extremely brief cameos from Kyle Reese, Machete, Frank Lapidus from Lost, the original Streetfighter himself, and White Power Bill. Of course you have to spend a preternatural amount of time in front of the TV to know some of these people, but hey, youre loss... So this is a Quentin Tarantinoesque type gangster flick that revolves around a botched diamond heist and the torture of Atreyu, after he gets out of a six year stint in the joint. And of course a Sushi Girl who is covered with? Anyone? Anyone? Thats right sushi... Yes, Stephanie Golden, she is naked and has a pretty decent rack :) Mark Hamill, er, Luke, does a pretty awesome job doing a 30's type gangster drawl, and seems to enjoy torturing Atreyu (where the hell has that guy been?) So that being said, and you like Tarantinoesques films, and don't mind a little bloody torture fun, check it out, its a pretty decent ride, like your momma! Filmbufftim on FB
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated MASH (1970) in Movies
Jul 31, 2019
Broke new comedy ground (3 more)
Biting social commentary
Excellent cast
Moderately funny
Less a plot than a loosely-connected set of escapades (2 more)
Not the show you remember
Some of the stuff the protagonists get up to is legitimately awful, and this shouldn't have been okay even in the 70s
Groundbreaking at the time, but unremarkable today
If you're looking into this on account of the TV show, don't bother. It's very different. An anti-Vietnam movie about Korea, MASH is a dark comedy that's moderately funny and broke new ground at the time, but there's not much to recommend it today. Worth seeing? Sure. But it's not necessarily deserving of its cult status.
Plus, the protagonists are legitimately despicable people. You're supposed to cheer for them against the by-the-book fuddy-duddies like Burns and "Hot Lips" Houlihan, but honestly? The scene where they pull up the sides of the shower tent and expose HLH mid-shower is a bit uncomfortable, made more so by her breakdown/rant next scene as she berates the unit Commander for letting them get away with crap like that - and she's not wrong. The protagonists deserve to be court martialed for this, but no consequences are ever leveled. Even for the 70s, that's messed up....
Plus, the protagonists are legitimately despicable people. You're supposed to cheer for them against the by-the-book fuddy-duddies like Burns and "Hot Lips" Houlihan, but honestly? The scene where they pull up the sides of the shower tent and expose HLH mid-shower is a bit uncomfortable, made more so by her breakdown/rant next scene as she berates the unit Commander for letting them get away with crap like that - and she's not wrong. The protagonists deserve to be court martialed for this, but no consequences are ever leveled. Even for the 70s, that's messed up....
The Astounding Illustrated History of Science Fiction
Dave Golder, Jess Nevins, Russ Thorne and Sarah Dobbs
Book
A truly astonishing, illustrated history of Science fiction, covering fantasy, and horror, with...
Fandemonium: A Comic Novel
Book
Ray Sirico used to have it all. Once, he was the brilliant and outrageous Clown Prince of Comics,...
Chris Parnell recommended You Only Live Twice (1967) in Movies (curated)
The Location Shoot
Book
Controversial filmmaker Jean Mercier is shooting a film on location in Sweden. While spending the...
Romance
David McK (3600 KP) rated Superman Returns (2006) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019 (Updated Jul 16, 2023)
Edit: Brandon Routh finally got to return to the character in (TV) Arrow's 'Crisis on Infinite Earths', about 15 years later ...
The film that Bryan Singer left the X-Men franchise to make, this completely ignores anything after Superman II, setting itself up as a pseudo-sequel to that movie.
Starring a (pre-Arrowverse) Brandon Routh as a Superman/Clark Kent, this also recasts Margot Kidder's Lois Lane in that ape of Kate Bosworth, and Lex Luthor in the Shar of (the now-disgraced) Kevin Spacey. Unfortunately, there's seemingly a distinct lack of chemistry between Bosworth and Routh, perhaps covered up somewhat by a scenery-chewing Lex Luthor, who is back to his old criminal ways.
On the plus side, however, this Superman is a far more jovial and brighter version than the current Zak Snyder version, truly standing for 'Truth, Justice ... And all that other stuff', while the film still does contain some spectacle, such as Superman trying to stop a falling plane or even the final 'lifting-Kryptonian-infested landmass-into space' (although it then gets very heavily allegorical, with Superman even falling with his arms out in a cross shape).
I have to say, as well, that I was never a fan of its most controversial elements (no spoilers here) ...
The film that Bryan Singer left the X-Men franchise to make, this completely ignores anything after Superman II, setting itself up as a pseudo-sequel to that movie.
Starring a (pre-Arrowverse) Brandon Routh as a Superman/Clark Kent, this also recasts Margot Kidder's Lois Lane in that ape of Kate Bosworth, and Lex Luthor in the Shar of (the now-disgraced) Kevin Spacey. Unfortunately, there's seemingly a distinct lack of chemistry between Bosworth and Routh, perhaps covered up somewhat by a scenery-chewing Lex Luthor, who is back to his old criminal ways.
On the plus side, however, this Superman is a far more jovial and brighter version than the current Zak Snyder version, truly standing for 'Truth, Justice ... And all that other stuff', while the film still does contain some spectacle, such as Superman trying to stop a falling plane or even the final 'lifting-Kryptonian-infested landmass-into space' (although it then gets very heavily allegorical, with Superman even falling with his arms out in a cross shape).
I have to say, as well, that I was never a fan of its most controversial elements (no spoilers here) ...