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Andy K (10821 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Dec 10, 2017
The casting of Gal Gadot (1 more)
The correct spirit and mood for the film/character
Finally seeing Wonder Woman for the first time, I am torn between joining the film's praise bandwagon and complaining about another stupid villain. While I certainly don't want to go back to the cheesy Bane, Poisin Ivy, Mr. Freeze days of old, I also am not a big fan of the generic CGI villain, in this case Ares, God of War. I would think they could come up with a happy medium using The Dark Knight as a basis for a complex, grounded human character.
As for Wonder Woman herself, I thought Gal Gadot was amazing in personality, spirit, and the physical embodiment of Wonder Woman as a modern, yet retro female superhero.
Unfortunately, the film's historical setting and perspective has already been done better in the first Captain America film, but had to be the way they did it to make it close to the comic book origin of the character. The scene where Wonder Woman emerges on the battlefield was very strong as you, the viewer, had been anticipating this moment throughout the first half of the film.
The use of CGI during some of the fight scenes with the Nazi soldiers was poor and looked very false. Even when she jumped great distances, I thought that looked fake and was more believable in a Hulk film or even the Wonder Woman TV series from the 1970s.
I also sorely missed an appearance by the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter. They have said they will have her in the next film. They had better. 😊
Overall, I enjoyed the film more than most recent superhero flicks, but in 10 years, won't all these films just start to run together?
As for Wonder Woman herself, I thought Gal Gadot was amazing in personality, spirit, and the physical embodiment of Wonder Woman as a modern, yet retro female superhero.
Unfortunately, the film's historical setting and perspective has already been done better in the first Captain America film, but had to be the way they did it to make it close to the comic book origin of the character. The scene where Wonder Woman emerges on the battlefield was very strong as you, the viewer, had been anticipating this moment throughout the first half of the film.
The use of CGI during some of the fight scenes with the Nazi soldiers was poor and looked very false. Even when she jumped great distances, I thought that looked fake and was more believable in a Hulk film or even the Wonder Woman TV series from the 1970s.
I also sorely missed an appearance by the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter. They have said they will have her in the next film. They had better. 😊
Overall, I enjoyed the film more than most recent superhero flicks, but in 10 years, won't all these films just start to run together?
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Murder in Red in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Can Jessica Solve One Friend’s Murder to Save Another?
When Jessica Fletcher’s friend Mimi Van Dorn collapses, Jessica is naturally concerned, but when Mimi passes away later that night, Dr. Seth Hazlitt thinks she had help. Naturally, Jessica starts investigating, and she quickly finds evidence that Mimi was indeed murdered. Does the new clinic outside town hold the answers to Mimi’s death? Or is a secret from her past responsible for her murder? Jessica will have to figure it out fast since another old friend has checked into the new clinic and could be in mortal danger himself.
Yes, we are once again in Cabot Cove and environs for much of the book, although Jessica finds herself traveling quite a bit as she tries to piece together this puzzle. Things start off a bit slowly, but they gain speed as the book progresses, and by the end I was completely hooked. Part of the early slowness are attempts to develop Jessica with her thoughts about life, but they come across as forced and don’t add much to the book. Still, I was turning pages quickly at the end to see just how Jessica would bring everything together. I was happy to find that the foul language that has bothered me in the last two books wasn’t present here, which is much more like the franchise of old. I was also happy to find that Jessica’s relationships with Seth and Sheriff Mort Metzger were much closer to how I remember them from the TV series. George Sutherland, a recurring character in the books, is present here and I enjoyed getting to meet him for the first time. Fans of the franchise will be very happy with this book. I know I was.
Yes, we are once again in Cabot Cove and environs for much of the book, although Jessica finds herself traveling quite a bit as she tries to piece together this puzzle. Things start off a bit slowly, but they gain speed as the book progresses, and by the end I was completely hooked. Part of the early slowness are attempts to develop Jessica with her thoughts about life, but they come across as forced and don’t add much to the book. Still, I was turning pages quickly at the end to see just how Jessica would bring everything together. I was happy to find that the foul language that has bothered me in the last two books wasn’t present here, which is much more like the franchise of old. I was also happy to find that Jessica’s relationships with Seth and Sheriff Mort Metzger were much closer to how I remember them from the TV series. George Sutherland, a recurring character in the books, is present here and I enjoyed getting to meet him for the first time. Fans of the franchise will be very happy with this book. I know I was.
Ross (3282 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Aug 7, 2018
A rushed DC version of Infinity Wars
This film just missed the mark on so many different aspects. It had high ambitions but just let itself down pretty much everywhere. It felt like a panicked, rushed answer to Infinity Wars, but without taking the time to embed the characters and storyline first. I thought with hits like The Flash and Arrow TV series the DC world may have been fighting back against Marvel's dominance, but I guess for every "Arrow" there is a "Legends of Tomorrow" cheese-fest.
The CGI is truly awful. Massive, expensive battle scenes looked clunky and dated. Steppenwolf is so badly animated as to be ludicrous, especially noticeable as he looks like one of Thanos' minions (I genuinely think you'd see better animated facial movements in mid-noughties PS games). And lets not overlook the dodgy attempt at using CGI to remove Henry Cavill's moustache (some scenes had to be re-shot after he had already started filming Mission Impossible and his moustache had to be removed by CGI!).
I had no feelings towards any of the characters. Whereas the new Spiderman was an immediate hit in Civil War, here The Flash is just annoying and his chirpy geekiness does not contrast well with Batfleck's grumpiness. Cyborg was totally redundant except to solve a plot point. And Aquaman did nothing of note and was not likeable at all.
This should have been a big-hitting blockbuster with edge-of-the-seat tension, laugh-out-loud banter and head-scratching plot twists (and any more hyphenated adjectives I can think of), instead it was a mediocre action film with none of the character of the DC universe on show.
The CGI is truly awful. Massive, expensive battle scenes looked clunky and dated. Steppenwolf is so badly animated as to be ludicrous, especially noticeable as he looks like one of Thanos' minions (I genuinely think you'd see better animated facial movements in mid-noughties PS games). And lets not overlook the dodgy attempt at using CGI to remove Henry Cavill's moustache (some scenes had to be re-shot after he had already started filming Mission Impossible and his moustache had to be removed by CGI!).
I had no feelings towards any of the characters. Whereas the new Spiderman was an immediate hit in Civil War, here The Flash is just annoying and his chirpy geekiness does not contrast well with Batfleck's grumpiness. Cyborg was totally redundant except to solve a plot point. And Aquaman did nothing of note and was not likeable at all.
This should have been a big-hitting blockbuster with edge-of-the-seat tension, laugh-out-loud banter and head-scratching plot twists (and any more hyphenated adjectives I can think of), instead it was a mediocre action film with none of the character of the DC universe on show.
Larry Eisner (2082 KP) rated Maniac in TV
Oct 3, 2018
Realistic views of mental illness (4 more)
So much vision in the palette and visual storytelling
The acting is top-notch!
Retro-Futurism!!!
Such creativity!
A beautiful, creative series about mental illness
Absurdism at its finest. Full stop.
Maniac is a beautifully written, beautifully shot and masterfully acted work of art. Taking a 70s-80s retro idea of future technology, and making it real, making it believable and all the while throwing crazy funny oddity at the same time is an insane balancing act and it works! My god, it works!
It is episodic and works as such, but it could also very well have been an excellent 5-6 hour film. Every scene is necessary. Every frame is intentional. The jokes hit, the visual universe is consistent, and the whole thing tugs on you like very little film does these days. In fact I hesitate to call it TV. Because while it is indeed episodic, it’s not serialized. It’s one long and perfectly crafted story. It winds and twists and it jumps at the sky but it always has a reason to do so.
And all I can say is that every damn time I forget how great Sally Field is, she kills it. She absolutely kills it. I wouldn’t have cast her or Jonah Hill, but they are PERFECT. I can not recommend this show enough. Honestly it’s the best original content I’ve seen this year. Hands down.
It’s funny, it’s bizarre, and it’s emotional. It gets, via sideways and transverse angles, what it means to be a broken and fragile human, when everyone around you seems to have it together but you.
Please watch it. You won’t regret it.
Maniac is a beautifully written, beautifully shot and masterfully acted work of art. Taking a 70s-80s retro idea of future technology, and making it real, making it believable and all the while throwing crazy funny oddity at the same time is an insane balancing act and it works! My god, it works!
It is episodic and works as such, but it could also very well have been an excellent 5-6 hour film. Every scene is necessary. Every frame is intentional. The jokes hit, the visual universe is consistent, and the whole thing tugs on you like very little film does these days. In fact I hesitate to call it TV. Because while it is indeed episodic, it’s not serialized. It’s one long and perfectly crafted story. It winds and twists and it jumps at the sky but it always has a reason to do so.
And all I can say is that every damn time I forget how great Sally Field is, she kills it. She absolutely kills it. I wouldn’t have cast her or Jonah Hill, but they are PERFECT. I can not recommend this show enough. Honestly it’s the best original content I’ve seen this year. Hands down.
It’s funny, it’s bizarre, and it’s emotional. It gets, via sideways and transverse angles, what it means to be a broken and fragile human, when everyone around you seems to have it together but you.
Please watch it. You won’t regret it.
David McK (3251 KP) rated Mockingjay in Books
Jan 28, 2019
The third and final book in Suzanne Collin's <i>The Hunger Games</i> trilogy, in which the (I found) the whole proved to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Like the previous two entries, this is again told in the first-person immediate sense, and is again a 'true' sequel - don't even bother trying to read this without the first two!
Picking up from the end of <i>Catching Fire</i>, Katniss (and some other victors) has been rescued from the 75th annual Hunger Games by the previously-thought-to-be-a-myth survivors of District 13. Not all have made it out, however, Peeta (and two other victors) have been captured by the Capitol, who are now in the process of torturing them for information as the other Districts (1 through 12) rise up against teh Capitol.
This, then, is pretty much a war story, and doesn't shy away from the realities of such (albeit also somewhat sanitized), with characters dropping left, right and centre in unexpected moments, and with Katniss suffering further mental scarring as a result.
But if the Capitol falls, what will rise to replace it?
As a series over-all, I'll admit I wasn't too sure about it at first, and that it took a while for me to get used to the format in which it was told. The every-chapter-must-end-on-a-cliffhanger approach might have been a bit too much for my tastes, but in the end you just had to go with it (think of it like those old TV episodes that did the same!). Individually, the stories were enjoyable enough but nothing special, but put together as one whole arc (and read back to back) I have to say, it proved to be better than I was expecting.
Like the previous two entries, this is again told in the first-person immediate sense, and is again a 'true' sequel - don't even bother trying to read this without the first two!
Picking up from the end of <i>Catching Fire</i>, Katniss (and some other victors) has been rescued from the 75th annual Hunger Games by the previously-thought-to-be-a-myth survivors of District 13. Not all have made it out, however, Peeta (and two other victors) have been captured by the Capitol, who are now in the process of torturing them for information as the other Districts (1 through 12) rise up against teh Capitol.
This, then, is pretty much a war story, and doesn't shy away from the realities of such (albeit also somewhat sanitized), with characters dropping left, right and centre in unexpected moments, and with Katniss suffering further mental scarring as a result.
But if the Capitol falls, what will rise to replace it?
As a series over-all, I'll admit I wasn't too sure about it at first, and that it took a while for me to get used to the format in which it was told. The every-chapter-must-end-on-a-cliffhanger approach might have been a bit too much for my tastes, but in the end you just had to go with it (think of it like those old TV episodes that did the same!). Individually, the stories were enjoyable enough but nothing special, but put together as one whole arc (and read back to back) I have to say, it proved to be better than I was expecting.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated The Happytime Murders (2017) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
As a huge fan of Melissa McCarthy, I wasn’t about to miss out on one of her films involving puppets. Especially when said puppets and film were made by Jim Henson’s son Brian Henson. That being said, just remember that these puppets are absolutely 100% “No Sesame, All Street”. “From the studio formerly sued by Sesame Street” STX presents The Happytime Murders.
Private detective Phil Philipps (Bill Barretta) is a puppet and lives in a world where puppets coexist with but are otherwise hated by humans. After a series of murders including that of his brother it forces his ex-partner Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) to help solve the crime. The murderer seems to be targeting all former cast members of the beloved eighties TV show The Happytime Gang. Two worlds clash as the race is on to find the culprit.
Honestly I feel as though I could do without seeing this film ever again. Yes there are funny moments but it seems overshadowed by the lack of a good storyline. Granted audiences might go just to see puppets act raunchy and use profanity however, is that enough to hold a film together for 90 mins? No it certainly isn’t. As much as I love the comedic stylings of Elizabeth Banks, Mya Rudolph, Joel McHale and especially Melissa McCarthy, the film audiences anticipate being the funniest of the year is surely not. Even with a big cast of comedians couldn’t save this film. Perhaps films involving puppets and ridiculous plots should be left to that of children audiences. If you were to stitch together all of the comical scenes in every trailer for the film, you would basically see it all. In my opinion you might want to skip this one and wait for it to come to a Redbox near you.
Private detective Phil Philipps (Bill Barretta) is a puppet and lives in a world where puppets coexist with but are otherwise hated by humans. After a series of murders including that of his brother it forces his ex-partner Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) to help solve the crime. The murderer seems to be targeting all former cast members of the beloved eighties TV show The Happytime Gang. Two worlds clash as the race is on to find the culprit.
Honestly I feel as though I could do without seeing this film ever again. Yes there are funny moments but it seems overshadowed by the lack of a good storyline. Granted audiences might go just to see puppets act raunchy and use profanity however, is that enough to hold a film together for 90 mins? No it certainly isn’t. As much as I love the comedic stylings of Elizabeth Banks, Mya Rudolph, Joel McHale and especially Melissa McCarthy, the film audiences anticipate being the funniest of the year is surely not. Even with a big cast of comedians couldn’t save this film. Perhaps films involving puppets and ridiculous plots should be left to that of children audiences. If you were to stitch together all of the comical scenes in every trailer for the film, you would basically see it all. In my opinion you might want to skip this one and wait for it to come to a Redbox near you.
Incredibly haunting
I won’t be the only one to admit that I know little about the real detail behind the incident at Chernobyl, so for me this series was a true eye opener and not a particularly pleasant one. Whilst I don’t doubt that some of this may have been embellished a little like most tv productions, I really think that most of this is the real truth behind Chernobyl.
This definitely isn’t a nice watch. Right from the first episode it’s harrowing and frankly frustrating and maddening to see how people initially reacted to the incident, and it doesn’t get any easier as the episodes go on. I just cannot believe the denial and actions (or lack of) of those I’m charge. By the end of the final episode with the clips and video of the real events and people, I was virtually in tears it was just so haunting. For me I’ve learnt so much watching this about the true events, and it was good to get the updates on the real life situation and people, with even some good news thrown in amongst the somber. My only criticism is that whilst the cast is fantastic and there’s a lot of recognisable faces that pop up in this even briefly, is that I don’t understand what’s with all of the English accents? It got a tad irritating after a while and surely some attempt at a Ukrainian accent would have been better?
That said, this is a truly harrowing yet informative show and I think everyone should watch this and learn a think or two. I definitely have, and I’ll now have a whole new understanding and appreciation of the true magnitude of the situation when I visit Chernobyl in October.
This definitely isn’t a nice watch. Right from the first episode it’s harrowing and frankly frustrating and maddening to see how people initially reacted to the incident, and it doesn’t get any easier as the episodes go on. I just cannot believe the denial and actions (or lack of) of those I’m charge. By the end of the final episode with the clips and video of the real events and people, I was virtually in tears it was just so haunting. For me I’ve learnt so much watching this about the true events, and it was good to get the updates on the real life situation and people, with even some good news thrown in amongst the somber. My only criticism is that whilst the cast is fantastic and there’s a lot of recognisable faces that pop up in this even briefly, is that I don’t understand what’s with all of the English accents? It got a tad irritating after a while and surely some attempt at a Ukrainian accent would have been better?
That said, this is a truly harrowing yet informative show and I think everyone should watch this and learn a think or two. I definitely have, and I’ll now have a whole new understanding and appreciation of the true magnitude of the situation when I visit Chernobyl in October.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The newest installment of The Hunger Games series brings us to District 13 after Katniss Everdeen has been rescued from the Games and whisked off to supposed safety.
The movie is huge and sweeping and grabs the viewer from the very start.
Unlike the first two films, it could conceivably stand alone, and the viewer would ‘get it’ without having read the books.
I read all 3 books back to back in 15 hours, back before the first movie was released. The Mockingjay – Part 1 makes me want to go re-read the books all over again.
All the main characters are back; Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Liam Hemsworth as Gail Hawthorne, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, Elizabeth Banks as Effie, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch,
and Donald Sutherland as President Snow. Mockingjay introduces Julianne Moore as President Coin.
A lot of the movie is based on Katniss watching screens to see what is going on in the capital, but there are enough outside action scenes throughout the film to ensure you don’t just feel like you’re watching a film of someone watching tv.
I didn’t, and don’t think anyone in the theatre had any teary eyed moments like I did in the first two films. This movie was less emotionally heart wrenching, and had much more of a ‘rally the troops’ feel, but that’s what the goal was. I certainly was rooting for Katniss in the action scenes and at several points in the film I jumped in my seat.
I didn’t really ‘like’ the ending scene, but understand why it was ended there. Mockingjay part 1 completely builds suspense for what will be Mockingjay 2, and again, drives me to want to re-read the books.
I would give this movie 4.75 out of 5 stars.
The movie is huge and sweeping and grabs the viewer from the very start.
Unlike the first two films, it could conceivably stand alone, and the viewer would ‘get it’ without having read the books.
I read all 3 books back to back in 15 hours, back before the first movie was released. The Mockingjay – Part 1 makes me want to go re-read the books all over again.
All the main characters are back; Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Liam Hemsworth as Gail Hawthorne, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, Elizabeth Banks as Effie, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch,
and Donald Sutherland as President Snow. Mockingjay introduces Julianne Moore as President Coin.
A lot of the movie is based on Katniss watching screens to see what is going on in the capital, but there are enough outside action scenes throughout the film to ensure you don’t just feel like you’re watching a film of someone watching tv.
I didn’t, and don’t think anyone in the theatre had any teary eyed moments like I did in the first two films. This movie was less emotionally heart wrenching, and had much more of a ‘rally the troops’ feel, but that’s what the goal was. I certainly was rooting for Katniss in the action scenes and at several points in the film I jumped in my seat.
I didn’t really ‘like’ the ending scene, but understand why it was ended there. Mockingjay part 1 completely builds suspense for what will be Mockingjay 2, and again, drives me to want to re-read the books.
I would give this movie 4.75 out of 5 stars.
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Winning Her (Perfect Stats #1) in Books
Apr 28, 2020
Winning Her is the first book in the Perfect Stats series and we focus on Bane and Dahl, both African-Americans and successful in their own ways. Bane is frustrated because he is blocked by the owner and the coach at the club he works for and constantly feels like he needs to be prepared for the chop. Dahl is an award-winning chef with plenty of TV shows and books behind her. At this point, she is helping her cousin with her restaurant in a vain attempt to keep it afloat.
Now, hold onto your hats, because there is LOT that goes on in this book. I'm still not actually sure when Bane crosses the line of wanting to get back at his ex-wife and just wanting her. I'm also not sure about a lot of went on in this book simply because there is so much. You have all the intrigue of the sports world, the cooking/baking world, drop-beat cousins, cheating cousins, a stalker nanny, (another) ex-wife and her anchor job, and a custody case - to name just a few 'themes' in this story. Due to this, it took me a while to get into it because I just couldn't figure out what was going on!
Once I got into it, I did enjoy the story but I had to work at it. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending and would love to know more about Warner. As for Bane and Dahl, I liked them but found the whole thing a bit too confusing for my tastes.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Now, hold onto your hats, because there is LOT that goes on in this book. I'm still not actually sure when Bane crosses the line of wanting to get back at his ex-wife and just wanting her. I'm also not sure about a lot of went on in this book simply because there is so much. You have all the intrigue of the sports world, the cooking/baking world, drop-beat cousins, cheating cousins, a stalker nanny, (another) ex-wife and her anchor job, and a custody case - to name just a few 'themes' in this story. Due to this, it took me a while to get into it because I just couldn't figure out what was going on!
Once I got into it, I did enjoy the story but I had to work at it. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending and would love to know more about Warner. As for Bane and Dahl, I liked them but found the whole thing a bit too confusing for my tastes.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Wrigglezeus (511 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter in Video Games
Sep 15, 2020
First four detective cases (2 more)
Can skip mini games at risk of losing trophies / achievements
Graphics are great for what they had and voice work is great
Trail and error mini games and puzzles (3 more)
Poor level design
Loading times
A lot of backtracking
The great sleuth is just messing up and trying again
I love Sherlock, from the novels to the TV series and even those Robert Downey Jr Movies. I have even enjoyed previous games in this franchise. This however, was a joke.
Sometimes the mini games are unnecessary, with most out of place and just infuriatingly fiddly. Furthermore as a great sleuth a lot of the mini games seem entirely down to trail and error, results in Holmes’ death and many restarts of the puzzles. Including one during a case with moving tiles. In a world where everything is cleverly thought out, it seems these were not the case.
The storyline was somewhat decent with build up towards the end, with the four cases before hand being somewhat irrelevant towards the grand ending. As I pushed my way through this game it dawned on me that I was starting to get rare achievements, by the end of this game barely 10% of those who played it actually finished it. With around 20% only finishing the first case.
Further work needs to be put in place for this to be a true Sherlock experience, without the need to move the thumb sticks into a circle so I can eavesdrop or balance on a beam. Sometimes the quick time encounters worked amazingly well, including during an exorcism. Whilst otherwise. Awfully and out of place.
I would not recommend this game for even the truest of fans and to read up the plot online instead.
Sometimes the mini games are unnecessary, with most out of place and just infuriatingly fiddly. Furthermore as a great sleuth a lot of the mini games seem entirely down to trail and error, results in Holmes’ death and many restarts of the puzzles. Including one during a case with moving tiles. In a world where everything is cleverly thought out, it seems these were not the case.
The storyline was somewhat decent with build up towards the end, with the four cases before hand being somewhat irrelevant towards the grand ending. As I pushed my way through this game it dawned on me that I was starting to get rare achievements, by the end of this game barely 10% of those who played it actually finished it. With around 20% only finishing the first case.
Further work needs to be put in place for this to be a true Sherlock experience, without the need to move the thumb sticks into a circle so I can eavesdrop or balance on a beam. Sometimes the quick time encounters worked amazingly well, including during an exorcism. Whilst otherwise. Awfully and out of place.
I would not recommend this game for even the truest of fans and to read up the plot online instead.