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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Godzilla Minus One (2023) in Movies
Dec 14, 2023
Surprisingly Human...for a Monster Movie
The BankofMarquis just viewed one of the most entertaining films of 2023 - and it’s a GODZILLA film.
Yes, a GODZILLA film.
From famed Japanese Studio Toho, makers of the original Godzilla film from the 1950’s plus other “man in a rubber suit” monster movies like MOTHRA and WAR OF THE GARGANTUANS, Godzilla Minus One subverts the genre for a moment for instead of presenting a “Monster stomping on buildings” movie with some people in the background, this film is about the Japanese people and how they deal with the aftermath of World War II while (also) running from a giant monster stomping on buildings - but the monster story is the “B” story and the people story is the “A” story…and this subversion of the genre works very very well.
The title of the film, Godzilla Minus One, refers to the fact that…after World War II….Japan was “starting from zero”. When Godzilla starts attacking, it knocks Japan back another peg, hence…Godzilla Minus One.
Director and Screenwriter Takashi Yamazaki tells the tale of Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) who encounters Godzilla towards the end of WWII and freezes, causing the death of his fellow soldiers (so his PTSD continues to tell him throughout the film). Once back in Japan, he encounters a young woman, Noriko (Minami Hamabe) who has been left orphaned, homeless and alone and is sheparding an abandoned baby. This unlikely trio form a bond…and a home…while trying to rebuild their lives and (in Koichi’s case) tries to make sense of the devastation he encountered in the war.
Into to this rebuilding stomps Godzilla.
This story is effectively told by Yamazaki, who knows when to focus on the people aspect of the film and when to focus on the building stomping of Godzilla. It’s a delicate balance that is helped by the performances of Kamiki and Hamabe…and the special effects that brings the spirit of the 1950’s and 1960’s Toho monster films to light.
A surpwisingly rich entertainment, Godzilla Minus One will entertain you with monster stomping…and deep human emotion.
Letter Grade: A- (I’m as surprised as you are)
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Yes, a GODZILLA film.
From famed Japanese Studio Toho, makers of the original Godzilla film from the 1950’s plus other “man in a rubber suit” monster movies like MOTHRA and WAR OF THE GARGANTUANS, Godzilla Minus One subverts the genre for a moment for instead of presenting a “Monster stomping on buildings” movie with some people in the background, this film is about the Japanese people and how they deal with the aftermath of World War II while (also) running from a giant monster stomping on buildings - but the monster story is the “B” story and the people story is the “A” story…and this subversion of the genre works very very well.
The title of the film, Godzilla Minus One, refers to the fact that…after World War II….Japan was “starting from zero”. When Godzilla starts attacking, it knocks Japan back another peg, hence…Godzilla Minus One.
Director and Screenwriter Takashi Yamazaki tells the tale of Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) who encounters Godzilla towards the end of WWII and freezes, causing the death of his fellow soldiers (so his PTSD continues to tell him throughout the film). Once back in Japan, he encounters a young woman, Noriko (Minami Hamabe) who has been left orphaned, homeless and alone and is sheparding an abandoned baby. This unlikely trio form a bond…and a home…while trying to rebuild their lives and (in Koichi’s case) tries to make sense of the devastation he encountered in the war.
Into to this rebuilding stomps Godzilla.
This story is effectively told by Yamazaki, who knows when to focus on the people aspect of the film and when to focus on the building stomping of Godzilla. It’s a delicate balance that is helped by the performances of Kamiki and Hamabe…and the special effects that brings the spirit of the 1950’s and 1960’s Toho monster films to light.
A surpwisingly rich entertainment, Godzilla Minus One will entertain you with monster stomping…and deep human emotion.
Letter Grade: A- (I’m as surprised as you are)
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Darren (1599 KP) rated Buffalo '66 (1998) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
Characters – Billy Brown has just been released from prison, he has had his own problems which led to him being in prison and it isn’t long before he goes to the extremes to impress his family. He is painted as an aggressive man that believes that woman are just objects and has built his world in lies. Layla is the tap dancer that gets kidnapped, she starts to play along with what Billy wants and even enjoy his company the more time they spend together. Jimmy and Jan are his parents that have both been either distracted or strict in raising Billy, as he wants to impress them now. The Bookie is the man that put Billy in jail as a result of the debts he owed him, he gave him a choice with jail being the only one that didn’t hurt anyone.
Performances – Vincent Gallo doesn’t bring us a very interesting character, it isn’t written well or directed to make us interested in him, he just can’t make this character work. Christina Ricci was trying to break out of the child star roles by now, this is different to what we had seen before, though she does look bored through the film. the rest of the cast struggle too, it is just poorly written to give the actors a chance.
Story – The story follows a gambler that had paid the price for his addiction and now is free, he wants revenge only he spends the time with his kidnap victim as we get to see the difficult life he has had which led him to the life of crime. Well I think that is what we are meant to be seeing, the story does drag along at an awfully slow pace with nothing much happening, trying to make us believe the two could be falling in love, though he is abusive with his actions and spends more time running around looking for a toilet than showing any sort of emotion.
Comedy/Crime/Romance – If this is meant to be a comedy, the jokes miss big time as you will struggle to get a laugh out of this film, while the crime only seems to focus on the kidnapping, which she could have escaped from with ease plenty of times, so that never feels like a threat, the romance just feels awkward for the most part of the film because there is zero chemistry between the two.
Settings – The film is set in the Buffalo area, which is meant to be about the passion of the locals, it could easily be any town with a big American football team.
Scene of the Movie – The first look at the dinner table makes it a clever shot, until it gets boring.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We spend more time looking for a toilet.
Final Thoughts – This is just a dreadfully dull movie that has no direction in anyway, it fails to capture any attention from the audience with a truly unlikeable main character.
Overall: Dreadfully boring.
Performances – Vincent Gallo doesn’t bring us a very interesting character, it isn’t written well or directed to make us interested in him, he just can’t make this character work. Christina Ricci was trying to break out of the child star roles by now, this is different to what we had seen before, though she does look bored through the film. the rest of the cast struggle too, it is just poorly written to give the actors a chance.
Story – The story follows a gambler that had paid the price for his addiction and now is free, he wants revenge only he spends the time with his kidnap victim as we get to see the difficult life he has had which led him to the life of crime. Well I think that is what we are meant to be seeing, the story does drag along at an awfully slow pace with nothing much happening, trying to make us believe the two could be falling in love, though he is abusive with his actions and spends more time running around looking for a toilet than showing any sort of emotion.
Comedy/Crime/Romance – If this is meant to be a comedy, the jokes miss big time as you will struggle to get a laugh out of this film, while the crime only seems to focus on the kidnapping, which she could have escaped from with ease plenty of times, so that never feels like a threat, the romance just feels awkward for the most part of the film because there is zero chemistry between the two.
Settings – The film is set in the Buffalo area, which is meant to be about the passion of the locals, it could easily be any town with a big American football team.
Scene of the Movie – The first look at the dinner table makes it a clever shot, until it gets boring.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We spend more time looking for a toilet.
Final Thoughts – This is just a dreadfully dull movie that has no direction in anyway, it fails to capture any attention from the audience with a truly unlikeable main character.
Overall: Dreadfully boring.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Show Me the Way (Fight for Me, #1) in Books
Jan 9, 2020
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
This one starts with Rynna leaving her small town after yet another run in with her bullies, breaking her Grammy's heart as she flees. Fast forward quite a few years and Rynna is coming back to run the diner her Grammy used to own after her passing away. She's wary of people recognising her and dreads running into her bullies but makes new friends within her first days and meets her neighbours, single dad, Rex, and his young daughter Frankie Leigh. Rex has closed himself off from pretty much everyone and, intrigued by the contradictory man, Rynna can't help wanting to get to know him.
This was sweet. Both damaged in one way or another, wanting to overcome it when they meet that special someone and in this case it's each other. My only issue is I want angst in my stories lately. I want them to scream and fight and make up with each other. That didn't quite happen but somewhere around the 65% mark, someone made an appearance that sent everything up in the air and I was dragged into the story fully for the first time. It got a little intriguing with me wondering how it would all play out.
One thing I did really like about this book was Frankie Leigh. I have a huge weakness for adorable babies/children in my romances and Frankie Leigh may just have won the award for cuteness. She's so full of cute energy with her enthusiasm and crazy fashion sense. Adorable!
I wouldn't mind going back to Gingham Lakes to read Rex's friends stories.
This one starts with Rynna leaving her small town after yet another run in with her bullies, breaking her Grammy's heart as she flees. Fast forward quite a few years and Rynna is coming back to run the diner her Grammy used to own after her passing away. She's wary of people recognising her and dreads running into her bullies but makes new friends within her first days and meets her neighbours, single dad, Rex, and his young daughter Frankie Leigh. Rex has closed himself off from pretty much everyone and, intrigued by the contradictory man, Rynna can't help wanting to get to know him.
This was sweet. Both damaged in one way or another, wanting to overcome it when they meet that special someone and in this case it's each other. My only issue is I want angst in my stories lately. I want them to scream and fight and make up with each other. That didn't quite happen but somewhere around the 65% mark, someone made an appearance that sent everything up in the air and I was dragged into the story fully for the first time. It got a little intriguing with me wondering how it would all play out.
One thing I did really like about this book was Frankie Leigh. I have a huge weakness for adorable babies/children in my romances and Frankie Leigh may just have won the award for cuteness. She's so full of cute energy with her enthusiasm and crazy fashion sense. Adorable!
I wouldn't mind going back to Gingham Lakes to read Rex's friends stories.
Hallelujah Anyhow by Hiss Golden Messenger
Album Watch
Hallelujah Anyhow is the next studio album from Hiss Golden Messenger. Its ten new songs, penned by...
rock country americana
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated The Masterpiece in Books
Mar 5, 2019
In her latest novel, Francine Rivers brings us Roman Velasco a well to do artist who could have anything money can buy, except peace and contentment. Using graffiti to deal with his hurt and emotions, running from foster home to foster home as a child, Roman aka Bobby Ray Dean (the bird) is haunted by his past as a graffiti tagger.
Roman hires Grace as his personal assistant to help free up his time so he can concentrate on painting, but little does she know about Romans alter ego Bobby Ray Dean. Grace s dealing with her own secrets. Recovering from a bad marriage, Grace vows never to let a man hurt her again, but as they get to know one another the pieces begin to come together that alter the course of their lives.
Francine Rivers has done a superb job writing this novel. She has created intriguing characters that every reader can relate to. The author has run with an idea of how a childhood trauma can impact adult life; how two broken individuals can find completeness together. The author also brings out the issues of how we as persons can fall into traps and be thrown into the worldly ways, only to suffer the consequences of our actions.
She also points out that we are saved by Grace and that God loves us, and sometimes some of us have to realize there is a hell in order to hear and understand the truth.
A wonderful novel that the reader will not be able to put down. Well written and keeps the reader wanting more.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Roman hires Grace as his personal assistant to help free up his time so he can concentrate on painting, but little does she know about Romans alter ego Bobby Ray Dean. Grace s dealing with her own secrets. Recovering from a bad marriage, Grace vows never to let a man hurt her again, but as they get to know one another the pieces begin to come together that alter the course of their lives.
Francine Rivers has done a superb job writing this novel. She has created intriguing characters that every reader can relate to. The author has run with an idea of how a childhood trauma can impact adult life; how two broken individuals can find completeness together. The author also brings out the issues of how we as persons can fall into traps and be thrown into the worldly ways, only to suffer the consequences of our actions.
She also points out that we are saved by Grace and that God loves us, and sometimes some of us have to realize there is a hell in order to hear and understand the truth.
A wonderful novel that the reader will not be able to put down. Well written and keeps the reader wanting more.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Lords of Chaos (2018) in Movies
May 28, 2019
This Was a Miss For Me
Lords of Chaos is the tragic story of a teenager trying to bring Black Metal to Norway. Let’s get this out of the way now: The movie is a mess. I didn’t feel enriched after watching it in any shape, form, or fashion. Instead, I left with a very bad taste in my mouth and a desire to cut on a comedy after watching something so morbidly depressing.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 2
”What are you watching?” my wife asked from the other room. “Sounds awful!” She wasn’t wrong as the beginning attempts to explain all the W’s to the backdrop of hardcore, in-your-face metal. The music isn’t the problem, but I feel like they should have chosen one or the other: Either jump right into the metal music and set the tone or narrate the backstory first. Both made for a horrible mix.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 4
Conflict: 5
Genre: 3
Memorability: 4
Pace: 1
Show a gruesome suicide. Burn 100 churches. Stab a man in the woods. There was nothing that could be done to really get me interested in this movie. A lot of the film felt like shock value which diminished my interest in what was happening. My eyes spent more time running from what was happening than being engrossed in it. Pacing is one of the most important parts of a movie. You screw that up and it spells doom for the rest of the movie.
Plot: 7
Resolution: 3
One of the worst endings I’ve seen in movies. The worst part is you absolutely know it’s coming, but director Jonas Akerlund decides to make you sit through it anyway. After it was over, I felt like I had been skunked.
Overall: 49
There are some things that this movie did well. As you watch these characters go off the deep end, it definitely feels genuine and real. Unfortunately, for every one good thing I can name about Lords of Chaos, I can think of ten bad. This was a miss for me.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 2
”What are you watching?” my wife asked from the other room. “Sounds awful!” She wasn’t wrong as the beginning attempts to explain all the W’s to the backdrop of hardcore, in-your-face metal. The music isn’t the problem, but I feel like they should have chosen one or the other: Either jump right into the metal music and set the tone or narrate the backstory first. Both made for a horrible mix.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 4
Conflict: 5
Genre: 3
Memorability: 4
Pace: 1
Show a gruesome suicide. Burn 100 churches. Stab a man in the woods. There was nothing that could be done to really get me interested in this movie. A lot of the film felt like shock value which diminished my interest in what was happening. My eyes spent more time running from what was happening than being engrossed in it. Pacing is one of the most important parts of a movie. You screw that up and it spells doom for the rest of the movie.
Plot: 7
Resolution: 3
One of the worst endings I’ve seen in movies. The worst part is you absolutely know it’s coming, but director Jonas Akerlund decides to make you sit through it anyway. After it was over, I felt like I had been skunked.
Overall: 49
There are some things that this movie did well. As you watch these characters go off the deep end, it definitely feels genuine and real. Unfortunately, for every one good thing I can name about Lords of Chaos, I can think of ten bad. This was a miss for me.
JT (287 KP) rated Ready or Not (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
Original story (1 more)
Solid tension
White wedding goes full bloodshed
Grace (Samara Weaving) is about to marry the man of her dreams, Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien). But her new in-laws, as it turns out, are going to be a real nightmare.
After a long sweeping shot through a gothic house 30-years earlier which sets up the back story to what is going to unfold, Grace is tasked with drawing a card from a mysterious mechanical box.
The premise is simple, whatever game is on the card she has to play in order to be accepted into the family – a tradition which must be accepted.
Innocently believing that it is just a harmless game of Hide-and-Seek Grace sets off to hide. The family, however, arming themselves with a variety of antique weaponry, must kill poor Grace before sunrise or they will all perish.
The family is an eclectic mix of batshit crazed parents, eccentric grandparents, troublesome daughters and drunken sons. When merged they come across as a psychopath’s answer to the Keystone Cops, all flair but no clue whatsoever.
Ready or Not manages to balance horror and comedy nicely. It is gory when it needs to be with several grotesque and humorous scenes that will leave viewers squirming in their seats.
The remainder of the film is a tense game of cat and mouse with Grace now realising what the real motives of the family are. She must hold her nerve to see out the night and make it to morning.
The setting is perfect for this type of caper and the gothic mansion provides plenty of twists and turns; from secret doors and passages to outhouses filled with decaying corpses.
Grace turns from the bride in white to the bride in blood as she battles the family – the tension rarely lets up for a second. Ready or Not gets just about everything spot on and it never suffers from horror cliches or boredom.
Weaving gives a good account of herself as a modern-day scream queen turned badass, running around in a torn wedding dress and trainers dispelling the myth ‘till death do us part‘.
After a long sweeping shot through a gothic house 30-years earlier which sets up the back story to what is going to unfold, Grace is tasked with drawing a card from a mysterious mechanical box.
The premise is simple, whatever game is on the card she has to play in order to be accepted into the family – a tradition which must be accepted.
Innocently believing that it is just a harmless game of Hide-and-Seek Grace sets off to hide. The family, however, arming themselves with a variety of antique weaponry, must kill poor Grace before sunrise or they will all perish.
The family is an eclectic mix of batshit crazed parents, eccentric grandparents, troublesome daughters and drunken sons. When merged they come across as a psychopath’s answer to the Keystone Cops, all flair but no clue whatsoever.
Ready or Not manages to balance horror and comedy nicely. It is gory when it needs to be with several grotesque and humorous scenes that will leave viewers squirming in their seats.
The remainder of the film is a tense game of cat and mouse with Grace now realising what the real motives of the family are. She must hold her nerve to see out the night and make it to morning.
The setting is perfect for this type of caper and the gothic mansion provides plenty of twists and turns; from secret doors and passages to outhouses filled with decaying corpses.
Grace turns from the bride in white to the bride in blood as she battles the family – the tension rarely lets up for a second. Ready or Not gets just about everything spot on and it never suffers from horror cliches or boredom.
Weaving gives a good account of herself as a modern-day scream queen turned badass, running around in a torn wedding dress and trainers dispelling the myth ‘till death do us part‘.
