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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Deepwater Horizon (2016) in Movies
Jul 15, 2019
On April 20th 2010, approximately 40 miles off of the Louisiana coast, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank spilling over 3 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the Gulf oil spill and BP oil spill, is the worst oil spill in U.S. history, and cost 11 crew members their lives. It’s also one of the largest environmental disasters in history, who’s total cost to the marine life, fishing community, and entire Gulf coast is still unknown. The film Deepwater Horizon is based on the true story of the men and women who were working on the rig the day of the disaster.
As a new team arrives for a 21-day shift they can already tell something is not exactly right, when the contracted testing crew is leaving without conducting critical tests. The man in charge of the vessel, Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell), sets out to find out why the contractors have been dismissed and who let them go. Chief electronics technician Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) also goes to question the crew as to what has happened while he was off ship and how long the list is of things he needs to fix. Through a quick investigation by Mike and Jimmy find that BP officials, headed by Vidrine (John Malkovich), are the ones who made the decision. The BP officials chose to assume that everything was fine, and since the Deepwater Horizon was 43 days past their deadline and the rising costs were mounting. Their decision was that it was time to cap the well and move to the next site. That didn’t sit well with Mr. Jimmy, as most of the crew call him, so he demands that one more test is to be run before anything else happens.
The BP officials remind him of the cost and loss of money but eventually agree to the test. The initial test fails but before additional test can be run Jimmy is called away to another part of the vessel. With the addition test being inconclusive, and Mike and Jimmy not around, Vidrine pressures the crew to push forward and move on. Reluctantly the crew and Jimmy agree to move forward. A frustrated Jimmy retires to his crew quarters to get ready for a long night. Mike heads to his shop to video chat with his wife and start the monumental task of fixing all that is wrong aboard the Deepwater Horizon. At about 10 PM the entire vessel was rocked by an explosion. With that the crew rushes frantically to try and stop an even greater disaster and make their way safely off the Deepwater Horizon.
Director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor, Hancock, The Kingdom) does a great job of holding a steady pace throughout this film. The story moves well and once the action begins the intensity and suspense left me on the edge of my seat. The casting is great with Dylan O’Brien, Kate Hudson, Gina Rodriguez and others joining the previously mentioned Wahlberg, Russell and Malkovich. In focusing on the men and women who were on the Deepwater Horizon and their families it makes it a very creative an emotional tribute to the 11 men who perished that night. It does paint the large oil company (BP) as a villain, driven by profit to a point of recklessness, in a way that may be a little too political for some. I found it an informative story, showing a different side to a very well-known disaster.
As a new team arrives for a 21-day shift they can already tell something is not exactly right, when the contracted testing crew is leaving without conducting critical tests. The man in charge of the vessel, Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell), sets out to find out why the contractors have been dismissed and who let them go. Chief electronics technician Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) also goes to question the crew as to what has happened while he was off ship and how long the list is of things he needs to fix. Through a quick investigation by Mike and Jimmy find that BP officials, headed by Vidrine (John Malkovich), are the ones who made the decision. The BP officials chose to assume that everything was fine, and since the Deepwater Horizon was 43 days past their deadline and the rising costs were mounting. Their decision was that it was time to cap the well and move to the next site. That didn’t sit well with Mr. Jimmy, as most of the crew call him, so he demands that one more test is to be run before anything else happens.
The BP officials remind him of the cost and loss of money but eventually agree to the test. The initial test fails but before additional test can be run Jimmy is called away to another part of the vessel. With the addition test being inconclusive, and Mike and Jimmy not around, Vidrine pressures the crew to push forward and move on. Reluctantly the crew and Jimmy agree to move forward. A frustrated Jimmy retires to his crew quarters to get ready for a long night. Mike heads to his shop to video chat with his wife and start the monumental task of fixing all that is wrong aboard the Deepwater Horizon. At about 10 PM the entire vessel was rocked by an explosion. With that the crew rushes frantically to try and stop an even greater disaster and make their way safely off the Deepwater Horizon.
Director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor, Hancock, The Kingdom) does a great job of holding a steady pace throughout this film. The story moves well and once the action begins the intensity and suspense left me on the edge of my seat. The casting is great with Dylan O’Brien, Kate Hudson, Gina Rodriguez and others joining the previously mentioned Wahlberg, Russell and Malkovich. In focusing on the men and women who were on the Deepwater Horizon and their families it makes it a very creative an emotional tribute to the 11 men who perished that night. It does paint the large oil company (BP) as a villain, driven by profit to a point of recklessness, in a way that may be a little too political for some. I found it an informative story, showing a different side to a very well-known disaster.
Ross (3282 KP) rated Doors: Colony in Books
Mar 26, 2021
A slight improvement over the other book
This is another in Heitz's Doors series, three books telling the same underlying story up to a point, with a different story taking off depending on which of the mysterious doors the characters go through. In this book, the group of people employed to find and rescue rich Van Dam's daughter go through the door marked with a question mark. They find themselves in the cellar of a German bierhall in an alternative history of WWII. The war is over, the Germans having capitulated after Hitler's assassination and there is now a struggle between the Russians and the UK/USA over control of what remains.
The group find themselves slimmed down very quickly as members of the group drop like flies. Soon a small number of them find themselves in the company of some Russian spies, looking to stop the Americans' attempts to take power. For some reason, phony clairvoyant Coco Fendi now has actual powers and is capable of mind-reading, earning the respect and assistance of these spies.
There then follows a fairly enjoyable attempt to catch up with a train and board it to stop a nuclear war from breaking out.
The translation again is quite poor here, as some phrases do not make sense and make the reader work to understand what is meant. I am giving Heitz the benefit of the doubt and laying blame at the door of the translator here (though looking at some of the reviews on goodreads in German I'm not sure this is fair). However, there are some very odd passages that take the reader right out of the book, for example 'the time had come to test the 4x4's four-litre twin turbo engine promising 650 horsepower and a top speed of 190 miles an hour'. I mean, what the hell? Has Clarkson been asked to translate this book? It was completely irrelevant and odd.
In the 'Twilight' book of the series, there were some hints at other users of the doors and their purpose and provenance. This book builds on that to an extent, which is a clever idea from Heitz - in order to answer the questions, I think you need to read all three books. However, as a book in its own right, there are simply too many unanswered questions left (though slightly fewer than in 'Twilight').
An improvement, with a more coherent story once through the door in question, but still not a great read. As the first c25% is duplicated between books, I merrily skipped through this section looking for the distinct part starting off.
I received a free advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The group find themselves slimmed down very quickly as members of the group drop like flies. Soon a small number of them find themselves in the company of some Russian spies, looking to stop the Americans' attempts to take power. For some reason, phony clairvoyant Coco Fendi now has actual powers and is capable of mind-reading, earning the respect and assistance of these spies.
There then follows a fairly enjoyable attempt to catch up with a train and board it to stop a nuclear war from breaking out.
The translation again is quite poor here, as some phrases do not make sense and make the reader work to understand what is meant. I am giving Heitz the benefit of the doubt and laying blame at the door of the translator here (though looking at some of the reviews on goodreads in German I'm not sure this is fair). However, there are some very odd passages that take the reader right out of the book, for example 'the time had come to test the 4x4's four-litre twin turbo engine promising 650 horsepower and a top speed of 190 miles an hour'. I mean, what the hell? Has Clarkson been asked to translate this book? It was completely irrelevant and odd.
In the 'Twilight' book of the series, there were some hints at other users of the doors and their purpose and provenance. This book builds on that to an extent, which is a clever idea from Heitz - in order to answer the questions, I think you need to read all three books. However, as a book in its own right, there are simply too many unanswered questions left (though slightly fewer than in 'Twilight').
An improvement, with a more coherent story once through the door in question, but still not a great read. As the first c25% is duplicated between books, I merrily skipped through this section looking for the distinct part starting off.
I received a free advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
365Flicks (235 KP) rated Second Nature (2016) in Movies
Nov 20, 2019
So this movie couldn’t have found its place in the world at a more opportune time (What with Trump vs Hillary and all). A balls out funny as hell comedy about a woman who against all the Nay-Sayers is going to run for Mayor against a womanizing, no morals and for lack of a better word Ass-hole who thinks the job is already sewn up. Seems standard right?? Well no not really throw in a Magic Mirror and some Freaky Friday gender swapping and you have Second Nature.
Without jumping into Spoilers though, the Kicker is this… Its not our main characters who have swapped roles like in most of these movies. It is the world around them!!!
Set in the small town of Louisburg, a shall we say “Freak Accident” befalls the Mayor. Upon his death it becomes a race to the position between Amanda (Collette Wolf. Hot Tub Time Machine, Interstellar). Amanda has all the best intentions for the town. She wants to protect the citizens including her Grandmother. However she must first overcome her opponent Bret (Sam Huntington. Sully, Superman Returns and Fanboys) Bret thinks he has the whole thing sewn up, loved by all at the city council and a real ladies man. They get into a heated argument one night while Amanda is holding her Grandmas “Magic Mirror” and the roles of Men and Women are swapped leading for some pretty hilarious results. Which actually turns this into a somewhat Social statement at points.
First time Writer/Director Micheal Cross has brought an extremely well thought out and accomplished fresh take on the whole Gender/Body swap genre of movie in a way that I guess I was surprised by if I am honest. The movie has a great cast of characters that all have there moments to shine. A special mention to Carollani Sandberg who plays Amanda’s best friend Nat, she is hilarious in this movie . Wolfe and Huntington have a great chemistry and the laughs in this movie just keep on coming and at a cool 80 minutes it never has time to outstay its welcome. We at 365Flicks highly recommend this Movie, its a good time to be had.
Produced by Nicholas Gyeney under his Seattle-based production banner Mirror Images LTD (Beta Test, Matt’s Chance, The Penitent Man).
Without jumping into Spoilers though, the Kicker is this… Its not our main characters who have swapped roles like in most of these movies. It is the world around them!!!
Set in the small town of Louisburg, a shall we say “Freak Accident” befalls the Mayor. Upon his death it becomes a race to the position between Amanda (Collette Wolf. Hot Tub Time Machine, Interstellar). Amanda has all the best intentions for the town. She wants to protect the citizens including her Grandmother. However she must first overcome her opponent Bret (Sam Huntington. Sully, Superman Returns and Fanboys) Bret thinks he has the whole thing sewn up, loved by all at the city council and a real ladies man. They get into a heated argument one night while Amanda is holding her Grandmas “Magic Mirror” and the roles of Men and Women are swapped leading for some pretty hilarious results. Which actually turns this into a somewhat Social statement at points.
First time Writer/Director Micheal Cross has brought an extremely well thought out and accomplished fresh take on the whole Gender/Body swap genre of movie in a way that I guess I was surprised by if I am honest. The movie has a great cast of characters that all have there moments to shine. A special mention to Carollani Sandberg who plays Amanda’s best friend Nat, she is hilarious in this movie . Wolfe and Huntington have a great chemistry and the laughs in this movie just keep on coming and at a cool 80 minutes it never has time to outstay its welcome. We at 365Flicks highly recommend this Movie, its a good time to be had.
Produced by Nicholas Gyeney under his Seattle-based production banner Mirror Images LTD (Beta Test, Matt’s Chance, The Penitent Man).
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Diabolic in Books
Dec 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. There were twists I absolutely did not see coming, and Nemesis's confusion over whether she is truly human or not is an absorbing part of the plotline.
The book opens on Nemesis, an artificially created humanoid, as a child, being bonded to her charge, Sidonia Impyrean. The chemically-induced bonding creates an artificial love from Nemesis towards Sidonia - a love so strong she will kill and die to protect her. Many years later, Diabolics - what Nemesis is - are outlawed. Rather than kill Nemesis, Sidonia's family fakes her death, and eventually sends Nemesis to court masquerading as Sidonia. No one has seen Sidonia before, so the masquerade is fairly easy, other than hiding Nemesis' real abilities as one of the last Diabolics. Thrown into a world of conspiracies and courtly intrigue, Nemesis flails a little bit, but eventually finds her footing, and I can't say anymore than that because that's when the plot twists start!
This is one of the most surprising YA books I've read. I only anticipated one or two of the twists; many of the events revealed themselves to the reader at the same time that Nemesis uncovers them, which makes sense, as the book is told from her point of view.
The bond between Sidonia and Nemesis is strong and intriguing, even across star systems. I wish their relationship had been explored more. Sidonia always believed Nemesis was truly human, even when Nemesis did not. The book did not delve deeply into the actual creation of Diabolics; I'm hoping the sequel does. I'm curious if they are actually created, or if they are genetically modified humans and that's just a closely guarded secret. (Even if they are created, they're human in every way except their strength and endurance - I'm sure they're simply modified in the womb. Or test tube. Whichever. I really hope the sequel gets into that.)
I have the sequel, The Empress, requested from the library, but it's supposed to be a trilogy. I don't know when the third is due out.
This is a fantastic, surprising YA book with interesting politics and world building. I really want to learn more about the history of this world, and hopefully the rest of the trilogy will cover that.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
The book opens on Nemesis, an artificially created humanoid, as a child, being bonded to her charge, Sidonia Impyrean. The chemically-induced bonding creates an artificial love from Nemesis towards Sidonia - a love so strong she will kill and die to protect her. Many years later, Diabolics - what Nemesis is - are outlawed. Rather than kill Nemesis, Sidonia's family fakes her death, and eventually sends Nemesis to court masquerading as Sidonia. No one has seen Sidonia before, so the masquerade is fairly easy, other than hiding Nemesis' real abilities as one of the last Diabolics. Thrown into a world of conspiracies and courtly intrigue, Nemesis flails a little bit, but eventually finds her footing, and I can't say anymore than that because that's when the plot twists start!
This is one of the most surprising YA books I've read. I only anticipated one or two of the twists; many of the events revealed themselves to the reader at the same time that Nemesis uncovers them, which makes sense, as the book is told from her point of view.
The bond between Sidonia and Nemesis is strong and intriguing, even across star systems. I wish their relationship had been explored more. Sidonia always believed Nemesis was truly human, even when Nemesis did not. The book did not delve deeply into the actual creation of Diabolics; I'm hoping the sequel does. I'm curious if they are actually created, or if they are genetically modified humans and that's just a closely guarded secret. (Even if they are created, they're human in every way except their strength and endurance - I'm sure they're simply modified in the womb. Or test tube. Whichever. I really hope the sequel gets into that.)
I have the sequel, The Empress, requested from the library, but it's supposed to be a trilogy. I don't know when the third is due out.
This is a fantastic, surprising YA book with interesting politics and world building. I really want to learn more about the history of this world, and hopefully the rest of the trilogy will cover that.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Dreamz in Books
Jun 12, 2019
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Word Count: 12,470
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.54/5 stars
My rating: 3/5 stars
To be honest, I automatically started to dislike this book because “Dreams” is spelled with a Z. And while it was okay, it was not as good as it could have been.
Wunder has been dreaming about a man for as long as she can remember, always the same man. The dreams leave her aroused to no end at night. Unfortunately, this man doesn’t exist in her life, at least not yet. But her love life is nonexistent and thanks to her being half zombie, that’s not going to change any time soon.
Little does she know that her dream man exists and his name is Pete. Not only does he exist, but he’s been dreaming about her as well. Pete is also half zombie and lives in the next town over with his uncle. When he moves to Wunder’s town to recover from a huge zombie attack, will they finally get to meet in real life?
You can get this book for free on Smashwords.
I have such mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it’s a cool story with some damn good world-building. The explanation behind a half zombie, half human is actually logical, or as logical as anything to do with zombies is. This also sets up a lot of potential plotlines for the other books in the series, all of them sounding interesting. And the Resilient Infected Police, or RIP, have a fantastic name.
Also, I can always appreciate a bad-ass girl who knows how to kick some ass, zombie or otherwise.
But learn to fricking edit.
Aside from the grammatical and punctuational atrocities that made my eyes widen in horror while I was reading this, there are so many strange things in this story that aren’t even rookie mistakes. This story is as loose as your post Taco Bell shit.
Never mind the crazy summaries and excessive telling instead of showing. I’ve seen that so many times by now, I’m almost immune to that. What I haven’t seen is a fucking tree fetish.
Yes, ladies and gents, you read that right. Either Wunder loves trees a little too much, or the author does. Why else would Wunder interrupt her retelling of a very hot and kinky sex dream to describe at length the tree she’s tied to, when she first saw it, and how beautiful she thinks it is.
Damn, Wunder, get back to how your sexy dream man is dominating you. I don’t have patience for this arousal-killing nature shit.
Also, A. R. Von got so distracted with setting the stage for future plot lines that she totally forgot to dazzle the reader with the current plot. There was an awful lot of talk about how Pete’s town attracts zombies a lot more than normal towns do, and about the life test they have to take every month to make sure the people aren’t dead, although I feel like the rotting flesh would give it away. (Also how does a person keep their zombie side secret when being blood tested monthly for proof of life? Asking for a friend).
But the current plot of restless RIP agents going to save a town from a hoard of zombies while having kinky dreams is sadly neglected. The exchange between Wunder and her friend feels more like a free write than a final draft and the epic battle is slow-paced and anti-climactic.
Then at the end, Pete asks his uncle about Wunder, and Pete is able to tell him all about Wunder’s famous reputation of being an all-around badass, which brings up the question: how does Pete, who lives with his uncle and works with his uncle in the RIP not know even a little bit about Wunder’s existence when his uncle is able to recognize her on sight and gush about how awesome she is?
But I do like Pete and Wunder. Wunder is a bad-ass and Pete is sexy as hell. The chemistry between them is great. While there’s only a promise of a love connection in this book, I do believe they have a very juicy love story ahead of them.
Unfortunately the story needs massive editing and the dialogue and action often feels forced. I’m tempted to read the next book in the series, just to see how the love story plays out, but I doubt I will because I have a feeling the other stories are as unedited as this one was. But if you still want to check it out, you can get it for free on Smashwords.
Word Count: 12,470
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.54/5 stars
My rating: 3/5 stars
To be honest, I automatically started to dislike this book because “Dreams” is spelled with a Z. And while it was okay, it was not as good as it could have been.
Wunder has been dreaming about a man for as long as she can remember, always the same man. The dreams leave her aroused to no end at night. Unfortunately, this man doesn’t exist in her life, at least not yet. But her love life is nonexistent and thanks to her being half zombie, that’s not going to change any time soon.
Little does she know that her dream man exists and his name is Pete. Not only does he exist, but he’s been dreaming about her as well. Pete is also half zombie and lives in the next town over with his uncle. When he moves to Wunder’s town to recover from a huge zombie attack, will they finally get to meet in real life?
You can get this book for free on Smashwords.
I have such mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it’s a cool story with some damn good world-building. The explanation behind a half zombie, half human is actually logical, or as logical as anything to do with zombies is. This also sets up a lot of potential plotlines for the other books in the series, all of them sounding interesting. And the Resilient Infected Police, or RIP, have a fantastic name.
Also, I can always appreciate a bad-ass girl who knows how to kick some ass, zombie or otherwise.
But learn to fricking edit.
Aside from the grammatical and punctuational atrocities that made my eyes widen in horror while I was reading this, there are so many strange things in this story that aren’t even rookie mistakes. This story is as loose as your post Taco Bell shit.
Never mind the crazy summaries and excessive telling instead of showing. I’ve seen that so many times by now, I’m almost immune to that. What I haven’t seen is a fucking tree fetish.
Yes, ladies and gents, you read that right. Either Wunder loves trees a little too much, or the author does. Why else would Wunder interrupt her retelling of a very hot and kinky sex dream to describe at length the tree she’s tied to, when she first saw it, and how beautiful she thinks it is.
Damn, Wunder, get back to how your sexy dream man is dominating you. I don’t have patience for this arousal-killing nature shit.
Also, A. R. Von got so distracted with setting the stage for future plot lines that she totally forgot to dazzle the reader with the current plot. There was an awful lot of talk about how Pete’s town attracts zombies a lot more than normal towns do, and about the life test they have to take every month to make sure the people aren’t dead, although I feel like the rotting flesh would give it away. (Also how does a person keep their zombie side secret when being blood tested monthly for proof of life? Asking for a friend).
But the current plot of restless RIP agents going to save a town from a hoard of zombies while having kinky dreams is sadly neglected. The exchange between Wunder and her friend feels more like a free write than a final draft and the epic battle is slow-paced and anti-climactic.
Then at the end, Pete asks his uncle about Wunder, and Pete is able to tell him all about Wunder’s famous reputation of being an all-around badass, which brings up the question: how does Pete, who lives with his uncle and works with his uncle in the RIP not know even a little bit about Wunder’s existence when his uncle is able to recognize her on sight and gush about how awesome she is?
But I do like Pete and Wunder. Wunder is a bad-ass and Pete is sexy as hell. The chemistry between them is great. While there’s only a promise of a love connection in this book, I do believe they have a very juicy love story ahead of them.
Unfortunately the story needs massive editing and the dialogue and action often feels forced. I’m tempted to read the next book in the series, just to see how the love story plays out, but I doubt I will because I have a feeling the other stories are as unedited as this one was. But if you still want to check it out, you can get it for free on Smashwords.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Once Upon A Deadpool (Deadpool 2 PG-13 Version) (2018) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Taking what was old making it new again as long been criticism that is been levied against Hollywood. With abundance equals flooding the theaters as well as reboots; people often cynically ask if Hollywood has run out of new ideas. The latest film to fall under these criteria would be “Once Upon A Deadpool” where audiences are presented with a sanitized version of “Deadpool 2” accompanied by approximately 11 min. worth of new footage at the beginning and spread throughout.
The PG-13 take on what was definitely a very “R” rated film is been met with skeptics who see this as a sign of the pending Disney acquisition of Fox to test the waters to see if audiences will accept a more subdued take on the hero us paving the way for future adventures to be the more box office friendly “PG-13″.
The film cleverly opens with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), having kidnapped or as he likes to refer to it” involuntary relocation assistance”; Fred Savage as he attempts to re-create the opening of “The Princess Bride” and reads to him a family-friendlier version of “Deadpool 2”.
The film plays out as it did earlier this summer safe for much of the language being removed and use of pixels and cutaways to remove objectionable or an adult content to preserve the “PG-13” rating. What makes it enjoyable are the new seems where Reynolds and Savage exchange banter and debate topics ranging from Nickelback to the pending Disney acquisition of Fox.
I found myself looking forward to the next cutaway to hear what comments would be coming next including a very clever discussion of possible outcomes of Deadpool’s regenerative properties; and how they were not explored in the film due to “lazy writing”.
For me it was mostly a mixed bag as I enjoyed seeing the new footage as any new Deadpool content is always a treat and Reynolds seem to be having a great time returning to the character in an abbreviated fashion.
While the film basically played out as before; I found a sanitized version to not be as appealing simply because one of the joys of the character and the series is not knowing what will come next. How far will a joke be taken, how much Gore is going to be used for comedic effect, what invented a new profanity is going to spew from Deadpool? Much of this is been taken away to what I believe is a detriment to the franchise. One of the joys about the films is that the wise comments come at the audience and a rapid-fire approach. This makes you want to see the film again in order to catch what you witnessed previously. It felt like I was being deprived of this opportunity because while in many ways it was the same film, much of the adage that made the film stand out has been subdued.
While it is great that younger audiences will have an opportunity to experience the character; those of us who’ve seen him and his full uncensored glory will undoubtedly feel that this is a direction that should not be pursued for the future and that audiences want and deserve a fully uncensored Deadpool.
However for a little bit of family fun and a cute new laughs; “Once Upon A Deadpool”, is a pleasant enough distraction.
http://sknr.net/2018/12/12/once-upon-a-deadpool/
The PG-13 take on what was definitely a very “R” rated film is been met with skeptics who see this as a sign of the pending Disney acquisition of Fox to test the waters to see if audiences will accept a more subdued take on the hero us paving the way for future adventures to be the more box office friendly “PG-13″.
The film cleverly opens with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), having kidnapped or as he likes to refer to it” involuntary relocation assistance”; Fred Savage as he attempts to re-create the opening of “The Princess Bride” and reads to him a family-friendlier version of “Deadpool 2”.
The film plays out as it did earlier this summer safe for much of the language being removed and use of pixels and cutaways to remove objectionable or an adult content to preserve the “PG-13” rating. What makes it enjoyable are the new seems where Reynolds and Savage exchange banter and debate topics ranging from Nickelback to the pending Disney acquisition of Fox.
I found myself looking forward to the next cutaway to hear what comments would be coming next including a very clever discussion of possible outcomes of Deadpool’s regenerative properties; and how they were not explored in the film due to “lazy writing”.
For me it was mostly a mixed bag as I enjoyed seeing the new footage as any new Deadpool content is always a treat and Reynolds seem to be having a great time returning to the character in an abbreviated fashion.
While the film basically played out as before; I found a sanitized version to not be as appealing simply because one of the joys of the character and the series is not knowing what will come next. How far will a joke be taken, how much Gore is going to be used for comedic effect, what invented a new profanity is going to spew from Deadpool? Much of this is been taken away to what I believe is a detriment to the franchise. One of the joys about the films is that the wise comments come at the audience and a rapid-fire approach. This makes you want to see the film again in order to catch what you witnessed previously. It felt like I was being deprived of this opportunity because while in many ways it was the same film, much of the adage that made the film stand out has been subdued.
While it is great that younger audiences will have an opportunity to experience the character; those of us who’ve seen him and his full uncensored glory will undoubtedly feel that this is a direction that should not be pursued for the future and that audiences want and deserve a fully uncensored Deadpool.
However for a little bit of family fun and a cute new laughs; “Once Upon A Deadpool”, is a pleasant enough distraction.
http://sknr.net/2018/12/12/once-upon-a-deadpool/
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Shadow Reader (The Shadow Reader, #1) in Books
Oct 1, 2019
This starts with McKenzie doing in a test in a lecture hall at Uni, only she's interrupted mid test by her friend and love interest, Kyol--sword-master of the current Fae King. The rebels have found her and she's in danger. They run from the room but get attacked by the rebels as they try to escape. In the end, McKenzie fall into the rebels trap and ends up their captive. McKenzie keeps attempting to escape and though half of the rebels want her dead, the leader, Aren, wants her kept alive.
What follows is a complicated twisty tale of right and wrong, of realising that what you thought was the truth for so long has been twisted and put in a new light so you'll go along with it. Truths are revealed that you agree with.
There is an element of love-triangle going on in this. She's had a "thing" with Kyol for ten years: touches and kisses that are prohibited under the King's ruling of no relationships between humans and Fae. And then there's Aren. The rebel leader who steals her away and tries to convince her that the Court is using her for their own gains and not for the good of the people.
In truth I think I was more Team Aren. We got to see more of his relationship progression with McKenzie. They go from not trusting or liking each other particularly to that tender, sweet touches, stage of falling for each other. Don't get me wrong, I like Kyol. But I think because we missed the start of their relationship growth all those years ago that I don't feel as strong of a connection between them.
By the end of this I was urging our group to win the fight. And now I'm very interested in what's going to happen next with this ragtag group.
What follows is a complicated twisty tale of right and wrong, of realising that what you thought was the truth for so long has been twisted and put in a new light so you'll go along with it. Truths are revealed that you agree with.
There is an element of love-triangle going on in this. She's had a "thing" with Kyol for ten years: touches and kisses that are prohibited under the King's ruling of no relationships between humans and Fae. And then there's Aren. The rebel leader who steals her away and tries to convince her that the Court is using her for their own gains and not for the good of the people.
In truth I think I was more Team Aren. We got to see more of his relationship progression with McKenzie. They go from not trusting or liking each other particularly to that tender, sweet touches, stage of falling for each other. Don't get me wrong, I like Kyol. But I think because we missed the start of their relationship growth all those years ago that I don't feel as strong of a connection between them.
By the end of this I was urging our group to win the fight. And now I'm very interested in what's going to happen next with this ragtag group.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Star Trek III - The Search for Spock (1984) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
Why mess with a winning formula? Most of the original cast return for this next outing – with Robin Curtis stepping in for Kirstie Alley who “didn’t want to get typecast”. And the story continues from where we left off. But it all feels more forced this time. There are various absurdities in the story that make things very convenient! There are also things that make you say “hang on a minute” from Star Trek II. (For example, McCoy just stands there without objection in the funeral scene! Wouldn’t a “wait a minute” at that point have saved an AWFUL lot of grief??!).
Christopher Lloyd is wonderfully over the top as the Klingon commander, making a very believable baddie. And he really is a villain, allowing Shatner the opportunity to test his acting range (unfortunately, he singularly fails): “You Klingon bastard, you killed my son…. You Klingon bastard, you killed my son”.
Overall, it’s not a total disaster, but it all feels lacklustre and lazy after the glory of the Wrath of Khan. It makes you wonder what might have been if Nicholas Meyer had stayed at the helm to direct it instead of Nimoy.
Christopher Lloyd is wonderfully over the top as the Klingon commander, making a very believable baddie. And he really is a villain, allowing Shatner the opportunity to test his acting range (unfortunately, he singularly fails): “You Klingon bastard, you killed my son…. You Klingon bastard, you killed my son”.
Overall, it’s not a total disaster, but it all feels lacklustre and lazy after the glory of the Wrath of Khan. It makes you wonder what might have been if Nicholas Meyer had stayed at the helm to direct it instead of Nimoy.
Butch Vig recommended Harvest Moon by Neil Young in Music (curated)
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Far Cry (2008) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
On a remote island in the Pacific Northwest, a scientist named Dr. Krieger (Udo Kier) is conducting horrific genetic experiments in his secret facility.
Krieger is attempting to create the ultimate soldier for his financial backers and is not above using his own men as test subjects and fodder for his experiments as the morally lacking Krieger only cares about his work and his funding.
In the film “Far Cry”, Director Uwe Boll has taken the classic 3D shooter from Ubisoft and given it his own unique interpretation.
The film stars Til Schweiger as Jack Carver, a former special forces operative who spends his days as a boat captain chartering tourists on whale watching expeditions when he is not enjoying a beer and sleeping the day away.
Jack is hired by a determined investigative reporter named Valerie Cardinal (Emmanuelle Vaugier), to take her to the island so she can get further proof for her story about the bizarre experiments taking place on the island. Valerie has a personal interest in the story as her uncle Max (Ralf Moeller), is one of those stationed at the island facility.
While Jack is reluctant to go near the island he does agree to anchor of the coast and pick up Valerie in a few hours. Of course things do not go as planned as Valerie is captured and Jack’s boat is destroyed leaving him believed to be dead by the Doctor and his forces.
Jack is not one to let this go, and rescues Valerie and looks to find a way off the island while avoiding the ever present troops. The stubborn Valerie is unwilling to leave until she has the information she needs for her story and ignores the dangers.
As if the Doctor and his soldiers were not trouble enough, the super soldiers have escaped and have caused various factions within the Dr’s forces to turn against one another which results in a pitched battle between the factions and the super soldiers.
What follows is a lot of action that is hampered by a weak plot and bad dialogue, and sadly very disappointing monsters.
The leads in the film have very little chemistry with one another and the characters are wafer thin, even by action movie standards. There are attempts at romance and playful banter that fizzle badly leaving only the action sequences to carry the film. Sadly while they are decent enough, especially a good car chase, they cannot overcome the plot issues and the creatures that do not live up to the hype.
Boll has taken a step back here as his recent films have shown progress especially the solid
“Seed” and “1968 Tunnel Rats”. When I visited the set I learned that the production was not allowed to use large aspects of the game and that aside from names, title, and settings, they had to create a new story that was inspired by the game. While the effort is there, the results come up lacking and do not do justice to the game, premise, or talent assembled.
Krieger is attempting to create the ultimate soldier for his financial backers and is not above using his own men as test subjects and fodder for his experiments as the morally lacking Krieger only cares about his work and his funding.
In the film “Far Cry”, Director Uwe Boll has taken the classic 3D shooter from Ubisoft and given it his own unique interpretation.
The film stars Til Schweiger as Jack Carver, a former special forces operative who spends his days as a boat captain chartering tourists on whale watching expeditions when he is not enjoying a beer and sleeping the day away.
Jack is hired by a determined investigative reporter named Valerie Cardinal (Emmanuelle Vaugier), to take her to the island so she can get further proof for her story about the bizarre experiments taking place on the island. Valerie has a personal interest in the story as her uncle Max (Ralf Moeller), is one of those stationed at the island facility.
While Jack is reluctant to go near the island he does agree to anchor of the coast and pick up Valerie in a few hours. Of course things do not go as planned as Valerie is captured and Jack’s boat is destroyed leaving him believed to be dead by the Doctor and his forces.
Jack is not one to let this go, and rescues Valerie and looks to find a way off the island while avoiding the ever present troops. The stubborn Valerie is unwilling to leave until she has the information she needs for her story and ignores the dangers.
As if the Doctor and his soldiers were not trouble enough, the super soldiers have escaped and have caused various factions within the Dr’s forces to turn against one another which results in a pitched battle between the factions and the super soldiers.
What follows is a lot of action that is hampered by a weak plot and bad dialogue, and sadly very disappointing monsters.
The leads in the film have very little chemistry with one another and the characters are wafer thin, even by action movie standards. There are attempts at romance and playful banter that fizzle badly leaving only the action sequences to carry the film. Sadly while they are decent enough, especially a good car chase, they cannot overcome the plot issues and the creatures that do not live up to the hype.
Boll has taken a step back here as his recent films have shown progress especially the solid
“Seed” and “1968 Tunnel Rats”. When I visited the set I learned that the production was not allowed to use large aspects of the game and that aside from names, title, and settings, they had to create a new story that was inspired by the game. While the effort is there, the results come up lacking and do not do justice to the game, premise, or talent assembled.