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Conspiracy (2001)
Movie Watch
In January 1942, as the United States enters World War II, a conference assembles near Berlin. SS...
Coriolanus: Donmar Warehouse
William Shakespeare, Rob Hastie and Josie Rourke
Book
When an old adversary threatens Rome, the city calls once more on her hero and defender: Coriolanus....
War Horse (2011)
Movie Watch
Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Kong: Skull Island (2017) in Movies
Jul 28, 2017
Script & character development (2 more)
Overused slow mo
Music
Better than Peter Jackson's version
Well this definitely wasn't worse than Peter Jackson's snorefest of a Kong movie, and I'd say it's probably on par with Gareth Edward's Godzilla film.
It's a much better story and plot than Peter Jackson's but it really suffers from a patchy script and very poor character development. The CG Kong is impressive, but the slow motion effects are really overused. There are some cheesy shots - Tom Hiddleston has obviously been told to stand around "looking macho" - and the music just doesn't work. There isn't a requirement to use all of the same classic songs just because a film is set around the time of the Vietnam war!
It's a much better story and plot than Peter Jackson's but it really suffers from a patchy script and very poor character development. The CG Kong is impressive, but the slow motion effects are really overused. There are some cheesy shots - Tom Hiddleston has obviously been told to stand around "looking macho" - and the music just doesn't work. There isn't a requirement to use all of the same classic songs just because a film is set around the time of the Vietnam war!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Thor: The Dark World (2013) in Movies
Jun 9, 2018 (Updated Jun 9, 2018)
Marvel's second Thor movie is a not especially well-judged mixture of somewhat leaden epic fantasy and cutesy, kooky rom-com. Looks spiffy throughout, but it doesn't half drag in places: you can see why they decided to shake things up so thoroughly in the third one.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.
David McK (3180 KP) rated Loki - Season 1 in TV
Jul 25, 2021
The most recent (at the time of writing) of Marvels post-Endgame TV series (after both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and, once again, this is a very different beast than any of those two previous.
In this one, Tom Hiddleston portrays Loki, as he was just after stealing the Tesseract during the time travel heist of Avengers: Endgame ie before this version of him had lived through those events that occurred after Avengers Assemble (eg Thor: Dark World, Ragnorak, Infinity War etc etc) and is almost immediately arrested by the Time Variance Authority (the TVA), an organisation whose sole purpose is to police the 'sacred timeline'.
Over the course of the series, things prove not always to be as they seem, with this series also (or so I've heard) leading directly into Marvels phase 4 of the MCU.
In this one, Tom Hiddleston portrays Loki, as he was just after stealing the Tesseract during the time travel heist of Avengers: Endgame ie before this version of him had lived through those events that occurred after Avengers Assemble (eg Thor: Dark World, Ragnorak, Infinity War etc etc) and is almost immediately arrested by the Time Variance Authority (the TVA), an organisation whose sole purpose is to police the 'sacred timeline'.
Over the course of the series, things prove not always to be as they seem, with this series also (or so I've heard) leading directly into Marvels phase 4 of the MCU.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in Movies
Nov 3, 2017
So initially, the only reason I wanted to see this movie was because of the director, Taika Waititi. The Thor movies haven't been the greatest, but I was hoping, somehow, they could manage to make a good Thor film. I've loved everything Waititi has directed, so it's no surprise that I also loved this movie.. I'm definitely suffering from superhero movie fatigue, and this is what Marvel needed.
There were actual character arcs! Chris Hemsworth did well with the comedy, as did Tom Hiddleston. I might actually start watching Hiddleston's movies again.
The reason this only gets a 9, rather than 10: Hulk. I can't stand the Hulk, and I feel like they only put him in there for the children.
1st post-credit scene was great, 2nd was lame.
ALSO, that MATT DAMON cameo was hilarious.
I can't wait to see it again on Sunday.
There were actual character arcs! Chris Hemsworth did well with the comedy, as did Tom Hiddleston. I might actually start watching Hiddleston's movies again.
The reason this only gets a 9, rather than 10: Hulk. I can't stand the Hulk, and I feel like they only put him in there for the children.
1st post-credit scene was great, 2nd was lame.
ALSO, that MATT DAMON cameo was hilarious.
I can't wait to see it again on Sunday.
Ryan Hill (152 KP) rated Thor: The Dark World (2013) in Movies
May 10, 2019
"i didn't do it for him"
I was hoping to see something in The Dark World that I had missed the previous two viewings...something to help me enjoy this a bit more. Unfortunately, I hadn't missed anything. This is a drag.
Where do I start with the flaws? A lot of characters are criminally underutilised including Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Odin, Heimdall and perhaps most important, the main antagonist, Malekith. I like the idea of the Dark Elves being used here but the execution is terribly flawed. It doesn't help that the likes of Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins are seemingly coasting here; the former with literally no chemistry with her love interest. Although the latter's sheer presence helps boost scenes he is in, even if he isn't trying. The other issue is this whole film is essentially flashes of brilliance drowning in a sea of mediocrity. Every now and then we get a cool scene involving Loki or Thor will crack a joke or there will be a cool action sequence but then that 5 minutes is followed by 20 minutes of characters having little to do. It's criminally boring.
I bet you can all guess the good...Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor and Tom Hiddleston who plays Loki. These two are the stars (obviously) and if it wasn't for them, this would probably get only one star. I mean, I like Thor's friends but they don't get much screentime in this. I like the look of Asgard but the story that accompanies it is boring.
It's a shame that two great lead characters are wasted by weak writing and unmotivated performances from some other cast members.
Where do I start with the flaws? A lot of characters are criminally underutilised including Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Odin, Heimdall and perhaps most important, the main antagonist, Malekith. I like the idea of the Dark Elves being used here but the execution is terribly flawed. It doesn't help that the likes of Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins are seemingly coasting here; the former with literally no chemistry with her love interest. Although the latter's sheer presence helps boost scenes he is in, even if he isn't trying. The other issue is this whole film is essentially flashes of brilliance drowning in a sea of mediocrity. Every now and then we get a cool scene involving Loki or Thor will crack a joke or there will be a cool action sequence but then that 5 minutes is followed by 20 minutes of characters having little to do. It's criminally boring.
I bet you can all guess the good...Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor and Tom Hiddleston who plays Loki. These two are the stars (obviously) and if it wasn't for them, this would probably get only one star. I mean, I like Thor's friends but they don't get much screentime in this. I like the look of Asgard but the story that accompanies it is boring.
It's a shame that two great lead characters are wasted by weak writing and unmotivated performances from some other cast members.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
May 31, 2019
This is one of those films where the trailers were better than the end product. Honestly, I barely remember G14, only that the title character doesn't show up until the end. At least Skull Island had some good Kong kicking ass moments and Tom Hiddleston in a tight shirt.
The main characters are uninteresting, basically, we've got Coach, that kid from Stranger Things, and the chick that's a relative of that American Horror Story actress. The movie did not make me care about them at all, I would have been fine with them all biting the dust. There's a little more about Monarch, but seriously, Thomas Middleditch was annoying.
Basically, I was there for Godzilla, and all the other monsters fighting. There wasn't enough of it, as far as I'm concerned. I guess it was worth seeing the action on the big screen. I'm vaguely interested to see Godzilla vs Kong (plz let Toby Kebbell do the mo-cap again).
The main characters are uninteresting, basically, we've got Coach, that kid from Stranger Things, and the chick that's a relative of that American Horror Story actress. The movie did not make me care about them at all, I would have been fine with them all biting the dust. There's a little more about Monarch, but seriously, Thomas Middleditch was annoying.
Basically, I was there for Godzilla, and all the other monsters fighting. There wasn't enough of it, as far as I'm concerned. I guess it was worth seeing the action on the big screen. I'm vaguely interested to see Godzilla vs Kong (plz let Toby Kebbell do the mo-cap again).
Erika (17788 KP) rated Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) in Movies
Apr 11, 2021 (Updated Apr 11, 2021)
You would think that a film about massive monsters battling out wouldn't be boring... but it was. My friend had warned me, but I thought maybe she was being too hard on the film. These Godzilla/Kong movies are normally big, dumb fun. This one? Snore.
The monster fights were the best parts, seriously, cut all the humans and I would have actually enjoyed it. I want to know where these scientists get their degrees, because they are all dumb af. There wasn't even someone attractive to keep me engaged, my chicken tendies and the promise of the big monster fight at the end were basically the reason I stayed.
I imagine I'll forget this film by tomorrow, much like I did the other two Godzilla films. At least the previous Kong film had Tom Hiddleston in the tight blue t-shirt to keep things interesting.
Just go re-watch Pacific Rim.
The monster fights were the best parts, seriously, cut all the humans and I would have actually enjoyed it. I want to know where these scientists get their degrees, because they are all dumb af. There wasn't even someone attractive to keep me engaged, my chicken tendies and the promise of the big monster fight at the end were basically the reason I stayed.
I imagine I'll forget this film by tomorrow, much like I did the other two Godzilla films. At least the previous Kong film had Tom Hiddleston in the tight blue t-shirt to keep things interesting.
Just go re-watch Pacific Rim.