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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Polar (2019) in Movies
Feb 23, 2019
Could’ve been so much better
Right from the start, this film is an absolute mess. It’s so garish and in your face, and not in a good way. It’s never good when the opening scene makes you turn your nose up in dislike, and sadly the rest of the film never manages to get past this.
The main problem is the villains. Yes this is based on a comic book, but is that an excuse for having such vile looking and plain bad villains. They are all horrendously bad characters and beyond irritating, although the worst is by far the boss villain played by Matt Lucas. I do like Matt Lucas, but I’ve come to realise he’s only good when he’s playing silly sketch characters. Which is what he’s doing here, but it’s out of place and far too cheesy. He doesn’t make for a menacing villain and although he’s laughable, it’s not in the way intended.
Mads Mikkelsen is the only real reason that this film is watchable. Every time he’s on screen the film becomes as enjoyable as it can be. It’s a shame really as there is potential buried in this - the plot as a whole isn’t bad, and I like a lot of the fight scenes that Duncan is in and the gory bits too. It’s just a pity they made it so damn garish and cheesy. If they’d have tried to make it a little darker, maybe a little like Sin City or something, it could actually have been quite good and have lived up to all of Mads Mikkelsens scenes.
Unless you’re desperate, I wouldn’t recommend watching this. And if you’re a Mads Mikkelsen fan, you’d be better off choosing one of his better offerings than this!
The main problem is the villains. Yes this is based on a comic book, but is that an excuse for having such vile looking and plain bad villains. They are all horrendously bad characters and beyond irritating, although the worst is by far the boss villain played by Matt Lucas. I do like Matt Lucas, but I’ve come to realise he’s only good when he’s playing silly sketch characters. Which is what he’s doing here, but it’s out of place and far too cheesy. He doesn’t make for a menacing villain and although he’s laughable, it’s not in the way intended.
Mads Mikkelsen is the only real reason that this film is watchable. Every time he’s on screen the film becomes as enjoyable as it can be. It’s a shame really as there is potential buried in this - the plot as a whole isn’t bad, and I like a lot of the fight scenes that Duncan is in and the gory bits too. It’s just a pity they made it so damn garish and cheesy. If they’d have tried to make it a little darker, maybe a little like Sin City or something, it could actually have been quite good and have lived up to all of Mads Mikkelsens scenes.
Unless you’re desperate, I wouldn’t recommend watching this. And if you’re a Mads Mikkelsen fan, you’d be better off choosing one of his better offerings than this!
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Starting Over by Niykee Heaton in Music
Jun 7, 2019
Niykee Heaton is a Chicago-born and South Florida-based singer-songwriter/producer. Not too long ago, she released a lovely 3-song EP, entitled, “Starting Over”.
NiyKee Heaton – “Mascara”
‘Mascara’ tells the tale of a woman who’s in a new relationship with a guy she’s feeling. She’s been hurt before and takes pride in wearing make-up because it makes her feel good about herself. Also, when they are being romantic, he’s allowed to ruin her lipstick, bed, hair, her body, but not her life and mascara.
‘Mascara’ contains a unique storyline, soft vocals, and a guitar-driven instrumentation perfumed with sentimental elements.
NiyKee Heaton – “Bad Guy”
‘Bad Guy’ tells a bitter tale of a woman who’s being blamed for something she ‘allegedly’ did. Apparently, her relationship with her significant other is on the rocks and he’s blaming her for the ugly breakup and hates her because of that. But she wears the ‘bad guy’ tag well and tells a different story of why their relationship didn’t work.
“Bad Guy” contains a relatable storyline, soft vocals, and a slow-bouncing instrumentation embedded with dark undertones.
NiyKee Heaton – “Starting Over”
‘Starting Over’ tells the tale of a woman who wants to exit her current relationship. Apparently, it’s problematic, and every time she puts some space between her and her ex, he shows up when she’s almost over him. Eventually, he convinces her for them to start all over again, which is something she doesn’t want to do anymore.
‘Starting Over’ contains a relatable storyline, melodic vocals, and a charming instrumentation oozing with sonic passion.
In conclusion, Niykee Heaton’s “Starting Over” EP is a short and sweet relationship-themed project with replay value. Also, listeners can experience different stages of a relationship, plus gain strength to start all over anew if things turn sour.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/niykee-heaton-starting-ep/
NiyKee Heaton – “Mascara”
‘Mascara’ tells the tale of a woman who’s in a new relationship with a guy she’s feeling. She’s been hurt before and takes pride in wearing make-up because it makes her feel good about herself. Also, when they are being romantic, he’s allowed to ruin her lipstick, bed, hair, her body, but not her life and mascara.
‘Mascara’ contains a unique storyline, soft vocals, and a guitar-driven instrumentation perfumed with sentimental elements.
NiyKee Heaton – “Bad Guy”
‘Bad Guy’ tells a bitter tale of a woman who’s being blamed for something she ‘allegedly’ did. Apparently, her relationship with her significant other is on the rocks and he’s blaming her for the ugly breakup and hates her because of that. But she wears the ‘bad guy’ tag well and tells a different story of why their relationship didn’t work.
“Bad Guy” contains a relatable storyline, soft vocals, and a slow-bouncing instrumentation embedded with dark undertones.
NiyKee Heaton – “Starting Over”
‘Starting Over’ tells the tale of a woman who wants to exit her current relationship. Apparently, it’s problematic, and every time she puts some space between her and her ex, he shows up when she’s almost over him. Eventually, he convinces her for them to start all over again, which is something she doesn’t want to do anymore.
‘Starting Over’ contains a relatable storyline, melodic vocals, and a charming instrumentation oozing with sonic passion.
In conclusion, Niykee Heaton’s “Starting Over” EP is a short and sweet relationship-themed project with replay value. Also, listeners can experience different stages of a relationship, plus gain strength to start all over anew if things turn sour.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/niykee-heaton-starting-ep/
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Fruits Basket Another Vol. 1 in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Fruits Basket was my first Manga I read and I decided to try it because of Hannah over at The Rainy Reader. The Fruits Basket story is super fun and cute. I read the first volume of the Collectors Edition and although it took me a bit to get used to the way you read a manga. Read right to left and you flip the pages from back to front.
The story was what initially intrigued me to try reading it. The story is based around a young girl name Tohru Honda. Her mother has recently died and as a result she ends up living in a tent on the private land of the Sohma clan. The owners of the land discover her and Tohru quickly realizes the most popular guy in her school, Yuki Sohma, lives in a house on this land. The family decides to take Tohru in and she discovers their secret… Anytime a member of the Sohma clan is hugged by someone of the opposite gender they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
I love all the characters Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are my favorites so far. Toward the end of this volume you start to meet other members of the clan, and I’m super excited for that! The characters are easy to relate to and I find myself so engrossed in the story that I’m often turning pages without enjoying the art work so I often must go back and check it out. The art work in this story is stunning, the way the emotions jump off the page is brilliant.
My goal this year was to start reading different types of books and break out of my comfort zone a bit. Fruits Basket allowed me to do that! I hope you’ll give it a try.
The story was what initially intrigued me to try reading it. The story is based around a young girl name Tohru Honda. Her mother has recently died and as a result she ends up living in a tent on the private land of the Sohma clan. The owners of the land discover her and Tohru quickly realizes the most popular guy in her school, Yuki Sohma, lives in a house on this land. The family decides to take Tohru in and she discovers their secret… Anytime a member of the Sohma clan is hugged by someone of the opposite gender they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
I love all the characters Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are my favorites so far. Toward the end of this volume you start to meet other members of the clan, and I’m super excited for that! The characters are easy to relate to and I find myself so engrossed in the story that I’m often turning pages without enjoying the art work so I often must go back and check it out. The art work in this story is stunning, the way the emotions jump off the page is brilliant.
My goal this year was to start reading different types of books and break out of my comfort zone a bit. Fruits Basket allowed me to do that! I hope you’ll give it a try.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Layers of Fear in Video Games
Nov 19, 2019 (Updated Nov 19, 2019)
On the surface, Layers of Fear seems like a game that was designed purely for YouTubers to play and scream at, and I think that's a fair enough assumption based on the sheer amount of jumpscares throughout (some are cheap, some are effective).
But look a little deeper and you will be rewarded with more that you might expect.
You play as a Victorian era painter, trying to paint his magnum opus, unlocking more to your painting as you dive ever deeper into his fractured psyche.
It's one of those games that leaves a lot up to you to interpret, only finding more concrete plot pointers if you care enough to explore and find clues.
Visually, Layers of Fear is great. It captures the feeling of spiralling madness perfectly, with some decent graphics to go with it.
The constant presence of subtly morphing paintings scattered along the walls is suitably creepy, and creates a general feeling of unease as you navigate through dimly lit hallways.
The classic first person perspective adds to this unease as you constantly feel little to no control over what you're seeing, as the house shifts around you regularly.
The further you venture into the artists mind, the darker the narrative insinuations become, as the visions turn increasingly twisted.
Layers of Fear can be finished in a couple of hours, and isn't particularly challenging, but the addition of multiple endings will keep you coming back, just out of shear intrigue.
The jump scares feel a little excessive after a while but if you are a fan of the recent wave of first person horror exploration games (in the wake of P.T.) then Layers of Fear is worth seeking out.
But look a little deeper and you will be rewarded with more that you might expect.
You play as a Victorian era painter, trying to paint his magnum opus, unlocking more to your painting as you dive ever deeper into his fractured psyche.
It's one of those games that leaves a lot up to you to interpret, only finding more concrete plot pointers if you care enough to explore and find clues.
Visually, Layers of Fear is great. It captures the feeling of spiralling madness perfectly, with some decent graphics to go with it.
The constant presence of subtly morphing paintings scattered along the walls is suitably creepy, and creates a general feeling of unease as you navigate through dimly lit hallways.
The classic first person perspective adds to this unease as you constantly feel little to no control over what you're seeing, as the house shifts around you regularly.
The further you venture into the artists mind, the darker the narrative insinuations become, as the visions turn increasingly twisted.
Layers of Fear can be finished in a couple of hours, and isn't particularly challenging, but the addition of multiple endings will keep you coming back, just out of shear intrigue.
The jump scares feel a little excessive after a while but if you are a fan of the recent wave of first person horror exploration games (in the wake of P.T.) then Layers of Fear is worth seeking out.
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