Search
Search results
Numbers League
Education and Games
App
Numbers League is made for ages 5 to Adult. "My kids beg to play this game." -GeekDad, Wired.com...
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) in Movies
Dec 18, 2021
Willem Dafoe (2 more)
The on-screen bickering between characters.
The Doc Ock, Doctor Strange, and villainous team-up action sequences.
The humor doesn't always land. (2 more)
Peter's idiotic logic.
Lizard is supremely underutilized.
Riding the Nostalgia Train
Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up immediately after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) has revealed to the world that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is Spider-Man. The world is torn in thinking that Peter is either still a hero or behind the drone attacks on London like Beck stated before his death.
Peter is now in a relationship with MJ (Zendaya) while Ned (Jacob Batalon) tags along as the third wheel more than the guy in the chair. As the three attempt to get into MIT and other colleges, MJ and Ned are punished for being associated with Peter. Feeling guilty, Peter takes it upon himself to contact Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who eventually agrees to perform a spell that would make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, Peter’s motor mouth and constant need to change Strange’s spell botches it and ends up opening the multiverse.
Early on, the humor in Spider-Man: No Way Home is lacking and a little lame. Much of the film rides on Peter’s relationship with MJ. Peter, MJ, and Ned have become inseparable in the film thanks to the events of Homecoming, Far From Home, Infinity War, and Endgame. Nearly everything boils down to them making decisions as a trio even when Peter is out there as Spider-Man. The humor in the film doesn’t really find its footing until the villains come along and even then it starts off pretty rough (making fun of the Otto Octavius name in the trailer is a prime example).
Peter’s solution to all of these villains invading his universe from their own is pure stupidity. The desire to do what’s best for someone’s well being is there and you understand why Peter is so adamant about going in the direction that he does. However, he has the opportunity to end all of this early on with little to no repercussions other than some structural damage that he is able to repair in one night.
Peter chooses to change the fate of these villains with the best intentions and suffers for it. In a way, it’s inevitable as it factors in to and is motivation for who Peter Parker and Spider-Man are as essentially one heroic character. “It’s what they do,” as they say several times in the film. That doesn’t mean you have to swallow it as something a supposed genius and one of Marvel’s smartest minds would conjure up though.
Next to the surprises the film has in store for first time viewers, the villains are arguably the highlight of the film. Peter’s fight with Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) on the bridge is nearly on par with the Spider-Man/Doc Ock fight on the train from Spider-Man 2. Willem Dafoe is also still Spider-Man’s greatest and most sinister adversary as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin two decades later.
Dafoe’s one stipulation for returning to the franchise was that he would be allowed to do all of his own stunts even at 66 years old; he believes it all factors in to his performance and it shows. You feel sympathy for Norman and admire his brilliance, but he’s plagued with this gushingly nefarious and uncontrollable alternate personality. With that reverberating laugh and amazing facial expressions, Dafoe literally steals the film every time he’s on screen.
The bickering in the film results in some of the most entertaining sequences in the film. There’s at least two instances, one between all of the villains when they’re all in the same room and another sequence later that occurs right before the big fight scene between Spider-Man and the five villains that have crossed over, that are just incredible and it’s basically just dialogue.
Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deserve a lot of the credit. If it wasn’t for their writing then those back-and-forth dialogue exchanges between characters wouldn’t exist. But the performances from the cast also factor in to how great those sequences are. Much of the older returning cast have joked about only returning for the money, but it’s clear that there was some enjoyment of not only the script but also being able to work with such a talented group of people.
Speaking of trains, the Spider-Man/Doctor Strange battle in the mirror dimension is one of No Way Home’s visual treats. Doctor Strange and his magical origins opened up the cosmic aspect for the MCU, which has always resulted in trippy and otherworldly sequences that are tonally different and unlike anything else from the other Marvel films. Seeing Spider-Man swing around as the world is upside down while dodging kaleidoscopic skyscrapers and barely escaping gravity defying portals results in a sequence especially memorable for MCU fans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home isn’t without its flaws, but it is mostly exactly what it’s advertised to be. The film doesn’t necessarily redefine the, “With great power comes great responsibility,” aspect for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man but it without a doubt gives the MCU version of Spider-Man his version of that principle. No Way Home is a nostalgic extravaganza that exceeds expectations and is a perfect and satisfying bookend for the first three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies.
Peter is now in a relationship with MJ (Zendaya) while Ned (Jacob Batalon) tags along as the third wheel more than the guy in the chair. As the three attempt to get into MIT and other colleges, MJ and Ned are punished for being associated with Peter. Feeling guilty, Peter takes it upon himself to contact Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who eventually agrees to perform a spell that would make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, Peter’s motor mouth and constant need to change Strange’s spell botches it and ends up opening the multiverse.
Early on, the humor in Spider-Man: No Way Home is lacking and a little lame. Much of the film rides on Peter’s relationship with MJ. Peter, MJ, and Ned have become inseparable in the film thanks to the events of Homecoming, Far From Home, Infinity War, and Endgame. Nearly everything boils down to them making decisions as a trio even when Peter is out there as Spider-Man. The humor in the film doesn’t really find its footing until the villains come along and even then it starts off pretty rough (making fun of the Otto Octavius name in the trailer is a prime example).
Peter’s solution to all of these villains invading his universe from their own is pure stupidity. The desire to do what’s best for someone’s well being is there and you understand why Peter is so adamant about going in the direction that he does. However, he has the opportunity to end all of this early on with little to no repercussions other than some structural damage that he is able to repair in one night.
Peter chooses to change the fate of these villains with the best intentions and suffers for it. In a way, it’s inevitable as it factors in to and is motivation for who Peter Parker and Spider-Man are as essentially one heroic character. “It’s what they do,” as they say several times in the film. That doesn’t mean you have to swallow it as something a supposed genius and one of Marvel’s smartest minds would conjure up though.
Next to the surprises the film has in store for first time viewers, the villains are arguably the highlight of the film. Peter’s fight with Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) on the bridge is nearly on par with the Spider-Man/Doc Ock fight on the train from Spider-Man 2. Willem Dafoe is also still Spider-Man’s greatest and most sinister adversary as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin two decades later.
Dafoe’s one stipulation for returning to the franchise was that he would be allowed to do all of his own stunts even at 66 years old; he believes it all factors in to his performance and it shows. You feel sympathy for Norman and admire his brilliance, but he’s plagued with this gushingly nefarious and uncontrollable alternate personality. With that reverberating laugh and amazing facial expressions, Dafoe literally steals the film every time he’s on screen.
The bickering in the film results in some of the most entertaining sequences in the film. There’s at least two instances, one between all of the villains when they’re all in the same room and another sequence later that occurs right before the big fight scene between Spider-Man and the five villains that have crossed over, that are just incredible and it’s basically just dialogue.
Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deserve a lot of the credit. If it wasn’t for their writing then those back-and-forth dialogue exchanges between characters wouldn’t exist. But the performances from the cast also factor in to how great those sequences are. Much of the older returning cast have joked about only returning for the money, but it’s clear that there was some enjoyment of not only the script but also being able to work with such a talented group of people.
Speaking of trains, the Spider-Man/Doctor Strange battle in the mirror dimension is one of No Way Home’s visual treats. Doctor Strange and his magical origins opened up the cosmic aspect for the MCU, which has always resulted in trippy and otherworldly sequences that are tonally different and unlike anything else from the other Marvel films. Seeing Spider-Man swing around as the world is upside down while dodging kaleidoscopic skyscrapers and barely escaping gravity defying portals results in a sequence especially memorable for MCU fans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home isn’t without its flaws, but it is mostly exactly what it’s advertised to be. The film doesn’t necessarily redefine the, “With great power comes great responsibility,” aspect for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man but it without a doubt gives the MCU version of Spider-Man his version of that principle. No Way Home is a nostalgic extravaganza that exceeds expectations and is a perfect and satisfying bookend for the first three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies.
Sarah (7800 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!
Andy K (10827 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Sep 30, 2018
Visual magic and Van Halen. What could be better?
I very much dislike when people compare movies to books since most of the time they will say "the book was better". Books and movies are completely different mediums and therefore should be judged individually, not compared to one another.
I remember reading one time John Grisham was interviewed after The Firm was released and said if they had stuck to the book, 45 minutes of the movie would have been the characters making photo copies of important papers.
Books can delve into details better. An author can spend six chapters describing a tree or get into character's heads and know what they are thinking. There can even be 38 main characters.
Movies are completely different and should be judged that way. Some may say filmmakers changed certain elements which worked just fine in print. Truthfully I do not understand why things are changed either; however, just because something is different does not make it worse.
Whew ok.
Ready Player One was old school Spielberg magic, plain and simple. The story was nothing special. The villains were sort of cardboard and one-dimensional, but maybe they were supposed to be like that. I mean, weren't the villains in Real Genius or Biff Tannen just as hokey?
The visual splendor and eye candy I usually rip on were vast this time around and thoroughly kept me engaged the whole way through.
I will hopefully watch again soon so I can pick on some of the Easter eggs I missed the first time around.
This film is for anyone who lived through the 80's as I did and loves movies as I do.
I remember reading one time John Grisham was interviewed after The Firm was released and said if they had stuck to the book, 45 minutes of the movie would have been the characters making photo copies of important papers.
Books can delve into details better. An author can spend six chapters describing a tree or get into character's heads and know what they are thinking. There can even be 38 main characters.
Movies are completely different and should be judged that way. Some may say filmmakers changed certain elements which worked just fine in print. Truthfully I do not understand why things are changed either; however, just because something is different does not make it worse.
Whew ok.
Ready Player One was old school Spielberg magic, plain and simple. The story was nothing special. The villains were sort of cardboard and one-dimensional, but maybe they were supposed to be like that. I mean, weren't the villains in Real Genius or Biff Tannen just as hokey?
The visual splendor and eye candy I usually rip on were vast this time around and thoroughly kept me engaged the whole way through.
I will hopefully watch again soon so I can pick on some of the Easter eggs I missed the first time around.
This film is for anyone who lived through the 80's as I did and loves movies as I do.
DC Legends
Games and Entertainment
App
Batman! Wonder Woman! Flash! Green Arrow! Harley Quinn! Superman! Joker! Medphyll?! Collect &...
CandyZane (19 KP) rated Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in Books
Sep 1, 2017
Good book
I have not yet seen the movie, as I do not want to take away from my reading experience. This book has a lot of imagination, I would say it captivated me the way Tolkien's books captivated me. The descriptions of the characters are specific, and the atmosphere, and the villains. I wish the book was longer and it could certainly go much deeper. I think the author was not allowed to write as long of a story as would have liked, maybe for production value.
Andy K (10827 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies
Feb 16, 2019
Underwhelming
Tom Hardy is one of the only good things about this film.
The supporting cast (Michelle Williams who seemed out of place) and the generic villains were not exciting at all and made me think about the cooler comic book bad guys we've seen recently.
A couple of good action scenes were not much help to the shoddy screenplay which kept me bored most of the way.
I will admit to not knowing much about Venom going in (other than my Maximum Carnage Super Nintendo game from my youth) and this film didn't do much to explain things to me. I thought he had something to do with Spider-Man, although he was never mentioned.
If the mid credits scene is an indication of the direction of Venom 2, I am hopeful it will be an improvement.
The supporting cast (Michelle Williams who seemed out of place) and the generic villains were not exciting at all and made me think about the cooler comic book bad guys we've seen recently.
A couple of good action scenes were not much help to the shoddy screenplay which kept me bored most of the way.
I will admit to not knowing much about Venom going in (other than my Maximum Carnage Super Nintendo game from my youth) and this film didn't do much to explain things to me. I thought he had something to do with Spider-Man, although he was never mentioned.
If the mid credits scene is an indication of the direction of Venom 2, I am hopeful it will be an improvement.
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.
ashezbookz (32 KP) rated The Last Namsara in Books
Jul 5, 2018
I liked this book - the beginning was super slow for me, the first half of the book actually - but then it picked up quite a lot and got exciting! Sometimes I love books like that, sometimes I hate them, depending on what the pace feels like in the beginning, this one was just plain slow to me.
I loved the dragon aspect of this book - it felt very how to train your dragon to me at some parts - which was all exciting and fun.
I liked Asha's fierceness and her just.. need and want to be independent - I really think this book had very well rounded heroes/villains - just enough to despise a few and love others - plus the dragons .. who cant love that. Just wish the beginning would have been just as pumped up as the end.
I loved the dragon aspect of this book - it felt very how to train your dragon to me at some parts - which was all exciting and fun.
I liked Asha's fierceness and her just.. need and want to be independent - I really think this book had very well rounded heroes/villains - just enough to despise a few and love others - plus the dragons .. who cant love that. Just wish the beginning would have been just as pumped up as the end.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated X-Men (2000) in Movies
Jun 16, 2019
X-Men: first cast
Xmen follows Logan, a violent mutant without a past, eventually being forced back on the road he meets Rogue, a mutant with an unknown power that accidentally killed her boyfriend.
Attacked on the road and rescued by storm & Cyclops, the two quickly (for the plots sake) meet the X-Men, and after 50 no's and a yes, Wolverine reluctantly agrees to be an X-Men.
But with heroes come villains including, Magneto, toad, Sabretooth & mystique (because the studio couldn't afford more characters then either?)
A good movie at the time, which still holds up quite well today, decent graphics, acceptable action scenes and an easy to follow plot with some cheesy jokes.
Starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ian Mckellen, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Ray Park & Tyler Mane.
Attacked on the road and rescued by storm & Cyclops, the two quickly (for the plots sake) meet the X-Men, and after 50 no's and a yes, Wolverine reluctantly agrees to be an X-Men.
But with heroes come villains including, Magneto, toad, Sabretooth & mystique (because the studio couldn't afford more characters then either?)
A good movie at the time, which still holds up quite well today, decent graphics, acceptable action scenes and an easy to follow plot with some cheesy jokes.
Starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ian Mckellen, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Ray Park & Tyler Mane.