Search
Search results
My rating: 3.5
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>
Erin Eveland is known for her short horror stories but she has moved onto writing novels with <i>Darkness</i> being her first of a series. It was not scary in the way that horror books are generally perceived to be but it did contain a good deal of paranormal ideas.
It begins when the main character, Catherine, is six years old and living with her grandmother. She is constantly haunted by an unseen presence, a nameless terror, which worries her grandmother immensely. Very suddenly, Catherine’s grandmother suffers a fatal heart attack and Catherine ends up being removed from her well looked after home to a dirty trailer park to live with her alcoholic mother. The novel then fast-forwards ten years to a time when Catherine is mostly fending for herself and her mother never goes a day sober. The terrors of her childhood have all but been forgotten but Catherine is beginning to remember and have similar experiences all over again. These incidents increase with the mysterious appearance of a man named Jorgen who insists he wants to protect Catherine. Meanwhile, Nathan, a friend of Catherine, comes into contact with an intriguing man in black who begins to teach him about colours and Darkness – something which could have done with a little more detail. Unbeknownst to Nathan, his dealings with this man may result in harming Catherine, especially as the two friends begin to see odd moving shapes – shadow creatures.
For a while there appeared to be a very thin line between heroes and villains as it took some time to work out the intentions of Jorgen and Artros (the man in black). The novel would have benefitted with more description about these characters: who they are or more importantly, what they are, as well as the significance of the shadow creatures.
Although it was good to be introduced to the paranormal aspects right at the start, this resulted in lessening the amount of foreboding and dread throughout the main bulk of the novel. Even though <i>Darkness</i> is the first in a series, it did not feel that it was properly starting until nearer the end. On finishing, the reader still does not know much about the shadow creatures or what the Darkness is. Presumably the sequel will be more enlightening.
<i>Darkness</i> is sub-titled “An Interactive Novel” and includes Quick Response codes at the beginning of each chapter to heighten the reading experience with the interactive addition of art and music. Of course to benefit from this a smart phone is required (I do not have one therefore cannot comment further on this feature).
Overall, <i>Darkness</i> is a well-written book full of originality that has the potential to become an exciting young adult series.
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>
Erin Eveland is known for her short horror stories but she has moved onto writing novels with <i>Darkness</i> being her first of a series. It was not scary in the way that horror books are generally perceived to be but it did contain a good deal of paranormal ideas.
It begins when the main character, Catherine, is six years old and living with her grandmother. She is constantly haunted by an unseen presence, a nameless terror, which worries her grandmother immensely. Very suddenly, Catherine’s grandmother suffers a fatal heart attack and Catherine ends up being removed from her well looked after home to a dirty trailer park to live with her alcoholic mother. The novel then fast-forwards ten years to a time when Catherine is mostly fending for herself and her mother never goes a day sober. The terrors of her childhood have all but been forgotten but Catherine is beginning to remember and have similar experiences all over again. These incidents increase with the mysterious appearance of a man named Jorgen who insists he wants to protect Catherine. Meanwhile, Nathan, a friend of Catherine, comes into contact with an intriguing man in black who begins to teach him about colours and Darkness – something which could have done with a little more detail. Unbeknownst to Nathan, his dealings with this man may result in harming Catherine, especially as the two friends begin to see odd moving shapes – shadow creatures.
For a while there appeared to be a very thin line between heroes and villains as it took some time to work out the intentions of Jorgen and Artros (the man in black). The novel would have benefitted with more description about these characters: who they are or more importantly, what they are, as well as the significance of the shadow creatures.
Although it was good to be introduced to the paranormal aspects right at the start, this resulted in lessening the amount of foreboding and dread throughout the main bulk of the novel. Even though <i>Darkness</i> is the first in a series, it did not feel that it was properly starting until nearer the end. On finishing, the reader still does not know much about the shadow creatures or what the Darkness is. Presumably the sequel will be more enlightening.
<i>Darkness</i> is sub-titled “An Interactive Novel” and includes Quick Response codes at the beginning of each chapter to heighten the reading experience with the interactive addition of art and music. Of course to benefit from this a smart phone is required (I do not have one therefore cannot comment further on this feature).
Overall, <i>Darkness</i> is a well-written book full of originality that has the potential to become an exciting young adult series.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Alone For Christmas (2013) in Movies
Dec 15, 2019
UK DVD release title, Bone Alone.
Shopping in Tesco each week involves a traditional visit to the DVD aisle to look for bargains and new releases. At this time of year that also means some quality seasonal content that you've never heard of before... and so I give you, Bone Alone!
When Bone gets in trouble for the antics of his little brother Columbus he's banished to a dogsitter as the family go off for the holidays.
Bone, with the help of the other dogs, makes an escape after he realises his home is in danger. A group of burglars have their sights set on their valuables, but this is Bone's house and he has to defend it.
Its original title was Alone For Christmas, let's face it though, that's just not as good as Bone Alone. Is it a rip off of Home Alone featuring dogs or is it porn... who knows?!
The first thing you will notice about Bone Alone is the absolutely ridiculous effects used to animate the dog's mouths, it's truly awful, but thankfully it's easily forgotten once you get into it because... dare I say it? This film is pretty entertaining.
Add some dogs to a film and you've got me keen, get those dogs to execute a Home Alone plan on some unscrupulous baddies? Sold! Bone does not let his lack of opposable thumbs stop him making his house a fortress that even Kevin would be proud of. Honestly, I don't know how he thought of some of them, I'll be adding them to my own battle plan options shortly.
We've obviously got quality acting from the canine contingent, especially from our lead actors, Hooligan and Torpedo playing Bone and Columbus. Plus there are lots of little cameos from other floofy talents.
The human cast is classic TV movie, acting that's just cheesy enough that the film appears to not take itself too seriously. It's headed up by one of TV's favourite dads, David DeLuise, and as always he's the right sort of amusing to make the role work. The villains have your favourite traits but out of the three of them my favourite was definitely Phil played by John Kenward, he's the adorable buffoon that you really kind of feel for in the whole thing.
Generally the cast isn't made up of people you'd recognise, but then you spot Kevin Sorbo... I don't know what he's channelling when it comes to this role but it's not entirely good. There's a whole section of his story that I zoned out of, that was probably the only part of this masterpiece that I didn't get along with.
Bone Alone is a really fun film because it's equal parts ridiculous and amusing. I can't say there's much in it that's going to make cinematic history but I liked it and that's really all that matters.
Originally posted on: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/12/bone-alone-movie-review.html
When Bone gets in trouble for the antics of his little brother Columbus he's banished to a dogsitter as the family go off for the holidays.
Bone, with the help of the other dogs, makes an escape after he realises his home is in danger. A group of burglars have their sights set on their valuables, but this is Bone's house and he has to defend it.
Its original title was Alone For Christmas, let's face it though, that's just not as good as Bone Alone. Is it a rip off of Home Alone featuring dogs or is it porn... who knows?!
The first thing you will notice about Bone Alone is the absolutely ridiculous effects used to animate the dog's mouths, it's truly awful, but thankfully it's easily forgotten once you get into it because... dare I say it? This film is pretty entertaining.
Add some dogs to a film and you've got me keen, get those dogs to execute a Home Alone plan on some unscrupulous baddies? Sold! Bone does not let his lack of opposable thumbs stop him making his house a fortress that even Kevin would be proud of. Honestly, I don't know how he thought of some of them, I'll be adding them to my own battle plan options shortly.
We've obviously got quality acting from the canine contingent, especially from our lead actors, Hooligan and Torpedo playing Bone and Columbus. Plus there are lots of little cameos from other floofy talents.
The human cast is classic TV movie, acting that's just cheesy enough that the film appears to not take itself too seriously. It's headed up by one of TV's favourite dads, David DeLuise, and as always he's the right sort of amusing to make the role work. The villains have your favourite traits but out of the three of them my favourite was definitely Phil played by John Kenward, he's the adorable buffoon that you really kind of feel for in the whole thing.
Generally the cast isn't made up of people you'd recognise, but then you spot Kevin Sorbo... I don't know what he's channelling when it comes to this role but it's not entirely good. There's a whole section of his story that I zoned out of, that was probably the only part of this masterpiece that I didn't get along with.
Bone Alone is a really fun film because it's equal parts ridiculous and amusing. I can't say there's much in it that's going to make cinematic history but I liked it and that's really all that matters.
Originally posted on: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/12/bone-alone-movie-review.html
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-paranormalcy-by-kiersten-white.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>.
I'll be honest here: I just adore Evie's personality. And her habit of "bleep" when swearing which she picked up from her watery friend, Lish (such a sad ending for her. Dx *tears up again*). I'll probably face it. I kinda got the bleep habit as well after reading it, LOL. Not that I swear much myself. I kinda use it for fun sometimes when it's appropriate (Read: Really Fun Word to Use When Right).
Did it make a lasting impression? Well...
In the majority of cases, yep, it certainly did. In the meaning of "Will-I-read-it-again-and-again-so-I-can-visit-again" type of thing, it would be an eh... I guess we'll have to see. There's this great perk about the Paranormal genre, but I thought in Paranormalcy's case, it wasn't a lot as I expected it, but overall, it was pretty good.
The title is really catchy and makes you think a bit on what it really means. Though I don't really see how it's related in a way to the story. Maybe it'll come to me later. I hope. (That's right. I still haven't figured it out, XD) Same for the cover in a way. Although... I guess I can. The story is related to Evie after all. I'm assuming the girl on the cover is Evie. No guarantees of being right. I'm just guessing. (And guessing is never wrong. Is it? O_O)
How about the others then? I can't really detect the villains though. There seems to be a few, of which I shall not name for the sake of spoilers. Plus, they're not that scary. I was thinking some creep that would try and steal your soul to live like the villain from Silver Phoenix (read it BEFORE Bookwyrming Thoughts was born, so no review anywhere.) And I despise Reth. Can't you see Evie wants no business with you whatsoever? Dx I guess faeries aren't always smart as mentioned probably in the book already.
But oy, what makes me give it an epic rating of 4.25? Okay, not a 4.25 then. A 4. Not dealing with graphics again... even though I enjoy doing it at times. :) What really makes me give it a high rating and not a "in-the-middle-due-to-a-bit-of-lack-of-action-because-I'm-also-drawn-to-action-and-adventure-books-mixed-in-with-other-genres" type of rating is White's writing style. I just love it. It's light-hearted, kind of care-free, humorous, and cute mixed with awesome-ness and totally fun voice.
Will I read the next book? Yep. Just please keep up the awesomous style. I just adore it (Read: LOVEEE it!). :3
I'll be honest here: I just adore Evie's personality. And her habit of "bleep" when swearing which she picked up from her watery friend, Lish (such a sad ending for her. Dx *tears up again*). I'll probably face it. I kinda got the bleep habit as well after reading it, LOL. Not that I swear much myself. I kinda use it for fun sometimes when it's appropriate (Read: Really Fun Word to Use When Right).
Did it make a lasting impression? Well...
In the majority of cases, yep, it certainly did. In the meaning of "Will-I-read-it-again-and-again-so-I-can-visit-again" type of thing, it would be an eh... I guess we'll have to see. There's this great perk about the Paranormal genre, but I thought in Paranormalcy's case, it wasn't a lot as I expected it, but overall, it was pretty good.
The title is really catchy and makes you think a bit on what it really means. Though I don't really see how it's related in a way to the story. Maybe it'll come to me later. I hope. (That's right. I still haven't figured it out, XD) Same for the cover in a way. Although... I guess I can. The story is related to Evie after all. I'm assuming the girl on the cover is Evie. No guarantees of being right. I'm just guessing. (And guessing is never wrong. Is it? O_O)
How about the others then? I can't really detect the villains though. There seems to be a few, of which I shall not name for the sake of spoilers. Plus, they're not that scary. I was thinking some creep that would try and steal your soul to live like the villain from Silver Phoenix (read it BEFORE Bookwyrming Thoughts was born, so no review anywhere.) And I despise Reth. Can't you see Evie wants no business with you whatsoever? Dx I guess faeries aren't always smart as mentioned probably in the book already.
But oy, what makes me give it an epic rating of 4.25? Okay, not a 4.25 then. A 4. Not dealing with graphics again... even though I enjoy doing it at times. :) What really makes me give it a high rating and not a "in-the-middle-due-to-a-bit-of-lack-of-action-because-I'm-also-drawn-to-action-and-adventure-books-mixed-in-with-other-genres" type of rating is White's writing style. I just love it. It's light-hearted, kind of care-free, humorous, and cute mixed with awesome-ness and totally fun voice.
Will I read the next book? Yep. Just please keep up the awesomous style. I just adore it (Read: LOVEEE it!). :3
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Delivers EXACTLY what is expected - and that's a good thing
If you are heading into the multi-plex to check out FAST AND FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW, the 9th(!) entry in the Fast and Furious Universe, you pretty much know (and expect) what you are about to watch.
And HOBBS & SHAW does not disappoint - delivering over-the-top action with unsinkable heroes and unblinking villains battling each other with explosions galore and disposable henchmen being...well...disposed of left and right.
Reprising their roles as "Lawman" Luke Hobbs and "Outcast" Deckard Shaw (F&F terms for them) are the charismatic Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and the smoldering Jason Statham. Their two characters can't stand each other, so - naturally - they are forced to work in concert with each other to stop Super-Villain Brixton (Edris Elba). Can these 2 "frenemies" learn to put aside their differences and work together to stop a Villain that they cannot stop by themselves?
What do you think?
But...it's the journey...not the destination that's the fun of this film and this film is fun, fun, fun, indeed. Both Johnson and Statham know EXACTLY what type of film they are in - and know what their core audience is coming to this film to see - and they deliver in spades. They are perfect for these characters and are perfectly paired together. While the script, at times, seemed forced, these 2 action SuperStars make even the clunkiest of dialogue work and they are "game" for whatever is thrown at them.
Elba joins in strongly as the villain and newcomer (at least to this franchise) Vanessa Kirby (the White Widow in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT) just as strongly counterbalances all 3 of them as the "McGuffin" of this film - the thing that the good guys and the bad guys are fighting each other for. Dame Helen Mirren is back as the criminal mother of Statham's character and she understands what type of film she's in as well. So does Eddie Marsan, who looks like he is having an absolute ball as a scientist brought into the fray.
There are also 2 "secret cameos" in this film that are fun - and I perked up in my seat when both of these cameos injected energy into this testosterone-infused flick.
Former Stuntman and Director David Leitch (DEADPOOL 2, ATOMIC BLONDE) throws a ton of action, car chases, guns, fights and explosions at the audience - all to good effect. His answer to bad acting and huge, implausible plot holes? Blow things up! And that works very, very well for this film. Leitch delivers exactly what is expected here - and that's just fine for me.
I was extremely entertained by this movie. I was in the mood for it - and it delivered exactly what I was looking for. Kind of like eating a good burger.
Letter Grade: A- (though, don't expect to break into "discussion groups" afterward)
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
And HOBBS & SHAW does not disappoint - delivering over-the-top action with unsinkable heroes and unblinking villains battling each other with explosions galore and disposable henchmen being...well...disposed of left and right.
Reprising their roles as "Lawman" Luke Hobbs and "Outcast" Deckard Shaw (F&F terms for them) are the charismatic Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and the smoldering Jason Statham. Their two characters can't stand each other, so - naturally - they are forced to work in concert with each other to stop Super-Villain Brixton (Edris Elba). Can these 2 "frenemies" learn to put aside their differences and work together to stop a Villain that they cannot stop by themselves?
What do you think?
But...it's the journey...not the destination that's the fun of this film and this film is fun, fun, fun, indeed. Both Johnson and Statham know EXACTLY what type of film they are in - and know what their core audience is coming to this film to see - and they deliver in spades. They are perfect for these characters and are perfectly paired together. While the script, at times, seemed forced, these 2 action SuperStars make even the clunkiest of dialogue work and they are "game" for whatever is thrown at them.
Elba joins in strongly as the villain and newcomer (at least to this franchise) Vanessa Kirby (the White Widow in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT) just as strongly counterbalances all 3 of them as the "McGuffin" of this film - the thing that the good guys and the bad guys are fighting each other for. Dame Helen Mirren is back as the criminal mother of Statham's character and she understands what type of film she's in as well. So does Eddie Marsan, who looks like he is having an absolute ball as a scientist brought into the fray.
There are also 2 "secret cameos" in this film that are fun - and I perked up in my seat when both of these cameos injected energy into this testosterone-infused flick.
Former Stuntman and Director David Leitch (DEADPOOL 2, ATOMIC BLONDE) throws a ton of action, car chases, guns, fights and explosions at the audience - all to good effect. His answer to bad acting and huge, implausible plot holes? Blow things up! And that works very, very well for this film. Leitch delivers exactly what is expected here - and that's just fine for me.
I was extremely entertained by this movie. I was in the mood for it - and it delivered exactly what I was looking for. Kind of like eating a good burger.
Letter Grade: A- (though, don't expect to break into "discussion groups" afterward)
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Christian Bale reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises,and is forced to come face to face with new villains once again. This time it is the terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy) and cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway).
In the previous movie Batman had to combat the famed Joker who caused havoc in the city of Gotham. Joker convinced Harvey Dent to seek revenge against Batman and those responsible for the death of his lover, Rachel Dawes. Dent decides to use his lucky coin to decide the fate of those he assumes are responsible, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and his family being just a few of the people captured within Dent’s grip of revenge. While Batman saved the life of Gordon’s young son, many still die. Batman decided to let the public think that he was the one responsible for all the deaths to keep Dent’s name in good standing with the public. Gordan on the other hand knows the truth.
The Dark Knight Rises is set eight years after the extensive damage the Joker brought upon the city and its residents. During this time, Batman isolated himself within the walls of Wayne Manor as Gotham rebuilt itself with the help of Gordon and John Blake (Joseph Gordon Leavitt).
During a celebration of Dent’s life and his successes, Gordan is tempted to tell the people of Gotham the truth behind the murders eight years ago but finds that it may not be the right time to do so. Terrorist leader Bane arrives and takes over the celebration and wounds Gordon forcing his subordinate Blake to take over. After Wayne learns that one of his projects he had been investing in over the years was actually being used for nuclear devices, Wayne decides to shut down the project. One of Wayne’s business rivals is suspected to have employed terrorist leader Bane to takeover the company and use its nuclear devices against the city.
After finding out the truth Bruce Wayne decides to return to the streets of Gotham as Batman, though the decision is met with great resistance by his trusty butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Bane has taken the lead in bringing Wayne Enterprises down and an intense confrontation leaves Batman hurt and condemned to an inescapable prison. Bane is left free to wreak uncontested havoc on Gotham, once again bringing a violent storm of perilous destruction upon its people. While Batman is stuck in Bane’s prison, we learn the sordid history of Bane.
To say much more would give a lot of the story away. Suffice it to say, The Dark Knight Rises is this year’s best comic book movie so far. The graphics, action, soundtrack and opening sequence are amazing. The storyline leaves you wanting more. Christopher Nolan has does an excellent job in all the installments of Batman but is remarkably exceptional in the third and final installment of the series.
In the previous movie Batman had to combat the famed Joker who caused havoc in the city of Gotham. Joker convinced Harvey Dent to seek revenge against Batman and those responsible for the death of his lover, Rachel Dawes. Dent decides to use his lucky coin to decide the fate of those he assumes are responsible, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and his family being just a few of the people captured within Dent’s grip of revenge. While Batman saved the life of Gordon’s young son, many still die. Batman decided to let the public think that he was the one responsible for all the deaths to keep Dent’s name in good standing with the public. Gordan on the other hand knows the truth.
The Dark Knight Rises is set eight years after the extensive damage the Joker brought upon the city and its residents. During this time, Batman isolated himself within the walls of Wayne Manor as Gotham rebuilt itself with the help of Gordon and John Blake (Joseph Gordon Leavitt).
During a celebration of Dent’s life and his successes, Gordan is tempted to tell the people of Gotham the truth behind the murders eight years ago but finds that it may not be the right time to do so. Terrorist leader Bane arrives and takes over the celebration and wounds Gordon forcing his subordinate Blake to take over. After Wayne learns that one of his projects he had been investing in over the years was actually being used for nuclear devices, Wayne decides to shut down the project. One of Wayne’s business rivals is suspected to have employed terrorist leader Bane to takeover the company and use its nuclear devices against the city.
After finding out the truth Bruce Wayne decides to return to the streets of Gotham as Batman, though the decision is met with great resistance by his trusty butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Bane has taken the lead in bringing Wayne Enterprises down and an intense confrontation leaves Batman hurt and condemned to an inescapable prison. Bane is left free to wreak uncontested havoc on Gotham, once again bringing a violent storm of perilous destruction upon its people. While Batman is stuck in Bane’s prison, we learn the sordid history of Bane.
To say much more would give a lot of the story away. Suffice it to say, The Dark Knight Rises is this year’s best comic book movie so far. The graphics, action, soundtrack and opening sequence are amazing. The storyline leaves you wanting more. Christopher Nolan has does an excellent job in all the installments of Batman but is remarkably exceptional in the third and final installment of the series.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
This Phoenix Failed To Rise From It's Ashes
Dark Phoenix is a superhero movie based on the Marvel Comics X-Men and the Dark Phoenix Saga story arc. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The movie was written and directed by Simon Kinberg. It stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Sophie Turner.
In 1975, Professor Charles Xavier takes 8 year-old Jean Grey to his School for Gifted Youngsters, when she inadvertently kills her parents causing a car crash with her telekinesis. In 1992, the space shuttle Endeavor is critically damaged by a solar flare and the X-Men respond to save the astronauts. While rescuing the astronauts, Jean becomes stranded as the shuttle is struck by the energy. To save the X-Men's aircraft from destruction, she absorbs all of it into her body and as a result, her psychic powers are greatly amplified when she survives. Jean spirals out of control, wrestling with her personal demons and this increasingly unstable power that begins tearing her X-Men family apart.
This movie makes me so upset as a long time Marvel fan. If you never heard of the X-Men or watched any of the movies, you could probably say this movie was good. And honestly it was "okay" when I saw it in theaters, I guess with all the bad reviews coming out I thought, wow, it could have been worse. But no, after sitting down and discussing it with my brother and him bringing up some points as well as others that I brought up to him. As well as seeing some reviews, where critics brought up A Lot of other points as well, and this movie was actually pretty bad. Now the special effects were pretty good for the most part, and the acting was good but it was really weird because I felt that so many characters were acting out of character. Or that their motivations didn't match their actions compared to how their characters should actually be. Once again the Dark Phoenix story gets butchered and doesn't come close to the greatness of the cartoon episodes let alone the comics. Stupidest part (and I'm trying really hard to not put spoilers) was from the trailer where Cyclops says the kids are calling you Phoenix. Because after that, they couldn't say that her powers were the Phoenix because it would be like some kind of weird coincidence. The villains were very boring and dull and cliche motivations, Sophie Turner's acting wasn't bad but she just didn't pull off a believable Jean Grey. And the music was good but really out of place in times. Don't even get me started on how they totally didn't take into account how the X-Men and others powers are supposed to work. I give this movie a 5/10. It's just average.
In 1975, Professor Charles Xavier takes 8 year-old Jean Grey to his School for Gifted Youngsters, when she inadvertently kills her parents causing a car crash with her telekinesis. In 1992, the space shuttle Endeavor is critically damaged by a solar flare and the X-Men respond to save the astronauts. While rescuing the astronauts, Jean becomes stranded as the shuttle is struck by the energy. To save the X-Men's aircraft from destruction, she absorbs all of it into her body and as a result, her psychic powers are greatly amplified when she survives. Jean spirals out of control, wrestling with her personal demons and this increasingly unstable power that begins tearing her X-Men family apart.
This movie makes me so upset as a long time Marvel fan. If you never heard of the X-Men or watched any of the movies, you could probably say this movie was good. And honestly it was "okay" when I saw it in theaters, I guess with all the bad reviews coming out I thought, wow, it could have been worse. But no, after sitting down and discussing it with my brother and him bringing up some points as well as others that I brought up to him. As well as seeing some reviews, where critics brought up A Lot of other points as well, and this movie was actually pretty bad. Now the special effects were pretty good for the most part, and the acting was good but it was really weird because I felt that so many characters were acting out of character. Or that their motivations didn't match their actions compared to how their characters should actually be. Once again the Dark Phoenix story gets butchered and doesn't come close to the greatness of the cartoon episodes let alone the comics. Stupidest part (and I'm trying really hard to not put spoilers) was from the trailer where Cyclops says the kids are calling you Phoenix. Because after that, they couldn't say that her powers were the Phoenix because it would be like some kind of weird coincidence. The villains were very boring and dull and cliche motivations, Sophie Turner's acting wasn't bad but she just didn't pull off a believable Jean Grey. And the music was good but really out of place in times. Don't even get me started on how they totally didn't take into account how the X-Men and others powers are supposed to work. I give this movie a 5/10. It's just average.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Bloodshot (2020) in Movies
Oct 9, 2020
Brainless fun
Bloodshot is not the kind of film I’d waste my time going to watch at the cinema, however I jumped at the opportunity to watch it in the comfort of my own home where I could tune out and do other things if it got dull. And I’m rather pleasantly surprised to admit that it never did.
Bloodshot is based on a Valiant comic of the same name which tells the story of Ray Garrison, a soldier killed and brought back to life with the use of nanites, giving him superhuman powers and a thirst for revenge.
Going into this film I knew nothing about it, I hadn’t even seen a trailer. My only misgiving was regarding Vin Diesel, who like Keanu Reeves, is great to watch in action but sadly his acting skills leave a little to be desired. Surprisingly I didn’t mind Vin Diesel in this, and it probably stems from the fact that he spends most of his time in action with very little opportunity for any more meaningful or emotional scenes (thankfully).
The first half of this film had me worried. It opens with some irritating slow motion action shots and then progresses into what is rather a predictable and done to death origin film revenge plot. There are some good points though: the action scenes and CGI were very well done and choreographed, the filming locations are beautifully shot, and the dancing scene with Toby Kebbell was a riot, almost feeling like it would’ve been better placed in something made by Tarantino rather than this.
Had the film carried on in this same vein for it’s entire runtime, I would’ve switched off. However there was a reveal halfway through that provided a much needed boost to the story and a great deal of humour, and I never saw it coming. This pushed this film from being pretty poor to fairly enjoyable and entertaining.
That isn’t to say it doesn’t have it’s flaws. Guy Pearce is playing the same character he seems to have played in everything else recently and Toby Kebbell is massively underused. The remaining members of the team are rather cliched villains or just completely forgettable. And there’s a scene towards the end with a pouting and over the top KT that is so cheesy and cringeworthy it’s laughably bad. There’s also an action scene set in London that has been obviously not been filmed in London (or in the UK at all from the look of the buildings and vehicle registrations), so there are a few missteps with the production and the finale has far too much CGI as well.
Overall I was expecting this to be atrocious and was rather pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing and enjoying it to a point. It is by no means perfect and will never win any awards, however if you’re looking for some brainless action and entertainment you could do much worse than Bloodshot.
Bloodshot is based on a Valiant comic of the same name which tells the story of Ray Garrison, a soldier killed and brought back to life with the use of nanites, giving him superhuman powers and a thirst for revenge.
Going into this film I knew nothing about it, I hadn’t even seen a trailer. My only misgiving was regarding Vin Diesel, who like Keanu Reeves, is great to watch in action but sadly his acting skills leave a little to be desired. Surprisingly I didn’t mind Vin Diesel in this, and it probably stems from the fact that he spends most of his time in action with very little opportunity for any more meaningful or emotional scenes (thankfully).
The first half of this film had me worried. It opens with some irritating slow motion action shots and then progresses into what is rather a predictable and done to death origin film revenge plot. There are some good points though: the action scenes and CGI were very well done and choreographed, the filming locations are beautifully shot, and the dancing scene with Toby Kebbell was a riot, almost feeling like it would’ve been better placed in something made by Tarantino rather than this.
Had the film carried on in this same vein for it’s entire runtime, I would’ve switched off. However there was a reveal halfway through that provided a much needed boost to the story and a great deal of humour, and I never saw it coming. This pushed this film from being pretty poor to fairly enjoyable and entertaining.
That isn’t to say it doesn’t have it’s flaws. Guy Pearce is playing the same character he seems to have played in everything else recently and Toby Kebbell is massively underused. The remaining members of the team are rather cliched villains or just completely forgettable. And there’s a scene towards the end with a pouting and over the top KT that is so cheesy and cringeworthy it’s laughably bad. There’s also an action scene set in London that has been obviously not been filmed in London (or in the UK at all from the look of the buildings and vehicle registrations), so there are a few missteps with the production and the finale has far too much CGI as well.
Overall I was expecting this to be atrocious and was rather pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing and enjoying it to a point. It is by no means perfect and will never win any awards, however if you’re looking for some brainless action and entertainment you could do much worse than Bloodshot.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies
Sep 10, 2019
It started with a dog and a car...
If you are expecting to be wowed by unusual plot twists, stray from the formula or an exceptional screenplay then this isn't the film for you. If you are expecting all the elements that worked in the first two Wick tales, then this one will fill you up with a maelstrom of goodness!
I do enjoy when a sequel picks up right when the other film ends which is the case with Wick 3. John has just defied his superiors by performing his usual routine of dispensing the baddies at the Continental hotel which has caused him to now be considered "excommunicado" or free reign for other villains to find and kill him. After a round or two of assassinations, John tries to get his footing and figure out what to do next.
Simultaneously, a strange woman shows up at the hotel telling the Manager he has 7 days to remove himself from the premises since he had allowed Wick to escape and aided him in doing so. The same ultimatum is given to the Bowery King among his rooftop full of birds.
John makes his way to Morocco and meets up with Sofia and her cool two attack dogs who help him get in front of another man who knows where the head of the High Table can be found. Wick ends up back in the US after wandering through the desert to have a final showdown with yet another mega posse of hooligans.
The "Wick" trilogy certainly is gushing with style, great looking facades and non stop action which lets me forgive the repetitive nature of this film of the trilogy especially. The screenplay won't win any awards especially the way Wick seems to wander through the story talking with random bystanders on his "quest" to fulfill his destiny. The Halle Berry character was not really necessary as I enjoyed seeing her killer attack dogs dive at opponents gonads more than seeing her shooting thugs the same as Wick.
The choreography is the reason we watch as it is like a ballet of bullets and this film does not disappoint there. This time we get an impressive knife throwing barrage as well as a sword fight motorcycle chase (both stunning) which keeps things interesting and moving quickly through the lack of an intricate plot.
There really isn't even an assigned antagonist other than maybe the Adjudicator, but even she has others perform her dirty work for her. I am assuming we will see more of her in John Wick 4 - 10.
No real complaints as the 130 minute run time rushed by and I was enthused the entire time other than when I was yelling at my dog every time she jumped down from sitting on me to watch other canines kicking human asses.
I think this was her favorite film of all time!
I do enjoy when a sequel picks up right when the other film ends which is the case with Wick 3. John has just defied his superiors by performing his usual routine of dispensing the baddies at the Continental hotel which has caused him to now be considered "excommunicado" or free reign for other villains to find and kill him. After a round or two of assassinations, John tries to get his footing and figure out what to do next.
Simultaneously, a strange woman shows up at the hotel telling the Manager he has 7 days to remove himself from the premises since he had allowed Wick to escape and aided him in doing so. The same ultimatum is given to the Bowery King among his rooftop full of birds.
John makes his way to Morocco and meets up with Sofia and her cool two attack dogs who help him get in front of another man who knows where the head of the High Table can be found. Wick ends up back in the US after wandering through the desert to have a final showdown with yet another mega posse of hooligans.
The "Wick" trilogy certainly is gushing with style, great looking facades and non stop action which lets me forgive the repetitive nature of this film of the trilogy especially. The screenplay won't win any awards especially the way Wick seems to wander through the story talking with random bystanders on his "quest" to fulfill his destiny. The Halle Berry character was not really necessary as I enjoyed seeing her killer attack dogs dive at opponents gonads more than seeing her shooting thugs the same as Wick.
The choreography is the reason we watch as it is like a ballet of bullets and this film does not disappoint there. This time we get an impressive knife throwing barrage as well as a sword fight motorcycle chase (both stunning) which keeps things interesting and moving quickly through the lack of an intricate plot.
There really isn't even an assigned antagonist other than maybe the Adjudicator, but even she has others perform her dirty work for her. I am assuming we will see more of her in John Wick 4 - 10.
No real complaints as the 130 minute run time rushed by and I was enthused the entire time other than when I was yelling at my dog every time she jumped down from sitting on me to watch other canines kicking human asses.
I think this was her favorite film of all time!
Champions and Challengers
Games and Entertainment
App
Challenge the Dice Lord to the ULTIMATE Adventure Time game! Prepare thyself for legendary...
MARVEL Spider-Man Unlimited
Games and Entertainment
App
*** OVER 200 CHARACTERS FROM THE SPIDER-VERSE TO PLAY! *** Collect and unite every Spider-Man and...