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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Jurassic World (2015) in Movies
Sep 23, 2019
Take the Movie, Leave the Villain
It’s been some time since the catastrophe at the original Jurassic Park. Despite all of that, the powers that be have decided to monetize the dinosaurs and move forward with a plan to open the amusement park Jurassic World. Spoiler Alert: Chaos ensues. I was so excited when I learned the Jurassic Park franchise was being revitalized. I think that excitement may have turned into a bit of bias my first go round with Jurassic World as the second trip was a little more bumpy.
Acting: 10
A lot of times I will watch a movie and say, “This movie wouldn’t have been the same without X”. Chris Pratt was hands-down that actor. He plays Owen Grady, raptor trainer and overall badass. He offers some hilarity to a situation so crazy you kind of have to laugh at it. Speaking of comedic performances, Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus had me all the way cracking up. Their chemistry throughout was perfect.
Beginning: 3
This is the first point where this movie failed me a bit. This series has been known for its strong beginnings up to this point. It was almost as if the scriptwriters expected us to be entertained off of the series name alone. Wish there had been a little more “try” here.
Characters: 8
While I appreciated Owen’s character, there were a couple that just didn’t do it for me. Vic Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) is the villain of the film. You know the type, someone that’s basically just there to be a roadblock. He was over-the-top aggressive and made the movie a bit of a nuisance at times.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Always a shining spot in this franchise. The park is captured magically from its rollercoasters to its extravagant hotel, the kind of place you would want to visit. I particularly love when they feed a shark on a stick to a titanic water dino who splashes just about everyone in the audience when he returns to the water. The final fight between the T-Rex and the “new breed” is fun to watch unfold.
Conflict: 8
Entertainment Value: 9
Memorability: 6
Pace: 7
The pace is somewhat slower than what I’m accustomed to with these movies. There is a lot of talking and walking around and you can’t help but wonder when the action is going to kick in again. Even when shit finally does hit the fan, there were a few moments of exposition I wish they would have done without.
Plot: 5
I can’t, for the life of me, begin to understand just why the hell anyone would think creating a park was a good idea. Then you had the military wanting to weaponize dinosaurs and some creature they made in a lab? Pick a lane, please! It’s a wonder I still managed to have a good time despite the craziness of the story.
Resolution: 8
Overall: 74
Jurassic World isn’t bad by any means. I do feel that it had great potential to do more and ultimately mean more. It’s merely satisfied with being a summer blockbuster which is fine. Just don’t expect it to go down as an all-time great.
Acting: 10
A lot of times I will watch a movie and say, “This movie wouldn’t have been the same without X”. Chris Pratt was hands-down that actor. He plays Owen Grady, raptor trainer and overall badass. He offers some hilarity to a situation so crazy you kind of have to laugh at it. Speaking of comedic performances, Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus had me all the way cracking up. Their chemistry throughout was perfect.
Beginning: 3
This is the first point where this movie failed me a bit. This series has been known for its strong beginnings up to this point. It was almost as if the scriptwriters expected us to be entertained off of the series name alone. Wish there had been a little more “try” here.
Characters: 8
While I appreciated Owen’s character, there were a couple that just didn’t do it for me. Vic Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) is the villain of the film. You know the type, someone that’s basically just there to be a roadblock. He was over-the-top aggressive and made the movie a bit of a nuisance at times.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Always a shining spot in this franchise. The park is captured magically from its rollercoasters to its extravagant hotel, the kind of place you would want to visit. I particularly love when they feed a shark on a stick to a titanic water dino who splashes just about everyone in the audience when he returns to the water. The final fight between the T-Rex and the “new breed” is fun to watch unfold.
Conflict: 8
Entertainment Value: 9
Memorability: 6
Pace: 7
The pace is somewhat slower than what I’m accustomed to with these movies. There is a lot of talking and walking around and you can’t help but wonder when the action is going to kick in again. Even when shit finally does hit the fan, there were a few moments of exposition I wish they would have done without.
Plot: 5
I can’t, for the life of me, begin to understand just why the hell anyone would think creating a park was a good idea. Then you had the military wanting to weaponize dinosaurs and some creature they made in a lab? Pick a lane, please! It’s a wonder I still managed to have a good time despite the craziness of the story.
Resolution: 8
Overall: 74
Jurassic World isn’t bad by any means. I do feel that it had great potential to do more and ultimately mean more. It’s merely satisfied with being a summer blockbuster which is fine. Just don’t expect it to go down as an all-time great.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Go Cam DVR 757HD in Tech
Oct 14, 2019
We’ve all heard the old adage that “Big things come in small packages”, and in today’s technological world it couldn’t be truer. Vivitar, a brand known for their incredible camera equipment are set out to prove that big things DO come in small packages, and with a price tag to match with it’s Vivitar Go Cam DVR 757HD.
The Vivitar Go Cam is packaged in a small clam-shell style plastic and contains everything one would need to make this one of the most versatile “go” style cameras on the market today. The camera itself is minuscule in size at only roughly 6” (W) X 4.5” (L) X 2” (D) you can easily slide it into your pocket and take it with you wherever you go. It offers a 12-megapixel picture and is advertised as being waterproof, dust proof, freeze proof and shock proof. Amazingly outside of getting just the camera itself you also get an assortment of mounts that come with it. Everything from a bicycle and helmet mount are here in addition to a car mount (to utilize the camera as a dash cam). The fact that all mounts that you could conceivably want come bundle with the camera is a huge plus.
The camera records it’s video on micro SD cards and includes a built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that can be charged (or powered) via a micro USB port on the side. The charging cable and a silicon sleeve to place around the camera are also included.
I took the camera with me to San Diego Comic-con this year to wear it around and take live video footage of the crowds while shopping for my exclusives, and also took some still photos just to see how it compares to something that is far pricier like my iPhone. For a camera in its size and price-point (MSRP $29.99) it did surprisingly well capturing footage on the go (important for walking around but extremely important when in use as a dash cam). The picture, while certainly not as crisp as a much more pricey camera, was certainly serviceable and still enjoyable. The still shots were a little grainy, but far better than some more expensive cameras I’ve seen in the past. The portability is something that particularly comes in handy when you simply want to take a camera out of your pocket and take a quick shot of something.
The Vivitar Go Cam DVR 757HD is an incredible value for what you get with it. While it certainly can’t compete quality-wise with exponentially more expensive cameras, it comes with everything a budding videographer might want to use to start out with. If you are someone who is looking to casually record your bike rides or are looking for a lower cost option in dash cams, this is a camera worth trying out. I certainly would recommend buying this camera over a far more expensive one if you aren’t sure how often you will use it, and honestly with it’s 12MP and HD quality video you might just realize that you don’t need anything more than this. You certainly can do far worse for far more money and it’s inexpensive enough that the whole family could have one and embrace the trail together.
The Vivitar Go Cam is packaged in a small clam-shell style plastic and contains everything one would need to make this one of the most versatile “go” style cameras on the market today. The camera itself is minuscule in size at only roughly 6” (W) X 4.5” (L) X 2” (D) you can easily slide it into your pocket and take it with you wherever you go. It offers a 12-megapixel picture and is advertised as being waterproof, dust proof, freeze proof and shock proof. Amazingly outside of getting just the camera itself you also get an assortment of mounts that come with it. Everything from a bicycle and helmet mount are here in addition to a car mount (to utilize the camera as a dash cam). The fact that all mounts that you could conceivably want come bundle with the camera is a huge plus.
The camera records it’s video on micro SD cards and includes a built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that can be charged (or powered) via a micro USB port on the side. The charging cable and a silicon sleeve to place around the camera are also included.
I took the camera with me to San Diego Comic-con this year to wear it around and take live video footage of the crowds while shopping for my exclusives, and also took some still photos just to see how it compares to something that is far pricier like my iPhone. For a camera in its size and price-point (MSRP $29.99) it did surprisingly well capturing footage on the go (important for walking around but extremely important when in use as a dash cam). The picture, while certainly not as crisp as a much more pricey camera, was certainly serviceable and still enjoyable. The still shots were a little grainy, but far better than some more expensive cameras I’ve seen in the past. The portability is something that particularly comes in handy when you simply want to take a camera out of your pocket and take a quick shot of something.
The Vivitar Go Cam DVR 757HD is an incredible value for what you get with it. While it certainly can’t compete quality-wise with exponentially more expensive cameras, it comes with everything a budding videographer might want to use to start out with. If you are someone who is looking to casually record your bike rides or are looking for a lower cost option in dash cams, this is a camera worth trying out. I certainly would recommend buying this camera over a far more expensive one if you aren’t sure how often you will use it, and honestly with it’s 12MP and HD quality video you might just realize that you don’t need anything more than this. You certainly can do far worse for far more money and it’s inexpensive enough that the whole family could have one and embrace the trail together.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Killing Ground (2016) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Story: Killing Ground starts when couple Ian (Meadows) and Samantha (Dyer) head off for a romantic camping trip, learning they are not the only couple on the grounds they look to stay out of the others way, only to never see them return to their grounds. Scotty (Pedersen) and Tood (Glenane) are two locals of the area that come off shady, also have had run ins with the law.
We know something happened to the family in the camp next door and when Ian and Samantha find their baby wandering around the area. Soon they will be fighting for their lives against the criminal psychopaths that enjoy hunting.
Thoughts on Killing Ground
Characters – Ian is a doctor who along with his girlfriend goes on the camping trip, he knows how to survive any injuries which makes him the one that could help survive the attack because o his logical decision making process. Samantha is the girlfriend that is using the trip for a big moment only to find herself needing to fight to survive. Scotty is the one of the two which seems to be the mastermind, well leader of the two who knows how to control the situation and Tood. Tood is the loose cannon, who comes off simple minded at times and other times he comes off like the psychopath he is meant to be.
Performances – The performances in this film do come off real, we believe the couple Ian Meadows & Harriet Dyer with each decision they must make, we also get scared of both the Aaron’s who gives us uneasy performances through the whole film.
Story – The story here follows three lines to start with, we have the couple heading of to their romantic camping trip, the family on their camping trip, that we know something happens to and the two men who will be committing the crime. To start with this felt annoying, I won’t lie, but soon this just builds the tension through the film as we just want to know what happens, with each twist that connection the stories becoming unsettling. We see the aftermath of what has happened over just putting us through the events, which only continues to make everything extra disturbing. This is a type of story we have seen before, though the fresh approach to this only makes this more interesting to watch even if you want to look away.
Horror – This is easily one of the most disturbing horror films you will see, when you stop to think about anything that happens, what you end up feeling is just uneasy because of what happens off camera, with the tension only making this harder to get through.
Settings – The film takes place in a remote camping ground which gives us the feeling of isolation, with have no phone signal and the humans might not be the only danger here, this is a perfect use of setting.
Special Effects – The effects are used to make each moment look more horrific, they are subtle and effective.
Scene of the Movie – When the couple plan to leave, we have a wonderful shot of Samantha walking away with somebody desperately needing help behind her.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I didn’t like the opening moments of the three stories, it does work once we are get going.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the most disturbing non-graphic films I have seen, being left to imagine just what happens is even worse than watching it.
Overall: Unsettling and disturbing.
We know something happened to the family in the camp next door and when Ian and Samantha find their baby wandering around the area. Soon they will be fighting for their lives against the criminal psychopaths that enjoy hunting.
Thoughts on Killing Ground
Characters – Ian is a doctor who along with his girlfriend goes on the camping trip, he knows how to survive any injuries which makes him the one that could help survive the attack because o his logical decision making process. Samantha is the girlfriend that is using the trip for a big moment only to find herself needing to fight to survive. Scotty is the one of the two which seems to be the mastermind, well leader of the two who knows how to control the situation and Tood. Tood is the loose cannon, who comes off simple minded at times and other times he comes off like the psychopath he is meant to be.
Performances – The performances in this film do come off real, we believe the couple Ian Meadows & Harriet Dyer with each decision they must make, we also get scared of both the Aaron’s who gives us uneasy performances through the whole film.
Story – The story here follows three lines to start with, we have the couple heading of to their romantic camping trip, the family on their camping trip, that we know something happens to and the two men who will be committing the crime. To start with this felt annoying, I won’t lie, but soon this just builds the tension through the film as we just want to know what happens, with each twist that connection the stories becoming unsettling. We see the aftermath of what has happened over just putting us through the events, which only continues to make everything extra disturbing. This is a type of story we have seen before, though the fresh approach to this only makes this more interesting to watch even if you want to look away.
Horror – This is easily one of the most disturbing horror films you will see, when you stop to think about anything that happens, what you end up feeling is just uneasy because of what happens off camera, with the tension only making this harder to get through.
Settings – The film takes place in a remote camping ground which gives us the feeling of isolation, with have no phone signal and the humans might not be the only danger here, this is a perfect use of setting.
Special Effects – The effects are used to make each moment look more horrific, they are subtle and effective.
Scene of the Movie – When the couple plan to leave, we have a wonderful shot of Samantha walking away with somebody desperately needing help behind her.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I didn’t like the opening moments of the three stories, it does work once we are get going.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the most disturbing non-graphic films I have seen, being left to imagine just what happens is even worse than watching it.
Overall: Unsettling and disturbing.
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