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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Jul 3, 2020
A Phenomenal Anime Adaptation - 8/10
Alita: Battle Angel is a sci-fi/action movie based on the manga/anime by Yukito Kishiro, written by James Cameron and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Set to officially release on February 14th, it stars Rosa Salazar, Christolph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, and Mahershala Ali. This movie was phenomenal and does a great job of transporting the viewer and immersing them into the world that is Iron City.
Dr. Ido (Christolph Waltz) searches the scrap pile junkyard of the metropolis known as Iron City for parts to repair patients at the clinic he owns and operates. He finds a badly damaged female cyborg (Rosa Salazar) that is still alive and chooses to repair her. When she awakens, she has no memory of her past, her name, or who she is. Dr. Ido allows her to live with him and names her Alita but doesn't permit her to venture out at night into the treacherous and dangerous streets of Iron City. However Alita has a wide-eyed view of looking at the world and with the help of a young boy named Hugo (Keean Johnson) she begins her quest to remember anything about her past and who she is.
Looks like Hollywood finally got an anime movie right. If you have any doubt you need to see this film for yourself. Definitely recommended if you like sci-fi and action movies but the heart and soul of the film is Alita herself. Her journey and transformation and her personality steal the show and make this movie great. The visual effects were awesome as well as the fight choreography and film cinematography. I'll admit that somethings plot wise fell through with the storyline towards the very end but this movie had a lot of emotion (heart and soul). I give this movie an 8/10.
Dr. Ido (Christolph Waltz) searches the scrap pile junkyard of the metropolis known as Iron City for parts to repair patients at the clinic he owns and operates. He finds a badly damaged female cyborg (Rosa Salazar) that is still alive and chooses to repair her. When she awakens, she has no memory of her past, her name, or who she is. Dr. Ido allows her to live with him and names her Alita but doesn't permit her to venture out at night into the treacherous and dangerous streets of Iron City. However Alita has a wide-eyed view of looking at the world and with the help of a young boy named Hugo (Keean Johnson) she begins her quest to remember anything about her past and who she is.
Looks like Hollywood finally got an anime movie right. If you have any doubt you need to see this film for yourself. Definitely recommended if you like sci-fi and action movies but the heart and soul of the film is Alita herself. Her journey and transformation and her personality steal the show and make this movie great. The visual effects were awesome as well as the fight choreography and film cinematography. I'll admit that somethings plot wise fell through with the storyline towards the very end but this movie had a lot of emotion (heart and soul). I give this movie an 8/10.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
I got chills
#halloween? while at times extremely #silly is a very enjoyable & fitting tribute to the #johncarpenter original. I must confess I hadn't seen the #original Halloween until a few weeks ago (its 4k release) & found it to be incredibly tense, dripping in dread, unnerving & extremely #creepy with an awesome soundtrack. #Halloween2018 manages to lovingly recreate everything people love about the first one but doesn't manage to do it quite as well. While I did enjoy this film a heck of a lot it does have a lot of problems - first of all the first half fails to create a chilling atmosphere & any tension for that matter, there's just far to many silly jokes/bad humour & the pacing is far to fast with scenes rushing by quicker than a #michaelbay movie. This leaves no time for dread, tension or the #chills the creepy lingering shots the first film brought us & I really hoped it would slow down at some point & thankfully it does. Approaching the second half things take a real turn & the movie really starts to have #fun feeling less like a tv movie & more like a #horror film, there are some great stationary camera shots, cool cinematography moments, great imagery, messy deaths & some really suspenseful stalking scenes with genuinely scary reveals/brutal attacks. Soundtrack wise it also switches it up a bit while still feeling #nostalgic too & there's an amazing garden scene where it really heightens the fear & dread. Themes of #depression & how it can make us feel cast out/alone & how our mental burdens can be passed down & effect our our children are handled well while metaphors for fighting our demons together as a family also feel refreshing & current. Overall its opening 10 minutes are brilliant then the film makes some really bad choices but recovers itself well enough to make it a film that's so worth seeing at the cinema. A big #nostalgia trip done right & with all its flaws looking at the film now as a whole I think it works well & is a great #love letter to #80s #slasher films & to #terminator2 haha. #odeon #odeonlimitless #jamieleecurtis #michaelmyers #killer #gore #horror #scary #retro #fridayfeeling #filmbuff #filmcritic #mask #frightnight
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in Books
May 25, 2018
Even if you've seen the movie - I still recommend reading the story! It's a sonnet to true friends, and family (especially mother-daughter dynamics), the scars of abusive relationships, and how these all intertwined can shape and change everyone involved. It's also funny! :)
Siddalee delves into her mothers past, curious about the Ya-Ya Sisters and their secrets. She finds out so much about her mother, and in addition, about herself. Her mother just might grow up a little along the way as well.
I love the Ya-Ya stories and I re-read them often, hoping Rebecca Wells might just write another!
Siddalee delves into her mothers past, curious about the Ya-Ya Sisters and their secrets. She finds out so much about her mother, and in addition, about herself. Her mother just might grow up a little along the way as well.
I love the Ya-Ya stories and I re-read them often, hoping Rebecca Wells might just write another!
Christopher Radcliff recommended A Brighter Summer Day (1991) in Movies (curated)
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Another Round (2020) in Movies
Jun 30, 2021
When I saw the subtitles by heart dropped and I thought I’d made a huge mistake. But what followed was something completely different, after a few minutes I didn’t even particularly notice that it was subtitled and just enjoyed the movie. It’s about 4 teachers who set out to research whether keeping your blood alcohol level above 0.5% can better your life. We follow them through the whole experiment where they find at first that it makes them more relaxed whilst also being more focused and improving their lives dramatically, to then seeing them when it becomes borderline alcoholism.
This Is England '90
8.5
Rate It
TV Show
4-part British TV drama miniseries spin-off from the 2006 film 'This Is England', it is also a...
Drama British Drama
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Rush (2013) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Today we bring you the latest from dircetor Ron Howard. A movie about what is considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in sports history and to this day, the greatest rivalry in the history of Formula 1 racing … the biographical action film RUSH. Released in the United States on September 20th RUSH tells the story behind the 1976 Formula 1 racing season and the intense rivalry between britsh racing champion James Hunt and austrain racing champion Niki Lauda. Staring Chis Hemsworth (Thor, Red Dawn) as Hunt and Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Bastards, The Bourne Ultimatum) as Lauda, RUSH follows the two racing legends from their first confrontation at a Formula 3 race at England’s Crystal Palace circuit in 1970 to their accention to Formula 1 racing, to Lauda’s near-fatal carsh at the German Grand Prix and finally to the final race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix.
What makes this movie different from other stories about the two rivals, is that it is told from the viewpoint of Niki Lauda. Written by legendary screenwritter Peter Morgan, Lauda had been approached many times by studios and writers for nearly 30 years wanting to make a movie from his point of view. Lauda had also been hesitent to make a movie for many years in part because of the death of James Hunt in 1993 at the age of 45 and felt that it wouldn’t have been ‘right’ to make a movie without his rival’s input. After meeting with dircetor Ron Howard, reading Peter Morgan’s screenplay, and with the blessing of James Hunt’s family Lauda finally agreed the movie should be made and i’m here to tell YOU my fellow movie-goers that the 30 years was worth the wait. With a supporting cast inclding Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Piefranscesco Favino it is apparent that the studios were serious about making this movie and making it right. Hemsworth and Bruhl definately deliver the goods portraying Hunt and Lauda and I will not be surprised if both of them recieve awards for their potrayals is the two leading characters in the movie. RUSH is different from alot of other movies because there is no REAL villian. It tells the story of two very different competitors in a sport where death is one small mistake away who couldn’t stand one another but at the sametime, when all is said and done they respected each other. It’s the story of two heros who pushed themselves to the limit .. sometimes losing themselves in the process and having to come to terms with the fact that they were not invinvcible.
I for one enjoyed the movie more than any other movie so far this year and I would highly recommend it to you all! Go and see it! Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 89% rating and i’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars! And with talk of the movie being nominated for awards ALREADY … How can you say ‘NO’ to recommendations like that!? It is rated R though so leave the kids at home.
What makes this movie different from other stories about the two rivals, is that it is told from the viewpoint of Niki Lauda. Written by legendary screenwritter Peter Morgan, Lauda had been approached many times by studios and writers for nearly 30 years wanting to make a movie from his point of view. Lauda had also been hesitent to make a movie for many years in part because of the death of James Hunt in 1993 at the age of 45 and felt that it wouldn’t have been ‘right’ to make a movie without his rival’s input. After meeting with dircetor Ron Howard, reading Peter Morgan’s screenplay, and with the blessing of James Hunt’s family Lauda finally agreed the movie should be made and i’m here to tell YOU my fellow movie-goers that the 30 years was worth the wait. With a supporting cast inclding Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Piefranscesco Favino it is apparent that the studios were serious about making this movie and making it right. Hemsworth and Bruhl definately deliver the goods portraying Hunt and Lauda and I will not be surprised if both of them recieve awards for their potrayals is the two leading characters in the movie. RUSH is different from alot of other movies because there is no REAL villian. It tells the story of two very different competitors in a sport where death is one small mistake away who couldn’t stand one another but at the sametime, when all is said and done they respected each other. It’s the story of two heros who pushed themselves to the limit .. sometimes losing themselves in the process and having to come to terms with the fact that they were not invinvcible.
I for one enjoyed the movie more than any other movie so far this year and I would highly recommend it to you all! Go and see it! Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 89% rating and i’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars! And with talk of the movie being nominated for awards ALREADY … How can you say ‘NO’ to recommendations like that!? It is rated R though so leave the kids at home.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Toy Story 3 (2010) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Character-Driven Masterpiece
There aren’t a lot of movie series’ that get better with each movie, but the Toy Story franchise has definitely accomplished that. Toy Story 3 is not just the best movie of the franchise to date, but it’s also one of the greatest movies ever made. Also, before I go any further: DAMN, it feels good to be posting another review. To quote John Wick: “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back!” But I digress…In this third installment, Andy is all grown up and the gang sets their sights on a preschool where they hope to get played with everyday for eternity.
Acting: 10
It’s almost unfair when you think about the amazing cast of the Toy Story franchise. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody ad Buzz really have a way of putting you dead in the moment. These are toys, yet, somehow, the phenomenal acting jobs truly brings them to life as sentient beings. Their pain as well as their triumphs are felt throughout.
Beginning: 10
Yet another thing this franchise has gotten down to a science. The first five minutes of the movie puts you in a grand adventure where all the toys are facing off against each other. Then the next five minutes are heartbreaking. It’s a pleasant rollercoaster that sets the story up perfectly.
Characters: 10
The gang’s all here, including Cowgirl Jessie from the last movie and her horse Bullseye. In addition to having their own flavor and personality, I can really appreciate how Buzz and Woody continue to develop as characters. Buzz continues to try and be the voice of reason while Woody relies mainly on his emotion. I really enjoyed Lotso (Ned Beatty) as well, a purple teddy who smells like strawberries and walks with a cane. If those were his only interesting quirks that would be enough, but there is so much more to appreciate about his character that I won’t give away.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
You know the visuals are at masterpiece levels when I’m marveling at a trash bag. A trash bag for God’s sake! But man the detail on this bag, the way it moved just so perfectly. I know, I’m a nutcase, but this trash bag! It’s the sheer attention to detail that blows my mind. There is another shot, and this one is probably my favorite, of Lotso stepping into the lights of a Tonka truck with his cronies to approach Buzz and the gang. The way the light hits perfectly casting shadows definitely tells me there are no shortages of geniuses at Pixar.
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 10
Toy Story 3 is why I love movies. From bottom to top, it checks all the boxes. You will experience a wave of emotions and have fun the whole way.
Memorability: 10
The movie casts a memorable message about our ability to let go and move on. Watching this at different points in my life, every single time I could relate to Woody and his struggles with letting go. Oh yeah, and the film is super fun too. I can’t count the number of moments where I marveled at how this movie does things that creatively surpass the other two. Like Up, this is a movie that sticks with you long after you watch it.
Pace: 10
The longest of the three, yet it somehow feels like the shortest. There is always something exciting that’s happening. Its ebbs and flows move the story along with every single detail somehow feeling important.
Plot: 10
Watching this made me think, “Oh my goodness, they could do a hundred more of these and it would never get old.” This story stands alone and has actual plausibility…well, as toy stories go anyway. At one point, the movie moves from new adventure to crazy heist to prison break. And I’m here for all of it, every last piece.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 100
Watching a movie like this is like watching a talented gymnast perform an unforgettable routine. You know you want to give it a perfect score provided they stick the landing. Beginning, middle, and end Toy Story 3 establishes credibility as being epic and damn-near perfect. Landing stuck.
Acting: 10
It’s almost unfair when you think about the amazing cast of the Toy Story franchise. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody ad Buzz really have a way of putting you dead in the moment. These are toys, yet, somehow, the phenomenal acting jobs truly brings them to life as sentient beings. Their pain as well as their triumphs are felt throughout.
Beginning: 10
Yet another thing this franchise has gotten down to a science. The first five minutes of the movie puts you in a grand adventure where all the toys are facing off against each other. Then the next five minutes are heartbreaking. It’s a pleasant rollercoaster that sets the story up perfectly.
Characters: 10
The gang’s all here, including Cowgirl Jessie from the last movie and her horse Bullseye. In addition to having their own flavor and personality, I can really appreciate how Buzz and Woody continue to develop as characters. Buzz continues to try and be the voice of reason while Woody relies mainly on his emotion. I really enjoyed Lotso (Ned Beatty) as well, a purple teddy who smells like strawberries and walks with a cane. If those were his only interesting quirks that would be enough, but there is so much more to appreciate about his character that I won’t give away.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
You know the visuals are at masterpiece levels when I’m marveling at a trash bag. A trash bag for God’s sake! But man the detail on this bag, the way it moved just so perfectly. I know, I’m a nutcase, but this trash bag! It’s the sheer attention to detail that blows my mind. There is another shot, and this one is probably my favorite, of Lotso stepping into the lights of a Tonka truck with his cronies to approach Buzz and the gang. The way the light hits perfectly casting shadows definitely tells me there are no shortages of geniuses at Pixar.
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 10
Toy Story 3 is why I love movies. From bottom to top, it checks all the boxes. You will experience a wave of emotions and have fun the whole way.
Memorability: 10
The movie casts a memorable message about our ability to let go and move on. Watching this at different points in my life, every single time I could relate to Woody and his struggles with letting go. Oh yeah, and the film is super fun too. I can’t count the number of moments where I marveled at how this movie does things that creatively surpass the other two. Like Up, this is a movie that sticks with you long after you watch it.
Pace: 10
The longest of the three, yet it somehow feels like the shortest. There is always something exciting that’s happening. Its ebbs and flows move the story along with every single detail somehow feeling important.
Plot: 10
Watching this made me think, “Oh my goodness, they could do a hundred more of these and it would never get old.” This story stands alone and has actual plausibility…well, as toy stories go anyway. At one point, the movie moves from new adventure to crazy heist to prison break. And I’m here for all of it, every last piece.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 100
Watching a movie like this is like watching a talented gymnast perform an unforgettable routine. You know you want to give it a perfect score provided they stick the landing. Beginning, middle, and end Toy Story 3 establishes credibility as being epic and damn-near perfect. Landing stuck.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Predator (2018) in Movies
Oct 15, 2019 (Updated Dec 4, 2019)
A pretty shoddy sequel with some good moments here and there
There a lot of issues that kept The Predator from being a decent movie...
The special effects are a big one. A lot of the CGI in this is pretty dodgy. Especially for gore moments. It boggles my mind why a lot of horror films these days favour CGI over practical effects. Films like Alien, and The Thing (80s) stand as a testament to how practical horror work can be truly memorable.
In The Predator however, it's looks cartoony and fake - at one point I had to check I was watching a movie from 2018!
The dog creatures also look horrible - just bland and dark grey CGI blobs with teeth.
The 'classic' Predator that we see throughout this film is for the most part a guy in a suit, and it looks way better.
The characters are also an issue. They're not on the same level as awful as the characters from Predators, but they're all just unfunny walking cliches, which is a shame as there are some talented actors involved, trying to do the best with what they've been given.
The script attempts to shoehorn in plot strands that are not particularly relative to the overall narrative, including a complete tone deaf side plot about autism, which drags down what should be a pretty straightforward story.
The action isn't too bad, pretty entertaining as far as popcorn horror blockbusters go, with some creative deaths thrown in, but once again, the films over reliance on average CGI sours it all somewhat.
The Predator is not the awful film I had heard about, but it's predictably not a scratch on the original. Maybe it's time for the franchise to wrap it up.
The special effects are a big one. A lot of the CGI in this is pretty dodgy. Especially for gore moments. It boggles my mind why a lot of horror films these days favour CGI over practical effects. Films like Alien, and The Thing (80s) stand as a testament to how practical horror work can be truly memorable.
In The Predator however, it's looks cartoony and fake - at one point I had to check I was watching a movie from 2018!
The dog creatures also look horrible - just bland and dark grey CGI blobs with teeth.
The 'classic' Predator that we see throughout this film is for the most part a guy in a suit, and it looks way better.
The characters are also an issue. They're not on the same level as awful as the characters from Predators, but they're all just unfunny walking cliches, which is a shame as there are some talented actors involved, trying to do the best with what they've been given.
The script attempts to shoehorn in plot strands that are not particularly relative to the overall narrative, including a complete tone deaf side plot about autism, which drags down what should be a pretty straightforward story.
The action isn't too bad, pretty entertaining as far as popcorn horror blockbusters go, with some creative deaths thrown in, but once again, the films over reliance on average CGI sours it all somewhat.
The Predator is not the awful film I had heard about, but it's predictably not a scratch on the original. Maybe it's time for the franchise to wrap it up.
David McK (3857 KP) rated The Ultimates, Volume 1: Super-Human in Books
Jan 28, 2019
I only picked this up recently out of curiosity when Marvel started doing a hard-backed comic-book collection, to see what it would be like.
Now I've read it, I have to say: I wasn't really that impressed by this. Written pre Joss-Whedon's Avengers movie (and even pre the Marvel Cinematic Universe), I found pretty much all of the characters within to be unlikeable and uninteresting: while you can get away with the former, the latter, however, is a major flaw (IMO) in any story.
I don't know whether that's because I associate the characters more with their big-screen counter-parts than with how they are presented here (both of which, incidentally, are designed to show how the team comes together), with Hank Pym, in particular, coming across as a bit of a jerk while Betty Ross (Bruce Banner's girlfriend) also comes across as, well, just not that pleasant at all.
On the plus side, I did like the (somewhat meta) panels where they were all discussing who would play themselves in the Hollywood adaptation ...
I also noticed that, unlike their movie counterparts, they are able to use the term 'mutants': a term which, I believe, Marvel are unable to use on the big (or small) screen as it is licensed to Fox instead .
Now I've read it, I have to say: I wasn't really that impressed by this. Written pre Joss-Whedon's Avengers movie (and even pre the Marvel Cinematic Universe), I found pretty much all of the characters within to be unlikeable and uninteresting: while you can get away with the former, the latter, however, is a major flaw (IMO) in any story.
I don't know whether that's because I associate the characters more with their big-screen counter-parts than with how they are presented here (both of which, incidentally, are designed to show how the team comes together), with Hank Pym, in particular, coming across as a bit of a jerk while Betty Ross (Bruce Banner's girlfriend) also comes across as, well, just not that pleasant at all.
On the plus side, I did like the (somewhat meta) panels where they were all discussing who would play themselves in the Hollywood adaptation ...
I also noticed that, unlike their movie counterparts, they are able to use the term 'mutants': a term which, I believe, Marvel are unable to use on the big (or small) screen as it is licensed to Fox instead .