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The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (2022)
2022 | Drama
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
There was 13 novels in the full Bernard Cornwell series of the same name.

5 TV series.

Each adopting roughly 2 novels.

So that meant there was 3 left unadapted when said series was cancelled ('The Flame Bearer', 'Sword of Kings' and 'War Lord'), with Netflix instead developing a movie instead of series to finish off the story.

Which, I have to say, does feel a bit rushed, with some noticeable absences (not even mentioned in passing) and, whilst watching, and with what seems a rushed finale.

I also have to say that Uhtred, here, still looks a lot younger than he was portrayed in the novels (especially by this point) and I don't remember *that* ending happening, either!
  
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David McK (3576 KP) rated Lift (2024) in Movies

Mar 21, 2024  
Lift (2024)
Lift (2024)
2024 | Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
6
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Heist movie mainly starring Kevin Hart (in a mostly light hearted role) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the two leads (with room for the likes of Sam Worthington, Jean Reno and Vincent d'Onofrio most noticeably), with the former a master thief and the latter an intelligence agent - each of whom previously fell for the other, when both undercover - who have to put aside their past differences and lead a heist on board an aircraft in flight (hence the double meaning behind the name 'lift'), transporting gold to a terrorist.

I watched this mainly so I could play spot-the-location (some of it being filmed in my home country of Northern Ireland), but have to say it was also better than I was expecting!
  
#Alive (2020)
#Alive (2020)
2020 | Action, Drama, Horror
8
8.0 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The Acting (1 more)
The Special Effects and CGI
Not much (1 more)
Possibly some continuity errors
A Gripping Tale of Surivival
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie was really good. I like how it seemed really relatable especially because of his isolation and what a lot of people are dealing with right now during the pandemic. I thought it was pretty well done. I did kind of notice that although it was pretty mature in nature it seemed more of a "pg-13"-ish movie instead of a rated- R one. I mean it had plenty of violence and blood. There were even some really good effects for the zombies and some gruesome scenes. For being such a self contained movie plot wise it was pretty good and the action scenes were pretty realistic. I have more to say in the spoiler section but for now I'm giving this movie a 8/10. I would give it my must see seal of approval but I felt that it being a foreign film not everyone would like it as much as I did.

Spoiler Section Review:
This movie was really good. I was surprised with how much I liked it. As I said earlier it seemed really relatable because of the isolation so many people have dealt with during the pandemic. Also the main character Oh Joon-woo was very likeable and I was rooting for him from the beginning. His situation is bleak as things go from bad to worse pretty fast. First he can't get a hold of his parents, then he runs out of food, the internet goes out, the water is cut and then the power goes out. Oh and that scene with the lady cop getting killed was just horrible. I mean for me personally getting eaten alive is one of my worst fears, and when she hesitates to shoot herself and then gets dragged away was just terrible. At 10 days he starts running out of food, at 15 days he hasn't eaten in like 4 or 5 days already. He gets a message from his parents where it sounds like they are attacked and killed. And then he decides to kill himself by hanging himself and that's when he finds out he's not alone. A neighbor from the apartment complex Yoo-bin gets him to save himself by contacting him with a laser pointer letting him know he's not alone. They begin getting to know each other and helping each other by sending supplies back and forth after he gets a drone to send a rope over. Yoo-bin is a pretty cool character and definitely kicks ass. The way she exits her apartment when they make a run for the 8th floor and just rappels down in one go was beast. There were a couple things that bothered me but not that much. Like one, I thought the power was lost for good when the city was bombed and the power went out but both Oh Joon-woo and Yoo-bin kept using his phone and her tablet to communicate from afar. Also he used his drone even though it was out of charge earlier. I did see that it was a different drone from the one earlier but still made me think. Also the girl officer whose death was so tragic. It looked like she dropped her ammo and was only able to load like maybe 2 bullets into it. Yoo-bin recovers the gun and uses it to kill the man on the 8th floor who lures them into a trap and his wife. And then later Oh Joon-woo uses it on the roof and shoots at least 2 more times if not 3. Anyways not a big deal. Like I said earlier this was a really good movie and I give it a 8/10.

  
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365Flicks (235 KP) rated V.S. (2019) in Movies

Nov 20, 2019  
V.S. (2019)
V.S. (2019)
2019 |
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
That is the synopsis for VS. on the IMDB. I am here to tell you that this movie is so so much more than this. This is one of the most powerful, thought provoking, superbly acted, respectfully told and emotionally driven movies I personally have had the pleasure of seeing in quite some time. I will get into the plot and subject matter now in a minute, but up front I would like to admit that this movie spoke to my heart and broke through a wall I didn’t think needed broken through. Yes a low budget independent movie from a debut director about the underground battle rap scene in Britain reduced this 34 year old man to being about 10 again (and not in a Jurassic park seeing dinosaurs on screen for the first time nostalgia kind of way).



Director:
Ed Lilly (debut feature film)

Cast:
Connor Swindells (The Vanishing, Netflixs Sex Education) Adam ‘Shotty Horroh’ Rooney
Fola Evans-Akingbola (Game of Thrones, Death in Paradise) Nicholas Pinnock (Fortitude, Marcella)
Ruth Sheen (Another Year, Vera Drake) Emily Taaffe (War & Peace)

First time Director Ed Lilly has put together an amazing group of young and fresh, up and coming stars and crafted a truly beautiful, gritty and raw tale of one mans use of the lyrical poetry that is Battle rap to simultaneously mask his pain and anger while working through his inner demons, only to discover a true family and camaraderie in the last place he expected. That’s just whats on the surface. Here is the trailer…

 

Adam has spent a life in the foster care system and it hasn’t been great to him, passed from home to home and never truly settling in wherever he is. His next stop is Southend and this could be the last chance saloon for Adam. Enter Makayla a young idealistic woman trying to make the best of it. Adam instantly takes a liking to Makayla as she introduces him to the underground Rap Battle scene. While Makayla sees this outlet as a way of making a better more tolerable life for herself and the colourful competitors, Adam sees a place he can truly let his hurt, pain and rage flow. While Adam proves to be a rising talent on the scene he is also dealing with the re-introduction to the woman who gave him away aged four… Both of Adams worlds are on a collision course and we are about to find out the type of man he wants to be.

Out Now
VOD 4th Feb. 2019
DVD 11th Feb. 2019
It is very easy to say that this is trying to be the Brit equivalent of 8-Mile (and people have been) but while I love that movie it can only wish to have the heart of Vs. I do love the rap battle sequences and having Shotty Horroh (legend on the UK Rap Battle scene, Youtube him for an education) in the movie really adds to the sense of them trying to portray this life properly. However this movie lives and breathes with the Outstandingly raw and real performances from the core cast.



Connor Swindells as Adam is unbelievable. A true revelation, A 10 out of 10 performance. Now I have to put it out there and be honest, I myself grew up in the system and while I didn’t exactly have the worst time of it I can absolutely relate to the portrayal put in by Connor. This is also a testament to the writing team of Director Ed Lilly and Daniel Hayes, they hit the nail on the head completely, The writing is so visceral that one scene in particular was a gut punch to this reviewer because I had legitimately lived the conversation and Connors performance in that scene is on another level (no spoilers but its the first real conversation he has with his mum). Swindells makes this movie an intense but rewarding journey to be part of.

Fola Evans-Akingbola is wonderful as Makayla and really holds the key to this movie. Most of the choices made by Adam revolve around her actions, while we are more focused on what is happening in his life Akingbola pushes her performance forward to show us she also is struggling through. Nicholas Pinnock, Ruth Sheen and Emily Taaffe round out the care system aspect of the movie as Adams care worker, foster carer and biological mum respectively. These sections of the movie are dealt with a great deal of attention and respect which was refreshing because here in the UK we tend to be very harsh on the system (especially in the media) but this movie shows both sides of the story. Then there is the scene I briefly spoke of earlier… Emily Taaffe, take a bow because damn you are incredible in this scene.



On the Rap Battle side of things we have massively talented Adam “Shotty Horroh” Rooney in his acting debut, I will admit when I first saw him I was dubious but he is essentially playing a version of himself and the moments that he gets to do something other than rap well he holds his own. The same can be said about MC Paige “Paigey Cakes” Meade as Miss Quotes to be fair though this isn’t her first time.

Okay then I guess its no surprise to anyone by now that I would hugely recommend this movie. I went in expecting to see 8-Mile or Bodied set in the UK but what followed was a story I just did not expect, performances that blew me away. Then again though I am a bit of sissy when movies hit me where I live. Is it perfect? Not at all what film is but hey its pretty damn close. See this movie soon as you can.
  
I Am Mother (2019)
I Am Mother (2019)
2019 | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Intriguing and Intense
I Am Mother is a 2019 sci-fi/thriller movie directed by Grant Sputore, with screenplay written by Michael Lloyd Green. It was produced by Penguin Empire, Southern Light Films, Mister Smith Entertainment and Endeavor Content and distributed by Netflix and Studio Canal. The film stars Luke Hawker, Clara Ruggard, Rose Byrne, and Hilary Swank.


A robot named "Mother" grows a human embryo and cares for her over several years when after an extinction event, an automated bunker activates to repopulate humanity. Mother teaches a teenage girl named "Daughter" complex moral and ethical lessons advising her that she needs practice being a good parent. Daughter captures a mouse but Mother disposes of it and explains that surface contamination with the outside world makes contact potentially lethal. Their bond is tested when Daughter becomes increasingly curious about the outside world and opens the bunker's airlock to let in a wounded woman begging for help and claims all is not as Mother claims.


This movie was awesome, classic sci-fi but with great acting and special effects. I like how suspenseful it was and how it told such a compelling story. It had me paying attention to every detail and trying to predict how it was going to unravel plot wise and though some parts I could see coming, it threw a couple of curve balls here and there. There wasn't a lot to complain about other than some people saying it revealed too much a little too soon and that it was a slow paced film. I just really like the way it played out, with one of those classic, sci-fi, artificial intelligence concepts. I give this movie a 8/10. And I also give it my "Must See Seal of Approval".
  
The Woman in the Window (2021)
The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A woman, Anna, wakes up and we get a view around her home, followed by a conversation with her daughter and her husband. We see her watching her neighbours before engaging in a therapy session. It is soon clear that Anna has problems. She has attempted suicide, has a drinking problem and is agrophobic meaning she is too scared to leave the house.

One evening her new neighbours son Ethan, comes over to introduce himself and they get talking, but something is worrying him. The next day his judgemental mum, Jane, comes over after Anna's House is egged on Halloween and they also get talking, but she is worried about her son and husband. That same evening, the husband comes over asking her if his family had come to see her, she lies and says no.

One evening whilst in the bath, Anna hears a scream coming from her new neighbours house, she speaks to Ethan who is clearly distraught but won't say why. Then whilst watching them again, she witnesses a brutal crime where a Russell family member is stabbed, but when she reports it nobody believes her, so she decides to try and find out what happened, which isn't going to be easy for someone with agrophobic.

I want to say I have never seen a movie like this before, and in truth I haven't, but I have seen a very similar storyline on the simpsons, when Bart thinks ned flanders has killed maude, it even plays out in a similar way.

It was an interesting movie though, with so many twists that I didn't see coming and it kept me interested right to the end. I did feel the end wasn't In keeping with the tone of the movie though, it started off like a psychological thriller but ended like a teen Slasher.
  
Captain Blood (1935)
Captain Blood (1935)
1935 | Action, Classics
10
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Captain Blood is absolutely, one of my favorite films. I actually own it in HD and it's always on my tablet to watch while I'm traveling.
Captain Blood is based upon the book by Rafael Sabatini. Sabatini has written some great books that have also been made into movies, such as Scaramouche and The Sea Hawk. Errol Flynn plays the main character, Peter Blood, who was a doctor during the English Revolution. Blood is arrested and sent to the colony of Jamaica because he was perceived as a traitor. Blood escapes with other slaves (not a spoiler, seriously, this film was made in 1935), and becomes a pirate. Pirate adventures occur, and once Blood's name is finally cleared, it is a happily ever after. The last scene is probably my favorite in the entire movie.
  
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Beetle Rider (341 KP) May 21, 2018

This is a great book. I’m ready for a modern adaptation.

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Erika (17789 KP) May 22, 2018

Me too!

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Jeremiah Zagar recommended Hopscotch (1980) in Movies (curated)

 
Hopscotch (1980)
Hopscotch (1980)
1980 | Action, Comedy, Mystery
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I love Hopscotch and dream of making a movie like it. It’s just full of fun and double crosses. Ronald Neame is very unsung as a director, but he made the coolest movies. He worked a lot with David Lean, so I think it’s interesting to look at Lean, who did these giant epics, and Neame, who was way more experimental and wild in choosing the kinds of movies he was going to make. Hopscotch is basically a perfect film, and Walter Matthau is unreal in it. You watch him and you think, that’s what American actors should have been and should always be. Hopscotch has that heist-noir and cat-and-mouse thing going on, but it’s also bright and goofy and funny and hits a tone that’s so unique and clear."

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