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Lindsay (1760 KP) rated The Miner's Gold (The Decoders #6) in Books
Mar 29, 2020
The miner's gold is a good mystery for young children. Though that enjoys solving puzzles and riddles this book is good for them. It gears towards Middle-Grade children. This one is about a Miner's Note and a bit about the Gold rush.
This series is written well. It seems that each book or some of the books reference a piece of the case from an earlier book. This one does mention Case #1 and Case #4. Which to me are Book 1 and Book 4? Each book as its mystery. There are some similarities with something with cases or Mysteries.
This one has the three detectives to invited to find the hidden treasure. What an adventure they go on. But they also have to help out on a movie set. Find out what they have to do. What adventures they get themselves into.
This series is written well. It seems that each book or some of the books reference a piece of the case from an earlier book. This one does mention Case #1 and Case #4. Which to me are Book 1 and Book 4? Each book as its mystery. There are some similarities with something with cases or Mysteries.
This one has the three detectives to invited to find the hidden treasure. What an adventure they go on. But they also have to help out on a movie set. Find out what they have to do. What adventures they get themselves into.
Ducklady (1174 KP) rated 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) in Movies
May 19, 2020
Too much under water screaming
Contains spoilers, click to show
My god.
This film was frustrating and confusing. So much screaming and really unlegit conversations. Then the end went crazy with multiple escapes from the jaws of a shark...
The oxygen levels only were relevant at certain plot points and so were a pointless tension tool they never used.
The random strong current and the way the sharks just popped up out of no where when there was no way they could have got into those areas was eye rolling.
There was also no other fish at all which is strange since where the hell are the sharks getting there food.
This was trying to be a weird slasher movie, replaced with a shark.. trying to be too serious and then throwing out the most ridiculous ending...
I was so surprised to find out this was a sequel XD
This film was frustrating and confusing. So much screaming and really unlegit conversations. Then the end went crazy with multiple escapes from the jaws of a shark...
The oxygen levels only were relevant at certain plot points and so were a pointless tension tool they never used.
The random strong current and the way the sharks just popped up out of no where when there was no way they could have got into those areas was eye rolling.
There was also no other fish at all which is strange since where the hell are the sharks getting there food.
This was trying to be a weird slasher movie, replaced with a shark.. trying to be too serious and then throwing out the most ridiculous ending...
I was so surprised to find out this was a sequel XD
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Christopher Robin (2018) in Movies
Apr 1, 2019
Endearing and Pleasant
Never was a big “Winnie the Pooh” guy growing up, but I was always familiar with the characters. Christopher Robin made me fall in love with these characters all the same. Now an adult, Christopher returns to the Hundred Acre Woods to reunite with old friends he left behind.
Acting: 10
Jim Cummings is stellar as both Pooh and Tigger. Although I don’t have a huge point of reference, I can say that it felt like he poured his heart into these characters, making them extremely lovable. His tone and inflection just have a way of making me smile. I also loved Brad Garrett voicing Eeyore. That choice is almost a given as his voice is perfect, but I loved how he took the role and made it his own. Amazing job by the cast all around.
Beginning: 9
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Reminiscent of what they did with the Snuggle bear, the characters are not quite animated, but an odd form of CGI. They don’t feel like fake creatures, rather they are a uniquely pleasant creation. Seeing them interact with Christopher Robin and the settings around them was a treat. I loved the way the Hundred Acre Woods are captured and the well-crafted closeups of the characters that evoke emotion. Especially powerful was the montage of Christopher Robin growing into a man at the beginning of the movie. It shows you just how far removed he is from his childhood.
Conflict: 7
Genre: 9
I appreciate it when a kids film can take their material and use it to appeal to adults. Christopher Robin straddles the line between adults and children extremely well and makes it an enjoyable experience for all. I smiled. I laughed. And maybe, just maybe, I got a little teary.
Memorability: 9
The movie hits you with a strong message about the necessity of growing up and the importance of holding on to yourself as you age. Watching it inspired me to remember how it felt to be fancy free without a care in the world and how good that felt. The movie does a great job of sprinkling the message in with the fun of the story.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Pooh and Christopher reunite for the first time. They are sitting on park benches facing away from each other. It’s an endearing moment that helps to get the adventure rolling.
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
Resolution: 10
If this ending doesn’t move you, you are not human. Kidding, but it’s the perfect sappy ending for a sappy movie. The kind of ending that makes you want to start the movie over from the beginning and watch it all over again.
Overall: 94
First Po, then Paddington, now Pooh. I don’t know what it is about these bears that put a smile on my face, but whatever it is, it works! Christopher Robin was definitely one of my favorite movies of 2018.
Acting: 10
Jim Cummings is stellar as both Pooh and Tigger. Although I don’t have a huge point of reference, I can say that it felt like he poured his heart into these characters, making them extremely lovable. His tone and inflection just have a way of making me smile. I also loved Brad Garrett voicing Eeyore. That choice is almost a given as his voice is perfect, but I loved how he took the role and made it his own. Amazing job by the cast all around.
Beginning: 9
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Reminiscent of what they did with the Snuggle bear, the characters are not quite animated, but an odd form of CGI. They don’t feel like fake creatures, rather they are a uniquely pleasant creation. Seeing them interact with Christopher Robin and the settings around them was a treat. I loved the way the Hundred Acre Woods are captured and the well-crafted closeups of the characters that evoke emotion. Especially powerful was the montage of Christopher Robin growing into a man at the beginning of the movie. It shows you just how far removed he is from his childhood.
Conflict: 7
Genre: 9
I appreciate it when a kids film can take their material and use it to appeal to adults. Christopher Robin straddles the line between adults and children extremely well and makes it an enjoyable experience for all. I smiled. I laughed. And maybe, just maybe, I got a little teary.
Memorability: 9
The movie hits you with a strong message about the necessity of growing up and the importance of holding on to yourself as you age. Watching it inspired me to remember how it felt to be fancy free without a care in the world and how good that felt. The movie does a great job of sprinkling the message in with the fun of the story.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Pooh and Christopher reunite for the first time. They are sitting on park benches facing away from each other. It’s an endearing moment that helps to get the adventure rolling.
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
Resolution: 10
If this ending doesn’t move you, you are not human. Kidding, but it’s the perfect sappy ending for a sappy movie. The kind of ending that makes you want to start the movie over from the beginning and watch it all over again.
Overall: 94
First Po, then Paddington, now Pooh. I don’t know what it is about these bears that put a smile on my face, but whatever it is, it works! Christopher Robin was definitely one of my favorite movies of 2018.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Pixie (2020) in Movies
Nov 2, 2020
Olivia Cooke - utterly enchanting (1 more)
Just the right balance of black humour and Tarantino-esque violence
Once upon a Time in the West... of Ireland
You know sometimes when you see a trailer you think "oh yeah - this is a must see"! The trailer for "Pixie" (see below) was one such moment for me. A spaghetti western set in Sligo? With Alec Baldwin as a "deadly gangster priest"? Yes, yes, yes!
In a remote Irish church, two Irish priests and two "visiting Afghan Catholic priests" are gunned down by a couple of losers in animal masks - Fergus (Fra Fee) and Colin (Rory Fleck Byrne) - over a stash of MDMA worth a million Euros. This reignites a simmering gang war between the gangster families of Dermot O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and Father Hector McGrath (Alec Baldwin). Linking everything together is Pixie (Olivia Cooke), O'Brien's daughter, who has a magnetic effect on men. She is somehow subtly the woman controlling everything going on.
Drawn into the mayhem are hapless teens Frank (Ben Hardy) and Harland (Daryl McCormack) - both of who have the hots for Pixie - who embark on a wild and bloody road-trip around southern Ireland.
Key to your belief in the ridiculous story is that the character of Pixie has to have the beauty and charisma to utterly enslave the poor men she crosses paths with: taking a "Kalashnikov to their hearts" as drug dealer Daniel (Chris Walley) puts it. And Olivia Cooke - so good in "Ready Player One" - absolutely and completely nails the role. I'm utterly in love with her after this movie, and she's thirty years too young for me! There's a sparkle and a mischief behind her that reminded me strongly of a young Audrey Hepburn.
Supporting her really well are the "Harry and Ron" to Cooke's Hermione - Ben Hardy (Roger Taylor in "Bohemian Rhapsody") and Daryl McCormack. And the trio make a truly memorable "love triangle". A bedroom scene manages to be both quietly erotic and excruciatingly funny in equal measure.
The direction here is by Barnaby Thompson, who's better known as a producer with the only previous movie directing credits being the St Trinian's reboots in 2007/09. Here he manages to channel some of the quirky camera shots of the likes of Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn and mix them with the black humour and comedic gore of Quentin Tarantino. The taciturn hit-man Seamus (Ned Dennehy) typifies the comedy on offer, using a Land Rover to drag a poor victim round in a figure of eight on a soggy moor to make him talk!
Where I think the movie wimps out a bit is in an ecclesiastical shoot-out finale. Vaughn's "Kingsman: The Secret Service" set the bar here for completely outrageous and out-there church-based violence. Here, the scene is both tame by comparison (not necessarily a bad thing!), but also highly predictable. Given this is supposed to be "a plan", none of it feels to be very well thought-through! As such, belief can only be suspended for so long.
The visuals and music are fab. The cinematography - by veteran John de Borman - makes the west Ireland coast look utterly glorious and the Irish tourist board must have been delighted. There are also some beautifully-framed shots: a boot-eye (US: trunk-eye) perspective is fabulous, and there's a gasp-inducing fade-back to Pixie's face following a flashback. And a shout-out too to the editing by Robbie Morrison, since some of the plot twists are delivered as expert surprises.
The music - by Gerry Diver and David Holmes - is also spectacularly good at propelling the action and maintaining the feel-good theme.
Where I did have issues was with the audio mix. I'm sure there were a bunch of clever one-liners buried in there, but the combination of the accents (and I've worked in Northern Ireland for 20 years and am "tuned in"!) and the sound quality meant I missed a number of them. I will need another watch with subtitles to catch them all.
Thanks to ANOTHER WRETCHED LOCKDOWN in the UK this was my last trip to the cinema for at least a month: I was one of only four viewers in the "Odeon" cinema for this showing. Because it's a great shame that so few people will get to see this (at least for a while), since its the sort of feelgood movie that we all need right now. Slick and utterly entertaining, I'll quietly predict that this one will gain a following as a mini-cult-classic when it gets to streaming services. Recommended.
(For the full graphical review, please check-out the bob the movie man review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2020/11/02/pixie-once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-of-ireland/. Thanks.)
In a remote Irish church, two Irish priests and two "visiting Afghan Catholic priests" are gunned down by a couple of losers in animal masks - Fergus (Fra Fee) and Colin (Rory Fleck Byrne) - over a stash of MDMA worth a million Euros. This reignites a simmering gang war between the gangster families of Dermot O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and Father Hector McGrath (Alec Baldwin). Linking everything together is Pixie (Olivia Cooke), O'Brien's daughter, who has a magnetic effect on men. She is somehow subtly the woman controlling everything going on.
Drawn into the mayhem are hapless teens Frank (Ben Hardy) and Harland (Daryl McCormack) - both of who have the hots for Pixie - who embark on a wild and bloody road-trip around southern Ireland.
Key to your belief in the ridiculous story is that the character of Pixie has to have the beauty and charisma to utterly enslave the poor men she crosses paths with: taking a "Kalashnikov to their hearts" as drug dealer Daniel (Chris Walley) puts it. And Olivia Cooke - so good in "Ready Player One" - absolutely and completely nails the role. I'm utterly in love with her after this movie, and she's thirty years too young for me! There's a sparkle and a mischief behind her that reminded me strongly of a young Audrey Hepburn.
Supporting her really well are the "Harry and Ron" to Cooke's Hermione - Ben Hardy (Roger Taylor in "Bohemian Rhapsody") and Daryl McCormack. And the trio make a truly memorable "love triangle". A bedroom scene manages to be both quietly erotic and excruciatingly funny in equal measure.
The direction here is by Barnaby Thompson, who's better known as a producer with the only previous movie directing credits being the St Trinian's reboots in 2007/09. Here he manages to channel some of the quirky camera shots of the likes of Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn and mix them with the black humour and comedic gore of Quentin Tarantino. The taciturn hit-man Seamus (Ned Dennehy) typifies the comedy on offer, using a Land Rover to drag a poor victim round in a figure of eight on a soggy moor to make him talk!
Where I think the movie wimps out a bit is in an ecclesiastical shoot-out finale. Vaughn's "Kingsman: The Secret Service" set the bar here for completely outrageous and out-there church-based violence. Here, the scene is both tame by comparison (not necessarily a bad thing!), but also highly predictable. Given this is supposed to be "a plan", none of it feels to be very well thought-through! As such, belief can only be suspended for so long.
The visuals and music are fab. The cinematography - by veteran John de Borman - makes the west Ireland coast look utterly glorious and the Irish tourist board must have been delighted. There are also some beautifully-framed shots: a boot-eye (US: trunk-eye) perspective is fabulous, and there's a gasp-inducing fade-back to Pixie's face following a flashback. And a shout-out too to the editing by Robbie Morrison, since some of the plot twists are delivered as expert surprises.
The music - by Gerry Diver and David Holmes - is also spectacularly good at propelling the action and maintaining the feel-good theme.
Where I did have issues was with the audio mix. I'm sure there were a bunch of clever one-liners buried in there, but the combination of the accents (and I've worked in Northern Ireland for 20 years and am "tuned in"!) and the sound quality meant I missed a number of them. I will need another watch with subtitles to catch them all.
Thanks to ANOTHER WRETCHED LOCKDOWN in the UK this was my last trip to the cinema for at least a month: I was one of only four viewers in the "Odeon" cinema for this showing. Because it's a great shame that so few people will get to see this (at least for a while), since its the sort of feelgood movie that we all need right now. Slick and utterly entertaining, I'll quietly predict that this one will gain a following as a mini-cult-classic when it gets to streaming services. Recommended.
(For the full graphical review, please check-out the bob the movie man review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2020/11/02/pixie-once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-of-ireland/. Thanks.)
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Furious 7 (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
As most would expect from the Fast & Furious franchise, the 7th installment was full of the absurd, ridiculous and spectacular. How a former FBI agent and reticent street racer came to be the leaders of a highly sought after band of not-so-merry brothers (and sisters), hired to accomplish what special ops couldn’t is just part of the absurd. The ridiculous can be found in the escapades they find themselves mired in as well as the stunts they have to pull off to get out of said predicaments. But tied into the absurd and ridiculous are the spectacular adrenaline rushes charged with a lot of shiny metal and ferocious revs and rumbles of finely tuned engines.
Furious 7 tries to tie together the storylines of its predecessors. At least that was the original intent. But with only a couple weeks of filming left, the movie lost one of its leading men, Paul Walker in a horrifically ironic car accident. When the cast and crew, as well as Universal and Walker’s family agreed to finish filming, the movie became more about giving his character, Brian O’Connor, his last hurrah, a final dance with bullets he told his wife he missed before he finally accepted a more domesticated existence.
As much as I enjoyed Furious 7, it was hard to watch on so many levels. The fans will love the intense fight scenes, some wincingly brutal, some intricately choreographed. There are plenty of jaw-dropping stunts and heart-racing car chases, and plenty of one-liners to laugh or groan at, mainly from Dwayne Johnson’s character, Hobbs. This movie also had two villains, Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw and Djimon Honsou’s Jakande; one intent on avenging his brother, the other bent on getting his hands on “God’s Eye”, a device that would essentially give Jakande control of the world, of course. The movie also introduced a new character named Mr. Nobody, played by an amusing Kirk Russell.
With the aid of CGI and Walker’s brothers, Cody and Caleb, as stand-ins, director James Wan was able to keep Brian in most of the film. That’s where I found some difficulty in watching the movie. Wan and his staff combed through footage that normally would’ve ended on the cutting room floor to find usable shots that Wan came to refer to as “Walker Gold” because each shot became more and more precious. I understood that sentiment as each of Walker’s scenes, especially with Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster, became even more poignant knowing they were some of his last. Wan didn’t try to make the audience forget that Walker was gone, instead he made Furious 7 the satisfying closing chapter for the character Walker brought to life, effectively paying tribute to Walker himself.
Furious 7 tries to tie together the storylines of its predecessors. At least that was the original intent. But with only a couple weeks of filming left, the movie lost one of its leading men, Paul Walker in a horrifically ironic car accident. When the cast and crew, as well as Universal and Walker’s family agreed to finish filming, the movie became more about giving his character, Brian O’Connor, his last hurrah, a final dance with bullets he told his wife he missed before he finally accepted a more domesticated existence.
As much as I enjoyed Furious 7, it was hard to watch on so many levels. The fans will love the intense fight scenes, some wincingly brutal, some intricately choreographed. There are plenty of jaw-dropping stunts and heart-racing car chases, and plenty of one-liners to laugh or groan at, mainly from Dwayne Johnson’s character, Hobbs. This movie also had two villains, Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw and Djimon Honsou’s Jakande; one intent on avenging his brother, the other bent on getting his hands on “God’s Eye”, a device that would essentially give Jakande control of the world, of course. The movie also introduced a new character named Mr. Nobody, played by an amusing Kirk Russell.
With the aid of CGI and Walker’s brothers, Cody and Caleb, as stand-ins, director James Wan was able to keep Brian in most of the film. That’s where I found some difficulty in watching the movie. Wan and his staff combed through footage that normally would’ve ended on the cutting room floor to find usable shots that Wan came to refer to as “Walker Gold” because each shot became more and more precious. I understood that sentiment as each of Walker’s scenes, especially with Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster, became even more poignant knowing they were some of his last. Wan didn’t try to make the audience forget that Walker was gone, instead he made Furious 7 the satisfying closing chapter for the character Walker brought to life, effectively paying tribute to Walker himself.
Rickey A. Mossow Jr. (689 KP) rated Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) in Movies
May 12, 2019
Surprisingly good. Thank you Netflix and Zac Efron.
This wasn't something that was on my list to watch, but my wife is a fan of anything Ted Bundy, so I obliged. From the moment the film begins, you are immediately engulfed in the amazingly twisted love story of Bundy and Liz. The movie is incredibly paced and enthralling. Efron is his normal charismatic self, but surprisingly gripping and believable in the serial killer role. He beautifully parallels the real life man he portrays. The film also does a great job of splicing in actual police photos and TV footage, leading to the gripping final act. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised.
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
7.9
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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) in Movies
Oct 29, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
I remember seeing Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure back in the cinemas in 1989, it was a most excellent movie packed with time-travelling laughs and some brilliant music, now years after their Bogus Journey they are back to Face The Music and this time they bring their family with them.
The film does seem to start of fairly slow before it finds its footing to bring us not only what feels like how the original movies felt, but also gives us that nostalgic feel of those days of crazy films that were purely for the entertainment value to make us laugh and Bill & Ted Face the Music certainly had me laughing and laughing a lot.
The film does seem to start of fairly slow before it finds its footing to bring us not only what feels like how the original movies felt, but also gives us that nostalgic feel of those days of crazy films that were purely for the entertainment value to make us laugh and Bill & Ted Face the Music certainly had me laughing and laughing a lot.