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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
Mar 5, 2018 (Updated Mar 5, 2018)
Cool For Cats
Marvel's latest hotly anticipated superhero epic Black Panther, has arrived. Chadwick Boseman stars as the titular hero and gives a subdued, collected performance, which I didn't expect. The first time that we saw this character was in Civil War and while I understand he was on a revenge quest in that movie, he conveyed an sense of energy that is isn't present in Black Panther. I don't think that this was Chadwick Boseman's decision, but is instead based on what Ryan Coogler's vision of who Black Panther should be.
There are a lot of stand out performances in the film though Michael B Jordan, who is a Coogler movie staple at this point, brings us the best Marvel villain so far, or at the very least, the most believable motivation for doing villainous things that we have seen so far in the MCU. The rest of the cast bring their A game too, including Danai Guira, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whittaker, Martin Freeman and Sterling K Brown.
The costume design and sets where fantastic to look at, but some of the character CGI looked a but too bouncy and unrealistic. I also felt like the movie dragged a bit in the second act. While the soundtrack started off great and added to the excitement of certain scenes in the movie's first act, by around halfway through the movie, I was sick of hearing African drums and chanting.
Overall though, this is a pretty great entry into the MCU and although it isn't Marvel's best ever, it is also definitely not their worst.
There are a lot of stand out performances in the film though Michael B Jordan, who is a Coogler movie staple at this point, brings us the best Marvel villain so far, or at the very least, the most believable motivation for doing villainous things that we have seen so far in the MCU. The rest of the cast bring their A game too, including Danai Guira, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whittaker, Martin Freeman and Sterling K Brown.
The costume design and sets where fantastic to look at, but some of the character CGI looked a but too bouncy and unrealistic. I also felt like the movie dragged a bit in the second act. While the soundtrack started off great and added to the excitement of certain scenes in the movie's first act, by around halfway through the movie, I was sick of hearing African drums and chanting.
Overall though, this is a pretty great entry into the MCU and although it isn't Marvel's best ever, it is also definitely not their worst.

Erika (17789 KP) rated The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) in Movies
Aug 9, 2018
I went into this movie, just hoping it'd make me laugh... I laughed once. Maybe I'm just not a Kate McKinnon fan, but her character was annoying, and there was little to no depth there. I was also not buying into the fact that McKinnon and Kunis' characters were 30 years old, at first I thought it was a joke, but it wasn't. Overall, it was a bloated mess that went on for way too long. At least Sam Heughan was there for eye candy.

Andrew Koltuniuk (767 KP) rated Onward (2020) in Movies
Apr 10, 2020
Wow. Pixar once again delivers a tear-jerker that is a fun, exciting family film. Ever since I saw the trailer, I knew that I wanted to watch this film. It just looked too good to pass up. And I was not wrong. Pixar delivered so hard with this movie. Props to Scanlon for incorporating a personal piece of his own life in this film. Also, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland both killed it in their roles in this film. I absolutely will watch this again!

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
Movie Watch
Emily Danforth’s controversial teen novel gets a movie adaptation, set in 1993, with Chloë Grace...
drama

Aragami (2003)
Movie
Aragami (荒神, also known as Aragami: The Raging God of Battle) is a 2003 Japanese action film...

Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Human Tornado (1976) in Movies
Jan 6, 2020
If You're Looking For Something New...
In blaxploitation movie The Human Tornado, Martial arts street pimp Dolemite has to dodge a racist sheriff while helping his good friend Queen Bee retake control of her nightclub.
Acting: 5
Nobody is winning any awards in this movie, but it works in certain spots. There is a certain charisma around Rudy Ray Moore who plays Dolemite that is quite hard to deny. He’s just fun to watch and, if nothing else, you know he’s giving you 100%. The rest of the actors go about their lines with the strength of dark roast coffee. They’re never really believable, but it somehow works in the grand scheme of things.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Dolemite makes the movie. He’s suave, got a way with the ladies, and takes absolutely no shits from the man. His martial arts are a thing of legend and he’s even taken it up a notch from the first movie! His one-liners will leave you with quotes for days. At one point in the movie, we see Dolemite taking a woman into his room. He tells her, “You really came at a bad time. I’m very very busy. Relax, take off your things, and I’ll see ya later.” And trust me when I say that’s only one line of MANY. The other characters make for good fun as well although, I have to admit, I don’t remember most of their names.
Cinematography/Visuals: 9
Conflict: 9
Entertainment Value: 7
It’s hard not to settle in and enjoy this movie. Once it gets rolling, it's pretty consistent and nonstop with the action and the constant events that never cease to amaze you. I laughed, I clapped, and just when I thought I had seen it all, the movie gave me something new!
Memorability: 6
Pace: 5
The Human Tornado takes quite a few twists and turns that does slow the movie down in spots. There were also a few scenes where you scratch your head wondering why it had to be in there in the first place. It’s not boring, but it definitely could have been shorter.
Plot: 6
Resolution: 3
One of the most headscratching endings I think I’ve seen in film. And I’ve seen a lot of movies. I’ll just leave it at that.
Overall: 70
If you haven’t watched a blaxploitation film yet, you are missing out. They are not just comedy, but it’s also a bit empowering watching the main characters rise up against the man. You could do worse than The Human Tornado. Random Fact: This is one of Ernie Hudson’s first movie, the black Ghosbuster himself!
Acting: 5
Nobody is winning any awards in this movie, but it works in certain spots. There is a certain charisma around Rudy Ray Moore who plays Dolemite that is quite hard to deny. He’s just fun to watch and, if nothing else, you know he’s giving you 100%. The rest of the actors go about their lines with the strength of dark roast coffee. They’re never really believable, but it somehow works in the grand scheme of things.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Dolemite makes the movie. He’s suave, got a way with the ladies, and takes absolutely no shits from the man. His martial arts are a thing of legend and he’s even taken it up a notch from the first movie! His one-liners will leave you with quotes for days. At one point in the movie, we see Dolemite taking a woman into his room. He tells her, “You really came at a bad time. I’m very very busy. Relax, take off your things, and I’ll see ya later.” And trust me when I say that’s only one line of MANY. The other characters make for good fun as well although, I have to admit, I don’t remember most of their names.
Cinematography/Visuals: 9
Conflict: 9
Entertainment Value: 7
It’s hard not to settle in and enjoy this movie. Once it gets rolling, it's pretty consistent and nonstop with the action and the constant events that never cease to amaze you. I laughed, I clapped, and just when I thought I had seen it all, the movie gave me something new!
Memorability: 6
Pace: 5
The Human Tornado takes quite a few twists and turns that does slow the movie down in spots. There were also a few scenes where you scratch your head wondering why it had to be in there in the first place. It’s not boring, but it definitely could have been shorter.
Plot: 6
Resolution: 3
One of the most headscratching endings I think I’ve seen in film. And I’ve seen a lot of movies. I’ll just leave it at that.
Overall: 70
If you haven’t watched a blaxploitation film yet, you are missing out. They are not just comedy, but it’s also a bit empowering watching the main characters rise up against the man. You could do worse than The Human Tornado. Random Fact: This is one of Ernie Hudson’s first movie, the black Ghosbuster himself!

MichaelS (0 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) in Movies
Feb 20, 2018
This is perhaps the most difficult review I've ever written. I simply don't know where to begin. It might help to start with saying that, as a movie lover, Star Wars is my life blood. No movie has ever sparked my imagination the way the original film did. It's kind of cliché to say it, but the movie changed me. The 8 year old boy that walked out of the movie theater that day in 1977 was not the same one that walked in.
Over the years I would devour anything and everything Star Wars related that I could get my hands on. I followed the franchise across decades of films, and their various highs and lows. The same is true of The Last Jedi.
It's almost inconsequential to discuss the plot of the film. Like The Empire Strikes Back there is not just one story, one plot, being told. Yet all of them must come together in the end. This is where the highs and lows come into play. Every character is on a separate arc of growth and discovery. But there is one subplot that just does not work. At all. It feels out of place, and contains a message about cruelty that is so ham fisted and heavy handed, that when a character makes what is supposed to be a triumphant statement, I rolled my eyes and cringed.
The most important plot area of the movie centers around the return of Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill gives the performance of his life. Never before has Luke been so layered, and so utterly badass. Watching him in this movie is like watching Heath Ledger as The Joker. He's so mesmerizing that every moment he's off screen, you're anxiously awaiting his return.
The action in the movie is breathtaking. An opening space battle is unlike we've ever had in a Star Wars movie, There are also two hand to hand combat scenes that are not only thrilling to watch, but are also important story moments that will leave you guessing as to their meanings until the end.
I can say this is NOT going to be a movie for everyone. It is not made to be the rousing crowd pleaser that The Force Awakens was. This film is filled with twists, turns, and more than one "I did NOT see that coming moment", and not all of those moments are going to please everyone. It takes Star Wars in directions you might not expect, and might not be happy with. But that is the nature of bold filmmaking. A director has to be true to his vision, take the risks he deems necessary, and let the chips fall where they may.
Now, since I said that there is one story arc of the movie that utterly fails, you might wonder how I can still give the movie a perfect rating. Simple...as a Star Wars fan, the highs of this movie took me SO high, that the lows of the film don't take me so low that they ruin the movie for me at all.
The film thrilled me, challenged the things that I believe make Star Wars what it is, and rewarded me with an original, visually dazzling movie that commands to be seen multiple times to pick up all the little things I didn't notice the last time.
Over the years I would devour anything and everything Star Wars related that I could get my hands on. I followed the franchise across decades of films, and their various highs and lows. The same is true of The Last Jedi.
It's almost inconsequential to discuss the plot of the film. Like The Empire Strikes Back there is not just one story, one plot, being told. Yet all of them must come together in the end. This is where the highs and lows come into play. Every character is on a separate arc of growth and discovery. But there is one subplot that just does not work. At all. It feels out of place, and contains a message about cruelty that is so ham fisted and heavy handed, that when a character makes what is supposed to be a triumphant statement, I rolled my eyes and cringed.
The most important plot area of the movie centers around the return of Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill gives the performance of his life. Never before has Luke been so layered, and so utterly badass. Watching him in this movie is like watching Heath Ledger as The Joker. He's so mesmerizing that every moment he's off screen, you're anxiously awaiting his return.
The action in the movie is breathtaking. An opening space battle is unlike we've ever had in a Star Wars movie, There are also two hand to hand combat scenes that are not only thrilling to watch, but are also important story moments that will leave you guessing as to their meanings until the end.
I can say this is NOT going to be a movie for everyone. It is not made to be the rousing crowd pleaser that The Force Awakens was. This film is filled with twists, turns, and more than one "I did NOT see that coming moment", and not all of those moments are going to please everyone. It takes Star Wars in directions you might not expect, and might not be happy with. But that is the nature of bold filmmaking. A director has to be true to his vision, take the risks he deems necessary, and let the chips fall where they may.
Now, since I said that there is one story arc of the movie that utterly fails, you might wonder how I can still give the movie a perfect rating. Simple...as a Star Wars fan, the highs of this movie took me SO high, that the lows of the film don't take me so low that they ruin the movie for me at all.
The film thrilled me, challenged the things that I believe make Star Wars what it is, and rewarded me with an original, visually dazzling movie that commands to be seen multiple times to pick up all the little things I didn't notice the last time.

Cumberland (1142 KP) rated Mean Girls (2004) in Movies
Oct 22, 2018
Love it
I have always enjoyed this movie, and its fun to introduce it to other people. The high school cliques and drama are so over the top its hilarious. This film is a great part of pop culture that is often quoted or made into memes. A large reason for its popularity is because while it is funny and fun to watch, it also has some solid life lessons about being yourself and being kind to others.

David McK (3540 KP) rated Hellboy, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction in Books
Jan 28, 2019
The inspiration for the Ron-Perlman led movie(s) of the same name, Hellboy - like the lead character - is sort of a strange mix: in this case, of the occult with the medium of the graphic novel with a very Cthulu-like monster at the end of the tale.
I also have to say that this is proof that Marvel and DC aren't the only two publishers in the world able to produce compelling and enjoyable reads!
I also have to say that this is proof that Marvel and DC aren't the only two publishers in the world able to produce compelling and enjoyable reads!

Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Movie
Cindy finds out the house she lives in is haunted by a little boy and goes on a quest to find out...
Spoof