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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) in Movies
Sep 5, 2021 (Updated Oct 2, 2021)
The latest entry into the MCU is a definitely a ride, both in terms of quality and in what unfolds on screen. The things I disliked about Shang-Chi are very clear cut - it's pacing is all over the place, there's an unholy amount of exposition dumps, and the humourous moments didn't always land. I have nothing against Awkwafina, but her character here is a constant quip-machine, and takes up a hefty amount of screen time, whilst simultaneously feeling a little pointless when all is said and done.
However, the things I did like about Shang-Chi are also extremely clear cut. For a starter, I'm just generally stoked that the character himself has his own movie. We've come a long way since X-Men blew the superhero genre wide open back in 2000.
It has a great cast, including lead Simu Liu, as well as the likes of Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh. The inner comic book nerd in me was beyond excited to see minor villains such as Razor Fist and Death Dealer on screen, and then of course (no spoilers!) a third act villain that is a true deep cut from the comics. Tony Leung's Wenwu aka The Mandarin strikes an imposing presence as the main big bad, and the subsequent theme of power and family gives the movie a beating, if tragic, heart.
Pretty much all of the fight scenes are great, and any flaws that I found were completely obliterated by the batshit insane final third, that honestly verges on live action anime at times.
The general tone of this movie feels like something new for the MCU. From street level fighting, to crazy fantasy style set pieces, to the exploration of Asian culture, Shang-Chi is a fresh new entry for the MCU, as the studio steps a little further out of its comfort zone. Please try to see it on the big screen if you can!
However, the things I did like about Shang-Chi are also extremely clear cut. For a starter, I'm just generally stoked that the character himself has his own movie. We've come a long way since X-Men blew the superhero genre wide open back in 2000.
It has a great cast, including lead Simu Liu, as well as the likes of Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh. The inner comic book nerd in me was beyond excited to see minor villains such as Razor Fist and Death Dealer on screen, and then of course (no spoilers!) a third act villain that is a true deep cut from the comics. Tony Leung's Wenwu aka The Mandarin strikes an imposing presence as the main big bad, and the subsequent theme of power and family gives the movie a beating, if tragic, heart.
Pretty much all of the fight scenes are great, and any flaws that I found were completely obliterated by the batshit insane final third, that honestly verges on live action anime at times.
The general tone of this movie feels like something new for the MCU. From street level fighting, to crazy fantasy style set pieces, to the exploration of Asian culture, Shang-Chi is a fresh new entry for the MCU, as the studio steps a little further out of its comfort zone. Please try to see it on the big screen if you can!
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated The creator (2023) in Movies
Sep 28, 2023
Taken from the pages of today’s headlines; “The Creator” presents a fresh yet complicated look at A.I. and how it may play into the future.
Director Gareth Edwards presents a future where A.I. has evolved to be incorporated into all aspects of society ranging from medical to production and the military.
When a deadly attack hits Los Angeles, the United States declares war on A.I. units and not only bans them but looks to hunt down and eliminate all units worldwide.
This causes an issue with the Asian Block where A.I. units are manufactured and actively incorporated into society with zero prejudice or concerns.
Joshua (John David Washington), sits out the conflict in Asia content with his wife and the pending birth of their child. When a U.S. raid arrives it is revealed that Joshua is actually undercover for the military and his wife sees this as a betrayal and flees with her allies and A.I. units but is killed in the process.
Years later Joshua is recruited to take part in a raid to eliminate the person behind the A.I. and take out the new weapon they have reportedly constructed. Unwilling at first; Joshua is convinced by the possibility that his wife survived the attack.
During the raid, it is revealed that the weapon is a robotic child Joshua named Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles) and Joshua is forced to flee with Alphie and in doing so; has divided loyalties as his focus is to find his wife despite the U.S. forces in hot pursuit and destroying all the communities with A.I. they encounter.
While parts of the film do tend to run a bit long; the cast is top-rate and the film provides an interesting debate on A.I. and its use in society and does so with a solid amount of action in the process.
4 stars out of 5
Director Gareth Edwards presents a future where A.I. has evolved to be incorporated into all aspects of society ranging from medical to production and the military.
When a deadly attack hits Los Angeles, the United States declares war on A.I. units and not only bans them but looks to hunt down and eliminate all units worldwide.
This causes an issue with the Asian Block where A.I. units are manufactured and actively incorporated into society with zero prejudice or concerns.
Joshua (John David Washington), sits out the conflict in Asia content with his wife and the pending birth of their child. When a U.S. raid arrives it is revealed that Joshua is actually undercover for the military and his wife sees this as a betrayal and flees with her allies and A.I. units but is killed in the process.
Years later Joshua is recruited to take part in a raid to eliminate the person behind the A.I. and take out the new weapon they have reportedly constructed. Unwilling at first; Joshua is convinced by the possibility that his wife survived the attack.
During the raid, it is revealed that the weapon is a robotic child Joshua named Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles) and Joshua is forced to flee with Alphie and in doing so; has divided loyalties as his focus is to find his wife despite the U.S. forces in hot pursuit and destroying all the communities with A.I. they encounter.
While parts of the film do tend to run a bit long; the cast is top-rate and the film provides an interesting debate on A.I. and its use in society and does so with a solid amount of action in the process.
4 stars out of 5
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Sixteen Candles (1984) in Movies
Apr 26, 2019
Dated, but fun back in the day.
I grew up with Sixteen Candles. Every girl I knew either wanted to be Sam and wear awesome clothes and hats or the Uber cool best friend Randi. I have lost track of how many times I've watched this movie. I've probably seen in a few times a year ever since it was first released. I have so many scenes and lines committed to memory. If I just watch it with my thoughts on what the times were like back then, it's a funny, lighthearted romantic comedy. Plus, one of the sweetest movie dads in history. I can relate to this movie because like Sam, I was a white girl growing up in the suburbs. I had older siblings who got all the attention and felt left out, even in my own family. I had a crazy, chaotic family. I had a crush on an older guy who was dating the perfect girl and I felt invisible. And like Sam, I thought Jake Ryan was just dreamy and I loathed taking the bus to and from school.
The situations with her family, especially her dork of a brother, passing notes in class, going to the high school dance, feeling like a fool, being embarrassed by my family, crushing on guys, and generally not fitting in and wishing I was someone else, were all relatable.
The movie was so much fun back in the day but it has not aged well for today's sociological and political climate.
Problematic plot points: shock at the thought of interracial dating, a lot of racially-insensitive jokes at the expense of the Asian character (including the sound of a going whenever he is mentioned or shown), racially-insensitive jokes at the expense of Italians, making light of taking advantage of a drunken female, use of the word retarded, and more things that I can think of right now.
I can ignore all the problematic points and still enjoy the film. It isn't one I'd recommend to younger people today but for those of us who lived through it, it's an enjoyable flick.
The situations with her family, especially her dork of a brother, passing notes in class, going to the high school dance, feeling like a fool, being embarrassed by my family, crushing on guys, and generally not fitting in and wishing I was someone else, were all relatable.
The movie was so much fun back in the day but it has not aged well for today's sociological and political climate.
Problematic plot points: shock at the thought of interracial dating, a lot of racially-insensitive jokes at the expense of the Asian character (including the sound of a going whenever he is mentioned or shown), racially-insensitive jokes at the expense of Italians, making light of taking advantage of a drunken female, use of the word retarded, and more things that I can think of right now.
I can ignore all the problematic points and still enjoy the film. It isn't one I'd recommend to younger people today but for those of us who lived through it, it's an enjoyable flick.
Fred (860 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Jul 10, 2018
The acting is top notch (2 more)
Lots of action
Very loyal to the game series
The Story of Lara Croft is an interesting one
Watched this last night. As usual, I try not to see any reviews until I see it, so I'm not swayed by other's opinions. And so, not knowing if the movie was liked or disliked, I was able to watch it & make my own opinion.
I am a fan of the game series & love the new entries. I'm very glad they decided to follow the new games for this film & I found Lara's "origin" to be real interesting. I was not a fan of the Angelina Jolie movies. I found her too snooty & arrogant to like the character. But Alicia Vikander plays the characters perfectly. She plays a young Lara, who's tough, but has some vulnerability to her. She's an underdog we can root for, but she can hold her own too. A perfect balance.
Daniel Wu & Dominic West play their parts well. Although I would have liked to have seen Wu pull off some martial arts moves, like his character on "Into the Badlands", but I'm also glad they didn't fall for the stereotypical Asian.
But. a movie is only as good as it's main villain. And this movie has a great one. Played by Walton Goggins, who doesn't get the credit he deserves. This guy is great. He can make you love him & he can make you hate him too. I've never seen him in a bad role.
There's really not much to say about the story, as it's practically a live-action remake of the last 2 video games stories mashed together. You know what to expect, lots of action, lots of raiding of tombs. I kind of wish there would have been more puzzle solving in it. Some of the puzzles were solved without even showing them. Lara just solves them. I kind of wish I could have figured them out. But I guess I'm just used to playing the game & doing everything myself.
Anyway, the bottom line, it's a fun film, well worth watching.
I am a fan of the game series & love the new entries. I'm very glad they decided to follow the new games for this film & I found Lara's "origin" to be real interesting. I was not a fan of the Angelina Jolie movies. I found her too snooty & arrogant to like the character. But Alicia Vikander plays the characters perfectly. She plays a young Lara, who's tough, but has some vulnerability to her. She's an underdog we can root for, but she can hold her own too. A perfect balance.
Daniel Wu & Dominic West play their parts well. Although I would have liked to have seen Wu pull off some martial arts moves, like his character on "Into the Badlands", but I'm also glad they didn't fall for the stereotypical Asian.
But. a movie is only as good as it's main villain. And this movie has a great one. Played by Walton Goggins, who doesn't get the credit he deserves. This guy is great. He can make you love him & he can make you hate him too. I've never seen him in a bad role.
There's really not much to say about the story, as it's practically a live-action remake of the last 2 video games stories mashed together. You know what to expect, lots of action, lots of raiding of tombs. I kind of wish there would have been more puzzle solving in it. Some of the puzzles were solved without even showing them. Lara just solves them. I kind of wish I could have figured them out. But I guess I'm just used to playing the game & doing everything myself.
Anyway, the bottom line, it's a fun film, well worth watching.
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated Dead Shack (2017) in Movies
Jan 29, 2020
Storyline... Dialogue... Hilarious (1 more)
The kids killed it... No pun intended
Lmfao.... What a great little flick
So I'm going through TubiTv yesterday and i come across this little dynamo.
Side note. Tubi has over 1000 horror movies on it... So this was after careful deliber... Oh who the fuck am I kidding... I closed my eyes, flicked thee mouse wheel... And this is what I landed on... So much to my surprise... It was actually good for once.
The story starts out with 3 kids and a pair of parents... Even though one parent is a mich younger mail order asian bride... She's still a parent... Sort of... Ish... Anywhore... They are headed out for a week long getaway to a cabin in the woods( yeah... I went there)...
With out spoiling it... The film gets going in the first 15 minutes... Which is what you want in a good horror film.
I have yet to figure put what exactly the antagonist creatures in this film are though... Undead... Sorta dead... Not dead and just crazy... But in all honesty... Who the fuck cares.
The kids talk like kids do... Using swear words out of context... Blaming their folks... Bringing up pop culture references... It was honestly one of the best teenage speak films i have seen in a long time... With the exception of IT Chapter 1... Those kids were on fucking point.
The best part of the movie... And this made me laugh my proverbial ass off... Was the kids are confronting the big bad near the climax of the film... Big bad asks"What are you going to do about it?".
14 year old responds with,"We're gonna tell on you,".
His two friends just stop what they are doing and give him the best WTF look I have seen since my daughter gave me one when she was 5... And I missed a chair when going to sit down... I was sober... *hangs head in shame*
If you want to have a genuine good time... And like a few laughs mixed in with your blood soaked insanity... Then this is a flick for you...
I mean fuck, what do you have to lose?? Besides 1hr and 44 minutes of your life...
Side note. Tubi has over 1000 horror movies on it... So this was after careful deliber... Oh who the fuck am I kidding... I closed my eyes, flicked thee mouse wheel... And this is what I landed on... So much to my surprise... It was actually good for once.
The story starts out with 3 kids and a pair of parents... Even though one parent is a mich younger mail order asian bride... She's still a parent... Sort of... Ish... Anywhore... They are headed out for a week long getaway to a cabin in the woods( yeah... I went there)...
With out spoiling it... The film gets going in the first 15 minutes... Which is what you want in a good horror film.
I have yet to figure put what exactly the antagonist creatures in this film are though... Undead... Sorta dead... Not dead and just crazy... But in all honesty... Who the fuck cares.
The kids talk like kids do... Using swear words out of context... Blaming their folks... Bringing up pop culture references... It was honestly one of the best teenage speak films i have seen in a long time... With the exception of IT Chapter 1... Those kids were on fucking point.
The best part of the movie... And this made me laugh my proverbial ass off... Was the kids are confronting the big bad near the climax of the film... Big bad asks"What are you going to do about it?".
14 year old responds with,"We're gonna tell on you,".
His two friends just stop what they are doing and give him the best WTF look I have seen since my daughter gave me one when she was 5... And I missed a chair when going to sit down... I was sober... *hangs head in shame*
If you want to have a genuine good time... And like a few laughs mixed in with your blood soaked insanity... Then this is a flick for you...
I mean fuck, what do you have to lose?? Besides 1hr and 44 minutes of your life...
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