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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Equalizer 2 (2018) in Movies
Jul 29, 2018
Smart action flick with a tremendous Denzel performance
I really enjoyed the first EQUALIZER film. Based on the TV show of the same name, it followed the exploits of Denzel Washington as he "righted wrongs". I nicknamed this film "how to kill bad guys with things you find at your local Home Depot", for that is what happens. Denzel's character improvises traps and weapons to dispatch the evil-doers.
So...I was "all in" when they announced a sequel to this flick. I figured that Washington and his frequent collaborator, Director Antoine Fuqua (both Equalizer's as well as helming Denzel's Oscar winning performance in TRAINING DAY) would make things "bigger and badder" as often happens in sequels - bigger stakes, more bad guys, bigger - and trickier - improvisations - this time, perhaps at a Walmart!
But I was wrong - they didn't go bigger, they went smaller and smarter - and the movie is better for it.
In EQUALIZER 2, we get more personal with Denzel's character, Robert McCall. There still are plenty of bad guys getting the punishment they deserve, but it is the toll on McCall and the reasoning behind why he is doing what he is doing that is at center stage in this film, putting the weight of this film, rightfully so, on Denzel's more than capable shoulders. He comes through - as he always does - tremendously well. There is one scene where Denzel is trying to get a teenage boy to walk away from a gang. I was amazed that I was watching an "Academy Award" level scene in the middle of an action flick, but that is absolutely what it is.
Now...make no mistake...there is plenty of action, chases and violence in this film, but Fuqua shows great restraint, giving the violence a purpose instead of being gratuitous. Even when they have a final battle in the middle of a hurricane-level storm, Fuqua rightfully focuses on the people element of things - and not the spectacle of the elements and circumstances.
Both Fuqua and Washington make some smart choices in this film, which makes it a smart movie, well made with just enough action to please all.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
So...I was "all in" when they announced a sequel to this flick. I figured that Washington and his frequent collaborator, Director Antoine Fuqua (both Equalizer's as well as helming Denzel's Oscar winning performance in TRAINING DAY) would make things "bigger and badder" as often happens in sequels - bigger stakes, more bad guys, bigger - and trickier - improvisations - this time, perhaps at a Walmart!
But I was wrong - they didn't go bigger, they went smaller and smarter - and the movie is better for it.
In EQUALIZER 2, we get more personal with Denzel's character, Robert McCall. There still are plenty of bad guys getting the punishment they deserve, but it is the toll on McCall and the reasoning behind why he is doing what he is doing that is at center stage in this film, putting the weight of this film, rightfully so, on Denzel's more than capable shoulders. He comes through - as he always does - tremendously well. There is one scene where Denzel is trying to get a teenage boy to walk away from a gang. I was amazed that I was watching an "Academy Award" level scene in the middle of an action flick, but that is absolutely what it is.
Now...make no mistake...there is plenty of action, chases and violence in this film, but Fuqua shows great restraint, giving the violence a purpose instead of being gratuitous. Even when they have a final battle in the middle of a hurricane-level storm, Fuqua rightfully focuses on the people element of things - and not the spectacle of the elements and circumstances.
Both Fuqua and Washington make some smart choices in this film, which makes it a smart movie, well made with just enough action to please all.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Merissa (12704 KP) rated Discovery (The Gifted #1) in Books
Jun 8, 2023
What starts off as a 'normal' story about a young woman and her foster kids, quickly becomes something completely different - with mysterious men popping up at unexpected times, new abilities being found, old abilities becoming stronger, and threats, to name but some.
With a new Discovery in every chapter, this book is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found. The chemistry between Nick and Kate jumps out from the page at you, but it is still unclear as to whether or not they will end up together. I loved the supporting cast of friends that turned up towards the end of the book.
This is an intriguing story, with no clear definition of 'good' and 'evil'. Are the good guys really good? Are the bad really as bad as they are made out to be? I don't yet know for sure, but one thing I do know is that I can't wait to read Exploration, the second book in this series.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 29, 2016
With a new Discovery in every chapter, this book is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found. The chemistry between Nick and Kate jumps out from the page at you, but it is still unclear as to whether or not they will end up together. I loved the supporting cast of friends that turned up towards the end of the book.
This is an intriguing story, with no clear definition of 'good' and 'evil'. Are the good guys really good? Are the bad really as bad as they are made out to be? I don't yet know for sure, but one thing I do know is that I can't wait to read Exploration, the second book in this series.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 29, 2016
Connie (244 KP) rated Awaken Online: Catharsis in Books
Jun 8, 2018
LitRPG done right, with an interesting twist
LitRPG is a hard genre to break out into. That being said, Travis Bagwell has done an EXCELLENT job creating believable characters in a fascinating world. Personally, I felt that this was a great twist on the usual LitRPG--because the main character, Jason, discovers that villains aren't all what they seem.
Awaken Online is a brand new VR game that's just hit the market, one with an unusual premise... You're not the hero. You're not the Chosen One. You're a nobody, starting from the ground up. There are no bad guys, and no princesses need to be saved... Just you and your choices.
An outstanding read, and that's coming from someone who reads every day!
Awaken Online is a brand new VR game that's just hit the market, one with an unusual premise... You're not the hero. You're not the Chosen One. You're a nobody, starting from the ground up. There are no bad guys, and no princesses need to be saved... Just you and your choices.
An outstanding read, and that's coming from someone who reads every day!
Caitlin Ann Cherniak (85 KP) rated Forever Mine in Books
Oct 22, 2018
Never have I been more pissed at so many characters in my life. They're either unrealistically sexist or so fucking weak that they can't even stand up for themselves until something really bad happens. Also, I felt it should've ended at a certain point because after Angel found out the truth about Sydney, the whole ending with Sarah seemed out of nowhere. I have to read this book as research for one of my creative writing classes, and I really wanted to stab myself in the eyes because I hated this book so much. Like good God! Who thinks that making a guy so old-fashioned as "girls and guys can't be friends" is a good idea? Welcome to 2018, moron!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Corruptor (1998) in Movies
Jan 8, 2021 (Updated Jan 8, 2021)
Double Cross
The Corruptor- is a really good movie. Its a very underrated action packed drama film. Both Mark Walhberg and Chow Yun-Fat are both great.
The plot: Martial arts expert Detective Nick Chen (Chow Yun-Fat) teams up with his colleague Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg) to keep several gangs in New York City's Chinatown from annihilating each other. They must contend not only with the increasingly power-hungry gangsters, but also with the temptation of bribery and corruption as the bad guys divide and conquer the police forces. In what's beginning to seem like a losing battle, Chen and Wallace struggle to establish law and prevent more bloodshed.
If you havent seen this film than go watch it. Cause its really good.
The plot: Martial arts expert Detective Nick Chen (Chow Yun-Fat) teams up with his colleague Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg) to keep several gangs in New York City's Chinatown from annihilating each other. They must contend not only with the increasingly power-hungry gangsters, but also with the temptation of bribery and corruption as the bad guys divide and conquer the police forces. In what's beginning to seem like a losing battle, Chen and Wallace struggle to establish law and prevent more bloodshed.
If you havent seen this film than go watch it. Cause its really good.
A Wanted Man
10.0
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Book
When you’re as big and rough as Jack Reacher and you have a badly-set, freshly-busted nose,...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Forged in Blood II (The Emperor's Edge, #7) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Okay, when I started this I was probably 35% interested in the ending (getting Sespian back on the throne if possible, the guys getting their bounties removed, Sicarius and Amaranthe finding each other after thinking the other was dead) and 65% interested in Amaranthe and Sicarius getting their night together that was mentioned in the previous book and finishing what had been in the works since probably book 1 or 2.
I think there was a little too much discussion in the first 40% or so, and with me eager for my two favourite characters to find each other again I may have skipped a few bits though I don't think I missed anything exciting.
There was a lot of action in this one as everything reached its pinnacle: outing bad guys, running into gang members, the return of monsters...it was full on to say the least.
But for me the best bit has to be the epilogue *grins like an idiot* and I'm sure you can figure out what happens in it.
One thing made me almost cry but I wont spoil it by telling you what.
A great ending to the series and I cant wait to read more about Sicarius and Amaranthe's adventure!
I think there was a little too much discussion in the first 40% or so, and with me eager for my two favourite characters to find each other again I may have skipped a few bits though I don't think I missed anything exciting.
There was a lot of action in this one as everything reached its pinnacle: outing bad guys, running into gang members, the return of monsters...it was full on to say the least.
But for me the best bit has to be the epilogue *grins like an idiot* and I'm sure you can figure out what happens in it.
One thing made me almost cry but I wont spoil it by telling you what.
A great ending to the series and I cant wait to read more about Sicarius and Amaranthe's adventure!
The Adventures of Winnie #1
7.0
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Who knew the six animals I thought I was seeing in my dreams were real? A bear, rabbit, pig,...
Hooked On You (EMS Station 1 #1)
9.0
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Book
What’s a straight guy to do when he falls for his new friend? Paramedic Connor Devlin is a...
Contemporary MM Romance Series Friends to Lovers
Sarah (7799 KP) rated Skyscraper (2018) in Movies
Mar 29, 2019
Not one of the Rock's best
This is one of those wildly cheesy, silly and overblown action films that sadly goes way too over the top. The technology is just too much, the script is pretty average and the whole plot is just very predictable and silly. At least as with all of Dwayne Johnson's films, it is vaguely entertaining but not particularly memorable. The bad guys are cliched and altogether unforgettable and the whole film is just very "meh". The only really good thing I can say is that it was nice to see Neve Campbell in something recent that isn't a Scream film (as that's all I've seen her in). Other than that this is an alright film for background noise and that's it. Even Rampage was better than this.