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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Old Guard (2020) in Movies
Jul 10, 2020
Stop-me-if-you've-heard-this-one-before cartoon action fantasy. A squad of ass-kicking immortals find themselves menaced by nasty soulless corporate forces while they induct a new member.
Basically, Highlander for our times: competently put together and not without moments of interest, but basically all a bit dour and calculated when it comes to sending the appropriate messages (bad guys are straight white dudes and vice versa, for instance). Not much sense of romance, fun, or actual fantasy, which just makes the lack of a coherent backstory more noticeable (why do some people attain the film's peculiar state of immortality? They Just Do). Best not to worry too much about the plot, try to ignore the messaging, and just enjoy the production values and fight choreography.
Basically, Highlander for our times: competently put together and not without moments of interest, but basically all a bit dour and calculated when it comes to sending the appropriate messages (bad guys are straight white dudes and vice versa, for instance). Not much sense of romance, fun, or actual fantasy, which just makes the lack of a coherent backstory more noticeable (why do some people attain the film's peculiar state of immortality? They Just Do). Best not to worry too much about the plot, try to ignore the messaging, and just enjoy the production values and fight choreography.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Cobra (1986) in Movies
Jul 25, 2020
A big ridiculous slice of the finest 80's camenbert that I just couldn't help but enjoy. Stallone is on fine ass kicking form as the hilariously named Marion "cobra" Cobretti (who for some reason has a matchstick in his mouth for almost the entire running time) offing bad guys in creatively violent ways. It actually starts off pretty dark before descending into more generic action fare towards the end but is unfortunately made laughable at times by being shot like a music video. The dialogue and soundtrack is pretty cringeworthy and I don't know what was going on with Brigitte Nielsen's photo shoot with a bunch of robots?. Yes it's crap but it's under 90 minutes and never boring. You could do worse for some easy action thrills.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Nobody (2021) in Movies
Jul 24, 2021
Deadpan action-comedy from the John Wick people. The premise is more or less the same - supposedly retired hard man finds himself drawn into increasingly violent clashes with gangsters - but it's less stylised and more intentionally comedic. The main joke is the unlikelihood of someone so slight and nondescript as Bob Odenkirk taking out bad guys in droves; the actor plays it with a light touch.
Thoroughly satisfying action, some very good gags, and - most importantly - this is a film which understands the importance of taking a breath for a few character moments. You get a sense of real conflict in the protagonist, the sort of thing many films go on about without ever really bringing to life. Very nicely played, written and acted, a witty and satisfying thriller.
Thoroughly satisfying action, some very good gags, and - most importantly - this is a film which understands the importance of taking a breath for a few character moments. You get a sense of real conflict in the protagonist, the sort of thing many films go on about without ever really bringing to life. Very nicely played, written and acted, a witty and satisfying thriller.
Georgie Dent (100 KP) rated Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019
Really great look at Freddies life, how it all began, things he had to endure over the years, to writing the classic hits. The bit that brought me to tears is when he went to the hospital for diagnosis and the track playing is 'who wants to live forever'. This film will take you on highs and lows, and at the end you'll just be left with your mouth open, thinking, BLOODY WOW! Highly recommended watch if you haven't done so already.
The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure
9.0
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Tabletop Game
The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure takes the classic game of picture matching and adds a fresh...
Eye of the Sh*t Storm (The Frost Files #3)
9.0
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Book
Teagan Frost has all but given up her dream of becoming a chief. She's trapped in her current job:...
Awaken Online: Catharsis
10.0
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Are you tired of video games and books where you always hear the hero's tale? Perhaps it's time to...
LitRPG villain video game
Otway93 (567 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in Movies
Dec 19, 2019
Acting (4 more)
CGI
Script
Predictable
Characters
A rushed ending to something special.
Well, this film has felt like a long time coming, but the disappointment took far less time.
Poor acting and poor CGI work make this film bad enough, but with a predictable plot and an awful script, it makes it in my opinion the worst Star Wars film ever made (so far), and made me wish I'd stayed at home and watched Attack of the Clones.
Daisy Ridley's acting was pretty poor in the more dramatic moments, and the CGI, particularly bad during large explosions, detracted from the feeling a Star Wars film usually brings. I'm talking Sharknado level CGI at some points, but at least that was supposed to be bad...
The characters, some of them turning out to be a completely pointless addition to the trilogy, learn absolutely nothing about themselves, with a couple of exceptions of course, but all of them with poorly written characteristics.
The ending is of course predictable, as it was always going to be realistically, but as for that, I'll let you guys judge for yourself!
The only redeeming feature is a nice little twist or two, but I'm obviously not going to tell you that!
Of course, some things are better the second time around, so maybe I'll watch again when the DVD is released and update my review...or not update it if that be the case.
Poor acting and poor CGI work make this film bad enough, but with a predictable plot and an awful script, it makes it in my opinion the worst Star Wars film ever made (so far), and made me wish I'd stayed at home and watched Attack of the Clones.
Daisy Ridley's acting was pretty poor in the more dramatic moments, and the CGI, particularly bad during large explosions, detracted from the feeling a Star Wars film usually brings. I'm talking Sharknado level CGI at some points, but at least that was supposed to be bad...
The characters, some of them turning out to be a completely pointless addition to the trilogy, learn absolutely nothing about themselves, with a couple of exceptions of course, but all of them with poorly written characteristics.
The ending is of course predictable, as it was always going to be realistically, but as for that, I'll let you guys judge for yourself!
The only redeeming feature is a nice little twist or two, but I'm obviously not going to tell you that!
Of course, some things are better the second time around, so maybe I'll watch again when the DVD is released and update my review...or not update it if that be the case.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Deadpool 2 (2018) in Movies
May 18, 2018
Huge improvement over the original
After a relatively slow and average start featuring a depressed Deadpool, some standard taking out of bad guys, moaning at Colossus about the X-Men etc, Deadpool 2 eventually slips into gear and doesn't let up from then on. A number of additional characters are soon introduced, and those that stick around for more than just a couple of scenes are definitely worth it. Josh Brolin brings just the right level of bad-ass threat to the movie as Cable, arriving from the future with a Terminator style mission to take care of. Zazie Beetz’s as Domino, whose superpower is simply 'luck' is just a joy to watch, and the formation of the new 'X-Force' team just takes things to a whole new level of enjoyment.
The one-liners are still there, and there are many scenes which just seem to feature one big laugh out loud moment after another. Everything about Deadpool 2 is just a huge improvement on the original - the action, the humour, the characters, the cameos and the story itself. I loved it.
The one-liners are still there, and there are many scenes which just seem to feature one big laugh out loud moment after another. Everything about Deadpool 2 is just a huge improvement on the original - the action, the humour, the characters, the cameos and the story itself. I loved it.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Honest Thief (2020) in Movies
Oct 24, 2020
Decent crime thriller. Liam Neeson plays the In-and-Out Bandit (snigger), who has nicked $9 million out of some obscure principle, and also because he enjoys it. When he wants to settle down with his new lady friend, he tries to negotiate his surrender, but comes up against corruption in the FBI and finds himself framed for murder...
Looks like another one of those movies where some bad guys really tick off Neeson, leading up to the moment where he gets on the phone to them and does his 'I'm coming for you!' speech. And this one is a bit like that, but the violence is employed sparingly and it has a rather neat plot, too. The characters have a bit more depth than you might expect, too - Neeson is giving the same performance as usual, but not an actual bad one, while everyone else manages to find something interesting to work with: Jai Courtney is actually really impressive as his character gradually loses it. It's still a fairly modest genre movie, but it's better than the usual Neeson vehicle and genuinely involving and enjoyable.
Looks like another one of those movies where some bad guys really tick off Neeson, leading up to the moment where he gets on the phone to them and does his 'I'm coming for you!' speech. And this one is a bit like that, but the violence is employed sparingly and it has a rather neat plot, too. The characters have a bit more depth than you might expect, too - Neeson is giving the same performance as usual, but not an actual bad one, while everyone else manages to find something interesting to work with: Jai Courtney is actually really impressive as his character gradually loses it. It's still a fairly modest genre movie, but it's better than the usual Neeson vehicle and genuinely involving and enjoyable.