Search
Search results
William Finnegan recommended Liebling Abroad in Books (curated)
Awix (3310 KP) rated Green Lantern (2011) in Movies
May 18, 2018
Boxing Glove ends up as Punch Line
Yet more proof that DC was capable of making slightly shoddy movies even before Zach Snyder was put in charge of their operation, Green Lantern may end up being better remembered as the butt of a whole series of jokes now that Ryan Reynolds has been much more successful playing a character for the opposition. Test pilot is given magic ring by dying alien which initiates him into universal police force (the 'Green Lanterns'); ring allows him to convert his willpower into giant green boxing gloves and anything else he can think of.
Too much blatant CGI, obviously, and also the storytelling is botched - the film is frontloaded with stuff about the Guardians of the Universe, Space Sector 2814, and many other things that could have been introduced more gradually in the course of the movie. Generally tries too hard to do too much and doesn't make enough use of Reynolds and Blake Lively (but, hey, they have kids now, so it wasn't like the movie was a total waste of time for them). Fingers crossed that DC get past this sometime soon and put a proper Green Lantern in one of their JLA-related films.
Too much blatant CGI, obviously, and also the storytelling is botched - the film is frontloaded with stuff about the Guardians of the Universe, Space Sector 2814, and many other things that could have been introduced more gradually in the course of the movie. Generally tries too hard to do too much and doesn't make enough use of Reynolds and Blake Lively (but, hey, they have kids now, so it wasn't like the movie was a total waste of time for them). Fingers crossed that DC get past this sometime soon and put a proper Green Lantern in one of their JLA-related films.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Faded Glory in Books
Apr 18, 2022
68 of 230
Book
Faded Glory
By David Essex
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Albert Kemp is a lonely widower whose only son was killed in the war. Now, in 1953, he is working in a pub with a famous boxing gym upstairs.
It is here that Albert brings Danny, a fatherless boy he rescues from gang life. But as Danny begins to grow into a champion, the predators start to circle, luring him back into a life of crime in the corrupt world of match fixing. Will Danny listen to his wise old mentor?
Not what I was expecting! This came to me in a blind subscription box and it’s not something I would usually pick up. I think I’d have liked to give 3.5 stars so I went with 4 as it deserved a little more than 3. This is a heartwarming story of a grieving father helping a young tear away stay out of trouble with help of boxing. It was an easy read and really enjoyable. Got a bit emotional towards the end I’m not a fan of David Essex but you forget who’s writing. Also I had it finished within 12 hours so that’s always a good sign.
Book
Faded Glory
By David Essex
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Albert Kemp is a lonely widower whose only son was killed in the war. Now, in 1953, he is working in a pub with a famous boxing gym upstairs.
It is here that Albert brings Danny, a fatherless boy he rescues from gang life. But as Danny begins to grow into a champion, the predators start to circle, luring him back into a life of crime in the corrupt world of match fixing. Will Danny listen to his wise old mentor?
Not what I was expecting! This came to me in a blind subscription box and it’s not something I would usually pick up. I think I’d have liked to give 3.5 stars so I went with 4 as it deserved a little more than 3. This is a heartwarming story of a grieving father helping a young tear away stay out of trouble with help of boxing. It was an easy read and really enjoyable. Got a bit emotional towards the end I’m not a fan of David Essex but you forget who’s writing. Also I had it finished within 12 hours so that’s always a good sign.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Southpaw (2015) in Movies
Apr 29, 2018
Unoriginal
I'd heard a lot of good things about this film, but sadly it didn't live up to expectations.
Its very much a case of having seen this type of film before many times, and done better. This is just your average run of the mill boxing film that follows a similar story to those that have come before it. Jake Gyllenhaal puts in a good performance but I think him and the rest of the cast are vastly underused. The film itself is very predictable and seems to be lacking in any sort of emotion. Its watchable, but sadly instantly forgettable.
Its very much a case of having seen this type of film before many times, and done better. This is just your average run of the mill boxing film that follows a similar story to those that have come before it. Jake Gyllenhaal puts in a good performance but I think him and the rest of the cast are vastly underused. The film itself is very predictable and seems to be lacking in any sort of emotion. Its watchable, but sadly instantly forgettable.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Creed II (2018) in Movies
Dec 1, 2018
An Outstanding Sequel
The first Creed movie breathed fresh life into the tired Rocky franchise, introducing Michael B Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed and having Rocky Balboa mentor him through to becoming a professional boxer. All the familiar key elements were there from previous Rocky movies - the training montages, the love interest, the opponent you can't wait to see defeated. But this new take on it all worked well, resulting in a hugely enjoyable movie, and a sequel was inevitable.
With Creed 2, we get even more ties to the Rocky movies. In a bleak looking Ukraine, Ivan Drago lives with son Viktor. In Rocky IV, Ivan was the man responsible for killing Apollo Creed in a boxing match, before suffering defeat at the hands of Rocky in his hometown of Russia in the epic finale. In terms of cinematic experiences, Rocky IV was the absolute peak of the franchise. So intense, drawing unified cheers and applause from the audience I was watching it with, something you don't very often get in the cinema.
That defeat in mother Russia brought shame on Ivan and he and Viktor now live a simple life, with Viktor being trained daily by Ivan and participating in small local boxing matches, pummeling his opponents and drawing the attention of an American boxing promoter. When Adonis Creed wins the heavyweight title over in America, you can almost see the dollar signs flashing in the promoters eyes, and bringing these two together to settle old scores forms the basis of the rest of the movie.
Those familiar plot beats I described earlier, they're all here again, but that's not to say that they're any less enjoyable than when we've seen them before. At times they're even more exciting, with the added intensity coming from knowing that this is a fight that's been over 30 years in the making.
Despite the traditional halfway lull, with our hero experiencing a period of doubt and self reflection, this is once again another intense and uplifting movie. Brilliant.
With Creed 2, we get even more ties to the Rocky movies. In a bleak looking Ukraine, Ivan Drago lives with son Viktor. In Rocky IV, Ivan was the man responsible for killing Apollo Creed in a boxing match, before suffering defeat at the hands of Rocky in his hometown of Russia in the epic finale. In terms of cinematic experiences, Rocky IV was the absolute peak of the franchise. So intense, drawing unified cheers and applause from the audience I was watching it with, something you don't very often get in the cinema.
That defeat in mother Russia brought shame on Ivan and he and Viktor now live a simple life, with Viktor being trained daily by Ivan and participating in small local boxing matches, pummeling his opponents and drawing the attention of an American boxing promoter. When Adonis Creed wins the heavyweight title over in America, you can almost see the dollar signs flashing in the promoters eyes, and bringing these two together to settle old scores forms the basis of the rest of the movie.
Those familiar plot beats I described earlier, they're all here again, but that's not to say that they're any less enjoyable than when we've seen them before. At times they're even more exciting, with the added intensity coming from knowing that this is a fight that's been over 30 years in the making.
Despite the traditional halfway lull, with our hero experiencing a period of doubt and self reflection, this is once again another intense and uplifting movie. Brilliant.
Niten. NR (75 KP) rated Warrior (2011) in Movies
Jul 21, 2017
Tom Hardy (2 more)
Joel Edgerton
Nick Nolte
Let's go to war!
I'm always weary of sporting films especially a new boxing or in this case MMA film but Warrior is a cut above the rest. As stated above, the best part of the film is Hardy, Edgerton and Nolte, their characters have such depth and all have a personal and tragic obstacle to tackle. I found the filming and the setting of the Burgh (Pittsburgh) to be a perfect touch. The films is emotional in multiple places and this is heightened by a excellently selected soundtrack from The National. One to watch again and again. Love it.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated EyeToy Play in Video Games
Apr 8, 2020
Multiple mini games (1 more)
Multiplayer
Only 12 games (1 more)
Almost forgotten about
Get up and play
EyeToy: Play was developed for the Sony PlayStation 2 and was released in 2003.
It was the first game to make use of the PlayStation 2's video camera accessory, the EyeToy.
The game was initially packaged with the EyeToy when the accessory was first released.
The game features 12 mini games with 1-4 players as an option, most memorable were
games wishi washi, boxing chump and kung foo.
Eyetoy play was a huge craze when originally released & is still considered by many to be a classic & a Gem.
It was the first game to make use of the PlayStation 2's video camera accessory, the EyeToy.
The game was initially packaged with the EyeToy when the accessory was first released.
The game features 12 mini games with 1-4 players as an option, most memorable were
games wishi washi, boxing chump and kung foo.
Eyetoy play was a huge craze when originally released & is still considered by many to be a classic & a Gem.
Ray Winstone recommended Raging Bull (1980) in Movies (curated)
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Real Steel (2011) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
Shame on this movie for having awesome arena robot boxing take place in 2020 meanwhile in the real world all we got was a global pandemic, massive forest fires, and WWIII threats smfh. In seriousness, it's no 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢: 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 but it gets the job done. I have my grievances: the cinematography is too sterile for something like this, the design of the main robot also happens to be the lamest one, so on and so forth. But the biggest one of them all is how blissfully content this is with being a totally kickass mech boxing movie with some of the greatest effects you'll ever see, lovingly nerdy designs/energy, and spectacularly rousing fights... that gets *smothered* by another schmaltz-filled, threadbare, dull-as-a-doorstop 'washed-up underdog rekindles relationship with estranged urchin son/daughter' familial 'drama' which almost entirely overtakes the whole thing. And then it has the gall to not even resolve that main plot point it tried to get us so invested in to begin with. Also ends with total bullshit, but when this is in the zone it's as cool as can be - does *exactly* what it should. Whoever put Shawn Levy on this job needs to be fired, but if someone would be so gracious as to give this a re-edit with all of the intolerable syrup taken out then tbh I'd watch the hell out of it again 🤷♂️
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Bleed For This (2016) in Movies
Jul 12, 2019
Bleed for This is the true story of boxer Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller). Vinny is the type of person that in and out of the ring goes all out to the point he can go no further. This mindset puts him on the verge of being out of boxing after losing three straight fights, which he drastically cuts weight to fight. As he searches for one last chance, he is paired with a new trainer, Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart), who is also seemingly given his last chance to revive his career. Rooney sets out to change the way Vinny trains and convinces him that fighting at a heavier weight will help his body, he previously was taking drastic measures to cut weight for fights. The pair are committed to success even with Vinny’s head strong father’s (Angelo Pazienza played by Ciarán Hinds) disapproving of the change, his mother (Louise Pazienza played by Katey Sagal) not wanting Vinny to get hurt, and his own Manager (Lou Duva played by Ted Levine) saying he should quit boxing all together. After some convincing and a lot of hard work Vinny gets his chance at one last fight. But he is moving up two weight classes and is put into a title fight against a seasoned opponent. Vinny shocks seemingly everyone by overcoming these obstacles and knocking out his favored opponent to become a World Champion.
After the biggest win of his career when everything appears to be going Vinny, his families and Rooney’s way, there is a terrible car accident and Vinny suffers a broken neck. The doctor tells him that he may never walk again, let alone box. With everyone telling him that his boxing career is over, Vinny is single-mindedly determined to do everything he can to get back into the ring. He opts to not have surgery in hopes that his neck can heal on its own and he can return to champion ship form. He has to convince Rooney to train him, find someone willing to fight him, and has to overcome his once over bearing father being unwilling be in his corner for the first time in his life. Even with a mountain of obstacles in his way, he begins his quest to get back into the ring and show everyone that he can do the impossible and regain his past form.
Writer and Director Ben Younger (Prime and Boiler Room) does an excellent job with this inspirational true story. The supporting cast provide solid performances, especial Eckhart and Hinds, but Miles Teller’s performance is what really makes this a fun film to watch. He really seemed to fit into this role really well. His performance was both compelling and fun. There were several times that the film showed actual old footage and footage just made to look old and you really couldn’t tell if it was Teller or the real Vinny Pazienza on the screen. I liked how the boxing sequences were not over dramatized, no mouth pieces flying across the ring, it looked like there was an effort to just keep them as true to the actual fights as possible. I also enjoyed the moments of comedy. For a story full of drama there was a good amount of well-timed comedy, mostly provided by Teller. Visually they did a good job of making the film feel like you were in late 80s and early 90s. There were a couple of slow scenes but overall the film flowed really well.
Overall this was a well done boxing genre movie. Good story, great acting performances and solid directing.
After the biggest win of his career when everything appears to be going Vinny, his families and Rooney’s way, there is a terrible car accident and Vinny suffers a broken neck. The doctor tells him that he may never walk again, let alone box. With everyone telling him that his boxing career is over, Vinny is single-mindedly determined to do everything he can to get back into the ring. He opts to not have surgery in hopes that his neck can heal on its own and he can return to champion ship form. He has to convince Rooney to train him, find someone willing to fight him, and has to overcome his once over bearing father being unwilling be in his corner for the first time in his life. Even with a mountain of obstacles in his way, he begins his quest to get back into the ring and show everyone that he can do the impossible and regain his past form.
Writer and Director Ben Younger (Prime and Boiler Room) does an excellent job with this inspirational true story. The supporting cast provide solid performances, especial Eckhart and Hinds, but Miles Teller’s performance is what really makes this a fun film to watch. He really seemed to fit into this role really well. His performance was both compelling and fun. There were several times that the film showed actual old footage and footage just made to look old and you really couldn’t tell if it was Teller or the real Vinny Pazienza on the screen. I liked how the boxing sequences were not over dramatized, no mouth pieces flying across the ring, it looked like there was an effort to just keep them as true to the actual fights as possible. I also enjoyed the moments of comedy. For a story full of drama there was a good amount of well-timed comedy, mostly provided by Teller. Visually they did a good job of making the film feel like you were in late 80s and early 90s. There were a couple of slow scenes but overall the film flowed really well.
Overall this was a well done boxing genre movie. Good story, great acting performances and solid directing.