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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
I'm terrible with watching films in sequence, but I've been seeing the trailers for War for the Planet of the Apes repeatedly and really wanted to watch it. I saw the first one when it came out in some fashion, the second one has eluded me though.
The films begins with the Alpha-Omega paramilitary group laying down an attack on Caesar's ape clan. There is heavy resistance and several of Alpha-Omega's team are captured. Caesar, wanting to bring some form of peace to his clan, sends back the captured soldiers to the Colonel with a message, they did not start this war and that they want to live in peace together.
Caesar's son, Blue Eyes, returns from searching for a safe haven, and has found a place across the desert for them all to live. Thinking that they need more time to prepare, Caesar puts off their departure with tragic consequences. During the night the Colonel and a team of men infiltrate their camp, and her slaughters Blue Eyes and Caesar's wife, believing it was him.
Seeking revenge, Caesar leaves the camp to hunt down the Colonel, accompanied by a small group. Along the way they encounter a single soldier with his daughter in a camp, who Caesar kills when he goes for his gun. The girl doesn't speak and deciding not to leave her there alone, they take her with them on their journey.
The group make their way to the Border with the help of Bad Ape and Caesar discovers that the rest of their clan has been captured and is imprisoned below. After being captured they must plan their escape from both inside and outside the walls of the Border any way they can...
Quite simple put, this was an epic feat, and well worth the watch. At some point while it was on I honestly forgot that what I was seeing wasn't real. The effects are magnificent, and the emotions in Caesar in particular are just incredible. Those alone should be sure fire reasons to watch it, but if you're not convinced, then the story line isn't bad either.
I always think it's amazing how well movies manage to match up the emotion of the actor with their digitised counterpart. That takes an amazingly skilled group behind the scenes. My first reaction when I saw Woody Harrelson in the trailer was not a good one. He's amusing, but I couldn't name a film of his that I've enjoyed him in. I'm happy to say that this one has changed all of that. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance, you see his character go from one end of the spectrum to the other, and Harrelson does it all so well. Amiah Miller who plays Nova was amazing too, barely any lines and acting at something that gets put in the scene after the fact must be incredibly difficult and she managed to pull it off with real emotion.
The films begins with the Alpha-Omega paramilitary group laying down an attack on Caesar's ape clan. There is heavy resistance and several of Alpha-Omega's team are captured. Caesar, wanting to bring some form of peace to his clan, sends back the captured soldiers to the Colonel with a message, they did not start this war and that they want to live in peace together.
Caesar's son, Blue Eyes, returns from searching for a safe haven, and has found a place across the desert for them all to live. Thinking that they need more time to prepare, Caesar puts off their departure with tragic consequences. During the night the Colonel and a team of men infiltrate their camp, and her slaughters Blue Eyes and Caesar's wife, believing it was him.
Seeking revenge, Caesar leaves the camp to hunt down the Colonel, accompanied by a small group. Along the way they encounter a single soldier with his daughter in a camp, who Caesar kills when he goes for his gun. The girl doesn't speak and deciding not to leave her there alone, they take her with them on their journey.
The group make their way to the Border with the help of Bad Ape and Caesar discovers that the rest of their clan has been captured and is imprisoned below. After being captured they must plan their escape from both inside and outside the walls of the Border any way they can...
Quite simple put, this was an epic feat, and well worth the watch. At some point while it was on I honestly forgot that what I was seeing wasn't real. The effects are magnificent, and the emotions in Caesar in particular are just incredible. Those alone should be sure fire reasons to watch it, but if you're not convinced, then the story line isn't bad either.
I always think it's amazing how well movies manage to match up the emotion of the actor with their digitised counterpart. That takes an amazingly skilled group behind the scenes. My first reaction when I saw Woody Harrelson in the trailer was not a good one. He's amusing, but I couldn't name a film of his that I've enjoyed him in. I'm happy to say that this one has changed all of that. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance, you see his character go from one end of the spectrum to the other, and Harrelson does it all so well. Amiah Miller who plays Nova was amazing too, barely any lines and acting at something that gets put in the scene after the fact must be incredibly difficult and she managed to pull it off with real emotion.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 21, 2019)
Tommy Jarvis is hellbent on proving that Jason is dead once and for all. That's why he's driving out to where he's buried to know for sure. A fellow inmate from the institution, Allen Hawes, tags along with him and once Tommy sees Jason's dilapidated body, the memories come flooding back to him. His temper gets the best of him as he rips off a piece of the iron fence nearby and stabs Jason repeatedly. Leaving the iron rod in Jason's chest, he turns his back for a moment only to have the rod be struck by lightning. To make things worse, Camp Crystal Lake (now renamed Camp Forest Green) is about to re-open with new counselors ripe for the picking. Now back from the dead and in a zombified state, Jason is back and is more unstoppable than ever.
This film begins the undead Jason trilogy of the Friday the 13th films and to be honest, that's my favorite version of Jason. I'm not sure if others view it as a guilty pleasure, but I enjoy this sequel almost as much as some of the first few sequels. And after the disappointment of the last film in the interesting kills department, we get quite a few this time around. One of the most memorable is Nikki getting her face shoved into the wall of the bathroom in the RV only to see the imprint of her face come through the other side. Sheriff Harris' death is also pretty incredible. Seeing a guy get bent in half in the opposite direction is always a crowd pleaser. Hawes' death has to be the best one though. Jason sticks his hand through Hawes and explodes through his back holding his heart. While there is sex in the film, there's no nudity that I can recall. Normally that would hurt a Friday the 13th film, but the great kills and overall entertaining feel of the entire film really made up for it for me.
This film begins the undead Jason trilogy of the Friday the 13th films and to be honest, that's my favorite version of Jason. I'm not sure if others view it as a guilty pleasure, but I enjoy this sequel almost as much as some of the first few sequels. And after the disappointment of the last film in the interesting kills department, we get quite a few this time around. One of the most memorable is Nikki getting her face shoved into the wall of the bathroom in the RV only to see the imprint of her face come through the other side. Sheriff Harris' death is also pretty incredible. Seeing a guy get bent in half in the opposite direction is always a crowd pleaser. Hawes' death has to be the best one though. Jason sticks his hand through Hawes and explodes through his back holding his heart. While there is sex in the film, there's no nudity that I can recall. Normally that would hurt a Friday the 13th film, but the great kills and overall entertaining feel of the entire film really made up for it for me.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Friday the 13th : The Game in Video Games
Feb 26, 2020
Now This Is A Friday The 13th Game
Friday The 13th- is a movie franchise, the had a video game on the NES but it was god awful. So many years later, a kickstarter happened for this game and overall, US$422,866 was raised by 18,068 backers in BackerKit and about US$823,704.20 from 12,128 backers in Kickstarter, collecting about US$1,246,570.20 from both platforms, becoming the 95th most crowdfunded project of all time. So yea it succed. So lets talk about the game.
Gameplay:
Friday the 13th: The Game is a semi-open world third-person survival horror game set throughout the 1980s in a variety of locations in and around the fictional Camp Crystal Lake from the Friday the 13th franchise.
The game is an asymmetrical multiplayer video game, with up to eight people able to play in one game session. One player is randomly selected to control Jason Voorhees.
The main objective of playing as a counselor is to escape the map alive, which can be done more quickly by completing the map's side objectives (which are easier to complete when coordinating with other players) that will allow counselors to escape or to survive long enough until time runs out on the session, Jason may also be defeated with an "epic win condition" that requires both teamwork and planning, and is difficult to perform. A player may also control Tommy Jarvis, who becomes playable when certain conditions are met.
Setting: Five primary maps are available, each of which are based on locations from the first five films, and each set concurrent with the films' time periods. Matches may take place at: Camp Crystal Lake, the setting of the first film, in 1979; Packanack Lodge, the setting of the second film, in 1984; Higgins Haven, the setting of the third film, in 1984; the Jarvis House, the setting of the fourth film, in 1984; and Pinehurst, the setting of the fifth film, in 1989.
Its a really good, entertaining, fun and overall finally a good Friday The 13th game.
Gameplay:
Friday the 13th: The Game is a semi-open world third-person survival horror game set throughout the 1980s in a variety of locations in and around the fictional Camp Crystal Lake from the Friday the 13th franchise.
The game is an asymmetrical multiplayer video game, with up to eight people able to play in one game session. One player is randomly selected to control Jason Voorhees.
The main objective of playing as a counselor is to escape the map alive, which can be done more quickly by completing the map's side objectives (which are easier to complete when coordinating with other players) that will allow counselors to escape or to survive long enough until time runs out on the session, Jason may also be defeated with an "epic win condition" that requires both teamwork and planning, and is difficult to perform. A player may also control Tommy Jarvis, who becomes playable when certain conditions are met.
Setting: Five primary maps are available, each of which are based on locations from the first five films, and each set concurrent with the films' time periods. Matches may take place at: Camp Crystal Lake, the setting of the first film, in 1979; Packanack Lodge, the setting of the second film, in 1984; Higgins Haven, the setting of the third film, in 1984; the Jarvis House, the setting of the fourth film, in 1984; and Pinehurst, the setting of the fifth film, in 1989.
Its a really good, entertaining, fun and overall finally a good Friday The 13th game.
JT (287 KP) rated Starred Up (2014) in Movies
Mar 16, 2020
Violent and to the point (1 more)
Great acting
Prison Isn't Suppoed To Be A Holiday Camp
Prison dramas don’t get much grittier than this. Not since Scum has there been one with as much brutal tour de force. Eric (Jack O’Connell) is ‘starred up’. A term used to describe violent young offenders moved straight into an adult prison. Once he gets inside he comes face to face with the only person that might be able to control him, his father Neville (Ben Mendelsohn).
It’s a major part of their relationship as Nev’s parental tactics involve the cruel to be kind method. It’s the only way that Eric is going to survive and the only way he will walk out in one piece. Eric finds some solace in Oliver (Rupert Friend) whose anger management sessions are a place to unleash a tirade of resentment. It places him within a group where any other individual might find themselves out of their depth – Eric takes it full on.
The film is written by Jonathan Asser, a former prison psychotherapist who worked in HMP Wandsworth. So he more than anyone can inject the film with a massive sense of realism. The prison violence can be hard to watch but you don’t find yourself turning away from the screen.
It’s not shrouded in Hollywood gloss and is shot with graphic precision. Mendelsohn’s performance is excellent playing the psycho and his delivery is spot on. Friend is also a joy to watch and a real talent. The Homeland star-making imprints into the acting elite.
However, this is very much O’Connell’s film and it’s not hard to see why he is fast becoming a standout actor. Grabbing this role in a vice-like grip he battles with his personality, the adoration from his father and a corrupt system who want him eradicated. It doesn’t paint the prison system in a particularly good light but then prison isn’t supposed to be a holiday camp.
It’s a major part of their relationship as Nev’s parental tactics involve the cruel to be kind method. It’s the only way that Eric is going to survive and the only way he will walk out in one piece. Eric finds some solace in Oliver (Rupert Friend) whose anger management sessions are a place to unleash a tirade of resentment. It places him within a group where any other individual might find themselves out of their depth – Eric takes it full on.
The film is written by Jonathan Asser, a former prison psychotherapist who worked in HMP Wandsworth. So he more than anyone can inject the film with a massive sense of realism. The prison violence can be hard to watch but you don’t find yourself turning away from the screen.
It’s not shrouded in Hollywood gloss and is shot with graphic precision. Mendelsohn’s performance is excellent playing the psycho and his delivery is spot on. Friend is also a joy to watch and a real talent. The Homeland star-making imprints into the acting elite.
However, this is very much O’Connell’s film and it’s not hard to see why he is fast becoming a standout actor. Grabbing this role in a vice-like grip he battles with his personality, the adoration from his father and a corrupt system who want him eradicated. It doesn’t paint the prison system in a particularly good light but then prison isn’t supposed to be a holiday camp.
A Few Hares to Chase: The Economic Life and Times of Bill Phillips
Book
The Phillips Curve is world famous amongst economists. The man who invented it was an inventor, an...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Last Time I Lied in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Our protagonist in this novel is Emma, an artist, who can’t get away from the ghosts of the past. Years ago, three of her friends disappeared from the summer camp. Now she returns to the same camp, to try and figure out, where her childhood friends could’ve gone. But there are some things, which Emma lied about… And the wish to figure out what was the lie creates a tormenting suspense. I really liked the wide variety and very believable characters, which the author chose for this book. Even though I liked Emma, Vivian (one of the missing friends) was the one, who left me intrigued. So even though the story was told by Emma, this story was kind of about Vivian, a charismatic manipulator, who knew how to play with people and their feelings.
The narrative is constantly changing between the present and the past, and Sager is an expert in creating suspense. All the little clues and this time traveling really got me curious and glued to the book, and I was dying to find out what in a world happened there. The author brings back his “love” for mental institutions but with a different approach this time. I really loved all the twists, turns, and intriguing adventures. The story is told from a single perspective, and it was fully enough for me. The setting of this book is quite calming, but at the same time pretty sinister.
I think the author is very talented and his writing is exceptionally polished. The chapters are pretty short, and the suspense makes the “book melt in your hands”. The climax was very unexpected and I really loved the way this story ended. So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this fast-paced, amusing and very well written story, filled with secrets and lies. I do strongly recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
The narrative is constantly changing between the present and the past, and Sager is an expert in creating suspense. All the little clues and this time traveling really got me curious and glued to the book, and I was dying to find out what in a world happened there. The author brings back his “love” for mental institutions but with a different approach this time. I really loved all the twists, turns, and intriguing adventures. The story is told from a single perspective, and it was fully enough for me. The setting of this book is quite calming, but at the same time pretty sinister.
I think the author is very talented and his writing is exceptionally polished. The chapters are pretty short, and the suspense makes the “book melt in your hands”. The climax was very unexpected and I really loved the way this story ended. So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this fast-paced, amusing and very well written story, filled with secrets and lies. I do strongly recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Never Hike Alone (2017) in Movies
Oct 20, 2020
Never Hike Alone is a hell of an accomplishment - a fan made film based on Friday the 13th that is as good, maybe even better, than the best entries in the main franchise.
It's premise is simple - a survival/hiking enthusiast is collecting footage for his YouTube channel when he accidentally stumbles across the remains of Camp Crystal Lake, resulting in a one on one fight for his life when he discovers that Jason Voorhees still resides there - and it's short runtime (clocking in at just under an hour) make for a no-filler, sharp-shock slice of slasher goodness.
It carries a lot of tension, the first half being relatively calm as protagonist Kyle (Drew Leighty) explores the remnant of the camp. Fans of the original film will surely get a kick out of recognisable landmarks, including the bed that Kevin Bacon was skewered through. It's a nice way of showing that this short is a true love letter to the franchise. Kyle is a likable and believable lead who's survival skill set makes him a good match for the big bad.
When Jason eventually shows up, he's damn scary! This version of Jason is just relentless. He's quick, heavy footed, and smashes through doors like they're not even there. Director Vincent DiSanti fills the shoes of Jason, and his tall and broad figure make for a genuinely intimidating version of this beloved horror icon.
He looks fantastic as well, it's clear that a lot of effort was put into his make up and costume.
Top all of this off with a cameo from Thom Mathews himself, and what you get is a recipe for a successful short film, made for fans, by fans.
Never Hike Alone is a real treat for anyone who even has a passing interest in Friday the 13th. Hats off to Womp Stomp Films for their great work.
It's premise is simple - a survival/hiking enthusiast is collecting footage for his YouTube channel when he accidentally stumbles across the remains of Camp Crystal Lake, resulting in a one on one fight for his life when he discovers that Jason Voorhees still resides there - and it's short runtime (clocking in at just under an hour) make for a no-filler, sharp-shock slice of slasher goodness.
It carries a lot of tension, the first half being relatively calm as protagonist Kyle (Drew Leighty) explores the remnant of the camp. Fans of the original film will surely get a kick out of recognisable landmarks, including the bed that Kevin Bacon was skewered through. It's a nice way of showing that this short is a true love letter to the franchise. Kyle is a likable and believable lead who's survival skill set makes him a good match for the big bad.
When Jason eventually shows up, he's damn scary! This version of Jason is just relentless. He's quick, heavy footed, and smashes through doors like they're not even there. Director Vincent DiSanti fills the shoes of Jason, and his tall and broad figure make for a genuinely intimidating version of this beloved horror icon.
He looks fantastic as well, it's clear that a lot of effort was put into his make up and costume.
Top all of this off with a cameo from Thom Mathews himself, and what you get is a recipe for a successful short film, made for fans, by fans.
Never Hike Alone is a real treat for anyone who even has a passing interest in Friday the 13th. Hats off to Womp Stomp Films for their great work.
ClareR (5637 KP) rated All the Broken Places in Books
Nov 4, 2023
Gretel Fernsby has a terrible secret that she’d rather others didn’t know. If you’ve read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, you’ll recognise the name: Gretel is the daughter of the camp Commandant of Auschwitz.
In short chapters, flashing between the past and the present, we learn about 91 year old Gretel’s past, and what happened when she and her mother escaped Germany.
Gretel is very well off, living in an expensive block of very large flats in central London. She doesn’t really have any friends, and seems to keep her true self from everyone including her son.
She is confronted with the memory of her younger brother, Bruno, when a boy of his age moves in to the downstairs flat. She realises that his father is violent, and his mother is abused. Gretel can’t let this kind of violence happen again.
The characters in this were superb. Whilst the first book had its problems with historical accuracy, I feel that this book centred more around trauma, guilt and shame. Gretel carries all of these things around with her forever. She feels culpable for what happened in the camp - even though she was both a child and female. In retrospect, she is able to see what was wrong with the nazi regime, but at the time would have been brainwashed. She wouldn’t have known a time where Jews and other “undesirable” minorities would have been treated any differently. The wonder is that she went on to learn that this was wrong. The trauma that she carries with her from the death of her brother, learning about what her father was guilty of, and occurrences in Paris, is lifelong.
From Gretel’s life experiences to those of her downstairs neighbour, everything is handled with compassion and tact. Again, it’s not perfect, but then neither are humans. And that is what this book shows above all: that we can learn from our mistakes if we are willing to do so.
In short chapters, flashing between the past and the present, we learn about 91 year old Gretel’s past, and what happened when she and her mother escaped Germany.
Gretel is very well off, living in an expensive block of very large flats in central London. She doesn’t really have any friends, and seems to keep her true self from everyone including her son.
She is confronted with the memory of her younger brother, Bruno, when a boy of his age moves in to the downstairs flat. She realises that his father is violent, and his mother is abused. Gretel can’t let this kind of violence happen again.
The characters in this were superb. Whilst the first book had its problems with historical accuracy, I feel that this book centred more around trauma, guilt and shame. Gretel carries all of these things around with her forever. She feels culpable for what happened in the camp - even though she was both a child and female. In retrospect, she is able to see what was wrong with the nazi regime, but at the time would have been brainwashed. She wouldn’t have known a time where Jews and other “undesirable” minorities would have been treated any differently. The wonder is that she went on to learn that this was wrong. The trauma that she carries with her from the death of her brother, learning about what her father was guilty of, and occurrences in Paris, is lifelong.
From Gretel’s life experiences to those of her downstairs neighbour, everything is handled with compassion and tact. Again, it’s not perfect, but then neither are humans. And that is what this book shows above all: that we can learn from our mistakes if we are willing to do so.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Night of the Comet (1984) in Movies
Mar 31, 2019
Not as good as I remember
I was hoping this film held up over the years like Breakfast Club, Fright Night or even Night of the Living Dead, but not really.
Two teenage are among the few who survive an encounter with a comet that leaves most of the world's population dead turned into orange ash or mutated zombies. Instead of being overly concerned about their situation, they decide to go shopping and do makeovers on themselves with all the latest 80s fashions and make up trends. A few scientist types who also survived are harvesting some other normal people to collect their blood to ease in prolonged exposure.
Seeing all the 80s clothing, hairstyles and musical score was fun, but there were not many laughs. I can forgive low budget if the camp factor is entertaining enough; however, last night when I watched it mostly fell flat.
Kind of disappointed.
Two teenage are among the few who survive an encounter with a comet that leaves most of the world's population dead turned into orange ash or mutated zombies. Instead of being overly concerned about their situation, they decide to go shopping and do makeovers on themselves with all the latest 80s fashions and make up trends. A few scientist types who also survived are harvesting some other normal people to collect their blood to ease in prolonged exposure.
Seeing all the 80s clothing, hairstyles and musical score was fun, but there were not many laughs. I can forgive low budget if the camp factor is entertaining enough; however, last night when I watched it mostly fell flat.
Kind of disappointed.
Awix (3310 KP) rated For Your Eyes Only (1981) in Movies
May 10, 2019
First of the 80s Bonds takes a step back from the camp excesses of the previous couple of entries and tries for a more Connery-esque, down to earth style; the results are impressive if perhaps a little too bland for this to really qualify as a Great Bond Movie.
Roger Moore's search for a missing component of a missile defence system (it's a Maguffin) takes him all around the Med and up into Italy; highlights include various inventive chases and other set pieces - everyone seems to be trying hard to do something original, which is nice. Also includes a scene where Bond rebuffs a hot young blonde who turns up in his bed, possibly the most out-of-character moment in the entire series. The lack of a really memorable villain also counts against it, but this is still possibly the best of the Moore Bonds, and the best of the decade.
Roger Moore's search for a missing component of a missile defence system (it's a Maguffin) takes him all around the Med and up into Italy; highlights include various inventive chases and other set pieces - everyone seems to be trying hard to do something original, which is nice. Also includes a scene where Bond rebuffs a hot young blonde who turns up in his bed, possibly the most out-of-character moment in the entire series. The lack of a really memorable villain also counts against it, but this is still possibly the best of the Moore Bonds, and the best of the decade.