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Darren (1599 KP) rated Untouchable (2011) in Movies
Jun 21, 2019
Story: Untouchable starts as Philippe (Cluzet) is forced to look for a new caregiver after his own accident, he sees a string of qualified applicants, but when he meets Driss (Sy) a man from the projects, he sees someone different and hires him.
The two men are from different backgrounds and have lived different lives, together they teach other about life, with Philippe becoming a father figure to Driss and Driss showing Philippe that his condition doesn’t need to stop having the adventures he loved just because of his condition.
Thoughts on Untouchable
Characters – Philippe is the quadriplegic that needs to hire a caregiver to help him in everyday life, he picks Driss because he is the only one that treats him like normal person. He has always been involved in extreme sports which is where his accident happened, his money will keep him away from any problems he might face, now he must learn to carry on with his own life. Driss is from the projects in Paris, he gets hired giving him a chance at a different life, his ways are different to a normal carer, but this helps him learn how to get more out of his life and get out of the troubles he has been facing in his own life. Yvonne is the personal assistant to Philippe who fills in he blanks for Driss when he is learning the job. Magalie is handles business affairs for Philippe and catches the eye of Driss, she doesn’t fall for his charm like he believes most women would.
Performances – Francois Cluzet is wonderful in one of the leading role, he must show so much through his facial expression which he makes us love each scene and moment he gives us. Omar Sy is fantastic too, he has such great chemistry with Francois and brings the energy required for this role. The supporting cast are all good though they don’t get as much screen time as the lead pair.
Story – The story shows the bond between Philippe and Driss, two men that are from different backgrounds who spend time together when Driss gets hired as a carer for Philippe, we get to see how they both learn life lesson which make them grow as men. The fact we see the man with the lest experience being the best person for the disabled man shows us that life skills are just as if not more important than any training. We do go through the teaching about new cultures between the two and we get to see how both deal with their own serious problems from life. The tone of the storytelling shows us how you can have serious mixed with comedy and still get the point across which is what makes this film such an essential viewing.
Biopic/Comedy – This film uses the biopic side of the film to show the friendship created between the two men, which does change a couple of things to suit the actors. The comedy comes from just how Driss treats life with his carefree attitude which brings all the light-hearted positive vibes to the film.
Settings – The film is set in Paris and uses the settings to show us the two different lifestyles the men have come from, we do get other trips which show us just how far they could go together.
Scene of the Movie – Paragliding scene.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not understand the time lapse.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the most beautiful movies you will see, we get to see a connection unlike anything you could imagine between two completely different people and it will leave you with a smile due to all the positivity through the film.
Overall: Essential watching.
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/06/21/abc-film-challenge-world-cinema-u-untouchable-2011/
The two men are from different backgrounds and have lived different lives, together they teach other about life, with Philippe becoming a father figure to Driss and Driss showing Philippe that his condition doesn’t need to stop having the adventures he loved just because of his condition.
Thoughts on Untouchable
Characters – Philippe is the quadriplegic that needs to hire a caregiver to help him in everyday life, he picks Driss because he is the only one that treats him like normal person. He has always been involved in extreme sports which is where his accident happened, his money will keep him away from any problems he might face, now he must learn to carry on with his own life. Driss is from the projects in Paris, he gets hired giving him a chance at a different life, his ways are different to a normal carer, but this helps him learn how to get more out of his life and get out of the troubles he has been facing in his own life. Yvonne is the personal assistant to Philippe who fills in he blanks for Driss when he is learning the job. Magalie is handles business affairs for Philippe and catches the eye of Driss, she doesn’t fall for his charm like he believes most women would.
Performances – Francois Cluzet is wonderful in one of the leading role, he must show so much through his facial expression which he makes us love each scene and moment he gives us. Omar Sy is fantastic too, he has such great chemistry with Francois and brings the energy required for this role. The supporting cast are all good though they don’t get as much screen time as the lead pair.
Story – The story shows the bond between Philippe and Driss, two men that are from different backgrounds who spend time together when Driss gets hired as a carer for Philippe, we get to see how they both learn life lesson which make them grow as men. The fact we see the man with the lest experience being the best person for the disabled man shows us that life skills are just as if not more important than any training. We do go through the teaching about new cultures between the two and we get to see how both deal with their own serious problems from life. The tone of the storytelling shows us how you can have serious mixed with comedy and still get the point across which is what makes this film such an essential viewing.
Biopic/Comedy – This film uses the biopic side of the film to show the friendship created between the two men, which does change a couple of things to suit the actors. The comedy comes from just how Driss treats life with his carefree attitude which brings all the light-hearted positive vibes to the film.
Settings – The film is set in Paris and uses the settings to show us the two different lifestyles the men have come from, we do get other trips which show us just how far they could go together.
Scene of the Movie – Paragliding scene.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not understand the time lapse.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the most beautiful movies you will see, we get to see a connection unlike anything you could imagine between two completely different people and it will leave you with a smile due to all the positivity through the film.
Overall: Essential watching.
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/06/21/abc-film-challenge-world-cinema-u-untouchable-2011/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Slender: The Arrival in Video Games
Jul 4, 2019
An Awful Experience All Around
A brief history for those who are not aware (courtesy of Wikipedia):
“The Slender Man (also known as Slenderman) is a fictional supernatural character that originated as a creepypasta internet meme… Stories of Slender Man commonly feature him stalking, abducting or traumatizing people, particularly children. The Slender Man is no confined to a single narrative, but appears in many works of fiction, typically composed online.”
Slender: The Arrival (which we’ll just refer to as The Arrival moving forward) is the official video game adaptation of Slender Man. Blue Isle studios developed the game to bring us improved visuals, great replay value, and a brand new storyline. These should combine into survival horror at its best. But sadly, it does not. The Arrival encourages exploration and the philosophy of scaring the living daylights out of you. It just doesn’t. Now, truth be told this genre is not typically my bread and butter, but I came into this game with hopeful expectations, but soon found myself wanting more than the game could offer.
First, you are thrown into the game without any instruction or opening. Just head down the road, though. It seems easy enough. I did appreciate the way they worked credits into this opening sequence though, as you are shown the developers and the team that worked on the game. Once you get through this, you come upon a house where you will explore the rooms to find notes scattered throughout the house giving you more information on your back story. Sparing spoilers, essentially the story revolves around a shared trauma from your youth. Once you leave the house, you press on, turning on some generators along your path.
You’ll come across the second house after crossing a river, where I encountered some of the strangeness I assume is part of the experience. Glitching visuals, weird creatures that seemed to disappear when you shine your flashlight upon them, that sort of thing. It could have been a bug, or bugs, but doing a little digging online it seems I was not the only one to experience the same. There wasn’t really any action to be had. A little disheartening.
There’s not much challenge with The Arrival. You will, at some point, encounter the Slender Man in the game. I went straight toward him, and nothing really happened. Unfortunately, it’s a bad byproduct of these games. If it doesn’t scare you, even in the slightest, you’re just left with a stagnant experience while you are running from point to point to read lore.
It took me nearly 2 hours to finish the game, though I suspect those without toddler twins may get through it a bit faster. Suffice it to say, I wish I had those 2 hours back. I never really felt the tension that would cause fear or even nervousness. The shaky cam visual of the game certainly didn’t help. Essentially, you are playing through the eyes of the camera you are holding, complete with “recording” indicator and battery level (you can turn this off). As you walk the camera bobs back and forth a little bit, and as you run it does so a little faster. I understand what they were trying to accomplish here, but it was executed so poorly. I found myself constantly trying to correct this with the joycon thinking it was simply drift. It was super distracting.
Slender: The Arrival failed to give a complete game worthy of the price tag, even at its current price tag of $9.99 on the eShop. That’s not to say you won’t enjoy it, especially if you scare VERY easily or are just a fan of the Slender Man himself. It’s just that combine a wonky control system, very little instruction, and no real tension building moments, and you have a dud of game in my book.
1 out of 5
http://sknr.net/2019/06/28/slender-the-arrival-for-nintendo-switch/
“The Slender Man (also known as Slenderman) is a fictional supernatural character that originated as a creepypasta internet meme… Stories of Slender Man commonly feature him stalking, abducting or traumatizing people, particularly children. The Slender Man is no confined to a single narrative, but appears in many works of fiction, typically composed online.”
Slender: The Arrival (which we’ll just refer to as The Arrival moving forward) is the official video game adaptation of Slender Man. Blue Isle studios developed the game to bring us improved visuals, great replay value, and a brand new storyline. These should combine into survival horror at its best. But sadly, it does not. The Arrival encourages exploration and the philosophy of scaring the living daylights out of you. It just doesn’t. Now, truth be told this genre is not typically my bread and butter, but I came into this game with hopeful expectations, but soon found myself wanting more than the game could offer.
First, you are thrown into the game without any instruction or opening. Just head down the road, though. It seems easy enough. I did appreciate the way they worked credits into this opening sequence though, as you are shown the developers and the team that worked on the game. Once you get through this, you come upon a house where you will explore the rooms to find notes scattered throughout the house giving you more information on your back story. Sparing spoilers, essentially the story revolves around a shared trauma from your youth. Once you leave the house, you press on, turning on some generators along your path.
You’ll come across the second house after crossing a river, where I encountered some of the strangeness I assume is part of the experience. Glitching visuals, weird creatures that seemed to disappear when you shine your flashlight upon them, that sort of thing. It could have been a bug, or bugs, but doing a little digging online it seems I was not the only one to experience the same. There wasn’t really any action to be had. A little disheartening.
There’s not much challenge with The Arrival. You will, at some point, encounter the Slender Man in the game. I went straight toward him, and nothing really happened. Unfortunately, it’s a bad byproduct of these games. If it doesn’t scare you, even in the slightest, you’re just left with a stagnant experience while you are running from point to point to read lore.
It took me nearly 2 hours to finish the game, though I suspect those without toddler twins may get through it a bit faster. Suffice it to say, I wish I had those 2 hours back. I never really felt the tension that would cause fear or even nervousness. The shaky cam visual of the game certainly didn’t help. Essentially, you are playing through the eyes of the camera you are holding, complete with “recording” indicator and battery level (you can turn this off). As you walk the camera bobs back and forth a little bit, and as you run it does so a little faster. I understand what they were trying to accomplish here, but it was executed so poorly. I found myself constantly trying to correct this with the joycon thinking it was simply drift. It was super distracting.
Slender: The Arrival failed to give a complete game worthy of the price tag, even at its current price tag of $9.99 on the eShop. That’s not to say you won’t enjoy it, especially if you scare VERY easily or are just a fan of the Slender Man himself. It’s just that combine a wonky control system, very little instruction, and no real tension building moments, and you have a dud of game in my book.
1 out of 5
http://sknr.net/2019/06/28/slender-the-arrival-for-nintendo-switch/
Darren (1599 KP) rated Ford v Ferrari (aka Le Mans '66) (2019) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Characters – Ken Miles was the greatest racer of the era, the problem with him was always his attitude, never wanting to follow rules almost blacklisting him from most teams around the world, his wife wants him to race, his son looks up to him and Carroll knows he is the best man for the job, he help design the car with Carroll and his team and must prove himself on the track to get the drive at Le Mans. Carroll Shelby won Le Mans, retired from the racing side of the sport to start designing the cars, he is considered the best in America and is pick by Ford to design their race car, he will challenge the order of things because he knows he can achieve this, if he is given the chance to select who he wants in the car. Mollie is the ever-supportive wife of Ken, she wants him to drive knowing he will get bored if he doesn’t, she only asks that he is honest with her, she odes also get a great driving scene. we do get to meet plenty of executives from Ford, who each have their own agenda with Leo Beebe being made out to be the villain of the team, while Henry Ford II is made out to be strict, but will accept honesty.
Performances – Christian Bale and Matt Damon are both fantastic proving to everyone why they are considered two of the best in the business today, they have great individual moments as well as banter between them. Outside of the two big names, nobody does get to reach their level and everybody is a joy to watch in their roles.
Story – The story here follows Henry Ford II desire to beat Enzo Ferrari in the Le Mans 24-hour race, we see him hire a former winner turned designer to build his car, as the two sides do battle to get Ken Miles behind the wheel, in an attempt to make history. This does show how an American decided he would rather push the limits of his bank than improve the product he was making as we see how Ford changed the racing world that Ferrari had been dominating for decades and how faith in a driver is often more important that having the fastest car. The story is told over a couple of years, we get to see the important turns in the battle between Carroll and Ford’s executives to get the best driver behind the wheel, before letting us just sit back and enjoy the races. It could have had a little bit of the story chopped down to save some time though.
Action/Biopic/Sport – The action mixes with the sport wonderfully to give us edge of the seat race moments that will be the highlight of the film, while the biopic side of the film seems to focus more on the car side of things only, while Ken does have a family, we really don’t learn anything else about Carroll outside of his work.
Settings – The film recreates the iconic race track perfectly and shows us how the time relevant cars were used in nearly every scene of the film, on and off the track.
Scene of the Movie – Le Mans Race.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Give us subtitles for the Ferrari scenes.
Final Thoughts – This is a high speed biopic that doesn’t let you breath through most of the action involved, it has brilliant performances from the whole cast and is a must watch for any motor sports fans.
Overall: Motor Sports Fans Must Watch.
Performances – Christian Bale and Matt Damon are both fantastic proving to everyone why they are considered two of the best in the business today, they have great individual moments as well as banter between them. Outside of the two big names, nobody does get to reach their level and everybody is a joy to watch in their roles.
Story – The story here follows Henry Ford II desire to beat Enzo Ferrari in the Le Mans 24-hour race, we see him hire a former winner turned designer to build his car, as the two sides do battle to get Ken Miles behind the wheel, in an attempt to make history. This does show how an American decided he would rather push the limits of his bank than improve the product he was making as we see how Ford changed the racing world that Ferrari had been dominating for decades and how faith in a driver is often more important that having the fastest car. The story is told over a couple of years, we get to see the important turns in the battle between Carroll and Ford’s executives to get the best driver behind the wheel, before letting us just sit back and enjoy the races. It could have had a little bit of the story chopped down to save some time though.
Action/Biopic/Sport – The action mixes with the sport wonderfully to give us edge of the seat race moments that will be the highlight of the film, while the biopic side of the film seems to focus more on the car side of things only, while Ken does have a family, we really don’t learn anything else about Carroll outside of his work.
Settings – The film recreates the iconic race track perfectly and shows us how the time relevant cars were used in nearly every scene of the film, on and off the track.
Scene of the Movie – Le Mans Race.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Give us subtitles for the Ferrari scenes.
Final Thoughts – This is a high speed biopic that doesn’t let you breath through most of the action involved, it has brilliant performances from the whole cast and is a must watch for any motor sports fans.
Overall: Motor Sports Fans Must Watch.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
The pop culture phenomenon that is Twilight is wrapping up as the film adaptation of the final book in the series, Twilight: Breaking Dawn, has arrived in theaters. With the previous three films doing brisk business at the box office, it came as no surprise when it was announced that the final book in the series was being split into two films so that the studio could maximize the box office of the series.
The film opens with awkward, melancholy teen Bella (Kristen Stewart), preparing for her wedding to Edward (Robert Pattinson), as their human and vampire friends assemble for the ceremony. Of course Edward’s rival Jacob (Tayler Lautner), is highly against the union as he still carries a flame for Bella. Nonetheless, the ceremony goes off as planned and Edward whisks Bella away to a remote Brazilian island to consummate their union, which apparently is a tricky endeavor, being that she is still a mortal and he is a century old vampire.
What at first is an ideal honeymoon is soon complicated when Bella and Edward discover an unexpected challenge that threatens Bella’s well-being and poses a threat to the pact between the vampires and werewolves. I will not spoil the film, even though fans of the series and books will not be any strangers to the drama and politics of the situation, but suffice it to say there is a lot on the line for all of the characters involved.
The film was rife with issues, the main one being the atrocious acting. One would think that after three previous films with the same cast, these actors would have developed some timing and chemistry with one another, especially Stewart and Pattinson who are a couple offscreen. Nothing could be further from the truth as they stiffly deliver their lines with pained and remote expressions. I am honestly at a loss as to why Bella is so captivating to both Edward and Jacob
as she is basically a dour girl who looks incredibly uncomfortable in her own skin, and yet the two are utterly captivated by her. I found the supporting cast far more interesting than the heroine and her besotted heroes. Another issue I had was that Pattinson, who got to show his acting ability in “Water for Elephants” is given little to do aside from staring at Bella and doing profile shots.
The first half of the film is basically an MTV-style wedding and honeymoon music video but the second half of the film did manage to grab and hold my attention with the ongoing plot points. It is obvious that the story is being stretched to cover two films as there are numerous unnecessary scenes such as people walking up stairs, throwing things in a garbage can, looking in mirrors, which serve little purpose other than increasing the run time of the film. Of course all of this matters little to fans of the series. The studio knows who the core audience is and the movie panders to them every chance they can, as proven by Lautner doffing his shirt not 60 seconds into the film to the squeals of delight from the teens, tweens and grown women in the audience.
Still, because it pits the Cullens against the werewolves who were their allies in the previous film, Breaking Dawn is better than the previous films. While it raises the angst and tension, it does not provide much growth for the actors as they dutifully go through the motions as best they can with the material. While it attempts to be a darker and more mature film, it still comes across as eye candy and fantasy for young women when the story and cast deserved so
much more. That being said, the film stays true to it’s core audience and gives them exactly what they have come to expect and does not stray from what has been a successful formula.
The film opens with awkward, melancholy teen Bella (Kristen Stewart), preparing for her wedding to Edward (Robert Pattinson), as their human and vampire friends assemble for the ceremony. Of course Edward’s rival Jacob (Tayler Lautner), is highly against the union as he still carries a flame for Bella. Nonetheless, the ceremony goes off as planned and Edward whisks Bella away to a remote Brazilian island to consummate their union, which apparently is a tricky endeavor, being that she is still a mortal and he is a century old vampire.
What at first is an ideal honeymoon is soon complicated when Bella and Edward discover an unexpected challenge that threatens Bella’s well-being and poses a threat to the pact between the vampires and werewolves. I will not spoil the film, even though fans of the series and books will not be any strangers to the drama and politics of the situation, but suffice it to say there is a lot on the line for all of the characters involved.
The film was rife with issues, the main one being the atrocious acting. One would think that after three previous films with the same cast, these actors would have developed some timing and chemistry with one another, especially Stewart and Pattinson who are a couple offscreen. Nothing could be further from the truth as they stiffly deliver their lines with pained and remote expressions. I am honestly at a loss as to why Bella is so captivating to both Edward and Jacob
as she is basically a dour girl who looks incredibly uncomfortable in her own skin, and yet the two are utterly captivated by her. I found the supporting cast far more interesting than the heroine and her besotted heroes. Another issue I had was that Pattinson, who got to show his acting ability in “Water for Elephants” is given little to do aside from staring at Bella and doing profile shots.
The first half of the film is basically an MTV-style wedding and honeymoon music video but the second half of the film did manage to grab and hold my attention with the ongoing plot points. It is obvious that the story is being stretched to cover two films as there are numerous unnecessary scenes such as people walking up stairs, throwing things in a garbage can, looking in mirrors, which serve little purpose other than increasing the run time of the film. Of course all of this matters little to fans of the series. The studio knows who the core audience is and the movie panders to them every chance they can, as proven by Lautner doffing his shirt not 60 seconds into the film to the squeals of delight from the teens, tweens and grown women in the audience.
Still, because it pits the Cullens against the werewolves who were their allies in the previous film, Breaking Dawn is better than the previous films. While it raises the angst and tension, it does not provide much growth for the actors as they dutifully go through the motions as best they can with the material. While it attempts to be a darker and more mature film, it still comes across as eye candy and fantasy for young women when the story and cast deserved so
much more. That being said, the film stays true to it’s core audience and gives them exactly what they have come to expect and does not stray from what has been a successful formula.
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