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Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
2016 | Comedy
Mike (Adam Devine), and his brother Dave (Zac Efron), are a couple of easy going and fun loving guys who make their living as liquor salesman, often using some elaborate schemes.

One evening their parents greet them with an ultimatum, they must bring dates to their sister’s wedding in Hawaii. The reason for this is that in their exuberance, Mike and Dave have been known to go overboard in trying to impress the ladies, which has resulted in some epic disasters at numerous family events.

Desperate to appease their Sister Jeanie (Sugar Lyn Beard), the duo turn to the internet to try to find nice girls who will go with them to Hawaii. Naturally they are flooded with thousands of e-mails from girls hoping to score a free trip and their efforts soon get them on a talk show, where they tell their story.

Enter Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza); two lifelong friends who have just lost their jobs after Alice was brutally left at the altar on her wedding day. The two see Mike and Dave on television and devise a plan to pass themselves off as decent ladies to score the free trip. The plan works and in no time they are in Hawaii and getting ready for the events.

Unfortunately for Mike and Dave, the two girls are not what they appear as they are actually foul mouthed party girls with a passion for wild and reckless behavior and who lack any sort of internal censor.

Combine this with the internal family tensions that can arise at such events it is no surprise that this wedding is on a fast path to disaster.

What follows is a series of crude, outrageous, and hilarious events as Mike and Dave clash with the girls, family, each other and learn more about life, love and family.

The cast works well with one another and there are some truly funny sequences such as the relaxing massage and musical number. The cast works very well with one another and you will want to watch the outtakes during the final credits as they add even more laughs to the film.

While it is mainly a comedy that uses every bit of its R rating, there are enough laughs for those who are willing to overlook some of the issues with the film’s pacing and basic premise, but remember it is a comedy, and if you do not mind this type of humor, you will find yourself laughing along frequently.

http://sknr.net/2016/07/07/mike-dave-need-wedding-dates/
  
3 Days To Kill (2014)
3 Days To Kill (2014)
2014 | Mystery
Contains spoilers, click to show
Story: 3 Days to Kill starts as we meet CIA agent Ethan Renner (Costner) who along with his team is about to take down one of the biggest threats in the world The Wolf (Sammel) by eliminating his closest associate The Albino (Lemarquis) only the mission gets compromised when Ethan’s health catches up with him as he learns he only has 3 months to live.

Released by the CIA Ethan sets out on cleaning up his own personal affairs wanting to build a relationship with daughter Zooey (Steinfeld) through his ex-wife Christine (Nielsen) after years of times apart working. With everything going badly Ethan knows that it will become difficult but when fellow agent Vivi Delay (Heard) offers him a chance to live longer Ethan comes out of retirement for one last assignment.

 

Thoughts on 3 Days to Kill

 

Story – The story for this film tries to balance a dying man’s final months with his family and his CIA life that he has meant to have walked away from. The CIA story does feel very generic of this modern day slick hitman style which is all fine. The dying man’s wish story ends up feeling like an awkward comedy in places. The story also feels very long and doesn’t seem to end up deciding if it wants to be serious or not.

Action/Thriller – The action is all very good and entertaining with the opening sequence looking like it set the tone but in the end if just turns into another slick hitman film.

Characters/Performance – I can’t find anything wrong with Costner’s performance as well as Steinfeld or Neilsen, it is the Heard performance that doesn’t make sense because she doesn’t suit the character and the character doesn’t suit the movie. The movie tries to make all the characters fit into everyday experiences but for some reason Vivi character is wildly over the top for no apparent reason.

Settings – The settings are mostly all in Paris which all works for the film which is trying to make us have a location we want to visit but showing that crime can happen there I guess.

Special Effects – The Special effects are mostly used for the action sequences and they all come off to the level you need them too.

Final Thoughts –This is an overlong action thriller that ends up getting caught up in the middle of comedy too often for its own good.

 

 

Overall: Solid action film that starts too strong for its own benefits.
  
Peter Rabbit (2018)
Peter Rabbit (2018)
2018 | Animation
Verdict: Poor Film

Story: Peter Rabbit starts as we see how Peter Rabbit and his family and friends had a battle with old Mr McGregor (Neill) after they continued to steal from his garden, until he passes away. The next-door neighbour Bea (Byrne) does try to keep them safe the best she can.
When Thomas McGregor (Gleeson) moves into the house with plans to sell it, which sees the war coming back for Peter and his family, this time it might become deadlier.

Thoughts on Peter Rabbit

Characters – Peter Rabbit is the mischievous little rabbit that always gets his siblings into trouble as they always seem to terrorise the McGregor family, that does seem to be the only thing he does each day, making him out to be a horrible little rabbit. Thomas McGregor is a completely by the book toy store employee wanting to get to management, when he loses his job, he ends up following in his uncle footsteps, getting into a battle with the rabbits. Bea is the nice neighbour that has always tried to look after the animals, loves nature and is an artist.
Performances – Domhnall Gleeson is great along with Rose Byrne are the two main live action stars that both work well with how they act towards the animals. Most of the voice acting is mixed, with the three sisters working well, but James Corden not suiting the character.
Story – The story follows the adventures of Peter Rabbit against the McGregor’s, which just seems to keep escalating. The story is strange because it doesn’t make Peter likeable at all, he just seems to annoy McGregor and never do anything else, surely there would have been another food supply for him. Most of the story revolves around pop culture jokes, which have dated quickly, but by the end the story just becomes boring more than anything else.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure is just the troubles Peter gets himself in, we don’t seem to go any further, while the comedy is a miss already.
Settings – The film keeps the action in the country, which does seem to have only show how close the war between the two was.
Animation – The animated animals looks solid for the most part, but some of the moments seem weird.

Scene of the Movie – Harrods break down.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Peter Rabbit.
Final Thoughts – This is a big disappointment because the characters used are loveable for the most part, while this movie just makes them horrible.

Overall: Boring.
  
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Bad Moms (2016) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019 (Updated Aug 6, 2019)  
Bad Moms (2016)
Bad Moms (2016)
2016 | Comedy
When moms get tired of being perfect, not being appreciated and decide to give their spoiled children a lesson and just enjoy every minute of their day instead – that’s when the movie Bad Moms happens.

Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis) is a 32-year-old modern mom, who has a seemingly perfect life: a great marriage, over-achieving kids, a beautiful home and a career. However, she is over-worked and so exhausted that she’s reached the point where she is about to snap. Her life has been reduced to spending a lot of time driving her kids to their extracurricular activities and trying to be just in time for everything. Her perfect life is just a smoke screen, her husband Mike (David Walton) has been unemployed for a while, doesn’t care about helping with anything house- or kids-related, and enjoys a little bit too much online entertainment. In addition to being spoiled, her daughter Jane (Oona Laurence) has some anxiety issues and her son Dylan (Emjay Anthony) has never done his own homework. To make it even more interesting, Amy has to deal with the judgement of PTA Queen, Bee Gwendolyn, (Christina Applegate) and her minions Stacy (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Vicky (Annie Mumolo).

After one hectic day, all Amy can do is stop at a bar and grab a glass of whiskey. There she meets two other underappreciated moms, Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn). Over drinks they vent and declare that they’re tired of living up to expectations and not being appreciated for all their hard work. So they decide to be bad moms.

I love seeing Christina Applegate as the villain; she is smart, evil and pulls all the strings, driving everyone to the edge but nobody can say anything because they’re terrified of her. But the one that dominates the comedy is Kathryn Hann. You would think you might be tired of seeing her in just about every movie released in the last 10 years, but oh boy is this woman hilarious! She plays the divorced working mother whose every line, good or bad, makes the audience ask again and again “Did she just say that?”

I really enjoyed this movie. It is the perfect summer comedy that all audiences can enjoy, especially moms who can really relate. This is The Hangover for moms. I assure you will laugh nonstop because it has a wild drunk trip to the grocery store, a memorable show-and-tell demonstration and a really funny lecture about unflattering bras. I promise you will leave the theater with a smile.
  
Scooby Doo: Return to Zombie Island (2019)
Scooby Doo: Return to Zombie Island (2019)
2019 |
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Scooby-Doo and Shaggy have both become tired of solving mysteries, they want the team to stop and get their way, they win the holiday for the gang which sees them going to an old location needing to decide whether to let the group solve the mystery on the island. Fred has sold the Mystery Machine, he is having daytime dreams of it returning to him, where he judges most other vehicles for not being on the same level as his beloved. Daphne is here, though we don’t see anything we haven’t seen before from her, while Velma has a blog showing us just how the character has evolved for the time, which does show the frustration here character has when she can’t solve the mysteries anymore. Most of the new characters are left to feel just here with only Alan the hotel manager and Seaver being properly introduced.

Story – The story here follows the mystery inc gang who get invited back to an old location to solve the mystery from their past, only to find themselves needing to fight cat people once again. The story tries to be self-aware of many of the previous films, which has worked before, but for some reason doesn’t quite click this time. The fact we have seen the evolution of Velma and not the rest of the characters disappoints, which also seems to play along the idea of being a film within a film, that just again puts too much wink, wink, nudge, nudge to the audience. If you are a Scooby Doo fan, this story is everything you need, even if it does have a couple of flaws along the way.

Adventure/Comedy – The adventure does see the gang return to one of their most famous locations, which is different to much of what we have seen before, while the comedy does land in a couple of places very well.

Settings – The film does take the gang back to Moonscar island to face a new host of enemies in one of the most famous locations.

Animation – This does have the typical animation you are used to seeing for the Scooby Doo movies, it never lets down and works for the slapstick side of things.


Scene of the Movie – The big jump.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Daphne is almost just painted background character.

Final Thoughts – This isn’t the best Scooby Doo animated movie, it disappoints in a lot of places with how it handles certain decisions in the story and too many wink wink nudge nudge moments.

Overall: Basic Scooby Doo.
  
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
1974 | Classics, Comedy, Horror
Stand out performances from Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, and Marty Feldman. (2 more)
Written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks
Great parody of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Some crude humor (0 more)
Young Frankenstein is a comedy horror film from 1974 directed by Mel Brooks, also known for his work on Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs. The film follows Gene Wilder's character of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, or should I say Froderick Fronkenstein, as he discovers that he has inherited the estate of his grandfather Victor von Frankenstein. It's interesting to see Wilder go from a calm and collected neuroscience professer to a stark raving madman throughout his performance. The film also benefits from being filmed entirely in black and white, evoking the style of old Universal horror movies from the 1930s. Most of the jokes land, making this film a treat to watch. However, some of them are a bit crude and reference sexual activities, so some people may be a bit turned off by them. The good thing is that there aren't that many of these types of crude jokes so it's not quite so overbearing. In conclusion, this is really one of Mel Brooks' best films and one of Wilder's best performances in his career. Go check it out this Halloween.
  
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Hulk smash plenty (2 more)
Jeff Goldblum
More cameos than an Edwardian garden party
Weird effects on Cate Blanchett (0 more)
Having suffered through the first Thor film, given up on the second one, and detested him in the Avengers films I wasn't expecting to enjoy Thor all that much and was really only in it for the Hulk. However I was pleasantly surprised. Chris Hemsworth seems to have learned to act in the last few years, and seems to have developed an awareness of comic timing.
The film sees Thor team up with Loki, Hulk and a former Valkyrie to defeat Thor's sister Hela and avoid Ragnarok as she looks to lead an army of the dead throughout the galaxy.
There is a great deal of comedy throughout the film but also top notch action sequences, most notably Thor vs Hulk and Hela's assault on Asgard.
Having been disappointed with the absence of Thor and Hulk from Captain America: Civil War (Huffy Cry-baby) I had hoped this film would make amends, and it did indeed.
Of particular enjoyment was the theatrical interpretation of Loki's death where Matt Damon and the other Hemsworth act out Loki's apparent death, overseen by Sam Neill's Odin.
  
The Hopkins Manuscript
The Hopkins Manuscript
R. C. Sherriff | 1939 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Powerfully moving, surprisingly obscure British SF novel. Eerily prescient in some ways: written in 1939 but set from 1945 onward, the story is told by Edgar Hopkins, a retired schoolteacher and champion poultry-breeder who is one of the first men in the country to learn of an impending cataclysm - the moon has been knocked from its orbit and will collide with the Earth in a matter of months. Hopkins' ability to tell the story is impaired by his own pompousness, powerful sense of self-regard and unerring ability to miss the significance of anything going on around him.

Initially it reads like a very black, absurdist comedy, but as the book progresses it becomes genuinely poignant and moving - almost a eulogy for an idea of England soon to be wiped away forever. I have no idea how much the author was motivated by fears of the coming Second World War, but its presence hangs inescapably over the book. The actual science in the book is rather risible, and (like much other mid-20th century British SF) the film also contains race-related elements that some modern readers could find problematic, but the core of the book remains as significant and thought-provoking as ever.
  
The Fifth Element (1997)
The Fifth Element (1997)
1997 | Drama, Sci-Fi
Shes so fragile, so human.
Number 4 in my #top10 #favourite films 'The Fifth Element'
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Flawless #comedy, bursting with creativity, a fantastic & unique story, visually outstanding with stunningly intricate costume & set design #TheFifthElement is a masterpiece. #LucBesson is a genius & really has managed to create a #scifi #world brimming with #life, progress & great ancient lore while housing complex/interesting characters that are all played by the perfect cast. Luc is such a talented director creating a clever contrast of #dark, #violent, disturbing & adult themes mixed with wacky, #camp, #comedic & #childish tones that #complement each other & that flow together so technically well that most #superhero movie directors these days still struggle with getting this balance right. #Music invokes such dread & wonder too while dialog is so sensational it makes The Fifth Element possibly the most quotable film I've ever seen. Its really a #film that I can not praise highly enough & having such a great mix of genres makes it easily accessible to everyone. Without a doubt one of my favourite #love stories of all time & definitely my favourite sci-fi, if you haven't seen it you really are missing out. ------------------------------------------------
#brucewillis #millajovovich #christucker #alien #fantasy #beauty #tuesday #filmbuff #comic #nerd #geek #garyoldman
  
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Lewis John Hatchett (23 KP) rated Aladdin (2019) in Movies

May 23, 2019 (Updated May 23, 2019)  
Aladdin (2019)
Aladdin (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Story, Comedy, Cast, Musical numbers (0 more)
Unexpectedly Fun
As a fan of the original 1992 animated film, I came into this film with not much hype but enough that I'd come out enjoying the film. I came our of the film loving it.

The story is pretty much the same as the original but director Guy Ritchie has fleshed out the story extending it with a couple of songs (I'm hoping written by Tim Rice) that are slotted in perfectly.

Guy Ritchie does what he does best and mixes a perfect blend of action, comedic humor and family fun, as he's done in his previous films.

Now the pressing question of Will Smith's portrayal of the Genie. I was sceptical about it at first but the more I watched the trailer for the film the more I adjusted to him. I'm a full fledged fan of the late and great Robin Williams' version of the Genie and Will Smith's version is a perfect interpretation of that character (with some nods to William's animated classic) so I say well done to Mr Smith.

Overall I certainly recommend the film for all fans, old and new, and definitely say go see it and (pardon the pun) experience a whole new world. 9/10