Search
Search results
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Commuter (2018) in Movies
Feb 4, 2020
All Aboard The Train: Ticket Please
The Commuter- combines the Taken franchise, Non-Stop and Run All Night mixs it with Murder on The Orient Express and Strangers on a Train. All those togther results into this movie. A decent action suspense thriller starting Liam Nesson.
The Plot: Insurance salesman Michael is on his daily commute home, which quickly becomes anything but routine. After being contacted by a mysterious stranger, Michael is forced to uncover the identity of a hidden passenger on the train before the last stop. As he works against the clock to solve the puzzle, he realizes a deadly plan is unfolding, and he is unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that carries life and death stakes for everyone on the train.
I would reccordmend watching this movie, cause its good.
The Plot: Insurance salesman Michael is on his daily commute home, which quickly becomes anything but routine. After being contacted by a mysterious stranger, Michael is forced to uncover the identity of a hidden passenger on the train before the last stop. As he works against the clock to solve the puzzle, he realizes a deadly plan is unfolding, and he is unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that carries life and death stakes for everyone on the train.
I would reccordmend watching this movie, cause its good.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Backdraft (1991) in Movies
Feb 17, 2021
Kurt Russell (2 more)
Robert De Niro
Donald Sutherand
Fire Unleashed
Backdraft- is a good movie, that has suspense, drama, action, thrills, mystery and a great cast.
The plot: Chicago firefighting brothers Stephen (Kurt Russell) and Brian (William Baldwin) have been rivals since childhood. Brian, struggling to prove himself, transfers to the arson unit. There he aids Don (Robert De Niro) in his investigation into a spate of fires involving oxygen-induced infernos called backdrafts. But when a conspiracy implicating a crooked politician and an arsonist leads Brian back to Stephen, he is forced to overcome his brotherly competitiveness in order to crack the case.
Like i said before the cast is really good, the drama and suspense is really good and its directed by Ron Howard.
I would recordmend this film.
The plot: Chicago firefighting brothers Stephen (Kurt Russell) and Brian (William Baldwin) have been rivals since childhood. Brian, struggling to prove himself, transfers to the arson unit. There he aids Don (Robert De Niro) in his investigation into a spate of fires involving oxygen-induced infernos called backdrafts. But when a conspiracy implicating a crooked politician and an arsonist leads Brian back to Stephen, he is forced to overcome his brotherly competitiveness in order to crack the case.
Like i said before the cast is really good, the drama and suspense is really good and its directed by Ron Howard.
I would recordmend this film.
Cassie Osbourne (6 KP) rated An Officer and a Spy in Books
Nov 9, 2018
The Dreyfus Affair was one of the biggest miscarriages of justice that France (and possibly the world) has ever seen and this book presents the story through the eyes of Colonel Georges Picquart.
Towards the beginning, I was a little disappointed in the book. The writing style is brilliant and how faithful it is to actual events is great but in some ways, this is also its downfall. The conspiracy went on for years which makes the pacing very slow in parts and incredibly quick and exciting in others. All the characters in this book, even the tiny bit characters, were real people tied up in the affair; however, none of these characters has any real development until the very end and only for a short amount of time. As someone who favours character-driven story arcs rather than plot-driven ones, this was very frustrating for me to read as they all seemed to be very one dimensional (with the exception, perhaps, of Henry) and it doesn't really make any of them terribly likeable.
All that being said, I did very much enjoy the last two hundred or so pages where the pace really picked up and became exciting as everything seemed to come together rather than people sitting on files and information - but this is, of course, the nature of courtrooms and trials.
Although I probably won't read this book again, I am glad that I did as it introduced me to an interesting army conspiracy in France that I will definitely be doing more research in to.
Characters - 6/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Writing Style - 8/10
Plot - 7/10 (score majorly affected by pacing)
Intrigue - 6.5/10 (as above)
Logic - 10/10 (real events so difficult to score lower)
Enjoyment - 6.5/10 (again pacing and lack of character development)
Score average - 7.8/10
Towards the beginning, I was a little disappointed in the book. The writing style is brilliant and how faithful it is to actual events is great but in some ways, this is also its downfall. The conspiracy went on for years which makes the pacing very slow in parts and incredibly quick and exciting in others. All the characters in this book, even the tiny bit characters, were real people tied up in the affair; however, none of these characters has any real development until the very end and only for a short amount of time. As someone who favours character-driven story arcs rather than plot-driven ones, this was very frustrating for me to read as they all seemed to be very one dimensional (with the exception, perhaps, of Henry) and it doesn't really make any of them terribly likeable.
All that being said, I did very much enjoy the last two hundred or so pages where the pace really picked up and became exciting as everything seemed to come together rather than people sitting on files and information - but this is, of course, the nature of courtrooms and trials.
Although I probably won't read this book again, I am glad that I did as it introduced me to an interesting army conspiracy in France that I will definitely be doing more research in to.
Characters - 6/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Writing Style - 8/10
Plot - 7/10 (score majorly affected by pacing)
Intrigue - 6.5/10 (as above)
Logic - 10/10 (real events so difficult to score lower)
Enjoyment - 6.5/10 (again pacing and lack of character development)
Score average - 7.8/10
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) in Movies
Apr 23, 2020 (Updated Apr 23, 2020)
Play Your Cards Right
Jack Reacher- Never Go Back, is a good movie i give it that. Other than that, ehh. I mean the plot, the action was good, other than that i cant remember anything about, every though i just watched it today. And that happens sometimes when you watch a okay/decent you complety forgive about it five minutes later.
The plot: Investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) springs into action after the arrest of Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), an Army major accused of treason. Suspecting foul play, Jack embarks on a mission to prove that the head of his old unit is innocent. After crossing paths with the law, Reacher must now go on the lam to uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy that involves the death of U.S. soldiers.
Its a so-so action thriller
The plot: Investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) springs into action after the arrest of Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), an Army major accused of treason. Suspecting foul play, Jack embarks on a mission to prove that the head of his old unit is innocent. After crossing paths with the law, Reacher must now go on the lam to uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy that involves the death of U.S. soldiers.
Its a so-so action thriller
Awix (3310 KP) rated All the President's Men (1976) in Movies
Jan 24, 2021
Superior movie that still sets the gold standard for recent-fact-based-drama and heroic-journalists-investigate-corruption movies. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are assigned to what looks like just a weird break-in at the Watergate offices of the Democratic party, but discover a trail that ultimately incriminates some very big names indeed.
Proof that you can make a gripping thriller without actually including a single car chase or fist-fight; much of the film is people on the telephone making notes, but it's still a captivating story. Solid performances, decent structure, perhaps lacks a big climax, but you can see its influence on many other acclaimed films since (The Post and Spotlight are cut from the same cloth, and in the former case features some of the same figures). And yet Rocky still won the Oscar. Conspiracy!!!
Proof that you can make a gripping thriller without actually including a single car chase or fist-fight; much of the film is people on the telephone making notes, but it's still a captivating story. Solid performances, decent structure, perhaps lacks a big climax, but you can see its influence on many other acclaimed films since (The Post and Spotlight are cut from the same cloth, and in the former case features some of the same figures). And yet Rocky still won the Oscar. Conspiracy!!!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Commuter (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A businessman is caught up in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home.
Yet again, Liam Neeson has a certain set of skills that prove to be useful. Honestly, he really should start trying to stay out of trouble. Was this film ground breaking? No, not really. But it was enjoyable in a completely unbelievable way. It feels like a lot of different films that have been cut and pasted together, a little bit of Taken, a smidge of Source Code, but then at some point a lot of these films do tend to all look alike.
A good bit of entertainment, but when it comes to me recapping what films really stood out for me this year it won't be remembered. It's already not the worst Unlimited film of the year though... congratulations have to go to Downsizing for that one.
Yet again, Liam Neeson has a certain set of skills that prove to be useful. Honestly, he really should start trying to stay out of trouble. Was this film ground breaking? No, not really. But it was enjoyable in a completely unbelievable way. It feels like a lot of different films that have been cut and pasted together, a little bit of Taken, a smidge of Source Code, but then at some point a lot of these films do tend to all look alike.
A good bit of entertainment, but when it comes to me recapping what films really stood out for me this year it won't be remembered. It's already not the worst Unlimited film of the year though... congratulations have to go to Downsizing for that one.
Dave Navarro recommended 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in Movies (curated)
Awix (3310 KP) rated Alternative 3 in TV
May 4, 2019 (Updated May 4, 2019)
One of the great TV hoaxes, from back when such things were still considered an acceptable jape. Made, for the most part, with great care and attention to detail, the result is very convincing and unsettling viewing - although the presence of fairly well-known actors in a couple of roles does kind of blow the gaffe a bit, long before the end.
Some people will argue that claims that this is a hoax are just a smokescreen and the makers either stumbled onto the truth or were trying to blow the whistle on a real conspiracy, which is why this show vanished into obscurity for a long while after its transmission. I really don't know, but parts of the story here do seem eerily close to reality, 40 years on, and the questions Alternative 3 raises about how much to trust the media are still pertinent today.
Some people will argue that claims that this is a hoax are just a smokescreen and the makers either stumbled onto the truth or were trying to blow the whistle on a real conspiracy, which is why this show vanished into obscurity for a long while after its transmission. I really don't know, but parts of the story here do seem eerily close to reality, 40 years on, and the questions Alternative 3 raises about how much to trust the media are still pertinent today.
David McK (3233 KP) rated Day of the Caesars (Eagle #16) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The latest (#16) entry in [a:Simon Scarrow|60636|Simon Scarrow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1240832197p2/60636.jpg]'s 'Eagle' series of books, with this one taking place just after the death of Emperor Claudius and the ascension of his heir Nero to the Imperial throne.
Despite his best efforts, it's not long before Prefect Cato - and, by extension, Macro - is drawn into the tangled web of conspiracy around that ascension, in particular by a faction that support the claim of Nero's half-brother Britannicus to that throne.
With further reveals around Cato's deceased wife Julia - was she really unfaithful to him? - and with a little bit of further character development for Macro (who is now even beginning to think about settling down!) this I found to be less action-orientated that many of the previous entries in the series, but still an enjoyable read.
Despite his best efforts, it's not long before Prefect Cato - and, by extension, Macro - is drawn into the tangled web of conspiracy around that ascension, in particular by a faction that support the claim of Nero's half-brother Britannicus to that throne.
With further reveals around Cato's deceased wife Julia - was she really unfaithful to him? - and with a little bit of further character development for Macro (who is now even beginning to think about settling down!) this I found to be less action-orientated that many of the previous entries in the series, but still an enjoyable read.
Ross (3282 KP) rated The Boys Volume 5: Herogasm in Books
Sep 24, 2019
A dip in quality
The 5th volume of The Boys sees the world's superheroes take time out, while pretending to be fighting an intergalactic war (similar to the secret invasion), and head off to a remote island for days of extreme sex, drugs and an awards ceremony. Herogasm being the name for this mini-festival of debauchery.
There are some smirks here, mainly aimed at the Fantastic 4, and what they might get up to in private, but the joke is a little laboured over the 6 issues.
I think a key learn for me is that if Darick Robertson didn't ink it, you can probably skip it (he seems to avoid the issues that are heavier on the sex). While there is a little about the corporate corruption and the 9/11 conspiracy, and a naughty attack by Black Noir, this story is somewhat throwaway.
There are some smirks here, mainly aimed at the Fantastic 4, and what they might get up to in private, but the joke is a little laboured over the 6 issues.
I think a key learn for me is that if Darick Robertson didn't ink it, you can probably skip it (he seems to avoid the issues that are heavier on the sex). While there is a little about the corporate corruption and the 9/11 conspiracy, and a naughty attack by Black Noir, this story is somewhat throwaway.