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Max Winslow and the House of Secrets (2019)
Max Winslow and the House of Secrets (2019)
2019 | Family, Sci-Fi, Thriller
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
An out of the blue watch here, I had my fingers crossed for something a little lighthearted... and that's sort of what I received.

A challenge is issued, a competition that will see the mansion of tech billionaire Atticus Virtue gifted to the lucky winner. Chosen from his old school, five pupils enter to compete for the prize. As the evening goes on the games become increasingly dangerous and they find themselves fighting back against an advanced AI who's out to get them.

Max Winslow And The House Of Secrets feels like the kind of hybrid you'd get from crossing Willy Wonka with Ready Player One. All three films have the same sort of idea to them but convey it in their own quirky ways.

The story isn't the only classic idea the film capitalises on, we've also got your stereotypical group of teens thrown together end up having to work together to solve their problems. As they're introduced to us there was a little eye-roll on my part... we've got the computer nerd, the jock/musician, the social media icon, the gamer and the bully... but despite that eye-roll I quickly got over it as we progressed further in.

All these characters actually give us quite a well-balanced film, their introductions were handled quickly and clearly so it doesn't feel like a slog meeting them all, and jumping between characters/scene helps move the action along and keep you interested.

The acting from the younger members of the cast is pretty good when they're thrown in together, they all work well together and in scenes that could quite easily have become a little cheesy they manage to keep it quite sensible. We're treated to Marina Sirtis playing the AI running the mansion, I was amused by this casting, I don't think my brain could quite comprehend her in this role. The mansion's eccentric owner is played by Chad Michael Murray, I wish I could be a little more excited about him in this film but his brief appearances didn't rate highly with me. There weren't many moments when he was on screen where his performances weren't slightly awkward, at one point it felt like a script issue, but either way I was pleased that the main focus was one the younger actors.

Eye-rolling early on felt like it was becoming a habit, as the main storyline began it happened again. A moment occurs and you know that the information is going to be relevant later, you don't have to wait too long for an initial pay off to it either. I was worried that this would mean the ending of the film would be ruined but the pace from switching up between characters helps to drag you away from it.

Something I was a little surprised about was the tone of some of the scenes. When you start to watch the film it feels very much like a made for TV (that's not a negative comment, you know I love my made for TV movies!) family adventure affair, but some scenes are actually a little darker than would happily fit in that sort of film. Sitting at a 12A seems like the right level, had it been sanitised for younger viewers I think we'd have been left with something too tame to be good. (You could have pushed it further into the 15 and up area, but that would have put it in Escape Room territory and I'm not entirely sure we need more of that.)

Despite my eye-rolling and (many) unanswered questions that come from an adult watching a film not entirely made for them, I really enjoyed Max Winslow And The House Of Secrets. It's a fun watch, with some surprising little additions.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/10/max-winslow-and-house-of-secrets-movie.html
  
The Purge (2013)
The Purge (2013)
2013 | Mystery, Sci-Fi
Contains spoilers, click to show
I wanted a 'Killer in masks/home invasion' and that's what I got but there is a lot going on it 'The Purge' :

1) We have the purge itself, a new political party has come in and started titular Purge, one night a year where any crime is legal (although the emphasis is on killing and, via subtext, rape). There are a few exceptions stated at the start of the film and, although it's not directly stated, it seems that minors are exempt, in that they can be targets but not actually participate in the killing.

2)The 'Boyfriend' subplot. This could have led to the main plot but seems to be there just to keep us off track at the beginning.

3) The bloody stranger - ok he's needed as he's the main McGuffin

4) The Freaks, Yes the film needs it's antagonists and it's sometimes good to throw in a red herring but we have; The Freaks, Henry (the boy friend), The Bloody stranger who is suspected as being dangerous when he first arrives, even Janes Sandin looks like he could be the antagonist when he is going to throw the stranger out of the house, then we have...

5) The neighbours - even from the start of the film there is something off about them.

6) Add all of this together with a lot of politics and you have a very layered film.

The first half of the film is mainly set up, setting up the idea of the purge and introducing the characters, there are a few shots of violence in the beginning but the film starts off slow. Then it explodes in violence.

Although the concept is the same, The Purge is a different beast to something like 'The Strangers', both films spend time building up to the the action but, when the action starts, the Purge is much faster paced, mainly because there are more 'hunters' and they have guns.
The Purge is also a very political film but it doesn't go down the 'rich vs poor' root that a lot of films do, this is mentioned a bit but only to back up the thinking behind some of those who partake in the event. The film shows two sides of the Purge and mentions two more, you have those that want to take part in the event and those (like the main family) who don't, the Sandin's just want to get through the night where as the 'Freaks' happily take part in it. It's also mentioned that there are those who can not protect themselves (the poor) and those that object.

After watching it I am left with two questions:

1) what happened to Henrys body? We last saw it in Zoey's room, no one mentioned moving it and it couldn't have been taken out of the house but it was never seen when the Freaks were going room to room, they even went into the room where it should have been.

2) were the cookies poisoned? The neighbour said they saw the shutters come down (pulled off) and decided to take the opportunity to kill the Sandins but the hatred was already there so could the cookies have been another way to kill them off. It's true that they would have had to have been cooked before the purge officially started but, going by when they given, they would not have been eaten until either a few minuets before the start or after it had started and I doubt that anyone official would pay too much attention to the bodies after the purge. There would be too many even if they wanted too.
  
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies

Jun 27, 2019 (Updated Jun 28, 2019)  
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
The action, cast, and effects. (0 more)
A Truly Amazing And Enjoyable Spider-Man
Sony and Marvel Studios have rounded out Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in grand style with “Spider-man: Far From Home”. The film picks up shortly after the events of “Avengers: Endgame”, and finds Peter Parker (Tom Holland), attempting to deal with the aftermath of the final battle with Thanos and picking up his life as best as he is able.

As such; Peter is looking forward to a European trip as not only is his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) coming along; but Peter also wants to use this trip to get closer to MJ (Zendaya) and express his feelings for her.
While the early part of the trip starts off as you would expect for a bunch of teens experiencing Venice for the first time; Peter soon finds himself struggling to save the day and keep his alter ego a secret when a dangerous Elemental creature attacks the city.

With the help of a powered individual named Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal); Peter is able to stop the attack but with the arrival of Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders), and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Peter learns that there are bigger attacks on the way and that his skills are being pressed into service for the greater good.

This causes a great deal of conflict for Peter as after his recent experiences with the Avengers; he simply wants to enjoy a vacation as a 16 year old and feels that he needs time to have a life and recover from his recent ordeals.

As if this was not enough to deal with; Peter has also been entrusted with an unexpected gift which gives him access to new technology but also comes with a heavy sense of responsibility that forces him to question if he is truly up to the expectations that have been put upon him by Fury and society as a whole.

While Peter and Fury attempt to balance the delicate situation to their mutual advantage; a shocking turn of events happens, forcing Peter to step up and risk everything to save his friends and the public from a much larger threat than he imagined.
The film is a dynamic thrill ride that in a summer that has largely been filled with disappointments following “Avengers: Endgame”; delivers the goods.

The cast is great and the film mixes the action and humor of the character well as we get everything that fans have come to expect from the series.

The visuals are amazing and the audience was cheering for the twistingly nimble and gravity defying moves of the title character as well as laughing at the surprising amount of humor that is in the film which supports the action sequences well.

Holland truly owns the role as he encompasses the duality and conflict of the character so well. For all the quips and bravado Spider-man has; he is still an awkward and confused teen who deals with everyday issues despite having tremendous abilities and lives in a world filled with dangers most could never fathom.

The supporting cast is amazingly strong and it was so nice to see Jon Favreau back as Happy as he works so well within the Marvel Universe. There are two bonus scenes in the credits and rather than act as a bit of fun filler, they are filled with many surprise moments and cameos which not only delight; but setup some very interesting consequences and opportunities down the road when Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe resumes.

5 stars out of 5

http://sknr.net/2019/06/27/spider-man-far-from-home/
  
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Dean (6926 KP) Jul 1, 2019

Has it been released yet, thought it was tomorrow?

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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) Jul 1, 2019

Press saw it last Wednesday. It opens tomorrow.

Live By Night (2017)
Live By Night (2017)
2017 | Drama
I’m a sucker for a Prohibition-set yarn. It’s a fascinating period in history and typically yields excellent filmmaking with gritty, no-nonsense performances, gorgeous production design and hard-boiled action. It was De Palma’s The Untouchables that hooked me. Some would call it a guilty pleasure; and sure, Morricone’s score is a little over-the-top, De Niro is more caricature than character actor as Al Capone and I’m not going to argue that Connery’s Oscar was a “sympathy vote”, but it’s got everything I mentioned above in spades and for me it’ll always be the high benchmark of the Prohibition era gangster epic. Ben Affleck’s fourth turn as director has done nothing to change my position on that.

 

Live by Night is an uninspired mess, from voice-over laden start to disastrously predictable end, bringing nothing new or exciting to the table. Beat for beat, its weak script moves from one sigh-inducing cliché to another, reaching clumsily for moments of high emotion that ring hollow and false. If anyone needs any further proof that Matt Damon did all the heavy lifting on the script for Good Will Hunting, they need look no further. It feels wrong to come down so hard on Affleck after his back-to-back successes as a director, but this is more akin to the first work of a blundering novice, and also certainly not what we’ve come to expect of a Dennis Lehane adaptation (see Mystic River, Shutter Island and Affleck’s own incredible directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone). His decision to wear so many hats on this project, producing, directing, sole screenwriter and lead actor, has to be the reason for this stumble. The script desperately needed another set of eyes and the part of Joe Coughlin was clearly written for someone younger and more capable of performing with the subtlety needed to play someone who has to traverse the number of moral dilemmas he’s faced with. Hopefully, this inevitable failure will be what convinces Affleck that his place should be behind the camera directing other people’s scripts and guiding other people’s performances.

 

Speaking of the performances, there is a massive curve in this collection of acting that swings wildly from the cartoonish to the nuanced. To start with, we have Matthew Maher as a KKK member out for his cut and Robert Glenister as an Irish mob boss, both of whom are supposed to be playing dangerous and threatening but can’t do any better than laughable and two-dimensional. Then there’s Chris Messina and Affleck himself as the hoods on the rise, their chemistry is ill-advised at best as they both seem to think they’re in a buddy comedy as opposed to a serious piece of gangster melodrama A favorite of mine, Brendan Gleeson, sadly leaves the screen within the first twenty minutes and that left me with only the inimitable Chris Cooper to look forward to. The subplot involving him and Elle Fanning, as his born-again daughter speaking out against Coughlin’s sinful ways is not without problems of its own, but at least they sell it. That should be no surprise on Cooper’s part, but now between this and The Neon Demon last summer; Fanning is firmly on my radar as one to watch. My hope was that we were going to get some tremendous battle of wills between her and Affleck’s character akin to Paul Dano and Daniel Day-Lewis’ conflict in There Will Be Blood, but that was definitely asking too much. Fanning’s role, like Gleeson’s, is unfortunately cut short just as it gets good.

 

I guess The Untouchables is starting to sound less like a guilty pleasure and more like a masterpiece when compared to this regrettable misfire.
  
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The Night Circus
The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.1 (106 Ratings)
Book Rating
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I don’t even know how to start my book review for The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It was too magical, that I feel like everything I write will not do this book justice. To me, it felt like I was a part of one big secret. And in this book, Widget has something to say about secrets:

<b><i>“Secrets have power," Widget begins. "And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real secrets, important ones, with even one other person, will change them. Writing them down is worse, because who can tell how many eyes might see them inscribed on paper, no matter how careful you might be with it. So it’s really best to keep your secrets when you have them, for their own good, as well as yours.”</i></b>

Therefore, I feel like everything I might say will make this magical book a little less magical than it already is. I feel like this is an experience that you need to read for yourself, get acquainted with this Circus, with its characters, and feel like a part of it. 

Two people, brought up in different circumstances, have been getting ready for the challenge all their lives. They can’t avoid it, they are bonded to it. Their task is to be better than the other person, be a better magician, be a better illusionist. Their destiny is magical and dangerous, and the circus is their arena. 

<b><i>“You need to understand your limitations so you can overcome them.”</i></b>

The circus is a beautiful place.It is magical. It is everything you’ve ever wanted as a kid. The lights, the music, the mystery, the performers… Everything that happens in the circus has its own story. Many characters involved and their own adventures mix, get tangled and interfere with the two competitor’s destiny. I loved the descriptions of the different tents, the ice garden, the labyrinth, the cloud maze, the tent with the bottles...

<b><i>“People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see.”</i></b>

The writing in The Night Circus is beautiful. It is slow-paced and very imaginative. Slowly, it takes you to a place where people perform illusions, read tarot and foresee the destiny, tell stories, build magical clocks. If you’ve ever been to a circus, you will feel like you are there again. If you haven’t experienced that before, this book will give you the best possible introduction. A story of magic, love, destiny and storytelling like you’ve never seen before and you’re unlikely to see soon. It’s no wonder this book receives such hype. 

<b><i>"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."
                                                      - Oscar Wilde, 1888</i></b>

The Night Circus is a favourite. The ultimate favorite. Today, tomorrow, and probably until the rest of my life. For all the characters inside it that mattered. For the happy ever afters. But most importantly, for the storytellers. For my grandma, for Widget and for Erin. And for the other storytellers like them - because without them, we wouldn’t be able to truly find magic.