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365Flicks (235 KP) rated The Hollow (2016) in Movies
Nov 20, 2019
Often all it takes for me to put a flick on is to see a name of an Actor that I have loved in other movies, this can often make me more forgiving and open to watch the next flick that comes along. When I received The Hollow for the intentions of reviewing. I was smacked in the face by two such names, William Sadler (Shawshank, Die Hard 2) and William Forsythe (Things to Do in Denver When Your Dead, The Rock). Neither actor is setting the world on fire as of late but as a movie fan you know your about to get some solid performances. I was not wrong.
The Hollow is yet another Small Town backwoods crime drama genre in a long line of VOD releases. The difference being that The Hollow has a certain amount of Backwoods charm to it that usually tends to fall flat upon replication, This is in no small part due to the performances driving the Flick. Writer, Director and Star Miles Doleac plays corrupt as balls Deputy Sheriff Ray Everett. In a town that seems to have been forgotten by the outside world Ray is able to function as a truly horrendous unlikable character, But fear not because just about everyone in this down is a bonafide Asshole. The movie kicks into gear fairly quickly when we witness a triple murder down by Make-Out Creek (Thats what they call places like that right). One of the victims being an under-age girl we witnessed barely 10 minutes ago giving Officer Ray some pretty bad head (Like a said he is a proper shit bag)… The FBI comes swarming into town when it is revealed one of the other victims is the daughter of a US Congressman. The game of small town cover up vs government stooges begins.
I’m not going to dive to deep into this flick because it is your standard by the numbers Crime/Drama. I said towards the start of this write-up that sometimes all it takes is a couple of names that you recognize as regular Jobbers who tend to put in solid performances and that is certainly one of the things this movie has going for it. Forsythe, Sadler and Jeff Fahey all being shining lights for me. Not to be out shone in his own movie though Doleac manages to portray a truly horrendous shit bag with no redeeming quality’s at all pretty expertly and that is where your Movie can live or die. Take nothing away from the supporting cast either they were all great just that most characters were fairly one dimensional.
Personally I feel like The Hollow is a good enough movie with some solid performances that you would be kept entertained. The script is not exactly Tarantino levels, while it does at times feel like thats what Doleac was going for, but as I said at the start when you sit down to this movie, you know what your getting.
Its a solid Recommend from 365HQ in a sea of by the numbers Crime/Dramas The Hollow has some pretty great performances and for the directors second Feature Film its a solid effort.
The Hollow is yet another Small Town backwoods crime drama genre in a long line of VOD releases. The difference being that The Hollow has a certain amount of Backwoods charm to it that usually tends to fall flat upon replication, This is in no small part due to the performances driving the Flick. Writer, Director and Star Miles Doleac plays corrupt as balls Deputy Sheriff Ray Everett. In a town that seems to have been forgotten by the outside world Ray is able to function as a truly horrendous unlikable character, But fear not because just about everyone in this down is a bonafide Asshole. The movie kicks into gear fairly quickly when we witness a triple murder down by Make-Out Creek (Thats what they call places like that right). One of the victims being an under-age girl we witnessed barely 10 minutes ago giving Officer Ray some pretty bad head (Like a said he is a proper shit bag)… The FBI comes swarming into town when it is revealed one of the other victims is the daughter of a US Congressman. The game of small town cover up vs government stooges begins.
I’m not going to dive to deep into this flick because it is your standard by the numbers Crime/Drama. I said towards the start of this write-up that sometimes all it takes is a couple of names that you recognize as regular Jobbers who tend to put in solid performances and that is certainly one of the things this movie has going for it. Forsythe, Sadler and Jeff Fahey all being shining lights for me. Not to be out shone in his own movie though Doleac manages to portray a truly horrendous shit bag with no redeeming quality’s at all pretty expertly and that is where your Movie can live or die. Take nothing away from the supporting cast either they were all great just that most characters were fairly one dimensional.
Personally I feel like The Hollow is a good enough movie with some solid performances that you would be kept entertained. The script is not exactly Tarantino levels, while it does at times feel like thats what Doleac was going for, but as I said at the start when you sit down to this movie, you know what your getting.
Its a solid Recommend from 365HQ in a sea of by the numbers Crime/Dramas The Hollow has some pretty great performances and for the directors second Feature Film its a solid effort.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Fading in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Fading by Cindy Cipriano may not contain vampires or werewolves yet it still has a slightly supernatural/paranormal feel to it. This book is in a similar group as Twilight as a forbidden love book. Also, this is only the first book in a series that is expected to be three or four books long.
Leath is the typical seventeen-year-old high school girl. She has her mother’s full support after her father died and her two best friends Victor and Anamae. The three of them have been considering college visits and what the future may hold for them. Leath and Victor have always been close but when Victor starts showing interest in being more than just friends with Leath she resists him. Victor believes Leath is confused and will come around to recognizing her feelings for him but Leath is not too sure. Then while working in her guidance councilor's office Leath sees the transfer file for a new student, James.
As if fate put them together James and Leath run into each other on Jame’s first day and they instantly become inseparable. Leath feels as if she has known James for her entire life and James feels the same way about her. Leath wonders if James is the same boy that Leath has actually been having dreams about all her life. Is she prepared to make the huge sacrifice required for her to be with James? Leath must choose between her friends, family, and freedom, or James before he makes the decision for her.
What I liked best about the book was honestly James himself. Even if he seemed somewhat creepy at times he is a great guy. His willingness to live alone and possibly face the wrath of his race just to protect Leath from his societies traditions are commendable. What I didn’t really like was the abrupt change around chapter fifteen. I understand the need for it but it was a little rough at first. I also didn’t understand completely why the fading worked so well on Leath that time when it didn’t work the first time. The only difference I can really come up with was the medication Leath was on and everyone else forgetting James helping her forget as well.
Teens of all ages will find this book to be appealing as the language is mild and there isn’t really any inappropriate content. Readers of romance will defiantly enjoy this book more so than fans of other genres. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4. Fans of teen romance will love this twist on a classic forbidden love story. The entire concept of fading allows for the story to move on without having messy explanations in the middle of everything.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
Leath is the typical seventeen-year-old high school girl. She has her mother’s full support after her father died and her two best friends Victor and Anamae. The three of them have been considering college visits and what the future may hold for them. Leath and Victor have always been close but when Victor starts showing interest in being more than just friends with Leath she resists him. Victor believes Leath is confused and will come around to recognizing her feelings for him but Leath is not too sure. Then while working in her guidance councilor's office Leath sees the transfer file for a new student, James.
As if fate put them together James and Leath run into each other on Jame’s first day and they instantly become inseparable. Leath feels as if she has known James for her entire life and James feels the same way about her. Leath wonders if James is the same boy that Leath has actually been having dreams about all her life. Is she prepared to make the huge sacrifice required for her to be with James? Leath must choose between her friends, family, and freedom, or James before he makes the decision for her.
What I liked best about the book was honestly James himself. Even if he seemed somewhat creepy at times he is a great guy. His willingness to live alone and possibly face the wrath of his race just to protect Leath from his societies traditions are commendable. What I didn’t really like was the abrupt change around chapter fifteen. I understand the need for it but it was a little rough at first. I also didn’t understand completely why the fading worked so well on Leath that time when it didn’t work the first time. The only difference I can really come up with was the medication Leath was on and everyone else forgetting James helping her forget as well.
Teens of all ages will find this book to be appealing as the language is mild and there isn’t really any inappropriate content. Readers of romance will defiantly enjoy this book more so than fans of other genres. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4. Fans of teen romance will love this twist on a classic forbidden love story. The entire concept of fading allows for the story to move on without having messy explanations in the middle of everything.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Spycies (2020) in Movies
Feb 22, 2020
A lot of the obscure kid's films I see at the cinema just appear with no warning, that means an exciting trip of uncertainty!
Vladimir the cat is a top spy at the Agency but after causing so much damage to property in a recent mission he's sent out to a remote station as penance. There he meets Hector, a tech genius rat who's isolation has left him craving company and eager to bond.
There isn't much excitement in their lives, just Hector's soaps on TV and trying to decide which pizza to heat up. Until one day the dullness is interrupted by a team who infiltrate the compound and steal something from the vault. After they make their escape Vlad and Hector head home to hunt down the perpetrators and get back what was stolen.
What I want to say about Spycies first is that the animation is amazing. I was blown away by some of the shots. The poster states it's from the animators of Despicable Me, Minions and The Secret Life Of Pets, I really thought this was an attempt to cash in on connections, and it is to an extent as this is relatively unknown but it does stand on its own once you see it.
The station that Hector and Vladimir are on is an oil rig out in open water and a lot of the shots are done during a storm, these scenes are incredible. One in particular felt like real footage and not animation, it was absolutely beautiful.
There's no denying that this is Zootropolis/Zootopia with spies, that thought bothered me more after watching it than it did during. It feels like they made a very specific selection of animals to be different. The other big difference is that it's clear it's set at some point in the future, and this is probably my only major issue.
Futuristic isn't something you really get from the world of Spycies, apart from when you look at the vehicles. The opening sequence, while epic on action movie scales, was very chaotic and the vehicles being new and unusual just added to that. With so much tradition around the film this felt out of place.
As an adult watching this film it was noticeable that it was made for a foreign market, it has clear regional influences that might not land for everyone but I suspect that the kids won't be too bothered about them.
I quite like the story but it isn't necessarily anything new. James Bond (yes, there's a Bond, James Bond moment in there) meets Zootropolis with flashes of Spies In Disguise. Familiar might feel stale but I enjoyed it. The script doesn't quite fit with the audience it's aimed at, it's probably not quite fun enough for kids but there's plenty of action and slapstick to keep them entertained as well as adults.
[On the title itself... I'm assuming it's a play on the word "species"?]
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/spycies-movie-review.html
Vladimir the cat is a top spy at the Agency but after causing so much damage to property in a recent mission he's sent out to a remote station as penance. There he meets Hector, a tech genius rat who's isolation has left him craving company and eager to bond.
There isn't much excitement in their lives, just Hector's soaps on TV and trying to decide which pizza to heat up. Until one day the dullness is interrupted by a team who infiltrate the compound and steal something from the vault. After they make their escape Vlad and Hector head home to hunt down the perpetrators and get back what was stolen.
What I want to say about Spycies first is that the animation is amazing. I was blown away by some of the shots. The poster states it's from the animators of Despicable Me, Minions and The Secret Life Of Pets, I really thought this was an attempt to cash in on connections, and it is to an extent as this is relatively unknown but it does stand on its own once you see it.
The station that Hector and Vladimir are on is an oil rig out in open water and a lot of the shots are done during a storm, these scenes are incredible. One in particular felt like real footage and not animation, it was absolutely beautiful.
There's no denying that this is Zootropolis/Zootopia with spies, that thought bothered me more after watching it than it did during. It feels like they made a very specific selection of animals to be different. The other big difference is that it's clear it's set at some point in the future, and this is probably my only major issue.
Futuristic isn't something you really get from the world of Spycies, apart from when you look at the vehicles. The opening sequence, while epic on action movie scales, was very chaotic and the vehicles being new and unusual just added to that. With so much tradition around the film this felt out of place.
As an adult watching this film it was noticeable that it was made for a foreign market, it has clear regional influences that might not land for everyone but I suspect that the kids won't be too bothered about them.
I quite like the story but it isn't necessarily anything new. James Bond (yes, there's a Bond, James Bond moment in there) meets Zootropolis with flashes of Spies In Disguise. Familiar might feel stale but I enjoyed it. The script doesn't quite fit with the audience it's aimed at, it's probably not quite fun enough for kids but there's plenty of action and slapstick to keep them entertained as well as adults.
[On the title itself... I'm assuming it's a play on the word "species"?]
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/spycies-movie-review.html
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Mario Party 3 in Video Games
Feb 5, 2021
Let The Party Continue
Mario Party 3- is the third game in the mario party franchise. You have new boards and new mini games. Plus the additon of Waluigi and Daisy. This is the last game on the N64. So it went out with a bang.
The game features duel maps, where two players try to lower each other's stamina to zero using non-player characters such as Chain Chomps.
Mario and his friends witness the descent of the Millennium Star, a mystical star born once every thousand years that allows whoever possesses him to become the "Superstar of the universe". When the group begins to debate the Star's ownership, the Star transports the group into a large toy box and proclaims that the group members must prove their worthiness and earn the Millennium Star's acceptance by collecting the seven "Star Stamps" scattered across several lands.
Green spaces marked with a Shy Guy initiate a single-player Game Guy mini-game, in which the player may either win a multiplied amount of their coins or lose all of their coins
The players can obtain items for use on the board, and can each carry up to three at a time.
Mario Party 3 includes a Duel mode, in which two players use a selection of up to two partners to attack their opponent and deplete their health. The partners can be positioned in front of or behind the player,[and must be paid a salary at the beginning of each turn; the partner will leave if their salary cannot be paid. The partners do the battling to reduce the opponent's health, and defend the player from incoming attack. Each partner has its own health, and if it reaches zero, they disappear, and if the attacking partner deals more damage than the defending partner can take, the player takes damage equal to the difference.
In the Story Mode to the series, one player starts a campaign through every board, challenging computer controlled opponents at a shortened version of Party Mode. The player's objective is to defeat the other characters and earn stamps from the Millennium Star. After all seven stamps are acquired the player is challenged to a final duel with the Millennium Star, in which the player must hit the Millennium Star three times (six times on Normal difficulty and nine on Hard difficulty) with stars in order to defeat story mode. Each time the player completes an objective, they are given a rank of S to C depending on how well they completed that objective. When all the objectives have been completed, a title representing the player's overall progress in the game is awarded. This is determined by the ranks they earned for each objective. If enough "S" ranks are acquired, that character becomes a "Miracle Star" and the Game Guy Room in the Mini Game House is opened for use. Simply beating the Story Mode and not earning a high title will cause the character's face to be sculpted into the mountain.
Its a fun game and the last of the N64 triolgy.
The game features duel maps, where two players try to lower each other's stamina to zero using non-player characters such as Chain Chomps.
Mario and his friends witness the descent of the Millennium Star, a mystical star born once every thousand years that allows whoever possesses him to become the "Superstar of the universe". When the group begins to debate the Star's ownership, the Star transports the group into a large toy box and proclaims that the group members must prove their worthiness and earn the Millennium Star's acceptance by collecting the seven "Star Stamps" scattered across several lands.
Green spaces marked with a Shy Guy initiate a single-player Game Guy mini-game, in which the player may either win a multiplied amount of their coins or lose all of their coins
The players can obtain items for use on the board, and can each carry up to three at a time.
Mario Party 3 includes a Duel mode, in which two players use a selection of up to two partners to attack their opponent and deplete their health. The partners can be positioned in front of or behind the player,[and must be paid a salary at the beginning of each turn; the partner will leave if their salary cannot be paid. The partners do the battling to reduce the opponent's health, and defend the player from incoming attack. Each partner has its own health, and if it reaches zero, they disappear, and if the attacking partner deals more damage than the defending partner can take, the player takes damage equal to the difference.
In the Story Mode to the series, one player starts a campaign through every board, challenging computer controlled opponents at a shortened version of Party Mode. The player's objective is to defeat the other characters and earn stamps from the Millennium Star. After all seven stamps are acquired the player is challenged to a final duel with the Millennium Star, in which the player must hit the Millennium Star three times (six times on Normal difficulty and nine on Hard difficulty) with stars in order to defeat story mode. Each time the player completes an objective, they are given a rank of S to C depending on how well they completed that objective. When all the objectives have been completed, a title representing the player's overall progress in the game is awarded. This is determined by the ranks they earned for each objective. If enough "S" ranks are acquired, that character becomes a "Miracle Star" and the Game Guy Room in the Mini Game House is opened for use. Simply beating the Story Mode and not earning a high title will cause the character's face to be sculpted into the mountain.
Its a fun game and the last of the N64 triolgy.
Johnny Marr recommended track Gimme Danger by Iggy And The Stooges in Michigan Palace, 10/6/73 by Iggy And The Stooges in Music (curated)
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Suicide Squad (2021) in Movies
Aug 10, 2021
Anarchic and very funny script, with some great visual gags (1 more)
Elba, Davis and Robbie all great. As is new name Daniela Melchior.
What a difference a "The" makes! The original "Suicide Squad" from 2016 was a botched and lacklustre affair, getting just 5/10 from me. James Gunn's semi-reboot is hyper-violent, overlong, totally ludicrous but a whole bunch of fun.
Positives:
- "From the horribly beautiful mind of James Gunn" gushes the trailer. But in this case, they ain't kidding. The film is (at times) hugely inventive in its visual gags as well as its dialogue. On the DC/Marvel superhero spectrum, this is right up at the "Ragnarok" end in terms of comedy value. It made me guffaw a good dozen times.
- To match that, the action scenes are suitably ludicrous and over-the-top. They feature the most "out there" big-boss since Mr Stay Puft terrorised New York in the original "Ghostbusters"!
- All the cast seem to be having a blast, which carries you, as the audience, along with the fun. Both Viola Davis and Idris Elba add real gravitas at the middle of it all, but Robbie's reprise of Harley Quinn tends to get all the best lines and the most memorable sequences. Her petal-strewn decimation of a platoon of security guards is something to behold.
- But of the lesser-known names, it's Daniela Melchior who really stood out for me as Cleo Cazo - Ratcatcher 2. This appears to be the first non-Portuguese feature she's done, and a great future beckons I think. Such extraordinary screen presence! Loved her character too: a "millennial" who sleeps in and questions what an OHP is!
- Great music choices, as you would expect from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" guy.
Negatives:
- Like Polka-Dot's mum, the comedy style is all over the place! (You have to have watched the movie to understand that gag!). I guess that's true of any comedy, but a number of the jokes feel contrived and didn't fully land.
- There is just so much gratuitous violence in this one that I am frankly amazed that the BBFC awarded it only a UK "15" certificate (this is my second query in a row to the BBFC - they need to employ me!). I reckon this will prove to have the highest body count of any movie in 2021. It's all done in a comic-book style, but when "Army of the Dead" (review still to follow) gets an "18", I'm not quite sure why this is much different.
Summary Thoughts on "The Suicide Squad": I'd mentally set myself up to really hate this one. But the opposite turned out to be true. As a comedy it made me laugh like a drain at times, and although some of the violence went somewhat over the top for me, I thought it to be a fine summer popcorn blockbuster (but very much for adults).
(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks).
Positives:
- "From the horribly beautiful mind of James Gunn" gushes the trailer. But in this case, they ain't kidding. The film is (at times) hugely inventive in its visual gags as well as its dialogue. On the DC/Marvel superhero spectrum, this is right up at the "Ragnarok" end in terms of comedy value. It made me guffaw a good dozen times.
- To match that, the action scenes are suitably ludicrous and over-the-top. They feature the most "out there" big-boss since Mr Stay Puft terrorised New York in the original "Ghostbusters"!
- All the cast seem to be having a blast, which carries you, as the audience, along with the fun. Both Viola Davis and Idris Elba add real gravitas at the middle of it all, but Robbie's reprise of Harley Quinn tends to get all the best lines and the most memorable sequences. Her petal-strewn decimation of a platoon of security guards is something to behold.
- But of the lesser-known names, it's Daniela Melchior who really stood out for me as Cleo Cazo - Ratcatcher 2. This appears to be the first non-Portuguese feature she's done, and a great future beckons I think. Such extraordinary screen presence! Loved her character too: a "millennial" who sleeps in and questions what an OHP is!
- Great music choices, as you would expect from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" guy.
Negatives:
- Like Polka-Dot's mum, the comedy style is all over the place! (You have to have watched the movie to understand that gag!). I guess that's true of any comedy, but a number of the jokes feel contrived and didn't fully land.
- There is just so much gratuitous violence in this one that I am frankly amazed that the BBFC awarded it only a UK "15" certificate (this is my second query in a row to the BBFC - they need to employ me!). I reckon this will prove to have the highest body count of any movie in 2021. It's all done in a comic-book style, but when "Army of the Dead" (review still to follow) gets an "18", I'm not quite sure why this is much different.
Summary Thoughts on "The Suicide Squad": I'd mentally set myself up to really hate this one. But the opposite turned out to be true. As a comedy it made me laugh like a drain at times, and although some of the violence went somewhat over the top for me, I thought it to be a fine summer popcorn blockbuster (but very much for adults).
(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks).
