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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr in Books
Dec 29, 2020
Dangerous Secrets is the greatly anticipated prequel to Frozen II which, for the first time in forever, shines the spotlight onto King Agnarr and Queen Iduna of Arendelle.
The 2019 film undoubtedly revealed some of these secrets, such as Iduna being Northuldra and saving Agnarr as a child as well as the two of them venturing to Ahtohallan to find the answers behind Elsa’s powers. Unfortunately, thanks to the film, we also know that they never completed their journey.
Cue Mari Mancusi who expertly bring the monarchs back to life through her writing and forms these little-known characters into best friends, young lovers and torn parents, always just trying to do the next right thing.
The back stories of Agnarr and Iduna are nothing short of brilliant: the reader meets both characters in the Enchanted Forest on the fateful day of the dam celebration and we experience the wonder of both worlds colliding, along with the following danger and confusion from a first-person perspective.
I thoroughly appreciated how Mari Mancusi didn’t have to explain what had happened between the Arendellian forces and the Northuldra: Mancusi knows that the reader already knows the true turn of events from the movie. All throughout Dangerous Secrets this “inside knowledge” is used beautifully: allowing us to experience events as our protagonists do, but without diluting the tension and excitement with explanations.
The reader grows up alongside the future King and Queen, seeing their friendship blossom and experiencing their respective heartbreaks and secrets. The Northuldra are widely believed to be enemies of Arendelle due to the King’s death and the rumours surrounding it. Iduna’s hardship of hiding her true identity is matched only by her grief of losing the only family she has ever known. Similarly, Agnarr has lost a father, his best friend General Matthias and now has to learn how to be a King. Even when they find solace in their friendship and the later romance that this grows into, Iduna is not royalty: their love is doomed from the start…isn’t it?
Regular readers of my reviews will know I loved Jen Calonita’s “Let it Go” but felt that towards the end the writing emulated the movie verbatim in places. I found Kamilla Benko’s “Forest of Shadows” interesting and unique but ultimately it tried too hard to insert different elements into the Frozen universe that we know and love.
In my opinion, Dangerous Secrets contains none of these criticisms.
Elements of the movie are included, of course they are! Agnarr and Iduna’s reading tree is taken straight out of Elsa’s/Ahtohallan’s ice memories; Oaken’s trading post and sauna is briefly mentioned as a rest stop during one of the couple’s adventures and the wonder of chocolate is something Elsa and Anna definitely inherited from their parents!
The difference with this novel is that any references to the movie are easter eggs: elements that we love to spot; they are not brash and in-your-face; they are subtle and add to the story rather than creating it entirely. For example, I loved the inclusion of Grand-Pabbie and the trolls. I also suspect we may have met Kristoff’s mother – perhaps opening the door to another book from Mari Mancusi?
Of course, Dangerous Secrets can only end with the fateful voyage made by the royal couple and, true to form, this made me cry my little heart out. I know from the author’s note that Mari Mancusi is a mother herself but I feel that I would have known this anyway through the sheer heartbreak she portrays through Iduna, and later Agnarr. From their first discovery of Elsa’s powers; to Anna’s accident; to acknowledging that they were endangering Elsa by asking her to “conceal, don’t feel” right up until the couple’s realisation that they will never see their daughters again: the writing is powerful, hard-hitting and, with Ahtohallan’s last gift, stunningly beautiful.
This is a five-star glimpse into the King and Queen of Arendelle and a must-read for any fan of Frozen.
Will Mancusi reveal the secret of the ice-gatherer woman’s identity next?
Only Ahtohallan knows.
The 2019 film undoubtedly revealed some of these secrets, such as Iduna being Northuldra and saving Agnarr as a child as well as the two of them venturing to Ahtohallan to find the answers behind Elsa’s powers. Unfortunately, thanks to the film, we also know that they never completed their journey.
Cue Mari Mancusi who expertly bring the monarchs back to life through her writing and forms these little-known characters into best friends, young lovers and torn parents, always just trying to do the next right thing.
The back stories of Agnarr and Iduna are nothing short of brilliant: the reader meets both characters in the Enchanted Forest on the fateful day of the dam celebration and we experience the wonder of both worlds colliding, along with the following danger and confusion from a first-person perspective.
I thoroughly appreciated how Mari Mancusi didn’t have to explain what had happened between the Arendellian forces and the Northuldra: Mancusi knows that the reader already knows the true turn of events from the movie. All throughout Dangerous Secrets this “inside knowledge” is used beautifully: allowing us to experience events as our protagonists do, but without diluting the tension and excitement with explanations.
The reader grows up alongside the future King and Queen, seeing their friendship blossom and experiencing their respective heartbreaks and secrets. The Northuldra are widely believed to be enemies of Arendelle due to the King’s death and the rumours surrounding it. Iduna’s hardship of hiding her true identity is matched only by her grief of losing the only family she has ever known. Similarly, Agnarr has lost a father, his best friend General Matthias and now has to learn how to be a King. Even when they find solace in their friendship and the later romance that this grows into, Iduna is not royalty: their love is doomed from the start…isn’t it?
Regular readers of my reviews will know I loved Jen Calonita’s “Let it Go” but felt that towards the end the writing emulated the movie verbatim in places. I found Kamilla Benko’s “Forest of Shadows” interesting and unique but ultimately it tried too hard to insert different elements into the Frozen universe that we know and love.
In my opinion, Dangerous Secrets contains none of these criticisms.
Elements of the movie are included, of course they are! Agnarr and Iduna’s reading tree is taken straight out of Elsa’s/Ahtohallan’s ice memories; Oaken’s trading post and sauna is briefly mentioned as a rest stop during one of the couple’s adventures and the wonder of chocolate is something Elsa and Anna definitely inherited from their parents!
The difference with this novel is that any references to the movie are easter eggs: elements that we love to spot; they are not brash and in-your-face; they are subtle and add to the story rather than creating it entirely. For example, I loved the inclusion of Grand-Pabbie and the trolls. I also suspect we may have met Kristoff’s mother – perhaps opening the door to another book from Mari Mancusi?
Of course, Dangerous Secrets can only end with the fateful voyage made by the royal couple and, true to form, this made me cry my little heart out. I know from the author’s note that Mari Mancusi is a mother herself but I feel that I would have known this anyway through the sheer heartbreak she portrays through Iduna, and later Agnarr. From their first discovery of Elsa’s powers; to Anna’s accident; to acknowledging that they were endangering Elsa by asking her to “conceal, don’t feel” right up until the couple’s realisation that they will never see their daughters again: the writing is powerful, hard-hitting and, with Ahtohallan’s last gift, stunningly beautiful.
This is a five-star glimpse into the King and Queen of Arendelle and a must-read for any fan of Frozen.
Will Mancusi reveal the secret of the ice-gatherer woman’s identity next?
Only Ahtohallan knows.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in Video Games
Nov 21, 2020
Treyarch returns to Call of Duty with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and updates the franchise while staying true to what has made it such a massive success.
Unlike Black Ops IIII, Cold War features a campaign and it is one that offers players side missions, alternate in-mission objectives, dialogue options, and differing endings.
Set in the 80s but jumping in time to Vietnam and other timeline events; the player is cast as an operative named Bell. Players have the option to customize their character in terms of name, gender, backstory and such but it does not play much into the game as “Bell” is what players are known by.
From Eastern Europe, to Vietnam, Cuba, and other locales, the game includes 80s technology and music as players must stop a Soviet General named Perseus from unleashing a Nuclear onslaught.
As fans of the series can guess; players will undertake various missions using combat, stealth, infiltration, elimination, recovery, and more to save the day. There are all sorts of weapons for players to select from ranging from Western to Eastern and allows players to experience a variety of options from sniping, run and gun, and even a Bow.
Vehicles also play a part of the game but they are more heavily featured in the multiplayer portion of the game.
The game does offer variations on the ending based on a player’s choice of completing side missions and choices they make along the way and the game also offers players the chance to grab enemies and use them as a shield in taking on enemy fire. This is one option I would love to see appear in multiplay.
The graphics are solid and some of the landscapes from jungle to frozen tundra really stand out as I was playing on an EVGA 2700 GTX card. The game was also considerably more stable than Modern Warfare was at launch as I did not encounter any issues with my gameplay.
At first I thought the campaign was short but I later realized I had become so engrossed in it that I mistakenly thought so. The levels do offer some real treats which I would love to discuss but do not want to spoil.
Multiplay is the bread and butter of the series as it is what drives the popularity of the series along as players will spend countless hours leveling up, customizing, and playing the various maps and modes as new content arrives until the release of the next game in the series.
Some have complained that the maps are a bit sparse and uninspired but I have enjoyed my time in the multiplayer and enjoy the fact that I can now select only the modes I wish to play for Quickplay to avoid being placed in a mode I do not wish to play.
The Co-Op Mode I enjoyed so much in Modern Warfare is gone this time around in favor of a Zombie mode and while it does not shake things up much from the prior Zombie offerings; it does offer plenty of entertainment and I look forward to seeing more content in the future.
There is an Assault mode where players can use vehicles ranging from Tanks, Snowmobiles, Jet Skis, Gun Boats and more which adds to the fun as ramming your ride into a landing area which an explosive attached is great fun.
The only issue I had with the game was with Warzone as attempting to launch it took me to desktop and out of the game so hopefully this will be smoothed out soon as new updates are already out for the game and next week will see the return of the popular Nuketown map which now is updated to 1984.
In the end Black Ops Cold War does not reinvent the franchise but rather gives players more of what they have come to expect with a few new wrinkles to the mix.
4 stars out of 5
Unlike Black Ops IIII, Cold War features a campaign and it is one that offers players side missions, alternate in-mission objectives, dialogue options, and differing endings.
Set in the 80s but jumping in time to Vietnam and other timeline events; the player is cast as an operative named Bell. Players have the option to customize their character in terms of name, gender, backstory and such but it does not play much into the game as “Bell” is what players are known by.
From Eastern Europe, to Vietnam, Cuba, and other locales, the game includes 80s technology and music as players must stop a Soviet General named Perseus from unleashing a Nuclear onslaught.
As fans of the series can guess; players will undertake various missions using combat, stealth, infiltration, elimination, recovery, and more to save the day. There are all sorts of weapons for players to select from ranging from Western to Eastern and allows players to experience a variety of options from sniping, run and gun, and even a Bow.
Vehicles also play a part of the game but they are more heavily featured in the multiplayer portion of the game.
The game does offer variations on the ending based on a player’s choice of completing side missions and choices they make along the way and the game also offers players the chance to grab enemies and use them as a shield in taking on enemy fire. This is one option I would love to see appear in multiplay.
The graphics are solid and some of the landscapes from jungle to frozen tundra really stand out as I was playing on an EVGA 2700 GTX card. The game was also considerably more stable than Modern Warfare was at launch as I did not encounter any issues with my gameplay.
At first I thought the campaign was short but I later realized I had become so engrossed in it that I mistakenly thought so. The levels do offer some real treats which I would love to discuss but do not want to spoil.
Multiplay is the bread and butter of the series as it is what drives the popularity of the series along as players will spend countless hours leveling up, customizing, and playing the various maps and modes as new content arrives until the release of the next game in the series.
Some have complained that the maps are a bit sparse and uninspired but I have enjoyed my time in the multiplayer and enjoy the fact that I can now select only the modes I wish to play for Quickplay to avoid being placed in a mode I do not wish to play.
The Co-Op Mode I enjoyed so much in Modern Warfare is gone this time around in favor of a Zombie mode and while it does not shake things up much from the prior Zombie offerings; it does offer plenty of entertainment and I look forward to seeing more content in the future.
There is an Assault mode where players can use vehicles ranging from Tanks, Snowmobiles, Jet Skis, Gun Boats and more which adds to the fun as ramming your ride into a landing area which an explosive attached is great fun.
The only issue I had with the game was with Warzone as attempting to launch it took me to desktop and out of the game so hopefully this will be smoothed out soon as new updates are already out for the game and next week will see the return of the popular Nuketown map which now is updated to 1984.
In the end Black Ops Cold War does not reinvent the franchise but rather gives players more of what they have come to expect with a few new wrinkles to the mix.
4 stars out of 5
Merissa (11787 KP) created a post
Mar 15, 2021
Benedick Lewis (3001 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Marvel's Avengers in Video Games
Sep 21, 2020 (Updated Sep 21, 2020)
Great introduction to Ms Marvel (3 more)
Voice acting is great
Certain moments are very exciting to play as certain characters
DLC could be promising
Combat is very shoddy (3 more)
Lot of bugs
Upgrade system confusing
Campaign very short
Hidden under a cash grab is a good story
Unfortunately nothing new is going to be added here that game critic sites haven’t already covered but here is the review anyway.
It will come as no surprise that Marvel Avengers is nothing special. It is in fact a pretty poor game at launch - full of bugs and essentially a very short story. The story is good as is the voice acting (except for one major niggle which will be gotten to later) but the game promised the Avengers and what was given was perhaps maybe the Av part of the name - essentially a small part.
It’s difficult to envision how a Avengers game could work and what genre it would fall into. What is presented is probably the best way to portray an array of Marvel characters but it is dangerously close to mimicking the LEGO videogames. Certain parts can only be played by certain heroes, areas can only be accessed by certain heroes, etc etc.
You build up the Avengers one by one and unfortunately, this won’t give anything away, when you have established your roster of superheroes, the game essentially is finished. There is the endgame content, which personally hasn’t been explored yet, but overall it felt a little underwhelming.
The upgrade system was initially comparable to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey but what is actually is is just loot crates and different resources that you just boost to power up four different tiers. This system barely scratches the surface before the campaign is over so this may improve in the endgame but it is disappointing to see little needs to be done to tweak your hero the way you want him/her to be tweaked.
The combat system is ok. Kamala/ms Marvel, hulk, black widow and Thor feel good to handle as you smash through wave after wave of enemies but Captain America and in particular Iron Man both feel a little clunky. Cappy is way too weak initially to play with and you heavily rely on defending rather than attacking to survive. Iron Man’s flight controls and the way he ‘sprints’ are laughable. It doesn’t feel as badass as it should to play Iron Man and all his technological capabilities.
The voice acting is fantastic. The only issue is that veterans like Troy Baker (Bruce Banner) and Nolan North (Iron Man) are a little too recognisable now. Baker and North worked on the Uncharted series together as well as The Last of Us (the latter is really commendable as they really were unrecognisable in their roles). They have individually worked on a plethora of voice acting jobs yet here, because they are so well known, it takes you out of the moment from time to time. Is that Tony Stark or Nathan Drake? Banner or Joel? This observation is not a discredit to their talent but a mere unfortunate side effect to being so well known.
The biggest disappointment is, while micro transactions won’t involve power up capabilities- because of how clumsy the upgrade system is, it is more desirable to get outfits for your hero and in some cases it can be £15.99/$20.72 for one outfit. Given it is an aesthetic that seems pretty pathetic but there must be some people out there who just have the money to spare.
The prospect of DLC which will be free when it becomes available is attractive. With the likes of Hawkeye and Spider-Man already confirmed, it is with hope, the campaign story gets more fleshed out and gameplay will improve, certainly with regards to the upgrade system and making that properly work.
This game could have been more but it sadly falls into the cash cow category for now
Play this if you can get it on the cheap and wouldn’t mind playing one of the Avengers. It’s nothing special but it could have potential to grow.
It will come as no surprise that Marvel Avengers is nothing special. It is in fact a pretty poor game at launch - full of bugs and essentially a very short story. The story is good as is the voice acting (except for one major niggle which will be gotten to later) but the game promised the Avengers and what was given was perhaps maybe the Av part of the name - essentially a small part.
It’s difficult to envision how a Avengers game could work and what genre it would fall into. What is presented is probably the best way to portray an array of Marvel characters but it is dangerously close to mimicking the LEGO videogames. Certain parts can only be played by certain heroes, areas can only be accessed by certain heroes, etc etc.
You build up the Avengers one by one and unfortunately, this won’t give anything away, when you have established your roster of superheroes, the game essentially is finished. There is the endgame content, which personally hasn’t been explored yet, but overall it felt a little underwhelming.
The upgrade system was initially comparable to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey but what is actually is is just loot crates and different resources that you just boost to power up four different tiers. This system barely scratches the surface before the campaign is over so this may improve in the endgame but it is disappointing to see little needs to be done to tweak your hero the way you want him/her to be tweaked.
The combat system is ok. Kamala/ms Marvel, hulk, black widow and Thor feel good to handle as you smash through wave after wave of enemies but Captain America and in particular Iron Man both feel a little clunky. Cappy is way too weak initially to play with and you heavily rely on defending rather than attacking to survive. Iron Man’s flight controls and the way he ‘sprints’ are laughable. It doesn’t feel as badass as it should to play Iron Man and all his technological capabilities.
The voice acting is fantastic. The only issue is that veterans like Troy Baker (Bruce Banner) and Nolan North (Iron Man) are a little too recognisable now. Baker and North worked on the Uncharted series together as well as The Last of Us (the latter is really commendable as they really were unrecognisable in their roles). They have individually worked on a plethora of voice acting jobs yet here, because they are so well known, it takes you out of the moment from time to time. Is that Tony Stark or Nathan Drake? Banner or Joel? This observation is not a discredit to their talent but a mere unfortunate side effect to being so well known.
The biggest disappointment is, while micro transactions won’t involve power up capabilities- because of how clumsy the upgrade system is, it is more desirable to get outfits for your hero and in some cases it can be £15.99/$20.72 for one outfit. Given it is an aesthetic that seems pretty pathetic but there must be some people out there who just have the money to spare.
The prospect of DLC which will be free when it becomes available is attractive. With the likes of Hawkeye and Spider-Man already confirmed, it is with hope, the campaign story gets more fleshed out and gameplay will improve, certainly with regards to the upgrade system and making that properly work.
This game could have been more but it sadly falls into the cash cow category for now
Play this if you can get it on the cheap and wouldn’t mind playing one of the Avengers. It’s nothing special but it could have potential to grow.
Zombie Hunter: FPS Apocalypse
Games and Entertainment
App
The new real zombie war game with incredible 3D graphics. Your goal is to survive from the undead...
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated the PC version of Shadow Of The Tomb Raider in Video Games
Aug 14, 2019
It’s hard to believe that Lara Croft made her first appearance in a video game all the way back in 1996. Featuring cutting edge 3D polygon graphics and gameplay that would often be duplicated but never replicated, the game would go on to sell a whopping 7 million copies. Since that time there have been numerous sequels, culminating in a complete re-envisioning of the franchise in 2013. The new era of Lara Croft explores her origin story and how she ultimately became one of the toughest female characters to grace a PC or console screen.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the third installment in the reboot of the franchise. Lara is no longer a naïve, explorer in training, who struggles with the idea, much less the actual action, of killing a human being. The years have made her a more seasoned (and possibly more ruthless) tomb raider, and she has now blossomed into the badass character that she is known for. Her adventures will take her deep into Mexico and South America, where she is trying to stop the apocalypse that she had accidently set in motion when she acquired an ancient dagger. What follows is roughly a 12+ hour main story and several hours’ worth of side missions that help flesh out the story and the world around her. The best part is that the story has all the excitement and thrills you would get if you took an Indiana Jones movie and added some of the Mel Gibson drama Apocalypto, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider adds the social interaction that was largely missing in the previous installments. While there are still plenty of times when Lara will be out on her own, searching through ruins or trekking through the jungle, there are now several civilizations that Lara will be interacting with. Her adventures will take her to the ancient city of Paititi, where most of her interactions will be with the locals and the main antagonists to the trilogy, Trinity. It’s in the interactions where we really get to see Lara question not only her beliefs but also her actions when acquiring ancient artifacts. Many of the discussions revolve around what will happen if outsiders come and try to change their standard of living or force their own wills on the natives. These discussions cause Lara to reevaluate what she does for a living, and how her own actions have an impact far greater than she even realizes. The inclusion of so much interaction with other people brings a whole new dimension to the Tomb Raider world and it entrenches you in the story in a way that battling even the most dangerous tombs never could.
One of the most interesting levels in the game takes you back in time to when Lara was just a young girl. You get the opportunity to experience the world through the innocence of a child, and her own imagination as she explores her father’s mansion. It provides an interesting look into the events that would unfold during her impressionable years, and also helps to offer some additional insight into what drives her as an adult. It’s in this level, where you finally understand what fuels her desire and continues to push her forward.
Gameplay is largely the same as the previous titles, but they did add a few new interesting ways to traverse some of the more difficult terrain, such as the ability to rappel down cliffs or using a pick axe to traverse cave ceilings. Climbing, jumping and swinging are all handled very intuitively using the controller. Yes, there were times where I felt I was doing the right thing and fell to my death anyway, but at no time did I feel overly frustrated or blame the tight controls for my own missteps.
Swimming and diving play a far bigger role in Shadow than in the previous games. Long, deep caverns will require you to swim and find pockets of air to keep from drowning. There are even a few sequences where you will need to swim through plants to avoid the various eels and piranha that will kill you, and swimming through the plants is just as easy as it sounds. Thankfully I never felt these sequences played on for too long and they certainly added diversity to the levels. While generally swimming and diving in video games tend to be an exercise in frustration, I never felt that was the case here.
Stealth also plays a bigger role in this game and adds another key to your survival. The original 1996 game focused on your dual pistol wielding abilities to get you out of jams and in this game, you are rewarded with a subtler approach. Taking a nod from games such as Horizon Zero Dawn, you will now have plenty of opportunities for Lara to crouch in large grassy fields or cover herself in mud and hide amongst the vines and cliff walls to surprise and take down her enemies. You can now overcome many adversities utilizing only stealth, but don’t worry, if you prefer more upfront action, there are still the obligatory pistols, shotguns and machine guns you can use to dispatch foes. Stealth is just an added way to ensure that Lara saves her bullets for far bigger threats down the road.
Now for everyone’s favorite part…the tombs! What would Tomb Raider be without tombs and the challenges that come along with them? As you may have already guessed, all sorts of puzzles and booby traps await you on your journey. I found they kept a nice balance between challenging and entertaining and thankfully none of them were so obscure that you need to break out Google to overcome them. Another great addition to the game is that the player can now individually adjust the difficulty on puzzles and on combat. That means if you love combat but not the puzzles you can adjust them independently, which is something I wish far more games would take advantage of. Either way, there are plenty of challenging tombs where you can flex your tomb raiding muscles.
As your adventure progresses you will earn skill points that allow you to upgrade Lara with new abilities. There are three skill trees, each containing many different skills, where Lara can spend her points. The three trees are broken down into Seeker, Warrior and Scavenger and Lara can be upgraded when she arrives at a basecamp. A few of these upgraded skills are longer swim times, multiple stealth takedowns, and the ability to shoot two enemies simultaneously. It’s always exciting to upgrade your character and see how the gameplay changes with new your abilities. This game is no exception and the upgrades you choose can really enhance your experience.
Graphically, Lara has never looked better. I played the game on my Xbox One X in 4K and the environments were awe inspiring. The lush jungle almost jumps off the screen and the character models are some of the best I’ve seen in recent memory. Of course, all this beauty wouldn’t mean much if there were stutters and lags and thankfully I never noticed a single frame drop while playing the game in all its 4K glory. Shadow of the Tomb Raider feels like you are part of a high budget, summer blockbuster and at times it was difficult to determine the difference between a cutscene or live game play (in a “wow, this is incredible!” way). The acting was also top notch and Camilla Luddington once again does an outstanding job delivering her lines, even making some of the corniest statements endearing. Every aspect of this game is the best of the best and you will be hard pressed to find an area of the game that was lacking.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider in an amazing accomplishment and easily my favorite game of the series. I’d even go as far as saying that I enjoyed it more than Uncharted 2, which is a true testament to how much I loved this game. Not only does the story have a heart and completely engages the player but it’s thrilling and there is non-stop adventure until the very end. While this certainly could be the last game in the rebooted series, I truly hope it’s not as I already want to play another. I highly recommend picking this game up. As soon as you knock over your first pot, you will be happy that you did!
What I liked: Stunning graphics, Incredible voice acting, Blockbuster feel
What I liked less: Occasional areas where it was unclear where to go next
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the third installment in the reboot of the franchise. Lara is no longer a naïve, explorer in training, who struggles with the idea, much less the actual action, of killing a human being. The years have made her a more seasoned (and possibly more ruthless) tomb raider, and she has now blossomed into the badass character that she is known for. Her adventures will take her deep into Mexico and South America, where she is trying to stop the apocalypse that she had accidently set in motion when she acquired an ancient dagger. What follows is roughly a 12+ hour main story and several hours’ worth of side missions that help flesh out the story and the world around her. The best part is that the story has all the excitement and thrills you would get if you took an Indiana Jones movie and added some of the Mel Gibson drama Apocalypto, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider adds the social interaction that was largely missing in the previous installments. While there are still plenty of times when Lara will be out on her own, searching through ruins or trekking through the jungle, there are now several civilizations that Lara will be interacting with. Her adventures will take her to the ancient city of Paititi, where most of her interactions will be with the locals and the main antagonists to the trilogy, Trinity. It’s in the interactions where we really get to see Lara question not only her beliefs but also her actions when acquiring ancient artifacts. Many of the discussions revolve around what will happen if outsiders come and try to change their standard of living or force their own wills on the natives. These discussions cause Lara to reevaluate what she does for a living, and how her own actions have an impact far greater than she even realizes. The inclusion of so much interaction with other people brings a whole new dimension to the Tomb Raider world and it entrenches you in the story in a way that battling even the most dangerous tombs never could.
One of the most interesting levels in the game takes you back in time to when Lara was just a young girl. You get the opportunity to experience the world through the innocence of a child, and her own imagination as she explores her father’s mansion. It provides an interesting look into the events that would unfold during her impressionable years, and also helps to offer some additional insight into what drives her as an adult. It’s in this level, where you finally understand what fuels her desire and continues to push her forward.
Gameplay is largely the same as the previous titles, but they did add a few new interesting ways to traverse some of the more difficult terrain, such as the ability to rappel down cliffs or using a pick axe to traverse cave ceilings. Climbing, jumping and swinging are all handled very intuitively using the controller. Yes, there were times where I felt I was doing the right thing and fell to my death anyway, but at no time did I feel overly frustrated or blame the tight controls for my own missteps.
Swimming and diving play a far bigger role in Shadow than in the previous games. Long, deep caverns will require you to swim and find pockets of air to keep from drowning. There are even a few sequences where you will need to swim through plants to avoid the various eels and piranha that will kill you, and swimming through the plants is just as easy as it sounds. Thankfully I never felt these sequences played on for too long and they certainly added diversity to the levels. While generally swimming and diving in video games tend to be an exercise in frustration, I never felt that was the case here.
Stealth also plays a bigger role in this game and adds another key to your survival. The original 1996 game focused on your dual pistol wielding abilities to get you out of jams and in this game, you are rewarded with a subtler approach. Taking a nod from games such as Horizon Zero Dawn, you will now have plenty of opportunities for Lara to crouch in large grassy fields or cover herself in mud and hide amongst the vines and cliff walls to surprise and take down her enemies. You can now overcome many adversities utilizing only stealth, but don’t worry, if you prefer more upfront action, there are still the obligatory pistols, shotguns and machine guns you can use to dispatch foes. Stealth is just an added way to ensure that Lara saves her bullets for far bigger threats down the road.
Now for everyone’s favorite part…the tombs! What would Tomb Raider be without tombs and the challenges that come along with them? As you may have already guessed, all sorts of puzzles and booby traps await you on your journey. I found they kept a nice balance between challenging and entertaining and thankfully none of them were so obscure that you need to break out Google to overcome them. Another great addition to the game is that the player can now individually adjust the difficulty on puzzles and on combat. That means if you love combat but not the puzzles you can adjust them independently, which is something I wish far more games would take advantage of. Either way, there are plenty of challenging tombs where you can flex your tomb raiding muscles.
As your adventure progresses you will earn skill points that allow you to upgrade Lara with new abilities. There are three skill trees, each containing many different skills, where Lara can spend her points. The three trees are broken down into Seeker, Warrior and Scavenger and Lara can be upgraded when she arrives at a basecamp. A few of these upgraded skills are longer swim times, multiple stealth takedowns, and the ability to shoot two enemies simultaneously. It’s always exciting to upgrade your character and see how the gameplay changes with new your abilities. This game is no exception and the upgrades you choose can really enhance your experience.
Graphically, Lara has never looked better. I played the game on my Xbox One X in 4K and the environments were awe inspiring. The lush jungle almost jumps off the screen and the character models are some of the best I’ve seen in recent memory. Of course, all this beauty wouldn’t mean much if there were stutters and lags and thankfully I never noticed a single frame drop while playing the game in all its 4K glory. Shadow of the Tomb Raider feels like you are part of a high budget, summer blockbuster and at times it was difficult to determine the difference between a cutscene or live game play (in a “wow, this is incredible!” way). The acting was also top notch and Camilla Luddington once again does an outstanding job delivering her lines, even making some of the corniest statements endearing. Every aspect of this game is the best of the best and you will be hard pressed to find an area of the game that was lacking.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider in an amazing accomplishment and easily my favorite game of the series. I’d even go as far as saying that I enjoyed it more than Uncharted 2, which is a true testament to how much I loved this game. Not only does the story have a heart and completely engages the player but it’s thrilling and there is non-stop adventure until the very end. While this certainly could be the last game in the rebooted series, I truly hope it’s not as I already want to play another. I highly recommend picking this game up. As soon as you knock over your first pot, you will be happy that you did!
What I liked: Stunning graphics, Incredible voice acting, Blockbuster feel
What I liked less: Occasional areas where it was unclear where to go next
KittyMiku (138 KP) rated Expiation - The Whisper of Death in Books
May 23, 2019
I loved this series and this book more than I thought I would in the beginning. I thought I had cried a lot in the previous books, but this is the book that I cried a ton in. Between the birth of their son, their promise and all the attacks and unbelievable allies during the pregnancy, there was constantly something going on to keep you interested in and in the thought of what might happen. I hadn't known what to expect when Gemma became a Witch but I can tell you, what happened was not on my list of what I thought would happen. I really liked how Amore even included herself at the end. I have to say this book definitely wrapped up the story in such a beautiful way that it is hard to believe it is finally finished.
I would first like to say seeing the Witch's align with their enemies to help protect Gemma was amazing. It left a lot of suspense in the air. I had waited for them to battle constantly but the fact they worked together to protect Gemma was truly amazing and in some moments quite amusing. As we saw in Brokenhearted, Devina had some strong feelings toward Evan and she kept making it clear as she helped protect Gemma. She did everything to cause Gemma and Evan to gain doubt in their relationship and everything else. The Witches even went to school and caused some trouble while protect Gemma. I have to say those antics around Gemma's mortal friends were my favorite. It was fun and quite amusing. The Witches over all were amusing to see do things outside of their home world, Hell.
But it wasn't just the unlikely alliance but the touching moments with everyone involved. To see the baby be born and to witness how happy they were to receive the child was truly touching. I was very upset that she had to become a witch and in the worst way possible. She was killed before Evan could put his plan into action and to see him suffer and become willing to allow Sophia's poison causing everything she knew and love to be lost to her forever. I hated seeing that. I was heart broken for Evan and their baby. Gemma took her place in Hell and proceeded to be a fairly ruthless Witch. She enjoyed the tempting and harvesting of Souls. I found myself holding my breath, hoping it wasn't true and that it was just an act. To find out that her past was erased from her kept me holding on to hope that Evan would free her.
I quite enjoyed learning more about how the Witches worked and learning about Sophia. Though previous books gave us some insight to how Sophia is and about her past, it isn't until this final extension that you learn how truly dark Sophia is and how completely selfish she is. I mean, you can expect that from the devil and with her being the devil, I don't know why I would have imagined her being sweet or even someone I could love. I was not disappointed in how truly evil she was. Though, some of her actions still surprised me. Especially where Gemma and Evan were concerned. However, her getting what she wants didn't surprise me much. But how she went along with obtaining what she wanted was truly mystifying. I loved how Amore detailed and described her and how Gemma and Evan felt towards her. It kept the story moving forwarded and full of suspense.
However, it was the ending seeing Gemma, Evan and their son reunited, even though is was in Heaven. I found myself crying for the last forty pages or so. I was just truly amazed with the story and even though it left you in awestruck and happy, you can't help but wish things had been different. To have the three of them find another way to be together. I have to say overall this was just a truly amazing experience. I would rate this book five stars out of five stars. I would rate the series the same way. I was able to experience all kinds of emotions. I found this book to be exhilarating and truly touching. I did think this book was the most depressing of them all, but watching Evan struggle through so much could have that affect on anyone.
I would first like to say seeing the Witch's align with their enemies to help protect Gemma was amazing. It left a lot of suspense in the air. I had waited for them to battle constantly but the fact they worked together to protect Gemma was truly amazing and in some moments quite amusing. As we saw in Brokenhearted, Devina had some strong feelings toward Evan and she kept making it clear as she helped protect Gemma. She did everything to cause Gemma and Evan to gain doubt in their relationship and everything else. The Witches even went to school and caused some trouble while protect Gemma. I have to say those antics around Gemma's mortal friends were my favorite. It was fun and quite amusing. The Witches over all were amusing to see do things outside of their home world, Hell.
But it wasn't just the unlikely alliance but the touching moments with everyone involved. To see the baby be born and to witness how happy they were to receive the child was truly touching. I was very upset that she had to become a witch and in the worst way possible. She was killed before Evan could put his plan into action and to see him suffer and become willing to allow Sophia's poison causing everything she knew and love to be lost to her forever. I hated seeing that. I was heart broken for Evan and their baby. Gemma took her place in Hell and proceeded to be a fairly ruthless Witch. She enjoyed the tempting and harvesting of Souls. I found myself holding my breath, hoping it wasn't true and that it was just an act. To find out that her past was erased from her kept me holding on to hope that Evan would free her.
I quite enjoyed learning more about how the Witches worked and learning about Sophia. Though previous books gave us some insight to how Sophia is and about her past, it isn't until this final extension that you learn how truly dark Sophia is and how completely selfish she is. I mean, you can expect that from the devil and with her being the devil, I don't know why I would have imagined her being sweet or even someone I could love. I was not disappointed in how truly evil she was. Though, some of her actions still surprised me. Especially where Gemma and Evan were concerned. However, her getting what she wants didn't surprise me much. But how she went along with obtaining what she wanted was truly mystifying. I loved how Amore detailed and described her and how Gemma and Evan felt towards her. It kept the story moving forwarded and full of suspense.
However, it was the ending seeing Gemma, Evan and their son reunited, even though is was in Heaven. I found myself crying for the last forty pages or so. I was just truly amazed with the story and even though it left you in awestruck and happy, you can't help but wish things had been different. To have the three of them find another way to be together. I have to say overall this was just a truly amazing experience. I would rate this book five stars out of five stars. I would rate the series the same way. I was able to experience all kinds of emotions. I found this book to be exhilarating and truly touching. I did think this book was the most depressing of them all, but watching Evan struggle through so much could have that affect on anyone.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Warlords (Tau ming chong) (2010) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
General Pang Qing Yun is the sole survivor of his entire battalion. The Ching army was taken out against Taiping rebels in Hechuan. Pang meets a woman and spends the night with her while she leaves before he wakes up the next morning. Some bandits ride into the town Pang is in. One of them, Jiang Wuyang, notices Pang and challenges him. Pang makes short work of Jiang. Jiang, impressed with Pang, introduces Pang to Zhao Er Hu. Pang follows Jiang and Er Hu back to their village where he notices that same woman he spent the night with. Her name is Lian and she's Er Hu's wife.
The village is very poor and in desperate need of food, so they decide to attack a passing food convoy. In the midst of the battle, Pang saves Jiang from certain death. The bandits successful, they bring food back to their families. Kui troops, the imperial army, invade the village and usurps the food that they stole. Now without food or money, the bandits are starving and unsure of what lies ahead for them. Pang suggests to Er Hu that they should join Lord Chen's army as they could earn wages for their families and actually have something to be proud of. Questioning Pang's reasoning since he abandoned his army once before, Jiang suggests that Pang, himself, and Er Hu take a blood oath. The pact made them blood brothers on that day.
After joining the army, their 800 soldiers go after Shu City, which has an army of 5,000. They somehow manage to get the upper hand and with the help of 1,500 imperial soldiers, they get a victory. It'll be the first of many for them as they move up in rank rapidly. With plans to overthrow Suzhou and then Nanjing, the capital, they have their work set out for them. The brothers soon begin to fall apart on their rise to the top though. Er Hu tends to be loyal with his word and his brothers no matter what as Pang will sacrifice anyone and even make deals with his enemies just to win while Jiang is stuck between them.
Let me just start this by saying, I loved this movie. The battle sequences are stunning, the cinematography was brilliant, and the acting was pretty much right on the money. The Warlords took everything I loved about Mongol and made it just a little bit better. Jet Li deserves a mention. After seeing Unleashed and Fearless, it was nice to see him actually show his acting chops. So I've wanted to see him show those off again. Luckily, he did a great job in this as he showed just about every emotion in this film at some time or another. His fight scenes were also incredible, but that comes to be expected with just about any film he's involved in. I think Andy Lau deserves a nod, as well. His character is just so passionate about being honorable and loyal that when things go wrong, his reaction is just explosive. He has some really powerful scenes where he's fighting for what he thinks is right, but I can't really mention with spoiling anything. There is a scene where he's having dinner and there's play going on that's mocking him, Pang, and Jiang. He begins to laugh, which leads to him crying uncontrollably, and then he begins laughing again. He just managed to pull it off flawlessly and I was incredibly impressed.
The battle scenes didn't pull any punches either. Blood flies across the screen as limbs roll on the ground. It's truly fantastic. They were truly the highlight of the film for me as the first half of the film doesn't seem to let up from the battlefield. The film is also extremely colorful. Every scene is stunningly vibrant. There are also so many memorable scenes from the film and half of that is due to how they were shot. There's a scene where Er Hu runs into this coliseum where there are just hundreds of dead bodies lying on the ground and the camera kind of spins around him capturing his emotions and the devastation that lies around him. It's truly something worth seeing for yourself.
The Warlords is one of the best feudal Japan films I've ever seen. If you were a fan of films like Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan, The Last Samurai, or Seven Samurai, then I highly recommend this.
The village is very poor and in desperate need of food, so they decide to attack a passing food convoy. In the midst of the battle, Pang saves Jiang from certain death. The bandits successful, they bring food back to their families. Kui troops, the imperial army, invade the village and usurps the food that they stole. Now without food or money, the bandits are starving and unsure of what lies ahead for them. Pang suggests to Er Hu that they should join Lord Chen's army as they could earn wages for their families and actually have something to be proud of. Questioning Pang's reasoning since he abandoned his army once before, Jiang suggests that Pang, himself, and Er Hu take a blood oath. The pact made them blood brothers on that day.
After joining the army, their 800 soldiers go after Shu City, which has an army of 5,000. They somehow manage to get the upper hand and with the help of 1,500 imperial soldiers, they get a victory. It'll be the first of many for them as they move up in rank rapidly. With plans to overthrow Suzhou and then Nanjing, the capital, they have their work set out for them. The brothers soon begin to fall apart on their rise to the top though. Er Hu tends to be loyal with his word and his brothers no matter what as Pang will sacrifice anyone and even make deals with his enemies just to win while Jiang is stuck between them.
Let me just start this by saying, I loved this movie. The battle sequences are stunning, the cinematography was brilliant, and the acting was pretty much right on the money. The Warlords took everything I loved about Mongol and made it just a little bit better. Jet Li deserves a mention. After seeing Unleashed and Fearless, it was nice to see him actually show his acting chops. So I've wanted to see him show those off again. Luckily, he did a great job in this as he showed just about every emotion in this film at some time or another. His fight scenes were also incredible, but that comes to be expected with just about any film he's involved in. I think Andy Lau deserves a nod, as well. His character is just so passionate about being honorable and loyal that when things go wrong, his reaction is just explosive. He has some really powerful scenes where he's fighting for what he thinks is right, but I can't really mention with spoiling anything. There is a scene where he's having dinner and there's play going on that's mocking him, Pang, and Jiang. He begins to laugh, which leads to him crying uncontrollably, and then he begins laughing again. He just managed to pull it off flawlessly and I was incredibly impressed.
The battle scenes didn't pull any punches either. Blood flies across the screen as limbs roll on the ground. It's truly fantastic. They were truly the highlight of the film for me as the first half of the film doesn't seem to let up from the battlefield. The film is also extremely colorful. Every scene is stunningly vibrant. There are also so many memorable scenes from the film and half of that is due to how they were shot. There's a scene where Er Hu runs into this coliseum where there are just hundreds of dead bodies lying on the ground and the camera kind of spins around him capturing his emotions and the devastation that lies around him. It's truly something worth seeing for yourself.
The Warlords is one of the best feudal Japan films I've ever seen. If you were a fan of films like Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan, The Last Samurai, or Seven Samurai, then I highly recommend this.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Director Michael Bay and the shape shifting Transfomers are back in a new cinematic adventure, “Transformers: Age of Extinction” which continues Bay’s fondness for over the top pyrotechnics, action, and chases.
It has been five years since the Autobots and Decepticons waged war in Chicago and in the aftermath, the U.S. government has ended working with the Autobots and has begun hunting down their enemies that are still in hiding.
Under the leadership of C.I.A. agent Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), a covert group known as Cemetery Wind has been hunting down and killing all Transformers regardless of their allegiance as Attinger believes that it is time to keep humanity safe from the threat the pose.
At the same time in a small Texas town, an inventor named Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), is trying to keep his home and deal with mounting debt and foreclosure while trying to get his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz), into college.
Convinced that one of his inventions will work and will allow them out of their financial mess, Cade purchases a derelict semi-truck convinced that the parts alone will get them an infusion of cash.
During his work on the truck, Cade uncovers that it appears to be a damaged Transfomer, which is confirmed when Optimus Prime transformers from the wreck.
His friend and daughter are convinced Cade should call the authorities and collect the sizeable reward for his find, but Cade decides to repair Prime who said he was injured in an ambush.
Soon after, Cemetery Wind arrives and threatens the life of Tessa and Cade which forces Prime into action. Soon, the humans along with Tessa’s secret boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) are racing for their lives from the deadly pursuit who is working secretly with a deadly Transformer.
As if this was not enough chaos, remember this is a Michael Bay film, a wealthy industrialist named Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci), has figured out the secret of the Transformers and working with Attinger in secret, plans to build and army of his own to usher in a new area of technology for humanity and of course lining his and Attinger’s pockets even further with their discovery.
The need to obtain more of the building components is key, and soon the action shifts to a new locale with the fate of a major city and humanity hanging in the balance.
Bay has crafted a film that is technically brilliant as it is an amazing visual spectacle, but yet is as cold and soulless as the very toys that inspired the series.
The film plays like a gigantic pyrotechnic and CGI demo reel as you can see countless examples of Bay orchestrating his fireworks to end in a grand finale.
It was almost comical how many explosions and car chases there were at the expense of the story. I think my wife summed it up best when she said that if the script was 50 pages long, at best 3 pages were devoted to dialogue.
I think it must have read something like this… explosion, explosion, gunfire, gunfire, car chase, explosion, Tessa!!, Dad!!! Vroom, vroom, explosion, car chase, bad line, repeat.
I do not see a film of this type expecting great acting or lines but some of them were so bad and out of place you could almost hear the cast of Mystery Science Theater chomping at the bit to get their hands on this one.
The film also blatantly sells out to appease Chinese audiences as we have a good segment of the film set in mainland China and Hong Kong which we get scenes of Chinese leaders being strong, decisive, and caring for the people, and other events in such a blatant Kowtow to ensure the film gets played in the all-important Chinese marketplace.
In the end the film does have plenty of visual entertainment but it drags out to the point where even the action and technical brilliance of the film and the 3D effects grows old. The biggest issues is that they have a strong and appealing cast, yet they are literally just along for the ride and are not given much to do.
The film is the first in a planned new trilogy so it is a safe bet, Bay and company will be back in a few years.
http://sknr.net/2014/06/27/transformers-age-of-extinction/
It has been five years since the Autobots and Decepticons waged war in Chicago and in the aftermath, the U.S. government has ended working with the Autobots and has begun hunting down their enemies that are still in hiding.
Under the leadership of C.I.A. agent Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), a covert group known as Cemetery Wind has been hunting down and killing all Transformers regardless of their allegiance as Attinger believes that it is time to keep humanity safe from the threat the pose.
At the same time in a small Texas town, an inventor named Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), is trying to keep his home and deal with mounting debt and foreclosure while trying to get his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz), into college.
Convinced that one of his inventions will work and will allow them out of their financial mess, Cade purchases a derelict semi-truck convinced that the parts alone will get them an infusion of cash.
During his work on the truck, Cade uncovers that it appears to be a damaged Transfomer, which is confirmed when Optimus Prime transformers from the wreck.
His friend and daughter are convinced Cade should call the authorities and collect the sizeable reward for his find, but Cade decides to repair Prime who said he was injured in an ambush.
Soon after, Cemetery Wind arrives and threatens the life of Tessa and Cade which forces Prime into action. Soon, the humans along with Tessa’s secret boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) are racing for their lives from the deadly pursuit who is working secretly with a deadly Transformer.
As if this was not enough chaos, remember this is a Michael Bay film, a wealthy industrialist named Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci), has figured out the secret of the Transformers and working with Attinger in secret, plans to build and army of his own to usher in a new area of technology for humanity and of course lining his and Attinger’s pockets even further with their discovery.
The need to obtain more of the building components is key, and soon the action shifts to a new locale with the fate of a major city and humanity hanging in the balance.
Bay has crafted a film that is technically brilliant as it is an amazing visual spectacle, but yet is as cold and soulless as the very toys that inspired the series.
The film plays like a gigantic pyrotechnic and CGI demo reel as you can see countless examples of Bay orchestrating his fireworks to end in a grand finale.
It was almost comical how many explosions and car chases there were at the expense of the story. I think my wife summed it up best when she said that if the script was 50 pages long, at best 3 pages were devoted to dialogue.
I think it must have read something like this… explosion, explosion, gunfire, gunfire, car chase, explosion, Tessa!!, Dad!!! Vroom, vroom, explosion, car chase, bad line, repeat.
I do not see a film of this type expecting great acting or lines but some of them were so bad and out of place you could almost hear the cast of Mystery Science Theater chomping at the bit to get their hands on this one.
The film also blatantly sells out to appease Chinese audiences as we have a good segment of the film set in mainland China and Hong Kong which we get scenes of Chinese leaders being strong, decisive, and caring for the people, and other events in such a blatant Kowtow to ensure the film gets played in the all-important Chinese marketplace.
In the end the film does have plenty of visual entertainment but it drags out to the point where even the action and technical brilliance of the film and the 3D effects grows old. The biggest issues is that they have a strong and appealing cast, yet they are literally just along for the ride and are not given much to do.
The film is the first in a planned new trilogy so it is a safe bet, Bay and company will be back in a few years.
http://sknr.net/2014/06/27/transformers-age-of-extinction/
Darren (1599 KP) rated Amadeus (1984) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: Amadeus starts as an elderly Antonio Salieri (Abraham) admitting that he killed Mozart, leading to him getting taken to the insane asylum. Salieri recounts his story of his small town beginnings dreaming of being a composer and after a moment of fate he ends up in a position where he can learn music leading to him job as head conductor to the king of Austria. Mozart (Hulce) is the world renowned composer that has taken the notice of all around him with Salieri dreaming of one day being as good as Mozart.
We see how Mozart constantly ends up out shinning Salieri with his music leading to the rivalry between the two, with Salieri serious look on life and Mozart’s flamboyant style of just getting through each moment. Salieri moves into the position of being the connection to the Emperor to get his unique work out there but he is really just building him up for failure trying to break him down with criticize of his work.
REPORT THIS AD
Amadeus gives us a brilliant look at one of the greatest musical minds in the history of man. We know the basic idea of what happened to him but now we get to see it through the eyes of one of his closest friends even if he is filled with envy for him. What starts as envy is filled with respect and seeing how a talented person can get used by all the people close to him which will drive him into his bad ways. Overall this really is a brilliant drama that is told in a way we can just enjoy.
Actor Review
F Murray Abraham: Antonio Salieri admits that he killed Mozart, but now he is confessing to how he believes he was responsible for the death from inside an insane asylum. We watch how he got his dreams of working with music and constantly found himself lacking the complete flair and natural ability of Mozart leading to jealous and planning to bring him down slowly. F Murray gives us a brilliant and well deserved Oscar winning performance in this role.seleir
Tom Hulce: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the flamboyant and brilliant composer who lives life on the edge spending every penny he ever received for his work, he pushes the boundaries to what is accepted even if his work is loved. He gains inspiration from his personal stories which will gain him enemies from his own confident in the government. Tom gives a performance that could easily have won him an Oscar too.morzart
Elizabeth Berridge: Constanze Mozart is the wife of Wolfgang, she supports him in all the work he does but just wants him to actually get paid for the work so they can look after the family, even after she lives him she feels guilty. Elizabeth does a good job in this role.
Roy Dotrice: Leopold Mozart is the overbearing father who pushed Amadeus into this career path making him the puppet when he was younger as he was leading him to become the biggest name in music of his time. After his death we learn about the control he had over Amadeus. Roy is good in this supporting role.
Support Cast: Amadeus has a well performed supporting cast that each hold their own in the characters they are playing.
Director Review: Milos Forman – Milos gives us one of the best biographical films of all time.
Biographical: Amadeus shows the troubles of the great man and how it was his eventual downfall.
Music: Amadeus uses all the music of the great man and how it would have look on stage for the fans witnessing it all.
Settings: Amadeus recreates all the settings that would have been used during the time the film is set.
Suggestion: Amadeus is one that could have been watched by anyone to learn about a part of history. (Watch)
Best Part: The performances are brilliant.
Worst Part: If you are not a fan of classical music you will struggle.
Believability: Yes
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Won 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Director and Writing also nominated for a further 3.
Box Office: $51 Million
Budget: $18 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 40 Minutes
Tagline: Everything you’ve heard is true.
Trivia: When the movie won Best Picture at The 57th Annual Academy Awards (1985), Sir Laurence Olivier was presenting the award. He went up to the podium, opened the envelope and said “Amadeus.” The problem was he forgot to read the nominees first.
Overall: Brilliant drama about one of the greatest musicians of all time
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/01/06/amadeus-1984/
We see how Mozart constantly ends up out shinning Salieri with his music leading to the rivalry between the two, with Salieri serious look on life and Mozart’s flamboyant style of just getting through each moment. Salieri moves into the position of being the connection to the Emperor to get his unique work out there but he is really just building him up for failure trying to break him down with criticize of his work.
REPORT THIS AD
Amadeus gives us a brilliant look at one of the greatest musical minds in the history of man. We know the basic idea of what happened to him but now we get to see it through the eyes of one of his closest friends even if he is filled with envy for him. What starts as envy is filled with respect and seeing how a talented person can get used by all the people close to him which will drive him into his bad ways. Overall this really is a brilliant drama that is told in a way we can just enjoy.
Actor Review
F Murray Abraham: Antonio Salieri admits that he killed Mozart, but now he is confessing to how he believes he was responsible for the death from inside an insane asylum. We watch how he got his dreams of working with music and constantly found himself lacking the complete flair and natural ability of Mozart leading to jealous and planning to bring him down slowly. F Murray gives us a brilliant and well deserved Oscar winning performance in this role.seleir
Tom Hulce: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the flamboyant and brilliant composer who lives life on the edge spending every penny he ever received for his work, he pushes the boundaries to what is accepted even if his work is loved. He gains inspiration from his personal stories which will gain him enemies from his own confident in the government. Tom gives a performance that could easily have won him an Oscar too.morzart
Elizabeth Berridge: Constanze Mozart is the wife of Wolfgang, she supports him in all the work he does but just wants him to actually get paid for the work so they can look after the family, even after she lives him she feels guilty. Elizabeth does a good job in this role.
Roy Dotrice: Leopold Mozart is the overbearing father who pushed Amadeus into this career path making him the puppet when he was younger as he was leading him to become the biggest name in music of his time. After his death we learn about the control he had over Amadeus. Roy is good in this supporting role.
Support Cast: Amadeus has a well performed supporting cast that each hold their own in the characters they are playing.
Director Review: Milos Forman – Milos gives us one of the best biographical films of all time.
Biographical: Amadeus shows the troubles of the great man and how it was his eventual downfall.
Music: Amadeus uses all the music of the great man and how it would have look on stage for the fans witnessing it all.
Settings: Amadeus recreates all the settings that would have been used during the time the film is set.
Suggestion: Amadeus is one that could have been watched by anyone to learn about a part of history. (Watch)
Best Part: The performances are brilliant.
Worst Part: If you are not a fan of classical music you will struggle.
Believability: Yes
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Won 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Director and Writing also nominated for a further 3.
Box Office: $51 Million
Budget: $18 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 40 Minutes
Tagline: Everything you’ve heard is true.
Trivia: When the movie won Best Picture at The 57th Annual Academy Awards (1985), Sir Laurence Olivier was presenting the award. He went up to the podium, opened the envelope and said “Amadeus.” The problem was he forgot to read the nominees first.
Overall: Brilliant drama about one of the greatest musicians of all time
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/01/06/amadeus-1984/