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Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Isle (2018) in Movies

Oct 12, 2019

The Isle (2018)

2018 | Thriller

3.7

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Not much happens

Three men survived the destruction of their sailing ship in 19th century Scotland only to find themselves in the middle of the ocean with no where to go. Alas, they discover a small island with the mist of the open sea and decide to try for it. The make it ashore and are relived to be on dry land. The island does have a few residents one of which comes to greet their weary bodies and welcome them to his home.

After drying off, resting and tending to their injuries, the men are eager to return to the mainland which they query their new acquaintance about. He dodges the question several times making mention of other inhabitants of the island. The men decide to explore on their own since their new friend. Additional residents are found, some nice some aloof and maybe not so eager for conversation.

Eventually it is discovered the island has an unsettling curse upon it whereas men are lured to their deaths by the female natives due to an event which happened years earlier involving another female island resident now deceased. The surviving men now have to figure out how to leave The Isle without succumbing to its evil vices.

The best thing The Isle has going for it is the beautiful Scottish countryside, forested landscapes and gorgeous ocean views. At first, you may feel like you are watching a period Scottish episode of Lost or the recent film The Witch when you hear the Sottish accent dialogue; however, this film doesn't have the depth or screenplay of either of these. I read online the script for this film took years to complete, which is unfortunate since not much happens for the first two thirds of screen time. Once on the island, the three ship survivors mostly lounge around getting spooked by the natives and not much else.

Once the "curse" has been revealed the film picks up a bit and the 3rd act is mildly interesting; however, I was out of it by then. The resolution is interesting and entertaining, and saves the film somewhat. I just wish the set up would have been more exciting.

The film was definitely very low budget, which doesn't bother me if still done well. Sometimes, really great films can come with diminutive price tags. That just usually means filmmakers have to be more creative with what they spend their money on and make sure each dollar counts.

In the end, I was left wanting more and was disappointed.

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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Last One: JFK Returns in Books

Aug 3, 2020

The Last One: JFK Returns

Mary F. Carruthers | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

2.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

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The Last One: JFK Returns by Mary F. Carruthers is a story where JFK returns to Earth as another person, in hopes to find his true killer.

JFK is coming back from heaven, and on this mission he is assisted by other angels as well, who take the bodies of other characters.

Disguised as a bestselling author, he starts to dig into who was actually responsible for his death.

My Thoughts: 

The only good thing about this book was that it was short and I read it in a day. Aside from this, everything else was executed poorly.

Firstly, the proofreading and editing had issues of their own, as well as the print. When Chapter 11 has a different font, font size and spacing than Chapter 12, it makes me think that this book was perhaps a draft that got published by mistake. I know that this might not bother some of readers out there, but it did bother me throughout the book.

The story itself was emotionless. I didn’t even want to know whether JFK will find out the truth. Furthermore, during the story, we find out that some of the evil people are not alive and have returned, same as JFK did. However, we never got to any explanations on this, their motive, their reasoning, their “why”. The story felt very rushed throughout the whole book.

I would like to not that as I am not quite familiar with the history of the US, I am not sure whether any characters had any historical symbolism to the actual history of JFK, or if any references were made in this particular manner.

I was very disappointed to find out in the end that there is supposed to be a part 2, where we actually find out how this ends and who the killer was. My disappointment lies in the fact that the cover of the book has no indication that this is a part of a series. I will, therefore, not be reading the rest of the story. I cannot recommend this book.

Kudos

Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) in Movies

Aug 12, 2020 (Updated Aug 12, 2020)

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

2020 | Action, Adventure, Animation

7.2

(50 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Packs a Surprising Impact

Based on the bestselling video game, super cool Sonic (Ben Schwartz) has to outsmart the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) who wants him captured. Sonic the Hedgehog was pulled originally to revamp the look of the character. That fact alone had me worried about the viability of the movie. After watching, I have to be honest: I didn’t hate it. Dare I say, I actually kinda liked it.

Acting: 10
Sure Ben Schwartz was pretty solid as Sonic, but this movie would be nothing without the hilarious performance of Jim Carrey. Carrey has always been hit or miss for me, but he hits a homerun in Sonic. His timing is perfect as he is constantly doing things to keep you laughing. The “Left Yourself Open” scene is a constant rewinder in my household. He gives the movie a much needed shine.

Beginning: 6

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Despite the exorbitant amount of time spent on fixing Sonic’s character there is still a bit to be desired in the visuals department. Some of the slow-mo scenes feel stolen from the Quicksilver scenes in the X-Men Franchise. Don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few cool moments, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen some of it before.

Conflict: 10

Entertainment Value: 5
What Pixar manages to do extremely well in moments is make you feel like you’re not watching a movie for kids. For me, that was the primary reason I couldn’t allow myself to fully get into Sonic the Hedgehog. It oozes with cheesiness in spots which takes away from some of the overall appeal. It would be one thing if it embraced the ridiculousness of these moments, but the movie actually expects you take some of these moments seriously.

Memorability: 7
On a positive note, there are quite a few hilarious moments and some of the action scenes are really cool to watch unfold. it definitely leaves an impact even if it’s not a lasting one. I’ve seen worse kids movies and I’ve for sure seen worse video game adaptations.

Pace: 7

Plot: 4

Resolution: 10

Overall: 76
Sonic the Hedgehog is a solid movie to watch when you’re with your kids and you’ve expended your options. It’s not going to win any awards, but it packs heart. Sometimes that’s enough to carry a movie. In the case of Sonic, at the very least it makes it a fun ride.