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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Violent night (2022) in Movies
Dec 27, 2023
A Ton of Fun
The 2022 “Christmas” movie VIOLENT NIGHT was mis-marketed a year ago as ads made it appear that this was just another “slasher” flick, when…in fact…it is a fun action flick that settles the DIE HARD Christmas movie debate once and for all.
Compared to VIOLENT NIGHT, DIE HARD is not a Christmas movie for VIOLENT NIGHT (which is a DIE HARD knock-off) is MOST DEFINITELY a Christmas Movie, but instead of former Cop John McClane thwarting bad guys, it is SANTA CLAUS.
Yes, you read that right, Santa Claus.
Director Tommy Wirkola got the idea for VIOLENT NIGHT when watching another Christmas Classic - HOME ALONE. He thought that the traps Kevin sets up for the crooks would really do some physical damage to people and decided to make a movie that did just that…add a dash of “Die Hard with Santa Claus” and…voila…you got yourself a fun action flick.
David Harbour (STRANGER THINGS) hits just the right notes as a burned out Santa Claus who just wants to get through the night, but when he is stranded in an isolated compound (when his reindeer are scared away by gunfire) he must decide to stay and help or stay out of the way.
Jon Leguizamo (MOULIN ROUGE) is the “Hans Gruber” of this piece - a mercenary named SCROOGE and he is a “good enough” villain. While Leah Brady is “charming enough” as the little girl that Santa decides to help. All the rest of the hostages and mercenaries (including CHRISTMAS VACATION’s Beverly D’Angelo) are underwritten “cannon fodder” for the action that takes place.
And…that is just fine as this is an action/comedy flick, so the enjoyment lies in the creativity that Santa (and others) use in dispatching the bad guys. Candy Canes, Christmas Stars, Ice Skates and…yes…SnowThrowers are all used to the advantage of the good guys (and the ultimate demise of the bad guys).
It’s not going to win any Oscars, but Violent Night is a fun “anti-Holiday” action film that the older folks in the crowd will enjoy later at night after the kiddo-s go to bed.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
P.S.: Violent Night is streaming for free (with your Amazon Prime subscription) or you can rent or own it in many of the usual ways.
Compared to VIOLENT NIGHT, DIE HARD is not a Christmas movie for VIOLENT NIGHT (which is a DIE HARD knock-off) is MOST DEFINITELY a Christmas Movie, but instead of former Cop John McClane thwarting bad guys, it is SANTA CLAUS.
Yes, you read that right, Santa Claus.
Director Tommy Wirkola got the idea for VIOLENT NIGHT when watching another Christmas Classic - HOME ALONE. He thought that the traps Kevin sets up for the crooks would really do some physical damage to people and decided to make a movie that did just that…add a dash of “Die Hard with Santa Claus” and…voila…you got yourself a fun action flick.
David Harbour (STRANGER THINGS) hits just the right notes as a burned out Santa Claus who just wants to get through the night, but when he is stranded in an isolated compound (when his reindeer are scared away by gunfire) he must decide to stay and help or stay out of the way.
Jon Leguizamo (MOULIN ROUGE) is the “Hans Gruber” of this piece - a mercenary named SCROOGE and he is a “good enough” villain. While Leah Brady is “charming enough” as the little girl that Santa decides to help. All the rest of the hostages and mercenaries (including CHRISTMAS VACATION’s Beverly D’Angelo) are underwritten “cannon fodder” for the action that takes place.
And…that is just fine as this is an action/comedy flick, so the enjoyment lies in the creativity that Santa (and others) use in dispatching the bad guys. Candy Canes, Christmas Stars, Ice Skates and…yes…SnowThrowers are all used to the advantage of the good guys (and the ultimate demise of the bad guys).
It’s not going to win any Oscars, but Violent Night is a fun “anti-Holiday” action film that the older folks in the crowd will enjoy later at night after the kiddo-s go to bed.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
P.S.: Violent Night is streaming for free (with your Amazon Prime subscription) or you can rent or own it in many of the usual ways.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Murder in Court Three (Flick Fortune and Baggo Chandavarkar, #3) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
***NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley***
The body of Farquhar Knox, QC, has been found in courtroom number three, pierced through the heart with an arrow. It's up to DI Flick Fortune and her team to find the killer. Things are made all the more difficult when a Chief Superintendent shows up on their suspect list, and the local paper implies that the very pregnant Flick and her department may not be up to the task at hand.
This was a very enjoyable read. It's the third in a series of traditional police procedurals from author Ian Simpson, but the first one that I had read. I was worried after seeing the long list of characters included at the beginning of the book that I might feel lost or have trouble keeping everyone straight, not having read the two previous books. This was not the case, however, and Simpson does a good job of making his characters distinct and recognizable. A very well-written mystery with several sub-plots and lots of red herrings, I would recommend Murder in Court Three to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
The body of Farquhar Knox, QC, has been found in courtroom number three, pierced through the heart with an arrow. It's up to DI Flick Fortune and her team to find the killer. Things are made all the more difficult when a Chief Superintendent shows up on their suspect list, and the local paper implies that the very pregnant Flick and her department may not be up to the task at hand.
This was a very enjoyable read. It's the third in a series of traditional police procedurals from author Ian Simpson, but the first one that I had read. I was worried after seeing the long list of characters included at the beginning of the book that I might feel lost or have trouble keeping everyone straight, not having read the two previous books. This was not the case, however, and Simpson does a good job of making his characters distinct and recognizable. A very well-written mystery with several sub-plots and lots of red herrings, I would recommend Murder in Court Three to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
CBorden (67 KP) rated The Hunter’s Prayer (2017) in Movies
Feb 6, 2018
Sam Worthington pushes himself as an assassin hired to kill a teenage girl as he struggles to face his own demons - addiction, his past as a soldier, and his lack of relationship with his own teenage daughter. The movie is action from start to finish with not a lot of great suspense or unexpected plot twists. However, for an action flick, its rather mild presentation (minimal swearing, not overly graphic, no unnecessary sexual content) plus the realistic potrayal of the emotions the hunter and the hunted must work through, this is an enjoyable movie!
The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) rated Ghostbusters (1984) in Movies
Apr 1, 2018
Great dialog with awesome quotable lines (4 more)
Just a good time in the theater
special effects at the time
A quintessential 80's flick.
Remember if someone asks you if you are a god you always answer yes....
This was groundbreaking stuff at the time, and is still a lot of fun today!
This movie has inspired so much in the cinematic universe, and was just a really fun time in the theaters. plus here are some really great alternate movie posters. Enjoy, and if you haven't seen it... get to it....
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Avalanche (1978) in Movies
Mar 10, 2018 (Updated Aug 3, 2019)
I really hoped it would be better
Tier 1 vintage disaster films Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. Tier 2 the Airport franchise. This would be tier 3 for sure. B movie producer legend Roger Corman financed this very low budget looking disaster flick starring Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow.
SFX were bad including Styrofoam made to look like big rocks of snow and huge fake snow flakes. Acting wasn't bad, but was left wanting more peril and even B movie goodness.
Oh well.
SFX were bad including Styrofoam made to look like big rocks of snow and huge fake snow flakes. Acting wasn't bad, but was left wanting more peril and even B movie goodness.
Oh well.
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) created a post
Jun 21, 2018
Dean (6926 KP) rated She's the Man (2006) in Movies
Jun 30, 2018
I was a little worried this would be quite a lame chick flick that would appeal more to the teenage generation. No doubt that is the target audience, but with a decent cast including a surprise show up of Vinnie Jones (Ex-Pro footballer) and high production backing, this is actually quite funny. Amanda Bynes was great, don't think I've even heard of her before? It might be too cute for some still, but I actually ended up laughing a good few times and enjoyed it. They even had some Chelsea posters in the bedroom!!
365Flicks (235 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Oct 30, 2019
Joaquin Pheonix (1 more)
Todd Phillips
Superb
The best, most engaging and accurate portrayal Of a simple man suffering from Mental Health problems and the society around him that either can't or won't help him...
When going into this flick I couldn’t have imagined how much of an effect it would have on me. This is was an absolute masterclass in filmmaking and one of the single best performances I have seen in the last decade.
Oh it’s also a Batman DC tie-in so that makes it all the sweeter
When going into this flick I couldn’t have imagined how much of an effect it would have on me. This is was an absolute masterclass in filmmaking and one of the single best performances I have seen in the last decade.
Oh it’s also a Batman DC tie-in so that makes it all the sweeter
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Into The Grizzly Maze (2015) in Movies
Jul 22, 2019
Nice
Plenty of big names in this survival thriller. The acting was very well done. The cinematography was shot on with just a hint if cgi on a few parts(barely noticable). The story was simple and straight forward - pacing was causing a problem and a rogue grizzly was out in the woods killing pretty much everything it came across(including people) and some folks stuck out there had to survive. Plenty of intensity that isn't overwhelmed by the people's back story. Not a big budget flick but definitely a good one! Worth a watch!