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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Hancock (2008) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Throughout the annals of cinema, the big screen has been home to some of the most larger-than-life heroes ever to spring from the pages of comic books. Recent adaptations of Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman, all went on to box office gold and with several more character adaptations in the works, there seems to be no end to the public’s desire to see tales based on costumed heroes with amazing powers.
In one of the more original twists on the hero genre, Will Smith stars as Hancock, a surly lush, who is more concerned about his next drink than he is about saving the day. Despite being blessed with amazing strength, invulnerability, and the ability to fly, Hancock is looked upon with disdain by most of the people of Los Angeles because his attitude is second only to the amazing amount of damage he causes in bringing local hoodlums to justice.
Shortly after causing nine million dollars in damage after his latest crime fighting effort, the mayor of L.A. places a warrant out for Hancock, having decided it was time for Hancock to be held accountable for the mayhem he has caused. At the same time, publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) is returning home after failing in his pitch to get a major pharmaceutical company to donate their new wonder drug in an effort to make the world better.
When danger arises during a traffic jam, Ray is saved by Hancock in the nick of time and is grateful for the efforts of the hero. Unfortunately a group of bystanders are convinced that Hancock could have saved Ray without making wreaking such havoc. In the midst of some heated verbal exchanges, Ray steps up for Hancock and expresses his gratitude to the hero and invites him home for dinner with his son and wife Mary (Charlize Theron). Undaunted by the gruff mannerisms of Hancock, Ray eventually convinces Hancock to let Ray represent him and sets out on a plan to remake Hancock’s image more positive and civic-friendly.
While this scenario presents several comedic moments, the film eventually changes tact, and becomes much darker in tone, and mired in a subplot of fate and mysticism that honestly seems greatly out-of-place with the tone established in the first three quarters of the film.
While it is notable that the filmmakers decided to try something different, the final result is a muddled effort that greatly undermines the laughs and momentum that were established earlier in the film. Smith does a great job but when he is not unleashing his sardonic quips, he seems to be disinterested and going through the motion for much of the last half of the film. Bateman does the best he can with a stock part and Theron seems woefully underused in a role that, while promising, really is not worthy of an actress of her skills.
Director Peter Berg does a solid job with the action and FX of the film, and clearly shows he has a knack for humor. Unfortunately the script by “X-Files” alum Vince Gilligan and Vince Ngo fails to live up to the potential of the premise and in the end leaves “Hancock” grounded.
In one of the more original twists on the hero genre, Will Smith stars as Hancock, a surly lush, who is more concerned about his next drink than he is about saving the day. Despite being blessed with amazing strength, invulnerability, and the ability to fly, Hancock is looked upon with disdain by most of the people of Los Angeles because his attitude is second only to the amazing amount of damage he causes in bringing local hoodlums to justice.
Shortly after causing nine million dollars in damage after his latest crime fighting effort, the mayor of L.A. places a warrant out for Hancock, having decided it was time for Hancock to be held accountable for the mayhem he has caused. At the same time, publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) is returning home after failing in his pitch to get a major pharmaceutical company to donate their new wonder drug in an effort to make the world better.
When danger arises during a traffic jam, Ray is saved by Hancock in the nick of time and is grateful for the efforts of the hero. Unfortunately a group of bystanders are convinced that Hancock could have saved Ray without making wreaking such havoc. In the midst of some heated verbal exchanges, Ray steps up for Hancock and expresses his gratitude to the hero and invites him home for dinner with his son and wife Mary (Charlize Theron). Undaunted by the gruff mannerisms of Hancock, Ray eventually convinces Hancock to let Ray represent him and sets out on a plan to remake Hancock’s image more positive and civic-friendly.
While this scenario presents several comedic moments, the film eventually changes tact, and becomes much darker in tone, and mired in a subplot of fate and mysticism that honestly seems greatly out-of-place with the tone established in the first three quarters of the film.
While it is notable that the filmmakers decided to try something different, the final result is a muddled effort that greatly undermines the laughs and momentum that were established earlier in the film. Smith does a great job but when he is not unleashing his sardonic quips, he seems to be disinterested and going through the motion for much of the last half of the film. Bateman does the best he can with a stock part and Theron seems woefully underused in a role that, while promising, really is not worthy of an actress of her skills.
Director Peter Berg does a solid job with the action and FX of the film, and clearly shows he has a knack for humor. Unfortunately the script by “X-Files” alum Vince Gilligan and Vince Ngo fails to live up to the potential of the premise and in the end leaves “Hancock” grounded.
ROKCO - YouTube Cookbook, Diets and Easy Everyday Recipes
Food & Drink and Lifestyle
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YouTube recipes finally organized and categorized. Experience YouTube as your very own cookbook and...
Bike Race Pro: Motor Racing
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Bike Race Pro version has: ● BETTER graphics ● all levels unlocked ● NO ADS Ride your bike...
BlockyTime - Track your time no need to Start/Stop
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BlockyTime, A simple time logger no need to tap Start/Stop. ### App Store Featured of 2016 in China...
Low-Volume Road Engineering: Design, Construction, and Maintenance
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"Everything that sustains us - grown, mined, or drilled - begins its journey to us on a low-volume...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) in Movies
May 20, 2021
Tobe Hooper's seminal The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a straight up horror classic, that changed the face of the genre. It's influence can be seen all over the place, and it's notoriety is still prominent. To this day, TTCSM is still misunderstood by wider audiences. It's title, alongside it's "video nasty" reputation that stuck for decades, suggests that the viewer is in for a depraved gore fest, when in reality, this film borders on arthouse more often than not. Its brimming with iconic shots, and beautiful cinematography work courtesy of Daniel Pearl. In terms of gore, you don't see much of it. Pretty much all of the violent scenes are implied, and the movie shies away from showing anything explicit, a move that is incredibly effective.
Its pacing is pretty much perfect. The slow build first half is suitably uncomfortable, and full of great performances that keep it engaging. When things kick off, it grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the credits roll. Some incredibly well done sound design and tense music score compliment the breakneck final act, that is just an unencumbered assault on the senses. It's exhausting (in a good way).
Marilyn Burns' Sally is a badass final girl that causes the Sawyer family a whole bunch of trouble, and Leatherface is a wonderfully portrayed maniac - a genuinely terrifying MF, who has a sympathetic side. He's the main reason why TTCSM is still scary as fuck all these years later. The scares on display are all well earned, and the jump moments are startling and are far from being cheap.
What more can I say, TTCSM is truly one of the greats. It's uncomfortable, entertaining, extremely well put together, and is wholeheartedly deserving of its place in horror royalty.
Its pacing is pretty much perfect. The slow build first half is suitably uncomfortable, and full of great performances that keep it engaging. When things kick off, it grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the credits roll. Some incredibly well done sound design and tense music score compliment the breakneck final act, that is just an unencumbered assault on the senses. It's exhausting (in a good way).
Marilyn Burns' Sally is a badass final girl that causes the Sawyer family a whole bunch of trouble, and Leatherface is a wonderfully portrayed maniac - a genuinely terrifying MF, who has a sympathetic side. He's the main reason why TTCSM is still scary as fuck all these years later. The scares on display are all well earned, and the jump moments are startling and are far from being cheap.
What more can I say, TTCSM is truly one of the greats. It's uncomfortable, entertaining, extremely well put together, and is wholeheartedly deserving of its place in horror royalty.
Swedish Summer Feasts: Favorite Recipes for Picnics, Brunches, and Barbecues by the Beach
Amanda Schulman and Hannah Widell
Book
Each summer, three sisters and their families meet at their summer cottage by the coast of Sweden....
Intuition on Demand: A Step-by-Step Guide to Powerful Intuition You Can Trust
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* Has your intuition been giving you messages but you don't know what they mean? * Do you find it...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Hidden Power (Academy of Elemental Magic, #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I got this as a freebie a few months ago as I hunted for books to finish my Paranormal Roman & Urban Fantasy A-Z challenge on Goodreads.
This starts with Avaline doing her job as a lifeguard at the lake when she is attacked with magic by two assailants who know her name. She wakes up a month later to learn she, too, has magic. A dangerous magic. She has two choices and decides to stay at the school to learn how to control her vox magic.
I can't decide whether I liked this or not.
Everything was happening so quickly in it. She meets the guys, she lusts after them, she sleeps with one of them very quickly. She gets to lessons and on her second try ever she manages to make fire. I just expected things to take time...for her to initially struggle considering she didn't even know she had magic until a day or two ago.
I struggled to connect with the characters and wasn't really convinced by their relationships. I didn't feel any real sort of chemistry going on between any of them. Once again, I feel like this bit was rushed. I get lust but... I wasn't a fan of how the author wrote the romance parts.
This story had a lot of promise but we don't really learn much of anything. Ava learns about magic in lessons but we don't get to hear it. To me it feels like a bit of paper that's been scrunched into a ball and then flattened causing creases and ripples that means some details in the story have been glossed over. It could do with expanding a little with more details on certain aspects.
At this point I don't believe I'll be reading more of this series.
This starts with Avaline doing her job as a lifeguard at the lake when she is attacked with magic by two assailants who know her name. She wakes up a month later to learn she, too, has magic. A dangerous magic. She has two choices and decides to stay at the school to learn how to control her vox magic.
I can't decide whether I liked this or not.
Everything was happening so quickly in it. She meets the guys, she lusts after them, she sleeps with one of them very quickly. She gets to lessons and on her second try ever she manages to make fire. I just expected things to take time...for her to initially struggle considering she didn't even know she had magic until a day or two ago.
I struggled to connect with the characters and wasn't really convinced by their relationships. I didn't feel any real sort of chemistry going on between any of them. Once again, I feel like this bit was rushed. I get lust but... I wasn't a fan of how the author wrote the romance parts.
This story had a lot of promise but we don't really learn much of anything. Ava learns about magic in lessons but we don't get to hear it. To me it feels like a bit of paper that's been scrunched into a ball and then flattened causing creases and ripples that means some details in the story have been glossed over. It could do with expanding a little with more details on certain aspects.
At this point I don't believe I'll be reading more of this series.
Outliers (The Outliers #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
In the dusty ruins of the world, three groups exist: the Sovereign, the Fortis, and the Outliers....
Dystopian New_Adult Romance