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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018) in Movies
Aug 5, 2018
Hilarious (4 more)
Some great references
Surprise comedic cameo
Nice nods to the tv show
Credits scene
I wasn't sure what was even happening sometimes (1 more)
Seems a little extreme in places.
What did I just watch?
Okay so I haven't reviewed the tv show cos I haven't watched it in a while but I do love 'Teen Titans Go!' and many people ask me why?
Yes I was a fan of the original animated series and I'm a fan of Young Justice and they're both clearly superior animated shows, but it's nice to see something fun and childish starting your favourite characters now and then and the creators of TTG! Are DC fans as well so there's always some insanely great nods to other DC content from comics, to tv shows to Movies and more. So what's not to love?
This movie was hilarious because it's just so insane that you just have to think that the creators were high as hell when making this film. But it's easy to understand for children and has many great references to DC for the adult fans in the audience. A great soundtrack of silly songs and a great voice cast for the characters such as Will Arnett as Deathstroke and Nicholas Cage as Superman (an obvious reference to the Tim Burton Superman film that never got made that would have started Nicholas Cage as the Man of Steel himself). The humour was nothing really new compared to the tv show but they expanded upon it and seemed to drag some of the jokes out longer with some great comedic timing and a sense of "what the hell is going on!?"
Issues I had with the film was that in some parts it seemed to try a little too hard to make you laugh and it didn't always work. They tried to put in some serious messages as they do in the show but this seemed to slow down the pace all of a sudden so it wasn't smooth with the flow of the film and it just felt like it came to a sudden halt on the shenanigans and humour of the film.
The plot was pretty much obvious from the get go, but that's probably just the view as an adult. I'm sure to kids it might seem like a real movie.
But back to the good points. There was some great references to none DC content, such as the Stan Lee cameo, Starfire pointing at the Warner Brothers water tower and stating "That's where the animaniacs live" and even a reference to the Lion King which was brilliant.
Overall this was a really enjoyable movie with some flaws but I think the overall impression outweighs them, and the soundtrack is incredible ?
Yes I was a fan of the original animated series and I'm a fan of Young Justice and they're both clearly superior animated shows, but it's nice to see something fun and childish starting your favourite characters now and then and the creators of TTG! Are DC fans as well so there's always some insanely great nods to other DC content from comics, to tv shows to Movies and more. So what's not to love?
This movie was hilarious because it's just so insane that you just have to think that the creators were high as hell when making this film. But it's easy to understand for children and has many great references to DC for the adult fans in the audience. A great soundtrack of silly songs and a great voice cast for the characters such as Will Arnett as Deathstroke and Nicholas Cage as Superman (an obvious reference to the Tim Burton Superman film that never got made that would have started Nicholas Cage as the Man of Steel himself). The humour was nothing really new compared to the tv show but they expanded upon it and seemed to drag some of the jokes out longer with some great comedic timing and a sense of "what the hell is going on!?"
Issues I had with the film was that in some parts it seemed to try a little too hard to make you laugh and it didn't always work. They tried to put in some serious messages as they do in the show but this seemed to slow down the pace all of a sudden so it wasn't smooth with the flow of the film and it just felt like it came to a sudden halt on the shenanigans and humour of the film.
The plot was pretty much obvious from the get go, but that's probably just the view as an adult. I'm sure to kids it might seem like a real movie.
But back to the good points. There was some great references to none DC content, such as the Stan Lee cameo, Starfire pointing at the Warner Brothers water tower and stating "That's where the animaniacs live" and even a reference to the Lion King which was brilliant.
Overall this was a really enjoyable movie with some flaws but I think the overall impression outweighs them, and the soundtrack is incredible ?
Midge (525 KP) rated The Birthday Mystery in Books
Dec 29, 2018
Strong characters (2 more)
Good mystery
Great for food-lovers
Great Whodunit!
Over recent months I've become a great fan of cozy mysteries so, when I saw a new series featuring Jenny Starling being launched, I knew I had to read "The Birthday Mystery." Also, it has a culinary theme which I love and a little light humour.
First, we are introduced to Jenny who is catering for the twenty-first birthday party of upper-class twins, Alicia and Justin. In her late twenties, Jenny is an impressive woman. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living the lifestyle that suits her – that of a travelling cook. Her famous father is a ‘celebrity’ cook, divorced from Jenny’s mother. Jenny is happy travelling the country catering for events and cooking great food. She is on a mission to bring back traditional home cooked food and to offer new and exciting recipes made with fresh ingredients. She arrives at the twins family country house located in a picturesque and charming village and is immediately met by the police. A young man has drowned in the pond. Was it an accident or murder?
The birthday party goes ahead and then, just after midnight, everyone gathers for a champagne toast . . . and one of the guests falls down dead. The police are baffled and there is a whole party full of suspects.
Jenny finds crime very distracting, especially when there is chocolate to temper or pike to poach. She is very observant, with an agile mind and an amazing ability to interpret clues and hidden meanings. Her wit and sense of humour help her sanity when all around her, people are dropping like flies. When it comes to someone possibly adding the extra ingredient of poison to her own precious recipes, Jenny isn't going to take it lying down. She has a reputation to protect.
Jenny Starling won't stop until the murderer is found.
There are many suspects in this mystery, clues a-plenty and red herrings all the way through this book. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in "The Birthday Mystery" was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a great finish and wrapped everything up very neatly.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next novel featuring Jenny Starling very soon and other books by the author, Faith Martin. "The Birthday Mystery" whets your appetite for more to come.
My thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel.
First, we are introduced to Jenny who is catering for the twenty-first birthday party of upper-class twins, Alicia and Justin. In her late twenties, Jenny is an impressive woman. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living the lifestyle that suits her – that of a travelling cook. Her famous father is a ‘celebrity’ cook, divorced from Jenny’s mother. Jenny is happy travelling the country catering for events and cooking great food. She is on a mission to bring back traditional home cooked food and to offer new and exciting recipes made with fresh ingredients. She arrives at the twins family country house located in a picturesque and charming village and is immediately met by the police. A young man has drowned in the pond. Was it an accident or murder?
The birthday party goes ahead and then, just after midnight, everyone gathers for a champagne toast . . . and one of the guests falls down dead. The police are baffled and there is a whole party full of suspects.
Jenny finds crime very distracting, especially when there is chocolate to temper or pike to poach. She is very observant, with an agile mind and an amazing ability to interpret clues and hidden meanings. Her wit and sense of humour help her sanity when all around her, people are dropping like flies. When it comes to someone possibly adding the extra ingredient of poison to her own precious recipes, Jenny isn't going to take it lying down. She has a reputation to protect.
Jenny Starling won't stop until the murderer is found.
There are many suspects in this mystery, clues a-plenty and red herrings all the way through this book. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in "The Birthday Mystery" was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a great finish and wrapped everything up very neatly.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next novel featuring Jenny Starling very soon and other books by the author, Faith Martin. "The Birthday Mystery" whets your appetite for more to come.
My thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Hustle (2019) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
I love Anne Hathaway. I love Rebel Wilson. I love Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I did not love this.
Penny is a small-time con artist who decides to head to Europe to change things up a bit. Josephine is at the top of the con artist charts and is living very comfortably in Europe making a mint off the wealthy gentlemen who cross her path. When Penny stumbles onto her train she realises that the crass American could bring too much attention so she sets about sabotaging her plans. Penny is more resourceful than she seems though and soon makes her way back into Josephine's life.
I did laugh at a couple of points, but it really wasn't the bright and bubbly comedy I'd been hoping for. There are some definite hangovers that they've kept in that stick out in a modern film. The opening titles and some of the music are very reminiscent of older comedic movies and honestly seemed like a bad choice. You're remaking something, go the whole hog or don't bother.
Hathaway & Wilson do work well together as a comedy duo. The training montage was quite possibly the best bit and I enjoyed the teacher/student dynamic that they had. Beyond this though the film seemed to lack genuine comedy and instead relied on pratfalls. I don't know if it's just that it doesn't feel right that these two were doing this humour or that this humour doesn't have the same standing in films as it used to, but it left me disappointed.
Anne Hathaway is a stunning trickster with the accent of a stereotypical aristocrat. Listening to that in the trailers annoyed me, the film was no better. Admittedly it does change throughout to accommodate the con but it rears it's ugly head enough times to make you remember it.
Rebel Wilson was... Rebel Wilson, I'm not sure she had any other setting, and I don't think that matters for this. It's the perfect part for her and she actually does get some moments of seriousness to deal with. I think this was the perfect bit of casting.
I wish I could remember Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to see how much they kept but it has been a very long time since I watched it. Even without that memory I can tell you it isn't a fitting tribute to it, or to the genre sadly.
What you should do
At some point it'll stream and if there's nothing else to do it might be worth watching. I'm not sure you need to go out of your way to find it.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I'll take some of the poise and agility that Josephine has, please and thank you.
Penny is a small-time con artist who decides to head to Europe to change things up a bit. Josephine is at the top of the con artist charts and is living very comfortably in Europe making a mint off the wealthy gentlemen who cross her path. When Penny stumbles onto her train she realises that the crass American could bring too much attention so she sets about sabotaging her plans. Penny is more resourceful than she seems though and soon makes her way back into Josephine's life.
I did laugh at a couple of points, but it really wasn't the bright and bubbly comedy I'd been hoping for. There are some definite hangovers that they've kept in that stick out in a modern film. The opening titles and some of the music are very reminiscent of older comedic movies and honestly seemed like a bad choice. You're remaking something, go the whole hog or don't bother.
Hathaway & Wilson do work well together as a comedy duo. The training montage was quite possibly the best bit and I enjoyed the teacher/student dynamic that they had. Beyond this though the film seemed to lack genuine comedy and instead relied on pratfalls. I don't know if it's just that it doesn't feel right that these two were doing this humour or that this humour doesn't have the same standing in films as it used to, but it left me disappointed.
Anne Hathaway is a stunning trickster with the accent of a stereotypical aristocrat. Listening to that in the trailers annoyed me, the film was no better. Admittedly it does change throughout to accommodate the con but it rears it's ugly head enough times to make you remember it.
Rebel Wilson was... Rebel Wilson, I'm not sure she had any other setting, and I don't think that matters for this. It's the perfect part for her and she actually does get some moments of seriousness to deal with. I think this was the perfect bit of casting.
I wish I could remember Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to see how much they kept but it has been a very long time since I watched it. Even without that memory I can tell you it isn't a fitting tribute to it, or to the genre sadly.
What you should do
At some point it'll stream and if there's nothing else to do it might be worth watching. I'm not sure you need to go out of your way to find it.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I'll take some of the poise and agility that Josephine has, please and thank you.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Coffinmaker's Garden (Ash Henderson #3) in Books
Jan 17, 2021
I realise that starting to read a series on book 3 is probably not the best idea but having previously read and enjoyed some of Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series, I thought what the heck and I certainly wasn't disappointed in the slightest and would definitely say this works as a standalone.
What we have here are 2 investigations that are equally disturbing and upsetting - a serial killer who has gone undetected for decades and a child killer who is refining his modus operandi with each innocent life he takes. Ash, in his role as consultant, is involved in both.
The characters are great - Ash, Alice, Mother, Shifty, DS Franklin and even Henry - all of them in fact, some may be a tad OTT or stereotypical but all had their place and their own little quirks which made them believable. The various settings were really well written with the scenes being so well written that they invoked sounds and smells that put me right there.
The book is written mainly from Ash's point of view. He can be a cynical and grumpy so-and-so and definitely doesn't do things by the books and does have questionable decision-making skills at times, but he definitely grew on me; I think it was his dark sense of humour that did it but also his aversion to authority who have been so far removed from the job that they haven't got a clue helped a bit ... oh and the fact that he certainly gets put through the wringer by Mr MacBride during his investigation and from what has obviously gone on in the previous books in the series, which might have had something to do with it too!
With the story lines being as dark as they are, you might think this is a dark and depressing read but fear not, this is not the case at all. Yes, as you can imagine, it's not a laugh a minute and there is quite a lot of violence throughout but there are plenty of lighter moments that will have you laughing out loud. You do have to suspend reality for some parts of the book as there are bits that are a little unbelievable but if you can't do this in a work of fiction, when can you? and it certainly didn't spoil my reading experience.
All in all, a really great book and one I would highly recommend to those of you who love their crime thrillers dark both in the plot and the humour.
Thanks to HarperCollins / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
What we have here are 2 investigations that are equally disturbing and upsetting - a serial killer who has gone undetected for decades and a child killer who is refining his modus operandi with each innocent life he takes. Ash, in his role as consultant, is involved in both.
The characters are great - Ash, Alice, Mother, Shifty, DS Franklin and even Henry - all of them in fact, some may be a tad OTT or stereotypical but all had their place and their own little quirks which made them believable. The various settings were really well written with the scenes being so well written that they invoked sounds and smells that put me right there.
The book is written mainly from Ash's point of view. He can be a cynical and grumpy so-and-so and definitely doesn't do things by the books and does have questionable decision-making skills at times, but he definitely grew on me; I think it was his dark sense of humour that did it but also his aversion to authority who have been so far removed from the job that they haven't got a clue helped a bit ... oh and the fact that he certainly gets put through the wringer by Mr MacBride during his investigation and from what has obviously gone on in the previous books in the series, which might have had something to do with it too!
With the story lines being as dark as they are, you might think this is a dark and depressing read but fear not, this is not the case at all. Yes, as you can imagine, it's not a laugh a minute and there is quite a lot of violence throughout but there are plenty of lighter moments that will have you laughing out loud. You do have to suspend reality for some parts of the book as there are bits that are a little unbelievable but if you can't do this in a work of fiction, when can you? and it certainly didn't spoil my reading experience.
All in all, a really great book and one I would highly recommend to those of you who love their crime thrillers dark both in the plot and the humour.
Thanks to HarperCollins / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Deadpool (2016) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Before seeing the movie I had never come across Deadpool. He was sneakily hiding behind the other characters flipping bunny ears and running away giggling. We of course saw Wade Wilson in the Wolverine origin film but in a more serious (yet still with a tinge of humour) role. He was no indication of what to expect.
Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, Wade Winston Wilson AKA Deadpool started life as a supervillain before the unstable mercenary became firmly set as everyone's favourite anti-hero.
Name: Wade Winston Wilson [possibly?].
AKA: Deadpool, Merc with a Mouth.
Alliances: Pretty much anyone.
Abilities: Healing, master of martial arts, swordsmanship and marksmanship, extended lifespan, a way with words, destroyer of the fourth wall, advanced distraction techniques.
There was the distinct worry that the film would be awful. An entertaining trailer has been known to turn to disappointment when you suddenly realise... that was all the good bits.
On my way to the screening I stopped at my comic book store and someone had just been in who'd already brought tickets to two showings... that seemed a bit dangerous.
The queue was much as I expected, headed up by a devout geek who had clearly been waiting a long time in position, groups of lads exchanging comic book and film trivia. I overheard a rather in depth Star Wars talk that went straight over my head. More couples than I expected were queueing, and I still think that some of the women heard "Ryan Reynolds film" and misunderstood... I'm sure that's not the reason all of them were there or course. But as it goes, I was definitely the only unaccompanied woman there.
A woman seeing a superhero movie on her own... hell yes!
There's action, there's comedy, there's romance and there's sex. Something for everyone as they say. Unless you're easily offended... in which case it's probably best to stay at home and watch something on the Food Network.
I love the fact that they kept in the bits that other films would have cut out. All the daft bits that really capture the Deadpool humour. That cab ride was ridiculous... and totally what lone travellers do in a cab on their own... well apart from climbing into the front seat. But if I kept telling you what I loved we'd be here for hours.
My main pressing concern is how am I going to cope with superhero movies after this? Yeah you get the little "in" jokes, and of course the Stan Lee cameos make me smile every time, but that fourth wall is going to be there, and it's going to be made of vibranium. All future films are going to be haunted by the cinematic ghost of Deadpool.
Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, Wade Winston Wilson AKA Deadpool started life as a supervillain before the unstable mercenary became firmly set as everyone's favourite anti-hero.
Name: Wade Winston Wilson [possibly?].
AKA: Deadpool, Merc with a Mouth.
Alliances: Pretty much anyone.
Abilities: Healing, master of martial arts, swordsmanship and marksmanship, extended lifespan, a way with words, destroyer of the fourth wall, advanced distraction techniques.
There was the distinct worry that the film would be awful. An entertaining trailer has been known to turn to disappointment when you suddenly realise... that was all the good bits.
On my way to the screening I stopped at my comic book store and someone had just been in who'd already brought tickets to two showings... that seemed a bit dangerous.
The queue was much as I expected, headed up by a devout geek who had clearly been waiting a long time in position, groups of lads exchanging comic book and film trivia. I overheard a rather in depth Star Wars talk that went straight over my head. More couples than I expected were queueing, and I still think that some of the women heard "Ryan Reynolds film" and misunderstood... I'm sure that's not the reason all of them were there or course. But as it goes, I was definitely the only unaccompanied woman there.
A woman seeing a superhero movie on her own... hell yes!
There's action, there's comedy, there's romance and there's sex. Something for everyone as they say. Unless you're easily offended... in which case it's probably best to stay at home and watch something on the Food Network.
I love the fact that they kept in the bits that other films would have cut out. All the daft bits that really capture the Deadpool humour. That cab ride was ridiculous... and totally what lone travellers do in a cab on their own... well apart from climbing into the front seat. But if I kept telling you what I loved we'd be here for hours.
My main pressing concern is how am I going to cope with superhero movies after this? Yeah you get the little "in" jokes, and of course the Stan Lee cameos make me smile every time, but that fourth wall is going to be there, and it's going to be made of vibranium. All future films are going to be haunted by the cinematic ghost of Deadpool.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Holmes and Watson (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
This film wasn't without some laughs. With its witty caption at the very beginning followed by quite an entertaining scene where Holmes and Watson first meet I had some hopes that the feedback I'd been hearing was a little over played. By the end of the film however... well I can count the amount of times I laughed out loud on one hand. As a 90 minute film with two of those laughs coming right at the beginning it's not exactly amazing.
But... there's always a but... I'm not really a fan of repetetive humour. There are a few scenes that rely on the same gag over and over, that's just not my sort of thing. There is certainly an audience out there for this film, it just wasn't me.
I'm not particularly a fan of Will Ferrell or John C Reilly, they produce entertaining characters but they're not generally names that will have me running out straight away to see something. In such a mediocre film though John C Reilly has managed to pull out a great performance. It doesn't feel like he's hamming it up quite as much as Ferrell and for the most part he's great on screen.
There are a few cameo parts involved. Steve Coogan was given quite a good part to play, and Pam Ferris as Queen Victoria seemed to come out of it alright too. It's coming again... but... Hugh Laurie's piece, well it's not what we're used to from him or Mycroft.
One of the things I love is the mid-air mind calculations in Holmes related things and thankfully this film does them in a rather amusing way. We're treated to a few, although my personal favourite came from the mind of Watson. From his solution I'm going to say that there's a little bit of Watson in most of us.
Mini spoiler alert... there's a musical number. I slumped in my seat a bit when it started. Don't panic though, it was actually quite good. I feel like they might be able to get a music video out of it somewhere.
What you should do
My gut reaction is that this sort of film is a bit Marmite. If you enjoy their sort of humour then you'll enjoy it, if not then you'll probably get a handful of laughs out of it like I did. It's definitely a streamer, get some friends over, order some pizza and pour some drinks. In that scenario I think most people would find it amusing.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I would honestly love the picture that Millie draws for Holmes.
But... there's always a but... I'm not really a fan of repetetive humour. There are a few scenes that rely on the same gag over and over, that's just not my sort of thing. There is certainly an audience out there for this film, it just wasn't me.
I'm not particularly a fan of Will Ferrell or John C Reilly, they produce entertaining characters but they're not generally names that will have me running out straight away to see something. In such a mediocre film though John C Reilly has managed to pull out a great performance. It doesn't feel like he's hamming it up quite as much as Ferrell and for the most part he's great on screen.
There are a few cameo parts involved. Steve Coogan was given quite a good part to play, and Pam Ferris as Queen Victoria seemed to come out of it alright too. It's coming again... but... Hugh Laurie's piece, well it's not what we're used to from him or Mycroft.
One of the things I love is the mid-air mind calculations in Holmes related things and thankfully this film does them in a rather amusing way. We're treated to a few, although my personal favourite came from the mind of Watson. From his solution I'm going to say that there's a little bit of Watson in most of us.
Mini spoiler alert... there's a musical number. I slumped in my seat a bit when it started. Don't panic though, it was actually quite good. I feel like they might be able to get a music video out of it somewhere.
What you should do
My gut reaction is that this sort of film is a bit Marmite. If you enjoy their sort of humour then you'll enjoy it, if not then you'll probably get a handful of laughs out of it like I did. It's definitely a streamer, get some friends over, order some pizza and pour some drinks. In that scenario I think most people would find it amusing.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I would honestly love the picture that Millie draws for Holmes.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Stargate SG-1 in TV
Dec 5, 2017
Sci-fi tv at its best
I’m finding it hard to believe that this show has been over since 2007. You’d find it hard to believe that a fairly good but not brilliant film could provide the basis for a fantastic series, but Stargate has done just that.
It’s an action packed sci-fi adventure, full of humour and intrigue with some surprisingly good special effects for the time it was made. The cast and characters are well written and loveable, with Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O’Neill being by far my favourite, full of razor sharp wit and sarcasm. Better played by far than Kurt Russell in the film. The rest of the characters too though are hard not to like despite their differing personalities, and they all make for such a fun and endearing dynamic. Personally I think the characters are what kept this going for so long.
It isn’t without its faults, as sadly i think towards the end it went slightly downhill with some of the main characters disappearing and it’s probably good that it ended when it did.
Still, I have a very fond nostalgic memory of this show as it used to be on Channel 4 on Sunday evenings and I’d sit down to watch it every week without fail with my dad. Fantastic show.
It’s an action packed sci-fi adventure, full of humour and intrigue with some surprisingly good special effects for the time it was made. The cast and characters are well written and loveable, with Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O’Neill being by far my favourite, full of razor sharp wit and sarcasm. Better played by far than Kurt Russell in the film. The rest of the characters too though are hard not to like despite their differing personalities, and they all make for such a fun and endearing dynamic. Personally I think the characters are what kept this going for so long.
It isn’t without its faults, as sadly i think towards the end it went slightly downhill with some of the main characters disappearing and it’s probably good that it ended when it did.
Still, I have a very fond nostalgic memory of this show as it used to be on Channel 4 on Sunday evenings and I’d sit down to watch it every week without fail with my dad. Fantastic show.
Ameeka (131 KP) rated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) in Movies
Jul 14, 2017
Best Darth Vader scene (4 more)
Cinematography
Special Effects
Characters
Story
Very engrossing film
I was blown away with this movie, I thought this was the best Star Wars prequel and it's the best out of the very disappointing prequels.The plot to Rogue One is very simple, but it's the characters that really take this movie to new heights. The characters make this movie worth watching, and the droid, K-2S0, was able to bring great sources of humour while still being of use. Felicity Jones did a great job as the female lead, she was tough, rebellious and reckless, making her a well-crafted character that has a great backstory.Though Star Wars creates great protagonists, Rogue One's main antagonist Orson Krennic is definitely up there with the best. Ben Mendelsohn is powerful, able to give you a villain that any Star Wars fan would want. The action was spectacular, with the final climatic fight one of the best in the franchises history. Full of wonder and delight, you never drift your eyes away from the screen, with the special effects and digitally recreating some of the characters of the originals. Darth Vader has little screen-time, but he steals the show. One scene in particular was very special, as we see him in action for the first time in years.
Genuine sympathy for Katy Tur
Katy Tur gives you an inside look at the strangest political campaign, maybe in history. Following Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, Tur had the unfortunate task of interviewing Trump or dealing with his chief aids throughout this period.
Tur tells us what it was like reporting on an exhaustive daily basis and of how she felt on a professional basis and personal level. As a female journalist, she became a target for his bullying and outright 'weird' behaviour at times. She shares with us how she felt being singled out at rallies for ridicule and hateful remarks by the then presidential candidate, and of how vulnerable she and her colleagues felt at one particular venue when the behaviour of a baying mob of loyal supporters had been supported and even encouraged by Trump.
Packed amidst the vengeful, rhetoric of Trump's speeches or condemnation of pretty much anyone distasteful to his sensibilities Tur manages to inject a fair amount of humour in the form of her inner dialogue which lightens what could have been an overbearing political tirade.
Intelligently written, fast paced, and intensely compelling, I was engrossed, fascinated and repulsed in equal measure by the book. While it doesn't shed any new light on Trump's character, it vindicates much of what is said in Michael Woolf's controversial book Fire and Fury.
Tur tells us what it was like reporting on an exhaustive daily basis and of how she felt on a professional basis and personal level. As a female journalist, she became a target for his bullying and outright 'weird' behaviour at times. She shares with us how she felt being singled out at rallies for ridicule and hateful remarks by the then presidential candidate, and of how vulnerable she and her colleagues felt at one particular venue when the behaviour of a baying mob of loyal supporters had been supported and even encouraged by Trump.
Packed amidst the vengeful, rhetoric of Trump's speeches or condemnation of pretty much anyone distasteful to his sensibilities Tur manages to inject a fair amount of humour in the form of her inner dialogue which lightens what could have been an overbearing political tirade.
Intelligently written, fast paced, and intensely compelling, I was engrossed, fascinated and repulsed in equal measure by the book. While it doesn't shed any new light on Trump's character, it vindicates much of what is said in Michael Woolf's controversial book Fire and Fury.
A pleasant surprise
This was always going to be up against it, as Stephen King's book is an epic and there's no way the entire book can be put into 2 films. However as a part 1, this film actually does a pretty good job.
Yes there are things missing from the book, this isn't really a surprise. And they have changed some parts of the story too, and although I don't necessarily agree with these changes, the majority of them don't really have a detrimental effect to the story. And a lot of these changes still hint and nod to the book (e.g. Eddie's broken arm, "beep-beep Richie" etc). The kids themselves I mainly loved and they were well cast, the humour was great. Although I do think Beverly looked a little too old? I also liked some of the exposition and explanatory scenes which happened differently in the book, yet still worked in this.
Despite the old school type scares, I actually found myself quite scared and creeped out at times, which I wasn't expecting. My only issue is I didn't like Pennywise's front teeth, I found them really off putting and didn't look very good. And I think some of the CGI was a little over the top.
So all in, a surprisingly good adaptation. Actually can't wait to see the next chapter.
Yes there are things missing from the book, this isn't really a surprise. And they have changed some parts of the story too, and although I don't necessarily agree with these changes, the majority of them don't really have a detrimental effect to the story. And a lot of these changes still hint and nod to the book (e.g. Eddie's broken arm, "beep-beep Richie" etc). The kids themselves I mainly loved and they were well cast, the humour was great. Although I do think Beverly looked a little too old? I also liked some of the exposition and explanatory scenes which happened differently in the book, yet still worked in this.
Despite the old school type scares, I actually found myself quite scared and creeped out at times, which I wasn't expecting. My only issue is I didn't like Pennywise's front teeth, I found them really off putting and didn't look very good. And I think some of the CGI was a little over the top.
So all in, a surprisingly good adaptation. Actually can't wait to see the next chapter.