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Mattia Gagliardi (14 KP) rated Love, Death & Robots in TV
Jun 4, 2019
Outstanding animation (2 more)
Some of the shorts are amazing
I wish there would be more products like this
Other shorts where very dull and boring (3 more)
Sometimes it's style over substance
Too edgy in some parts
Some of the shorts look like commercial for videogame
Uff this is gonna be though to review
"Love Death & Robot" is an anthology of adult animated shorts. It features 18 shorts of different lenght with the common theme being the sci-fi.
The problem of reviewing a product like this is that the episodes are all so different to each other and the quality is too vary.
On a technical point of view, every shorts are amazing. The animation feels great in every style it is portrayed, either 2D or 3D. The quality of the shots, the models and basically every visual elements are simply gorgeous.
However that doesn't mean that the short themselves are by default good. The ones that are super realistic, like "Beyond the Aquila Rift" and "Lucky 13", just make you wonder why they didn't used real actors instead. This two in particular doesn't really benefit for being animated. For comparison, "Ice Age" uses real actors and the CG is contained in the special effects and it works perfectly. Oh and "Lucky 13" is just plain bad on top of that.
Then there are the shorts with amazing visual styles but with quite dull story. "The Witness" is the one that comes to mind using clever use of compositing (the implementation of CG elements in a realistic environment) and having a nice character design with excellent animation. However it feels pretentious because it doesn't say anything really interesting and it focus more on sexual visual rather than a story, with a nonsensical twist nevertheless. Style over substance.
Other shorts instead feels like watching a cinematic for a videogame, pilot for different series or University students showreel. This doesn't mean they are bad but it just feels a bit underwhelming.
However when a short is good, it's really good! The one that are always left me with a smile on my face and with an overall excitement, eager to see what was coming next or more works from these studios. "Three Robots" is definitely one of my favourite short thanks to the amazing visuals, clever dialogues and an interesting lore.
My main criticism that involves mostly all the shorts is the supposed maturity, especially in the use of sex and violence.. I am not against the use of them by any means. However using them just for the sake of it doesn't make your product automatically mature. It just felt edgy, the equivalent of a goth teenagers that watch gory movies just because "uuhhh so taboo".
I know that animation is still perceived as a product for children and I am always happy to see new ones that wants to focus on a more mature audience. I don't think though that you can do it with just the use of swear words, sex and violence without any substance in it.
I want to see more actually mature animations, with compelling stories and amazing styles, using animation as a media and not as a genre.
The problem of reviewing a product like this is that the episodes are all so different to each other and the quality is too vary.
On a technical point of view, every shorts are amazing. The animation feels great in every style it is portrayed, either 2D or 3D. The quality of the shots, the models and basically every visual elements are simply gorgeous.
However that doesn't mean that the short themselves are by default good. The ones that are super realistic, like "Beyond the Aquila Rift" and "Lucky 13", just make you wonder why they didn't used real actors instead. This two in particular doesn't really benefit for being animated. For comparison, "Ice Age" uses real actors and the CG is contained in the special effects and it works perfectly. Oh and "Lucky 13" is just plain bad on top of that.
Then there are the shorts with amazing visual styles but with quite dull story. "The Witness" is the one that comes to mind using clever use of compositing (the implementation of CG elements in a realistic environment) and having a nice character design with excellent animation. However it feels pretentious because it doesn't say anything really interesting and it focus more on sexual visual rather than a story, with a nonsensical twist nevertheless. Style over substance.
Other shorts instead feels like watching a cinematic for a videogame, pilot for different series or University students showreel. This doesn't mean they are bad but it just feels a bit underwhelming.
However when a short is good, it's really good! The one that are always left me with a smile on my face and with an overall excitement, eager to see what was coming next or more works from these studios. "Three Robots" is definitely one of my favourite short thanks to the amazing visuals, clever dialogues and an interesting lore.
My main criticism that involves mostly all the shorts is the supposed maturity, especially in the use of sex and violence.. I am not against the use of them by any means. However using them just for the sake of it doesn't make your product automatically mature. It just felt edgy, the equivalent of a goth teenagers that watch gory movies just because "uuhhh so taboo".
I know that animation is still perceived as a product for children and I am always happy to see new ones that wants to focus on a more mature audience. I don't think though that you can do it with just the use of swear words, sex and violence without any substance in it.
I want to see more actually mature animations, with compelling stories and amazing styles, using animation as a media and not as a genre.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Call Of The Wild (2020) in Movies
Mar 1, 2020
When they announced Call of the Wild with Harrison Ford I was onboard, then they said they were CGIing the dog and I became expressionless. I understood how some bits would need to be CGId... but the whole dog? I WANT FLOOFS!
An excitable family pet gets taken to the wilds of the Yukon and sold as a sled dog. Along the way he makes new friends and learns about the call of the wild... I know, you'd never have guessed from the title of the film!
Let's deal with the giant dog in the room first. It's difficult to express my exact feelings about the CGI in the film, yes it isn't great, but by the end of the film [well, quite early on] I didn't care. Buck has so many personality traits and goofball moments that you know he must be CGI but it really doesn't matter. A lot of the things on screen I'm sure you would see in a real dog, but you can't put them through the same actions as their computer-generated counterparts. The opening sequence with Buck running through the house was cartoonish and daft, and while I rolled my eyes it was one of the many funny moments that happened throughout the film. You just acclimatise to the whole thing and forget that Buck isn't real.
While the humans take a back seat to Buck's adventures most of the time they're still great on screen. Omar Sy and Cara Gee as Perrault and Françoise make a great duo, and Sy with Buck has some very fun pieces. His reaction to the dogs feels very natural and the ice scene you briefly see in the trailer was a strong moment for everyone involved.
Dan Stevens playing Hal is the villain of the piece and his whole performance reminds me of a classic animated Disney villain, a cross between things from Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast and 101 Dalmations. There's a very specific maniacal villain in my head but I can't remember who or what film and it's driving me nuts! [Do let me know if you know!] By the end of the film though I was bothered more by his cartoonish acting than I was by the CG.
Our main pull was, of course, Harrison Ford. I don't know how John Thornton is portrayed in the book but the one in this film is a very relaxed character that only occasionally has to step it up. It isn't much of a stretched for Ford, I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone told me he wasn't even acting.
This is peak adventure, with excitement, peril and humour. The whole audience was reacting, and it was wonderful. Having gone in prepared to be annoyed the whole way through I was amazed at just how much I laughed and cried, and how exhilarating they managed to make things. Call of the Wild was a delightful watch, dubious CGI and all.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-call-of-wild-movie-review.html
An excitable family pet gets taken to the wilds of the Yukon and sold as a sled dog. Along the way he makes new friends and learns about the call of the wild... I know, you'd never have guessed from the title of the film!
Let's deal with the giant dog in the room first. It's difficult to express my exact feelings about the CGI in the film, yes it isn't great, but by the end of the film [well, quite early on] I didn't care. Buck has so many personality traits and goofball moments that you know he must be CGI but it really doesn't matter. A lot of the things on screen I'm sure you would see in a real dog, but you can't put them through the same actions as their computer-generated counterparts. The opening sequence with Buck running through the house was cartoonish and daft, and while I rolled my eyes it was one of the many funny moments that happened throughout the film. You just acclimatise to the whole thing and forget that Buck isn't real.
While the humans take a back seat to Buck's adventures most of the time they're still great on screen. Omar Sy and Cara Gee as Perrault and Françoise make a great duo, and Sy with Buck has some very fun pieces. His reaction to the dogs feels very natural and the ice scene you briefly see in the trailer was a strong moment for everyone involved.
Dan Stevens playing Hal is the villain of the piece and his whole performance reminds me of a classic animated Disney villain, a cross between things from Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast and 101 Dalmations. There's a very specific maniacal villain in my head but I can't remember who or what film and it's driving me nuts! [Do let me know if you know!] By the end of the film though I was bothered more by his cartoonish acting than I was by the CG.
Our main pull was, of course, Harrison Ford. I don't know how John Thornton is portrayed in the book but the one in this film is a very relaxed character that only occasionally has to step it up. It isn't much of a stretched for Ford, I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone told me he wasn't even acting.
This is peak adventure, with excitement, peril and humour. The whole audience was reacting, and it was wonderful. Having gone in prepared to be annoyed the whole way through I was amazed at just how much I laughed and cried, and how exhilarating they managed to make things. Call of the Wild was a delightful watch, dubious CGI and all.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-call-of-wild-movie-review.html
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated That's My Boy (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Adam Sandler movies have often been a mixed bag. For every “The Wedding Singer” and “50 First Dates” there are several forgettable offerings like “Little Nicky”, “I Now Prounounce You Chuck and Larry”, and “8 Crazy Nights”. To be fair there’ve also been several guilty pleasures such as “Happy Gilmore” and “The Waterboy” along the way. Sadly, his recent offerings, culminating in the disastrous “Jack and Jill”, have given me very low expectations for his new film “That’s My Boy” which pairs Sandler with former Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg.
Sandler stars as Donny, a down-on his luck former celebrity who gained notoriety after impregnating his teacher at 13. While the teacher (Eva Amurri Martino) went on to a 30-year prison sentence, Donny used his notoriety to become a pop culture sensation. Unfortunately for Donny fame was fleeting and he wasted the money he had accumulated along the way. We soon learn Donny faces a prison sentence unless he comes up with $45,000 to pay back taxes.
Desperate, he turns to his estranged son Todd (Andy Samberg), who has pretty much disowned his father and does not even go by is given birth name. Todd is about to marry a socialite named Jamie (Leighton Meester), and since he is a numbers genius with an extremely bright future with a partnership pending, the arrival of his crude, drunken father, is a disaster in the making. Passing himself off as long-lost friend, Donny attempts to reconnect with his son and naturally this happens over some very vulgar and awkward moments, not all of which are limited to bachelor party scenes.
Of course anybody who has seen any of Sandler’s films will know the formula that follows: crude situations followed by conflict, mixed with celebrity cameos and an ’80s soundtrack tossed in with a few laughs along the way towards a tidy ending. To say that there is a definite formula to his films would be an understatement and Sandler gives the impression that he’s making up many of the scenes as he goes along, all the while sporting a hybrid Boston/Little Nicky accent.
What ultimately sells the film is the energy and effort that the cast puts into their performances. While the plot can be charitably described as disjointed, there are several scenes that are LOL-inducing, especially those with James Caan as an angry priest and with Vanilla Ice and Todd Bridges lampooning their faded glory.
While the film is a bit cruder than most of Sandler’s usual fare it is, for the most part, good-natured and lighthearted. Obviously nobody is expected to take the film seriously. Samberg does a good job playing the restrained uptight Todd, and in the scenes where he lets loose, shows solid working chemistry with Sandler.
While it is not a great cinematic comedy it certainly has more than its fair share of laughs along the way, just as long as you’re willing to overlook the lackluster plot and uneven pacing of the film.
Sandler stars as Donny, a down-on his luck former celebrity who gained notoriety after impregnating his teacher at 13. While the teacher (Eva Amurri Martino) went on to a 30-year prison sentence, Donny used his notoriety to become a pop culture sensation. Unfortunately for Donny fame was fleeting and he wasted the money he had accumulated along the way. We soon learn Donny faces a prison sentence unless he comes up with $45,000 to pay back taxes.
Desperate, he turns to his estranged son Todd (Andy Samberg), who has pretty much disowned his father and does not even go by is given birth name. Todd is about to marry a socialite named Jamie (Leighton Meester), and since he is a numbers genius with an extremely bright future with a partnership pending, the arrival of his crude, drunken father, is a disaster in the making. Passing himself off as long-lost friend, Donny attempts to reconnect with his son and naturally this happens over some very vulgar and awkward moments, not all of which are limited to bachelor party scenes.
Of course anybody who has seen any of Sandler’s films will know the formula that follows: crude situations followed by conflict, mixed with celebrity cameos and an ’80s soundtrack tossed in with a few laughs along the way towards a tidy ending. To say that there is a definite formula to his films would be an understatement and Sandler gives the impression that he’s making up many of the scenes as he goes along, all the while sporting a hybrid Boston/Little Nicky accent.
What ultimately sells the film is the energy and effort that the cast puts into their performances. While the plot can be charitably described as disjointed, there are several scenes that are LOL-inducing, especially those with James Caan as an angry priest and with Vanilla Ice and Todd Bridges lampooning their faded glory.
While the film is a bit cruder than most of Sandler’s usual fare it is, for the most part, good-natured and lighthearted. Obviously nobody is expected to take the film seriously. Samberg does a good job playing the restrained uptight Todd, and in the scenes where he lets loose, shows solid working chemistry with Sandler.
While it is not a great cinematic comedy it certainly has more than its fair share of laughs along the way, just as long as you’re willing to overlook the lackluster plot and uneven pacing of the film.
the_mad_meeple (55 KP) rated Arctic Scavengers in Tabletop Games
Feb 19, 2020
Hot Heads in the Ice
It was a thursday night and I was round my mate's house ready for my first ever 'gaming session'. Overwhelmed by all the colourful cardboard I realised my expectations of Monopoly and Cluedo were embarrassingly ill-informed.
Arctic Scavengers, the first and last game of the evening, couldn't have been further from my previous gaming experience. A fantastically thematic and competitive deck-building game, it was love at first fight. Deep into a post-apocalyptic winter wasteland, I was soon digging for medicine I would later use to attract hunters and was recruiting brawlers with my charismatic team leaders. After winning the fourth contested resource (a dog sled to add to my grenade) I was hooked and by the time we had thrashed out our final fight I had completed my online checkout.
Pros:
- Simple card drafting game perfect for new players.
- The theme is excellent and match the components brilliantly.
- The length of the game can be controlled by limiting the number of contested resources, allowing for faster play if required (although not recommended).
- The idea of digging for medicine seems hilarious but deciding whether to keep the shovel or take the net can be game-changing and keeps every decision interesting.
Cons:
- The expansions seem to take away from the core game too much for me adding in too many components which alter the base mechanics too much.
The Game
The game is won by the player who has the most people in their clan by the end of the game - after the last contested resource is won.
Playing best with four players, you are required to develop your initial deck in order to fight other players for contested resources and be the strongest clan among the post apocalyptic wasteland.
During each round a player draws 5 cards and is given the opportunity to perform any of the available actions before deciding whether they want to fight for the available 'contested resource'. Able to complete actions such as digging for junk, recruiting new members to their clan or drawing other cards from their hand, Arctic Scavengers is a game where you have to balance the potential to draw a useles refuge, who offers nothing in a fight but increases the size of your clan, with the need to draw brawlers for the fight. Do you choose the versatile scavengers who can do everything, providing you with a variety of options, or go big and recruit thugs for the next fight.
A brilliantly varied game Arctic Scavengers can be played differently every time the lid comes off and no matter who you play against you see something new. I can honestly say that everyone I have played this with have loved it and it is off the shalf at every games night.
I realise that this game will often be compared to other self contained deck-builders such as Dominion and Clank but this is by far my favourite of these and has permanent residence on my shelf for the foreseeable future.
Arctic Scavengers, the first and last game of the evening, couldn't have been further from my previous gaming experience. A fantastically thematic and competitive deck-building game, it was love at first fight. Deep into a post-apocalyptic winter wasteland, I was soon digging for medicine I would later use to attract hunters and was recruiting brawlers with my charismatic team leaders. After winning the fourth contested resource (a dog sled to add to my grenade) I was hooked and by the time we had thrashed out our final fight I had completed my online checkout.
Pros:
- Simple card drafting game perfect for new players.
- The theme is excellent and match the components brilliantly.
- The length of the game can be controlled by limiting the number of contested resources, allowing for faster play if required (although not recommended).
- The idea of digging for medicine seems hilarious but deciding whether to keep the shovel or take the net can be game-changing and keeps every decision interesting.
Cons:
- The expansions seem to take away from the core game too much for me adding in too many components which alter the base mechanics too much.
The Game
The game is won by the player who has the most people in their clan by the end of the game - after the last contested resource is won.
Playing best with four players, you are required to develop your initial deck in order to fight other players for contested resources and be the strongest clan among the post apocalyptic wasteland.
During each round a player draws 5 cards and is given the opportunity to perform any of the available actions before deciding whether they want to fight for the available 'contested resource'. Able to complete actions such as digging for junk, recruiting new members to their clan or drawing other cards from their hand, Arctic Scavengers is a game where you have to balance the potential to draw a useles refuge, who offers nothing in a fight but increases the size of your clan, with the need to draw brawlers for the fight. Do you choose the versatile scavengers who can do everything, providing you with a variety of options, or go big and recruit thugs for the next fight.
A brilliantly varied game Arctic Scavengers can be played differently every time the lid comes off and no matter who you play against you see something new. I can honestly say that everyone I have played this with have loved it and it is off the shalf at every games night.
I realise that this game will often be compared to other self contained deck-builders such as Dominion and Clank but this is by far my favourite of these and has permanent residence on my shelf for the foreseeable future.
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