Search

Search only in certain items:

    Toy Defense Fantasy

    Toy Defense Fantasy

    Games, Entertainment and Stickers

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Toy Defense Fantasy 2.0 will please fans of tower defence genre with excellent graphics,...

Léon: The Professional (1994)
Léon: The Professional (1994)
1994 | Action, Drama, Mystery
Heart-racing Drama
Against his better judgement, a hitman takes in a little girl after her entire family is slaughtered.

Acting: 10
Loved Jean Reno as Leon the hitman as it is inarguably his greatest performance. You can tell very early on this is a guy you don’t want to mess with. Despite his excellence, Natalie Portman outshined everyone, even Reno, in her role as Mathilda, a revenge-seeking girl that has to grow up before she’s ready. She leaves such an impact from the way she harbors rage and sadness, sometimes within the same scene. While young, this is also one of her strongest performances as an actress. When you’re getting the best of your two stars, you know you have a great movie on your hands.

Beginning: 10

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 8

Conflict: 7
I think my issue with the actual conflict throughout the duration of the movie stems more from how amazing the beginning is. The first ten minutes of the movie almost spoil you into expecting the rest of the film to be that way. Alas it is not. It moves at a bit of a slower clip and you start to feel it playing out as more of a drama than an action movie. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of tension to be had, just not quite enough to blow me away.

Entertainment Value: 8

Memorability: 7
There is one particularly tense moment that had my heart racing: I don’t want to give too much away by setting the scene, but Mathilda is waiting outside of Leon’s door, pleading for him to let her in. Every single time I watch that scene, my heart leaps into my throat even though I know what’s going to happen. It’s that intense vulnerability that really sticks out. While the movie isn’t oozing with scenes to remember, say like my last review of Dirty Dancing, there was definitely enough to keep my attention.

Pace: 10
Once you understand that the movie is a drama and not an action film, you can respect the pace a lot more. The movie pushes character development and the relationship between Leon and Mathilda. By the time the film reaches its conclusion, there is legitimate concern for their well-being because you’ve grown to like both of them.

Plot: 10

Resolution: 1
Did not like the ending in the slightest. I was hoping for more. Endings like this are fine when there is more closure. As bad as it was, I still enjoyed the movie as a whole.

Overall: 81
Leon: The Professional is a great movie to watch with someone who prefers drama over action and you’re trying to meet them in the middle. It is endearing to watch Leon and Mathilda’s relationship blossom with the mad world that has been thrust upon them. The action is subtle, but the movie is awesome.
  
40x40

Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Train to Busan (2016) in Movies

Jul 7, 2020 (Updated Oct 22, 2020)  
Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama, Horror
Thrillingly Unique and Entertaining Addition to the Zombie Film
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie was great and the unique concept of having the survivors on a train was different from any zombie I've ever seen. Seok-woo is a divorced business man who never has time for his daughter, whose only wish for her birthday is to see her mother. After reluctantly agreeing to take her by train a zombie apocalypse occurs and they have to survive on the train. The scenes on the train were pretty amazing and really intense. Having to fight zombies in close quarters at times with no weapons made them incredibly tense, especially the ones where they had to sneak past them in the dark. As I said before a big thing that bothered me was that in certain scenes it appeared as if the zombies didn't actually attack the people to eat them but just bite them spreading the virus like World War Z. This was a serious let down for me in World War Z and the only reason I didn't make a bigger deal about it in this one is because there were scenes where a zombie was scene eating someone one that's already on the ground and also where they swarm someone who was already bitten, more than likely eating them. See to me the two greatest reasons why zombie are scary and so popular is because they combine two big fears that people have on a primal way. 1 is the fear of death and the dead, people don't want to die of course, but people are also afraid of dead things, dead people, animals etc.. And then 2 being eaten alive. That I think is something nobody would even wish on their worst enemy, so that's why zombies are such a scary movie monster. But when you change them to being infected instead of reanimated corpses and instead of eating the living they are trying to spread a disease by biting people and not eating them, it takes away from the horror part of it. I really liked the scene where the man with the pregnant wife, Seok-woo and the young baseball player gear up to make their way to the back cars to save their family members. I also liked the special effects used, everything except that deer in the beginning of the movie, which wasn't that terrible in the big scope of things but it reminded me of that prairie dog in the beginning of Crystal Skull (which was big red flag for that film). I have to say that this was really one of the better zombie films out there and I hear there is an animated prequel that was realized a month later and now talks about a sequel. I give this movie a 7/10.


  
Memory Lane (Pine Cove #5)
Memory Lane (Pine Cove #5)
HJ Welch | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved that everyone plays a part here!
I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 5 in the Pine Cove series, and while not necessary to have read the other 4, I would personally recommedn that you do. It will give you a better feel for Pine Cove, and more importantly, for the people who live in it, and just why what happens here is NOT the norm for this town.

Jay is Robin's brother. Angel is his best friend from childhood and Jay has loved Angel since that day on the bridge, 16 years ago. Now having Angel so close, Jay is struggling to keep his feelings hidden. Then when Angel has an accident at work, and loses some memory, Jay steps up to look after Angel and puts himself in a world more hurt. Angel, on the other hand, remembers Jay. Jay is the first thing he says when he wakes up, and he remembers all the places that he and Jay went to as kids. ALL his memories revolve around Jay. Everything he feels, revolves around Jay. Is he attracted to Jay?

I enjoyed this, I really did but it doesn't pack the punch that the first three books carry.

Oh don't get me wrong, it's a wonderfully written, well told book, but it doesn't sucker punch you quite so much and I kinda missed that.

The love Jay has for Angel is palable, right from the start, and that carries right through the book, even if it thought it might cost him their friendship. Angel's feeling for Jay are a little less. . . . romantic but nonetheless intense. It just takes Angel time to filter all the noise in his head from his ex, to see what he really feels for Jay; how MUCH he feels for Jay.

I loved the fact that it's on the bridge, when Jay fell in love with Angel, that Angel lets his feelings really come out!

I could see what had happened to cause the accident coming at me, just as soon as the instigator makes themselves known causing trouble. I didn't think they quite go as far as they do though!

I loved that everyone plays a part here. Robin and Dair; Scout and Emery, Swift and Micha, and Ben and Elias: they all take part to some degree or other. Kamran too, and something happens here that makes me wonder what is going on with him!

And halle-flipping-lujah! Ava and Peyton finally FINALLY admit, out loud, in front of everyone, what they mean to each other and I still want them to have a story!

So from this book, I want two more: Kamran's story and Ava/Peyton's! Greedy? Moi?? I don't know what you mean!

A great read, though, all in all!

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elewhere**
  
Mortal Kombat (2021)
Mortal Kombat (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Fans of the Mortal Kombat series have known that the path to bringing the violent and controversial game to live-action formats has been a mixed bag. While the first film in 1995 was a decent hit; the follow-up in 1997 disappointed fans who had grown weary of the PG-13 take on the series.

Subsequent efforts such as the 2011 television series also left fans wanting more; especially since the game series had become even more graphic and violent.

An animated film released in 2020 gave fans a taste of what they wanted as it featured graphical violence which many fans believed was essential to properly catch the spirit and action of the series.

The latest offering in the series “Mortal Kombat”; reboots the cinematic universe and gives fans the intense, brutal, and graphic violence that they have demanded. The film keeps the basic premise that the Outworld realm has won nine tournaments in a row, and based on the ancient laws; one more victory would allow them to take control of the Earth.

Raiden the Thunder God (Tadanobu Asano); who has been tasked with protecting Earth looks to assemble and train a band of champions to save Earth. Naturally, this is not going to be easy as Shang Tsung (Chin Han); is not willing to follow the rules of the tournament and dispatches his top fighter (Sub Zero (Joe Taslim) to dispatch the champions of Earth before the tournament in a clear violation of the rules in order to ensure total victory.

What follows is solid and very graphic action which contains gore and brutality on a level that almost kept the film from earning an R-rating. The action sequences are well-choreographed and there were some great recreations of classic moves by characters from the game series which were really well utilized and did not seem like gratuitous pandering.

While the plot is fairly simplistic and does not deviate greatly from the source material; it does give a larger backstory to the universe. It was really enjoyable to see many nods to the franchise throughout both subtle and overt and while some characters were glaringly absent which was a surprise; the characters that were included were really solid to see and the door was wide open for their inclusion at a later date.

While the cast does not contain any star power in terms of what Western audiences might expect from a major studio release; the ensemble works well and do a great job in bringing their characters to life.

The film leaves sequels wide open and teases a character that in my opinion was a glaring omission from the film. That being said; “Mortal Kombat” gives fans a solid adaptation that does not shy away from gore and violence and gives fans the cinematic experience that they have wanted.

3.5 stars out of 5
  
The Laundromat (2019)
The Laundromat (2019)
2019 | Drama
Fun and Interesting
Do remember the Oscar nominated film THE BIG SHORT from 2015, where Director Adam McKay would make sense out of a dry subject (the financial crisis of 2008) by breaking the 4th wall and speaking directly to the audience, while also wrapping in a very strong emotional drama?

Well…Director Steven Soderbergh (ERIN BROCKOVICH) has taken that recipe and attached it to another dry subject (this time money laundering through off-shore “Shell Companies”) and has turned in a very good and interesting (though not quite as intense) film that got lost in the shuffle in 2019.

Starring Meryl Streep as a widow who is trying to get her Insurance Company to pay off after the death of her husband, THE LAUNDROMAT follows the trail through shell company after shell company as the money is Laundered by 2 unscrupulous Bankers (Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas) in a series of vignettes.

While THE LAUNDROMAT doesn’t pack the punch of THE BIG SHORT (where the real life consequences of what happened impacted many, many people throughout the world), THE LAUNDROMAT falls just short in that only Meryl Streep’s character really suffers the consequences (though many unscrupulous players do get theirs in the end).

Soderbergh is a Director who’s work I have really, really liked throughout his career as he has a tendency to focus on the people, rather than spectacle, when telling a story, and it works well in this film. He gets the audience to care about the victims of the scheming money men and root like crazy for the “bad guys” to get theirs.

As for the acting, Meryl Streep (of course) is marvelous as Ellen Martin, the widow who’s tragic experience (the death of her husband - played by the great James Cromwell) sets off the course of events in this film.

Oldman and Banderas are equally as good as the narrators and antagonists of this piece. They play their roles with a slight wink in their eyes and a “devil-may-care” attitude which makes them charming, but does take a notch (or so) off of the drama of the piece.

Soderbergh, as he is want to do, fills this film with many memorable actors/characters in what amounts to extended cameos - Jeffrey Wright, Robert Patrick, David Schwimmer, Will Forte, Chris Parnell, Larry Wilmore and even Sharon Stone stop by for a moment to bring other characters into play and they all work well.

To be fair, some of the vignettes work better than the others, but all-in-all Soderbergh has crafted an interesting, fun and IMPORTANT film that will teach it’s audience about the inner workings of a system that most of us have heard about but never really looked into.

Check out THE LAUNDROMAT the next time you are scrolling through Netflix looking for something good to watch.

Letter Grade A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Madam Tulip and the Knave of Hearts (Madam Tulip, #2)
Madam Tulip and the Knave of Hearts (Madam Tulip, #2)
David Ahern | 2016 | Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For more reviews please visit https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com

This book is a second part in Madam Tulip series, and normally, the first part is the one to wow readers to come back for more, but in this case, the second part was way better for me than the first one.

The first part was more of an introduction to Madam Tulip and what she is capable of, in this part things get more serious. Another difference was that, the first part was more like cosy mysteries; the second one loses its coziness and is more action filled, and more intense. Once again, Ahern chose his characters very skillfully. We have some which are incredibly eccentric and real personalities, and others, who are down to earth and very realistic. I honestly do not know how Ahern done his research for his books, but the details about royalty, elegance, old historical houses were a true pleasure to read about. Moreover, the details about historical house and laws of royal inheritance were really accurate and incredibly believable, so, well done to the author.

The narrative was once again told from Derry’s perspective, and in this book I was missing multiple perspectives, as I believe, it helps to understand other characters way better. I really enjoyed that Ahern played with this narrative more, incorporating different approaches in Derry’s life (working for her mom). In this novel there was less of Madam Tulip herself, and more of Derry and her bad luck to end up in dangerous situations. Another well done to the author for increasing the level of action in this novel, I really enjoyed unexpected turns and unusual places chosen for it. One thing what left me debating with myself was the “bad guy” in this book, he was very well picked, but at the same time very obvious and predictable. Even though this book is a second part in the series, it can easily be a standalone mystery, because Ahern explained everything a “new reader” needs to know.

The writing style of this book changed as well. It is more skillful and there are more difficult terms used in this novel, but it did not make it difficult to read, it just felt richer. The chapters are decent length, and once again, divided into smaller parts. I was little bit disappointed with the ending of this book, author used the same technique as in first book and it does not leave me satisfied. I WANT JUSTICE!!! :) So, to conclude, I was really amused with this book and I do recommend to give it a go. It left me very pleasantly surprised with more action, aristocratic and incredibly complex and entertaining characters, the interesting secrets, findings, and incredibly annoying and horrible Derry’s mom (can’t stand that woman now).
Was given this book by author for honest review.
  
The Pining (2019)
The Pining (2019)
2019 |
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Joe is a disabled photographer, he used to be an athlete before his accident too, this saw his life change overnight with him still feeling the effects of what happened to him, he has built up a reputation for his skills with a camera too and just when he starts getting help, he starts to see unusual things happen to him too. Father William is the man that held the support group meeting, he is trying to help people get over the trauma in their lives, but he becomes one of the suspects when the bodies start piling up. Detective Harris has been investigating the bodies, some seem like clear murders, others look like accidents, she believes there is a connection between the support group meeting and wants to get to the bottom of it.

Performances – Diogo Hausen is the best of the performers, he does show us how the character does feel like he has been a victim and showing the strength to carry on. Tom Sizemore is an actor we expect so much more from, he doesn’t get a chance to shine in this one, while Jackie Dallas does well with her scenes.

Story – The story here follows a string of cases that involve the members of a support group being involved in murders or strange accidents, we see how one detective is trying put the pieces together, while trying to save one of the final living members of the group. This is an interesting spin on the idea of victim selection, it does work for making the characters seem like they have been selected to play into their strengths and weaknesses. With this strong idea, comes a weaker way of telling the story, which doesn’t seem to make many of the scenes feel connected, or get to a targeting moments, which could bring about motivation to light until way too late in the film. This is a story that could be a lot more intense only it fails to capture the moments well enough.

Thriller – This film does try to keep us guessing to what will happen next, the problems comes with the fact we only have one scene that feels unpredictable with most just being a cut and dry version of the incidents.

Settings – This film is set in one city where the victims have all been around one locations which could make them the potential latest victim to what is going on, it shows how people don’t know everybody’s stories in life.


Scene of the Movie – Grace’s bad date.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The film spends too much time on Joe, when it seems like we should be investigating the murders.

Final Thoughts – This is a thriller that doesn’t manage to hit the levels it could do, it has an interesting idea, only it never gives it the full focus it should.

Overall: Thriller that misses the edgy side.