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A Long Way Down (2014)
A Long Way Down (2014)
2014 | International, Comedy, Drama
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: A Long Way Down starts on New Year’s Eve as disgraced TV celebrity Martin (Brosnan) is planning to kill himself only to get interrupted by the lonely Maureen (Collette), heartbroken Jess (Poots) and cancer stricken JJ (Paul) who are also using the same rooftop to plan their suicide.

All going against the suicide the four make a pact to not kill themselves until at least Valentine’s day and support each other through the six weeks once the tabloids want to make a story of why they were together. The four become good friends exposing their own secrets to why they want to escape their lives.

 

Thoughts on A Long Way Down

 

Characters/Performance – Martin is the disgraced TV talk show host, his small mistake has ruined his career, his family and even finding himself in jail. Now out of jail he wants to kill himself to get away from the headlines. Maureen is a single mother spending everyday looking after her disabled son, not getting any real free time. Jess is the daughter of politician whose sister vanished a few years before, she is a lost soul in the world turning to the drinks and drugs. JJ is an American musician who can’t find his place in the world.

Performance wise, I feel all four of the main actors give brilliant performances, Paul and Poots both show that this could be one of their best of their careers in film, while Brosnan and Collette must have theirs put on their underrated performances of their careers.

Story – The story shows the struggles everyday people can have with depression, it shows that you can get support from people you didn’t even know. I think this film tackles the issues of depression on a brilliant level, and shows just how you can find light in the strangest places.

Settings – The settings are used to show just how different the location these four have come from, it shows just how important finding help outside your comfort zone can be.

Final Thoughts – This is a film I didn’t expect too much from and I can say I truly enjoyed the film, the characters all feel real, their problems feel real and most importantly the answers to the problems didn’t cure everything they helped them realizes how important they are.

 

Overall: This is a very underrated film I feel people should be seeing.

https://moviesreview101.com/2017/09/15/a-long-way-down-2014/
  
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Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated The Guyver (1991) in Movies

Dec 23, 2019 (Updated Dec 23, 2019)  
The Guyver (1991)
The Guyver (1991)
1991 | Action, International, Horror
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The Guyver suit and Mark Hamill (0 more)
Acting, but what can you expect (0 more)
Corny Sci fi fun
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Guyver....based on a manga with the same same. The bio booster armor. This is nothing more than a B movie. Loosely based on the manga. The movie has it as creation of a corporation called Chronos. A researcher is killed and his daughter and boyfriend suspect he was murdered. CIA agent Max Reed (Mark Hamill) gets involved. The boyfriend finds the armor and that is where the fun begins. The CEO of Chronos Fulton Balcus, who is actually an alien himself, sends out his alien hordes to get the Guyver back. The Guyver attaches itself to Sean and he becomes a superpowered armored hero who now can match the aliens in combat. The dialogue and banter is really funny and corny at times. One of the voices for the aliens in non other than Jimmy Walker...you know JJ from Goodtimes. Sean is defeated the first time around by the alien foes, but with the kidnapping of his girlfriend and the death of Max( yes Mark Hamill dies😭) he gets it together and defeats the hordes of Balcus. Then he faces off against and defeats Balcus himself. All in all, this movie is fun. If you like sci fi action hero type movies, you will like The Guyver
  
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Let's face it: no matter what JJ Abrams did, he was never going to please everyone.

Personally, I feel he wasn't helped by the fact that there was no clear over-arching strand to the sequel trilogy; no guiding hand (as it were) such as with Kevin Feige's role in the MCU, leaving each director free to do their own thing, to ignore what had went before or (as in this case) to blatantly attempt to fix what many see as the flaws of the previous film.

Set up as both the capper to this particular trilogy, and to the 9-movie Skywalker saga as a whole, Abrams was definitely NOT in an enviable position ...

It's hard to talk about this movie without giving too much of the plot away: I think it's fairly safe to say that Palpatine returns (he's in the trailers) for reasons, that the issue of Reys parentage is - again - brought up, and that this was intended to be Leia's movie (before Carrie Fisher passed away) in much the same way as The Force Awakens was Hans and that The Last Jedi was Luke's.

It also very much has a 'Return of the Jedi' feel to it, and seemingly lifts from the 'Legends' series of no-longer-canon Star Wars spin-offs, with the inclusion of the Katana fleet in all but name.
  
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Contains spoilers, click to show
Well JJ Abrams certainly had a helluva job to do here, wrapping up a 42 year saga whilst addressing the criticisms made of episode 8 and creating an entertaining movie. Whilst this isn't a complete disaster like the 'Game Of Thrones' ending I still couldn't help but come out of this feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. I wanted wow instead it was just ok and completely lacking in the magic and memorable moments we have come to expect from the series. The first half of the film felt very muddled and disjointed, it did get better in the second half but overall the storytelling felt very safe. I think that was particularly reflected in the decision to resurrect Emperor Palpatine which personally I didn't like. Whilst certainly the weakest of the new trilogy it's not boring, it's a fast paced adventure that does answer some unanswered questions and there's still plenty of fun to be had seeing all the spectacular effects millions of Disney dollars can buy. Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley also continue to turn in decent performances as Rey and Kylo Ren (shame the same can't really be said for the rest of the cast). So as the finale to the 9 film Star Wars saga it's sorely lacking but as a bog standard action blockbuster it's reasonably entertaining.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2091 KP) rated Cajun Kiss of Death in Books

Aug 16, 2021 (Updated Aug 16, 2021)  
Cajun Kiss of Death
Cajun Kiss of Death
Ellen Byron | 2021 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Celebrity Chef Comes to Call
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and the town of Pelican, Louisiana, is buzzing about the new restaurant getting ready to open. It’s the latest from celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson, and this one will have an emphasis on Cajun food. However, Phillippe isn’t ingratiating himself with his new community, and several people have fights with him, including Maggie Crozat’s friend, JJ, the owner of a popular local restaurant, and Maggie’s own mother. The night of the restaurant’s official opening is more explosive than anyone planned, and in the aftermath, someone is dead. Will Maggie figure out what is going on?

It’s always a pleasure to return to Pelican. I absolutely love the characters, and the growth we’ve seen in them and their relationships continues here. There are several sub-plots, so something is always going on, and I had a hard time putting the book down. Since this is the last book planned in the series (at least for now), we get a wonderful epilogue that will leave fans very happy. As usual, there are recipes and a few notes on the reality behind the fiction at the end. Fans will be delighted with this visit, and if you haven’t met the characters yet, you need to fix that today.
  
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Lindsay (1706 KP) rated Found In Time in Books

Sep 13, 2019  
Found In Time
Found In Time
J.K. Kelly | 2019
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Found In Time is set in today world. You get follow a young man named Major JJ Jackson. He seem dedicated to his country. There are special secret mission he goes on,. Everything seem to be working out find and the team come back.

What would you do if you had this technology and you wanted to keep your country safe? You get to meet some historial figures, and talk to them. How would you feel if you got stuck in a time you were not use to and had to say their and adapt?

If our enemy had found out about this technology what do you think would have happened if it could change the past or our future as we know it. This book put us in the fight to save an American President that his being attacked on American soil? What will this special team of 6 men and woman be able to depend the nation and President?

The plot is done well once you get to the adventures plus the action. It really is a thriller and science fiction with a historical fiction twist to it. Their is some violence in the book and some bad words said. The team is put in spots. There seem to be a mole or two in here. Find out by reading and how it ends. What would you do if you could travel back in time?
  
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Troy Aker (6 KP) rated Super 8 (2011) in Movies

Dec 13, 2017  
Super 8 (2011)
Super 8 (2011)
2011 | Action, Sci-Fi
connection to the characters, time period, kids (0 more)
lapses in logic (0 more)
Much fun from JJ Abrams
With Super 8, JJ Abrams did something I feel is rare in cinema. It was a monster movie in which you actually care about the people involved. Way too often in movies it becomes easy to cheer on the monster because the people involved just aren't likable, or that not enough time is spent on them to create a connection with the characters. A character driven monster-disaster movie is rare. This movie is the anti-Michael Bay movie. Which is part of the reason why I love it so much.
 
Another reason I enjoy it so much is because of the period of the film. It is a very believable 1979, and though the kids in the movie are a little bit older than me, I still felt a connection to them and what they did in their lives. I remember working on various projects with friends as kids, when we would do everything we could to make our silly and fun little projects seem more adult. There is a certain rush to compete, when hormones start kicking in, with older and more mature kids, but still wanting to hold on to the fun things that makes the group enjoyable. This was all conveyed very well during the movie, and it helps create a connection with the characters.
 
The movie brings to mine some absolutely wonderful movies about groups of friends that go through a life-changing journey together, like E.T., The Goonies, and Stand By Me.
 
This being said, I think that people that grew up in the late 70's and early to mid-80's will enjoy this movie for different reasons than somebody that grew up after that. There was a certain level of nostalgia that hooked me in this movie. Someone who can't necessarily relate to the characters that way can certainly relate to them as far as a group of friends having a shifting dynamic as the teen years come barreling down at you.
 
Then for the action fans, the movie has one of, if not the best, crash scene I have ever seen. The monster action through most of the movie is quick cuts, loud sounds and then you see the aftermath. As the movie progresses, you do start to see more and more of the monster, so be patient. It won't be hidden forever. Seeing a little town of 12,000 people turn into a war zone was crazy as the military gets progressively involved as well.
 
This movie was not perfect though. There were a couple jumps in logic I felt. The kind where you sit there and think, "No way that it would happen like that." And another where you wonder why certain things are happening and others there are not. Also, towards the end, there was a certain amount of sappiness. Maybe not uncalled for due to the extraordinary circumstances that this town was put through though. But all this is easy to move past because the movie it self is so enjoyable.
  
My Spy (2019)
My Spy (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Family
Eleven months after first being slated for release we finally got My Spy in the cinema. With its predecessors like Playing With Fire, The Pacifier and The Game Plan leaving a very mixed tough guy/kid's movie playing field I wasn't expecting great things.

JJ has stepped over the line one too many times and now he's relegated to surveillance with Bobbi, the agency tech wizard. Their mission is to stay put and watch the wife and child of a man who was connected to the case.

When they get to their stakeout position the last thing they expect is to be made by the very person they're watching. Sophie may only be 9 but she's no fool and she's about to use her new found leverage to her benefit.

I absolutely loved this, it was looking a little rough at the start but I genuinely enjoyed myself once it hit its stride.

But it was a 12A? Honestly astounded to see that pop up at the beginning, I would have assumed it would be a PG, but that extra allowance gave the film a bit more colour.

This comedy felt perfect for Dave Bautista, I don't think I've seen him in a role that really felt suited to him, I like his humour but even the lovable Drax was always a bit off. Everest in Hotel Artemis was probably the best until I saw this. I love that he got a chance to do a mix of drama and comedy all in one film.

His pairing with Kristen Schaal as Bobbi was such fun. Their completely different approaches coupled with her to-the-point attitude make for a great team. Bobbi's adoration and desire to do more fieldwork is played off incredibly well.

I'm not usually a fan of child actors, it can seem forced and unnatural, but Chloe Coleman as Sophie is savage and I love it. Her standing up to JJ and her vulnerable side comes over so well, I genuinely enjoyed her acting and her comic timing, I can't wait to see her in more things.

The only actor I would query is Ken Jeong, he's funny and I find him generally amusing in most things he does but in this A) he wasn't entirely believable in the role and B) his humour was a step apart from the rest of the script, his parts in particular weren't in scenes designed for humour. It was the only part of the film that made me pause as I watched it, but it wasn't a massively negative impact on the whole.

We get some great settings and amazing action style sequences, the ones with both Bautista and Coleman had some real heart and humour. The whole storyline where he teaches her how to spy is amusing and well done.

I really did enjoy My Spy, that 12A totally helped it from being like those before it, the script could be aimed more at adults and the humour could cover both adult and children's amusement, it's a great stress-free film and I would absolutely watch it again.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/04/my-spy-movie-review.html