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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.
3D screening of this one... yes I never learn! You know what I'm going to say... 3D ain't for me. Again, nothing particularly stood out in this one for me with the effects. There felt like very little point in doing it in 3D apart from gouging some more money out of cinema goers.
Being that this preview was only the day before general release I really wasn't surprised that there were so few people there. I really wish I'd waited for the 2D showing.
Here's where we take a swift turn from where I thought my waffle would go for this one... It's an action film with a strong female character, and a lot of us were sold after the first outing of our tomb raiding totty. This one however felt like I'd just found a treasure chest full of Fool's Gold.
I'm not entirely sure that I liked much in it at all. There seemed to be several bits that were surplus to requirements, and honestly didn't even vaguely add anything to the production. And even if you suspend belief, as you would expect to do in this kind of film, you're still left with several bits that just make you stop and say "no".
You heard me talk above about people leaving the secret screening before even five minutes of the movie were done with... two people left this screening half way through. Admittedly I don't know why, but when you couple that with the fact I've never seen so many people going in and out of the screen during a film... well, I get the feeling everyone was a little bit bored. A lot of what was happening wasn't really engaging enough to hook you in until that "big bad" reveal. If it hadn't been for the fact I knew it would bug people who were sitting up and across the aisle from me, I'd have had my phone out like I was sitting at home on my sofa watching a movie on Movies 24.
I want to say I was extremely disappointed in this, but to be honest it doesn't really make me want to express any feelings that strong about it.
3D screening of this one... yes I never learn! You know what I'm going to say... 3D ain't for me. Again, nothing particularly stood out in this one for me with the effects. There felt like very little point in doing it in 3D apart from gouging some more money out of cinema goers.
Being that this preview was only the day before general release I really wasn't surprised that there were so few people there. I really wish I'd waited for the 2D showing.
Here's where we take a swift turn from where I thought my waffle would go for this one... It's an action film with a strong female character, and a lot of us were sold after the first outing of our tomb raiding totty. This one however felt like I'd just found a treasure chest full of Fool's Gold.
I'm not entirely sure that I liked much in it at all. There seemed to be several bits that were surplus to requirements, and honestly didn't even vaguely add anything to the production. And even if you suspend belief, as you would expect to do in this kind of film, you're still left with several bits that just make you stop and say "no".
You heard me talk above about people leaving the secret screening before even five minutes of the movie were done with... two people left this screening half way through. Admittedly I don't know why, but when you couple that with the fact I've never seen so many people going in and out of the screen during a film... well, I get the feeling everyone was a little bit bored. A lot of what was happening wasn't really engaging enough to hook you in until that "big bad" reveal. If it hadn't been for the fact I knew it would bug people who were sitting up and across the aisle from me, I'd have had my phone out like I was sitting at home on my sofa watching a movie on Movies 24.
I want to say I was extremely disappointed in this, but to be honest it doesn't really make me want to express any feelings that strong about it.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
This situation just goes to show why you should pay attention to all sorts of social media. Our Cineworld ran a competition on their Facebook page to win tickets to see this one early and I was so close to missing it. Yes I already had tickets booked to see the double bill... but that had become even more difficult to consider going to. It starts at 9pm on 24th July and obviously goes through to the early hours, that is fine on it's own but Cineworld had also announced an Unlimited Screening on before it... in my old age I was just grateful to have the opportunity not to stay up all night!
Let me talk about the situation for a moment. We were told to get there for 6pm. As you can see, I arrived earlier and saw The Incredibles 2 again before hand. The preamble was long and drawn out. As it turned out the programmed Q&A and movie weren't due to start until 7.45pm, but we were told we would be able to see the red carpet coverage. Had it not been shown to be pre-recorded and edited for our viewing... given away by hearing the voices, without the video, being fast forwarded through and reversed before finally being shown... it would have been more enjoyable. The 45 minute Q&A was interesting to hear, and it was nice to be able to see the scenes they were talking about and link the anecdotes together. It would have been nicer, however, if I hadn't had to sit there for two and a half hours before the film actually started.
So, to the film. I'm not going to waffle for too long about it. It is ultimately a Mission: Impossible film. You know there's going to be good action and an entertaining story. It does do a lot of things you've seen before, but that's not really a problem as they all work again and again.
Simon Pegg is always going to be the best thing about any M:I movie he's in. He was hilarious in the Q&A and he's hilarious in the movies. I love the honesty of Benji. Every time something ridiculous is about to happen I love his little shocked face and the fact that he will point it out.
Just to put this out there... the 'stache is disturbing.
Let me talk about the situation for a moment. We were told to get there for 6pm. As you can see, I arrived earlier and saw The Incredibles 2 again before hand. The preamble was long and drawn out. As it turned out the programmed Q&A and movie weren't due to start until 7.45pm, but we were told we would be able to see the red carpet coverage. Had it not been shown to be pre-recorded and edited for our viewing... given away by hearing the voices, without the video, being fast forwarded through and reversed before finally being shown... it would have been more enjoyable. The 45 minute Q&A was interesting to hear, and it was nice to be able to see the scenes they were talking about and link the anecdotes together. It would have been nicer, however, if I hadn't had to sit there for two and a half hours before the film actually started.
So, to the film. I'm not going to waffle for too long about it. It is ultimately a Mission: Impossible film. You know there's going to be good action and an entertaining story. It does do a lot of things you've seen before, but that's not really a problem as they all work again and again.
Simon Pegg is always going to be the best thing about any M:I movie he's in. He was hilarious in the Q&A and he's hilarious in the movies. I love the honesty of Benji. Every time something ridiculous is about to happen I love his little shocked face and the fact that he will point it out.
Just to put this out there... the 'stache is disturbing.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Alpha, the inter-universal coalition of a thousand planets that has evolved to support millions of life forms, is under attack. Valerian and his partner, Laureline are assigned to find the culprits and destroy them. Based on the main characters in the 1967 French comic book series Valerian and Laureline. Luc Besson sends us out into the vastness of the universe and shows us how wondrous it can be.
The director of The Fifth Element has been working on this film for about ten years. Besson has mentioned he had wanted to work on this project for years and it would not have been made before the technology used in James Cameron’s Avatar. The film is a eye-gasming smorgasbord of star systems, planets and five hundred different alien species. The story itself does not hold many surprises. Heroes looking for villains, lasers pew-pewing across time and space. Goal to save the world as they know.
Valerian (Dane DeHann) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) have a cool/electric repartee of partners who know each other well and are working to combat the underlying…tensions. We learn that Valerian, quite confident in his abilities does not work as well without Laureline by him. Not as the sidekick, but equal. Throughout the film, we see the humor in their relationship with the push and push of their personalities trying to gain the upper hand. The film has some visual and physical comedic moments that tip the hat to screwball, buddy comedies.
The movie is such an incredible visually dazzling event throughout, there’s so much going on that at times I wondered what I could have been missing . The characters are striking: Rhianna’s performance as Bubble was an ocular delight. The costuming and makeup were fanciful, artistic and offbeat. All the CG work in this movie truly makes me wonder what it is like to live in Luc Besson’s mind. I can see the inspiration taken from the comic books which give us the characters and storyline, but the imagination that illustrates Valerian and Laureline’s universe on the big screen is absolutely mind-blowing.
If you are a fan of the Fifth Element, you will enjoy this film. However, you don’t need to be a fan to enjoy this adventure. I highly recommend that you view this in 3D, it enhances the vision created by Besson.
The director of The Fifth Element has been working on this film for about ten years. Besson has mentioned he had wanted to work on this project for years and it would not have been made before the technology used in James Cameron’s Avatar. The film is a eye-gasming smorgasbord of star systems, planets and five hundred different alien species. The story itself does not hold many surprises. Heroes looking for villains, lasers pew-pewing across time and space. Goal to save the world as they know.
Valerian (Dane DeHann) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) have a cool/electric repartee of partners who know each other well and are working to combat the underlying…tensions. We learn that Valerian, quite confident in his abilities does not work as well without Laureline by him. Not as the sidekick, but equal. Throughout the film, we see the humor in their relationship with the push and push of their personalities trying to gain the upper hand. The film has some visual and physical comedic moments that tip the hat to screwball, buddy comedies.
The movie is such an incredible visually dazzling event throughout, there’s so much going on that at times I wondered what I could have been missing . The characters are striking: Rhianna’s performance as Bubble was an ocular delight. The costuming and makeup were fanciful, artistic and offbeat. All the CG work in this movie truly makes me wonder what it is like to live in Luc Besson’s mind. I can see the inspiration taken from the comic books which give us the characters and storyline, but the imagination that illustrates Valerian and Laureline’s universe on the big screen is absolutely mind-blowing.
If you are a fan of the Fifth Element, you will enjoy this film. However, you don’t need to be a fan to enjoy this adventure. I highly recommend that you view this in 3D, it enhances the vision created by Besson.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Citizen Kane (1941) in Movies
Sep 30, 2019
Beautiful Cinematic Treat
Citizen Kane follows the life of a newspaper tycoon. I saw this movie months ago, but have been dreading the review due to my scoring. Granted, I LOVED this movie, I just know there will be those that say I should have scored the movie higher and I’m ok with that. Here goes nothing…
Acting: 10
Orson Welles delivers a powerful performance as Charles Foster Kane. In my eyes, I see him as the original Tony Stark: Powerful, suave, and undeniably lovable. His presence takes over making it hard for me to remember the impact of other performances. There is no doubt that this is a classic, iconic role.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Again, I could watch a movie made up of just Charles Foster Kane and no one else and still enjoy it. Yes, there were other characters that contributed to the film’s overall impactfulness, but the character of Kane is one you remember for a long time. He is a well-layered powerful man that has a lot brewing beneath the surface. He is compensating for something missing in his life and it doesn’t take us long to see this. His journey is definitely one worth watching.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 8
Entertainment Value: 10
The entire movie revolves around a mystery: What exactly is rosebud? It takes us all the way to the end to truly find out what that means. I don’t know about you, but I spent much of my time while watching the film trying to find hints to what the mystery could mean. This made the movie all the more interesting and it was a clever way to keep me engaged. This movie doesn’t need a full two hours to pack a powerful punch.
Memorability: 10
Pace: 8
Plot: 10
Resolution: 6
Here’s where i get crucified: I think the ending to Citizen Kane is a bit overrated. When I found out what it all meant, I kind of rolled my eyes a bit. I didn’t hate it, but also didn’t see what the big deal was.
Overall: 92
Citizen Kane definitely deserves its classic status and I agree that, even to this day, it is still one of the best movies ever made. I won’t go as far as to say the greatest movie of all time (as of today it sits at 87 on my list), but it is truly a movie to remember.
Acting: 10
Orson Welles delivers a powerful performance as Charles Foster Kane. In my eyes, I see him as the original Tony Stark: Powerful, suave, and undeniably lovable. His presence takes over making it hard for me to remember the impact of other performances. There is no doubt that this is a classic, iconic role.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Again, I could watch a movie made up of just Charles Foster Kane and no one else and still enjoy it. Yes, there were other characters that contributed to the film’s overall impactfulness, but the character of Kane is one you remember for a long time. He is a well-layered powerful man that has a lot brewing beneath the surface. He is compensating for something missing in his life and it doesn’t take us long to see this. His journey is definitely one worth watching.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 8
Entertainment Value: 10
The entire movie revolves around a mystery: What exactly is rosebud? It takes us all the way to the end to truly find out what that means. I don’t know about you, but I spent much of my time while watching the film trying to find hints to what the mystery could mean. This made the movie all the more interesting and it was a clever way to keep me engaged. This movie doesn’t need a full two hours to pack a powerful punch.
Memorability: 10
Pace: 8
Plot: 10
Resolution: 6
Here’s where i get crucified: I think the ending to Citizen Kane is a bit overrated. When I found out what it all meant, I kind of rolled my eyes a bit. I didn’t hate it, but also didn’t see what the big deal was.
Overall: 92
Citizen Kane definitely deserves its classic status and I agree that, even to this day, it is still one of the best movies ever made. I won’t go as far as to say the greatest movie of all time (as of today it sits at 87 on my list), but it is truly a movie to remember.
TacoDave (3949 KP) rated Lost and Found in Books
Oct 3, 2019
Plot (4 more)
World-Building
Characters
Dialogue
Concept
Small focus (1 more)
Plot coincidences
A smaller-scale story by the master of epic sci-fi
"Lost and Found" is a story about micropowers - small, seemingly useless powers that are almost the opposite of superpowers.
The main character, Ezekiel, can touch something that is lost and sense who and where the owner is. A lost toy on the ground might call out to him, asking to be returned to its five-year-old owner. Or a lost shoe might give him the impulse to track down a businessman. The power sounds useful, but since everyone assumes he is a thief (how else would he know where these items belong?), it is more of a burden than a blessing.
Everything changes when a police officer asks Ezekiel to help find a missing child. Could his "power" actually be useful? Or is it impossible to find a person who is "lost?" That's the main story of the book, and it is an intriguing concept, especially when Ezekiel meets other people with odd micropowers.
After saying all of that, how is the book? It's good! It isn't quite as engaging as some of Card's other books, but only because it is smaller in scale and scope. The Ender saga (which is up to approximately 12 books by now) feels important. The themes, moral dilemmas, and human interactions all have weight to them because of how epic the story is.
"Lost and Found" has a bit of adventure and danger, but it is much more grounded. It is focused on (almost) regular humans living their lives in contemporary times. So it is a touch lighter, a touch simpler than some of Card's other books.
Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book from beginning to end and would love to find out more about micropowers and just how inane they might be. The world-building is good enough to make me crave more.
One last note: the micropowers discussed actually *do* relate to the Ender saga, because they seem to be based (intentionally or not) on philotic rays. The main character can "feel" a connection between lost items and their owners. Another character can "feel" where spiders are. And one can "feel" other peoples' navels. It instantly reminded me of the ansible, the hive queen, and philotic webs. So that's something.
The main character, Ezekiel, can touch something that is lost and sense who and where the owner is. A lost toy on the ground might call out to him, asking to be returned to its five-year-old owner. Or a lost shoe might give him the impulse to track down a businessman. The power sounds useful, but since everyone assumes he is a thief (how else would he know where these items belong?), it is more of a burden than a blessing.
Everything changes when a police officer asks Ezekiel to help find a missing child. Could his "power" actually be useful? Or is it impossible to find a person who is "lost?" That's the main story of the book, and it is an intriguing concept, especially when Ezekiel meets other people with odd micropowers.
After saying all of that, how is the book? It's good! It isn't quite as engaging as some of Card's other books, but only because it is smaller in scale and scope. The Ender saga (which is up to approximately 12 books by now) feels important. The themes, moral dilemmas, and human interactions all have weight to them because of how epic the story is.
"Lost and Found" has a bit of adventure and danger, but it is much more grounded. It is focused on (almost) regular humans living their lives in contemporary times. So it is a touch lighter, a touch simpler than some of Card's other books.
Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book from beginning to end and would love to find out more about micropowers and just how inane they might be. The world-building is good enough to make me crave more.
One last note: the micropowers discussed actually *do* relate to the Ender saga, because they seem to be based (intentionally or not) on philotic rays. The main character can "feel" a connection between lost items and their owners. Another character can "feel" where spiders are. And one can "feel" other peoples' navels. It instantly reminded me of the ansible, the hive queen, and philotic webs. So that's something.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Hustlers (2019) in Movies
Sep 16, 2019
Diva is the female version of a Hustler
Hustlers is such an extremely glamorous and electrifying film that once you are pulled in and comfortable under its spell it rips the rug right from under you bringing you crashing down into the harsh realities of the real world. From its trailer you may dismiss Hustlers for being a seedy throw away cash grab movie but to do this you would be missing out on one of this years best films. Playing out somewhere between Widows and the Wolf Of Wall Street Hustlers is smart, hard hitting and classy with a perfect dash of comedy too. Shot exceptionally with fantastic cinematography Hustlers drips style and glam making it almost seem like a dizzying fantasy film at times. We are shown the harsh realities of the stripper industry and just how much hard work has to be put in constantly to get any kind kind of pay off back. These girls literally put their heart, sweat and tears into this job sacrificing their wellbeing and health just to pull the wool over the customers eyes making them believe its the place of their dreams so in turn they earn more money. Everything is a lie and the constant comparison of stripping and wall street is explored greatly with the line between whats wrong and right always being contested. Theres no doubt that what both sides do is wrong but the film brilliantly makes you care for both of them equally depicting both as victims just trying to get by in a harsh world but also as heartless animals doing anything to become top dog. Its all really is thought provoking stuff and some of its themes of how selfish, obsessive, disturbing, desensitized, cold & heartless we have all become are so relevant at the moment too. There's also a very heavy theme of rape and how no matter what the circumstances exploiting anyone in a vulnerable state is still taking advantage wrong and unacceptable on every level. Acting is superb too with Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu putting in next level performances. Hustlers really impressed me, theres not one ounce of exposition here as all the film and its characters demand is that your paying attention assuming that you are smart enough to think for yourself instead which I truly admire.
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