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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Free Guy (2021) in Movies
Aug 12, 2021
Reynolds and particularly Comer are great (1 more)
Lots of laughs, most of them on target
Ready Player Truman
I managed to see “Free Guy” last night at a Cineworld “Secret Cinema” event.
Positives:
- It’s a riot of noise and colour. Like a fevered teenager’s dream. And – in the main – very funny. Ryan Reynolds is, as always, anarchically brilliant, playing the role of both Guy and “The Dude” – the one with the slightly unformed catchphrase. Both Reynolds and actor/director Taika Waititi, who plays the flamboyant mega-games-mogul Antoine – are well known for their improv lines. And this is on show here in spades (for better and in some cases for worse). The Bluray extras on this one are sure to be a smorgasbord of different variants!
- Jodie Comer. Wow! The “Killing Eve” star had a cameo as Rey’s mother in “Star Wars – The Rise of Skywalker” and starred in 2017’s Morrissey biopic “England is Mine”. But she’s been TV’s hidden gem in the main. This will surely be a break-out movie for her since she is in a class of her own here. Her portrayal of the flashback teenage version of herself is brilliantly nuanced and believable. I know she’s a serious actress, but the end of the movie made me think that there’s a strong niche, alongside the likes of Rachel McAdams and Emilia Clarke, in delivering a top-class romcom in the future.
- NO SPOILERS! But there is a surprise cameo towards the end of the movie that made the whole cinema erupt with laughter.
- The score by Christophe Beck is great, and song selections (especially the wonderful “Make Your Own Kind of Music”) are well-chosen and snort-worthy with their inclusion. I was listening to an interview with Beck on the UK's Scala Radio and he used to be a protégé of the great Mike Post: and there’s a nice tribute to Post with the inclusion of his “Greatest American Hero” theme to accompany “Dude” at one point.
Negatives:
- Waititi as Antoine is supposed to be over-the-top, but he misses 11, 12 and 13 and cranks it right up to 14 with his performance. Some of his (presumably) improv lines cross a mark. Dude, CANCER JUST ISN’T FUNNY. Nobody laughed. I can’t understand why this line was left in the cut when presumably they had a number of other variants. Bad judgement. (This is about the only reason I’m not giving this movie 10*s).
- Per “Summary Thoughts” below – it’s not as original as it likes to think it is.
Summary Thoughts on “Free Guy”: So, this is a movie that a lot of folks I know have been waiting for. And it’s a blast that I enjoyed immensely. There is little original under the movie sun, and this is no exception. It strays significantly into Spielberg’s “Ready Player One“, especially towards the end of the movie. But I personally found the closest resonance was with Peter Weir’s peerless “The Truman Show”. I even wondered if Reynolds was acknowledging that at one point, with a Carrey-esque gurn on one of his “Good Morning goldfish” segments?
The great thing is that you can ONLY see this on the big screen (which I hope stays that way for a good number of months). So I recommend you do just that since it’s a fine big screen summer blockbuster to enjoy. But when you go, don’t have a good visit – have a GREAT visit!
And by the way, there is NO 'monkey' (a post-credits scene in One Mann's Movies speak), so you don’t need to “do a Marvel” and sit through the end credits (unless, like me, you want to listen to more of Christophe Beck’s score again).
For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Positives:
- It’s a riot of noise and colour. Like a fevered teenager’s dream. And – in the main – very funny. Ryan Reynolds is, as always, anarchically brilliant, playing the role of both Guy and “The Dude” – the one with the slightly unformed catchphrase. Both Reynolds and actor/director Taika Waititi, who plays the flamboyant mega-games-mogul Antoine – are well known for their improv lines. And this is on show here in spades (for better and in some cases for worse). The Bluray extras on this one are sure to be a smorgasbord of different variants!
- Jodie Comer. Wow! The “Killing Eve” star had a cameo as Rey’s mother in “Star Wars – The Rise of Skywalker” and starred in 2017’s Morrissey biopic “England is Mine”. But she’s been TV’s hidden gem in the main. This will surely be a break-out movie for her since she is in a class of her own here. Her portrayal of the flashback teenage version of herself is brilliantly nuanced and believable. I know she’s a serious actress, but the end of the movie made me think that there’s a strong niche, alongside the likes of Rachel McAdams and Emilia Clarke, in delivering a top-class romcom in the future.
- NO SPOILERS! But there is a surprise cameo towards the end of the movie that made the whole cinema erupt with laughter.
- The score by Christophe Beck is great, and song selections (especially the wonderful “Make Your Own Kind of Music”) are well-chosen and snort-worthy with their inclusion. I was listening to an interview with Beck on the UK's Scala Radio and he used to be a protégé of the great Mike Post: and there’s a nice tribute to Post with the inclusion of his “Greatest American Hero” theme to accompany “Dude” at one point.
Negatives:
- Waititi as Antoine is supposed to be over-the-top, but he misses 11, 12 and 13 and cranks it right up to 14 with his performance. Some of his (presumably) improv lines cross a mark. Dude, CANCER JUST ISN’T FUNNY. Nobody laughed. I can’t understand why this line was left in the cut when presumably they had a number of other variants. Bad judgement. (This is about the only reason I’m not giving this movie 10*s).
- Per “Summary Thoughts” below – it’s not as original as it likes to think it is.
Summary Thoughts on “Free Guy”: So, this is a movie that a lot of folks I know have been waiting for. And it’s a blast that I enjoyed immensely. There is little original under the movie sun, and this is no exception. It strays significantly into Spielberg’s “Ready Player One“, especially towards the end of the movie. But I personally found the closest resonance was with Peter Weir’s peerless “The Truman Show”. I even wondered if Reynolds was acknowledging that at one point, with a Carrey-esque gurn on one of his “Good Morning goldfish” segments?
The great thing is that you can ONLY see this on the big screen (which I hope stays that way for a good number of months). So I recommend you do just that since it’s a fine big screen summer blockbuster to enjoy. But when you go, don’t have a good visit – have a GREAT visit!
And by the way, there is NO 'monkey' (a post-credits scene in One Mann's Movies speak), so you don’t need to “do a Marvel” and sit through the end credits (unless, like me, you want to listen to more of Christophe Beck’s score again).
For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Sarah (7800 KP) rated 21 Jump Street (2012) in Movies
Dec 17, 2017
Much better than expected
Mainstream comedies really aren't my thing, but I have to admit I'm pretty impressed with this film. I wasn't expecting much, but its actually pretty funny.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum work really well together, although you do have to suspend all disbelief that they could ever be mistook for high school students. Which in all fairness is referred back to in the film for a few laughs. The other cast work well too, and there's a fun surprise cameo from original Jump Street star Johnny Depp.
The plot itself is silly but a bit of fun. Having the two leads switch characters by mistake leaving Tatum as the science geek and Hill as the all star sports player makes it so much funnier. I also think the school environment with the environmentally friendly students as the cool kids is a great idea. The comedy too also doesn't rely solely on crude jokes which is a refreshing change, and I do think Ice Cube is one of the funniest things about this film.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum work really well together, although you do have to suspend all disbelief that they could ever be mistook for high school students. Which in all fairness is referred back to in the film for a few laughs. The other cast work well too, and there's a fun surprise cameo from original Jump Street star Johnny Depp.
The plot itself is silly but a bit of fun. Having the two leads switch characters by mistake leaving Tatum as the science geek and Hill as the all star sports player makes it so much funnier. I also think the school environment with the environmentally friendly students as the cool kids is a great idea. The comedy too also doesn't rely solely on crude jokes which is a refreshing change, and I do think Ice Cube is one of the funniest things about this film.
Matt (4 KP) rated Lean Into It by Mr Big in Music
Jul 16, 2017
Paul Gilbert (4 more)
Billy Sheehan
Songwriting
Eric Martin
The groove
Is Shred-Pop a thing?
So, this is specific to my favorite Mr. Big album, but their latest Defying Gravity drops this week. I saw them in June in Tempe, AZ, having forgotten how much I enjoyed them back in the day. I had lost interest when Gilbert left the group, and now that he is back they sound as good as ever! Watching him with Billy Sheehan is just mind blowing for any guitar fan or player, and they can write some great songs to showcase that talent. Eric Martin sounds fantastic still, and touring drummer Matt Starr takes over admirably for Pat Torpey, who still plays percussion and sings but is unfortunately limited by Parkinson's Disease. Anyone who is a fan of their ballads gets a little love in the setlist, but mostly the band is there to rock. I had an amazing time, and have pre-ordered the new record already. Check them out!
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated Otherworld (Otherworld, #1) in Books
Apr 30, 2019
I was quite surprised by the book! I had no idea that the author was the "Jason Segel" from tv and movies, until midway through the book when I needed to know more about the author. I was pleasantly surprised the characters were well fleshed out and were not two dimensional as most sci-fi can do. I was a bit hesitant at the start of the book as I had seen some hype saying that this was the next "Ready Player One". I really dislike when people compare things like that. Especially when they are compared with my favorite book. Don't even get me started on the movie for that book.
This had a great world, and I'm really excited to get to go back for the second book, currently it's on hold at the library once I'm off the waitlist will definitely dive in. I'm glad that the characters were flawed and real. The worlds were developed and thought out. The plot was fully considered. I'm rather impressed with Jason Segel's writing ability.
This had a great world, and I'm really excited to get to go back for the second book, currently it's on hold at the library once I'm off the waitlist will definitely dive in. I'm glad that the characters were flawed and real. The worlds were developed and thought out. The plot was fully considered. I'm rather impressed with Jason Segel's writing ability.
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